Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo side effects

I wanted to say this as well: why do we feel like it's all in our heards, why are we so relieved when we find other testimonies of how badly a bc pill has affected us? Because we don't believe it's the pill, because no one really warned us. Another thing: my period is still VERY painful and heavy. I went on bc strictly to prevent pregnancy, not for painful/heavy periods (otherwise I might have tried to switch earlier). So there is no guaranty that the pill will give you a lighter/easier period. It affects everyone differently. The point is, you have to decide whether you want to take synthetic hormones. I don't anymore. I am gonna try a cervical cap.

I have been on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo for 9 months. I went through a major depression last spring. I was diagnosed with MAJOR DEPRESSION and went on anti depressants and on sick leave from work. Now looking back it seems there could be a link with the birth control pill. Around the same time I started taking it, I started having such bad MOOD SWINGS, ANGER control problems, ANXIETY and fatigue. I was always getting angry at my boyfriend and picked fights. No more sex drive either. I spoke to my GP, to a psychiatrist and to my pharmacist. I asked them "should there be a link with the pill?". Each and everyone said "no", "highly unlikely". Nobody suggested I try stopping the pill BEFORE starting anti depressants. I got a second opinion from a other doctor. THIS is what he said to me:" you'll be very depressed if you get an unplanned pregnancy." the thing is ladies, they DON'T WANT YOU OFF THE PILL BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT UNPLANNED PREGNANCY. THEY DON'T WANT YOU OFF THE PILL BECAUSE IT PAYS A LOT MORE TO PUSH PILLS THAN TO RECOMMEND OTHER METHODS (pharmaceutical companies giv big incentives and gifts to doctors). THEY DON'T ENCOURAGE YOU TO LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.
I'm going off the pill at the end of my pack and am giving myself a couple months to see if I feel better. then I am going off the anti depressants.

I have been on 3 different birth control pills/patches in the past 2 years and I am sick of it. I know that some people are fine on and off birth control pills, but for me, I will never take one again. I was first on the Ortho Evra patch and that was the worst thing imaginable. I was throwing up on and off and developed a problem with my kidney's that caused what seemed like a UTI but after taking antibiotics never got better, until I got off of the patch. I switch to Ortho Tri-Cyclen. It was reasonable for a while, because at least I could function as a normal person again. But after a while I noticed it's side effects too; nausea, no sex drive, and a variety of others. So I then switched to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo. Although it was the best of the 3, it still gave me side effects that I could not deal with. For the past 2 years, no one has been able to understand my moods, I have had to struggle to feel sexual, have gone from 20-30 vision in both eyes to having 20-200, loosing 20 lbs which makes me 103 lbs now, and after that, finding out that I can no longer eat dairy products (out of the blue). My hair is thinning out and is dull because my birth control pills lowered the amount of nutrients my body could take out of my food (look it up! Birth Control pills can cause definiency's in calcium, b12, biotin and others). Birth control pills were the only pills I was taking during those two years (except for the antibiotics I mentioned earlier) and I had not changed any of my eating habits. I will never go on a birth control pill again, and I hope that I can start to feel better and heal after the craziness those pills have inflicted on my body.

This in my experience has been one of the worst pills i've ever been on. It caused me to have horrible gas pain through out the month, then if it wasn't that i was always picking fights with everyone, and then crying about it 2 seconds later. I was constantly in an unhappy mood and was either angry or upset for most the day. I would sleep about 10 hours and still be tired when i got up. The pill made my periods worse, i would cramp so bad i'd curl in a ball and fall asleep. It also made my period last longer than usual. I was on the pill for 3 months and couldn't take anymore. I thought it would get better the next month but all it did was got worse each time. I asked many of my friends about their experience with this pill and they all refered to it as the "maniac pill". But it just gave me a bad impression of this pill.

Ok, I was wondering if my friends were telling me the truth. Apparently I have become the wicked witch of the west. They said its probably my BCP. Looks as though they are correct. I think my boyfriend hates me 99% of the time and my friends 97%. What do I do, go off of it? I can't live like an insane person.

This pill has made me crazy. I feel I need to be in a looney bin most of the time. It didn't at first. It just seems like the past month or two I have been unable to control myself and that is not like me at all. I am going off it.

I tried this one because my GYN said it would be better for my mood swings than higher dose pills. NOT. It made me so moody I think it pretty much ended my relationship with my boyfriend. I have no sex drive, gained a few pounds, and it even made me break out! I am going off it. I think id rather be pregnant.

I have been on Ortho-Tri Cyclen lo for about 5 years off an on. When I first started the pill I was fine but after being on it for about a year everything changed. Before I started the pill I was losing weight. I was 163lbs and I got down to about 142lbs which was great but since then I've been on constant weight gain, I've tried metabolite and aerobics, some diet changes and now I last weighed 187lbs, with a few drastic changes I think I've dropped about 3 lbs since then. My sex drive used to be fairly high now it doesn't exist, I'm moody and always have headaches. I get nauseous a lot. So as of today I'm just going to quit the pill and live with cramps.

Head aches everyday.

My boyfriend and I normally have sex 4-6 times a week and now it has gone down to once/twice a week.
I'm a pretty laid back yet fun person.I like to go out to drink and party but lately all i have been wanting to do is sleep and stay in. I feel like im 80 years old with no desire for life. I get irritable at all the wrong times. When my boyfriend tries to initiate, I reject instead of joining.

Ive been with my boyfriend 6 months! I mean its not like weve been together for 10 years!

I also feel faint and dizzy majority of the time. Ironically enough i feel better when im on my period because im not taking BC. Also, I have been getting a mid section. Its not drastic but its definitely noticeable.

I really don't think there is any BC that is absolutely side-effect free.

You just have to find whats right for you.

Ortho low is not for me.

Side effects for me include

Faint/dizziness
Tired
Loss of sex drive
Irritable
Slight weight gain in mid section

I started taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo about five years ago. Lately, maybe in the last year, maybe two years come to think about it, I feel like I am in this endless slump. I can't seem to get motivated, I'm depressed, I'm anxious EVERY minute of the day, I feel like I should be in a looney bin. I get hysterical for NO reason whatsoever. Recently, my period hasn't been regulated either and I thought maybe because I quit smoking two months ago that my body was just getting itself back on the right track, but after reading this, maybe just the pill is to blame.

My boyfriend left fifteen minutes before one of our television shows was up tonight and I got hysterical. I was crying and just had NO control. The symptoms are always the worst the week before my period (which means today is just about a week before). I did a self-diagnosis (stupid, I know, but what else could I do?) about probably a year ago and told my mother I thought I may have PMDD.

Then I came online and found this site and I feel relieved (even though I spent the last 20 minutes crying) to know that it IS the birthcontrol pill. So, thanks to all the women on here that gave me some really important insight, I am going to stop ortho. You're all doing a great thing letting everyone know.

Just got my IUD taken out on Fri. 6 days ago. I started taking Ortho lo that night, well every night that I have taken it, I have been sick to my stomach, can't sleep I am so sick. So not taking that anymore. It's like 4 in the morning and I am up b/c of it. Can't take it anymore.

I've been on ortho tri-cyclen lo for the past few years with basically no side effects and have been really happy with it. Just lately, I started getting my period (or spotting) about a week early, before I had taken the last week of pills. This has happened for the last 2 months. I went to the doc and they said it was normal even after I have been taking it so long. The doc said it was probably because the lo was too low and not carrying me through to the end of the pill pack. She switched me to Yasmin, which I've only been on for 3 days now, but decided to research it some. This website lists 4,000 replies about really negative side effects they have experienced in a short time. I am definitely getting off Yaz.....

I do not recommend this pill at all. I can't believe I have been on this pill for nearly 5 years now and I'm just now putting the pieces together. My entire personality has changed. I get angry very easily and little things set me off. I get raging thoughts and I feel like I'm not in control of myself. I get headaches every day and migraines several times a month. I'm always nervous and anxious to the point where I don't even want to leave my house. This is not me at all. Over the past few years I just thought there was something wrong with me and my husband has been very understanding. He suggested it could be my birth control so I decided to do some research and I am shocked to read that there are others out there experiencing the same side effects. Can someone please recommend another birth control pill?

Took it a year and a half ago. Made me nauseous, weak, sleepy, tired, sad, no sex drive, and itchiness all over my body. I suffered from Cholestasis for 2 pregnancy and was experiencing the same symptoms. Also had the same effects from NuvaRing and Femcon Fe.

Oh my goodness.. I have been on Ortho Tri- Cyclen Lo for four years and lately it has been making my life a living hell. I have been experiencing some of the same things that you guys have been experiencing. My sex drive have been horrible, like to the point that it has put my relationship in the pitches. I have been having mood swings, depression, ( where I don't want to talk),suffering for anxiety. I mean it's weird I just don't feel like myself around that time of month. Can somebody help,cause I due to go to the doctor in the morning and I want to try out yaz... TALK TO ME ......SLAUGHTER'S GIRL

Plain and simple, I hate this pill.I have been on it for a little over a year now and it changed me completely. I experience sever anxiety to the point where I will get all ready for the day and be fine and then *bam* the anxiety hits and I crawl back into bed for the day.Ortho has also caused me to get frequent headaches. It is ( I just stopped the pill) to the point where I am throwing up once or twice a week with very painful migraines. I have no sex drive at all.My breasts are always tender. I have bad mood swings.I've gained weight. The ONLY good thing about this product is that my cramps aren't as sever as they used to be.

I am 17 and have been on ortho tri-cyclen lo for 2 years now I never really notice until I started having sex I wanted to do it for about the 1st 4 times than after that I never wanted sex, me and my bf had gone without sex for like 2months and every time he wants to do it I say I don't want to he says I never want to than it starts a huge fight, so we basically fight all the time. We have been together 11months yesterday. I don't know what to do I am really thinking its because of the pills, I get WAY moody, and I cry a lot. I'm always cranky and tired. I'm only 17!! I should want to have sex lots of sex not have no sex at all what is wrong with me? could if be the pills ? I have been on them for a long time now but I never really thought that it would be birth control to cause all of this.someone please reply.

I began taking ortho tri cyclen lo after I gave birth to my daughter who is now five. I always had an awesome sex life and after a couple weeks of taking the pill I could care less about sex at all. I thought nothing was wrong I was just tired and maybe holding a grudge...but I had a huge problem. The sex battle continued for five years. My marriage was falling apart and I sought counseling and nothing helped. My husband advised me to talk to other women, and so I did! To my surprise several women had experienced what I was feeling and they had ditched the pill. I quit immediately and within two weeks I WAS BACK!!! I will remain abstinent from the pill!

I was on ortho tri low for 5 years with no problems but switched to Yaz after my doc talked me into it... IT MADE ME CRAZY and depressed so I'm switching back to OTC low!

I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen- Lo for a year and a half. It really helps with cramps I never had any when my period came. After starting on this pill I took it in the morning and that didn't work because if I didn't eat on a regular basis I would get sick so then I was eating all the time and gained weight. After I began taking it before bed this got better. My boobs got bigger (no complaints there). I used to have a really strong sex drive after starting this it was killed and now is non existant. I had really bad mood swings the week before my period, really bad anxiety and depression.

lots of breakthrough bleeding, headaches, mood swings...not pleased!

I've been on ortho tri-cyclen lo for 4.5 years, and I haven't had any negative side effects. I can't blame any weight gain on the pill, because over that time frame I've been able to lose weight by exercising and controlling my diet When I slack off from exercise or eating healthy, I gain weight--sounds pretty normal to me. Also, I used to have problems with cystic acne, a few a month but enough to make me self-conscious and now (at 28 years old) my skin is what I consider perfect. I don't have to wear make-up to cover anything up. I also I started Proactiv at the same time though, so I'm not sure which one is contributing more to the skin clearing up. I was thinking about switching to Loestrin 24 FE, but I guess if it's not broken....

I have had depression, weight gain, my breast size has gone up tremendously, and i get frequent mood swings.