Period/Birth Control Pills
 

Okay so about 2 years ago i went on birth control pills to help me aleviate some pain from the killer cramps i would get the first day of my period. Anyway, its time for me to renew my prescription which means i have to go get my yearly check-up.

Here is the question.... has anyone else gone on the pill to help because of awful cramps, had the pill work wonders, and then went off the pill? Do you still get the bad cramps again or not?

I feel like ever since i went on the pill i have gained a lot of weight, and just want to stop taking it. Thing is, I am worried I will get the bad cramps, vomiting and everthing else i would get from my period if i stop taking them.

What should i do?

Hi beautiful.

I think what you need to do is go in and see your doctor. Tell the doctor what your symptoms are -- both with the heavy periods and with your pill use -- and ask for suggestions.

Maybe you should consider using a different type of pill. Side effects for each can vary SIGNIFIGANTLY. Probably you don't want to consider something like the Depro-Provera shot, though, because that's some serious stuff -- lasts for 3 months and some women bleed the entire first 3 months (but then never again after that, as long as they keep current on the shot.)

Definatly get your physican involved though.

:-) Greek love!
~ Jacquelyn.

My cramps came back and I'd swear they were worse.

Now I am on BC pill called Cyclessa and I LOVE IT! Its a mid-doseage pill--less estrogen than reg pills but more than low dose pills--this alleviates (at least in me) a lot of the normal side effects associated w BC pills.

I did not gain weight when I started the Cyclessa, actually I lost weight.

If I get my period, I get cramps, period. No pill has been able to get rid of them, although some have mitigated them.

I personally swear by Depo. I never had excessive bleeding, and no period=no cramps. I figure, if I'm going to decide to have a kid, I should take at least three months to think about it anyway!

Plus, it's so much easier ... if you have an irregular schedule, taking the pill every day is a huge hassle. I don't have to worry about forgetting my pills at home, or taking it late ...

But it comes down to, all of us react so very differently to these different hormone-based methods - not even your doctor can guarantee what is the best one for you. I'm not saying you shouldn't use your doctor of course; she can suggest what she thinks is best and probably knows a lot more like it than I do (I sure hope!) It's just a caution that it may take a couple of different tries before you find the right thing for you.

What are common side effects of BC pills? My doc wants me to take them for my cramps also. But, I am kind of scared to take them.

I went on the pill for cramps/flow Sophomore year of college. I used to have debilitating cramps. The kind where all planned activities were cancelled for me when I got my period, unable to get out of bed...my mom actually said that having 3 kids with no painkillers was less painful than her cramps!

Also, the flow was incredible (sorry for those faint of heart!). I could fill a pad in 30 minutes...

After 3 months on the pill, it was heaven. I only cramp the first day now, and only mildly, not bad at all. And the flow is so so little, it's a miracle. However, since I just got married, there is no way I can go off of it to see what it is like to not be taking it! That will not happen until we decide to have children.

Supposedly childbearing is supposed to curb the cramps, so maybe after having kids, they will go away. I don't know what to tell you though. Is losing a little weight worth the cramps? I just don't know if I could live with cramps like that again, especially since I now have to be a working grown up and can't "skip school"!

It really varies by pills. There is one prescribed in Gainesville for basically everyone across the board, and everyone has the same side effects, etc. I'm not on this one and love the one I take. I also lost weight when I started taking it and got rid of all my symptoms. When I stopped it my symptoms came back and I also think they were worse than before. I take the lowest dose pill, I think is what she told me, and I don't have any of those awful side effects that other girls talk about. And it all depends on the amount of estrogen and progesterone in the pill, so I agree with whomever else said, go talk to your doctor about the side effects, and that you want to stop taking it, etc. I'm sure they can help you work it out what's best for you.

Tara
I have a Phi Mu castle...

That is how it is for me. I am on alesse 28 and it is supposed to be like one of the lowest dosage pill out there. I love it, but i do want to go off of it, but i dont want the cramps to come back.

I too had to cancel all my daily activities the day i got my period before i went on the pill. It was so horrible!!!!

I started getting the depo provera shot when I was 16 and I am 21 and I am still on it. I started taking it because my mom made me and I didn't trust myself to take a pill everyday, I forget a lot. When I first started getting the shot I didn't notice any side effects except that I had my period for 2 months straight!:eek: That sucked really bad. But after that I only had some spotting for like a day once a month. Best thing is I don't ever get cramps. I have thought about getting off the shot but like everyone else is talking about I had really bad cramps and I had a really heavy flow and couldn't take it. The only side effects of the shot are you might gain weight. I personally like the shot but I guess it might not be for everyone.

Anne Marie

Just a warning - me being all post prego - first of all... I had my period for 5, yes 5 weeks after the birth! Then, I have never had cramps and this whole week I had cramps. Guess what- my period came AGAIN! So, from June 8 to July 24- I have had basically 1 week - period free. Yikes!!!!!

Am I over-sharing? he he :P

A long time ago I went off the pill and had the WORST cramps ever right after my first month of "being clean". It was a nightmare. Then here a month ago, I went off one pill to get on another...I didn't mean to, but I just sorta stopped taking the one and then switched to the other the next month. I didn't have too bad of cramps, but still uncomfortable.

Definately talk to the doctor. I had been on Ortho Cyclen for a year and asked to get on something that would make me less moody. Each one, however, has different side effects so you may be trading one problem for another (as I was told).

Hope that helps.

Hootie
PS. Miss ya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was taking Ortho Tri-Cyclin for a few years and stopped about a year ago. I have never, ever had cramps, but for this past year I have had some killer cramps!!!! :mad: <~~ That is how I look when I have these cramps. :p I haven't talked to my doctor about it b/c I recently changed doctors b/c my other doctor sucked, but I need to go in and see what's going on!!

BC Pill
 

Here is the question.... has anyone else gone on the pill to help because of awful cramps, had the pill work wonders, and then went off the pill? Do you still get the bad cramps again or not?

I feel like ever since i went on the pill i have gained a lot of weight, and just want to stop taking it.

I went on the pill for 2 reasons:
1. I used to get me period for a whole week, all days heavy flow with bad cramps the first couple of days. The first day was always the worst, because on top of getting cramps, I would get a stomach-ache and couldn't eat all day. I was practically bed written my first day.
2. My boyfriend and I thought extra protection wouldn't be a bad idea :)

I started taking EstrostepFE because my doctor said it would give me some extra iron supplements (I have iron def. anemia). That got too expensive ($35) so I switched to Ortho Cyclen. Since then, I hardly get cramps and my flows are shorter and MUCH lighter!

When I stopped taking it for a while (I never made the time to renew my prescription, plus I had broken up with my boyfriend), BOY DID MY CRAMPS COME BACK, WITH A VENGANCE! Also, I noticed that I started gaining weight (while NOT taking the pill). I had lost 20 pounds the previous semester, and kept them off, until I stopped taking the pill.

Either way, everybody reacts differently. The best thing to do is talk to your doctor, just like everybody has suggested.

Good luck!

I just found out about something new on the market.
I am horrible about taking my pill everyday and I am on it for ovarian cysts! But this new thing is a ring that you put inside of you, and it releases hormones steadily (like the pill) and just kind of disenagrates and then the next month, you put a new one in. I am thinking about trying it when my renewal comes up next month. I don't want the shot because I am afraid of the side affects and they last 3 months, no matter what, but this is only ONE month and i could deal with that!
sarah

I've been on Ortho-tricyclen for about 5 years now....and I went on it cause i was SICK of my period just showing up after 21 days, then 27, then 20 then 30... and it would last for a full week every time. it made me CRAZY!!!! I love knowing to the minute when it's gonna come, and being done with it in 4 days. and i NEVER get cramps. I still get moody, and i put on a bit of weight. I've never even considered going on anything else because going from no pill to this pill took 3 months of HELL body transitions. I'm scared to try something else.

has anyone ever switched pills after being on one for a while and really regretted it?

i really don't think i would ever get the iud or take anything else that would keep me from getting my period. yah it's a hassle, but something about not getting my period at all just doesn't sit well with me.

I've used Vioxx to alleviate my killer cramps. It's like a miracle drug. A few years ago, I took Anaprox which was great. I think that they are in a class of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and work by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body. They are not a form of birth control. I strongly recommend them.

Hi ladies,

NSAIDs include ibuprofin and aleve, which you will probably find alleviates cramps better than acetametophin (sp?) -- aka tylenol.

yes
 

What a coincidence, I dread my girlfriend's, and most other girls', periods as well.

-Rudey
--Does the doctor make duck noises by the way while he's working in the "no no area"? I'm so immature.

I too get the cramps from he!! - I take ibuprofen. A couple of years ago, a doctor recommended Vioxx for me... apparently this is "the best thing" to take for cramps. Just one little problem... it takes about 8 hours to kick in (at least for me) whereas ibuprofen takes about 1 hour. Since I didn't enjoy spending 8 hours curled up in a ball crying, I went back to the ibuprofen. You have to go with whatever works for you.

(Man... I am REALLY not looking forward to childbirth :eek: )

Birth Control made me sicker!
 

I also get pretty terrible cramps...so a couple years ago I decided to try Ortho-Tri-Cyclen...let me just say that I have never been so sick in my life! Every morning I would get up and immediately throw up every day...it was like having morning sickness all the time...i even had to miss classes sometimes. I tried everything...taking it with food, taking it at night...in the morning...nothing helped. I switched to Estro-step and i stopped throwing up but i still experienced nausea pretty bad.
Personally, I would rather have cramps then go through that again...I will never take BC ever again! I take Naproxen for my cramps and it works really well. (It's like an ibuprofen)
Has anyone else gotten sick from BC?

I've never been on birth control but I actually thought about it several times because my period lasts 7 days and my first day cramps are unbearable. I hesitated going on the pill because my periods have always been regular. I can tell you exactly what day I'm going to start and when I'm going to end. I can even tell you what the schedule looks like six months from now.

It's pretty bad when I am just sitting there and then all of a sudden I break out in a sweat or I can't pick my ass up off the floor.

I used to take 1500 mg of some kind of pain killer two or three times a day (yes, I know this is bad but it was the only thing that took the edge off) but now I have a prescription for Naproxen! It's amazing that I can take one or two throughout the entire day and I can be cramp-free!!!

I didn't get sick, but I did get moody and had continuous spotting for something like two months! I also gained some weight, but I was on such an insane workout schedule that it only showed up in my boobs. :) Now I'm getting married, and while I don't want to go back on BC, I'm not sure what my other options are. Diaphram?

I'm on Ortho-Tricyclen and i love it even though I have gained weight :(

My experience with cramps has been the same as most of you. Once I got off the pill the cramps and heavy bleeding came back just as bad or maybe even worse.
I
was on Alesse for awhile but it really messed with me emotionally. It made me really angry for some reason. I've also been on Nordette but my doc took me off of it due to weight gain.

If you don't need the pill for bc reasons then try the anaprox. I've heard that it works very well.

I really had a lot of problems w/ throwing up. The first time I went on anything I was nauseated/throwing up for a solid 2 months. It was hell!!! I gained a little weight but nothing too bad, like maybe 3 lbs (which on someone my size is pretty noticeable). Does anyone know of other pills that don't cause quite so much tummy upset?

I have read this in Cosmo, and dozens of other women's magazines, I have heard friends who tried it and even done it myself, and would like to know if anyone else has done this: When I take my pills, I ignore the last week (placebo ir supplements) and go straight from the third week of one month to the first week of a new month of pills. I don't get a period, no cramps, and no adverse side effects. Great, especially during wedding seasons and summer's that feature light colored clothes. I have asked doctors and nurses about this, and the only thing that they've told me is to notify your doctor that you are doing it. One of the only reasons we have our periods anymore is to give us a physical sign to see whether we are pregnant or not. But hey, if I was that worried about it, I would just have my period or get a test.
So, does anyone else do this, or have they done it? Am I the only one?

I don't take the placebo pills either, however I do wait the seven days before starting the new pack. I've always wondered if it was okay to do that, start a new pack after your done with your "active" pills. I think I'll ask my doctor. It's nice to know it can be done.

I have done this before. The first time i did it was last summer when i was supposed to get my period the week i was going to CANCUN!!

I was a little worried it wouldnt work, but everything worked out really well. I still do it from time to time. I dont ever tell my doctor when i do it either. I think its fine if you just do it some times and not all the time.

I think i might call my doctor and have her give me a prescription of some pain killers because i dont want to be on birth control pills anymore.

I tried it once. I was going to be getting my period during my formal and my formal dress was white. Needless to say, the last thing I needed was my period with a white dress. I didn't get my period during formal but I was spotting for the rest of the month. It was really weird. Made an appointment with the gynecologist asap who said everything was fine and that sometimes that will happen. So, just be careful because you could end up spotting for the rest of the month.
BTW, I'm on Triphasil-28 and I have no adverse side effects from the pill. No weight gain, nausea, mood swings, etc. I love it because my periods are lighter and my cramps are manageable.

I dont know too much about birth control pills, but once my freind tried to explain to me why she didnt get periods, and now I understand. Instead of taking the sugar pills, she started a new pack. SHe has been doing this for about two years now, and she has never had any problems. I wonder what the complications of this would be? Maybe something long term?

The only adverse thing that ever happened to me was once I skipped my period for about 4 months (a lot of events at all the wrong times) and when I finally did have it it was a little heavier than usual and I had a little more cramping. So I might not recomend it for those of you who already have problems with cramping or heavier flows. But as always, ask your doctor before you try something new. Mine said there was nothing wrong with skipping it every so often, or at all, so why not?

I was actually ON triphasil-28 and that's what made me so god awful sick. I swear one afternoon I laid in my bed w/o moving for like 2 hours because I knew if I moved I'd throw up. I had morning sickness from hell. I'm getting married soon and I'll just use a diaphragm or something.

im on ortho-novum 777 and so far so good, I was on orthy cyclen, and that was not stong enough and so I spotted for about 2 whole months, which was horrible...anyway, I skipped my period a while ago for the beach, and it work out ok, even though at first I spotted a little. but anyway, I have only been on ortho-novum for about 4 months, and I was wondering, (sorry if this is a stupid question) when you take the placebo pills and you are supposed to get your period...what if you dont get your period till tuesday or wednesday? I'm on the regular sunday period schedule, I start taking the green pills on Sunday night, till the next Saturday...but I don't usually get my period till halfway through the week. Since you are not supposed to skip pills, does that make the whole month before of taking pills worthless? I am using them for birth control and period control purposes...so I hate to think that not having my period for 2-3 days and not taking pills during those times is somehow making it possible for me to get pregnant??? Does this make sense?!?! :confused:

Best thing for not getting pregnent is aspirin!

Put between your knees and hold in place! Da!:)

Re: Birth Control made me sicker!
 

Well, the way my doctor explained it to me is the BC fools your body into thinking it is already pregnant so you don't become pregnant, so at first you might have the same symptoms. I have been taking Alesse for over 2 years now and I love it. I never have cramps and my period is very light to the point that I can get away with the lightest absorbency tampon.

okay, so i just started taking the pill on sunday (for the first time ever), i am on mircette, which i know is a pretty low dose pill..and so far i haven't experience any side effects, no nausea or anything(i know its too soon to tell as far as anything else is concerned) and i'm on the pill for sexual reasons & to regulate my cycle which is ridiculously unpredictable..but my question is, is it possible that i just got really lucky and my body is reacting well..or is there such a thing as too low of a dose? reading everyone's horror stories about being sick kind of makes me feel like maybe its not effective or something? i dont know..like, obviously it can be too high if it makes you sick and stuff, but does anyone know if its possible to be too low? again, after 3 days i know its too soon to tell..but i'm neurotic and paranoid :)

Piece of trivia:

If a woman lowers her body fat to around 10 percent, and it will vary from woman to woman, she will no longer get her period and can't get pregnant.

Considering normal body fat for a college aged woman is 18-22% (about)-- lowering it to 1/2 that is EXTREMELY unhealthy and promotes the kind of negative self image we see in the media today, which drives so many women to eating disorders, obsessive excercising and lack of confidence. Ladies, love your body for all it is---heavy, thin, short, tall ---its the only one you've got.

Its also thought that extremely low body fat can promote early loss of bone density--not a good thing.

Kate--I don't think you have anything to worry about. When I started my Cyclessa pills, I had no side effects either. Side effects seem to be more common in higher doseage prescriptions.

A number of hard core female athletes have this problem . . .