Feedback on Ortho Tri-Cyclen, page 141

About Ortho Tri-cyclen®

If you’ve used Ortho Tri-cyclen®, please help others by adding your feedback. What would you tell your best friend about this product? Please remember that we do not give medical advice. That is for your local health care provider, who is familiar with your medical history.

Subj: Noticeable hair loss and cysts
Date: 7/29/2009
I’ve been on OTL for 2/3 years. I can’t really think of any side effects. Although I think I have depression since taking them… I have noticed when I started back on taking them I had noticable hair loss. I’m not going bald or anything, just a lot of hair would come out during the shower. I skip and miss a lot of my pills.. so I think I’m going to try Mirena.. can I even though I haven’t had a child? I take this birth control pill for hormones.. I had a cyst on my ovary and had my left ovary removed 5 years ago and supposedly the birth control pills are supposed to control the cysts with the hormones. I was on the patch once before but apparently I’m over the weight limit. Can I try the ring/mirena? Or will it not help with my cysts? (OTL has been an okay birth control pill. No noticable help in the acne department, but I never had it to begin with).

Elle

AskDocWeb: You will have to check with your doctor to find out if you are a good candidate or not for the ring.

Subj: How long to wait to have sex
Date: 7/29/2009
I’ve been on ortho tri cyclen lo for about 12 days now, and I was wondering how long I should wait to have sex?

Taylor

AskDocWeb: If you are a Sunday Start, the instructions say to use a back-up form of birth control if you have sex anytime from the Sunday you start your first pack until the next Sunday (7 days). If you follow the Day 1 Start schedule, you don’t have to wait or use a back-up form of birth control because you are starting your pills at the beginning of your period.

Subj: Unprotected sex?
Date: 8/4/2009
I am so confused. Everyone is saying a different thing. If my period started on Sunday, and I took the first Ortho Tri-Cylen the same day (day one start) when can I have unprotected sex?

Confused

AskDocWeb: According to the 2008 Physician’s Desk Reference (page 2408) you need to use a back-up form of birth control “from the Sunday you start your first pack until the next Sunday (7 days).” After that the birth control pill provides the protection.

Subj: Stopped taking the pill
Date: 8/4/2009
I have stopped taking the pill July 9th and its now Aug. 4th I should have started my period 2 days ago why haven’t I yet? Me and my husband had sex 7 days after could I be pregnant?

Dolly

AskDocWeb: Yes, you could be pregnant. It is possible to get pregnant just 2 days after discontinuing the pills.

Subj: PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome
Date: 8/7/2009
I started orhto tri-cyclen in the beginning of June in order to regulate my period due to PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome: about my half way through my first pack I began getting extremely naucious and vomitting almost every night. Then by the 2nd week of the 2nd pack I got my period (2 weeks earlier then I should have). For the PCOS I began going to a specialist who then told me to completely STOP it.. my period lasted 2 weeks and was EXTREMELY heavy. It has stopped but now I have been suffering from fatigue and very severe anxiety attacks – to the point where it keeps me from working. I can barely sleep at night. And between the anxiety and light-headedness I find it hard to function and it is honestly a pain. hopefully it all stops soon.

Jessica

Subj: Attempting to skip a period
Date: 8/10/2009
I am on ortho trycyclen. I am attempting to skip a period. I have read up that people are skipping the sugar pills and directly starting a new pack however, I have heard that these people are having trouble regulating their bodys after attempting to skip. I came across the method of taking week 1 week 1 week 2 week 2 week 3 week 3 from two packs…my question is…does this work? Has anyone tried it? And also if anyone has tried it, after taking these sets of pills does your body regulate back to normal if you start your 3rd pack as usual? Please help anyone…

FireFly

Subj: Boobs are getting bigger
Date: 8/10/2009
I started ortho tri cyclen lo about 2 months ago and have had little to no symptoms at all. I get a bit grouchy at times but it’s controllable. My boyfriend has been telling me my boobs are getting bigger and that I have actually lost weight since being on the pill. I love it and would suggest it to anybody.

Stacia

Subj: Mood swings on Ortho Tri-cylen Lo
Date: 8/16/2009
I’ve been on Ortho Tri-cylen Lo for 6 months. It works well, but I recently had a UTI after my last period. I took antibiotics for 8 days, ergo my pill wasn’t effective for 8+ days. A few days before my period this month, I had brown discharge. After a few days of that, it turned maroon, then red a day before my period was supposed to start. My period seemed shorter this month too, only 3-4 days when it’s normally 5 days. I gained weight, which I’m not happy about. I also have mood swings and I feel sad/cry a lot for no reason. I’m not sure if this is related to the pill or not though. But my boyfriend gets upset because I get sad for no reason sometimes and we usually fight a bit before my period starts which might be caused by increased mood swings.

C

Subj: Bowel movement only passed mucus and blood
Date: 8/16/2009
Tri Cyclen lo- 21 day I recently started taking this pill for about a week now, and yesterday experience, an intense urge for bowel movement but only passed mucus and blood, my belly has been unsettled for the remaining of the night. I did pass some feces today but some appeared covered with mucus, could this be the side effects from the pill.

Colleen

AskDocWeb: Passing mucus and blood is not listed as a side effect of any birth control pill. Please check with your doctor.

Subj: Switching to generic form and back
Date: 8/17/2009
Hello. I have been on ortho tri-cyclen lo for 5 years and I am fine. Recently, one week ago I was picking up my prescription and I was given Tri-Lo-Sprintec, which I was told was the generic form. I have taken the TLS for one week and have gotten extreme headaches, and started BTB two days ago. My doctor switched me back to OTC-lo today, and told me to take it where I left off– in other words, I took the 2nd week day 1 pill. My question is, when will this bleeding stop? It is now equivalent to an actual and I never get cramps, but now I currently have them. Also, I wish I could recall but I might have taken too many white pills– I cannot recall if I did unfortunately, but I may have taken 9 white active pills instead of the typical seven. Any feedback would be great, I am miserable.

Jennifer

AskDocWeb: You are not the first to tell of different side effects when switching to a generic. They are supposed to be equivalent but reports like yours make us wonder.

Subj: Affect of Nexium on birth control?
Date: 8/18/2009
I am taking the generic of Ortho Tricyclin regular. I take the pill in the morning and then I also take nexium. I had one doctor say that nexium doesnt affect the pill and then I had another doctor say that nexium makes the birth control not work. She recommended I take one pill at night and one in the morning to make it work better. What is the truth here?

Natalie

AskDocWeb: Nexium has no affect on the effectiveness of birth control pills. The only problem we can see is if you are among that unlucky few (less than 1%) that experiences vomiting after taking Nexium. Of course if you vomit shortly after taking a birth control pill then that would be a problem.

Subj: Changes in bowl movements?
Date: 8/18/2009
I have been on Ortho Tri Cylen for about 6 months now, is it common for my bowl movements to change? Sometimes I dont go to the bathroom for up to 4 or 5 days. Also do you have to take the pill at the exact same time every day?

Callie

AskDocWeb: A change in bowl movements is not listed as one of the side effects of Ortho Tri Cylen. Taking the pill at the exact same time every day makes you more likely to remember to take it.

Subj: Ultra-clotty periods
Date: 8/22/2009
I’ve been using Ortho Tri Cyclen through three packs now–each period I’ve had since starting taking this medication has been extremely clotty, with really no normal bloodflow to speak of–just giant clots. Something that may be related: I am a Sunday starter, and I am always completely through my placebo week before my period even starts. I’m a non-smoker, but these ultra-clotty periods have me worried about clots in my body. Are these periods normal?

Melissa

AskDocWeb: What you describe does not sound normal but it is a reason to make an appointment with your gynecologist.

Subj: My periods are like clock work
Date: 8/25/2009
I’ve been on it for a year and a half, and I absolutely love it. I had a few cramping side affects the fist month but not anymore. The only side affects I do get are tender breasts. I am a Sunday start so my periods are like clock work I wake up Thursday morning and they end Sunday afternoon.

Tina

Subj: Periods becoming more brown
Date: 8/27/2009
I have been on ortho lo for about 2 years now, and everything was great up until about 4 months ago. My periods have been becoming more brown, and they also only last 4-5 days as opposed to 6-7 like they used to. I also get brown discharge for several days after my period was supposed to have ended. My doctor didn’t seem concerned, but I still am. Sometimes the discharge is very dark, and sometimes very light, and muddy.

EB

Subj: Had to throw away pack and start over
Date: 8/28/2009
I’m on Tri cyclen and have been for six months or so. Last month I missed two pills in a row and had to throw away the pack and start over. I was back on them regularly for a couple weeks when I had sex. We used a condom and everything seemed fine. A few days later I got an itch on the outer region. Then I missed one pill and my period started. I picked right up where I left off but my period is still here even after only missing one pill and its been a couple days. Do you have any advice? I’d rather not see a gyno if I didn’t have to due to insurance.

Please Help

AskDocWeb: It’s known that starting over with new pack in the middle of a cycle can mess up the timing of a period. It can take a couple of months for things to get back to normal.

Subj: Discovered by accident
Date: 8/30/2009
I have been on Trinessa for a year or two. I recently messed my pills up and had to be off of them for a month. During that time I realized issues I was having went away. Such as severe dryness everywhere! This contributed to aging lines as mentioned above. Since going off “on accident” I’ve lost a few pounds and no longer feel like a desert! I have had some acne but as also mentioned above there are other products for that.

Michelle

Subj: Second pack of ortho try cyclen lo
Date: 9/1/2009
I’m on my second pill of the second pack of ortho try cyclen lo, my question is, do I still have to wait seven days to have sex like my first pack?

KY

AskDocWeb: No, that only applies to the first pack.

Subj: Expiration date?
Date: 9/3/2009
Do Orth Tri-Cyceln lo pills expire? I have a set that has an expiration date on it for Sept. 20. I need to start taking it tomorrow, Sept. 4th. Is this ok to do?

Linet

AskDocWeb: Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo pills do expire and you can NOT rely on them for birth control after they have passed that date. Sometimes the expiration date is rather faint but if you look closely you will see that it also has a year listed. Hopefully yours doesn’t expire this year. Read more feedback


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