Feedback on Ortho Tri-Cyclen, page 28

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: Vomiting on ortho-tricyclen lo
Date: 6/10/2005
I was taking ortho-tricyclen lo and it made me vomit a lot and I stop taking it about 10 months ago and I wanted to get back on it…and I was wondering if there are any ways to prevent or help with the vomiting?

Julie

AskDocWeb: With all the vomiting you have on Ortho Tri-cyclen lo you should talk to your doctor about an alternative.

Subj: Rash from BCP
Date: 6/11/2005
I have been taking orto tricyclen for years, prior to that I broke out with a neck rash on other forms of BCP, I now have the rash back. I was changed to a generic BCP a few months back! I do think the neck rash is from the generic BCP! I am on my way to the doctor today to try and get the ortho back!

Laura

Subj: Mid-month period?
Date: 6/11/2005
I’m 19, and I have been taking Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo for 3 1/2 months now and I just took my 16th pill for this month, and I started having pretty bad (not worse than usual) menstrual cramps, and then I started my period that day…How could I have my period during the middle of a pack of Ortho? It’s been about 14 days since my last menstual cycle.

Stacie

AskDocWeb: The standard line at the doctor’s office is that stress may be the cause your period coming early, that is, if you haven’t been ill. However, if you read the feedback here you may get a different story. This seems to be common with the lo version.

Subj: Worried about side effects
Date: 6/11/2005
I just recently switched from ortho cyclin to ortho-tri cyclin and I’m a little worried about all of the side effects that people are mentioning about ortho-tri cyclin lo. I’m in my 9th day of starting the new pills and I’m already experiencing some spotting and cramps. I read earlier that someone else is experiencing the same thing. Is this normal? Should I call my doctor about this? Also, with all of the horrible side effects I’ve been reading about Ortho-tri Cyclin lo, how could anyone want to go on it?! I miss being on my Ortho Cyclin!

Rachel

AskDocWeb: Yes this is normal. You are likely to have different periods for the first three months, but that’s normal.

Subj: Seborrheic dermatitis
Date: 6/12/2005
I was on Ortho Tri-Cyclen for several years and decided to go off of the pill to see if it would help with breast tenderness, headaches, and to boost lung function during exercise. Around that time an old nemesis, seborrheic dermatitis came back in my scalp, with a vengeance. Do you think it’s possible that the lack of pill hormones could be connected? Thanks.

Jennifer

AskDocWeb: No, it does not seem likely.

Subj: Bad experience with lo
Date: 6/12/2005
I just started taking lo about a week ago, and as soon as I got on it, I started getting severely depressed, with a desire to cut, very dizzy, hungry all the time, head aches, light headed, you name it. Friends of mine said it couldn’t get in your system that fast to cause those side effects, but I got off it anyway, mid cycle, about 12 days after my last period. Immediately I began spotting and cramping, like a light period, so it was obviously in my system, because I was always regular before. Not a good experience for me. Good luck to those who can tolerate it!

Kat

Subj: Cysts on ovaries
Date: 6/12/2005
I was off of birth control pills for 2 1/2 years for the birth and nursing of my second daughter. I was doing great until one month I didn’t have a period. Thinking I was pregnant I went to the Dr. to find out I had cysts on both ovaries. My Dr. said I needed to be on birth control pills once again to improve these, much to my dismay. I am now back on them and have tried Mircette with horrible side effects of acne, mood swings and depression. I called and now they have changed me to Desogen. Aren’t both of these basically the same thing? I don’t see how he justifies my symptoms to improve if they seem to be the same? Is there any other choices I can make for reduction/control of ovarian cysts besides the pill? Please help – I can’t stand this constant black cloud above me. There has to be a better answer.

Misty

AskDocWeb: We suggest you get a second opinion from a specialist, an endocrinologist. They may be able to brighten your prospects.

Subj: Anxiety/insomnia with Ortho?
Date: 6/15/2005
I have just decided to go off Ortho. I’ve had HORRIBLE insomnia which is brought on by anxiety. At first, the side effects were limited to nausea and breast tenderness/increase. I hate to lose the bigger boobs but I haven’t slept without Ambien for a week! Anyone else have anxiety/insomnia? It would be nice to hear I’m not the only one. Thanks,

Adrienne

Subj: Depression and Ortho-tri
Date: 6/15/2005
I have been on ortho-tri for 3 months now (my first time trying birth control) and I decided it was time as my periods are heavy, last long, and are SO unpredictable and irregular. I also had heard it clears up mild skin problems. I’ve noticed a lighter flow (not as light as expected though)and my skin has improved. Periods are regular which is great. BUT…I think I’m starting to feel the emotional side effects – moody, sad, crying about little things…and I’m SO TIRED all the time. Do these symptoms usually creep up after 3 months? Is fatigue/tiredness a side effect? Does depression hit during any specific week (ie. which colour of the pills are associated most with a depressed mood if any?)

Alisha

AskDocWeb: Some have reported that a week before they start the placebos, they feel depressed, angry, crying, etc..

Subj: Cry too easy
Date: 6/15/2005
I have been taking Tri Cyclen (21) for two years. In the last 6 months I have been extremly defensive, (taking everything to heart). This defensiveness causes me to say mean things to my husband. I’m also on edge. Even little things set me off. Also, I am able cry on the drop of a dime, for no reason. Great if you are an actress, bad if you are aren’t. I’ve also had a low sex drive. Do you think this is because of the pill? If it is, is there another pill I could suggest to my doctor, without these symptoms? My mother had told me she was mean to my father when she was on them years ago. Has the pill changed much since then? Please help my husband and I!!!

Carrie

AskDocWeb: As you can see, others have reported these same symptoms with birth control. Talk to your doctor about which alternative would be best for you.

Subj: Hair thinning out
Date: 6/15/2005
I started using ortho tri cyclen for 2 months. I didn’t really see much side effects. Then I switched to Ortho lo, at the same time however I was in a terrible law suit and fell into deep depression. My hair started thinning out soon after, its been several months and my hair has improved, however it is still very thin. I hope my hair continues to grow and eventually goes back to normal. I am curious is this is a temporary effect of the pill combined with stress and if it corrects itself.

Karla

AskDocWeb: It sounds like it was caused by stress. If so, it is temporary and your hair will improve once your stress level is reduced.

Subj: Pregnant?
Date: 6/16/2005
I have been on ortho tri-cyclen for 3 months na I been off of it for 3 months and my boyfriend and I still have unprotected sex, I got my period 2 times in a month and the second time it was a heavy brownish discharge with no odor. Is it possible I could be pregnant?

Alicia

AskDocWeb: Yes, you could be pregnant.

Subj: When to start taking the pill
Date: 6/16/2005
What will happen to my cycle if I start taking the pill again today, after being off of them for about 6 months. I do not have my period now but did 8 days ago.

Danielle

AskDocWeb: You need to start taking your birth control the Sunday after your period stops, just as the doctor tells you. Your period probably won’t start on the same day and may be irregular for the first 3 months, but they should be normal after that.

Subj: Is it worth it?
Date: 6/16/2005
I have been on Ortho-Lo for the past 9 months. The trouble that I have had from taking the pill is the extreme irritability and anxiety that comes about 3 weeks into the pill pack. This all began during the first month I was on the pill. Every month my mood seemed to get worse until I became so anxious and nervous, I had trouble sleeping! I never had trouble sleeping before, but before I knew it, I began battling insomnia! After about 3 weeks of sleepless nights (avg. about 1-3 hours a night) I saw my doctor and he prescribed Ambien for me to help me sleep. This helped me sleep, but the anxiety was still there during the day. To make matters worse, the irritability, anxiousness and sleepless nights caused my boyfriend and I to get into horrible fights. Feeling bad about the fights only made things worse in the sleep dept. and I ended up feeling really bad about myself and depressed about my life! I finally came to my breaking point 3 weeks ago and ended up having a panic attack during an argument with my boyfriend. Has anyone else ever experienced this? My doctor has now prescribed an anti-depressant for me to take daily and says it’s not a permanent solution, but it will help for now. Things have been going better in the past couple weeks since I’ve been on the antidepressant, but I still find myself getting irritable right before my period, which I guess is normal?

Anyway, my question for all of you is… Is all of this worth it? I thought being on BCP’s would help improve my life, help regulate my periods and help eliminate tension between my boyfriend and I…you know, using condoms, not using condoms. Instead it seems as though my life has been turned upside down. I’ve always been described as a happy person and for awhile, I thought I was going crazy! My plan is to get off of all pills next month. I want my life back! Also, if anyone is looking for other info on BCP’s, go to this website called: aphroditewomenshealth.com. There were numerous postings of women who were feeling the same way I was! They had traced their behavior back to the pill. Please read this website and Askdocweb.com before you start taking Ortho-lo. It will truly make you think before choosing Ortho-lo or any BCP. Good luck!

ALM

AskDocWeb: Yes others have reported the same thing as you while on ortho-lo. Taking an anti-depressant just because of what your birth control pill is doing to you doesn’t make sense. Talk to your doctor or get another one that will prescribe a different birth control. Read more feedback


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