Alesse & other OCs - please reply!

[Devils*Angel]

i'm planning to switch from ortho tri-cyclen to possibly alesse. i have two questions though that i was hoping one of you could answer from experience or just knowledge

1. i'm aware that it's 20mcg of estrogen in each pill. someone told me that this is less than your body would make on it's own. if the estrogen is so low, does this mean my boobs would probably, well, shrink? lol. i've found on ortho tri my breasts got a bit larger, definitely fuller. i'm expecting that switching will probably cause a bit of a decrease, probably to my original pre-pill size, but is it likely that they will end up smaller than they were in the first place?? (i'm hoping the answer to this one is no. lol.)

2. also, i've heard people say that alesse caused them hair thinning or hair loss. i know this can happen on any pill, depending on how your body reacts to it, but i was wondering if a lot of you experienced this. is the progesterone in alesse more likely to cause hair loss then other progesterones in other pills? are more androgenic pills more like to cause this?

thanks in advance! you guys are always so helpful

 

[velvett]

I went from Demulen (highest Estrogen) to Alesse several months ago. My boobs did not shrink but then again they did not get bigger when I first took the Demulen either.

Hmmm, no hair loss either.


HOWEVER!

1 - took 4 months to become regular again - 1st 2 months were absolutely hellish, so hellish that I begged the doctor to switch me back to the Demulen. He said no, wait it out and I'm finally regular - just shy of 6 months.

2 - I take an additional estrogen supplement to keep the estrogen drop from happening the 4th week of every pack. It's starting to lessen the severity of my migraines but I still get them like clock work.

3 - I now get all the physical symptoms of PMS and ovulation that I did not get while on Demulen. (Cramps, bloating, water retention, sensitive boobs-please shoot me at any time.)

That said - I hate the pill. If it was not for crazy hormonal imbalances there is no way in hell I would continue taking them.


Allese vs. Demulen

Allese - I'm totally mellow and I haven't found myself enormously angry, disturbed maybe, at anything. Whereas I noticed quite a temper brewing out of no where the last 3, 4 months I had been taking the Demulen. (The switch was nearly instant - so I believe the connection.)

Demulen - No PMS, no physical discomfort and nearly nonexistent periods, while the Alesse is well, the complete opposite.

I'm not sold on the Allese yet - for me personally but I believe everyone reacts different.

- well THAT was way too much information wasn't it?


I hope that verbose answer helps in some way.

 

[spatts]

Velvett, there are connections drawn between migraines and epilepsy, and there are many epileptic women who have seizures and/or migraines like clockwork too...hormone shifts = seizure in some people. For them it's usually valproic acid (probably depakene or depakote) or carbamazepine and a low-dose pill. I assume you've looked into the neurological side of it already, if you've been suffering through this a while.

 

[velvett]

Velvett, there are connections drawn between migraines and epilepsy, and there are many epileptic women who have seizures and/or migraines like clockwork too...hormone shifts = seizure in some people. For them it's usually valproic acid (probably depakene or depakote) or carbamazepine and a low-dose pill. I assume you've looked into the neurological side of it already, if you've been suffering through this a while.

Funny you should mention that - I just tried Topamax which is for epilepsy but has been shown to work at lower doses for migraines.

I did not personally find any benefit from the 25mg per day I took, yet when I pointed out to my doctor that perhpas the dose should be higher 50-100mg (I love doing research) built up slowly over the course of time, all of a sudden she lost interest in me taking the drug period.




I'm competely lost with ideas Spatts, I really am.

How does valproic acid compare to topiramate?



p.s. Thanks

 

[spatts]

I know that alot of people feel very sick on topamax, and that depakote has been known to help bipolar disorder, mood regulation, etc...but also brings on weight gain and hair loss in alot of people. I am familiar with the dosing for Topamax for epileptic women who would generally be treated for tonic clonic and myoclonic seizure activity (usually partial, not generalized), but I'm not familiar with comparisons at a level someone suffering with migraines would take. An epileptic woman might benefit from 200-400mg a day, sometimes more. In terms of how the drugs work, I don't know much about topamax. I get the impression that topamax is used as a last reort alot, when other drugs don't work, but that's for bipolarism and epilepsy, so again, I'm lacking info on the migraine side of that. I know that plasma levels of depakote (valproate) and tegretol (carbamazepine) can be altered by OCP's, which makes me wonder if your pill could be making the topamax less effective. Do you know if topamax is delay released? Chemically, topamax isn't related to any other anticonvulsant out there, and I'm honestly not sure what the method of action is.

Can you see another doc about the same idea?

 

[Devils*Angel]

I went from Demulen (highest Estrogen) to Alesse several months ago. My boobs did not shrink but then again they did not get bigger when I first took the Demulen either.

Hmmm, no hair loss either.


HOWEVER!

1 - took 4 months to become regular again - 1st 2 months were absolutely hellish, so hellish that I begged the doctor to switch me back to the Demulen. He said no, wait it out and I'm finally regular - just shy of 6 months.

2 - I take an additional estrogen supplement to keep the estrogen drop from happening the 4th week of every pack. It's starting to lessen the severity of my migraines but I still get them like clock work.

3 - I now get all the physical symptoms of PMS and ovulation that I did not get while on Demulen. (Cramps, bloating, water retention, sensitive boobs-please shoot me at any time.)

That said - I hate the pill. If it was not for crazy hormonal imbalances there is no way in hell I would continue taking them.


Allese vs. Demulen

Allese - I'm totally mellow and I haven't found myself enormously angry, disturbed maybe, at anything. Whereas I noticed quite a temper brewing out of no where the last 3, 4 months I had been taking the Demulen. (The switch was nearly instant - so I believe the connection.)

Demulen - No PMS, no physical discomfort and nearly nonexistent periods, while the Alesse is well, the complete opposite.

I'm not sold on the Allese yet - for me personally but I believe everyone reacts different.

- well THAT was way too much information wasn't it?


I hope that verbose answer helps in some way.

eek...i'm unsure about whether or not to give alesse a try. what was your reason from switching from demulen?

i'm currently on ortho tri-cyclen and my reasons for wanting to switch are it's making my moods messed up and making me gain weight. i was hoping a pill with lower estrogen would help.

what were the bothersome effects you had during the first few months before you became regular again?

 

[velvett]

eek...i'm unsure about whether or not to give alesse a try. what was your reason from switching from demulen?

i'm currently on ortho tri-cyclen and my reasons for wanting to switch are it's making my moods messed up and making me gain weight. i was hoping a pill with lower estrogen would help.

what were the bothersome effects you had during the first few months before you became regular again?

I changed GYN's and I told him that for the past few months I'd been very edgy and quick tempered which was out of character.
I had been on Demulen for around 6 years and it was his idea to drop to a low dose pill. (I really wanted to stop taking it period but he felt this would be the best next step.)

I never gained weight from the pill so I can't really say, although the Doc did say that for some women high dose pills do hinder weight loss - so it may help you.

Side effects - completely irregular with heavy break through bleeding for up to 2 weeks at its worst. The first 3 months were the worst - bloating, water retention, heavy period, cramps, etc.

The positive is that the moodiness dropped pretty quickly and that always angry feeling left. While it started out like hell it has been getting better every month, however slowly but continuously. Oh and about 5 months to become regular.

Don't forget that no two people react the same, hormones are so unique person to person and I also have preexisting hormonal imbalances so my sides may be worse than the norm.

Besides, you can try it and always change your mind - just give it a try and see how it goes - it may just be perfect for you.

 

[Devils*Angel]

thanks velvett!

one other thing - you guys know much more about hormones and drug interactions more than i do so i was hoping someone could answer this for me:

as far as i know, pills with higher androgen and lower estrogen (like alesse) are more likely to cause hair loss and what not. progesterone in ortho tri cyclen is not very androgenic. i've noticed that my hair seems a bit thinner but nothing dramatic. technically, if the progesterone in alesse is much more androgenic than that in OTC, and i had a little bit of thinning with OTC, i think, does that mean that i am pretty likely to have hair loss on alesse since it is even more androgenic?

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

I switched to Alesse from Loestrin Fe 1.5/30 with hellish results. I felt really angry all the time, I had serious sugar cravings that resulted in purges, and I gained weight. No hair loss though. Needless to say, I switched back to the Loestrin.

Before using the pill, I had 5 day periods with hardcore cramps, severe naseau, fatigue, ugh...it was hell. Now, my period lasts about 4 days with little to no cramps, no naseau, and no fatigue. WHat I've learned is that my body responds better with more progestin rather than less. I haven;t experienced any real trouble with fat loss, as far as I know, but then again I never tried to cut before I took the pill.

One thing to keep in mind is that Alesse has a particular type of estrogen and a particular type of progestin - those particular chemicals are not the same in each brand, and this may have something to do with how it affects you beyond simply dosage (certain combinations have different results, for instance some are more androgenic and some are less...). Also, Alesse is monophasic whereas Ortho-Tri is triphasic. This can also work out better or worse for you. For me, a steady level of hormones is best (monophasic) but for other women the opposite is true.

A good website to check out is familypracticenotebook ... I believe its www.fpnotebook.com

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

http://www.fpnotebook.com/GYN19.htm

more specifically

 

[Gladiola]

I'm on Alesse - have been for years & LOVE IT! Before that was on Mircette (also low dose - same dose, I think) & loved that too.

I am HAPPIER on Alesse than off a pill! I plan to never get off it. I'm less moody, crabby, emotional, etc.

However I have breakthrough bleeding. I often don't bleed on the inert pills (when you're supposed to) but I bleed in the middle of the cycle a little - very light spotting. Usually no cramps or moderate cramps.

I tried Loestrin & another to fix the breakthrough bleeding but gained weight & was SO much more moody, decided the breakthrough bleeding was worth it!

I never, on any of these pills, noticed a change in my boobs or hair - & I have lots of thick hair.

I did theorize that Alesse leaves me with less estrogen than I would have naturally - but I honestly don't know if that *IS* true - although some of our resident physiology experts (Wilson6, for example) said that is quite possible. It's possible with men that if you supplement testosterone & it's less than the natural amount, the testes stop producing test & the man is left with less than before - so I guess it's true for women too.

 

[Devils*Angel]

thanks for all the opinions, suggestions, and information.

i ended up getting minestrin 1/20 (which is the same as loestrin 1/20, it's just sold as minestrin in canada). i start it later this week, so we'll see how it goes.

the doctor was a total prick yesterday and was very impatient. i definitely won't be seeing him again if i can help it!

hopefully this new pill will get rid of the moodiness and moodswings that ortho tri-cyclen gave me, and hopefully i won't gain weight from it and it'll be easier for me to lose weight.

thanks again!

 

[Devils*Angel]

one more thing......
is <b>norethrindrone acetate</b> less androgenic then levonorgestrel?

 

[Daisy_Girl]

Side effects - completely irregular with heavy break through bleeding for up to 2 weeks at its worst. The first 3 months were the worst - bloating, water retention, heavy period, cramps, etc.

The positive is that the moodiness dropped pretty quickly and that always angry feeling left. While it started out like hell it has been getting better every month, however slowly but continuously. Oh and about 5 months to become regular.

Don't forget that no two people react the same, hormones are so unique person to person and I also have preexisting hormonal imbalances so my sides may be worse than the norm.

Besides, you can try it and always change your mind - just give it a try and see how it goes - it may just be perfect for you.

Velvett - I had the EXACT same changes when I switched BCP last fall. I switched from Ortho-Novum 777 (a triphasic pill) to Loestrin FE (low dose constant dose). The 777 was a higher dose (max 35mcg), and I wanted a low dose Loestrin has contact 20mcg).

The first 3 months I was miderable. I was emotional ALL month, cranky, irritable, in general, a raging B*TCH! I also had breakthrough bleeding, VERY tender breasts, started my period a week early, cramps, heavier period, you name it.

I begged the Doc to switch me back. I swore I made a mistake wanting to switch. He told me to stick it out a couple more months, and if I was still having problems, he'd switch me back.

Month 4 was better, month 5, good, and from there I have had NO problems. No PMS, no cramps, no nothing. My period is non-existant now. I get spotting, that is it. All I get is water retention, but with extra water and really watching salt intake, it is fine.