Off Topic birth control pills question

[MissAmberDiva]

Has anyone on B.C. pills experienced weight gain and did the weight drop off when you stopped them?
I recently quit taking them. They are horrible!
I hated taking them and I have retention and weight gain and just wondered if the added weight would go away quickly or am I going to have to add more to my already strenuous workouts??!?!

 

[WisGal]

Yes to both.

Within the first 2 weeks I noticed a big difference. But Everyone's bodies are different. I'm not a doctor but I believe that it takes time for your body to adjust to the change.

Hope you see results soon

 

[KyMermaidDivr]

WisGal once bubbled...
Yes to both.

Within the first 2 weeks I noticed a big difference. But Everyone's bodies are different. I'm not a doctor but I believe that it takes time for your body to adjust to the change.

Hope you see results soon

Ditto to WiseGal. However, DepoProvera was the WORST for me, however convenient it might be, and I'll never do it again! Screwed my system up royally for a year. I use Mircette now, due to my migraines, and haven't noticed as many of the side effects.

Good Luck!

 

[MissAmberDiva]

KyMermaidDivr once bubbled...


Ditto to WiseGal. However, DepoProvera was the WORST for me, however convenient it might be, and I'll never do it again! Screwed my system up royally for a year. I use Mircette now, due to my migraines, and haven't noticed as many of the side effects.

Good Luck!

Yes I have heard horror stories about depo. Some of my friends have done that and one of them has been off of it for a while now and still has no period whatsoever. I'm glad I didn't take that, but the BC pills really messed me up. Messed up my whole system. It's been only a week and a half since I stopped. I just hope this extra weight goes away!!

 

[Ladydiver]

Hi Amber,

Most of the information I have read says that the weight gain is moderate at 1-2 lbs. However, I have found that it depends on which pills you are taking. The first brand I took (don't remember the name) caused and extreme amount of water weight gain. About 20 lbs. I switched to a brand with a lower dose of estrogen (again don't remember the name) and lost all but about 5 lbs. in about 2-3 weeks.

Then I switched to Triphasil and noticed no change.

I finally switched again to Ortho Tricyclen and lost about 3-4 lbs.

It can be a real pain, but I would make your doctor keep trying different brands until you find one that works for you.

I have also heard horrible stories about both Depo and Norplant. Haven't heard anything either way about the new patch Ortho Evra. It's supposed to be one of those things where you change the patch once a week and then don't use it for the week you are menstruating. Does anyone know anything else about it?

 

[MissAmberDiva]

Good to hear that it went away for you.
I am getting off of them for good. Since I am in school for naturopathy I want to be completely free of prescriptions and I have found out too much bad info on what synthetic hormones can do to a woman. I wish I had never gotten on these things and really should have quit taking them a long time ago. I am now just trying to figure out how long it is going to take to get my system back to normal. I realize that they were throwing it out of whack and now that I have quit them it's way out of whack.
I guess I should just be patient! But sometimes it's hard!!

 

[Ladydiver]

that the time frame can be similar to what it takes to get back to normal after a pregnancy. Sometimes even up to a year, but it's different for each woman.

Hang in there, I am sure it will get better.

 

[ScubaBaby]

I have tried several different birth control pills. The first was Microginan 30 (sp?) which made me extremely ill - I was vomitting after only taking it for 2 days.

I then started one called Celest (sp?) which took about 2 weeks before I started showing signs of slight weight gain and also vomitting and constant nausea.

Then I went on to the mini pill as they felt it was the amount of hormones that was making me in. This dramatically increased my weight and I couldnt take it at exactly the same time each day - I was at college and partying to much to be tied to a time.

Then I started the Depo. jab. This has increased my weight but not as much as the pills did. I am aware that you can loose periods for a year after you have stopped, but I still get some bleeds towards the end of my jab so I dont think that will be the case with me. I have also experienced an increase in my chest size - but I dont know if this is common with most. It hasnt had any horror storys for me - in fact I have nothing but positive things to say.

I use to suffer badly with period pains, this seems to have reduced them considerably. I have had about 5 jabs so far with adds up to 18 months on it and I cant fault it for now.

 

[KC_Scubabunny]

Amber,

I was on Triphasil for years and can honestly say that I had no weight gain. I went off of it and on to Depo shots for the convienence but went back to Triphasil because as has already been noted here, Depo screws up your whole system.

I did notice last year when I went off all birth control to try to get pregnant that I had less headaches than I had ever had before. I discussed this with my OB/GYN during my pregnancy and she said that Birth Control pills can cause increased headaches in some women. I never associated my normal (not at all migraine) headaches with my pills. I thought it was just stress.

Now that my son is almost a month old and I am thinking about birth control again, I am thinking about a relatively new IUD that is suppose to be good for 5 years. Does anyone know anything about it? My doctor said it is what she recommends for breastfeeding mothers because it is 99.9% effective at preventing pregnancy but doesn't have hormones to effect milk production.

Heather

 

[Louie]

I was on oral contraceptive pills myself years ago and it did cause weight gain and various other irregularities so I quit. Thankfully, my system did get back to relative normality after quitting.

I read with interest replies from women who'd had problems with injectable and implant contraceptives. Having worked in research involving women and health (although I am not a doctor), I have come across a lot of literature and testimonies on the topic. One of the more common complaints is women who have problems with implants but in spite of problems (such as weight gain and depression), their doctors or family planning clinics are reluctant to remove the implants as cost effectiveness for this method depends on the women keeping them for a certain period of time.

We know that fertility control is one of the most important rights that women have but inheritant within that right is the right to safe and effective fertility control. If you are having any problems, side effects or difficulties with your method of birth control, please persist with your doctor and be assertive.