NWR: BC pills continously

ecg129

Soo..

I've been on the same BC for a long time.  I get really bad PMS (I want to kill everything in my sight this week - my PMS week) and really crampy MS. 

My doc tried to give me another pill but that was just constantly cramping me up, so back to this pill - she recommends I just stay on it for 3 mths continuously and get off it for 1 week ( have a pd) once every 3 mths.   Has anyone tried this? Work for anyone?

I'm on orthotricyclin low.

Thoughts?  It makes me a bit nervous

caketime

I never tried it but I couldn't deal with the tri-cyclin because by my PMS week I was a raving woman.  I needed to be on the same dosage each week.  Have you tried switching to those?

I think seasonale works the same way as what your doc is saying.  3 months straight pills and then one week off.

Lola Minnie

I have to be honest, if it were me, I'd deal with the pms and cramps until after your wedding.  Accidents happen especially if you get off the pill for a week or whatever doc suggest.

I have always been on yasmin but then didn't think I was reacting well to it anymore so I switched to Yaz. Yaz did not react well with me at all.  I wasn't really getting my period and my mood was out of whack.  I did go back onto Yasmin and felt better. I was told to just switch from one packet to the next with no break. I think you need to find a pill that reacts well with you, I'd just be skeptical to switch so close to your wedding.

kle0113

I could not take orthtricyclin low it just did not work well for me.  Orthocyclin worked like a charm for me though.  I would try it out and if it does not work then I would tell your Dr. and let them know that it's not working and that you need to try something else. 

ecg129

Ummm do you ever post something on the  knot and it just doesn't post? That's annoying..

I replied to Caketime - you say, switching to "those"  what do you mean by those? Reg. orthotricyclin ??  Maybe that's what I need.

I have more then 3 mths to go til wedding -  do you think the bargain isn't worth it?

MelanieK2011

This is what a lot of doctors prescribed before seasonale and seasonique were available - take the pills continuously, without the placebo week, for three months and then take a week of blanks.  If you think that anything could be better than what you're going through now (and nothing could be worse), it might be worth it to try to switch to another pill.  If you're afraid to try it, then you could just try to manage your symptoms before they start (such as taking Advil or another NSAID right before you typically get cramps) and continuing throughout the time when they typically cease so it all seems a little bit more bearable.

Lola - FYI, if you are taking the pills correctly throughout your whole cycle, you are no more likely to get pregnant while taking the placebo pills than at other times.  I think this is what ecg meant when she said "get off it" for a week. 

caketime

Those as in the BC pills that give you the same dosage throughout the month.  I'm on Yasmin and each pill is the same dosage from day 1 to day 21.  The tri's, with the different dosages, were a horror for me.  Doctor finally figured out I needed the same throughout the month and it worked like a charm.

MelanieK2011

Oh, one other thing: on triphasic pills, like orthotricyclin, you have a higher chance of having breakthrough bleeding if you take it continuously while you're on the active pills than if you were taking a monophasic pill (it has to do with the varying levels of hormones that you're taking when you take a triphasic pill, as opposed to a monophasic pill).  I hope that makes sense and all of this helps!  

ecg129

so no more raving bitch at PMS Time?   Urghh.. I may have to wait on this until after wedding since I don't wanna deal w/ major changes now, but that sounds WONDERFUL.  I'm so tired of  being raving bitch during this week ((

Lola Minnie

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_nwr-bc-pills-continously?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:90Discussion:c0374ae9-b6e6-463a-a4a9-973b6f1e6f0bPost:9e2c38f6-f3fd-40f7-a969-7eaf934defd5">Re: NWR: BC pills continously</a>:
[QUOTE]. Lola - FYI, if you are taking the pills correctly throughout your whole cycle, you are no more likely to get pregnant while taking the placebo pills than at other times.  I think this is what ecg meant when she said "get off it" for a week. 
Posted by MelanieK2011[/QUOTE]

Thank you, I must've misread that.  I swear, my eyes are half open right now.

Laurms15

taking a three phase pill doesn't work to skip periods as well because your body is expecting a period at the end of the pack so you may end up w/ pms anyway whereas if you have a continuous amout of hormones in you it should be easier on your moods. I agree if you aren't going to have PMS on/near the wedding I'd skip switching until after.

jaimelody

You can basically take any BCP consecutively. It doesn't have to be specially prescribed to come in a package of 3 months at a time. You would take the first 24-25 pills and then throw away the last 3-4 depending on the type of pill. Then just start the new pack. My doctor suggested this for me a few years ago. I think the actual dosage (i.e. low, high, reg.) is to regulate how much of the uterine wall you build up. So that when you actually get your period, it's not like getting 3 at one time even though you've skipped your period twice. Does that make sense?

Anyway, I have tried this. And I can't remember the name of the meds I tried it with because it was a while ago. While it did lessen my period and my cramps it did NOTHING for my emotions. I would come into work and just cry.... continuously. It was quite embarrassing. My mood would swing back and forth. Anyway, I know a lot of girls here aren't supportive of Yaz or Yasmin, but that seemed to be the only thing that worked for me. I don't skip my period, but I'm able to push it off a week if needed by the way you take the pills.

Lolyalyssa

Orthotricyclen low is three different hormones on each week and then one placebo week.

Yasmin and Yaz are essentially the same drug (later has an additive that allows them to market it as different and "new" and up their profits) and are the same chemical every day for three weeks and then one off week.

Seasonique is NOT good if you want to get pregnant any time soon because it takes more time for it to be out of your system before you can start trying.  Plus, its not necessarily good to screw with your normal cycle of one period per month.

If you don't like Ortho then try Yasmin or Yaz but it is more money per month because there is no generic yet because the drug companies still hold the patents on the meds and so they are milking it for all its worth.  Ortho you can get generic and its called Tri-Sprintec.

I would think going off of your pill and back on so frequently will screw up your body more.  But then again I'm not the doctor.

MelanieK2011

There is actually no evidence that shows that not having a period every month is harmful.  In fact, one could argue that it decreases the chances of having anemia (low iron).  I'm also not sure if one pill is better than another if you intend to get pregnant soon after you stop it - from my understanding, you can ovulate as early as 2 weeks after discontinuing the pill, but it might take longer to get your period regularly, regardless of which pill you were on..  This isn't true for Depo provera, as it's an injection and can take longer for the body to clear, but because the pill has a shorter half life, you can conceive relatively soon after you stop it (and this is also why you have to be careful to not skip pills if you're trying to not get pregnant).

I am also on a generic for Yasmin - it's called Ocella - and I'm happy with it.  It's a monophasic pill, so it would probably be better to take continuously than a triphasic pill, like orthotricyclen.

uppereastgirl

One of my good friends is an OB/GYN and we were just talking about this the other day (because I'm on Seasonale, and wanted her opinion).  She says that you can take any pill continuously (and kind of for as long as you want -- she gets her period once a year, and says that there's no reason to get your period).  But with a tri-phasic pill like Tri-Cyclen, you are much more likely to get breakthrough bleeding.  That happened to me whenever I tried to skip my period when I was on Tri-Cyclen Lo.  You may want to switch to a pill with consistent hormones if you want to do this.

Maybe talk to her about being put on Seasonale?  I love getting my period only every three months.

MelanieK2011

There is actually no evidence that shows that not having a period every month is harmful.  In fact, one could argue that it decreases the chances of having anemia (low iron).  I'm also not sure if one pill is better than another if you intend to get pregnant soon after you stop it - from my understanding, you can ovulate as early as 2 weeks after discontinuing the pill, but it might take longer to get your period regularly, regardless of which pill you were on..  This isn't true for Depo provera, as it's an injection and can take longer for the body to clear, but because the pill has a shorter half life, you can conceive relatively soon after you stop it (and this is also why you have to be careful to not skip pills if you're trying to not get pregnant).
I am also on a generic for Yasmin - it's called Ocella - and I'm happy with it.  It's a monophasic pill, so it would probably be better to take continuously than a triphasic pill, like orthotricyclen.

Linqdz

Yes, I did it once. I had my period for 19 days (not light). Won't ever try that again...

ecg129

I really appreciate the advice...I think I'll look into something like Yasmin or Yaz after the big day. I cant stand these redic emotions anymore

caketime

Love my Yasmin.  Yaz didn't work so great for me but definitely a good idea to try and get on one that's monophasic (learned a new word).

JeannineG122

I've been hearing a lot of horror stories about people getting pregnant on Yaz.  I was ok on ortho lo, but decided with my age to stop taking hormonal birth control.  I recently decided to have an IUD & so far I am happy with it.

We do not plan to have children ever, so  MH will be getting cut soon.

NJMom050911

A related question: I counted my pills to see what time of the month it will on my wedding day and as it turns out my period comes the week before and I would normally start a new pack the Sunday before my wedding. Since we want to start TTC right after the wedding (I spoke to my doctor about this) I am curious to see what experiences people had their first week off the pill after being on it for a long time. I worry that I'll spot, be crazy, etc......

Thanks

laurenross01

I did this for a year, I had terrible periods when I got them with SUPER b*tchy PMS *worse than before.* I also gained 15 lbs.
I am now back to once a month and I take 50mg of zoloft the week of my PMS and it seems to work better for me.
sigh, I wish the alternative to not getting my period wasn't pregnancy or being 30 years older...