BCP related headaches?

AmoroAgain

I has them.  And they get to the point of migraines.  Anyone else?

Islamorada14

Do your migraines happen on the placebo pills or throughout the entire month?

I only get migraines when taking the placebo pills.  The migraines kick in because of the drop in hormones.  My doctor recommended I take my pills continuously (no placebos) to avoid migraine headaches.  It has totally worked! (And I also don't get my period...bonus!)

As recommended, every 4 packs I do take the placebo pills, and the migraines kick in again for about a week.   But its so much better than getting them every month.

AmoroAgain

placebos, definitely.  I just hate taking the stupid pills and that they don't' do anything for my skin, they give me headaches and destroy the libido. 

CA2MT4EveR

I had nightly headaches on Yaz.  I just thought I was throwing my back out all the time, but my cousin was on Yaz too and had headaches.  I have now been on the NuvaRing about 3 weeks and have only had a slight headache on one day.  I agree with Jill, you should probably try that.

ExpatPumpkin

I know you'll think this is crazy, but hear me out   My advice would be to order a copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility.  Fertility awareness charting is 98-99% effective if you do it right and of course there are no side effects...

I started charting because the pill was just awful for me too.  Sucrets recommended the book to me.  I would never have believed it, but the biology of it just makes sense.  Once you learn to read your fertility signs you'll see that you can only get pregnant for about 6 days a month, and you can either abstain or use condoms during that time.

If takes just a few minutes a day and you learn so much about your body.  I would imagine that you - as an expat housewife like me - have a lot of free time, and you'd probably enjoy the "project."  If you have any questions, let me know

ETA:  I didn't really answer your original question...  Yes, the pill gave me horrible headaches and "morning sickness" about 15-20 days/month.  I tried several different ones, and they didn't really help my acne either. 

Anyway, I know you weren't asking for alternate BC methods, but you might be at the same crossroads I was when I decided it was time to try something radically different, so I thought I'd throw it out there.

lizr7313

    I get headaches when I take my ring out for a week, so I talked to a Gyn who recommends her patients on Nuvaring keep it in for 24 days and out for 4 so that helps some. I agree with the other posters that you can also have your doctor ok taking the active pills with no placebos for several months in a row.
    Excedrin migraine is just Tylenol, aspirin, and caffeine.  You could take Tylenol and aspirin with a cup of coffee and have a similar effect.  If my headache is bad enough, I usually do drink a cup of coffee with the ibuprofen or whatever I have on hand.  Midrin is different from Excedrin and should be used only once in a while because of the risk of dependency/ rebound headaches if you take it too often.

kimheartsscott

I had 7-8 migraines a month on Yaz, and now I am down to 3-4 on Lutera, which is normal for me.  I would say just keep trying different things until you find one that works.  Or, you know, the bag of peas.

danieliza1127

Yep, when I was on BCP I would have a migraine almost every period.  It would always be the week before my period would start, almost like clockwork.  It would be worse if I drank red wine that week.  When I got off the pills and got an IUD instead, the headaches disappeared. 

LauraT25

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_bcp-related-headaches?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:e6597548-d5ce-45c2-948a-a7812c0e9c05Post:5806f6e4-20a4-4580-9868-70d4d4f25bf5">Re: BCP related headaches?</a>:
[QUOTE]placebos, definitely.  I just hate taking the stupid pills and that they don't' do anything for my skin, they give me headaches and destroy the libido. 
Posted by AmoroAgain[/QUOTE]]

It sounds like you're having an issue with the drop in hormones, so a low-dose hormone BCP might not help you (but it might, if it's just the drastic change causing it).  Can you get the Depo Shot where you are?  I used to get a lot more/worse migraines when I was on my period, so my doc put me on BCP, and it didn't help, so I started taking Depo Provera.  No period, no menstrual migraines.  There are some other constant-hormone options, like I think Mirena, that maybe you could do instead. 

Mrs.B6302007

MoMo- get offa those hormones!  I started getting migraines on them and that's when I switched to NFP.  Studies are showing that women who are prone to getting migraines while on BCP have a higher risk for the stroke and clotting side effects later.

Mrs.B6302007

And I just saw EP's post.  =-)

ExpatPumpkin

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_bcp-related-headaches?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:e6597548-d5ce-45c2-948a-a7812c0e9c05Post:97c48f15-a26b-4d6e-80be-0b2ffc3477ee">Re: BCP related headaches?</a>:
[QUOTE]And I just saw EP's post.  =-)
Posted by Mrs.B6302007[/QUOTE]

Getting off the pill felt like a veil of fog was lifted off of me.  Seriously. 

Mrs.B - How long did you successfully avoid pregnancy using NFP?  And how quickly were you able to get pregnant once you turned your efforts around?

[Deleted User]

Yes, I get them and sometimes they are so dehabilitating. I take Ortho Tri Cyclene Lo Some months are worse than others. Can't wait to start NFP, just gotta find the time to take the class.

Goldlie11

The pill me me feel like crap.  Headaches, moodiness, never in the mood to actually have sex.  So,  we only use barrier methods.  I just got a diaphragm.  

Mrs.B6302007

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_bcp-related-headaches?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:e6597548-d5ce-45c2-948a-a7812c0e9c05Post:1e93a97c-e4e7-4df9-86b8-818180b5ae3d">Re: BCP related headaches?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: BCP related headaches? : Getting off the pill felt like a veil of fog was lifted off of me.  Seriously.  Mrs.B - How long did you successfully avoid pregnancy using NFP?  And how quickly were you able to get pregnant once you turned your efforts around?
Posted by ExpatPumpkin[/QUOTE]

We avoided for just over 1.5 years.  Now, we weren't planning on avoiding for a long time due to our age.  It took us 11 cycles BUT we were carrying 2 mortgages and were stressed out financially so it's not really accurate to say it truly took us that long.  My townhouse sold in August 09 and I  got pregnant in Sept.  

ExpatPumpkin

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_bcp-related-headaches?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:e6597548-d5ce-45c2-948a-a7812c0e9c05Post:a2a53da7-2e9d-451e-91d4-7a47e9d6a564">Re: BCP related headaches?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: BCP related headaches? : We avoided for just over 1.5 years.  Now, we weren't planning on avoiding for a long time due to our age.  It took us 11 cycles BUT we were carrying 2 mortgages and were stressed out financially so it's not really accurate to say it truly took us that long.  My townhouse sold in August 09 and I  got pregnant in Sept.  
Posted by Mrs.B6302007[/QUOTE]

Do you mind sharing your ages?  We're currently 31 and 35 and we'll both turn this fall...  Right now, we're planning on avoiding until at least the end of the year. 

But we're also pretty stressed, so I might be putting a lot of effort into avoiding something that's actually not so easy to achieve ;) 

Mrs.B6302007

Currently, I'm 36 and he's 38.