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Done Witth Spiro. Ready To Try Birth Control. Advice?

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(@cinnamon_stix)

Posted : 12/04/2012 1:56 am

Im done with spiro. It just makes me so sick. I cant tolerate it anymore. Im finally breaking down and thinking of trying birth control. I dont think yaz or yasmin is a good idea because it contains spiro and i dont want to go through that again. I was thinking of trying ortho tri cyclen but i dont know if i should use the regular one or the LO version. Can anyone guide me in the right direction? Im scared of bcp pills and this is my first time giving it a try.

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(@paigems)

Posted : 12/04/2012 4:08 pm

Birth control works so differently for everyone. OTC works great for tons of people, but for me personally, it was horrible. I think it may have actually given me more acne. My favorite pill is zovia, which is supposedly the least androgenic pill available. I also liked mircette, but it didn't do as much for my acne. My doctor also told me that for patients with hormonal issues ortho cyclen and ortho novum work well too.

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(@cinnamon_stix)

Posted : 12/06/2012 12:20 am

How were your side effects on zovia? Any weight gain?

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(@paigems)

Posted : 12/06/2012 1:01 pm

Both me and my sister take zovia and neither of us have experienced any weight gain from it. However, I've never experienced weight gain from any pill, just other unpleasant side effects.

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(@green-gables)

Posted : 12/21/2012 6:41 pm

OTC regular works better for acne than OTC Lo. Studies show this.

 

I've heard that Ortho Novum works fairly well, or Dianette (Canada)

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(@cinnamon_stix)

Posted : 12/27/2012 2:21 pm

I'm really back and forth about otc or otcl. I react badly to meds so I feel like if I take the regular version of it will be too much for me. Maybe the lo version would be better because the side effect profile is better. Have any of you girls been on the lo version and had good results with acne? My appointment to get the pill is next week so I really could use all the input I can get (:

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(@graceleigh31)

Posted : 12/27/2012 4:16 pm

Out of curiosity, what dose of spiro were you on? I had bad side effects when I got up to a high dose, but it was at a high dose that it finally started working. I take Sprintec (generic for ortho cyclen) bcp, which works well with spiro. yaz also used to be great for me, but I'm hypertensive and not allowed on it anymore.

 

Good luck!

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(@jmj1975)

Posted : 12/28/2012 3:06 pm

Hi. I've taken both OTC and the Lo version. I got pregnant within a month or two of taking the Lo version. My advice is to be careful if you are sexually active because the ultrasound technician told me she had seen quite a few women come in who got pregnant on OTC Lo. OTC worked well to clear up my skin. Needless to say, I never used the Lo version again!

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(@cinnamon_stix)

Posted : 01/03/2013 3:54 pm

So I'm looking at three different types right now. Ortho tri cyclen ortho tri cyclen lo and yaz. I'm scared of yaz but I would like to consider it. Have any of you ladies tried yaz and had success? We're your side effects bad? Would you ladies recommend I try otc original version first or yaz? I have depression and anxiety and I hear yaz makes that worse but on the flip side I hear some women actually get calm and happy on yaz.

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(@green-gables)

Posted : 01/04/2013 8:28 pm

So I'm looking at three different types right now. Ortho tri cyclen ortho tri cyclen lo and yaz. I'm scared of yaz but I would like to consider it. Have any of you ladies tried yaz and had success? We're your side effects bad? Would you ladies recommend I try otc original version first or yaz? I have depression and anxiety and I hear yaz makes that worse but on the flip side I hear some women actually get calm and happy on yaz.

 

Yaz contains a 25mg dose of a Spiro derivative...

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(@lillyrose7)

Posted : 01/16/2013 3:17 pm

hey,

 

hope you are well. Have you heard of the Belara contraceptive ? I have taken it twice before. The first time, i cleared fast, and the second, i wasn't clearing but that was down to the topcials i was using and how i was treating my skin. I didn't give it enough time to work either the second time around. I heard it is better than YAZ for clearing up acne, and has a very stable weight profile, i mean, i never gained a thing on it. In fact, i think i lost.

 

I am thinking of taking it again. Maybe you could ask your doctor about it, but i'm not sure if its available where you are. It's fairly new. my gyno told me its a good one as well, she has patients who are happier on it than YAZ/yasmin.

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3
(@cinnamon_stix)

Posted : 01/24/2013 5:38 pm

Omg it sounds amazing. I was out of hope but I read your post and I feel so hopeful that it will help me. Thank you so much for sharing. I will pm you with a few questions about it (:

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(@paigems)

Posted : 01/24/2013 7:28 pm

hey,

hope you are well. Have you heard of the Belara contraceptive ? I have taken it twice before. The first time, i cleared fast, and the second, i wasn't clearing but that was down to the topcials i was using and how i was treating my skin. I didn't give it enough time to work either the second time around. I heard it is better than YAZ for clearing up acne, and has a very stable weight profile, i mean, i never gained a thing on it. In fact, i think i lost.

I am thinking of taking it again. Maybe you could ask your doctor about it, but i'm not sure if its available where you are. It's fairly new. my gyno told me its a good one as well, she has patients who are happier on it than YAZ/yasmin.

Could you give me more information on this too? Is Belara the brand name? I can hardly find anything about it online. Does it give you the same diuretic type side effects that you would get from yaz/yasmin? Thanks smile.png

Actually I did find some info on it, and I guess I'll share in case it is helpful to anyone else. It seems it has the same estrogen as yas/yasmin, but a different anti-androgenic progesterone. It's also not approved in the U.S. yet, and is still fairly new elsewhere. I can't find any information about side effects though, so I have no idea if they would be similar to yaz/yasmin. I also don't know if it will ever be approved in the U.S.

Interestingly it also says it does not affect libido despite being an anti-androgen. I wonder how this would work?

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(@lillyrose7)

Posted : 01/25/2013 4:49 am

 

speaking from experience there was no effect on libido but the first month there was a lot of breast tension from water gain, it literally goes after 2-3 weeks of use. I didn;t gain a single pound on it. Lets hope i really don't when i go on it again lol, because i am at my lowest weight of 122 pounds now.

i'll attach some studies i have which i downloaded, if you click on the following links, there is studies and an outline about this pill. Not sure why it's not in the states, maybe because its new. its popular in europe. I wouldn't be worried if i was taking YAZ though, because i also hard its good for acne because of the spiro.

http://www.belara.com/professional/service/downloads-product-information/monograph/

if you go to monograph download and detail aid, there is a good outline of what it does and i think it compares a study for acne with YAZ.

 

 

i took diane 35 btw before and it has strong anti-androgen properties. My skin was very clear. but my hair fell shedded like crazy (weird yes?) and WOW i gained like 20 pounds. my pcos got 10000000000+++ times worse when i came off. I came off because i got migraines and thrombosis in my right leg.

i think belara has moderate anti-androgen properties,i hope this means it clear me up this time lol. skin is quite spotty right now.

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(@Anonymous)

Posted : 02/03/2013 2:16 pm

Hi, I tried birth control and I've just written a review of my experience on my blog.....but basically i went on Dianette, it cleared up beautifully, I had to come off it and then after ten months of being off it my acne started coming back and really flaring up.

Although Dianette really sorted my skin out it is not a permanent solution and it is quite heartbreaking to have your acne returning after thinking it might have been cured. Wish i'd stayed off Dianette and tried a diet change and natural remedies instead of going on it.

Now trying to manage it through diet and seeing some results.

More info and photos on my blog

*Moderator edit - URL removed - read the board rules*

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(@cinnamon_stix)

Posted : 02/03/2013 10:16 pm

I actually dont plan on having children so i think birth control is the answer for me. Ive been suffering with pcos my entire life and ive been avoiding bc this whole time but now i think its time to give it a try. Ive got nothing to loose and it just might save my life. The right pill can even moods clear acne and loads of other good things. Im positive that the pill will be the anwser for me. I just took my dirst dose of ortho novum 135 tonight so i have my fingers crossed that this will work for me.

 

I have mood swings and depression and it started right at puberty and not even my antidepressant helps so im hoping the pill might help.

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(@lillyrose7)

Posted : 02/04/2013 1:58 am

all what you mention are symptoms of hormonal imbalance. I have pcos too. I know a lot of people say BCP is not the answer for pcos as it just 'masks' but isn't that true of every single medication and herb? As soon as you stop taking herbs and any meds, the effects stop working anyway. The pill has the ability to literally eliminate all of pcos symptms. All the cysts, the mood swings, the acne, hair problems is all due to hormonal imbalance. Even in my 'holistic guide to managing pcos book' she mentions that the 'pcos busters' are the pill and metformin (i take both). if one pill can literally eliminate so many symptoms and create a different balance within the body and lower androgens, its not 'masking' to me, its literally life saving. I have dealt with acne on my chin (cysts) and acne on cheeks, its not even necessary to deal with this kind of pain when there is help out there. Finding the right BCP is key. What did you decide on?

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(@cinnamon_stix)

Posted : 02/04/2013 3:53 pm

See i absolutely agree with you. Anytime you take something and you stop it just comes right back. Im exhausted all of the time, i have hair in places only men should have, and i was really angry and depessed throughout my teens and i still strugfle with it now. birth control doesnt mask symptoms i think thats completely wrong if you need it then you need it. I feel like im on the right track with birth control. I decided on ortho novum 135 generic is necon. Its a monophasic which is supposed to be better then triphasics. It has a good combo of hormones so it might just do the trick. I took my first dose last night. Id like to know more about metformin. How do you like it? Does it help with lowering androgens?

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(@lillyrose7)

Posted : 02/05/2013 2:11 pm

yes BCP does really help pcos. Its just a matter of which pill . Did you ever manage to mention Belara to your doctor? I know its not available in the US. i dont know why. a few times i went to 2 diff pharmacies and they were out of stock, i asked why, and they said 'its very popular now'. even more then yaz. yaz is also a bit more expensive and has all those warnings going on about it. of course BCP has side effects (i had a bad headache the other day) but for me its more manageable than pcos symptoms.

I take metformin, the one i take is Glucophage (brand name) Extended release. Honestly my endocrinologist (who has since shifted clinics, and i don't go to her new clinic, kind of upset cuz she was a great doctor. I dont go for a bunch of reasons, insurance related) told me to take it after asking me a few questions. she wasn't the type of doctor that just shoved meds on you but really wanted to know the whole picture. She asked me about all my symptoms and if i had difficulty losing weight and i was like OMG yes, its like IMPOSSIBLE i can workout for 2-3 hours and low carb but just looking at bread makes me gain weight :'''''(. I really suffered badly in my teens.... i wish i took it when i was 16, it would have saved me years of suffering. I lost so much weight when i started, my exercise and diet efforts paid off, my skin got less oily, hair on head got thicker. Never got side effects except tiredness at the beginning of dosing. Basically whenever your dose is adjusted, you feel a bit tired and sick and sleepy. then you are fine. my problems started when my dose went up to 2000mg, basically it was too strong for me and i looked really bad on it, tired and all and my DHEA (bad bad hormone, linked to acne lol) went up, and i heard that can be a side effect of high dosages of metformin so i went back down and am still on 750mg XR. I have nothing bad to say about this medication in terms of my pcos, other than when i eat too much sugar within 2 hours of it, my face pays for it the next day.

i guess the sugar and metformin just don't mix, its like they fight against each other and causes my body to go mad and skin gets spots. my doctor told me she has patients complaining, saying they dont lose weight on it and she says without a balanced diet (stabilising your sugar, low gi, full of fiber/veg) and exercise, its useless. pcos is managed by lifestyle anyway. I am surprised your doctor didn't suggest it for you. I was not insulin resistant btw, at least not on tests or in papers and i did many tests (fasting, glucose etc). My symptoms spoke for themselves, she went by that rather than blood work. it lowers androgens.

BCP has the ability to regulate your period, balance out hormones, reduce the LH, increase SHBG, lower androgens. Metformin makes you more sensitive to insulin so you use glucose properly, very important for pcos. I think a combination of both works well because there is some suggestion that BCP can worsen insulin resistance in the long term, and sometimes cause weight gain but metformin seems to guard you against that.

at the end of the day, there is no complete cure for PCOS, it was very difficult for me to accept, i used to get so distressed when doctors told me that. It is a condition which can be successfully managed, by eliminating symptoms through medication and proper nutrition and diet. I wish someone came out with a pill that cured it but in my honest opinion the closet cure i got was through metformin and diet. That can bring on a huge relief and a feeling of being 'cured'. Of course BCP is probably the answer for many for clear skin and regular periods. BTW - half the stress with pcos comes when you don't ovulate. When you don't ovulate, the underdeveloped egg which turns into a cyst, gives off excess hormones, and its an erratic cycle. Furthermore, chronically high LH hormones can actually cause you to break out rather than androgens themselves, its just too much to deal with and think of all the time. At least metformin and BCP helps. BTW the stabilising and lowering of blood sugar will help with mood swings and depression. its almost like a 'fog' has been lifted.

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(@lillyrose7)
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(@paigems)

Posted : 02/10/2013 12:51 am

This stuff sounds like something I would love to try. I wish it was available in the U.S. Hopefully it will become available sometime soon.

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(@lillyrose7)

Posted : 02/10/2013 9:01 am

i dont know what the placebo is but i think its yaz because on the belara website there is a downloadable monograph that compares the progesterone/estrogen formula to the progesterone in YAZ. I'm on it, so far im ok, some headaches, some breast tension, no weight problems, no water retention, skin doesn't look 'red' but im still spotty with about 3-4 pimples. I hope it works!

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