Thread: Loestrin 24

Went to OBGYNO yesterday..why is it that NO doctor wants to hear problems or side effects you are having or have had on birth control pills. I was taking the pills for 6 months. Stopped taking them begining of Feb, felt so much better, late feb went to er for cysts, and had to start taking them again because no doctor would prescribe something else.
My symptoms:
Moodiness
Sex drive went from wonderful to zip, zerro, nada!
Spotting on skin (Darker discoloration spots like birth marks popping up everywhere, even a 3 inch mark on my leg).
Since getting back on them begining of March I've had 5!! periods (the only reason i didn't have 6 was because i skipped the brown pills and started a new different bc i had left over from before).
Stomache aches/nausea/constipation/diaharra.
dizziness/vertigo/or just not feeling right.
depression
Anxiety
Joint pain.
Cravings...and i mean if i didn't get what i want, when i wanted i was going to get very angry, and it didn't matter if i just had it or not.
Weight gain and bloating.
Feeling like my skin is crawling, or my sugar is dropping (no diabetes those kind of tests came back normal).
Hot flashes and chills.
Cramping all time of the month
Fatigued
Headaches
Rapid heart rate

I've looked Loestrin up and alot of women have the symptoms like me from alot of other forums.

Btw i was tested for PCOS (Negative) by my General Doc. on the 20th and my gyno yesterday wants me tested again cuz she doesn't think anything is the BC.
Started Femcon Fe 5 days ago and I am already feeling a bit better. Though I started spotting yesterday, which I was told is normal because of the switching hormones. Though I'm still having the dizziness it isn't as bad as it was but i still don't feel completley myself or right, but it doesn't seem right that the dizziness went away the same day i was admitted for cysts and while it was slowly going away before i was admitted to the ER. Stomach aches still with a burning pain, like hunger pains. They aren't sure if this new devolpment is ulcers or a side effect of coming off the loestrin.

So neway reason i'm writing this is in case others needed it. And also to see if anyone had any thoughts, if anyone knows when it will be completley out of my system, and maybe share your experiences with it also. Thanks!

Thank you for your post! I have been on Loestrin for several months now, probably around 8, and I have been scouring the internet, looking for people with similar side effects as me.

I am 23 years old, 5'8", around 170 pounds. I have had acne since about 11 years old. I started BC when I was 18 -- Ortho Tricylen Lo for about 4 months, and it gave me horrible acne and mood swings.

Next was Desogen, for about 1 year and a half to two years, which gave me beautiful, perfect skin, but made it impossible to lose weight (and i gained about 30 lbs on it), and caused depression (wanting to cry constantly for stupid reasons, which was completely unlike me), and even insomnia. I slept about 3-5 hours a night.

On Nuvaring, for about two years, things were great at first. No noticeable side effects, good skin, but at about 1.5 years, the acne came back.

Finally, I took about a year's break from BC. I felt good, my skin was clear, and it was great. However, a relationship got serious, and I started BC again. This time Yasmin. Yasmin was the worst choice I could have made. It took me awhile to connect everything together, but while it helped with acne and even jumpstarted some weight loss, Yasmin made me miserable. I developed severe lactose intolerance and IBS, and started to get chest palpitations. I had only ever had 1 UTI prior to Yasmin, but on Yasmin, developed over 10. I also developed urinary incontinence. It was horrible, and I could hardly believe it was related, but when I switched off of it after about 6 months to Loestrin 24 Fe, all those symptoms disappeared. My gyno was certain that the IBS, lactose intolerance, UTIs, and urinary incontinence were not related to Yasmin, but when I come in to see him this month, I don't know how else he can explain all those problems disappearing when I stopped Yasmin.

Now, I have been on Loestrin for about 8 months. I've learned my lesson about correlated problems, so I'm keeping a list. Loestrin was great when it came to giving me light periods, but my acne never quite cleared up.

I had light acne for the first 3 months or so, and it's gotten worse and worse since. I now have several cysts on my jawline and cheeks, unlike I have ever had. I used to get maybe one cyst every couple of months and a few whiteheads here and there, but I now have about 10 painful cysts. This is only the most noticeable of the symptoms.

I have also been extremely fatigued while on this pill. I feel tired all the time, and no matter what I do--sleep 8 hours, try to be active, or add in naps, or remove naps, exercise, vitamins, I've tried everything -- I am extremely fatigued at all times. I've also steadily been gaining weight despite not changing my diet. This, along with the fatigue, leads me to question how my metabolism is being affected by the hormones in Loestrin 24.

Finally, and the most baffling of the side effects, is the sudden appearance of joint pain. I am 23 years old, and yet, I have had horrible knee pain and some in my hands for the past two months. Nearly every time I straighten my knees or extend my hands, I am in pain. I think it is likely this has to do with the pill, given what happened with Yasmin, but I won't say it with certainty until I have stopped Loestrin and had a chance to see if it lingers.

Now, I am at a difficult point where I have to choose what BC to start next. Of course, I want to avoid pregnancy as we have planned to start our family in no less than 5 years. As much as I would love to do away with the pill and use condoms, I am frightened by the 84% success rate. I have read reviews on some BCP on acne, and since I have not had significant problems with libido on any other BCP, I am thinking about starting Cyclessa. I've used askapatient.com to search reviews for BCP.

Based on that search, I've decided to consider:
- Demulen/Zovia - so far found ratings saying it helped acne, maybe even weight loss;
- Cyclessa - so far found that it helped acne, no weight gain/loss;
- Lessina - found ratings saying it helped with acne.

Probably, I will go with Cyclessa, although I am still open to suggestions.