I am starting on the Pill next week, and am a little freaked out about it. Usually I have to literally feel like I'm dying before I put any medication into my body, I really just hate the thought of stuff going in there changing how it works. So I have been reading up on birth control as much as I can, and it seems that it makes you gain weight, it doesn't make you gain weight, it clears your acne, it makes you explode with acne, it makes you moody, it keeps you happy, it makes you puke, or it keeps you level. I have no idea what to think.
I talked to my physician about it today, and she's putting me on Provera for 5 days next week to try and kickstart a period (which I have never had, thanks to heading down the ED path over 10 years ago, before I actually hit puberty), then switching to Lo Ovral. She said it's not a super-high dose of estrogen, but that she doesn't want me on one of the progestin-only pills, because that wouldn't help my bones, which is half the reason for my being on the pill in the first place.
So I am in superanxiety mode about having my system messed with like this. I am soliciting any and all comments even marginally related to this. Have you been on the Pill? Any noteworthy positive or negative experiences with a certain brand? How long did it take your system to balance out with it? Any advice at all???
God, I sound like I just crawled out of a Judy Blume novel.
20 comments:
Well, you know my experience, and I'm happy to answer any and all questions. I guess it varies from woman to woman, depending on natural hormone levels. I tried regular-dose pills and that was much too strong for me. The low-dose one was fine. Taking it at night, I would wake up at 2 or 3am with nausea. Taking it in the morning, I was totally fine (eating throughout the day helps). You might have nausea when you start though. It's no big deal. It cleared up my acne pretty well, though I would get breakouts around my period. Nothing bad though. I thought I was a little moodier on the pill, but I went off and I was still moody, so I've determined I'm just moody :) The pill absolutely did NOT affect my weight. I've always been slightly confused as to why this is such an issue, as I never had any problem in that area. From the year I went on it to the year I went off (I was on it for most of 8 years), I actually lost about 5 lbs. I've been off the pill for about 9 months now and I don't really feel any different. It probably helped me to be on it all those years (for my bones, etc). My period is totally normal now.
I think it's expected that you'd be nervous, especially if you didn't have a period before. Your flow will likely be very light, and just a few days. I don't remember having a hard time adjusting to it... just the little bit of nausea with starting new packs each month.
Oh, and I was on Microgestin (generic of Loestrin).
Good luck!
I have been on a low dose estrogen pill (Loestrin) before and had pretty good success with it. I didn't experience any negative side effects, but I also rarely experience side effects with any medication, prescription or non.
My only problem with pill form birth control is my inability to take it consistently >.<
For that reason, I recently got the Mirena IUD, and I LOVE IT! It's nice knowing that I don't have to worry about pregnancy for ~5 years! And with the IUD, your period slows down over time and will eventually stop until the IUD is taken out.
In my opinion, it's the easiest and most responsible thing I've ever done. Further, it's the most effective form of contraception next to sterilization and abstinence! You should check out their website...lots of info.
Hope that helps some!
Have a fantastic evening and weekend!
-Anne
I think the pill is really different for everyone. I was on it years ago for acne. I was terribly afraid of weight gain but didn't experience any. I switched to something else eventually.
I think in your case since you have not had any menstrual cycle at all, it is worth a shot.It wouldn't be forever, just as a jump start.
My mom had a client several yrs ago that was in a similar position as you--ED before puberty. It took her quite but I think things did turn around for her. I do not know if she was on the pill.
I also have a friend who has been taking hormones to get her menstrual cycle again. She haw found good results with it.
I am a huge fan of birth control. I've been on it for a few years now and I would only come off for health reasons or if I was trying to get pregnant.
When my periods returned they were the most erratic thing on the planet, and I just couldn't handle it. This was one of the main reasons why I went on the pill, so that I could regulate my period. The pill does that, and I love it for it.
I haven't had any trouble with weight gain or loss while on the pill. My breasts have grown a bit, but I'm not 100% sure whether that is pill related or weight related. I hit e.d. before I finished puberty, and once I was weight restored for a bit my breasts grew some more. That could be because of the pill or because of weight restoration, it's hard to say.
I've found I've tolerated birth control very well, so my brand choices have been guided by what my doctor felt was the best hormonal balance for me. I'm not normally passive in my acceptance of prescriptions, but in this case it's worked well.
I hope that you find that this works out for you. When my period first returned after a long long time without it was difficult, but it ultimately helped in my recovery by making me feel more normal.
It really is different for everyone. I took Provera for a little while a few years back to jump-start my period. It worked then. But I obviously stopped taking it, though I don't remember why!
Either way, I hope you find a solution that works for you.
<3 <3
I agree that taking the pill can be a very different experience depending on the person. I've been taking a generic (Sprintec) for ... four years now. My doc put me on it in the hopes that my period would return.
When I first got the scrip, the pills sat in my dresser ... and sat and sat and sat for about two months. I was TERRIFIED that I'd gain weight from them. I didn't.
I really appreciate the pill now because a) hey, no babies and b) regular periods. The only downsides I've experienced are breakouts and occasional boob discomfort around my period.
And even if this kind of pill has negative side effects, there are a bajillion different kinds. Just don't do Yaz. The commercials suck too much.
I think the newest generation of pills have fewer side effects and that the weight-gain reports arise mostly from the potential for increased fluid retention ... i.e., bigger boobs (but that abates with discontinuation). I didn't gain any weight on loestrin or Yaz, but I felt quite nauseated ... however, I am easily nauseated, and it went away after about 3 months. It wasn't any worse than the nausea I have when taking a high-iron multivitamin.
I would think you might be more sensitive to *any* effects, however mild, since you have no experience with your body's response to hormones. For women who have had periods, at least off and on, we are accustomed to the sorta-off that usually brings for some days each month. You might interpret the normal sometimes-blahs for irreconcileable side effects. On the other hand, the pills are so low-dose now, that you really might not notice much of anything.
I was actually in a better mood, and I think knowing exactly when a period would come appealed to me. My skin wasn't any better or worse. I definitely think the benefits to bone health outweigh mild side effects. And, if you find this one doesn't agree with you, there are zillions of choices.
Good for you for having the courage to take this step toward establishing fertility, bone health and birth control. It's definitely a challenge to the eating disorder, when lack of a period has been symbolic in your course of illness ... this seems like another great way to break ties with unhealthy associations and move away from the physicality of childhood and those anorexic origins.
Good luck!
I am also a fan of birth control, though I am not actually using the pill for birth control. I am on brevenor-1, which is a higher dose. I hate a lot of trouble when I started trying to find the right pill. I tried Yasmin, which gave me awful pigmentation on my face that I can't get rid of. But this is also probably because I live in Australia and the sun is very hot and strong and we often have extreme UV rays. I have tried quite a few and unfortunately a lot of them made me get breakthrough bleeding, where I would bleed every two weeks. Having the higher dose pill has worked. No weight gain at all, but I don't ever seem to gain weight on any of the tablets that supposed to make you gain weight. No acne, I'm moody anyway, bipolar disorder, but I like that I know when I'm going to get my period and I can skip it if I want to. Good luck with the one you are trying.
Sarah
Personally, I've been off and on it for about 7 years. The first time was for anorexia, then I got off and on it all through high school. In college, I got off it for awhile to see if I could get my period back on its own. It didn't happen- grr! Then I had to get back on it again for Accutane purposes. I got off of it AGAIN... and finally, I got the damn thing back all by myself after doing GOOD treatment. I had it by myself for a few months, then opted to go back on BC after that for actual sex reasons (I feel "normal" now!).
For me, there's never been weight gain, and it's never made my acne worse. If anything, it's helped or just done nothing. Ortho Tri-Cyclin and The Yaz both made me nauseous regardless of when I took it during the day. However, that was mild and went away after about 2 months for either of them. Moodiness hasn't been any different. If you want to know anything more, please ask! Totally not too personal.
-Kelly
By the way, I forgot to add that I had my period "regularly" for about 2-3 years before I first lost it from anorexia.
The pill did not affect my weight, but it gave me major mood swings. I also developed two yeast infections in about four months after I got on it. I have never had a yeast infection ever before and i don't eat the typical foods that can cause them. I also developed a painful condition called vulvodynia. I have since gone off (I was only on it for about six months total) and everything has gotten better. Just my experience...
The problem with birth control is that there is no way of predicting how a person will react before they take it. I didn't gain weight on it, but I think it affected my mood. Hormones are strange things. I shouldn't think it would cause any long term problems if you only took it for five days, but it's not a substitute for weight restoration - as far as I've read, the research suggests that it doesn't seem to help anorexics avoid problems like osteoporosis. I have friends who got their periods for the first time in their mid 20s after recovering from anorexia, so it is possible :)
The first birth control I tried was the nuva ring. I didn't like it because I was always worried about if it was in there right and checking it and stuff like that. A few years later I tried Yaz for about two months and it was awful! I was sick to my stomach all the time and I felt very moody and irritable. I wasn't on it long enough to see if if it effected my weight or skin.
So overall, I am not a big fan of birth control. But if you need it for your bones, that is important. And as you can tell by the comments, birth control affects everyone a little differently. You might have a good experience with it. I would say give it a shot.
I took Provera a few years ago to try and jump start my period and like everyone else said, people's experiences are different. I'm very pill-phobic, so I was really reluctant to try it, but it had absolutely no effect that I could tell on me. I never got a period, didn't gain any weight (although since I was actively trying to lose weight at the time this probably isn't surprising), had no mood changes, nothing. So I don't really have any thoughts or advice. The problem is that it's so individual that different people could react to the same dose in entirely different ways. I think if you feel it's something that would be helpful you should try it and if you don't like it you can stop.
I was on the pill for 3 weeks. I became so emotionally unstable that I thought everyone was out to get me and I desperately contemplated suicide because I was so depressed. I gained weight (yes, in 3 weeks) and developed a yeast infection that has taken 4 months to finally clear up. I also developed migraines that were pretty bad, even for migraines. I spotted heavily the whole time I was on the pill, and my goodness, I stank down there! No amount of washing could get the smell to go away. I could go on, but in short, the pill was a nightmarish experience for me. I am apparently among the minority of women for whom the pill is just bad, bad news. Most women (according to my doctor) don't experience symptoms that severe, though, and I hope you're one of those women for whom the pill works wonders.
Actually, I feel quite sad after writing that. I'm not sure I really have that many birth control options. Women for whom the pill works sans such severe side effects are lucky.
for me, actually, maybe i'm just lucky, but i've never had any side effects on the pill. i was on it in high school and early on in my marriage for the same reason as you - to jumpstart some semblance of a period - and it never made me have acne or go crazy or gain weight or anything. i was on yaz; i've never tried what your doc is putting you on, but i'll keep my fingers crossed that all goes well!
xo
I really like yasmin : )
I had a negative experience with the pill, but that doesn't mean that you will. I was on solia/apri (just a generic version of the pill) and it made me constantly nauseous, changed my (ahem) interest in some things which changed my (ahem) ability to enjoy them, made me tender (we're not talking emotionally,) and made me have an hourglass body shape, which left me asking "WTF where did this come from?!!" for quite some time.
I never got used to any of those things, nor did they ever stop bothering me. When I came off the pill and had been off for a few months, D and I realized that I was having a lot less random anxiety and crying fits (could just be related to life situations though--but it was a noticeable difference in which I realized that I felt "in control" of my emotions more, so it probably was the pill.) I also thought it was weird to have a period so often, because I have always been on a longer cycle (35-50 days.)
I miss the predictability of periods on the pill, and it was somewhat disconcerting when D full-on laughed at my breasts 2 weeks after I went off the pill and they were back to their normal size ;) Otherwise, I don't miss it AT ALL!
I shared all of this because you asked for experiences, but my experience does not = your experience. Every body is different! I agree with the commenter saying that it is no substitute for weight restoration--I wasn't allowed to start the pill until my body had produced its natural period, because that was an indicator of where my appropriate weight range begun--but I'm sure your doctor knows what she/he is doing. You can always switch bcs or discontinue use if the side effects are too much.
Oh, and at least with mine, it REALLY helped to have a snack at the same time I took it and I would be sick if I didn't. And expect to be nauseous for a few weeks when you start.
I hope you're doing well with cutting down on exercise this week - thinking of you!! xoxo
Hello Cammy, I hope this isn't irrelevant now. As Katie mentioned, I have read some info somewhere that the pill does nothing to help bones/osteoporosis in anorexics, although you did say that is HALF your reason for taking the pill. Like you, I am fairly anti putting foreign drugs etc. into ones body. However, one thing I am concerned about is the psychological effect of menstruating artificially. I have heaps of thoughts about this whole pill thing actually. Do you consider yourself weight restored? Are you trying to prove that you are by menstruating? If you are WR your body should menstruate naturally. If you never completed puberty due to AN, you should be WR for a while for ovaries to mature before menstruating. Even if you stop the pill, you may menstruate "naturally" at an unhealthy weight. Psychologically, it may be easy to tell yourself that you're healthy because you're menstruating. I also think one reason only WR helps bones is b/c your bones need weight on them to tell them that they need to be strong enough to bear that weight. Quitting the writing now b/c I hate writing and this is way too long. Sorry. Take care. I like your blog btw.
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