Ortho Evra (brith control patch) reviews please?
Posted , 10 users are following.
Could anyone give me any reviews of the brith control patch please? Good or bad, they're all useful. I don't know if ortho evra is the only one or not, but reviews of any patch would be appreciated.
Thanks!
0 likes, 14 replies
tellitlikeitis pebbles1
Posted
Side effects I experienced with the patch:
Stomach cramping all of the time. Severe to the point of nausea and vomiting like you get when you have a kidney stone
Rash. Really, really bad rash. Like skin broke out, all over the place, not just in the area where the patch was. I have a lot of skin sensitivities and allergies, so this was not surprising. What was surprising is when the doctor said not to put any cream, lotion, gel, or anything on the rash, because if you use it in the area of the birth control patch it doesn't stick, even if you've showered and rinsed the area over and over again. I had to stop using the patch to treat the rash, and never went back to it.
Breast tenderness. My breasts became so tender that I could not lay on my stomach, wear a bra, or even wear a bathing suit top. Every time something brushed against my breasts it felt like someone had it in a vice grip, it was a burning pain and not at all pleasant.
Mood swings. I have taken Necon 1/35 successfully for years, and never had mood swings because of it. I do have bipolar disorder, so maybe it affected me differently, but when I went on the patch, I was a wreck. I cried all of the time, I screamed a lot, and I felt very unhappy with my life. I was down, depressed, and very irritable. It was like PMS that lasted every day of the month and never got any better.
Period cramps that made me want to die. I've always had bad period cramps, attributed to a combination of Vulvodynia, Fibromyalgia, and PCOS. When I take the Necon 1/35, I do not have period cramps at all. When I went on the patch, the cramps got worse then before I started using the pill. The cramps were the bent over the side of the bed, vomiting into a bucket kind of cramps that made me want to die rather than face my next period.
Constant sore throats. I would get repeated sore throats over and over again. They would feel like strept throat, and I would end up at the doctor's office or urgent care. I would present with possible symptoms of strept throat, a low grade fever between 99.9-101.6F, chills, a headache, nausea, a severe sore throat, hoarseness in my voice, and many times a partial or complete loss of my voice like you get with laryngitis. After months of negative throat cultures, no redness in the throat, etc, an ENT finally told me the patch was the problem
Drug interactions with just about everything under the sun. I had so many problems with drug interactions while on the patch. Everything from Tylenol to yeast medications became ineffective or the symptoms (in the case of the yeast) were worsened due to the medications not working. It seemed like the patch interacted with everything. I did some research, and found that it had over 40 major drug reactions, and that basically, if you take a lot of medications like I do, you shouldn't use the patch.
Also, Grapefruit Juice was not a problem for me, but was a problem for my best friend. She actually made the patch ineffective in drinking it, and got pregnant, which is what her gynecologist is blaming it on
I decided that the patch was not worth the interactions I kept having. Unfortunately, I have nothing positive to say, I cannot even say it was easier than the pill because treating the rash made it harder than taking a pill every day. Obviously my experience might be worse than other people's, so you should do your own research to see if it's right for you.
pebbles1 tellitlikeitis
Posted
Thanks!
tellitlikeitis pebbles1
Posted
The ones that I have tried are:
Ortho Evra Patch - experience stated earlier
Yaz - I have never had migraines in my life, but they run in my family. The entire time I was on Yaz, I experinced migraines. I did not have weight gain, cramps, missed periods, eradic periods, or long lasting periods on it though, which was nice. One of the worst problems I had on it was constant blood clots. I have Fibromyalgia, but have never had blood circulation problems, with Yaz, I was getting them on a regular basis, mostly in my legs
Ovrette - I didn't like this one at all. You have to take it at the exact same time every day, or it just doesn't work. If I missed a dose by even 2 1/2, my period would get knocked out of whack. I would then end up with a missed period, or a period that lasted months at a times. Not a whole lot of fun. I loved the fact that I did not get a stomach ache after taking it, gain weight while using it, or experience mood swings while taking it. I hated the fact that it did nothing for my period cramps.
Seasonique - I wanted to love this one. A period every 3 months sounded like a dream come true to me, as I have been known to have very hard periods. However, it didn't turn out that way. I took it as I was supposed to take it, but I ended up with periods every 45 days and they would last for 75 days. I told my doctor it was the birth control (she's no longer my doctor), she wouldn't listen, I stayed on it. I ended up with a period that lasted 5 months, in the emergency room, with such heavy bleeding they couldn't stop, and they pulled me off of it.
NuvaRing - NuvaRing was short lived, my Vulvodynia hated it. I was undiagnosed at the time, and it was shortly after using NuvaRing that I got the diagnosis. While I used it, it was comfortable inside, but I always had a fear it would fall out, sort of like a tampon that feels too full. I think that had more to do with the muscle control and the Vulvodynia, maybe even some of the anxiety issues related to the bipolar, then the NuvaRing itself though. It did not lessen the cramps during my period, the severeity of my periods, or the duration of my periods
Necon 1/35 I loved! I absolutely adored it. It made my periods last exactly 4 days. The first day was always breakthrough bleeding, the second day would be normal (but not heavy bleeding like I was prone to), the third day would be lighter bleeding, and the fourth day would be breakthrough bleeding. I LOVED knowing when my period would hit. It would always be done by the weekend (I timed it that way when I started taking the pill) and I did not feel tied to pads all of the time and worry about having to have supplies with me all the time. I experienced zero period cramps. I never had an irregular period. I never gained weight. I never had mood swings. I also had very few problems with my PCOS, which was an awesome added bonus. It was so in tune with me, it was fantastic. There were only two downsides to it: one was that I hated trying to pop the little pills out of the foil (more because of my Fibromyalgia than anything), and I hated the fact that I always craved pickles for some reason, literally, I felt like it gave me cravings similar to the stories I've heard about pregnancy cravings...pickles, olives out of the jar, cucumbers with vinegar and seasoning salt, etc.
But then ObamaCare, I won't bore you with the details, MediCal (Medicaid everywhere else) insurance, 6 types of insurance, 7 primary care doctors, assigned to a quack who's Catholic and anti-birth control even for health reasons, and now stuck with an e.r. prescription for birth control is the short version.
So, now I'm on Dasetta. I have a love/hate relationship with it. The good: keeps my periods really short, always 72 hours and the first day is always breakthrough bleeding. Keeps my periods very light, very little bleeding at all 2-4 overnight pads a day vs dozens previously. No period cramps at all, which I love, love, love.
The bad: packaged in a pouch with silica packet which I'm allergic to, and just it touching the pack of birth control pills gives me a reaction. My boyfriend has to take the pack out of the pouch, sterilize it with Hibiclens, wipe it down, remove the pills, put them in a separate container, each month or I have a huge allergic reaction from that dumb packet they put in there!
I never know when my period is going to hit. With Dasetta my period hits when it wants to. Sometimes it's in the middle of the month while I'm on the active pills, sometimes it's at the end of the month during the inactive pills when it should occur; other times it's in like flipping a coin yes or no will it start today. No one can explain why my period doesn't always trigger during the inactive pills, or why the active pills sometimes allow my period during them.
Then there is the mood swings. My boyfriend and I (read: married), try not to kill each other when I take the Dasetta. It makes my bipolar disorder worse, my anxiety worse, and my attitude worse. I am convinced it's the birth control. I take it in the evening, and I'm on top of the world for the first two hours of the day, and then crash, look out the witch just flew in on her broomstick, literally. I yell, scream, cry, just about do everything but burn the house down.
More ovarian cysts than normal. Once I started taking the Dasetta, I started getting a ton of ovarian cysts. I have always had PCOS, but now it's like a cyst minefield
Weight gain, tons of weight gain on the Dasetta, 15 pounds since the beginning of January when I started taking it. It's definitely the Dasetta as nothing else has changed. But, I'm stuck. Either I pay $175 out of pocket a month for Necon 1/35 and get a prescription from a friend of a friend, which I cannot afford living on $875 a month, or I take the Dasetta, so for now, hopefully until March, I am stuck with the Dasetta.
A couple of things, yes I have other health problems that can make me have different experiences with my periods and with birth control. Fibromyalgia, Vulvodynia, and PCOS have been known to affect my periods. I have other conditions, but they do not usually affect my period and birth control, all though occasionally my bipolar disorder will.
pebbles1 tellitlikeitis
Posted
Thanks!
tellitlikeitis pebbles1
Posted
I do not have a family history of blood clots at all, not even a family history of high blood pressure. We do have a family history of breast cancer, cervical cancer, and uterine cancer, I'm not sure if that increased the risk of blood clots with the Yaz or not.
With the Necon 1/35 it contains two different hormones, one is progestin and one is estrogen. Specially they are ethinyl estradiol and norethindrone. I did not have any stress at all with the Necon 1/35. No mood swings. No nausea, no sick to my stomach feeling, no increased bowel movements, nothing really to speak of. There was some increased hair growth on my chin (which I still have now that I'm on the Dasetta), but nothing really at all to speak of that would make me not take it again. I did not have yeast infections with the Necon, but boy I have seen them with the Dasetta!
naya29 pebbles1
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Anna-H pebbles1
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leanne88 pebbles1
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amy50650 pebbles1
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MissMandyMarie pebbles1
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taramias1 pebbles1
Posted
Hello, hopefully by now you have found a good birth control by now but if not then try Lo Estrin FE. I absolutely loved it, no more cramps and heavy bleading. I would even start the new pack when it came time for the sugar pills and do that for 3 months before I would take the sugar pills and I eventually stopped getting my period. It was Heaven. Unfortunately my doctor switched my pills because Im 38 and I smoke. Its been 3 months and this past month has been hell! I've had crazy cramps and occasionally feel nauseaus every day. Tomorrow I'm having a pelvic ultra sound to make sure it is the pill causing this and not something else. I was looking into Mirena but all the reviews I've read on that, I won't do it. Good luck and if you know of anything that would be helpful then please let me know.
my58028 pebbles1
Posted
Be very careful with this as it can result to your ovary swelling.
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maart14732 pebbles1
Posted
I started using evra patch Dec 2016 my bf the we were in a distance relationship I would stop it when he goes back first time I had a bad reaction hives for 3 weeks I hanged in there and they were gone in 3 weeks a year later he came back started it again it was hives all over my body doctor said it was supposed to be localized by then I could not hang in there it was too much I stopped it and since then I started have allergies to any spiced food all I eat is salt Im hoping my system get cleansed and back to eat my normal food as usual it's really bad I rather take pills.... My best friend s friend even get hospitalized I can't never again.... Good luck to those trying it....
claire28407 maart14732
Posted