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Hey all, need some help. I was on the Nuvaring for about a year but I felt like it was giving me weird moods and making my mind "fuzzy" if that makes sense - not to mention it destroyed my sex drive and made me feel less sensitive in all erogenous zones. I consulted with my sister who I knew also used the Nuvaring and she told me she had stopped using it due to the same symptoms. I discontinued and I felt stunningly amazingly better after a little less than a week. It was amazing how much better I felt while not on the Nuvaring. Unfortunately, sex with condoms sucks. I've limped along since April on no birth control but god drat I have to do something to save my sex life and restore some spontaneity. So different things work for different people, and I'm hoping that some other form of hormonal birth control will give me the not having babies that I want without the brain fog and mood swings I don't want. Was anyone here once using Nuvaring and had a bad time on it? Did you switch to another form of hormonal birth control that worked out for you? If so, what was it? I'm also leery of the depo shot as my mom got it and it made her feel sick for 3 months. Since my sister, mom, and I react similarly to other medications, I suspect I would suffer the same fate if I also got it.
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Oct 22, 2014 03:16
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Honestly, anyone else's experience with side effects from other kinds of hormonal birth control will be useless info for you. That's the magic of hormones! All you can do is pick something else and try it. If that messes you up, try something else, etc.
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Oct 22, 2014 03:25
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I also suggest not stopping and starting. If a method isn't working after three months, switch to another brand/method.
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Oct 22, 2014 03:56
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Xibanya posted:So different things work for different people, and I'm hoping that some other form of hormonal birth control will give me the not having babies that I want without the brain fog and mood swings I don't want. Were you ever on a hormonal BC that worked for you? Is Nuvaring the only one you've tried so far? Any reason you're not considering a non-hormonal copper IUD?
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Oct 22, 2014 06:46
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GoodBee posted:Were you ever on a hormonal BC that worked for you? Is Nuvaring the only one you've tried so far? Any reason you're not considering a non-hormonal copper IUD? Nuvaring is the only one I've tried so far. My periods are already abnormally long (like 10 days or more) and so so heavy so I'm not keen to make them even worse.
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Oct 22, 2014 19:13
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I would look into Nexplanon (implant) and Mirena and Skyla (IUDs). They are as low dose as you can get.
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Oct 24, 2014 00:43
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And Mirena could even help with the long, heavy periods.
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Oct 24, 2014 02:04
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I'll pop in to say I've had my first period on nexplanon and it was the wimpiest period ever. Longer than I'm used to (since on the pill they were only three days or so) but I probably only needed my cup for two or three days total. It was great. Barely any cramping either.
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Oct 24, 2014 02:19
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Hummingbirds posted:I'll pop in to say I've had my first period on nexplanon and it was the wimpiest period ever. Longer than I'm used to (since on the pill they were only three days or so) but I probably only needed my cup for two or three days total. It was great. Barely any cramping either. I had super irregular periods when I had my Implanon but gently caress if I don't miss how light and easy they were. I usually needed a liner for most days. That's probably what I miss about hormonal methods the most, going back to "real" periods after 4+ years is hard 
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Oct 24, 2014 03:53
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ilysespieces posted:I had super irregular periods when I had my Implanon but gently caress if I don't miss how light and easy they were. I usually needed a liner for most days. That's probably what I miss about hormonal methods the most, going back to "real" periods after 4+ years is hard Are you off bc or are you using paraguard? E: I'm on my third implant (about 7.5 years in drat) and I've been thinking about getting off hormonal bc. Mostly because I don't remember what my ~natural~ body is like.
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Oct 24, 2014 07:58
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I don't mean this in an rear end in a top hat way, but who cares? I don't know what my body is like ~naturally~ without dental care, and I have zero interest in finding out. Is there something you don't like about Nexplanon?
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Oct 24, 2014 12:46
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i like nice words
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I remember what my body was "naturally". A loving painful as hell murderpants situation. Better living through chemistry is the name of my game.
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Oct 24, 2014 16:02
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Anne Whateley posted:I don't mean this in an rear end in a top hat way, but who cares? I don't know what my body is like ~naturally~ without dental care, and I have zero interest in finding out. Is there something you don't like about Nexplanon? Hormones don't have the same mental effects that dental work does. It shocked me when I quit the nuvaring for example how much happier and stable I felt ~naturally~ as the mood effects had crept up on me gradually like the story about the frog being boiled. That said, I'm getting the nexplanon in like a week (they told me to come back when I was bleeding) so woo hoo. I boinked my boyfriend late the night before my appointment so it was fun to answer the question "when did you last have intercourse" with "about eight hours ago."
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Oct 24, 2014 17:29
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fork bomb posted:Are you off bc or are you using paraguard? Paraguard, and I will sing its praises from the rooftops. Insertion was the weirdest thing I've ever felt in my life (she had to twist it inside me  ) but the heavier periods are worth not being a loving crazy person a good portion of the time.I will also forever talk about how awesome Implanon was, but for me it also had some big negatives that nonhormonal methods don't, so I'm happy with my choice. Plus its more than triples the lifetime of my idiot-proof bc. ...and it wasn't covered by my insurance but the IUD ended up being covered.
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Oct 24, 2014 20:37
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I've decided to go the "natural route", even with my endometriosis and many fibroids. BC just seems to makes me crazy, lose my sex drive and makes me fat. So for now, I'm saying screw depo (I was on it because they thought I had endo cysts on my remaining right ovary) but after a year on it and another ultrasound, the cysts have all but disappeared. So gently caress depo, gently caress hormones - though I may change my mind in 6 months or so when this depo wears off and my insane periods start again. BAHHHHHH!
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Oct 25, 2014 01:06
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Any opinions on leaving Mirena in for 5 years versus 7 years? My 5-year anniversary is next year but I'm thinking about just leaving it in since I'm not ready to get pregnant and really don't feel like going through insertion more often than necessary. Apparently it's approved for 7 years in Europe and I know there's tons of evidence to support its efficacy past 5 years. Still, it feels a little nerve-wracking to flout FDA policy (not that FDA policy is typically based on EBP or consumers' best interest).
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Oct 25, 2014 20:17
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Anne Whateley posted:I don't mean this in an rear end in a top hat way, but who cares? I don't know what my body is like ~naturally~ without dental care, and I have zero interest in finding out. Is there something you don't like about Nexplanon? No complaints really. The implant is amazing and it's great not having to worry about accidental pregnancy. But I worry that my libido has been suppressed by the years of hormonal bc use.
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Oct 26, 2014 02:54
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boquiabierta posted:Any opinions on leaving Mirena in for 5 years versus 7 years? My 5-year anniversary is next year but I'm thinking about just leaving it in since I'm not ready to get pregnant and really don't feel like going through insertion more often than necessary. Apparently it's approved for 7 years in Europe and I know there's tons of evidence to support its efficacy past 5 years. Still, it feels a little nerve-wracking to flout FDA policy (not that FDA policy is typically based on EBP or consumers' best interest). My understanding is that the Mirena remains mechanically effective even when the hormone dosage drops off, and that the hormone side is good for 7 years. Please consult a gyno, though. Mine has made me chubbier and less horny, but now I no longer have excruciating, exhausting, irregular periods so it's totally worth it in my book. I'd rather be a somewhat rounder lady with clear skin and no pain.
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Oct 29, 2014 00:43
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I got a call from the dr's office today saying that my insurance will cover nexplanon (yay) so I asked if they could put it in like tomorrow or the next day. They asked if I had sex since my last period and I answered yes truthfully but it was condom sex and I swore I didn't get jizzed in. Still, they want to wait until my period to be super duper sure. I won't protest more since it's supposed to start in about 5 days but couldn't I just sign a waiver saying I know if I'm pragnant I will have a horribly malformed babby and absolve them of all responsibility?
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Oct 29, 2014 05:11
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fork bomb posted:No complaints really. The implant is amazing and it's great not having to worry about accidental pregnancy. But I worry that my libido has been suppressed by the years of hormonal bc use. I had a situation similar to Xibanya with my last round of hormonal BC before I switched to Paragard. I felt pretty normal most of the time and didn't really think it was affecting me until I stopped taking it. Then it was suddenly "WOW I want to have a lot more sex and I actually have moods again." I never felt all that bad on it beyond the physical side-effects, but I never felt all that good either. Just kind of "blah" - no PMS moods but kind of a "Whatever, I can take it or leave it  " attitude about sex. I also stopped getting the constant yeast infections, which I didn't realize until too late were apparently something the pill does for me in addition to migraines.  Not to encourage you one way or the other, just that side-effects can creep up on you even if you're not having anything monumentally horrible.
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Oct 29, 2014 08:41
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Xibanya posted:I got a call from the dr's office today saying that my insurance will cover nexplanon (yay) so I asked if they could put it in like tomorrow or the next day. They asked if I had sex since my last period and I answered yes truthfully but it was condom sex and I swore I didn't get jizzed in. Still, they want to wait until my period to be super duper sure. I won't protest more since it's supposed to start in about 5 days but couldn't I just sign a waiver saying I know if I'm pragnant I will have a horribly malformed babby and absolve them of all responsibility? I don't know why you can't, because they'll test your pee anyway when you are there. When I called to schedule my insertion, the person I talked to didn't even want to make the appointment until I was on my period. When I said I was on the pill and knew when my period would be, she reluctantly let me schedule it. 
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Oct 29, 2014 14:20
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Kimmalah posted:I never felt all that bad on it beyond the physical side-effects, but I never felt all that good either. Just kind of "blah" - no PMS moods but kind of a "Whatever, I can take it or leave it This is a great way to explain how I feel on Depo. Just blah. Blah about everything. I'm a huge music lover and ever since this last Depo shot, I've been blah about listening to anything. Even my fave CD is no longer something I really want to listen to. Sex is just blah... take it or leave it... whatever. I can't wait for this crap to move out of my system so I can feel normal again.
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Oct 29, 2014 14:58
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Hummingbirds posted:I don't know why you can't, because they'll test your pee anyway when you are there. When I called to schedule my insertion, the person I talked to didn't even want to make the appointment until I was on my period. When I said I was on the pill and knew when my period would be, she reluctantly let me schedule it. There is the remote possibility that someone could be pregnant but a pee test wouldn't be able to pick it up yet because it's too early (like say, before a period has been missed). So I think they tend to just err on the side of insanely overly cautious both to be safe and because signed waivers don't mean people can't sue anyway.  Not that it isn't annoying.I know when I did my consult for the IUD they were like "no sex at all until we put that thing in" and then they grudgingly said I could use condoms in addition to the pill when the next available appointment was a month away. AquarianFire posted:This is a great way to explain how I feel on Depo. Just blah. Blah about everything. I'm a huge music lover and ever since this last Depo shot, I've been blah about listening to anything. Even my fave CD is no longer something I really want to listen to. Sex is just blah... take it or leave it... whatever. I can't wait for this crap to move out of my system so I can feel normal again. Yeah, it took a few years before I got to that point and I'm sure the job stress I was dealing with at the time didn't help. I just know that about 1-2 weeks after I got off the pill I started feeling very different mood-wise even though nothing in my life had really changed. And sex was no longer something I did just to keep other people happy. Sorry you're dealing with the same thing, I know Depo takes a lot longer to go.
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Oct 29, 2014 16:54
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Can anyone tell me what the effect of st john's wort is on the combined pill levlen? How significantly will it's effectiveness be compromised?
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Nov 9, 2014 22:22
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PaidToLurk posted:Can anyone tell me what the effect of st john's wort is on the combined pill levlen? How significantly will it's effectiveness be compromised? Assume a lot. Ask your doctor or pharmacist.
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Nov 9, 2014 22:52
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My girlfriend did ask her GP but got an extremely vague response. Stating that it only adds up after a while (no specific timeframe defining 'awhile') and that it only cancels out the pill for the day it is taken which contradicts the former statement. From what I googled, it speeds up the processing of estrogen but shouldn't the remaining progestin be enough? unless a combined pill's dosage isn't enough as its expected to work as a compound?
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Nov 10, 2014 00:51
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PaidToLurk posted:My girlfriend did ask her GP but got an extremely vague response. Stating that it only adds up after a while (no specific timeframe defining 'awhile') and that it only cancels out the pill for the day it is taken which contradicts the former statement. From what I googled, it speeds up the processing of estrogen but shouldn't the remaining progestin be enough? unless a combined pill's dosage isn't enough as its expected to work as a compound? I still wouldn't take the chance if she's using the pill as a primary form of birth control. Herbal supplements contain a measured weight or volume of herbs, not a measured dose of active ingredient, which could vary wildly from plant to plant. I don't know the pharmacology behind the interaction but there is a large uncertainty.
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Nov 10, 2014 01:26
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I thought as much, thanks. Also can anyone tell me if being overweight affects the pill? I hear it does then I hear it doesn't because there's never any consistency. And is there a recommended form of birth control that isn't affected by this or the st john's wort?
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Nov 10, 2014 22:28
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There isn't any really clear evidence yet that being overweight reduces the effectiveness of the pill. It might, but there haven't been a lot of studies done. Of the studies that have been done, some suggested that weight does make a difference, others didn't show any difference in effectiveness between women of average weight and women who are overweight. (A pharmacist might be a better person to ask about this stuff than a doctor, they have all the most up to date information about medication effectiveness and interactions.) If you want a method that won't be affected by weight or the St John's wort, non-hormonal methods are best. The paragard IUD is the most effective non-hormonal option.
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Nov 11, 2014 03:21
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The Mirena is not contraindicated by weight, either. That's one of the main reasons I switched to it. I couldn't get a straight answer about the weight thing, so I decided not to take any chances with the pill anymore. I also don't think it's affected by St. John's Wort but I am not 100% sure on that.
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Nov 11, 2014 04:32
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I *think* I remember hearing that progesterone only mini pills may be more affected by weight, but no idea what those weight ranges are. Combo pills are less affected. If you fall into what is generally classified medically as "overweight", you're probably fine. There may not be much data for extreme weights. Doctors and pharmacists should no more or at least be willing to research it for you. One thing that *is* affected by weight is Plan B. I think all the OTC generics are the same active ingredient/dose. The cutoff weight is something like 165 lbs. (It should say on the package) After that the effectiveness drops off sharply. If you weigh more than that and need emergency contraception, your doctor or a clinic can write you a prescription for something that is effective.
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Nov 11, 2014 05:41
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Again, Thanks for the help. she's not liking the idea of an IUD because of the application procedure so I think we'll keep it safe for now.
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Nov 13, 2014 08:50
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PaidToLurk posted:Again, Thanks for the help. she's not liking the idea of an IUD because of the application procedure so I think we'll keep it safe for now. My main advice here is that she shouldn't Google around about IUD insertions because most of the stuff on the internet is the horror stories. It's uncomfortable, but to me it just felt like two big cramps and then I was done. Even in the worst case it's still over in seconds. That said I realize it's not for everybody. But if you're worried about medication reactions, your options get more limited because most hormonal birth control has to be metabolized by the body first and that's where you run into interactions.
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Nov 14, 2014 06:07
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Kimmalah posted:My main advice here is that she shouldn't Google around about IUD insertions because most of the stuff on the internet is the horror stories. It's uncomfortable, but to me it just felt like two big cramps and then I was done. Even in the worst case it's still over in seconds. Seriously. What is posted on the internet is not a good representation of what is likely to happen. Yeah, it's fine to know the worst case scenario but realize that people who have bad experiences are going to tell their story to anyone who'll listen. When everything goes smoothly, those people just go on about their life. Is she's just weirded out by the idea of cramming something into her uterus that leaves strings dangling from her cervix? If so, that's really easy to forget about after a while.
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Nov 14, 2014 15:33
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GoodBee posted:Seriously. What is posted on the internet is not a good representation of what is likely to happen. Yeah, it's fine to know the worst case scenario but realize that people who have bad experiences are going to tell their story to anyone who'll listen. When everything goes smoothly, those people just go on about their life. Yeah, I made the mistake of reading around, chickened out once on a Mirena and was terrified going into the appointment for Paragard. Just not quite enough to turn around and leave. And yes after almost two years I have basically forgotten I have a thing in my body, weird as it sounds. But if she doesn't want one, that's cool too. I know we kind of sound like the IUD cheerleaders in here after a while.
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Nov 14, 2014 16:32
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I almost chickened out on the Mirena after internet stories, too. But not the insertion stories the "ZOMG I got pregnant with an IUD" stories. But then I had to remember the internet is skewed. And all the millions of women NOT getting pregnant with the IUD are not posting about it on the internets. Except in here.
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Nov 14, 2014 18:51
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Geolicious posted:I almost chickened out on the Mirena after internet stories, too. But not the insertion stories the "ZOMG I got pregnant with an IUD" stories. When I announced my engagement my friend called me and the first thing she said was "Don't get pregnant". I said "If I did it would be a serious medical emergency, so don't worry". My insertion sucked but I've had worse cramps from periods before I went on HBC and ever since the worst complaint I have is that my periods are back to how heavy they were before I got my implanon put in almost 4 years ago. I absolutely love my IUD and would shove pamphlets in people's hands on the street if I could and not seem crazy.
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Nov 14, 2014 22:15
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Geolicious posted:I almost chickened out on the Mirena after internet stories, too. But not the insertion stories the "ZOMG I got pregnant with an IUD" stories. I'm actually kind of going through this again since I've finally gotten health insurance and have been googling around about sterilization.  ilysespieces posted:When I announced my engagement my friend called me and the first thing she said was "Don't get pregnant". I said "If I did it would be a serious medical emergency, so don't worry". My insertion sucked but I've had worse cramps from periods before I went on HBC and ever since the worst complaint I have is that my periods are back to how heavy they were before I got my implanon put in almost 4 years ago. I absolutely love my IUD and would shove pamphlets in people's hands on the street if I could and not seem crazy. I have gone around telling people about it, because I've met so many women who basically just wing it with pulling out and a prayer because "birth control messes me up but we hate condoms." And most of them have gotten pregnant accidentally at least once in the time I've known them.  The vast majority didn't even know stuff like IUDs (or probably Implanon, etc.) existed.
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Nov 14, 2014 22:58
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I'm starting to wonder if I need to switch to a different kind of BC pill. I've been on Aviane (or some generic variant thereof depending on what my insurance covered) for about four years and I've always gotten my period like clockwork and it's basically the same every time (only 2-3 days of bleeding where I need any sort of pad/tampon). Except this month I got some mid-cycle spotting for a day or two which I've rarely had before and now I'm having a crazy light period on the placebo week. It came on time and it's definitely period blood (brownish and clotty) but it's been so light I barely need a liner which is something that I've never experienced before. Is this something to be worried about or has my body decided to mix it up a little this month? Last month was a little abnormal as well, but leaning towards the heavy side. The odds of pregnancy are extremely low, so I'm trying not to panic unless next month is also screwy but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit freaked out. I guess I'm looking for some reassurance that random super light periods are a thing that happens sometimes so I can stop worrying.
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Nov 15, 2014 01:54
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:The odds of pregnancy are extremely low, so I'm trying not to panic unless next month is also screwy but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit freaked out. I guess I'm looking for some reassurance that random super light periods are a thing that happens sometimes so I can stop worrying. Just pee on a stick if you're worried. It's probably fine.
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Nov 15, 2014 02:04
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