Swtiching From Depoprovera to Ortho Tricyclen-help? Posted: 08-22-04 13:03pm
Hello, all!
I've been searching for days on the
internet to find some specifics on people
who have switched from depoprovera (the
shot) to a birth control pill like ortho
tricyclen.
I have seen tons of stories of being on
one or the other, but none involving waht
happens after switching.
Here are my experiences so far--i'm
interested to see if anyone else can give
me some input.
Was on depo for 7 years. Only side
effects were weight gain, no periods, and
loss of libido, as well as increased acne.
I noticed this to be increasing near the
end of my last shot. Since I also think
7 years is a long time to be on anythng, I
have decided to switch. I am in week 3
of ortho tricyclen, and and having the
following issues--some are embarassing,
but i'd love to know what's going on:
* cramping daily, for more than a week.
Sometimes, these are severe, other times
they are manageable.
* cramping only after orgasm.
Intercourse is not painful itself, just
the orgasm! This is very intense and
painful, and occurs even without
penetration first.
* feeling of bloated-ness (off and on),
and strangely, an increased amount of
bowel movements (not diarrhea, i'm just
"going" more.) I haven't changed my
diet.
* I don't eat a lot of sugar, maybe some
salt, but otherwise I have a moderate
lifestlye, nothing extreme.
These aren't ridiculous, but the cramping
for this extended period of time makes me
wonder. I'm due to go to the Dr. And my
obgyn after my insurance kicks in in sept,
but I was hoping other people could let me
know if this sounds normal or not.
Thanks for any input you can give me!
Pantheon
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Cassy
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 06 Jun 2004 Posts: 103
Posted: 08-22-04 15:18pm
I've switched from depo provera to ortho
tri cyclen lo. However, I only had one
shot of depo because it caused me to bleed
all the time and I couldn't handle it
anymore. Chances are that you're having
bad cramps simply because of the switch
from depo to ortho tri cyclen because it's
a change in hormones and it affects your
body. If you haven't had a period the
entire time you were on depo then perhaps
your body is again getting ready to have
one and that could explain the cramping,
bloating, a bowel movements. (cramping
causes pressure there) I would wait until
your week off which, from what I read,
should be in a week or less and see if the
side effects go away then and if you get a
period. Hopefully, getting a period would
relieve the side effects but after 7 years
on depo, I don't think you'll have one for
awhile.
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pantheon
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 22 Aug 2004 Posts: 2
Posted: 08-22-04 20:19pm
Thanks for the reply!
Yeah, I think it might be a while before I
get back on a regular cycle, so i'm not
completely worried yet, but I can't help
but wonder what other people have
experienced. I'm going to try it for at
least a couple of months to see if I can
get the hang of it
thanks again, i'm hoping you're right and
that it's just readjusting to different
hormones!
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caver
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 08 Jan 2005 Posts: 8 Location: Florida
Posted: 01-09-05 18:18pm
I have been on depo for 13 years and have
loved every minute of it. I have a very
active lifestyle (teach scuba diving,
climb and backpack) so not having a period
at all or the bad pms for 13 years has
been great. For the last year, have been
having peri-menopause symptoms:
depression, anxiety, headaches, moodiness,
and my doctor felt going on a low dose
birth control pill (ortho tri lo) would be
a good choice. I tried it for a month
and definately felt more of a sense of
well being. Then we decided to switch to
seasonale to try to avoid the period
thing. After being on that for a week I
am miserable: sick at my stomach,
headaches, very moody. I can't wait to
talk to him tomorrow to go back to ortho
tri lo. At 42 I don't like the idea of
using a birth control pill at all, but
would rather have the quality of life than
be miserable and depressed for possibly
several years going through menopause.
Being a non-smoker is very important at my
age and using any pill.
