Does anybody here use norplant? Ever used norplant? know someone who uses norplant?

I'm considering going on it since I plan on being childfree for a few more years and my faith in the pill is iffy at best. This way we can avoid the human-error end of things (IE me forgetting pills and whatnot).

Was curious about the procedure, etc, if anything changed (period patterns and things like that), side-effects, that sort of stuff.

wrin: http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/wave.gif

Well, my experience with it wasn't the greatest. I've heard some people who swear by it and others who had the same experience as me.

The sound of it at first was great... I'm like "Wow, no pill for 5 years??" I contemplated on it, got a bunch of information, and then decided to have it done sometime in '98 (I'm pretty sure that's when it was, either then or '99).

The procedure itself wasn't too bad. I had mine done in a planned parenthood facility in my hometown. They take out the actual device (I think it was 6 capsules, each about 1.5" long and fairly thin), they used a diagram to mark on my skin where the capsules would go, in a fanned shape. (on the inside fleshy part of my arm, the incision is 1/2 way between my elbow and armpit, the capsules pointed toward my armpit) They then injected me with a local anesthetic and made a small incision 1/4" long with a scalpel in my arm. They then pushed each capsule into place. I didn't feel any pain during the procedure, only some tugging and pulling. Afterwards, they closed the wound with a paper suture (no stitches) and sent me on my way.

My arm was VERY sore for a few days, and I had some bruising... it also took some getting used to being able to feel the capsules under my arm (that was pretty gross). Some of them were more visible than others.

The first month or two, I was like "Hey, this is great!" Those first two months, I also didn't get my period. After the first two months, I started breaking out HORRIBLY, and I never had much of a problem with acne. I also started having pretty severe mood swings, and depression as well (I never thought of the beginning of my depression as connected to having the Norplant, but it's a possiblity). I continued to have break outs, nothing I did could prevent them. I went without having my period for 9 months to having constant spotting. I obviously went to the doctor during that time, and they said the first year on Norplant usually requires some patience and adjustment. So I stuck by and waited. And waited. My periods became so erratic that I thought I was going to lose my mind. Towards the end, I bled for 2 months straight. I finally begged them to remove it, and they reluctantly obliged...

I ended up having Norplant for about two years, most of the first year being semi-okay and the second year being pure hell. In addition, when they took it out, they had a hell of a time digging the capsules out of my arm... apparently I had an incredible amount of scar tissue built up around the capsules, and it took them about an hour and a half to extract them all. When they were halfway through, they wanted to close the wound, let it heal and then try for the rest of them another day... I told them that they'd better get all of them then, because there was NO WAY that I was going back in to have them dig around in my arm.

So anyway, do what you want! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/tongue.gif

That's just my story... http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/wink.gif

If the pill is hard for you to remember to take, I've heard that they have a new birth control patch... my best friend takes it and she swears by it, she's another person who can never remember to take her pill on time. (Uh oh, did I remember mine last night...?)

Hope this helps. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

Lauren http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/bouncing.gif

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I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle these 3 things: a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights.

Have you thought of depo provera. You get a needle every 10-13 weeks so you only have to remember it at these times. Most women stop having their periods(I spotted for a couple of weeks then had no more periods).

It can however take up to eighteen months to start menstrating again(not sure about the norplant), but after a year of use, I went off of it and had a period at the end of the thirteenth week!

md puta: When I went on the depo shot I too noticed alot more acne(I believe that norplant and the shot contain the same things). I have come to realize that it probably wasn't the depo causing the acne, rather the birth control pill that had been keeping it cleared up until then.

I wouldn't go on depo-provera. Too many horror stories.

I'm considering norplant mostly because (1) it uses a progesterone I'm already on in my birth control pills (levonorgestrel) so I don't think it'll cause me any adverse effects since I've already been taking it for 2 years, and (2) I'm getting annoyed with being terrified that my pills are going to fail on me for no reason whatsoever. I don't trust them and the paranoia is really getting on my nerves. I take them perfectly but they're slowly making my periods disappear and especially over the last 3 months my periods have been INCREDIBLY light (2-3 days only) and this month was only 1-2 days. I hate worrying every time I get a period that was lighter than the last that I'm pregnant and this is my only warning.

I was tempted to try NuvaRing but then we're inserting the element of human error into things again, where we depend on me to take it out and put it in on time. I know it's probably hideously reliable but I'm absolutely TERRIFIED of getting pregnant. Nuvaring is a serious consideration though because I'd be changing progestins and I don't know if I want to get used to another set of side-effects. That AND I'm sure I'd be petrified that it'd fallen out during the day sometime.

Meanwhile I think I'm driving my doctor nuts phoning him going "my period is late again" and him being like "that can happen on the pill, don't worry about it, you're on the lowest dose you can get and it's giving you SIDE EFFECTS, you're most definetely protected, don't worry, it happens," etc etc etc, and every time he's right, but I'm still ****ting myself with worry.

I think I'd almost rather just have norplant DONE and be DONE with it and not have to worry about the god damned pills. I've so little faith in my own ability to protect myself -- I mean, I use other protection, but I don't trust that either.

To my knowledge they have discontinued Norplant in the US. because of many problems with the capsules, them coming out, bleeding, etc.
However, if I'm correct, they now have newer better Norplant similar capsules, instead of 6 there are 3. I don't know if they've changed the hormones inside them or not, but they have made the whole deal better and safer.
I read all this in a women's health catalog at Planned Parenthood (in case anyone's wondering.)

wrin:

Just because your pill has progesterone in it doesn't mean that you'll have the same experience with Norplant. I was on a pill with progesterone, and had a completely different reaction to Norplant.

As far as the Nuvaring goes, I know what you mean about worrying it's going to fall out. I wouldn't think that it would be very comfortable, either. What did you think about the birth control patch?

Have you thought of using an IUD? I've heard that they are much safer to use than they used to be. Have you asked your doctor about Norplant?

Like Calixte_Silas said, I don't think that Norplant is available right now in the US,(at least it says that on WebMD) but I see that you're in Canada, so I guess it might be different up there.

As far as the least invasive, most effective birth control, I think that the patch is the best... I think Ortho Evra is the only one on the market right now, and supposedly it's just as effective as the pill.

Lauren http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/heart.gif

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I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle these 3 things: a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights.

Sorta the same dilemma here. Depo is awful! I am thinking IUD.

wrin

If you are scared to use the depo-provera, I would seriously reconsider the Norplant. As far as I know, Norplant and depo are the same thing(only the time effects differ). Depo Provera also only contains progesterone!

It's that it's the exact SAME progesterone, and the only thing changing would be the dose, so I'm not as worried about the side-effects. That was actually one of the 'tests' to see if you'd have huge side-effects on norplant -- not like it matters anyway -- was to put you on a progestin-only pill with the same progestin in it at the same dose.

They discontinued it in Canada long before they did so in the States, so suddenly I'm not as happy with it anymore.

I'm thinking IUD too -- like that hormone-impregnated IUD. I'm not impressed with the copper ones -- my mom had an ectopic pregnancy with one. They make me leery.

I was thinking of the patch, but we go right back to that user-compliance thing. I'd be afraid I didn't apply it properly, or something. As far as Nuvaring goes, I don't think you even feel it.

I'd look into Depo, but I'll say right now I'm not so hot on the idea of going for a shot every 3 months. I don't think it's the same thing though -- as far as I know, Depo is the same IDEA, but it uses a different DRUG, which makes all the difference.

So, now I wonder if they have hormone-impregnated IUDs in canada? LOL!

My experience with Depo has been very love/hate. My skin is awful especially on my back and thighs, the first three or so days after the shot, I am an emotional wreck amd want to nothing but eat cry and sleep. On the other hand, I don't have a period, I don't have to think about birth control everyday and no weird facial hair growth like I got on the pill. I am leaning toward the IUD w/hormones because the hormone (progestin right?) will keep my periods light and the new IUD's seem to be quite effective. Besides, not having to obsess over birth control for 5 years is appealing. It also strikes me as cost effective. The one thing I worry about and would probably ultimately obsess over would be whether or not the dang thing was still in place! Guess that's what the string is for, to check it right?

Yup, you check the string.

Yes, Mirena sounds very very attractive to me -- especially since THAT uses levonorgestrel too -- which means I wouldn't grow like, a second head probably, if I took it.

Hmmmmmmmm.

I wouldn't obsess as much about it falling out as I would the Nuvaring thing. I think I'll talk to my Dr. about it when I go in a couple weeks from now. (I need more drugs anyway.)