About to start BCP, scared.... need opinions

[Sky77]

Hello everyone,

I have never taken birth control pills before but my doctor recommended ortho-cyclen to me this month because I'm in a relationship and to regulate my sometimes late period. I am worried about the side affect and have no idea what to expect. I have heard many horror stories about infertility after the pill, hair lost, acne, heavy periods, spot bleeding..e.t.c. I am particularly worried about the hair lost and acne because I am partly on the pill to see if it can help with my mild acne problems. I don't want to go on the pill and have me skin go worse!!!!

Please reply if you have ever been on the pill and whether you liked it or not. I am particularly interested in people taking ortho-cyclen (not ortho-TRIcyclen)...

Thanks....

[WhiskersOnKittens]

Hi there,
Well, I'm not taking Ortho-Cyclen, but I've been taking Alesse for about 2 and a half years now, and taking it made my periods marvelous. Generally, I'm just as regular as clockwork--I can almost count down to within minutes of when it'll come. However (and I don't want to scare you--but I'm being honest here), I gained about 10 or 15lbs after being on it for a little while. Now, I was also on other medications at the time, and they could've been the cause of the weight gain, but now I find that no matter what I do, I can't lose the weight and I'm only on one other type of medication (Advair inhalor for asthma), and I don't think this would be contributing to inability to lose weight, so I suspect it may be the pill. I'm going to wait another month (on BC), and see if I lose any weight because I'm trying desperately to do so, and if I don't, I'm off the pill. So there's my experience. Besides the weight thing, I've had no other side effects.
Good luck!

[nightangel00]

I tried Orthotrycyclen for a couple of months. It worked well for me. No weigh gain, no bloating, no hair loss and it cleared like magic the acne i had in my back. I got it prescribed for the acne I had by a dermatologist so you should not worry about this one. But this of the bcp's are matter of trial an error as women just react differently to them. Just try and see how it goes. If it doesnt your doctor will try different ones, there is plenty.

Whats the difference with the ortho-cyclen to ortho trycyclen?? Are they made by different companies?

[Sky77]

Thank you so much for the replies. I will be starting the pill sometime this week or within 2 weeks (my period is always late so I don't really know when it'll start)...

Whiskers: Having regular periods would be great! haven't had those in a while. I'm not particularly worried about weight-gain but 10-15lbs is a lot!!!!Wow, I never knew!! does BCP make you hungry all the time or is it water retention?

Nightangel: If you don't mind me asking, are you still on BCPs? if so, why did you stop taking Ortho-trycyclen? if not, why did you stop? did you have an initial breakout? how long did it take to clear your skin?

Thanks again

[nightangel00]

No, Im not on BCP's at the moment. I will start them this year as Im getting married and will tell the doc to give me ortho as I know that worked. I stopped them because I needed no birth control back then and while it did cleared my backacne it made no significant improvement on my face which was what I was looking for most. But I think I chickened out too. I read over and over the list of sides particulary those of the heart/clots issue and I just could not have complete peace. I still do not plan to be on bc pills for a long time. I just dont like to take drugs of anykind unless they are absolutetly necessary but is a personal thing of me.