hate this generic pill

Jenna22 · 02-23-2004, 04:52 PM

I'm 24 and i used to be on the orto-tri-cyclen 2 yrs ago and it worked great for me.I went to the new doctor and she gave me that one again.Once i got to the pharmacy the pharmacist asked me if i wanted the generic one that is the same just a little cheaper.So it's been a month that i'm on this pill,everytime i take the pill,30 minutes later a headache,some cramps and i had my period on feb.7th and it lasted for a week and then i get the spotting which led to bleeding for a week at feb.19th and i'm still bleeding.And i don't know but i think my skin isn't the same.if this is the same pill tha ti used to be on then why do i get headaches,cramps and spotting?I think it was my mistake that i took the generic one.I can't deal with a headache everytime i take the pill.My doc told me just to go back to the real one,the ortho-tri-cyclen.Does anyone have the same?The ortho worked great for me and my skin looked great and no painful cramps when i had my period.Any advice is welcome.
Thanks

PinKeLLe · 02-24-2004, 12:59 PM

I am also on the ortho tri cyclen but have not tried the generic brand of it. The pharmacist always asks me but I say no... when it comes to medicine and especially birth control that regulates my periods and prevents pregnancies (im 19, no babies needed just yet), I definitely don't want to alter what I take. My mom said it should be fine but I don't want to try it, especially after reading your experience with it. You should definitely get off the generic if it is causing those problems for you.

Blastoff9600 · 02-24-2004, 01:32 PM

First your body maybe in the adjustment stage if you are restartingthe pill after taking a break from it...so you might want to give it the same time frame as when you first started the pill. Normal adjustment is about three months..in other words side effects should go away after that time has passed. When starting or restarting the pill one's body needs to adjust to it. Sometimes one wont have side effects butthe next go around one could have them.
There is nothing different with the generic form of name brand BCPs. I actually prefer those since they are cheaper if one has to pay a copay or pay out of pocket for them. Also I have been on two different generic ones during my life so far and one name brand. The name brand OTC was a bad deal for me. I got depressed and my sex drive dropped. I switched to another brand but it was a generic of that brand and everything within a month of being on it was back to normal for me. The first time I was on the pill it was a generic form since I had to pay for it myself and didnt want my guardian to know I was taking it. I loved that and wish dearly I could remember what it was since I actually lost weight on it and had no bad side effects on it.
So you might want to give it some more time to see how things go. You can try making sure you eat a snack before you take your pill to see if that might help. You could also try taking something to prevent the headache like advil or such.

luvmyboys · 02-24-2004, 02:26 PM

Jenna22,

Is it called sprintec? Or something close to that? I was on ortho tri cyclen also and when I went to the pharmacy they automatically gave me the generic, but I think it was just ortho cyclen and not tri cyclen. Anyway, I too got extremely bad headaches on the generic pill. So there might be something to that. I am no longer on any pills as I was getting tired of playing the switching around game trying to find one that didn't cause spotting or headaches or nausea etc. I finally had my tubes tied and a uterine ablation done for the heavy bleeding that the pill was supposed to lessen also. But I thought I would at least say that yes, I did get headaches on a generic pill. If you have insurance and they require you to use the generic then you will probably have to have your doctor rewrite the prescription and check the box that says may not substitute or write no generic so the insurance company will still pay for it.

matthewkaicarte · 08-16-2005, 01:45 PM

It sounds to me like tri sprintec is far inferior to orthotricyclin. My girlfriend has been on tri-sprintec for almost a year, and while it made her periods regular, they were mcuh heavier than they had ever been before. She also started getting terrible cramps and her face broke out pretty badly for a while. It seemed to stabilize for a while, but now the cramps are back and more debilitating than ever. After I read several other accounts of the drug on this board, it seems to me that it is not worth it. It causes these problems quite frequently.