Ever kill anyone?

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

Answers

I hated the pill, haven't been on it in years. Not only did it make me feel like I was having a nervous breakdown, it completely killed any desire I had for sex. I figured that was really how it worked, no desire, no sex, no pregnancy. Voila!

Birth control is little more complicated now, but I'm guessing a fella would rather have more hassle with that than with me.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

Beth, you might try some dong quai (sp?)! The pill doesn't affect me the way it does you (I'm a raving bitch WITHOUT it!) And you might have to give it time so you can adjust to the changed hormone levels. God knows I'm going through some hormone changes myself. Valerian root is helping me; also a herbal preparation called "Women's Control and Relief." Hang in there!

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

Not yet, but many varieties of the pill make me WANT to kill people. Because of this lovely quirk, I switched to a low-dose estrogen pill, called Alesse. Alesse was really great, until suddenly, my body decided that it wanted MORE estrogen, so now I am switching again. And I have about 5 packs of leftover Alesse, free for any takers out there.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

How does the pill affect me? oh i'm fine I just feel sorry for those that have to live with me.

kidding. sort of.

The reasons I love the pill far outweigh the reasons I don't like taking it. It keeps me from having cramps, I never have them. It seems to keep my face from looking like a pizza. ugh. acne. I do get headaches. Bad ones that leave me writhing on the bed in a dark room and no relief but what I get in sleep. That only happens once in awhile though.

I do keep an extra 5-10 pounds on but I would rather that than the extra 25-30 pounds from a pregnancy.

It absolutely does not interfere with my sex drive. In fact, I wish it would so poor husband could get a break once in awhile.

It is also relatively cheap. I get the generic brand and it only cost me $8.00 a month.

One other thing, I am usually irrational and emotional so people don't even tend to notice.

heh.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

The pill made me insane. Mostly it was the stress of trying to take it. The last time I was on it, I changed time zones three or four times a week. I received lots of helpful advice, like wear an alarm watch that would tell me when to take it. Honestly, though, an alarm that would get me on waking in California is apt to go off during a presentation in New Jersey (or worse, Amsterdam). I couldn't take the stress of trying to remember. (Isn't that lame?)

On the pill I had regular periods, but I bloated.

I switched to Depo. This is my third time on Depo. (I went off of it during a depression, where I figured that I wanted to narrow down the complicating factors in my life.)

The first two times I gained a little weight. So far this, no problems. Slight headaches. When I went into the gyn for a checkup a month after starting, I became instantly famous as the woman who started Depo and immediately lost 12 pounds. No period. Some spotting (but I think that's due to a polyp removal.)

I'm hoping that this trend (losing excess) mass continues.

It's a little unnerving, knowing that I can't just stop, that after the injection I'm on three months of hormones. Of course, that's also the point. It's also cheap--my copay is $10, which includes the shot. On the pill, it wouldhave been $10 per office visit and $10/month. (Still cheap)

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

The pill? I experienced the good & the bad. My skin was remarkably clear (and I wasn't even taking the tri-cyclic that is promoted as being *good* for your skin) and my monster cramps all but disappeared. I was also able to predict the arrival of my period within a 3 hour time frame. The bad? It contributed to a major depressive episode that lasted two years. That and, even though I didn't gain any weight from it, I felt like my skin was a size too small for my body. Ish. C.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

oh god- i got off the pill after a month and half it sucked so bad... im moody anyways, but im so used to it that i can handle it and not go crazy on the people that are around me. but when i was on the pill i was crying and depressed and moody and i couldnt do anything about it. so then 2 weeks into the the second month of it, i got my period and i said, screw this, and stopped taking it. but i dont have the period problems that others have- but one of my friends takes it for her cramps and she has been on it for years... maybe the one youre on is just too strong, or maybe you just have to wait out those first 3 months or so of hell while your body ajusts.... i hope it gets better for you. -- elizabeth

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

I was totatlly happy with it, and I took various pills for over 20 years. It didn't affect me mentally/emotionally at all, so far as I could tell.

I only stopped taking it because I started having breakthrough bleeding that no dosage seemed to be able to control, because I gained weight and/or am approaching menopause. Thank god.

God, do I hate being female.

I never killed anyone but feel like doing so because all I can find are A-line skirts. You can have 'em. I think they're very unflattering on me because they hightlight my huge stomach, which is where all my fat goes to live. I am looking for a gored skirt with an elastic waist like the one I got from Smith & Hawken a few years ago, except now they've changed their sizing to exclude us fatties. I may be forced to sew myself more skirst.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

Well when I first went on it at age 18, I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.

I went from having 12-15 day periods with heavy, heavy bleeding, to _normal_ periods.

However I had no idea what it was doing to my body.

After being on it for two years it had mucked about with my body chemistry so badly that it pushed my system over from borderline hypo-thyroid to full-blown.

I put on about 20 lbs, became depressive, lethargic and irritable and my hair went flat and brittle. I started getting treatment for the thyroid condition after a blood test finally detected it and slowly my system started to heal. After 6 months I stopped taking the pill and that's when the thyroid medication truly started to kick in big time.

The change was dramatic. I'd ballooned up to 190lbs and after 6months being on my thyroid meds and being off the pill I dropped 30lbs and was beginning to feel pretty good again.

Then the next crisis in my life hit and the anti-depressants/depression undid all of the good effects of being off the pill. I gained all the weight back and put on another 30lbs on top of that.

I still haven't managed to shake that weight despite drastic changes in diet. And in all that time, the real solution for the heavy periods was controlling the hypo-thyroidism, since heavy anovulatory periods are one of the signs/results of the condition.

Go figure.

So while I recognize that the pill can be helpful for others, I'm VERY wary of putting anything that strong back into my system again.

We live in a pill-popping society, but sometimes there are other solutions and I have come to believe that drugs should only be used as a last resort.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

The Pill is the greatest invention in the world.

I have been on it (Demulen) for about a year and I get my period for two to three days, very light. No cramps, my skin is clear and gorgeous and I actaully know when I am getting my period now. I gained maybe 5 or 7 pounds, no big deal.

I love it.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

the first month i was on the pill i was a wreck. i cried all the time, and the whole first week and a half, i threw up every morning. like morning sickness, only i didn't even get a kid out of the whole deal.

then my skin (which was ROTTEN from about fifth grade to february of my senior year of high school) started to clear up, my periods were like clockwork, and i was a lot more mellow three weeks out of the month. of course, the other week, i'm a lot more prone to crying, but i don't turn into a bitch. i just cease being able to handle my problems.

BUT - clear skin, no cramps, clockwork periods, and very minor PMS symptoms? i love it.

so does my boyfriend.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

You really have to see what formulations work the best for you. I've tried 4 over the last 5 years (the first 3 had me throwing out my prescription & swearing off the Pill for various reasons: Ortho-Cept made me irrationally moody, gave me constant yeast infections, and killed my sex drive. One that I can't remember the name of made me so dizzy in the A.M. that I would have to crouch in the shower to keep from fainting. Alesse gave me intense migraines (I don't normally have them).

I've been taking Ortho-Tricylen for almost a year now, and though my drive is a bit lower than usual (my boy has to pounce on me instead of vice versa), I'm happy with it. I used to have monster cramps & raging PMS-- now I'm virtually cramp-free & one day a month I get weepy watching a cheesy movie.

Other birth-control methods just aren't as foolproof for me-- plus I'm allergic to spermacides.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

I was on the Pill for about three years or so and had no major complaints. I had small, predictable periods, and no PMS problems. However, it did greatly reduce my libido. So, about a year ago, I hadn't dated any boys lately and was planning to date girls, so I stopped taking it mostly because it seemed pointless to pay for it in that situation.

This January, when I found myself with a boyfriend, I re-evaluated the birth control choices and went with Depo Provera instead because of the convenience. I've gained a little weight (~4 lbs) and have PMS that's a bit worse (but manageable - I may be upset but I am aware it is PMS and know to wait till I calm down to handle things). Happily, though, no libido problems this time around!

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

I took it from age 17 to 20 (except for the 9 months I was pregnant during that time, of course), when the pills were very high dose.

Never again, though I don't recall it causing me to want to kill anyone. I'd just rather not do hormones, period, if I can avoid them. So far, for those 27 years since age 20, I have avoided them and I feel fine. I have a little PMS, but am aware of it, and so I try to avoid stressful situations during those few days and to control my mouth no matter what I *feel* like saying to some people.

My favorite kind of birth control is the vasectomy, by the way.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

Oh, Demulen is my favorite. I couldn't for the life of me remember the name of it when I went to the doctor this month.

I'm on the tri-whatever that's supposed to be good for acne now. My understanding is that this is a very low dose pill. So far I have lost five pounds (happened with Demulen, too, only it was more like 15 pounds), developed what Jeremy says are Lara Croft bosoms, and not had any cramps. On the negative side, I've had vicious headaches and I'm thinking about murdering all of my roommates, human and otherwise.

Frankly, it seems like a small price to pay for Lara Croft bosoms.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

The pill gave me migraines for about four years and then I switched to Alesse which has a lower dosage of Estrogen. As I've said before, go figure.

I do have problems with PMS and being bitchy and emotional. Far more than I ever did before I got on the pill. My solution? Evening Primrose Oil. Hey, it may or may not being a cure...but it's a great placebo at any rate, and I always feel much more on even keel.

Now...if I could just get them Lara Croft boobs.

Is it just me, or does everyone's books look better when looked "down upon"?

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

A friend saw a T-shirt which is pretty appropriate for me during PMS:

I'm not a bitch. I'm THE bitch. And that's MISS bitch to you.

Sort of sums up my experiences with the pill.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

I love the pill. I'm on Desogen, and it has worked wonders. Besides the obvious conclusion that I haven't gotten pregnant, I have zero cramps, my depression is gone, my skin is clear and my period is predictable. I guess I just got lucky!

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

I've been on the pill for the last six years, and I've had no major problems, apart from when I first went on it and the one they tried me on made me an over-emotional lump.

But recently, I've noticed breast development like you just wouldn't believe. It's strange, because I've been on this pill - Celest - since I first arrived in London, two years ago. I couple of years back I was a perfectly respectable 34C, but now I'm a spilling out of my cups 34D! I'm quite a slim build, so I'm starting to think it may be worth trying a different type of pill, just to try and keep these puppies under control.

-- Anonymous, August 25, 1999

I got pregnant while on the Pill. And I was religious about taking it every morning, too. It happens to 1 - 3 women out of every 100.

My vote for the best birth control is Norplant. It's THE most effective form available - more effective than vasectomy, actually. I had Norplant implanted two years ago and it's just great. Better than the Depo shots because a) you don't have to get a shot, duh, and b) the hormones are released at the same level over the course of five years, rather than with the shots, where you have a spike and then a steady decline. And my insurance covered it, so I got 5 years of birth control for five bucks.

And if I decided tomorrow that I wanted to get pregnant (which ain't gonna happen) the doctor could remove the implant and I could get pregnant the next day. So there really are no disadvantages at all.

I'm bionic - I have six rods of hormone-carrying silicon in my upper left

-- Anonymous, August 25, 1999

I was on the Pill almost two years ago, and finally stopped taking it because I was depressed *all* the time. The worst blues that I have ever experienced, let me tell you. I'd sneak into the ladies room at work and cry every damn day. I'm amazed that I didn't throw myself out of a window.

After I had my daughter, I tried out Depo Provera. I was so psyched, I couldn't wait for my period to stop, and not having to remember a pill every day would be wonderful. Ha. The 90 days after I had the shot were the worst of my life. I had PMS for three months straight. I thought it was post partum depression, but my midwife explained that one of the chemical in depo is essentially the same as that which causes PMS. Yippee. Then my period started .. and never stopped.

After having my period for over a month and a half, my midwife finally decided to switch me to the Pill. It was a miracle : I started taking them on a sunday, and by tuesday morning my period was gone. My pms went bub-bye, too.

-- Anonymous, August 25, 1999

The pill - ugh argh. I was on it for five years, taking I think six different kinds. How did I hate thee? Let me count the ways. No sex drive, and practically anorgasmic. Woo. Now THIS has a point. Plus my doctor kept telling me that wasn't a listed side effect & couldn't have anything to do with it. Serious, serious depression - I have always had depressive tendenices, but I remember those five years as being a constant near-suicidal nightmare. High blood pressure. The doctor (who was a jerk in many ways) insisted it was because I was too fat - I had to lose twenty pounds, he said. To put this in perspective - I was at that time within ten pounds of my skinniest - 130 at 5'4". Now, probably forty pounds heavier and not on the pill, my blood pressure is low - so low I sometimes suffer from "giraffe syndrome" fainting if I stand up too quickly. And now, after going off it, my periods are appalling. For the five years previous to taking it, they were fine - not too heavy, not painful at all. Now I usually have to call in sick the first day, and spend a day curled round a hot water bottle with the Advil by my side. Seven days long and huge clots. I am not impressed with the Pill. My husband has a vasectomy - I recommend it highly. Fun for everyone. Oh, and that acne thing? That's true of all of them. That one brand was just the first to capitalise on it in advertising. It's like jellybeans being a "fat free candy."

-- Anonymous, August 25, 1999

I've been on the pill off and on since 1993 and it never caused me any problems.

Depo-Provera, on the other hand...ack. I never gained any weight or experienced any side effects from the Pill, but I gained about 20 pounds on Depo-Provera, most of which are in my breasts and my hips. I went from flat-chested (I'm talking 12-year old boy flat-chested) to...er...well-endowed, I guess. Of course, I didn't have a period *at all* during the year and a half that I was on Depo--that was kind of cool. But I wouldn't do it again.

I've been off the Depo and back on the Pill for two and a half years. I've taken off some of the Depo-related weight, but the boobs are still there.

I never had any PMS/depression problems from either. My cramps were never all that bad--they were tolerable. My body is weird in that I shrink before my period instead of bloating. Every time I look in the mirror and think "hmmm, I'm losing weight, I'm looking pretty good," it's always in the four or five days before my period. Go figure.

If you want to help reduce cramps, stop drinking caffeine--it really makes a big difference. Of course, you'll have to deal with headaches from withdrawals, and you'll probably be a bitch with fangs for a couple of weeks while your body gets used to it, but your cramps will be reduced.

-- Anonymous, August 26, 1999

The pill? It's so much better the Depo.

Of course I've gained 5 pounds, and about once a month it makes me puke my guts out for no good reason.

But I once had a 3 week period with Depo. And after that, anything is better.

-- Anonymous, August 27, 1999

Hi, I was on Marvelon for 3 years. Positive side: no cramps, very short periods with almost no blood. Negative aspects: gained few pounds (2,3), incredible depressions, suicidal almost as someone else said, no libido, in fact I hate sex while taking the pill, headaches not to mention the yeast infections. I have stopped for one month and I can already see the difference in the libido and mood part, so there is definitely a connection! Don't know what to do, currently I am looking for a lighter dose of hormones, after all Marvelon is out for 20 years. Condoms work for a while but...Any ideas?

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2001

There is a useful pill chart at www.helioshealth.com. Select Birth Control from the sidebar and then you can look at the whole pill chart (or view a range of dosages). It has a list of ingredients and dosages and which types of hormone are in each type of pill (it is a US chart so if you live elsewhere, you might have to do some investigation). So far I have found Alesse to be the most trouble free....and it just happens to be one of the lighter dosed pills. But you will probably need to find out what is best for your body. Good luck!

The name Marvelon cracks me up, it sounds like some sort of 1940's deodorant or some product to stop runs in pantyhose. I love the names that drugs get....

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2001

Which birth control pill makes your boobs bigger?

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2001

Actually, it's just the estrogen in the pills that does it, so if you were to rub tofu and yams (both good sources of estrogen) onto your tits 3x a day, that would give you big ol bazoombas! Go on, try it, at least for a week. And make sure to not rinse all of it off--the more that stays, the more they grow!

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2001

Is that how you got yours, oh sexy, well-endowed amazing h goddess? :P

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2001

I love the pill. At age 18 it was prescribed by me for an endocrinologist because I had elevated levels of testosterone which was causing facial hair, acne, and weight gain. I lost about 15 pounds, my skin has been clear ever since, and no more facial hair. On top of that, I have never gotten pregnant (take it faithfully at the same time everyday) and I absolutely love my shorter, lighter periods that always come on a Monday (never have my period on the weekend). I am now 30. So far my side effects have been good ones. I'm almost afraid to come off it! (I'm on Ortho/Novum 1/35)

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

wow it's so nice to hear from so many women about the pill. i stopped taking the pill about six weeks ago and I'm wondering if what i'm experiencing is "normal". i know that everyone is different but it's nice to know that i'm not alone. i stopped taking the pill because my sex drive was non existant and i was sick and tired of it. also my PMS and cramps were getting worse and worse. so i stopped taking the pill at the end of a cycle, during my period, two weeks later I had another period (complete with cramps and PMS) and then two weeks later I'm having another period with a little lighter cramps and PMS. why is my body doing this ? i hate it. i just want to be normal again.

-- Anonymous, July 21, 2001