I've been having issues with being anemic, sick to my stomach, hormones being out of balance, skipping periods, among other issues that time of month and my doctor suggested that I start taking birth control pills. I don't really like the idea of being put on birth control since it's hormonal and I've heard complaints from others about birth control to begin with. I never been on anything since I don't do the whole guy thing, I never needed it. My question is, for anyone that is on any type of pill, what you like and dislike about them? I'm trying to figure out a brand that'll work for me but reviews tend to be bias.

I've been taking the pill for pretty much the same reason as you. It has helped me get my period back on track, and it helps with my cramps, flow, and whatnot. My only issue with it when I first took it was discharge, but that's because you're body is trying to adjust and all that fun stuff. I would talk to a doctor about it so you can find the perfect brand that suits you. There are all sorts of them out there, but I take the brand Reclipsen. Also I've been told that it helps you lose weight (or you can gain weight). I'm not sure if mine has helped with that at all or not, but eh. But like I said, talk to a doctor and see if it's for you, or if there is something else out there that can help :3

I don't think choosing one from what suits someone else would work for you. I'd suggest trying another doctor to be honest. I think they suggested you go on the pill just because it's an easy option for them, and I don't agree with it at all. No woman should ever mess with her body's hormones needlessly, not if there's alternate means to the same end.

I was taken off the pill in April, my body's been screwed up ever since! Bear in mind that I was taking it for just over 10 years, but oh my, my body is now showing its displeasure at me messing with its hormones for so long...first off, I went through a mini menopause through June and into July. I thought I was ill, then realised I didn't have a fever but was having hot flashes -.- All through the summer I had no period at all, that showed its face again at the end of October, then I had a period every 2 to 3 weeks until after Christmas. My sleep cycle has been royally screwed since December, first with me only getting about 4 hours sleep a night for about 6 weeks, that's now turned around to be being able to sleep for 12 hours then still needing to go back to bed when I've only been awake for 10.

All this from taking fake hormones for 10 years : /

Do you have any access to alternative treatments in your area? Holistic or chinese medicine, for example? Can you improve your diet with iron rich foods? Or does the sickness impact on what you can eat?

There isn't much as far as alternative medicine goes around here or at least one that takes my insurance. I wouldn't consider taking anything hormonal if it wasn't so bad. I've had iron injections before because my anemia got really bad after my first round of chemo. They made me sick to my stomach but helps a little as far as energy levels go.

I've been trying to eat more iron rich foods too but my blood cell count is still low even with a supplement. I try to eat as normally as possible but food just becomes gross to me that time of the month. I don't know much about treating hormone problems without hormone use. I also worry about effects of pills on my immune system since it's messed up too. My doctor didn't seem to know much about that and only gave me pamphlets on different medications.

I much rather stay clear of anything that messes with hormones but I also want to fix the problems that I have and at this point I just want things to be "normal" or as normal as possible.

I hope you can find somethin that helps you : / Frustrates me no end that your doctor is rather ignorant on the subject! I wonder what other option you have in your area, with just finding some support and information.

Everyone will have different results with different brands. There are also different types of pills with different hormones so results will vary.

I got an implant put in the same time I started taking Levlen ED (a brand of the pill). It wasn't until I stopped taking the pill that I learnt it's side effects since I didn't know which one was causing the issues.

My depression got worse and there would be times I would start crying and being miserable for no reason or thought. I also had more frequent migraines. I also got a cyst from it and spent 3 hours in the worst pain of my life that I fainted from it. I decided on my own to stop it.

The implanon which shares some hormonal similarities with oral methods did have some side effects but it's helped me with my medical problems. I've gained 20 pounds with it without changing my diet or physical habits, my acne has come back though it's very mild, my skin is oilier and I get slightly more irritable but it's manageable.

On the upside, I used to have severe periods that would sometimes disable me, but that's stopped now as the implant has reduced the severity of any periods I get, though I rarely get them now. My moods, despite being snappy, I don't get depressed anymore.

With regards to anaemia, you need to eat iron rich foods and/or iron supplements to help. This will take minimum 3 months but preferably 6 months to get any results. Just to note, I had the same problem as you, and iron supplements did nothing for me. If you happen to not be Caucasian, I suggest you get checked for Thalassaemia, which is a very common blood disorder that causes those symptoms.

Here's another thing to consider, have you or anyone in your family ever had any problems with cysts? The Pill can have have an impact on that. It can lessen your chances of developing ovarian torsion, which is one of the most painful and potentially serious conditions that can result from cysts. You don't want to go down that road, trust me. In the end though, it's up to you. How much do these issues of yours affect your life? With your misgivings, would it be even worth it to try?

I have PCOS, and I've been on the pill since I was 17 in order to help with it. I've been on low-dose Loestrin 24 FE, which didn't give me many side effects. It also has iron supplement, which would help with your anemia. I really liked Loestrin, especially since it made my cramps go away, but it wasn't really helping with many of my PCOS issues (mostly weight related). I took for about five years.

After that, I talked to my doctor and got put onto a higher-dose Nortrel. My periods are longer than on Loestrin (7 days instead of 4, blech) but it's helped me drop a ton of weight over the past year. It's pretty awesome in that regard, but lately I've been all out of wack because I forgot to take it regularly and now my body is doing weird stuff with my emotions to compensate. But when I take it regularly, it's great.

Depending on what your doctor recommends, I'd have you ask for the lowest dose possible. I think Loestrin FE would be great for you, but I'm definitely not a doctor so don't just take my word for it.

And definitely DEFINITELY do not skip doses. That's usually when bad side-effects happen. I have to set an alarm to make sure I take it on time every day and I still manage to miss them. If you're bad at that, I'd recommend something else that's hormone-based, like Implanon, Mirena, Ortho Evra or Depo Provera (but I have no idea if you'd be able to substitute them for your particular medical needs).

Some things that you might want to ask your doctor:

"What medication do you recommend?"

"Would (insert medication you prefer here) be as effective?"

"Are there any holistic alternatives to this medication?"

"What kind of side-effects can I expect? Which side-effects should I be concerned about?"

"How long will I be taking this medication before it 'kicks in'? If I don't notice changes, how long should I try it before considering other options?"

I've been on Tri-Cyclen for about 2 years now. I originally went on to regulate my period, but I've noticed a bunch of other things with my system that have been better than before I was on the pill.

Like others have stated, the pill works for some people and not for others. I would really talk to your doctor about it, and family members, to see if anyone else in your family has had any reaction to the pill.
For example, I was on a different brand before, but after 4 months it did nothing for my system, so my doctor put me on the same brand as my older sister and thats whats been working.

Tri-Cyclen gives you about a 4-5 hour window to take your pill once you develop a routine. Say you start out taking your pill at noon with lunch. Once the routines in your system, if you forget, you have until about 5pm to remember. Which is pretty nice.

Jelly: Yeah, I'm about done with doctors again. I've been thinking about switching doctors again because my new one doesn't seem to want to listen and I don't want a repeat of that. I looked online for clinics and the closest one is over two hours away that will take my insurance as far as holistic medicine goes. I'm considering making an appointment and having someone drive me even though it's a drive.

Pa-chinko: The only reason I'm considering hormones is because it does get to the point, for at least the first few days of my period, that some times I can't even move and I'm worried about losing weight too from not eating as much. I'm anemic to begin with but heavy period make it worse. I have lupus and that's mainly causing the problem with my blood cell count being down. It just gets worse that time of the month.


Cardinal Biggles: I've had cysts before and read somewhere that the pill helps with them so that's another reason I was looking into something like that. I just hate the idea of hormones.

Keyori: Loestrin was one of the ones I was looking at. I liked that it had iron as well. I'm going to see my Rheumatologist in a few weeks to see about long term effects since my Primary didn't know much about how the pill would work since I have lupus.

Ah, I have Thalassaemia myself so blood is an issue to and my anaemia is incurable so I can feel. XD

Perhaps talk with your doctor and keep trying different pills as you go along. Family planning clinic should also offer those services (I'm not sure what they are like in your country though) maybe free or relatively inexpensive. Also ask about actually skipping periods all together by not taking the placebo pills. Talk to them about that. Then you won't be getting periods anymore though the main reason they keep is so women can feel natural.

The pills can affect cysts negatively or positively depending on who you are. I went really bad for me.

@ Pa-chinko: Yeah, I was cautious to bring it up, but as it had a major impact on me, I thought Mystic might want to consider it. Maybe Mystic's doctor would have some insight into Mystic's case.

To be honest I'm on the pill and I don't see any effects on me. I always had really light periods to begin with and they just got even lighter - that's the only thing I've noticed. I've heard that it makes people feel ill and feel like they want to throw up but I don't feel those things at all so I dunno....

I take birth control for polysistic ovarie syndrome thingy, blah, essentially i have micro holes in mah ovaries D8

I have no ill-effects, because when you take birth control for medical reasons, you're merely supplementing a deficiency, not piling extra hormones on top of a system working perfectly fine, so I highly doubt you'll get similar ill-effects.
I'd talk to your doctor about which one is best, they'll be able to make the best judgement for you =3

I've been taking Loestrin without placebos for a few years now because I tend to get serious heart problems along with my period. The only side effects I experienced were volatile emotions the first few weeks and a bit of (positive) weight gain. I've gone off of it a couple of times for a month at a time because of funding issues, and didn't notice any side effects upon stopping or restarting. Overall, it's solved the problem, hasn't created any new problems, and I'm completely happy with it.
However. Your body is different from mine and will have different reactions and needs. Your doctor should be the best person to go to for advice on this, and if you don't feel s/he's listening or knows about your problems, it's time to find a new one. :(
I think a family planning clinic would be the best bet for advice on this particular issue, and some of them do provide some general practice resources as well.

Oh, and seeing as it's your flawed hormones you're trying to fix, here, try not to think of taking the pill as messing up your hormones. =3 If you can find another less chemical way to make your life better, that'll be great, but if you do have to go on birth control, remember most of their bad hormonal rep comes from people who take them to disable their bodies' hormones and keep from getting pregnant -- you would be taking them to help your body's hormones and keep your cycle and heath stable. You don't want to end up worrying too much about the ill affects of a medication and curse yourself with a placebo effect.