(no subject)

[dorkalicious33.livejournal.com]

SO i went to my doctor today and she switched me from Yasmin to Ortho-Evra (the patch) and Levapro. I have been going through really bad times of nausea and depression, so she figured changing my prescription may help. Apparently Yasmin is known for giving people trouble with moods. Has anyone been on Levapro before? I was just wondering what some of the experiences with it were.

Also, if you have any advice for a first time patch user, i'd love to hear it.

Thanks <3

Comments

[skeptictank.livejournal.com]

Try not to hang out too long in a hot-tub with a patch. They stay really snug (whenever you get out of the shower or say a pool, hold your towel over the patch and sort of smush the water out of the creases and stick it back down) but for some reason hot tubs tend to do a number on the poor little adhesive.

And yes, a wrinkle or two through the middle of it is ok. Just as long as MOST of the patch is stuck down you'll be covered.

Um... don't let the fuzz on the edges freak you out. It's icky but don't pick at it because a lot of adhesive will come off with it.

Also if you don't have your new one to put on (say you're on vacation and forgot that you won't be home till the day after your "change day" or something) you're better off leaving your old one an extra day than screwing up your protection by having no patch on at all. It does have about 1-2 days worth of extra hormones in each patch so keep that in mind in case of a delay in getting your next patch.

[paperwings86.livejournal.com]

I was on the patch for two years and just went off of it for personal reasons. I have since then learned that it delievers 60% more hormones that the pill. I would get very sick if I doubled up months (went without a period).

[skeptictank.livejournal.com]

Patched-In just sent me an e-mail (although I'm not on the patch anymore) saying that new tests have shown that it's got 35% more hormones than average pills like Ortho-Tri. Not real sure whose info is correct number-wise, but the patch definitely does pack a little punch, as does the Nuva-Ring.

[crazykittylady.livejournal.com]

I constantly felt like I was going to throw up while I was on the patch.

I don't recommend it.

Plus, there's a health advisory for it:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2005/NEW01262.html

[skeptictank.livejournal.com]

My sister gets ill like that about 1 day a month on the patch (I think it's usually the first day she starts back on it after her off-week) but doesn't get that problem the rest of the month. I never got it. You may just be a little overly sensitive to the amount of hormones. It's possible that your bosy produces enough naturally that THAT MUCH more is what was making you sick.

It's definitely not for everyone, but it's worth giving it a shot. I wish it had worked out that I could have stayed on it. You have to admit, patching is convenient!!

[crazykittylady.livejournal.com]

Well, you know... being "overly sensitive" to blood clots is just my whinny nature coming through.

There's a reason this product has a health advisory on it. Sure, it doesn't cause peaks in estrogen, but having a constant level of estrogen can really mess with your risk for blood clots (and many forms of cancer).

Patching certainly wasn't convenient, I wasn't eating.

If you want convenient, find a man willing to travel to India to get RISUG, a male form of contraception that costs under $100 and lasts up to 10 years with over 25 years of testing in New Delhi.

[skeptictank.livejournal.com]

I don't think that nausea has anything to do with being sensitive to blood clots.

I wasn't really talking about the convenince of side-effects or no side-effects, I was more referring to not having to take a pill at the same time every day. I hate, hate, hate having to carry them around with me because I never find myself in the same place at the same time 7 days in a row (or 2, for that matter). Especially since I hardly ever carry a purse and it's too hot/cold in Michigan to leave them in my car (which I always have with me). To me, convenient is only having to pop one of those in my pocket on my patch-change day once a week.

Any drug you take puts you at risk for something, and they all come with warnings of some sort. Some people are specifically advised not to use the patch, but some women are specifically advised not to use ANY combo-pill for the exact same reason.

I would say that considering how many thousands of women use the patch, the blood clots are not a real common effect. If it were THAT unsafe the FDA wouldn't approve it and it wouldn't be on the market.

[crazykittylady.livejournal.com]

Yes, of course, the FDA never approves dangerous drugs like Vioxx, Celexa, PhenFen, or anything else.

Drugs are never pulled off the market.

Hey, facts are facts, the patch has a higher risk of blood clots.

[skeptictank.livejournal.com]

I never said it doesn't post that risk... I really don't see the point in getting defensive about this.

Smoking causes cancer - it says so on the label and people still do that. Fried food clogs arteries and people still eat them. Everyone know that planes crash but millions of people still fly in them. Sex can cause babies and STD's but most of us here do that. This is no different. If you choose not to do certain things for your health, more power to you, but I think if people are wanting to try the patch or anything else they should know both sides of the story.

[crazykittylady.livejournal.com]

planes are safer than cars, cars crash everyday, planes do not. Maybe that's why I fly more than I drive.

Sex can cause babies, but that's why we have birth control and abortions, to prevent the babies. And why we are carefull about who we sleep with instead of going willy nilly in bathhouses.

And smoking and fast food? Really, in my opinion only stupid people smoke and I feel nothing but pity for the people I see in fast food restaurants. And these are only relevant to birth control pill talk if someone is doing both and trying to take hormonal birth control. Smoking, eating crap and taking combination hormonal birth control would increase the risk of blood clots by something like 30000% (that is why smokers are so strongly discouraged from taking the combination pill and so often steered to the minipill and IUDs since progesterone does not have such an impact on the risk of blood clots.)

Incidentally, using the patch without being told of the risks means you have a crappy doctor. Ignoring the risks isn't too smart, especially since there are alternatives with fewer risks.

And what exactly is the other side of the story? When there's a health warning on a drug, chances are, it should be used as a last resort, or at least very near the last resort situation, not as #2, especially since there are dozens of other forms of hormonal birth control available out there. Especially if nausea is a problem, nuvaring would be infinitely better since the ethyl estradiol level is 15mcg instead of the 35mcg of the patch (less than half), and it's the estrogen that aggravates the nausea. If taking a pill everyday is not a problem, the doctor should have discussed the possibility of the minipill or any number of other options instead of just throwing the patch at the OP without telling her about the increased blood levels of estrogen that can increase the incidence of blood clots.

[skeptictank.livejournal.com]

Using the patch without knowing the warnings means that you can't read. It's clearly stated on every document that comes with the patch and on their website.

We are getting so far from the topic, here... I'm glad that you choose not to drive much and to judge people who eat crappy food and smoke rather than join them, but my original point is that just because you wouldn't recommend this option, there's no reason to get snappy with people who would. Sometimes the patch is the best route to take - it's one of the only hormone-based options that works for people taking antibiotics since it's not absorbed through the blood like pills are. I don't think it's necessary to scare the hell out of people who need to consider this as one of their choices just because you had a bad experience with it.

This is a forum to share experiences for the benefit of others, not to insult people who have different experiences than you.

I'm not even sure how this whole topic of blood clots came up anyhow. You tried the patch (knowing the risks, I would assume) and you said in your first post that it made you feel sick. I wanted her to know that it doesn't have that effect on everyone. That's what we're here for.

[crazykittylady.livejournal.com]

Using the patch without knowing the warnings means that you can't read. It's clearly stated on every document that comes with the patch and on their website.

I'm not even sure how this whole topic of blood clots came up anyhow. You tried the patch (knowing the risks, I would assume) and you said in your first post that it made you feel sick. I wanted her to know that it doesn't have that effect on everyone. That's what we're here for.

Actually, no, i didn't know the risks because the greater risk of blood clots associated with the patch was only recently discovered when researchers realised that women with the patch were dropping dead at a higher rate than women on other hormonal forms of birth control. Incidentally, the risk factor is mostly associated with blood clots, so that's where the blood clot issue came from.

oops didnt mean to post anonymous

[dorkalicious33.livejournal.com]

I thought the blood clot risk pertained mostly to smokers? Not that it only happens to them, but the percentage is 95% more likely if you smoke than if you dont.

I appreciate all of your advice, but I think it may have been a bad idea to ask such a general question in the first place! I mean, of course everyone has different responses to birth control, hence so many forms. I've just had 4 or 5 friends who experienced the same symptoms as I have when on the oral pill, and got much better results when switching to the patch. Also, I am well aware of all the risks.. I used to be on Accutane AND birth control which practically quadrupled my chances of dropping dead. But thanks for both of your inputs, I didn't mean to cause a huge controversy or anything :X

[deepfire.livejournal.com]

I have HUGE problems with most birth control pills and since the patch is basically the same hormone, the patch. Any of the ortho products made me even more ill than some of the others and messed with my depression as well. The only one I could take without being horribly sick and down in the dumps (putting it mildly) was seasonale and my insurance doesn't cover it, bah. I'm now on the Nuva Ring though and absolutely love it! I don't have to remember to take a pill every day, it comes with stickers to put on your calender to remind you when to put it in and take it out. It cut my periods down to about 1/3 or less of what they used to be (3-ish days, used to go up to 2 weeks), I very rarely get cramps of any kind and if I do they're so mild I hardly notice them. So if you don't have luck with the patch, at least you know there is something else out there to try!

[careless-lovex.livejournal.com]

is it really bad for moods?!?!

i asked my OBGYN and she told me no!

im about to start yasmin and i have a REALLY bad history with depression, anxiety, ptsd and stuff. and i really dont need any crazy mood shit going on.

[dorkalicious33.livejournal.com]

i don't know how often it is caused, but my doctor said that it is the most common side effect for yasmin specifically. it has a hormone called progesterone which is what has the tendency to cause mood swings, HOWEVER the hormone also prevents the excess weight gain. i'd say try it and see what works for you.. everyone's body responds differently to every dosage/brand there is. i think i responded so badly because i started it when i was first going to college and leaving a lot of my friends, so it really didnt help the already crazy moods i was going through!

[crazykittylady.livejournal.com]

progestin, the synthetic form of progesterone is in all birth control pills. Different pills have different forms of it. The one in Yasmin is supposed to be "Better" since it's synthetic. But it can do funny stuff to your body such as decreasing your body of androgens (male hormones.) This can be good, in the sense that it will decrease facial/leg/underarm hair and reduces acne and hair loss, but reducing androgens can also cause emotional instability...

[beastwith5hands.livejournal.com]

i've been on yasmin for 3 months, and for the first 3 weeks i had TERRIBLE mood swings and was really nautious. but after that i haven't experienced anyside effects.

[skeptictank.livejournal.com]

The patch made me moody after about 8 months of using it. I know people who have used it for way longer and never had problems. It's worth a try if it's something you're interested in.

[crazykittylady.livejournal.com]

All birth control pills are bad with moods.

If you're doctor is telling you otherwise, she's full of shit. Birth control pills are largely unpredictable in people with a history like yours (which is exactly like mine, except, add adhd)

If I were you, I would have a stronger discussion with your doctor. And in terms of emotional side effects, nuvaring seems to have the least likelyhood of causing problems (but the problems are just as bad in the people that it occurs in)

Good luck.

If anything, stay away from depo-provera.

[destynnee.livejournal.com]

Well, i know that for me the patch made me break out on any area i put it.. and it never did anyhting to help subside bleeding which is why i use BC.. until about two years ago i had never been with anyone.. so i was never using it to keep from getting preg.. i say be careful with the patch and the ring.. they put A LOT of it into your body at once.. but do what you feel is right, read as much as you can about it.

[lovelylass83.livejournal.com]

I was also on the patch for two years. The day after I started a new box of patches, I always stayed nauseous for the morning. I had to switch my change day to a Saturday so that I wouldn't miss work and school. The last few months of being on the patch turned out to be awful because, out of no where, the patch started to itch. And it was BAD. Other than that, the only thing that bothered me was that the area where the patch was would always be red and swollen for a few days after I took the patch off. So, I never put it anywhere but my butt (since only my bf would see it). I'm glad somebody else mentioned the fact that it delivers more of the horomone than the pill does. There have been a few articles by prominent news sources saying that there is a correlation between using the patch and blood clots. Some girls having strokes and some girls dying from the blood clots. There is supposed to be a study getting started soon to determine if there really is a higher risk of blood clots and strokes when using the patch. Ortho Evra's comment to the article was that if the study did prove a higher risk, then they would find a way to rework the dosage and/or the technology of the patch to better control it. This was the main reason I decided to take a permenant break from the patch. I'm 22, and I don't have time for a stroke.

My advice if you're going on it is to always take it off using a cotton swab soaked in baby oil. I notice that if I didn't use baby oil every time, some of the adhesive would stay stuck to me, which just felt gross to run your hand over it.

[skeptictank.livejournal.com]

There have been a handfull of deaths linked to the patch, but I also believe that if you're experiencing anything out of the ordinary on ANY drug (legs falling asleep, poor circulation, headaches, etc) you should stop using it immediately to see if that's the cause. I think a lot of people just don't listen to their bodies and let problems go on unreported until it's too late.

I'm glad you made a choice in favor of your health, though, and I hope you found something that was more your style!

[crazykittylady.livejournal.com]

Actually, blood clots are quite sudden.

There is no warning, only risk factors.