What birth control pills have you had good luck with? What kinds were bad for you?

Question

I am going to the doctor next week and am getting on the pill for the first time. I'm getting married and don't want kids for a few years. I want to do a little research on different ones so I have a little more knowledge when I go talk to my doctor. I need some personal experiences. I really worried about weight gain and mood swings that Ive heard they can give you. What worked for you? Has anyone tried YAZ or Loestrin 24? What about other forms of birth control like the ring? I'm not ruling anything out, but I need to hear your good stories and your horror stories! Thanks!

Answer 1

I take the Progestrin only pill, or the mini-pill. It is a constant pill (there is no week break) and it is pretty fantastic. I had to stop the patch because the mood swings were terrible and I piled on the weight. My blood pressure was also sky high. My doctor told me the only way I could stay on birth control was to get off estrogen all together. It was from one extreme to the other, and I'd say the switch went pretty well. I've been on it for 6 months, plus it's been around for awhile so they make a generic. I pay so much less for it now. I try to stay away from "designer" birth control. That's what got me in trouble with the Patch.

Answer 2

This will get SO many responses here, but for me Depo has worked the best. I have been on 8 different types of pills, shots, etc and so far out of all of them Depo has worked the best. No missed pills, less after effects, less expensive and less hassles.
I like Depo since you also don't get your period anymore after the first few shots [mwhahahahahahahaha].

For me Depo was the best choice. Your body thinks you are pregnant though, so you have to be really careful of weight gain. And once you stop it, it takes a while for the chemicals to get out of your body so you can become pregnant again... But when I was on Marvalon [sorry spelling], I found I had more mood swings which I hated. And I got pregnant on it :)

There is a new product you might want to ask your doctor about. Its a 5 year IUD that is based on the same chemicals as Depo.
I'm thinking about it, but my health plan didn't cover it and its a bit pricier. But a nice "put it in and forget about it" option.

But really, its personal opinion and what you want. Nothing is 100% effective. Everyone responds differently to the hormones in the pills, IUDs, shots and whatnot.

:)

Answer 3

Your doctor will prescribe you a pill based on your body chemistry. It is best to let him or her decide the pill brand, because each brand affects a woman differently and few women share the exact same side effects. The doctor will know best what pill works for you. Thus, asking for personal experiences won't tell you how YOUR body will react to the pill. For some women, it's a trial and error situation as they try and move on from brand to brand. It took me two brands to find a pill that works for me.

I was first on Ortho-novum, which gave me the worst headaches of my life. I am now on Lo-ovral, which has lowered my sex drive, but perhaps that is the point of birth control ;)

Some pills will give you mood swings, some won't. Some will leave you thirty pounds heavier, some will actually take weight away. Some women are hungrier on some brands of pills, which accounts for weight gain.

Consider the ring. It is low-dose and the hormones are localized to your reproductive organs, and so it might not necessarily affect your moods as much. If the ring is not your style, the patch may work for you.

Answer 4

I used Loestrin 24 for a couple of years and think that its pretty great, especially if you want to have really short periods like 3 days. I have also used Zovia and that one is really great if you have PMS and its great for your skin too so then you wouldn't have to worry about bloating or mood swings. I didn't gain weight with either but then I have a really high metabolism. With pills though, you have to remember to take it at roughly the same time every day for it to be effective. Good luck on choosing the one that works for you. Make sure to explain to your doctor what it is you want from a contraceptive and they will steer you in the right direction.

Answer 5

Ovcon 35 is what I use. It works well for me and I have no complaints. I tried the patch before and did not like it. It didn't stick well plus it looked ghastly after a couple of days because it would change color and collect lint from the clothes you wear. There are about a billion different choices. I would recommend doing your own research as well as taking your doctor's recommendation. Just because YAZ and Loestrin 24 are the two you see on TV right now, doesn't mean it's what is best for you. (Though it probably does mean he/she will have some free samples of those types).

Answer 6

The first BC I used was the patch. It was great! No side effects or anything. But I decided to stop using it, because I started getting skeptical about it when I was thinking about having sex. I felt more comfortable knowing I was taking something to prevent myself from having a kid. So I switched to Yasmin. I have no complaints about it. I don't remember it making me sick...but it will when I drink before taking it. [I usually take the pill at night]. I hear Yaz is good...and was thinking about switching to that. And I hear ORTHO TRI-CYCLEN LO is also good.

Answer 7

Well i take the pill Ortho Tricyclen and I feel fine. Nothings change but its supposed to clear the acne on your face. The shot will make you gain weight! A couple of my friends are on the shot and they gained a ton of weght off of it!! The patch is good. My cousin uses that and she hasnt had a baby yet!

Answer 8

Here's my horror story, I tried the pill and the injection and it caused horrible mood swingsI was very emotional on them,the method I use is condoms.It might not feel as good as the real thing,but at least I'm sane!!

Answer 9

Loestrin-Have been using for six months and me and my husband have seen excellent results.

Answer 10

personally, i think they're all bad for you. i just don't like the idea of unnecessary hormones, you know? i've been on alesse (i think that's how you spell it), that made me depressed. also ovcon, recently. i did gain some weight but i can't attribute that to the pills for sure.