Posts by stormyharbor2

Jeffrey Fox said:Oh man, I totally feel your pain because those side effects are absolutely brutal, but it sounds like these pills just aren't doing your body any favors, so you should definitely look into trying a different brand! When I was on them, that long week off was such a nightmare for me too—I felt absolutely miserable and my skin would just go downhill fast—so I tried shortening the break for a few months to see if it helped, but eventually, I just had to give up on birth control altogether. Between the weight gain, that endless hunger, and my facial skin getting so incredibly dry, I just couldn't deal with it anymore..

I don't even think it's the pill itself—I'm dealing with the exact same issues I had before. And honestly, it feels like most male doctors hear "PMS" and immediately think of some cute movie trope about craving chocolate... 🙄 How am I supposed to explain that I don't want to feel suicidal for ten days out of the month, and that I know there's a medication out there that actually works? I haven't gained weight, but my skin has been peeling since I can remember... so you're saying the pill might actually make that worse?

Jeffrey Fox said:I personally feel like Diane-35, Yaz, or maybe even Lo Loestrin works wonders for acne and hair issues, though I know everyone's body reacts totally differently! What are you currently taking?

lyndette. I’m dealing with acne too :/ honestly, my biggest issue was just horrific PMS—and it’s still just as bad now, if not worse. I even thought about skipping the seven-day break and just going straight onto the next pack, but my PMS starts ten days before anyway... so that wouldn't have stopped it...

What pills would you guys suggest for someone dealing with brutal PMS and unwanted hair growth? I'm seriously considering just getting off the pill entirely—or at least switching things up—because right now, they aren't doing anything for me...

wiredharbor63 said:Yeah, unfortunately you do. At least, that’s what they tell you. I was dealing with the whole process of switching doctors the other day at the JFK clinic—brought in that transfer form I got from the new doc. They just punch it into their system, slap a stamp on it, and hand it right back to you to carry over to the old doctor and then the new one. When I actually asked, "Wait, aren't you guys supposed to handle that part?" the woman just gave me this look and said, "No" with total disbelief 🤔🙄

So here we are in 2018, the 21st century... and you still have to walk around lugging papers everywhere—first to the new guy, then to Medicare, then back to the old one...
just imagine if they ever actually invent computers or a functional IT system in the distant future. Maybe then life won't be such a massive waste of time 🙄

Is this seriously how it works?? If that's the case, I'd have to drive halfway across the country, and then make another trip to a different city just to deal with Medicare👎

Also, if anyone knows a GP in Seattle who's actually taking new patients—I've been asking online and in person, but I'm getting zero recommendations...

Christian Castillo4 said:How many days after stopping birth control pills can you expect ovulation to occur? Roughly speaking, I'm wondering if it's a matter of a day or two, or more like two to three weeks.

For me, it was about two weeks—maybe even less. I actually missed a pack once, which made things drag on way too long, and then those menstrual cramps started hitting early...😲

Jason Collins said:Hey there.
I was wondering if any of you use birth control pills (I'm currently on Lindynette 0.075 mg + 0.03 mg coated tablets) and how long it actually took for your skin to clear up—or what I call getting that "clear face" look.
I’ve been taking them for eight months now, and so far, I haven't seen any real progress. 🙂 It’s pretty frustrating, honestly, because one of the main reasons I started this was specifically to help with my skin, and yet, nothing has changed.
I suppose I should probably head to my gynecologist for some advice. To be fair, I don't really want to switch brands since these pills seem to suit me otherwise, but I'm just not satisfied with the skin situation. If you have any experiences to share, or maybe some suggestions or advice, I’m all ears. Thanks. 🙏🙏 🙂

It feels like my acne and breakouts are actually worse than they were before the pill.
Generally speaking, nothing helps the pimples I get during that time until my period actually arrives—and just as my face starts clearing up, the next PMS cycle hits. It gives the scarring zero time to fade. Plus, the PMS is way worse than it used to be; I barely survive those days, and they last forever—sometimes ten days straight. 🤷 If anyone switched from a low-dose pill to something else, do you have any recommendations? I know everyone reacts differently, but I just want to know what to bring up with my doctor if I decide to switch. Actually, during those bad days right after I stopped the pill, I felt much better mentally... though I didn't realize it was the pill at the time.🙂

Laura Myers84 said:Looking for a recommendation similar to Dotty (my GP)—ideally someone who actually knows how to diagnose things correctly.

My old doctor retired, and this new one they brought in just prescribed antibiotics for a cough without even sending me for blood work first to see if I even needed them... total amateur move.

P.s. Dotty, which part of town are you in?

Just seeing this now. I'm over by Broadway. Honestly, looking at these recommendations, nothing seems helpful :/ I even asked people in person, but nobody can seem to name a single decent doctor...

stormyharbor2 said:Can anyone recommend a general practitioner in Seattle who’s actually taking new patients? Looking for someone I can switch over to while I'm here...

thanks.

ANYONE?

Anyone got a recommendation for a general practitioner in Seattle who’s actually taking on new patients? Looking for someone I can switch over to around here...

thanks.

I was actually thinking about asking—if I head out on a long trip outside the States, does that mean I can't just pick up two bottles of my meds at once? Not sure what to do here...

Matthew Adams4 said:Not trying to preach here, but honestly, people seriously need to quit smoking.

I agree. No offense intended—you’re scared of chemicals but you smoke like a chimney 🤦 look up some scientific papers online, smoking while on the pill is a seriously bad idea, especially if you fall into a high-risk group (over 30, weight issues, etc.). I forgot exactly how much it spikes cancer risk. I actually totally blanked on that once and smoked 5 or 6 cigarettes in one night before my period... I'm not a regular smoker though, so I probably won't drop dead... 🤣

Morgan Wilson7 said:I’m reading some posts here saying some of you dealt with spotting for an entire year. Honestly? I’m done with the pill after just three months.
I tried Yaz and Loestrin.
Total disaster.
It’s either constant spotting or this brownish discharge, and it is driving me insane. I’m a dermatologist, by the way, and I’ve already noticed my nerve-based skin breakouts starting up again.
I can’t even tell if I’m on my period anymore, when it's actually happening, or what part of this bleeding even counts as a period... I'm losing my mind here.
I might give Loestrin one more cycle, but if this spotting doesn't stop, I'm out.

I started taking these mainly to regulate my cycle because I travel a lot and don't always want to deal with brutal cramps. Before this, I used to just delay my period with pills, so after talking to my OB-GYN, I decided to give birth control a shot.
The only upside so far is that my breasts have gotten bigger. Everything else? 👎

How do you guys even have sex constantly with all this spotting and discharge? For real, you must go through a mountain of towels and sheets every single day because there's just some constant leak coming out of me.
Gross.

Try being a little patient. I also thought it would never stop, but everything normalized after a few months. It takes the body about six months to adjust to the hormones. It’s exhausting, I know...

Lawrence Doyle5 said:Hey there,
So, I totally blanked and missed a pill in my third pack. According to the instructions, I should just take it as soon as I remember—and then immediately start the next pack without taking a seven-day break, or, alternatively, stop taking them on the day I forgot and take a full seven-day break.
I went with the first option. Has anyone else dealt with this before? Based on the schedule, I’m supposed to get my period after finishing this second pack. Also, has anyone actually had their period while they were still actively taking the pills?
Just for context, I used to be on them for about four or five years before I got pregnant. Now that I've finished breastfeeding—the little one just turned one—I've started back on them mainly because my cycles have been all over the place.

When the same thing happened to me, my OBGYN told me to just keep taking them and then do the usual 7-day break after this pack. I don't know why doctors online say you shouldn't take a break after the next pack... 🤷

Anyway, I decided to just stay on the birth control until my next appointment when I'll ask for a checkup and blood work... do they make things difficult for you when you ask for that? Like, acting like it's "not necessary" or whatever...

Hmm, maybe somewhere around six months ago? Those were my first pills. I think they usually start you on the lowest hormone dose if you're a healthy woman who hasn't taken them before. 🤔 I almost quit because of the spotting—it went on for months. Just when I thought it was finally over, I’d head out without a pad and end up making a mess right in the middle of town... 🤦
The cramps during my period are gone now, which is a win, but the PMS is way worse because of it. 😢 Sometimes it starts up to 15 days beforehand. Anyway, Dr. Miller doesn't really account for the mental stuff or the hairiness. Like, where is the solution for the hair? As if we women aren't going to deal with that. A friend of a friend mentioned Qlaira or whatever it's called—said it actually helped her with the unwanted hair growth.

Taylor Sanders4 said:

Stormyharbor2: Honestly, if you think this is going to be some smooth ride, you’ve clearly spent too much time watching Hollywood movies instead of living in the real world. It's more like trying to drive a lawnmower through a swamp during a hurricane—messy, unpredictable, and you're probably going to end up covered in mud. kaže:
I honestly thought it’d be smarter to jump in on day 7 instead of waiting for day 8. I figured that would give me some kind of safety net, but hey, maybe I'm just being paranoid. 😁 I feel like I’m about to lose my mind or something. Honestly, this whole past month has just been one giant, nonstop PMS nightmare; even the Advil didn't do squat for the mood swings, only helped a little with the actual cramps.👎 Honestly, it’s like my brain is stuck in a permanent loop of absolute garbage—the worst part is that the actual mess is long gone, but I'm still sitting here feeling just as trashed as when it all went down. :/

Is it Lyndinettama or whatever the heck they call it these days? Honestly, those things were a total bust for me... just go find a gynecologist who can swap them out if they aren't working for you.

Yeah. I started taking them because my PMS was absolutely brutal—made the anxiety and depression ten times worse—but they didn't touch that part at all. They help with the cramps, sure, but honestly, I’d rather deal with the physical pain than have to go through that kind of hormonal meltdown again 🤷 I think I handle the pills okay, but the PMS itself... it's definitely been worse lately...

Brenda Hughes2 said:It’s not really about having weaker protection if you started earlier than you actually needed to—that wouldn't make any sense 😁

I thought about starting this on day 7 instead of 8—figured that might be better. I assumed I’d be protected, but honestly... maybe I’m just being paranoid... 😁 I mean, I feel like I’m probably going to mess something up or whatever—and yeah, for the last month I’ve been dealing with some extreme PMS... honestly, the Lyndette didn't help at all for that, just for the cramps during my period...👎 Honestly, I have this issue—and I’m being serious here—but it just won't quit. The worst of the mess is over, yet I still feel exactly the same way :/

Taylor Sanders4 said:

[No input provided for Dotty] kaže:
So, I totally botched my schedule and took my birth control a day early—basically thought I was running late and popped a pill at 8 PM tonight when I actually wasn't supposed to touch the pack until tomorrow morning. :/ Now I’m spiraling thinking I’ve completely derailed the whole system by starting a new box a day ahead of schedule. What’s the move here? Am I still protected this month, or did I just throw my cycle into a blender?

Reading. Here?

So, here's the deal... my pill instructions say "Day 8." Does that mean we're basically walking around with half an umbrella in a thunderstorm if we don't keep going past day eight? Great, just what I needed—another reason to spiral into a full-blown paranoid meltdown. 👎

I've been using them for years now—always grab mine on the 8th of the month like clockwork, and honestly, I’ve never run into a single hiccup.

Well, yeah, if that's what the instructions say, then that's just how it is. But look—it basically means if you follow the rules, you aren't actually 99% protected, you're less than that... because, you know, they recommend the seventh day instead of the eighth. I don't get why she got an answer like that. 🤷

I took my Lyndette on day seven of my break instead of waiting for day eight—basically, I thought I was running late and just took it now at 8 PM, even though I really should have waited until tomorrow morning at 8... :/ So what now? Am I going to mess everything up by starting a new pack a day early? And more importantly—am I still protected this month?

Reading... Here you go...

I’ve been taking Diane 35 since '99—the instructions say to take them for 21 days, then have a 7-day break. I took that literally... basically, seven days off and then starting again on the eighth day. But recently, a nurse told me I was actually supposed to start back up on the seventh day, so now I'm stuck wondering what's right. If she's correct, what kind of mess am I looking at...?

There are different schools of thought on when you should actually kick off a new pack of birth control pills. Some people swear by starting the new box on day seven of your break—others say wait until day eight. If you ask the German medical experts, they lean toward starting on that seventh day. The logic there is pretty straightforward—you want to minimize the chance of some random follicle in a "dormant" ovary deciding to wake up and start growing, which could lead to ovulation even though you're technically on the pill...
This recommendation is based on how you’d track a standard menstrual cycle—basically, the day bleeding starts counts as both the final day of the old cycle (say, day 28) and the very first day of the new one. So, that 7-day break... that's actually Day 1 of your next cycle of pills...

Whatever... the instructions on these pills say day eight. So what now—are we less protected if we just keep going past the eighth? Great, just what I needed, a little more paranoia... 👎

Ladies, anyone else dealing with dryness below the belt from Lindynette? Does anyone know which pills actually skip that side effect entirely...?🤔

Does anyone have recommendations for a solid CBT therapist in Miami?

thanks.

-edit- and if you could just shoot me a DM so I don't forget to check this thread...

quietfox384 said:I would have told you the exact same thing—that skipping a break is just strange to me🤷
—and honestly, I think you should just use backup contraception for about a week.

edit: I didn't quite catch that correctly.
Wait, did you start your new pack three days late?

He told me to be careful for a week—not that it matters since I'm not even having sex 🤣).

The break was supposed to be seven days, but I waited an extra three before starting again. And I changed the time too—switched from 2 PM to 8 PM because that works better for me during the summer.

Some girl online who went through the exact same thing said her OB-GYN advised skipping the break this time and just starting the next pack immediately.🤷 It doesn't really matter for this month, but I want to be fully protected by September... I don't want to be sitting there thinking I'm safe when I'm actually not.

Huh, pretty weird—some gynecologist site says you shouldn't take a break after that pack, but my niece is telling me I should...

I’m a bit late with my 7-day break—it’s been about 3 days since I was supposed to stop :/ can I actually start back up on the pills (Lyndette) now, and am I basically unprotected for this whole cycle?