That phase doesn't work. It’s a relic from when pills were actually "stronger." Honestly, some doctors still push it today. But for most people, that break serves absolutely no purpose other than giving you a positive pregnancy test. You end up cycling through three weeks on and one week off, right? It's pointless. You don't need a break unless there's a legitimate medical reason to stop—like an upcoming surgery or if bloodwork shows something needs attention. Doing it just to "cleanse" the system? No.
She can certainly suggest which doctor she wants to see, but that really depends on the physician. Let's be honest—most of them have their favorites they like to prescribe, usually because of those kickbacks from specific manufacturers. She’ll just take whatever they hand her. It's not really her call. For instance, my partner prefers Celest if she's looking at older options, or Qlair for the newer stuff. 🤣
See, she also thinks you're on a low dose of hormones. By the way, I’d suggest using extra protection while you're bleeding. If you're bleeding because the hormone dose is too low, it means you might not be protected.
I'm no doctor, so I don't know which one you should switch to. Most likely something from an older generation of pills that are "stronger." Yasmin is one of those.
Donna Hill6 said:I did, and she checked me out, but I ended up panicking because I went to her in the morning when I was barely even bleeding, so she just sent me home.
This makes me think you aren't actually bleeding as much as your first post suggested. You probably just have constant spotting or an occasional small "flare-up." That’s perfectly normal. However, things should stabilize by your second pack. If you're still dealing with this during the next pack, call your OB-GYN. They will definitely switch your prescription. Did she mention that? Usually, prolonged bleeding means your hormone dosage isn't high enough.
Check this out. It's a great read for any woman on birth control.
Jessica Bennett44 said:Has anyone dealt with a lost package before? Basically, my tracking shows the shipment was delivered, but I definitely didn't receive it. 😢
I don't find that very believable unless the mail carrier swiped it 🤣. It’s much more likely someone else grabbed it by mistake.
I have this one woman insisting she mailed me something last Thursday, yet today I get a receipt with yesterday's date on it. And nooooo, she swears it went out last Thursday... fine, whatever, let her be wrong. I don't care, as long as the stuff arrived, but seriously, stop trying to make a fool out of me.
I don't think there's a strict rule saying you have to start the next pack on the exact same day or precisely every 28 days while on the pill. For me, sometimes they hit on schedule, but over the last few years, I've found it works fine to start whenever during that seven-day break. Honestly, maybe I already had PCOS back then and didn't realize it, which might have played a role... who knows. But I'm pretty sure anything within that break period is perfectly okay. Does the instruction manual actually state it has to be every 28 days?
Cerazette... look, nobody is actually advocating for PCOS, but people definitely push these for blood pressure issues. That’s at least what I gathered from reading up on it online. People with high blood pressure don't really care about the progesterone component because BP is tied to estrogen. There's an entire thread on this forum with that exact name. But those pills—aside from being less safe than combined ones—come with other nasty side effects. They are available here in the States.
A-ha, okay, maybe I misunderstood how everything was set up... things are finally clicking for me now. (Though they gave you Yasmin, which isn't exactly standard for PCOS.) I still don't see the point in taking Yasmin if you're actually on track to fix everything the "natural" way.
And we can't ignore the fact that this is just a vicious cycle. Don't think that getting back to your old weight is going to solve everything; that part is yet to be seen. You might end up right back where you started—because PCOS isn't something you just cure. You drop the weight, get off the pills, and then the same thing happens all over again (if the cause is indeed PCOS, like they're telling you, it's inevitable). Personally, I don't know anyone, and I've never heard of anyone successfully quitting antihypertensives, regardless of weight loss or other changes. We were just having a heated debate about this in the high blood pressure thread recently. Whether it's the right move or not—it seems like everyone (even every doctor) has their own take on it. Generally speaking, antihypertensives are for life. Go check out the high blood pressure thread.
Anyway, I'm done talking about this. Someone else will probably have something to add.
So, they already have you on blood pressure medication, huh? That was my biggest mistake when I actually listened to them... Duphaston isn't a PCOS treatment. As far as I know, it does absolutely nothing for the condition itself; it just "triggers" a period. There are other ways to manage PCOS that aren't birth control, but regardless of how many people tried to convince me I needed pills (in random forums, not from actual doctors), all my research shows those are really only for when you're trying to get pregnant.
Let’s start over: so right now you aren't taking anything except antihypertensives, correct? And you started those while you were still on Yasmin, right? Why didn't you try getting off Yasmin first to see what your baseline blood pressure actually looks like? It might be perfectly fine, which would mean you're just taking blood pressure meds for no reason.
You can combine birth control and blood pressure meds if your pressure is under control. That’s the official line you'll get from your primary care doctor or any general practitioner. But what an internist, cardiologist, or neurologist would say is a whole different story. Every single specialist I talked to told me the same thing: high blood pressure plus pills... don't play games. (Like I said before). Those specialists are the ones who deal with the people suffering the consequences, not the GP.
Everyone is going to tell you the exact same thing to just try it and see what happens to your pressure while on the pill.
It’s a shame you didn't stop the pills before starting the blood pressure meds, because this way you'll never truly know if you actually need them or not.
Oh, and one more thing—why even take anything right now if your cycles are regular? It feels to me like you're going to end up taking every pill under the sun that you don't even need. Look, I'm not a doctor, it just seems that way to me...
And one more thing, for the second time—I've realized I know plenty of women around 30 who were on birth control for ages, and now they have both PCOS and high blood pressure, yet they're still taking that same birth control... though, as far as I know, nobody told them about the blood pressure issue. Is the connection between blood pressure and PCOS just a coincidence? I wouldn't say so. None of these women are overweight; some are serious athletes, others are just active, and they all watch their diet... they don't have any obvious predispositions for PCOS. 🤔
Which medications can you take alongside birth control? Like blood pressure pills or what? For PCOS, they usually prescribe Diane, which doubles as contraception. But you can't touch those if you have high blood pressure. Look, you could try them and see how your pressure reacts... but with those pills, if your BP is already wonky, it’s just going to spike. It certainly isn't going to drop. At least, that's my experience.
Basically, it's a vicious cycle. I'm not sure how much of the blood pressure issue stems from PCOS itself; often they just come as a package deal. It's like the classic "chicken or the egg" scenario. You mentioned earlier that the high blood pressure was a side effect of the pills. There's a big difference between which one came first.
Google "PCOS and high blood pressure"... you'll see everywhere that the pills are linked to it 🙂.
I have PCOS and high blood pressure, though most people think my BP issues are caused by the pill—which I actually agree with. Since I’m on blood pressure medication, my gynecologist told me I could take Diane if my levels stayed under control. However, all my other doctors and specialists advised me that it’s smarter to just quit them for good, and I trust their judgment more. Besides, whenever I take them, my blood pressure starts acting up again, so I'm done with them.
Don't play games here. If you're dealing with high blood pressure as a direct side effect of the pill like you mentioned, then no form of hormonal contraception is right for you.
Yesterday on the German RTL midday news, they reported on how French pharmacies are pulling third-generation birth control pills off the shelves due to specific active ingredients. They listed three types—I didn't catch them all, though Qlaira sounded familiar—and showed pictures too. Apparently, these are twice as risky for heart and brain issues compared to older versions like Cilest. There were just too many cases that couldn't be linked to anything else except the pills, especially since we're talking about young women with zero other risk factors. If anyone wants to look it up, there should be a clip of the segment on their website.
I was on the pill for about ten years. I used to be a huge advocate for them. Honestly, part of me still misses that sense of security they provided. I don't trust much else that much. But because of a series of circumstances, I had to stop. Permanently. I remember every single doctor I saw for my other health issues would ask, "Are you on contraception?" If I said yes, the response was always, "You have to stop immediately." As time went on, I started saying "no" because I had already quit, but they would still write "on oral contraceptives for 10 years" on my medical records, even though I haven't taken them in two or three years. I'm not saying the pills made me sick, let’s be clear. I’m just pointing out how my checkups go. While I was taking them, all my tests came back perfect. Everything didn't start flaring up until three years ago. Why it still matters today that I took them once, I don't know, but clearly, it matters.
Looking at the big picture, taking the pill doesn't seem consequence-free anymore. I don't know... I'm certainly never going back to them. Plus, I'm over 35 now, which is an added risk factor and all that.
@fastidious: Your doctor's explanation feels a bit thin to me. Breakthrough bleeding usually happens precisely when the pill isn't working. That's when you switch to something else. It isn't normal to be on birth control and experience breakthrough bleeding. I'd advise everyone to really dig into the medication leaflets and check for interactions—both for the pills and those psychiatric meds you mentioned. I don't think there's a universal answer because not every tablet has the same active ingredients. If the warning is there, it's there for a reason. Sure, manufacturers list a ton of stuff to protect themselves legally if an interaction occurs, but they wouldn't bother listing it if there wasn't a genuine possibility of it happening. Maybe we shouldn't rely quite so heavily on what a doctor says. Two different gynecologists told me completely opposite things, so if the experts can't agree, how am I supposed to know? I found it better to stick to the instructions and even contact the manufacturer directly. That's what I eventually did, and it was the only way I felt satisfied with the answer.
Look, I’m no expert, so take this with a grain of salt, but I was thinking about circulation.
What I mean is, besides blood sugar—which I also considered—maybe there's a neurological component at play here. How's your blood pressure looking? You should really try tracking it both before and after you eat. Based on what I've been told, your pressure should stay steady or maybe climb just a tiny bit after a meal. It might be dropping for you, or spiking hard, though I'd bet against the latter.
My general practitioner also leaves out all the dates, and I’ve honestly never felt the need to bring it up. It’s a different story with my parents' doctors, though—they aren't seeing the same person—but those physicians put a date on everything. My doctor doesn't even bother listing the clinic name sometimes. To be fair, I actually like it that way because it gives me the freedom to go wherever I want... hey, at least she's keeping me happy 🤣.
I don't think so. I went through something pretty similar, and they told me my new doctor had to wait for approval from Medicare before she could officially take me on. It usually takes about a week at most. When I asked what happens during that gap, Medicare basically said my old doctor stays responsible for me until the new one gets the green light. Honestly, I'm not sure how long that process actually drags on. I did see someone else on the forum mention they were able to switch to their new doctor the very same day.
Here's White phone. I’m planning on "using" it soon myself. I’m just waiting to see exactly how I'll handle everything coming my way over the next two weeks.
Look, if you have Hypertension, you take antihypertensives. It’s that simple.
And if your blood pressure spikes every single time you get worked up—well, maybe just stop getting worked up? Seriously.
So, here is the real question: who was the first doctor to prescribe this regimen to you, and what exactly were they basing it on?
If you're actually feeling stuck in this dilemma—and I'm not talking about readings hitting over 200 mmHg here—just taper off the antihypertensives over the course of a week. Then, go see a private specialist for a 24-hour blood pressure monitor test. Once you have those numbers, it'll be crystal clear whether you actually need the medication or not.
Mixing Amlodipine with Ramace... did Sanofi sponsor some medical conference or something? Because let's be honest, that isn't changing a thing for your actual situation.
Lisa Myers, I'm not Victoria. My first prescription came from an internist at the ER. Based on the measurements they took that day—since I showed up at the emergency room completely losing it, heart racing...—they didn't send me for a Holter monitor, an echocardiogram, or anything else related to my heart. I just had everything checked that might influence blood pressure. I had all the blood work done and an abdominal ultrasound. Everything was fine. My ECG was fine too. So, they slapped me with a diagnosis of essential hypertension. Even though I told the ER doctor myself, listen... that it was psychological, I ended up struggling. While I still had some money (I'm not working right now, and my primary doctor refused to refer me to a hypertension specialist or anything), I saw a cardiologist. She agreed that my blood pressure issues were stress-based and prescribed an anxiolytic along with the antihypertensives. My primary care doctor wouldn't even prescribe the anxiolytic. So, until about six months ago, I was stuck dealing with fluctuating blood pressure while my GP experimented on me with different pills, until I finally screamed that I wanted to see a psychiatrist! Since then, my blood pressure has been fine on anxiolytics, taken as needed... it's great. But even my psychiatrist says I have to settle the antihypertensive part with a specialist; he can't just tell me to stop taking them, which I totally understand.
I can't afford any private doctors right now, and my GP won't refer me anywhere. She doesn't even seem to like the psychiatrist's findings regarding the type of anxiolytics I'm using. My family feels the same way. So, until I find a job, I'm just fighting this battle on my own however I can.
My only regret is that I listened to doctors right from the start without doing my own research... but I learned my lesson. That lesson actually saved me from a useless orthopedic surgery. If I had listened to that first doctor, I wouldn't have a functional limb today, but now it's in almost perfect condition.