Hormonal Contraception: The Pill [General Discussion]

Kate James21 said:I find myself wondering... if a woman begins her first month on oral contraceptives... let’s take Yasmin as our example. How much time actually needs to pass before potential side effects begin to surface? Things like weight gain, breast tenderness, or other physiological shifts...

everyone's different, honestly nothing is guaranteed at all😉
but you could get weight gain, bigger breasts, cellulite, lower libido, all that stuff.

Personally, Yasmin hasn't done a damn thing to me.😳

Hey everyone! My experience with Yasmin was a total disaster. After my second kid, I begged my OB-GYN to just put in an IUD—which I’d used before and loved for six years straight—but he wouldn't budge. He kept insisting Yasmin was the "perfect" choice for me instead. Well, I took it for four months and it was a nightmare: daily spotting, an appetite that turned me into a bottomless pit (gained 5kg easily), and a sudden, intense craving for cigarettes that ended with me smoking a pack and a half a day. But the absolute worst part? The mood swings—constant anxiety, crying fits, depression, and just feeling miserable all the time. I switched to Mirena two months ago and honestly, it's been great...

I’ve got two packs left before I call it quits. I’ve been on this for two years now—mood swings are clearly my biggest issue. I’m 38, and while I’ve tried just about everything under the sun, these pills actually made me wonder if I was spiraling into a serious depression. Since it’s a hot topic right now (not to mention I smoke two packs a day), I did some digging online and stumbled upon this. My god, it’s like looking at a mirror... http://www.medications.com/se/yasmin?page=1 .

I knew the risks going in—I accepted them—but I didn't realize Yasmin would turn me into a total zombie.

I even heard the stuff about B-complex and took the vitamins, but honestly? It did nothing.

Please, just take a look at the link. Instead of me listing out my symptoms, they’re all laid out there in detail...

So, I had unprotected sex last night—was on day 10 of my cycle. He finished inside, and I usually have a pretty regular 28-day cycle. But there’s more to it... I was taking Triquilar until last month, but I actually missed my last dose entirely. My period showed up a day early, naturally. Could any of this be connected? Please let me know—I really don't want to start pumping myself full of hormones if it's not necessary.😕

Jack Hall7 said:You don't strictly have to wait—a friend of mine didn't, and her OBGYN gave her the green light (though she had some issues with it later on)—but just know you won't be fully protected right away, so you'll definitely need to use backup protection.

And regarding Triquillar, I end up paying $40 for it, $9.75

Does anyone actually know when these pills kick in? Like, does it take a full two weeks to settle in, or is the entire cycle just a wash? 🤷

I know one thing for certain. Why don't you just ask a gynecologist or read the booklet that comes with the pills? They work from day one if you take them on the first day of your period. At least they worked for me.

Jeremy Mendoza said:I know one thing for certain. Why don't you just ask a gynecologist or read the booklet that comes with the pills? They work from day one if you take them on the first day of your period. At least they worked for me.

Because I already called my OB-GYN and told her the situation, only for her to tell me protection "most likely" doesn't kick in for two weeks. Then, when I asked another doctor, she said there’s zero protection during the first cycle. So, I’m just trying to figure out if anyone else actually ended up pregnant or not🙄?

Yasmin works immediately. At least, that’s what my gynecologist told me, and it's what the pamphlet you get with Yasmin claims. As for the others, I wouldn't know.

Got an answer. She told me it’ll take at least 14 days, and we won't know if it's actually 100% until after the first cycle. So, great. 😁

Na Triquilaru says they've been protecting us since day one! 🤷

Paul Ross12 said:I’ve got two packs left before I call it quits. I’ve been on this for two years now—mood swings are clearly my biggest issue. I’m 38, and while I’ve tried just about everything under the sun, these pills actually made me wonder if I was spiraling into a serious depression. Since it’s a hot topic right now (not to mention I smoke two packs a day), I did some digging online and stumbled upon this. My god, it’s like looking at a mirror... http://www.medications.com/se/yasmin?page=1 .

I knew the risks going in—I accepted them—but I didn't realize Yasmin would turn me into a total zombie.

I even heard the stuff about B-complex and took the vitamins, but honestly? It did nothing.

Please, just take a look at the link. Instead of me listing out my symptoms, they’re all laid out there in detail...

Ugh, tell me about it. These mood swings are wrecking me too... I'll be depressed, then suddenly acting all upbeat and hyper, then by late night I'm back in a deep depressive rut.
I'm on Yasmin and I'm not stopping because my liver tests and blood work came back perfect. Honestly, I'm terrified of trying anything else. If Yasmin hits this hard with such a low hormone dose, how bad could the other ones be? 🤷

I started taking Diane and ended up having this massive panic attack earlier this week... It was absolutely terrifying. I mean, sure, I've been stressed out because of my classes at the university, but what I felt during that episode... I just felt completely unstable. Honestly, I’m starting to think it's the pills. I've always been a bit high-strung, but nothing like this. 😢 The thing is, I have to take them because of my severe PCOS, and my skin gets so incredibly oily that the sebum basically kills my hair follicles, causing terrible hair loss. I'm honestly at a loss here. Does anyone know if there's another medication out there that could help with the skin and scalp oiliness without doing this to my head?

I stopped taking my Yamin pill toward the end of August, and then this past Wednesday and yesterday, I experienced some really intense ovarian pain, and I honestly have no idea why that might be happening.😕

Maybe you just caught a little cold or something, and that’s why you’re feeling under the weather.

But look—if this keeps up, don't just sit there—go see a gynecologist.

I didn't end up voting for everything, but all this news about those pills has me feeling a bit uneasy... not necessarily because of the reports themselves, but because of other things. I guess I'm wondering when you all actually got your bloodwork done after doing your research? For me, I basically just had a standard blood test; back then I was just a kid and honestly had no clue what kind of tests were actually necessary. Now I'm realizing there's probably quite a bit more to check before starting something like this. I've been on them for three years now and, thank goodness, I haven't had any side effects or mood swings... but now I'm unsure. Next time I go in, should I ask them to run some specific checks or something? It feels like those doctors can be a bit indifferent sometimes, so maybe I'll just look into seeing someone privately instead.

So, I’m on the pill, and I finished my last pack this past Sunday. The instructions say there’s supposed to be a 7-day break between packs, so I’m trying to wrap my head around the math here. Should I actually start the next pack on Sunday (which would be the 7th day of the break), or wait until Monday? To me, starting Monday just feels more logical, but I can't be sure. 🙂To make things even more confusing, my period showed up yesterday, and it’ll probably be over by Monday. Since I started the very first pack on the first day of my period, now I'm just totally lost. I know I’m being a total pain, but I’m a complete beginner at this whole thing and I feel pretty clueless right now.

Nancy Campbell5 said:I didn't end up voting for everything, but all this news about those pills has me feeling a bit uneasy... not necessarily because of the reports themselves, but because of other things. I guess I'm wondering when you all actually got your bloodwork done after doing your research? For me, I basically just had a standard blood test; back then I was just a kid and honestly had no clue what kind of tests were actually necessary. Now I'm realizing there's probably quite a bit more to check before starting something like this. I've been on them for three years now and, thank goodness, I haven't had any side effects or mood swings... but now I'm unsure. Next time I go in, should I ask them to run some specific checks or something? It feels like those doctors can be a bit indifferent sometimes, so maybe I'll just look into seeing someone privately instead.

Tell them you need a full blood count, liver function tests, and coagulation factors.

So... okay... do you know how much I'd end up paying per search if there's a fee involved?

Look, I’m no expert—seriously, don't quote me on this—but I think some girl mentioned earlier that you’re looking at maybe $70 if you hit up a local community clinic without a referral, or maybe closer to $150 if you go private.
But again, I’m totally just guessing here—like, take it with a massive grain of salt—it’s just my rough ballpark estimate.

Scott Campbell53 said:So, I’m on the pill, and I finished my last pack this past Sunday. The instructions say there’s supposed to be a 7-day break between packs, so I’m trying to wrap my head around the math here. Should I actually start the next pack on Sunday (which would be the 7th day of the break), or wait until Monday? To me, starting Monday just feels more logical, but I can't be sure. 🙂To make things even more confusing, my period showed up yesterday, and it’ll probably be over by Monday. Since I started the very first pack on the first day of my period, now I'm just totally lost. I know I’m being a total pain, but I’m a complete beginner at this whole thing and I feel pretty clueless right now.

You need to start the next pack on Monday. Since your period arrived right on schedule, everything is working perfectly. You won't get your period on the first day of a new pack; it happens every 28 days. 😉

Jamie Barnes60 said:Tell them you need a full blood count, liver function tests, and coagulation factors.

You can request a referral for a CBC and liver panels from your primary care physician for free; however, you'll need to see your OB-GYN specifically for the coagulation test referral.