Hormonal Contraception: The Pill [General Discussion]

Betty Hill82 said:I’ve never actually used Diane 35 as birth control, but I have been on it for ages! Only with breaks every three months. Honestly!
I lose weight every single time, my period cramps just vanish, and I don't have issues with body hair or anything. It's great... but for the last six months, I've been dealing with leg swelling. Specifically—my right calf. By the end of the day, it can look twice as big as the other one. And it hurts like hell... Damn!

electricdriver78, thanks for letting me know!

And my doctor is going to get a piece of my mind, the jerk! I asked him five different times if it was from the pills. "Nooo... it's just stress!" he says. What an idiot!
😠 😠

I guess you can only really know for sure if all your lab results come back normal. 🙄

I was watching this report last night...

It all started because a journalist dug into the coroner's report regarding my colleague who passed away so suddenly... they went to talk to her sister, and get this, the doctor actually gave her medication even after her sister had already died...!!...

The research they published on that site I shared was actually conducted over in England, and apparently, an alert has already been sent out to doctors across the US warning them not to prescribe Diane for birth control...

They said in Europe they've known about the issues with Diane for twenty years now... but they really should have warned the doctors in our local clinics back then too...!!!...

Kenneth Hernandez67 hit the nail on the head... the thing is, those pills aren't even meant to be contraceptives... they were never officially approved by health authorities in any country as birth control, just as an acne treatment... but the company kept selling them to hospitals and pharmacies as contraceptives because, honestly, who’s going to check every single time a box of pills is sold...?!?... They did it on purpose because the market for birth control is massive compared to acne meds, so there's way more money to be made...

And now we find out that the hormone cocktail inside them also acts as a contraceptive, but it's incredibly risky...

The company behind Diane never wanted to go through the actual approval process for birth control because it's so much more rigorous, expensive, and takes forever—you have to wonder if they skipped it for a reason... especially since birth control is something women take for such long periods...

Then they interviewed a doctor in Germany... I think his name was Jorgen, I can't quite recall... and he says Diane is currently the riskiest option out there because about 65 out of every 1,000 women develop complications... though they didn't say how many actually die...

For now, nobody knows when the lawsuit will officially start here in the States, because they still need to track down every single death linked to Diane...

That company has actually been fined before for advertising Diane as a contraceptive instead of just an acne treatment...

I've been pretty fed up with the doctors around here for a long time... and it looks like things aren't any better over there either...

They actually gave my sister Prevacid, which is used for acid reflux... maybe gastritis or something...

Her esophagus was practically being eaten away by stomach acid...

She was on those pills for nearly eight months before she happened to stumble upon something online saying you're only supposed to take them for eight weeks, otherwise they could cause cataracts... of course, she stopped taking them immediately... when she asked her doctor, she just said she didn't know... and when my sister showed her the warning, she just went, "Hmm, interesting," and handed her a different prescription... I mean, how can you trust them...

😕

Honestly, thank god someone finally started this thread.
The truth is, doctors prescribe Diane like they’re handing out candy or something. They don't even bother asking how you feel or suggesting you actually look into the side effects—at least not in my case, and I’m seeing the same thing happening to a lot of you here.

So, yeah, I have those "famous" polycystic ovaries too. But honestly, I never had any real issues with them, aside from the acne; we're talking neck, back, and stomach (!!), though my face was mostly fine.
I wasn't even hairy or anything, though I swear I would’ve traded all the hair on my body for clear skin in a heartbeat.

I ended up on Diane for about five years total (with one little break for a few months where the acne came roaring back way worse than ever before).
I’m off them now. I just stopped. No big consultation with my OBGYN or anything, because my arms and legs started swelling up, my hair was thinning out, and my blood work showed my platelet count was through the roof. It wasn't even weight gain, per se—I just felt all bloated and puffy; I actually had to take my rings off because they were digging into my skin...
Bottom line? Diane was a disaster for me, except for maybe my skin tone.

When I went in for my check-up recently, the woman practically shrieked at me: "Why aren't you taking them anymore?! They worked so well for you! Your complexion was amazing, and your ovaries look totally clear now..." then she goes on about how you're supposed to stay on Diane for several years and blah blah blah.

Now, I feel incredible. My blood work is totally normal (which I had done on my own doctor's request, not the one who prescribed the pills), and the only time I feel a bit down is when I catch myself in the mirror. But I solved that by switching to a 10W bulb instead of a 100W one (highly recommend, by the way)—it keeps me from obsessing over every single tiny spot I used to notice.

When I weigh it all up, I'm much better off this way. I’d much rather be healthy and feel good, even if I deal with some acne, than be on hormones and deal with all these side effects just to have a perfect tan.
But hey, who knows? Maybe I'll change my mind once I stop recognizing myself in the mirror.

Andrew Anderson6 said:Listen...

Mrs. Norris; an EKG being fine doesn't mean anything when we are discussing blood clots. An EKG merely monitors heart rhythm. If you actually intend to assess your blood health, you should request a comprehensive CBC—specifically looking at platelet counts, clotting time, and other factors tied to platelets. There is an entire battery of tests for this.

Absolute nonsense!!!
During my last physical exam, they ran a full blood panel for me.
Everything came back normal, with the single exception of my platelets, which were too low.
They repeated the test the following day, and while the count had increased, it was still below the standard range.
Since I was taking allergy medication at the time, the doctors suggested that certain types can, in rare instances, trigger thrombocytopenia. They advised me to stop taking them immediately and return for another test in three months.

I even reached out to my gynecologist to ask if birth control could be the culprit, and he flatly denied it—not that the staff at the clinic where I had my checkup even mentioned my contraceptive use, despite it being clearly noted in my medical file.

They explained to me that a deficiency in platelets can lead to bleeding that is difficult to arrest, given their role in coagulation; if the levels are insufficient, the blood simply doesn't clot with the necessary speed or efficiency.

Joseph Thomas63 said:When I crunch all the numbers, this way feels right. Honestly, I’d rather be healthy and feel good even if I have to deal with some acne, than be on hormones just to get perfect skin while dealing with all the side effects.
Then again, who knows? Maybe I'll change my mind once I stop recognizing myself in the mirror.

It sounds like you made the right call, 🙂 honestly, it takes guts. You can treat psoriasis other ways; there's no reason to sacrifice your entire mental state over it. 🙂

By the way, regarding doctors (please don't take this personally, I know they aren't all incompetent or careless), I'm just quoting my dad, who happens to be a physician:

"If you can manage it, try to give them a wide berth."

Well, there isn't much else left to say... besides... thanks, ladies.👍 👍 👍

I honestly can't stop obsessing over this. I didn't get a wink of sleep last night.

I was on that crap for maybe three or four years. And then there's the whole heavy smoker thing...

After reading all this, I just snapped and chucked a full pack of cigarettes straight into the trash. I was out last night hanging around smokers, and I swear, I didn't feel even a tiny bit of urge to light up. I really hope it stays this way... for the rest of my life.

And finally—I’m heading to a private doctor for a consultation and a check-up. I really want a second opinion on this whole situation.

I used to take them to deal with hormonal issues, but it wasn't even that extreme, just some minor cysts... My girlfriends have similar issues too, so they're on things like Cilest and stuff... Right now, I'm on the "standard" Triquilar, but I'm honestly feeling nauseous just thinking about it.

Thanks, ladies, seriously, thank you so much...

Honestly, once I actually sit down and wrap my head around this, I’m done with all that stuff, period. You can absolutely protect yourself without relying on birth control pills—without flooding your system with hormones and poisoning your body with all kinds of absolute garbage. We just put way too much faith in doctors who, if you ask me, don't even grasp the basic concepts of what they're talking about.😠There isn't even any aspirin left, none at all.😉

So, I finally found the full transcript from that Diane show I was watching the other night...

Diane 35

Brrr, I was actually just thinking about maybe starting on Anti-Baby again since my current pack just ran out... I have quite a few doctor friends, most of them specialists in hematology, and not a single one of them had anything good to say about oral contraceptives. Between their advice and some of my own personal experiences, I’ve been pretty much turned off by that kind of birth control altogether.

So regarding that stuff: cheers to glycolic acid, then you've got ethinyl-estradiol, progestogens, and all that other crap...😁

I guess there’s no real need to panic just yet. Get a CBC done, and if the platelet count and clotting time look fine, then what's the big deal? From what I can see, out of 75,000 women, only 26 who were on the pill developed thrombosis. That doesn't seem like much to me; it seems obvious that birth control isn't the only thing causing these issues. 🙄

Casey Palmer5 said:Ugh, I was actually just thinking about getting back on birth control because my skin has been acting up lately...

It would NEVER occur to me to start taking hormonal contraceptives just because of a breakout... why don't people take blood pressure medication just because they heard it makes your hair thicker? It makes zero sense.

So, spurred on by all this chatter, I went ahead and had a sit-down with my gynecologist. To give you some context—I’ve been on this medication for about four years now to manage PCOS—and honestly, for the most part, I haven't dealt with any major side effects (aside from the occasional hair shedding phase...) and I’m still standing. But even so, the anxiety is real. You can't help but wonder if you're essentially swallowing a ticking time bomb right now and just waiting to see where the explosion lands...
And more often than not, my doctor just brushes it off as nothing to worry about—which, of course, is exactly what they always say. My suspicion? They'd probably need an official memo from the FDA or some high-level medical board explicitly stating how dangerous it is before they actually took my concerns seriously.
Anyway, I have blood work scheduled for next week, so we'll see what the numbers actually say.

Kenneth Hernandez67 said:I would NEVER fall for the idea of taking birth control just because my skin is acting up... why aren't people taking blood pressure meds just because they supposedly make your hair thicker?

It’s not just you, Kenneth Hernandez67, I deal with major hormonal imbalances too. But honestly, I'm not about to pump synthetic hormones into my system for any reason. Not until I start growing a mustache or something... 😁

And besides, bad skin (and I mean really bad, acne-ridden skin) combined with other symptoms can be a sign of PCOS... and look, if a girl’s face looks like the surface of the moon, I'll be the first to say she should take whatever pills help her out—not that I'm talking about myself! She looks totally fine now, but that was only after using birth control and Accutane. I'm just saying, I'd much rather try some alternative treatments first...

Yeah, Minoxidil is actually used to treat hair loss caused by androgenic hormones.

The pharmaceutical industry is just as aggressive with their marketing. Take Minoxidil—when it’s prescribed for hypertension, it’s a total rip-off compared to using the version meant for hair regrowth. Basically, Big Pharma convinces both doctors and patients that treating baldness is a necessity just so they can make the production costs worth it.

It reminds me of that antimalarial drug that could have saved countless lives in North Africa. But because that market was small (and, let's face it, poor), there wasn't enough incentive for Big Pharma to bother developing it. It wasn't until they realized a side effect—reduced body hair—could be marketed to the massive, wealthy US market that they actually decided to produce it. I think it was Merck, though I can't recall the specific name of the antimalarial. A sad state of affairs. 😢

Over here in the States, direct-to-consumer drug advertising has been legal for years. You see the ads on TV or in magazines, people get ideas, and then they head to the doctor demanding a specific brand. When a doctor does prescribe what they asked for, you start wondering: is the doc being pressured by an insurance company like UnitedHealthcare to deny it because it's too pricey, or is the med actually unnecessary?

On the flip side, having patients involved in their own healthcare decisions is a good thing. It puts the ball in the patient's court, though. It means you have the responsibility to check multiple sources, make an informed choice, and know how to ask your doctor the right questions...

By the way, Diane 35 isn't FDA-approved in the US.

placidfox55 said:Look, Diane 35 isn't even FDA-approved in the States.

Yet, you’ve got hormone-based supplements sitting right there on the shelves of every local Walmart. 🙂

By the way, does an actual, truly harmless remedy even exist in this world??? It feels like a bit of a myth at this point—even something as ubiquitous as a standard Aspirin can trigger a nasty set of side effects in certain people, depending on how their body reacts.
Diane, much like any other hormonal treatment out there, isn't some magic bullet—you really have to sit down and weigh the benefits against the potential risks before diving in.

placidfox5 said:The pharmaceutical industry gets really aggressive with their advertising too. Take Minoxidil, which is sometimes prescribed for hypertension; it just doesn't make sense financially compared to using the version meant for hair regrowth. Basically, Big Pharma convinces both patients and doctors that treating baldness is a necessity just so they can turn a profit on the production...

It reminds me of how there was once an antimalarial drug that could have saved countless lives in North Africa, but because that market was so small and poor, the industry had zero incentive to develop it. But once they realized a side effect—reducing body hair—could be marketed to the massive, wealthy American market, suddenly they were all in. I think it involved Merck, though I can't recall the specific name of the antimalarial... It’s such a sad way for things to work... 😢

Over here in the States, direct-to-consumer drug advertising has been legal for years now. You see these commercials on TV or in magazines, and people go straight to their doctor demanding a specific brand. When a doctor refuses, you start wondering if they're being pressured by their insurance provider to save costs, or if the medication really isn't necessary in the first place...

On the bright side, having patients actively involved in their own healthcare decisions is actually a good thing in America. It puts a lot of responsibility on the individual to research different sources, weigh their options, and ask the right questions during those appointments...

By the way, Diane 35 isn't even approved for use in the US...

Look, Stef, that all sounds great in theory, but the reality in the US is that if your doctor writes a prescription for Drug X and your insurance, like Blue Cross, decides it's not covered, you're stuck paying full price out of pocket or taking a generic substitute that might not even work for you...

Doctors barely have any say at all when it comes to which medications actually get dispensed...

Everything is really controlled by the big insurance giants...

Even my parents have top-tier private insurance, and they still run into issues where they can't get a specific brand, only the generic alternative...

For instance, they can't get Nexium for their stomach issues, so they have to take Prevacid—which has been linked to cataracts, but hey, it's cheaper!!!...

People ask if there's any drug out there that isn't harmful, but that's not really the point... the real question is whether the chance of a bad reaction is 0.1% or if it's closer to 25%... that difference changes everything...

For anyone whose doctor tries to brush these concerns off as nonsense... please, just read the information sheets that hospitals and clinics receive with every new shipment of pills, including stuff like Diane... I posted the link to the site earlier... The problem is most doctors just don't have the time to read through it all, but they'd never admit they don't know... they'd rather die than look uninformed...👎

So, Slada just got diagnosed with Diane 35—what’s my move?

Everyone’s going to jump down my throat for not using protection, but then we go to the doctor and—surprise—she hands her a prescription for Diane 35. Suddenly, I'm the bad guy while she gets a free pass... total double standard.

Sean Grant85 said:So, Sladja just got prescribed Diane-35, and now what am I supposed to do?

Everyone loves to lecture me about how we aren't using protection, but then we go see the gynecologist and he hands her a prescription for Diane-35, and suddenly you're all going to be coming for me instead of her.....

Honestly, you won't even get a full dose of help from them, let alone some little lecture...