Quesion about starting new birth control...

[leftover-pizza.livejournal.com]

I just started taking Mono-Nessa for birth control. It comes in a circle pack and has 7 "off" pills. My friend, who's taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen's pack is very similar, but on hers, each pill has a label of the amount of hormone in it, and each week's amount is different. My pack has no such labels, just a MON / TUE/ WED label above each pill, and a black triangle atop the first SUN pill for Sunday-Start.

I started on the Mono Nessa within the first 24 hours of my period, like the pack said. However, since this was on Wednesday, I took the first Wednesday pill (possibly incorrectly). The pack says to "take the first blue active pill of the first pack", which I think means the first Sunday pill? This would make sense if each week of pills had a different level of hormone in them, but would also defeat the purpose of the SUN / MON/ TUE labels.

For anyone who's used this type of birth control before, which pill should I have taken? Do birth control pills always have a different amount of hormone in them for different weeks, even if not labelled?

Comments

[missmofo.livejournal.com]

It seems like it's a monophasic pill, meaning all pills have the same level.

[onlyforever10.livejournal.com]

Yes, Mono-Nessa is a monophasic pill.

I was on TRI-nessa, which is the generic of Ortho Tri Cyclen, a triphasic pill. Mono-nessa is the generic of Ortho Cyclen, in which all the active pills contain the same amount of hormone.

[split-up-s0ul.livejournal.com]

You didn't make a mistake by taking Wednesday on a Wednesday, it just means the first pills of that week will stay there until you have finished then go back, I can't remember what it looks like (it's been a year).
So lets say the first column is Sunday, well when you get to the end before your placebo pills you go back up to the top to do Sunday, Monday & Tuesday =D Because it will be those days when you're almost finished.

[cheeseydreams.livejournal.com]

Did the pack come with a sticker for you to put over the current Sun/Mon/Tues labeling?

There are two ways to start birth control pills:

1)Sunday start - which means you take the first active pill on a Sunday, regardless of your period. It's helpful if you want to be consistent with the labeling on the pack.

2)Starting with your period - which means you should have taken the first active pill, regardless of the day it is labeled. This method affords you with the quickest effectiveness and I believe you are less likely to have breakthrough bleeding (but don't quote me on that).

If your birth control is a monophasic, all the active pills have the same amount of hormone and don't need to be taken in a specific order (but for consistency it's probably better that you do). If your pill is triphasic, then the pills have varying levels of hormones and i believe they are either labelled and/or color coded. The information pamphlet you should have received with your pack will tell you what type your pills are.

If it is a monophasic like it sounds, just make sure you take all the active pills before you take the placebo week and when you start your next pack, start with the first active pill. When I took birth control pills, if I wasn't given a label to relabel the days, I would write the start day on the pack instead.

[mirmarmelade.livejournal.com]

There's a third way to start birth control pills:

3) Whenever you like. You are protected after 7 active pills. It might cause some breakthrough bleeding, but I know many people who did this and never experienced breakthrough bleeding.

[archangelbeth]

Just make sure you go back and take the last active pills before starting on the placebos. Your pregnancy protection depends on having 21 (or more!) days of active pills, and 7 (or fewer!) days without active pills. If you go into your placebo week on fewer than 21 active pills, it's possible that your ovaries will shake off the chemical hypnosis quickly enough to pop out an egg during the no-hormone week.

The M/T/W labels above a monophasic pill are really just there so that if you miss a day, you'll notice more quickly that you're taking your Tuesday pill on Wednesday, and you'll be able to take two pills that day to compensate.

[leftover-pizza.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU EVERYONE, I am realizing now I could've just googled it. x_x But thanks for the info!