Okay so I was wrong. Now what?

[pengybean.livejournal.com]

I've posted comments to several people about how I was happy on the birth control pill Mircette, and it's generic Kariva. Sorry bout that, I change my mind. Seems I wasn't connecting some of my side effects to them until now. I go to the doctor again on Fri. and would like your advice as to what I might do. Here's my

Started birth control pills 4 years ago this March. I was on Ortho-tri-cyclen for probably 8-12 months and my doctor changed it because I was having headaches which could or couldn't be related to it. I still have those headaches now only less frequently, think they are sinus related. Anyway, was put on Mircette, which seemed really good. No more horrible cramps, boobs grew a little, but not a lot and all seemed good. About 2 to 2.5 years ago my Hubby and I noticed that my emotional state was always unstable and I'd have uncontrollable crying fits where it seemed like the whole world was closing in on me. I thought it was probably due to my college situation and the amount of stress placed on me that caused me to have anxiety attacks. My doctor put me on Sarafem, a form of Prozac especially for women, and that worked great once we got it regulated.

Fast forward about a year. Went off the Sarafem and was doing okay, but still having problems now and then. Then my pharmacy starts giving me the generic form of Mircette, Kariva. I didn't like the idea of it at the time but went along with it. I had been fairly happy with it for the past year, except for the fact that my cramps were back (not unbearable like before I was on the pill, but still a pain) and my face was breaking out more. So I decided this month, okay enough. Even though the Mircette is a higher copay, I was willing to pay so that I could go back to being cramp free and pimple free.

The thing I hadn't put together is that for the last year (the time I've been on Kariva) I have been emotionally stable and I haven't been on the Sarafem. This is saying A LOT considering that my mom passed away in June from pancreatic cancer, my dad was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer a week later, I'm a newlywed, I just graduated college and can't find a job.... on and on, you get my point. Two days after starting back on the Mircette I am a blubbering irrational fool again. So.... I finally put it all together.

I call my doctor today and make an appointment to discuss my options now. I researched alternatives on the http://www.wdxcyber.com/ncontr13.htm site that was posted here earlier last month. So I'm hoping my options will be in line with that site and be one of the following-

1) Switch to another BCP such as Alesse.
2) Try out OrthoEvra patch
3) Check on the possibilities of the NuvaRing

or she could just tell me to go back to Kariva since the side effects are just minor annoyances.

My question is- What are your experiences with the above options and have you have had any noticeable emotional side effect from them or other yucky side effects? Do you have another option that I might be over looking. Thanks to you fine women I was able to finally link all this together.

I am a perfectly health 22 almost 23 year old, on the pretty small side (5'3, 105lbs) I'm married and BCPs are our only birth control and my husband is allergic to spermicide if you are thinking about a non-hormonal solution. Sorry to rant. I just want to be able to tell her what I want to do when I go in on Friday. Thanks in advance!

Comments

[strand3d.livejournal.com]

Well, i think the best option for you is to just try something else. Birth control is such a hit and miss thing, it's hard to say what might work for you and what might not. Alesse might be a good option since its low dose like mircette, and nuva ring is another good option. I'd probably avoid ortho evra if i were you. The patch can be fussy to use, and it probably won't make your side effects any better.

[ihatepavel.livejournal.com]

Hrm, I thought Alesse and Ortho Evra had similar hormones. Am I thinking of something else?

I'm on Ortho Evra and I've experienced no mood instability.

Have you tried B6? I know many women use it for hormone-related emotional distress. However, perhaps that's too much of putting a bandaid on the problem than you would like, if that makes sense.

[pengybean.livejournal.com]

Yeah I saw the B6 suggestions somewhere the other day. I think I'll check that out and see if it helps especially if I have to finish this pack of Mircette before before I can switch. Thanks for reminding me!

[bheansidhe.livejournal.com]

I used to love that chart, but I wish I could find something similar that's been updated with all the current pill brands.

I find this site useful as well: Family Practice Notebook's Gynecology Pharmacology (http://fpnotebook.com/GYN102.htm). That particular page ranks the relative hormone activities of major BC brands. It also has a neat "side effect management" function. Click on any pill name to open that page (ie. Estrostep (http://fpnotebook.com/GYN110.htm). There's a list of side effects and suggested alternatives for every pill: If pill A causes weight gain, switch to pill B or C. You should be able to pick out some alternatives and then discuss them with your doctor to help pick the best one. Be SURE your doctor is aware that you're sensitive to different BCP formulas, so it's important to pick the best one for your body, not the one your HMO deems the cheapest.

I went through *exactly* what you describe in terms of wildly shifting moods and emotional crashes when I took Ortho-Tri-Cyclen. According to this nifty chart, that means I needed a pill with less estrogen and/or more progestin (OTC is very low on progestins). Currently I take Estrostep (one of the lowest-estrogen pills out there) and have had no hormonal mood swings at all! (Of course, I also lost a cup size. Oh well. ;)

I would definitely stay off the Mircette. Congratulations for putting it together - it can be hard to connect the dots when we're standing in the middle of the puzzle.

[pengybean.livejournal.com]

Nifty site! Thnaks for the info. It just really helps knowing there are so many other women who've had to deal with this stuff too. I hate they have to go through it, but at least I'm not alone in it.

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

been on mircette, wasn't a fan. i rather liked estrostep and am currently on ovcon - both are happy in terms of emotional side effects (in my experience).

also, like someone else said, try b6. its purported to be very helpful. good luck!