Alesse questions?

nicoleandava · 06-16-2005, 04:46 AM

Just wondering if any one has had luck with Alesse? I recently tried ortho tri cyclen lo and was so miserable with nausea,

headache, even fatigue! Doc says it sounds like I'm really "estrogen sensitive" so let's try Alesse. Any one know if it might be better?

Thanks for your info.

Jen K · 06-16-2005, 02:42 PM

Hi there,

I was on Alesse last year for several months and I did not do very well on it. My periods were very heavy and, I feel that the type of progestin in Alesse may have caused my hair too fall out a bit more than it normally does. The progestin in Alesse is Levonorgestrel, which is one of the more potent formulations of progestins, which, can have some negatvie effects on some women with PCOS. Having said that, I have heard of women with PCOS who take Alesse and really like it - it's a very individual thing - what works for one, does not always work for others.

Good luck on the Alesse and let us know how it goes.

Jen K

sockmonkey · 06-18-2005, 05:05 PM

I tried several different forms of bcp and I found Alesse to give me the least amount of side effects. I also found that this pill decreased my appetite. I told 2 other friends about this pill and they both have lost weight on it and also find the side effects not as bad as other ones. Everyone is different but it seems to work for me and my 2 friends. There are so many options and it can be frustrating but just keep trying new ones until you find the one that works best for you. I think I tried about 9 different pills until I settled on Alesse. Good luck!!

RunnerDuck · 06-18-2005, 07:25 PM

I did very well on Alesse except I had spotting on it. But I was able to lose weight on it (I was running at the time, too), my body hair seemed to grow finer and slower, periods were OK... I just got annoyed with the spotting.

Alesse is NOT supposed to be a good choice toa PCOS but that's really just a general rule and doesn't mean all cysters will do poorly on it.

asrai · 06-18-2005, 08:11 PM

I love Aleese. I have this weird thing going where if I'm taking Spiro, only Aleese will work for me. Everything else I've tried (really only Yasmin and Ortho-Tri-Cyclen Lo) makes me really ill (depressed and very bad joint pain and rashes).

When NOT on the Spiro, I did really well on Ortho-Tri-Cyclen.

I guess my body is a rebel and only wants to take the stuff we're NOT supposed to take.

barneyb · 06-18-2005, 09:54 PM

Been on Alesse for 3 or 4 months and love it. I wasn't able to take Mircette or use the Nuvaring - I had horrible depressive experiences with both of those. Alesse was the last pill to try and it's working well. Let me be clear though, I have NOT been diagnosed with PCOS - I take Alesse to minimize severe AF bleeding due to a fibroid. But it's been such a help with that! I really like this pill for making the cramps less severe, the bleeding lighter, and virtually ending the humongous clots. It's definitely worth trying, I think.

And as a side note, I was unsuccessful at taking 2 packs back-to-back (like they're saying you can do to avoid a period at an inconvenient time). By the second day on pack 2 I was bleeding and continued to do so for 2 weeks. The only thing that stopped it was going off the Alesse temporarily and taking a round of Provera. Apparently the lower dose of hormones just isn't enough to get you through more than 1 "month" without a bleed.

Whatever you decide, Good Luck!

asrai · 06-19-2005, 05:06 AM

Dayna, I think that might be a more person-to-person thing than a low-dose thing. I skipped with Aleese for our last vacation no problems.

Could be I'm just weird, though.

barneyb · 06-19-2005, 02:01 PM

That's not fair!!!!!! It was soooo important not to be having AF and I got it anyway. That stinks. But my gyn did say that lower dose pills are more likely to cause bleeding when you do this. Glad it worked for you though.

asrai · 06-19-2005, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barneyb

But my gyn did say that lower dose pills are more likely to cause bleeding when you do this.

That is good to know! Thanks.

It's a shame it didn't work for you.

resistors10 · 12-30-2005, 10:23 AM

I've been on Alesse since Nov. 2004 strictly for birth control reason as I didn't suffer from any PMS and my menstrual cycle came every 28 days. I didn't experience any side effects. The first 3-4 I experience spotting on and off. Then my period always came on the third week instead of on the placebo week. The major difference I noticed is the bleeding became so light sometimes I don't even know if I had my period or not.
I got pregnant 9 weeks ago while I was on the pill. I was taking the pill in the evening, within a four hour window, and I often had red wine either before or when I take the pill. The doctor didn't think those were the factors.
I just want to get my statistics out there.

ad22 · 01-05-2006, 06:49 PM

I've been on alesse for approx 4 yrs and now realize my hair had been gradually thinning throughout that period of time. (But it wasn't problematic for me bc my hair was so thick before).

Went off for one month due to a hectic schedule and not having time to refill, and have lost an amazing amount of scalp hair. Terribly upsetting and its still coming out after 2 mos.

I don't know if this is a direct result of Alesse or just my own body's hormones, but something to be wary of.

I am 28, thin, but also have chin/chest hairs (that i pluck regularly) and occasional acne w/alesse. No cramping and light periods.