best BCP

leocat · 07-07-2006, 02:05 PM

Hi All,

ok i know different pills work differently for everyone

I just wondered if anyone knew which BCP's are the best for not causing to many side effects such as depression, paranoia and acne or severe weight gain.

xx

OliviaLeigh · 07-07-2006, 04:22 PM

For me - the lower the dosage, the better. I suffer from terrible headaches/migraines when the dosage is too high (i.e. 30 mg). Dr. put me on NuvaRing (15 mg) to try to keep from having too many side effects.

True - Everyone is different. Many women love Yasmin (and probably one of the better BCP's out there), but I had weight gain, depression, and migraines with it.

I also suggest steering clear from the patch...I had really bad experiences with it - then again it had a very high dosage.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

purplerose · 07-07-2006, 07:00 PM

It depends on your own side effects and your body chemistry. One thing that seems to be pretty universal with women with PCOS is that we don't seem to do as well on triphasic pills--things like Ortho Tri Cyclen that give you a different level of hormones every month. I know I took that one for a while and I developed severe depression. Of course, some take those pills with no problems, but a lot of us can't take them. I take Mircette, which isn't often used for PCOS, but it's been good for me so far. It only has two completely hormone-free days, so it's the best pill for keeping hormone levels stable. The last week just has a very low level of hormones, low enough to allow the withdrawal bleed, and the rest of the pack has a bit higher level (but it's still considered an "ultra low dose" pill). Some women find that their side effects get better on it because hormone levels don't fluctuate as much.

maroon22 · 07-12-2006, 03:23 PM

i didnt have any negatives with yasmin..only positives! no weight gain..depression..cramps..cleared up acne..kept my hair from falling out...love it!

StarSparrow · 07-12-2006, 07:38 PM

First and fore-most, every woman is different.

Right now I'm on Tri-Cyclen*LO.
The first month was hell, the second month was iffy.
Third month has been great so far!

For me, my symptoms were a touch of depression for a few weeks, then I kicked it with some other positive stuff (Strip-Aerobics anyone?).

Now it's good, my acne is clearing up (yay), I'm not depressed as often (yay!), and my unwanted hair's coming in slower (yay!!).

I did however have a two-week period at the end of my first-pack of *LO. Which sent me into a near anemic state (I'm bad with Iron it seems), I conquered that, and my next period was three days. Three LIGHT days. Like, can't use a tampon, use a light-pad type days! Cramps weren't too bad, but annoying...and advil cleared it up.

guineapig · 07-14-2006, 08:55 AM

I agree, the mood swings/depression, acne, weight gain/bloating, headaches, high blood pressure are all related to high(er) estrogen, or in the case of many PCOSers, unopposed estrogen in triphasic pills. All the progestins in bcp may worsen IR except the drespirenone (sp?) in Yasmin & YAZ. However, Yasmin is pretty high in estrogen (35) but the new YAZ is only 20--much lower. YAZ & Leostrin24 have 24 days of "real" pills so AF is supposed to be shorter.

Lower dose pills: Mircette, YAZ, ring, Loestrin24 (sp?)

High-dose pills (may worsen symptoms): Desogen, Diane35, any triphasic, the patch,etc

Only thing about low-dose pills is some women have breakthrough bleeding.

Also, some progestins are more androgenic than others and can worsen acne as well. It's about finding lower dose estrogen with a good progestin for ya. IMO I'd try the YAZ or the ring; I probably will myself next year.