Question on switching from Yasmin to Alesse

acadiashores · 03-02-2007, 03:29 PM

Hi Everybody,

I'm new to these forums and kind of new to the world of PCOS. When I was about 15 (30 now) a nurse midwife told me she thought I had it...and I was in denial until July of 2006 when I just couldn't stand the weight, facial hair and acne any longer so I went and got diagnosed.

I have been on a combination of Metformin (500 mg three times a day) and Yasmin since I was diagnosed. I've seen improvement in my periods and I seem to have less acne and my skin doesn't feel greasy all the time any longer. However I haven't seen any improvement at all in my facial hair problems. I talked to my doctor about it and he suggested I start taking Spironolactone. He dropped the bomb that I really shouldn't take it with Yasmin. For now he is trying me on Alesse in combination with the Spiro and Metformin.

My question is.....have any of you made this switch? Do you find Alesse to be better or worse? How did it impact your acne and facial hair? I CERTAINLY don't want to take something that is going to make my hair/acne issues worse. Any help will be HUGELY appreciated.

By the way, I was so happy when I found this message board!!

JosieFB · 03-03-2007, 10:46 PM

Yamin on has the equivalent of 25 mg of Spiro in it. Lot's of women take Spiro and Yasmin together. You might need a slightly lower dose of Spiro if the diuretic effect of Yasmin & Spiro combined bother you. Some doctors start people out as low as 25 mg of Spiro and some just have you jump right in with 200 mg.

acadiashores · 03-04-2007, 12:02 AM

hmm he started me on 100 mg of Spiro. He was worried about my body building up too much potassium if I was on both of them. He said if don't like the Alesse I can go back on the Yasmin but it will require monthly blood work to watch my potassium levels. I'm just afraid of the Alesse because I've read it can actually make hair growth worse.

JosieFB · 03-04-2007, 07:13 PM

Monthly bloodwork might be a good idea at first, but I don't know why you would have to continue that if your potassium stays OK for several months. Every six months or annually should suffice. Are you taking Met? People on Met should have liver and kidney function tested every six months, and my doctor always checks my potassium at the same time.

acadiashores · 03-04-2007, 08:36 PM

yeah I am on met....I had to ASK for bloodwork to be done because I was having severe upper abdominal pain for 2 weeks solid and I was scared to death it was my liver. Turns out I had a stone stuck in the neck of my gallbladder.

cybercyster · 04-04-2007, 01:35 PM

Both my endo and Ob tell me its fine to take spiro with either yaz or yasmin. Infact, they are advising me to do so since they think that imporvements will be better with the combination. Yes, they are checking my bloods every 3 months for potassium levels...its important your docs do this.

I would research into Alesse furthur before you start it! I have read in numerous places that alesse is the worst type of bcp for us pcos'ers because of its androgenic progestin. I took allesse a few years ago, and only lasted 4 days on it....it made me feel HORRIBLE!!

acadiashores · 04-14-2007, 02:33 PM

well I was on Alesse for two weeks and things seemed to be going ok. Then a week before I was SUPPOSED to have my AF it started. I called my gyn and he said to tough it out for another month because the first month of a new bcp is usually rough. Well, now here I am a week into my next packet and my face feels like a grease slick again and I am breaking out with all kinds of nasty cystic pimples. I called my gyn and asked him if I can try Ortho-Cyclen because I've read a lot of good things about it here at SoulCysters. Thankfully my gyn agreed and wrote me a script for Ortho-Cyclen. Now I just have to get through the next three weeks with Alesse because he wants me to finish the pack.

I know everybody is different but I would not recommend Alesse to anybody. If the Ortho-Cyclen doesn't work I'm going to ask to go back to Yasmin and just deal with the blood draws because it really did seem to work.

abigail'smom · 04-26-2007, 12:07 PM

My 16 year old daughter has been on a combination of Yasmin and spironolactone for a year now. That combination, along with laser treatments, has almost completely eliminated the facial hair issue, and greatly improved her acne. We did try switching to YAZ for a couple of months, but the acne became somewhat worse. She is currently on 100mg of spironolactone but the doctor said she could be on up to 200 mg if needed. We are careful to keep her hydrated and have the bloodwork every six months or so. She is a runner and has tolerated the medications well, and is very happy with the results. I am not thrilled with her being on medication long-term, but for now, we are planning to stay with what works. Good luck!

acadiashores · 04-26-2007, 02:21 PM

wow I'm glad your daughter has found a combination of meds that she likes. I'm still trying to find mine. I did like yasmin and I just might end up going back on it if my new bcps don't give me the results I want.

LadyBlue · 05-04-2007, 06:34 PM

I had a bad time with Alesse, too. Went back to Yasmin.

Vern · 05-11-2007, 01:11 PM

I was on Alesse for 9 years (no met or spiro with it though). Loved it.