Transitioning onto Mircette/Kariva (kinda long)

Cinelady · 10-17-2006, 08:12 PM

Hello,

I need a little advice for those of you who have experience with Mircette/Kariva, Ortho-Novum 1/35 (or Necon 1/35, the generic), or just switching from one BCP to another.

A little about me: I'm 29, not ttc, I've lost a total of 95 pounds over the course of about 3 years, I take 2000mg/Met + 200mg/Sprio +NatureMade for Women and a bcp daily. I'd been on Met for a couple years before I experienced about a year's worth of hairloss. I finally decided to see an RE about it and she prescribed the Spiro and Lo-Ovral, which I asked her to switch before I even had the script filled due to its androgenic properties. Yeah. She was kind of frustrating.

Anyhoo, I started Necon 1/35 at the same time I started the Spiro and experienced the typical mood swings/breakthrough bleeding/general insanity that comes with taking synthetic hormones. I did not gain wait and actually found that the bcp did not hinder my weightloss efforts, as I went on to lose about 20 more pounds after starting both new meds. But I never really felt like I adjusted well to the Necon, though I did get tremendous benefit from the Spiro. It's changed my life and I highly recommend it with one caveat: drink at least 64 oz. of water a day.

However, due to Spiro's tendency to bring on incredibly frequent cycles (some women have reported two cycles a month), I always felt like the low-dose Necon was battling too hard against it, making me crazy and causing breakthrough episodes well past the initial adjustment phase. I needed a change and I was unwilling to stop the Spiro, so I asked a new RE for a new bcp. He asked me why and I told him it was making me "CRAZY. Like, REALLY CRAZY. In my head." I also told him I was already on low-dose bcp, so I wasn't sure where I could go from there. He said he had an idea.

After my exam, he asked me why I didn't ask for Yasmin, since it's a popular choice for women with PCOS, and I told him that I had read that Yasmin was contraindicated for women who are already taking Spiro. He said he didn't know of anybody experiencing problems taking both, but respected my reluctance and prescribed Mircette.

I read up on both YAZ (as an alt. if Mircette wasn't right) and Mircette and, as with all my various searches on experiences with bcp, found some good and bad information.

I moved cross-country with one more month of Necon to take and then I started Kariva, the generic Mircette. At first, I noticed my mind didn't race as much and that I felt more relaxed in general. I also definitely noticed a spike in my libido, though I wasn't having a problem with it to begin with. (When I started Necon, my first ever experience with bcp, I DID notice a BIG drop in libido, but we PCOSers know that all that free testosterone can make for extended periods of highly-amp'd randiness.

The combination of the Spiro and the new bcp actually normalized my libido.) I just felt more myself than I had in a long while.

But then the weeping started, which is what compelled me to post here today.

I cry at the drop of the hat. I have never been weepy. I got a little on Necon, but I never expected to get even weepier on a pill with LESS estrogen.

I don't like myself like this. I don't like what's been flashing through my head; that I can go from being hopeful, optimistic, and in love to complete devastation in a matter of SECONDS. It feels like physical pain. There is a spot in my chest that just aches when I get like this.

I'm debating switching to YAZ, but also considering going off bcp altogether, using other forms of birth control, and just embracing the inevitable, Spiro-induced frequent cycles.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Experiences?

-Cinelady

seaglin · 10-20-2006, 02:21 AM

To me it sounds like bcp may just not be right for you. You may do better trying other ways to prevent pg.......seems like no matter what level of hormones are in the bcps your body does not like it. So it may do you better to just stay on the Spiro and get off the bcp. Good Luck to you, I hope you find something that works for you!

Cinelady · 10-21-2006, 07:15 AM

Thank you, Stacy. ;-)

JessH_NCSU · 11-07-2006, 03:07 PM

I was on Kariva for a little bit and I would cry for no reason. I then switched to Ortho Tri Cyclen and got horrible acne. I'm now on Yasmin, and have only been on it for 3 months, but I love it and seem to have no bad side effects.

Good Luck!

guineapig · 11-14-2006, 02:12 PM

Be careful of "just spiro" as it is damaging to fetuses. You would have to use other birth control...very carefully, or get an IUD of some type, unless someone has been "snipped." I did the just spiro thing for almost 2 years with a copper IUD. I got great benefit from spiro so I put up with bleeding all the time...but it's aggrevating. Albeit not as aggrevating as some of the emotions I used to have on bcp--there were times I probably should've been hospitalized, no joke.

Seems like you could do YAZ or Yasmin but just cut your spiro dose slightly? They say the Yas-family is equal to about 25 mg of spiro daily. I wouldn't think it would be too dangerous; you just have to limit your potassium intake. I got crazy on bcp, every one of them, but they were higher-estrogen dose pills back then too. I did Desogen, OrthoCyclen, OrthoTriCyclen, Triphasil, and some others I can't even recall. IMO estrogen, especially high (older pills) or unopposed (triphasics) just worsen migraines, mood swings, depression, bloating, weight, acne, and a slew of other things. If I had to pick a pill now, I'd try YAZ or the new Nuvaring (verrry low blood estrogen levels). Spiro or not (which I probably will go back on at some point).

Good luck...as for general birth control, I had my copper IUD for 8 years & loved it. Only removed it for biopsy--didn't replace 'cause we began ttc.