Hi all,
I am brand new and was diagnosed with pcos last year.
I was on loestrin fe 1/20 from the age of 18-25 and I *loved* that pill. No side effects that I knew of, until one morning I noticed chin hair (at age 24). As I continued the pill my hair got thicker. I have very thick black hair to begin with so I assumed it was my genes. I told my Dr. about it and he immediately switched me to Yasmin.
I *hated* the Yasmin--bloating, headaches, weight gain, so after 4 months I switched and developed major acne and major hair loss. I assumed it was the Yasmin which did it but my gyno is convinced it is the loestrin.
Anyway I switched to Mircette and spiro and the combo fixed my hair and skin but I developed cramping in my jaw and legs and went off the spiro. Without the spiro, my chin hair came back very thick and black.
NOW I am back on the yasmin and I started spiro. I have been on the yasmin for 2 weeks and I hate it. Breast soreness, 5 lb weight gain, hige appetite, yeast infection...my god!!!! My Dr. says to stick it out because this is the right pill for pcos. Also she says if Yasmin starts working I can stop the sprio.
What do you all think? I am ready to go back on mircette and spiro. I can handle jaw pain more than weight gain. I am 5'2 and normally 100 lbs (petite) so 5lbs is quite a lot for me, and I am constsntly uncomfortable. The last time I was on yasmin I gained a total of 15lbs and it took me 6 months to shed it.
Well I will share my experiences and advice and you can use what you can. I did poorly on all the pills you described. Yasmin is a good pill for some PCOS ladies but remember, we are all different and this is a syndrome that manifests differently in different women.
My favorite pills have been ortho tri cyclen Lo (make sure it is the low here!) Alesse (only with spiro though) and demulin. All the others including the patch made me miserable!!! Many women are afraid to use the ortho tri cyclen lo but I have taken it over 6 months now and love it. I loved how I felt on Alesse but adding spiro was essential since it has a higher androgen but not as nearly as loestrin. Spiro. works great for me and I had no side effects once I got going. Hope this helps! You are most definately not alone!!!
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I don't think there's a "right" pill for PCOS. If it doesn't suit you, it just doesn't.
I used Demulen for over 5 years. I didn't realize until I switched that it was contributing to my depression. I'm now on Alesse, and I like it a lot more. It's such an individual thing...
good luck
__________________ -diagnosed October 2002
-Meds: Alesse, metformin, Cytomel, Wellbutrin
-light therapy with a goLITE for seasonal depression
-yoga & meditation almost daily, because it makes me feel good
Thanks so much for your responses!!! I wish it wasn't such trial and error when it comes to the pill.
I have one question...I like the idea of getting on a lower estorgen pill, but isn't allese known for hair loss? i'm afraid of getting on a pro-androgen pill....?
I liked alesse alot when I took it. I would take it again but add spiro. I have done this with other pills such as triphasil in my 20"s and it worked beautifully! I feel really good on leveonorgestrel as a progestin. It have much fewer progesterone s/e with it but it is more androgenic than some such as norgestimate and desogestrel. I don't think alesse is considered a pro androgenic pill, it just is listed in the moderate category. It may be that the estrogen is lower (20mcg) and therefore less able to mop up any extra free roaming testosterone. This is the benefit of estrogen in bc pills. It has been shown to clear acne in women and this is my area of androgen related s/e Some women get hair loss, I get acne and extra hair. It did not increase my hair growth however.
I currently take ortho tri cyclen lo which is a lower estrogen pill (25 mcg) It is low in progestin strength, androgen strength and estrogen strength. It is triphasic but this doesn't bother me. I actually like triphasics. No cysts, regular periods, less hair and acne and no bloating and discomfort, until period time. I also have no mood effects with this one. I do on higher estrogen pills. Moody!!!
Hope this helps. I would suggest 3 full months to try this out. It always take me awhile to decide how I feel and changing does effect it early on. Good Luck!!!
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Wow your post is very helpful. This has given me a lot to think about. We have the same symptons--I have the acne and hair issues, but I also have lost hair in the past. That part seems to be under control (knock on wood). I had bald spots last year--at 30 years old. It was so embarrasing and sad.
I just read that ALL BCPs have an anti-androgen effect, just that some are better than others--BUT they all effect people differently. I have read conflicting reports on Alesse, but I've never read a good thing about loestrin for pcos.
I really did love the loestrin (obviously not the side effects it may have caused--but it oculd have been the Yasmin also), and I'm thinking that the Alesse or Mircette with the spiro is the way to go. I like lower estrogen.
I have been nauseous (sp?) every single day on Yasmin, and not just a little bit--but for at least 2 hrs every morning. It has gotten so bad I don't want to finish up this first month. How bad is that??! LOL.
I've never been on spiro, but I've been on Mircette for about three months and I'm really pleased with it. I was on ortho tri (not ortho tri lo) for about a year and it was horrible, made me depressed and I gained lots of weight.
just a reminder if you are over 155 lb and are on the lo estrogen birth control pills, you have a 5 times greater risk of becoming pregnant than someone who is under 155 lb
__________________ Mandi-30 Ron-35 Married 6/14/03 DX-2001
Sprintec, HCTZ, Lopressor 200mg, Prozac 20mg, Metformin ER, Byetta
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yasmin/mircette/loestrin...help (new) 
I wish it wasn't such trial and error when it comes to the pill.
