My gynecologist just switched me to Aviane today because I've been on Yasmin for a year and though I love the spiractalone, Yasmin may be really effecting my libido [compared to years past it feels non-existant!].
Have any of you switched from Yasmin to Aviane and noticed improvements or did things get worse?
i am still on Yasmin and so far I love it. I have only been on it for a month but it has already cleared my skin. I know that you are switching but can you tell me what improvements and what stayed the same when you were on Yasmin.
I was lucky in the sense that my skin was already clear before I started birth control. So far I feel a little bit more even keeled, but I don't think that 3 days on Aviane could get that kind of credit. I guess it will just take some time.
I sang the praises of Yasmin for the first several months I was on it because of how it helped reduce the excess hair growth, even the hair on my legs became less coarse. But I never noticed the diuretic effects it was supposed to have, in fact this past year I have retained more fluid than I ever have before. My legs are tight and sore.
The gynecologist said that Aviane had less estrogen in it, which I can obviously see the reasons why that would be helpful. I haven't been diagnosed with having too much estrogen [or testosterone for that matter] before, so maybe Yasmin was giving me waay too much.
I really hope that I can find someone who has switched between these two particular BCPs out there...
I have been on something like 9 different BCPs... and while I didn't switch from Yasmin to Alesse, these are two pills I have been on.
I liked Alesse - no moodiness, I was able to lose weight with exercise, my excess hair problem lessened... but after 3 months on it, I was still having breaktrhough bleeding. My doctot said the estrogen level probably wasn't high enough for me... I don't know. I have never really understood what makes one pill cause BTB and not another...
On Yasmin, I was moody as hell, acne was terrible, and I also had BTB. Yasmin has more estrogen than Alesse - but it also has that Spiro-derived progesterone component and I suspect that may have been what caused the bleeding for me. Spiro makes me bleed, too.
One of these days I will find the perfect BCP. Next in line is Ovcon...
I really wish I didn't have the bleeding with Alesse. It was so good for me otherwise...
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"We've tried to wash our hands of all of this
We never talk of our lacking relationships
And how we're guilt-stricken, sobbing, with our heads on the floor
We fell through the ice when we tried not to slip..."
- the verve pipe
and probably is best read in context with the other stuff in that link. Probably. I don't know. You get more information that way but then more information = more confusion so...
I don't know how much faith to put in the chart or other "pick the best BCP" guidelines. Like I said, Yasmin made me have breakthrough bleeding - and the chart says it won't. Also Alesse was GREAT for my acne and hair issues - but the sticky link says it is one of the more androgenic pills.
But I do see the Ovcon isn't under one of the pills to take if weight gain is an issue... though it is under the list of what to take if depression is an issue... so... we'll see.
I took my first pill last night. So far... so far so good but it's waaaaay too soon to tell.
I have not been on BCPs since being preg (well, until last night that is) so all of my BCP effects are based pre-preg. I listed them in Disintigration's Yasmin query post... I'll copy.
In the past... pills I have tried and side effects suffered include...
Ortho-cyclin or tricyclin- too long ago to remember, see I don't eveb recall which it was... might have tried both...
Ortho-cept - *severe* suicidal depression
Ortho- novum 7/7/7 - severe migraine (pain, nausea, loss of vision - thought I had a brain tumor!) - only on it 2 or 3 days
Desogen - suicidal depression because, duh, it's the same as ortho-cept
Mircette - b-witchy moods and breakthrough bleeds
Alesse - breaktrhough bleeds (great otherwise... lost weight, less hair...)
Demulen - killed sex drive (but maybe it wasn't the pill as it has yet to return and that was 3 years ago) and no bleeds during off week (that part freaked me out and would come back to haunt me later)
Yasmin - breakthrough bleeds, psycho moods during off week, got pregnant
Ortho-novum - weight gain, terrible acne and hair loss
Sooooooo... from the looks of it, Ovcon is similar to Ortho-novum in terms of estrogen content and progestin type, but has a lower progestin component. So... I guess we'll see what happens. I kind of want to call my doc and say ya know ortho-cyclin looks like a good bet... but he did give me 4 free packs of Ovcon so maybe I should give it a try.
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"We've tried to wash our hands of all of this
We never talk of our lacking relationships
And how we're guilt-stricken, sobbing, with our heads on the floor
We fell through the ice when we tried not to slip..."
- the verve pipe
I have also taken both of these. I liked the alesse alot. It allowed me to lose that extra fluid bc pills give and my libido increased as compared to the Yasmin. My skin worsened a bit on it though. I felt really good and balanced on this one and would try it again. I am currently on Avandia. Hope this helps!
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On YAZ I lost weight, but was crazy depression/ suicidal so I'm hoping Aviane will help with that
Please let me know how the switch worked out for you!
__________________ 18 yr old English major
My beautiful Lhasa Apso Delilah died 3/8/08- WORST moment ever. She was my baby and my best friend. Hell, she was my only friend for a while there. :-(
~*RIP DELILAH: 6/20/98-3/8/08*~
No significant other :-(
Was taking YAZ, now on Aviane
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On YAZ I lost weight, but was crazy depression/ suicidal so I'm hoping Aviane will help with that
Please let me know how the switch worked out for you!
Hi my name is Angela,
I'm on my second pack of Yaz, have some side effects, as depression , feeling tired all the time , dry skin... So my doctor told me to try Aviane, but I am afraid to switch.
The only thing I like about Yaz is that I didn't gain weight, but is driving me crazyyy.
How is Aviane working for you? Please let me know.
I was on Aviane for 2 years, had a break for 8 months and am back on it again. I haven't really experienced any negative side effects with it. During the 8 month break, my face broke out really bad. I have gone through almost a pack and a half since I started back on it and it has cleared up a lot! No mood swings or weight gain.
No bad side effects on Aviane yet, and it definatley got rid of the crazy depression side effects!
__________________ 18 yr old English major
My beautiful Lhasa Apso Delilah died 3/8/08- WORST moment ever. She was my baby and my best friend. Hell, she was my only friend for a while there. :-(
~*RIP DELILAH: 6/20/98-3/8/08*~
No significant other :-(
Was taking YAZ, now on Aviane
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No bad side effects on Aviane yet, and it definatley got rid of the crazy depression side effects!
I just stopped taking Yaz yesterday, my doctor told me to start Aviane on the sunday after my period starts. I am just so scared to deal with depression again, since I had postpartum depression 4 years ago, and since then have some up and downs and I was treated with pills and therapy... Didn't expect the BCP to make it worse.
i switched from yasmin to alesse (generic) about 4.5 months ago. the transition went well. i didnt so much lose weight but i wasnt as bloated. the timing was werid we had just relocated back home..i had a little depression but i think it was more from the transition and stress then the pill.
i was on yasmin for2.5 years. and it worked well with my system other than the incredible bloating. i gained 10lbs the first month i was on yasmin and if i didnt take my "off" pills it would be worse.
i have been on alesse before when i was younger..it was the first pill i was ever on..the reason i switched was due to insurance issues.
my bcp list:
alesse 28
2 years - no real problems, but if i ever miss a single pill i would have breakthroughs. after 2 years i was starting to have heavier and longer periods.
ortho-tricyclin
5 years - but i didnt really like it. i had never had problems with acne but i would breakout every month during my period. the week before my period i would have emotional issues..(my husband called it h**l week) idt the different hormones worked that well for me...
ortho-low
2 months- i though i was going to kill someone...which was exactly what i told the dr's when they told me to try it for 3 months. i had no paceince and i felt like i wanted to be in a boxin match 24/7. It was terrible. I was having cramps and breakthrough bleeding. the only reason i tried this pill was b/c my friend loved it...i did not.
yasmin
2.5 years- i really liked yasmin except for the 10 lbs the first month and the excess bloating. the ingredient to help bloating..well for me if i didnt take the "white" pills i would look about 5 months pregnant..no joke...if i took them i would have a small pudge. other than that they worked well.
alesse (aviane)
4 months- no problems. my emotions seem stable and my periods seem ok.
I recently switched from Yasmin to aviane (alesse). I had to stop Yasmin myself because I was exhausted all the time, I had to lay around whenever I could, my muscles were just weak. (But no weight gain, yah!) At first I didn't relate it to the pill, I thought I was just overly busy. But then one day I just passed out. So after that I stopped the Yasmin and all the other symptoms went away, including dry mouth. I think the water shed effect of Yasmin probably did actually dehydrate me though I drank a lot of fluids. The symptoms are similar. I was really disappointed because Yasmin didn't do what other pills (Ortho-Tri, Loestra-Fe, low dose Ortho) had done with dizzyness, breast enlargement and tenderness, weight gain, moodyness, etc. etc. So when I finally got back into the docs she thought about putting me on Yaz because it is a lower dose than Yasmin, but I am so glad she didn't since others have suffered from depression, which I suffer from all the time anyway, I do not need any help feeling low. I just started Prozac 20mg, and it is great. But anyway, I asked my obgyn if there was any pill that was time tested and proven to work out for ladies who are as sensitive to hormones as I am. She went and did a little research and came back with a prescription for the Alesse. She told me that it has been around for some time and there have not been many complaints of side effects. So I am crossing my fingers. I got the generic to save a buck, there shouldn't be any difference... if there is let me know please. So far, just a couple days of nausea, to be expected. But at the end of the first week, no dizzyness, bloating or breast tenderness. I hope it stays that way. I do seem to have gained some weight this week, but being that I gain weight by looking at food and it is holidays I really hope it is just coincidence and not part of the pill pains. We'll see and I'll let you all know. I really enjoy this site it has given me insight many times that I have not found anywhere else. Real stories, real issues, real women. Thanks.