I was on my previous bcp for 8 years (Alesse) and then it just seemed to stop working and peri symptoms started to show up. I just switched to a stronger bcp (marvelon) about 8 days ago and want to know others experience with how long it took to start showing improvement (if at all)?

Thanks,
Beth

It didn't take long to feel some relief for me,within the first two weeks I had less anxiety,it takes up to three months for the full effect but you should start feeling better soon.I hope it works!GOD-bless

I was starting to feel more myself at about the day 4 mark but a few days ago I started to feel even worse. I guess it takes some time to get the hormones all under control??

I take Seasonique and still, somedays just aren't great. My doctors (two different ones) said our hormones just can't always keep up with the bcp;s. Nothing can stop the hormnes from fluctuating completely and that is something I try to remember when things flare up. I can't always convince myself that, but I know I've been told that.


Good luck.

I began having excruciating pain each month, for as long as 2 weeks at a time. It took about 2 months, after starting the BCP, for the pain to go away.

I really don't know about all the other symptoms because I'm on AD's too.

ok, Ill just hang tough and see if they start helping soon. Did the bcp get rid of all your symptoms or just reduce them?

It reduced my symptoms to where I can now function very well.I was having panic attacks daily,crying constantly,horrible hot flashes.I now rarely feel panic,only cry normally,and the hot flashes are fewer and far between.I do still have bad days-just not as bad.GOD-bless

Definitely reduces them, but as the others have stated it doesn't alleviate them all together. I wish it did. Some months I feel all jittered up, cry at the drop off a hat, feel off-balance the week or so BEFORE my period week. This month however, I feel that way ON Week 4. Like someone else said before, sometimes the pills just cannot keep up with our ever changing hormones.
The days of all day worry/anxiety feelings are gone, it mainly comes in spurts and I can usually talk myself down and out of it in about 20 minutes or so.
For me I would "calendar" watch and say things like..."the symptoms should be coming around this date" etc. Once I learned that this was negative thinking at its finest, I stopped doing that and just let it come when and if it does, I guess I've been learning to just accept the "anxious feelings" which helps to lessen their grip on me.

Let the new pill get in your system and you'll feel better.........easier said than done I know.....hang in there and have a good week!!!!!!
Happy Holidays

Thanks everyone for your encouragement!! I've been on these new pills for about 2 1/2 weeks and I must say I'm starting to feel better You were right when you said it would come slowly, but I'm definately noticing an improvement (knock on wood!).

Another question...since my body is just starting to get used to these pills I was thinking of skipping the sugar pills this week and go another pack of pills and maybe even a third before I take the sugar pills. Is this a good idea or bad idea?

Beth

I would ask the dr,but my dr said it is ok,as long as evry three months you have a sugar pill week,in order to let the lining of the uterus shed.GOD bless

Hi Beth,
I think it's totally safe to skip the sugar pill week for a month or even three months. Some people even take the pill continuously with no break at all--but I really don't think that is a good idea. I'm glad you are feeling better.

I see my doctor in about a month so I will ask him then...but in the meantime I'm going to go right onto my next pack of pills.

Thanks everyone!

Dear'skiergirl'
Am inclined to agree with you.Am on a continuous HRT and the spotting gets on my nerves even though there is no Pathology.
Would love to hear from ladies on the continuous HRT and if they have experienced bleeding.
Warm Wishes
Elizabeth

I have taken continuous BCP on and off for the last 8 years....I am finally ready to go off it at 54....it is so expensive to take it that way, and I am ready for less hormones.....when I did not take the packs back- to - back, the bleeding annoyed me...feel as if I should be done with that...
I tried FemHrt for a year and did not like it ( only due to weight gain). However, I am going to see about going back on it, perhaps working towards every other day....and see how that goes....am not as worried about the weight gain, as I have improved my diet 100%.....
I am currently on Yaz, which I like, but as I said, I feel it has been long enough for me......

I was on Orthocyclen from 2004 till now and was going to switch when peri symptoms crept up before my 38th bd in Oct. I decided to dump the pill altogether and go to BHRT. I'm anti pill now though really it did work for me the first few years. The last year or two I've felt "weird" on it like it was making me sick.... hard to explain. I don't think the bcp is great for peri in my opinion... maybe the early stages. But where I am now, with so much anger, anxiety, weight gain, tiredness, fatigue, hair loss, etc. it just didn't make sense to me to switch pills since it caused most of the problems I thought it would solve.
And OK I've just read Suzanne Somer's three books about BHRT and think she could be right about the pill contributing to her getting cancer...

While it may not have worked for you,it has helped lots of people-myself included.I try not to discourage anyone from getting help,and if bcp is that help we should respect that.I have not heard anything about cancer,in fact I read that it helps prevent ovarian cancer.