Loestrin 24 Fe and hot flashes

First few months on this pill went fine. On the 4th month I started with the spotting. By the time the 5th or 6th month rolled around I would have my period it would stop for a few days and then start again at mid cycle. I was getting two periods per month. This month I started spotting on day 15 and now 9 days later I'm still bleeding. I need to be on some form of birth control pill to control extremely heavy periods. Ok so I don't have the extreme bleeding anymore but I have my period all the time. I could live with spotting but this is full on break through bleeding. My doctor wants to try something new but I feel like a guinea pig. I just wish there was some pill that came with a guarantee. :(

I discontinued Loestrin 24 due to is causing 3 months of breakthrough bleeding lasting about 7-15 days along with having a period. I had severe acne from it, constipation, gallbladder attacks,pain in right side,anxiety, hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, etc. I have PCOS and this is a combination of hormones that do not work properly. Since I have stopped using this medicine all of these side effects have gone away.

I think it is interesting the symptoms that you mention here. I have been on birth control pills since the age of 19. I am now 28. Over the past year I have had similar symptoms. I have been on so many different BCP's that is is hard to keep count. They don't seem to work the way they claim to. The last BCP I was on was orthotryciclen. While taking these I began to experience severe heart palpitations. So bad that they would wake me up at night. Because I wasn't sure if it was an anxiety attack or just being in my head I decided to ignore it. Four months passed by and it seemed to get increasingly worse. I had enough and decided to go to my PCP. She wasn't really much help either. Although I was tested for Mitral Valve Prolapse, which I was told affects younger women my age. There was nothing found. What I thought was interesting is I really felt that it was the birth control pills, but I couldn't find it as a side affect on the information that was provided in the box. The tech who was doing my echocardiogram began to tell me she also experienced the same feelings and found out it was her BCP. Once she confirmed what I thought was right, decided to stop taking them. After three months the symptoms began to disappear. I figured it was just the particular brand. I began to take loestrin 24. I started to feel the same symptoms again, just not as severe. I would feel my heart beat when I would like down in my back and my stomach. My heart rate would reach 90 to 100 sometimes. I know this is not normal. When I visited my gyno yesterday she told me it was impossible that it was a result of the BCP. Maybe it was just anxiety and or perhaps I should get checked out by a cardiologist. That is serious stuff when you are talking to a young person about getting there heart check out. I think if there are any other women out there who are experiencing any similar symptoms should speak up. So these doctors won't keep telling us it is all in our heads and help to take care of this problem.

I am so thankful for this website. I have been on Loestrin for about 5 months now. Two months ago I started experiencing many of the symptoms the rest of you have been describing. I started having head aches, insomnia, hot flashes, and then terrible anxiety attacks. I've also been having horrible chest pain that extends out my left arm. At first I thought I was having heart problems, but, like many of you, EKG's and chest x-rays came back normal. The anxiety attacks have gotten so bad that I thought I was going to have to go to the emergency room the other night. When I talked to my doctor about it, we decided its stress and depression, and she prescribed me an anti-depressant. I was supposed to start it today, but I got a wild hair to do some research on Loestrin since its the only other med I take. And lo and behold... Thank goodness I found this before I started the anti-depressants. I plan on calling and getting my BC switched first thing Monday morning. You couldn't shove another Loestrin down my throat. I'm so frustrated, as I'm sure many of you are, that NO ONE told me about this. My doctor did not discuss these extra possible side effects because its a low dose pill. And my general practitioner completely overlooked the fact that it might be the BC pill causing all this. Not that I blame her. I overlooked it too, and it is true, we are our own best advocates. Thank you to all the women who posted on here. Just like many of you, I've been feeling like I'm absolutely crazy lately. With the mood swings and uncontrollable crying, no one understands. I think its ok to say this website might have just saved me several years of being on anti-depressants. Granted, I haven't had any bleeding problems like some women, and I love the three day periods. But I would take a 7 day period over how I feel right now any day. Does anyone have any suggestions of what BC to switch to? And can anyone tell me how long it took for them to get back to normal emotionally? Thank you so much...

I have been on LoEstrin24 for over a year and a half. For the first year, I had no side effects. After starting a very competitive graduate program this fall, I began having panic attacks, anxiety, hot flashes and am sweating constantly during the first week of a new pill pack. I believe that the stress have exacerbated the potential side effects of the pills and only now am I seeing the downside of this method. I was previously on Depo Provera for 7 years and then tried the patch for 1 year (HATED it). I've found that controlling my stress levels has helped but not completely ameliorated the side effects. Also, as an FYI for those who are worried about the brownish discharge - I still have it after 18 months on this pill.

My birth control problems have been an ongoing problem. . I am a 26 year old nurse. I had been on birth control since about age 16.I was on Ortho tricyclen up until about two and a half years ago. I was noticing that I got nauseated each day around 5 pm when supposedly my hormone level dropped. I would eat and then I would feel better. Now that I think of it, I may have been just a little hypoglycemic. I told my GYN about this and he had me switch to the NuvaRing. I was on that for about 5-6 months when I started to have problems with it. When I had to put it back in after the week out, I would vomit for about 12 hours until my hormone level evened out. After deciding that I was not getting food poisoning each month, and it truly was the ring, I went back to my GYN. He then said that it was too much estrogen for me and prescribed Loestrin 24. I was on that for about 5 months when I started to notice problems. I felt extremely tired all the time. My breasts hurt like hell, and my mood was changing significantly. I was watching TV one night when all of the sudden it felt like someone was just murdered in front of me. I had no idea what was wrong. My husband told me he thought I was having a panic attack. I have never had any problems with anxiety or depression. This happened twice in one week. I had never had any problems with acne, and I looked like I had chicken pox on my back. I was also getting abnormal hair growth. I would cry, and not know why. I then decided that I needed to stop my pills. I called the GYN, and of course they were of no help to me. I then spent about 4-5 months off of BCP's all together. I would still get anxiety the week before my period and then after I started it would get better. I then saw a new GYN who decided it would be good for me to go on Seasonique. I was on that for 5 weeks and all of my symptoms came back. I now have been put on Zoloft to help with my panic attacks. I fight them on a daily basis, and they are more constant than ever before. I truly feel like my hormones are so fucked right now. I have all of these strange thoughts and feel half crazy. I have been to every specialist possible and they all agree that my hormones are out of whack. I am small anyway and have lost about 10 pounds. I only weigh about 98, which is also alarming to me. Okay, well how the hell do you fix all of this without going on another damb pill? I was fitted for a diaphragm and am using that for the time being. I am a smart enough person to know that something is not right. I am seeing a homeopathic specialist this week to try a new approach. I have been to a therapist, and have been tested for everything under the sun. Most frightening was the fact that I was almost put on a beta-blocker. I had a 24 holter monitor for my heart. My median heart rate was in the high 90's. I also had a heart rate that went from 51 to 145 bpm in my sleep. My normal heart rate is in the hig 60's to low 70's. Overall, the Zoloft is starting to help, but I am so angry. I really do feel like we are screwing up our natural chemistry by putting all of these females on hormones. In 20 years or so, we will truly see the effects of what hormone therapy has done to women. It is very scary. I just hope I can get myself evened out. Does anyone have a similar story or any suggestions? Please reply or email me. Any support I can get from other women will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Nurse Billie

I started this pill in July for 2 months to regulate my period and just got off of it, because I hate being on bc and I got my cycle. I haven't been on bc since the age of 14. When starting this pill my boobs were verrrrry sore, so I called my dr. and he told me to get some vitamin E 400 I.U. 100 softgels and take one twice a day. That really helped, but when I missed a dose it hurt more. So I made sure I took my Vitamin E twice a day. I have also had some of the symptoms; i.e., bloating, gaining weight (130lbs-142lbs), breast tenderness, mood swings, hot flashes,peeing more than usual,depression, sleeping 12-14hrs a day and an increased appetite. I have been off the pill for a couple of weeks now and just started experiencing the headaches and a little acne(something I rarely have). The weight I gained, I lost and now I am back down to my comfortable weight of 130lbs (due to exercising every day) but I'm still sleeping later, moody and depressed. My Mother and sisters thought I was pregnant and with the symptoms I had, I thought I was pregnant too! I also thought it was just my fiancee getting on my nerves, but after reading some of these post I now know it HAS to be the pill. Well,I can't blame it completely on the pill, because he does get on my nerve, but I love him & that's another story. :) For all the women still on lo 24 fe try taking Vitamin E it should take the swelling and tenderness away, but consult your physician first.

I think that there are a lot of older people describing their experiences. I'm 21 and I think it is the second worst pill I have ever been on, the first being the patch. Pills obviously affect people differently, but my doctor put me on Loestrin 24 to help with my endometriosis, to make my period shorter and consequently, make my cramps less. Well, my period is only one day shorter and the cramps are worse, to say the least. Anyone with endometriosis can understand the feeling of getting your uterus ripped out slowly every month, the back hurting so much you can barely move, the hot flashes, and it just has gotten worse the last few months that I've been on Loestrin. Also, I've never been over 135 lbs in my life. I was 132 when I was put on Loestrin. I went to the doctor and was weighed in at 138 so I decided to start working out and be careful about what I eat. I was doing really well at my new little work out plan, but then weighed in at 145! To never be over 135 and suddenly be 145 is awful. Plus, my moodiness that came with another pill, has changed to severe depression for a couple days a month. I'd rather be angry than feel worthless. I've never really had problems with those things before I started taking pills but I'm definitely going back to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo. That's my 'safe' pill.

I am 38 years old and was prescribed LoestrinFe for perimenopausal symptoms that I have been experiencing. After 10 days of taking this BCP I have decided to endure the hot flashes and discontinue my use of LoestrinFE. I have been boxing 2 times a week and working out with Tae Kwon Do 3 times a week for almost 3 years. This kept me in the best shape of my life before LoestrinFE came along!! I am usually a light eater but my appetite has increased considerably and with the insomnia I am snacking late at nite which is leading to weight gain!! Clothing I wore on July 31 feels tighter today as if I am constantly bloated. My husband remarked that my breasts looked alot fuller and he was pleased with that, however, I feel like a walking COW!!! I am done with this BCP.