Dryness and Headaches

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-16-2004
Dryness and Headaches
2
Thu, 06-10-2004 - 1:17am
Hi,

I recently switched from OTC Lo to Loestrin. Now I'm feeling better mood-wise and I don't feel bloated, but I'm having dryness, and I had a severe headache today. I am assuming the headache might be from switching pills a few days ago. Could this be true? Also, my women's health book says some low-estrogen, high progestin pills (like Loestrin)can cause libido and dryness problems. Does this go away after a few months? I don't like Norgestrel related pills and would like to stick to norethindrone. I also tend to gain weight on highly estrogenic pills like Cyclen.

Thanks,

Anita

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-29-2003
Thu, 06-10-2004 - 8:53am
I had horrible headaches while on loestrin. I was very moody. Loestrin didnt affect my sex drive. I didnt gain weight. I didnt give loestrin a fair amount of time(headaches were unbearable!). The problems you are having may go away after a few cycles. You may just have to wait it out if you can. Just my two cents.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 06-10-2004 - 8:59am
The dryness probably won't go away, though. I had a lot of problems after I'd been on Loestrin for 3 or so years, it turned into atrophic vaginitis, which is normally seen in MENOPAUSE, not in a 27 year old! Though it's not a strong progestin, there's a LOT of it in Loestrin.

Pills with norethindrone that have less progestin (technically Loestrin is norethindrone acetate, which is a little stronger) are Ovcon, Modicon, and Ortho Novum. These are all 30-35 microgram pills, if you want to get into a lower estrogen dose the only options are stronger progestins.

I can't take anything related to levonorgestrel, which includes pills with norgestrel and norgestimate, but I can use Nuvaring, which has etonorgestrel, the active metabolite of desogestrel (though it sounds like it's in the levonorgestrel family, it's not).

Does that help?

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control