Seasonale Issue

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-31-2004
Seasonale Issue
7
Sat, 07-31-2004 - 10:49am
I have been part of a study for the last year. I am sure many of you have seen the commercials for the Seasonale birth control pill. The study I have been a part of was testing to see if women could handle a lower dosage than 30mg - specifically, 20Mg. This is the first time I have been on a 84 day pill pack and have noticed an unpleasent development that I am curious to know is something other women have noticed in using the 84 day cycle method. I am not able to lose weight. I have put on about 20 pounds in this last year and have NOT been able to get them off. I have tried aerobic exercise 4 days a week, aerobic exercise combined with weight training, eating a 1500 calorie diet for nearly two months, and even taking appetite supressents. Nothing has worked - and seems that no matter what I do, I weigh EXACTLY the same everytime I get on the scale. Has any one else experience this? I am thinking of going back to a regular 21 day pill pack at the end of this study (which is next month). Does any one have any suggestions or thoughts on this issue I am facing?
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: buqt
Mon, 08-02-2004 - 8:25am
Have you taken the pill before this trial? If you have, did it have the same or a different type of progestin in it? Some women will find that it is more difficult to lose weight when they're on the pill. For some it depends on the progestin, for others it's being on the pill in the first place. You might think about trying a different progestin, or if you were successfully taking a different pill before, you might try to go back to that pill and see what happens.

Good luck!

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-31-2004
In reply to: buqt
Mon, 08-02-2004 - 1:37pm
I was on LoEstrin Fe prior to this testing. I will look into what type of progestin it had. I had great success on it and did not have any problems with weight gain - or in ability to lose weight. I was down to a one day period and had very little cramping if any and never had breakthrough bleeding - unlike Seasonale, where I seem to have more breakthrough bleeding days than not. Thank you for your suggestion. I will look into it and see what I can find out - and talk to my doctor about going back on the LoEstrin when this testing is done.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-03-2004
In reply to: buqt
Tue, 08-03-2004 - 4:12pm
I am sympathizing with you on Seasonale. I asked my Gyn to put me on it almost 6 months ago and he was willing since he had only prescribed it a handful of times before that. I noticed after being on it a month that I had gained weight.. without any lifestyle changes. That has me most frustrated although I have not gone to the lengths you have to beat it. I too had very minimal periods when I was on Ortho Novum 7/7/7. I had been on it for the past 17 years, only taking time off for 2 pregnancies. I thought it was time for a change. And maybe its in my head but I SWEAR I am still going through PMS every month when I would have on the old pill. Its so weird. I have other health issues going on now and I have no idea if any of it is a side effect of the Seasonale either. I am following up with my Dr in 2 weeks and am also going to discontinue use. Now, I have a girlfriend that went on it after I told her about it and she loves it. She had problems with weight gain on the shot but has experienced no bad side effects on Seasonale. I guess the old saying, "Don't fix what ain't broken" definately applies here.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: buqt
Tue, 08-03-2004 - 4:27pm
I'm having similar issues as you ladies are. I am not on Seasonale, but I am on Levlen and have started to take it continuously, similar to Seasonale. Since I started taking packs back to back, I have gained about 10-15 pounds. I have had no lifestyle changes; I actually have been exercising more now (being that I am self-conscience about my weight gain) than I ever did before I started taking the pills continuously. I am reluctant to go back to taking my pills the way I used to (21 active, 7 placebo) because I really like having fewer periods! Unlike you ladies, my periods were almost 7 days long, and now that I take my pill continuously, my periods are 5 days long. I have had no other negative side effects from taking my pill packs 4 in a row, but I, like you all, am concerned about not being able to get the weight back off!
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-31-2004
In reply to: buqt
Tue, 08-03-2004 - 7:35pm
I think my body actually goes through the motions every month - I get the bloating and sometimes even the cramping. So, dont think you are out in left field on thinking you are going through the motions. I talked to my Dr today and he called me in a prescription for Loestrin - so as soon as this study is done I am going back. They asked me to be part of this study because BC had been so successful for me. I had a 7 day period before I went on BC and my DR suggested BC as a way to control my periods - it worked great as I only had a 1 or 2 day period. So, when they approached me about the study, I thought I would do something good for other women out there - but at this point I wish I hadnt done it. You really shouldnt fix whats not broken. I am just nervous that I will go back on LoEstrin and not go back to the "way things were"....but I am just so tired of trying to lose weight and having NO success. I have a difficult time with my self image as it is, weight gain has done nothing for me...and to top it off, when my self image goes down, so does my sexual desire - and Seasonale had a hand in that too - but it has been less and less the 1) longer I have been on Seasonale (now a year and 2 months) and 2) the more weight I have gained. I am glad I joined this message board. I will continue to post my experiences as I feel we all can benefit from each other. I hope you both find a way to over come the negative things BC has caused for you.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-03-2004
In reply to: buqt
Wed, 08-04-2004 - 10:56am
Hopefully you will not experience the long periods you once had on the other pill. Maybe your Dr can prescribe something else?? I have decided to go back on the same as before unless my Dr can offer another alternative. I guess I had it kinda easy before but got greedy and decided to have even fewer periods. Unfortunately, since I was put on Seasonale, I have not experienced a normal period on it because I have had a freeze at my Dr office and have to have LEEP during my next period in a couple of weeks. So, I have had other things going on when I should have had the normal period. I am being seen by a neurologist now for numbness in my hands and occasionally in my feet. It started a month or so after I started Seasonale. Now, I think its one of those things that is just coincidence but if you think about it... numbness can be caused by thyroid problems and of course, hormones affect your thyroid... and the pill is nothing BUT hormones... so it makes me wonder if there is any connection at all. I am having further testing but it is just one more reason for me to go off it. But if I were you, I would definately ask your Dr to prescribe something else, knowing what kind of periods you had before. How old are you? I am 32 and have been on the pill for 17 years and my periods did get better as I got older and on the pill longer. So, there may be hope if you're still young.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-04-2004
In reply to: buqt
Wed, 08-04-2004 - 3:44pm
I have been taking Seasonale for nearly 10 months now. I work out on a regular basis but can't say whether or not I have lost or gained any weight. Seasonale promises that weight gain will not be an issue for women taking it. I would talk to your OBGYN about your concerns and see what they say. Make sure the weight gain or lack of weight loss is not attributed to anything else. I love Seasonale and the only problem I've seen so far, was the break through bleeding and the uncertainty of when it is safe to have unprotected sex again. One doctors says a week after taking your pills, another says 10 days. Advice varies I guess!
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