patch side effects

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-27-2004
patch side effects
4
Fri, 08-27-2004 - 10:19pm
Hi I have been on the patch now for 3 months and i thought i was losing it. thank god there are others like me. I went for my check up, and my blood pressure was up from 110/70 to 130/80, the doc says i may have to get off the patch if i go back and its still up. I also have all the other side effects including libido, nausea, bleeding. I want to know if anyone else has experienced blood pressure problems?
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-05-2004
Sun, 09-05-2004 - 1:55am
I have been on the patch over a year and have not had any blood pressure related side effects. I have however, not ever truly felt that great, and have had terrible itching from the adhesive, as well as some unexplained hair loss along my hairline. I have enjoyed the simplicity of the patch, but think it's time to switch things up for me. I'm actually going to try Yasmin.
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-12-2004
Wed, 09-15-2004 - 4:08pm
i was on the patch for 4 months and then it all hit me at once first i started getting really sick to my stomach and i got dizzy spells, chills then i started getting really bad hot flashes where my face would turn red and i would get really shaky and everone kept telling me what's wrong with you , your to young to get hot flashes, and i called a nurse hot line and she asked me if i was diabetic and i was like no,and she said that i need to come into the er cause it sounds like i might be having something wrong with my surgar. but when i got to the er and seen the dr and after tests were done it turns out i had an allergic reation to the patch and it took 4 months for symptoms to occur, well i got off it that day, it was awful.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-10-2004
Thu, 09-16-2004 - 11:37am
I am happy to say that I haven't had any blood pressure problems (at least none that I am aware of). I have had similar experiences, however, with the delayed onset of lots of yucky side effects. I thought that these things usually happened in the first 3-4 months and then you got adjusted to the hormone levels, but that was not the case for me.

I have been on the patch since April and for the last 2 months, I have had severe cramps the week before and the week of AF; EXTREME breast tenderness/soreness for weeks 2 and 3; much heavier AF (and about 2 days longer than when I was on Ortho Novum); significant hair loss (EEK!!); terrible mood swings; loss of libido; etc.

I was shocked to have all these side effects appear after I had been on the patch for a while already and I called my doctor to have him switch me to something else. He is putting me on Yasmin (which one of my friends has been taking for almost a year and LOVES!). I will start it in a little over a week. In the meantime, my BF and I are excitedly counting down to my last patch day - only 3 to go!! :-) Can't wait to get my life back! I mean, I took O.N. for over 10 years and never lost my libido; the last few months on the patch have been very challenging for me (and my BF).

Good luck with whatever you end up switching to.
Avatar for ilovemyfeet
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-04-2003
Thu, 09-16-2004 - 12:23pm
michelle you sound like me the last couple weeks. im starting my fourth month last month i woke up the first night of my new patch after having it off for a week. woke up so sick throwing up bairly made it to the bathroom was up half the night and fell asleep on the bathroom floor cues i couldnt get up and hubby slept through me yelling at him in the next room. next day i was fine now this month first patch of my new month i wok up sick again last night though it wasent nearly as bad just nausious and i have been feeling this way all morning. and the last couple weeks im hot one minute and freezing the next. now i know its not just hubby playing wiht the ac again mabie it is my patch i guess ill give it another month and if it continues im going ot ask for something else.
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