? about the pill tricyclen-lo

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-05-2004
? about the pill tricyclen-lo
12
Tue, 10-05-2004 - 6:57pm
I just started to take this pill(tricyclen-lo) and the nurse told me that i didn't have to take the "reminder pills".Im confused,what will hapen if I don't take the reminder pills and start a new pack? any one that can answer this question please let me know and E-mail me at y_m_e_o@yahoo.com or at cherrylove_Ortega@hotmail.com

Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-26-2004
Tue, 10-05-2004 - 7:05pm
I think she meant that you don't have to take the placebo pills but you shouldn't start your next pack until 7 days later. The placebo pills are there just to help you stick to the routine of taking a pill everyday.
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-05-2004
Tue, 10-05-2004 - 7:17pm
hey sajeet2 well she told me 2 start a new pak cuz she gave me the 28 pack counting the reminder pills.I was reading that when you get the 28 pack you should start a new pack right when i finish the 1st pak and dont wait 7 days.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Tue, 10-05-2004 - 8:58pm
Hi cherrygirl123, welcome!

You are right. If you read the patient info. that came with your pills, you will find that in a 28 pack there are 21 active and 7 placebo pills. On the 29th day you can begin a new pack.

For many women trying to skip the placebos and go directly to a new pack of active pills on day 22 while on a triphasic pill like OTC-Lo will not work and irregular bleeding is quite common. That is because in a triphasic there are 3 different dosages of hormones that incrase as the weeks progress. Starting a new pack of active triphasic pills without a hormone free week will put you on the lowest dosage again and the difference between the high dose of the previous week and the low dosage at the beginning of the new pack will trigger bleeding. Thanks for posting,

Good luck,

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-05-2004
Wed, 10-06-2004 - 2:23am
Hey how you doing? so is better to take the placebo pills 2? I started to take the pills on august 29th and I did not take the placebo pills and I started a new pack on septembe right the next day when I finished the 1st pack.So should I take the placebo this month and keep taking them?.....thanks for your advice I apriciate it.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Wed, 10-06-2004 - 10:06am
If you didn't take the placebos and began a new pack immediately and haven't had irregular bleeding, then good for you! It's your choice if you want to continue to skip your periods for a while. Typically, women who are skipping 'tri-cycle', take three packs back-to-back and then take a week off hormones for their period. On a triphasic like OTC-Lo you might be able to go that long without bleeding or you might not. I think it's very likely that at some point the amount of progestin in the 1st week pills won't be able to support the amount of lining built up and you will begin to bleed. You can certainly give it a shot and see how you do. Let us know how you're doing, ok?

Good luck,

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-05-2004
Wed, 10-06-2004 - 3:49pm
Hi there again!

So if I don't take the placebo im not going to get my period?...and what will happen if i got irregular bleeding?.......thank you!
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Wed, 10-06-2004 - 4:09pm
If you take active pills continuously (not taking the placebos) eventually you will reach a point that the progestin in your pill will no longer support the lining built up in you uterus and you will begin to bleed. Once irregular bleeding starts you will probably continue to bleed until you have a hormone free week. Tri-cycling on a triphasic like OTC-Lo you stand a much greater chance of bleeding before the end of a pack, because of the difference in dosages between weeks three (high) and one (low). How's that?

Take care,

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-05-2004
Wed, 10-06-2004 - 4:46pm
Hi!

Ok I read another post from you in another message that was for me and this is whats going on.....I started to take thi pills on August 29 the last day of my period.I did had sex with my boyfriend a week later and we didnt use a condom or anything but i took the ECP cuz i was only 1 week on the pill. I took all the active pills(white,light blue,& darker blue)i did not take the placeblo(green)the 1st pack and did not take 7 days of I started 2 take the next pack right the next sunday on september and I did not get my period september 25th.I got worried that i might be pregnat so I took a pregnancy test the 27th of september and it came out negative.I called the clinic and i told them about it & that I took a pgncy test and they told me 2 wait 10 days if i didin't get my period to go to the clinic.its been now like 6 days and on oct3 untill now oct6 i did bleed but i dont think it was my period because its not the same.I dind't skip any pills but I did take them like 10,20 minutes late one time i took it almost 1 hour late.Im on my second pack and what will hapen if i take the placebo and didn't take them on the 1st pack?.......so what do you think?......
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Wed, 10-06-2004 - 9:18pm
You didn't say when the bleeding was in relation to the EC. If you continued to take active pills and bled after taking EC the light bleeding might have been caused by the high dose of progestin from the EC. If you are continuing to take active pills and have had no hormone free days then I don't think it is unusual that you haven't gotten your period. Your pill-period is under control of the hormones in your pills until (as I mentioned in a previous post) the progestin in your pill can no longer keep your endometrium stable or you stop taking active pills. At that point you will start to bleed.

I don't think taking your pills a few minutes or an hour late will have any effect. If you take the placebos you should get your period. We aren't medically trained here so if you are still concerned and in contact with the clinic that prescribed your pills and EC you might want to explain your situation in detail to them and be guided by their advice.

Take care,

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-05-2004
Thu, 10-07-2004 - 1:18am
I took the ECP(emergancy cotraceptive pills) on september 5th and i did not bleed its been a month now and the bleeding hapend on october 3rd untill now but is not a heavy bleeding its just really light(spotting) is that unusual bleeding,or just side effects of the pill?

Pages