so exhausted!

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-28-2004
so exhausted!
2
Thu, 10-07-2004 - 11:47pm
I've been on birth control for a little over two weeks now and I'm totally miserable. Whether it's the pill causing my current state, I'm not sure, but maybe someone can tell me. I'm on Aviane/Alesse with the whole active/placebo pill thing. Seriously, I feel like a sack of highly polluted, stiff sand. My memory has gone down the drain (I lost my wallet, I've never lost anything so important), I get dizzy spells constantly, when walking or running I become easily fatigued and once I sit, I can hardly get up. I'm dehydrated though I practically inhale beverages, and nothing really pleases my tastes. I felt like this sort of fatigue when I was prescribed too high a high dose of Zoloft, so the only thing I relate it to is another overdosage. I'm small framed (5'2" at 100 Ibs and going up), and already I've noticed a fullness in my breasts as well as a bloatiness that won't deflate. So I'm quitting until my doctor gives me a new prescription, unless anyone has any opposite advice. And I know it's not even been a month, but I am seriously hating this feeling. Any suggestions or similar stories would be appreciated.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Fri, 10-08-2004 - 7:25am
Wait! Call your doctor first before you stop taking the pills! I know it REALLY STINKS, but if you quit before you talk to your doctor, it may be a while before you can start again.

Some women do react to certain progestins badly, and this can include fatigue, lack of concentration, and a general who-the-heck-did-I-turn-into kind of feeling. Fullness or bloatiness is a side effect that might go away over the next couple of months, but I've had similar side effects (fatigue, lack of concentration, etc.) with the progestin in Triphasil, which is the same progestin as in Alesse.

The good news is that there are only about five pills on the market with that same progestin--you might ask your doctor if you could switch to a pill thas has a different progestin in it, just to see if maybe another pill wouldn't cause all these problems for you. You may be able to switch without finishing this pack, but it's more likely that your doctor would want you to finish this pack and either start new with the new Rx next month or wait another month or two to see if things improve. That was my doctor's choice--I had to take Triphasil for _four_ months and it was awful for me (some women just love Triphasil and won't take anything else--it's as personal as your favorite pair of shoes).

All it takes is a phone call! Call the office, explain to them how awful you feel, and if you're inclined to try something else, ask if you can be switched to a different progestin to see if that works better. There's a post in the FAQ's on all the different kinds of pills and what's in them, you might take a look at what's out there.

Good luck!

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-20-2003
Fri, 10-08-2004 - 12:08pm
If you are sexually active, DO NOT QUIT TAKING YOUR PILLS. I did the same thing. I was on tripashil and I was miserable. I quit taking them on Aug. 18th and had Dr's appt. on Sept. 3rd and he prescribed a yasmin. I had to wait to get my period to start the yasmin. Well I never got my period and now I am pregnant. I wish I did not stop taking the tripasil and it was a stupid move that I never thought would happen to me.