Jill--Help

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2007
Jill--Help
19
Fri, 03-30-2007 - 8:40pm

Jill,

I don't know if you can help, but I respect how knowledgeable you are and I wanted to run this by you.

I have severe PMDD, which includes menstrual migraines that have also started to happen at other times of the month. I am 47 and may be in perimenopause.

I take Yaz, not for BC, but to treat the PMDD, which has been a life saver. Well, exept the migraines started coming every other day or everyday. Now I am on several meds to control the migraines because nobody so far has wanted to take me off the Yaz, until today.

I saw a GYN/Endochronologist who wants to take me off the Yaz so she can check my hormone levels (they were normal two years ago). She says that they have had great succes with treating PMS (she refuses to acknowledge that what I have is PMDD) using Depo Provera. She says it would shut down my cycle. My understaning is that Depo will shorten and eventually stop periods after about a year. I also understand that there is no antedote for depo so if I have a bad reaction, I am stuck with it for 3+ months. I also understand that it could make me much worse. Or it might make me all better. There is also a black box warning...I think it's about risk of osteoporosis if used for more than 2 years. Is that right?

I am afraid to go off the Yaz even for a short time to have my hormones checked. She wants me to finish this month's pills and have a period. Then I would not take the Yaz for two weeks and go see her and have my hormones checked. Then, I have no idea what happens...

She also said that Yaz cannot be used to skip periods as my Internist has me doing because there is not enough estrogen to keep one from having breakthrough bleeding (BB). I have been having BB and that is often when my migraines begin.

I am lost and very unhappy. I suddenly feel like there is no hope..like I am at square one...

I have to say that I did not like this doc. She was not at all empathetic. She did not take a complete medical history. She has no idea how long I have been on Yaz or how long I have had PMDD. She does not know that I don't use it for BC. It's as if nothing mattered to her about my past. The things I did check off on the history form she paid no attention to. I felt like I was some unwanted distraction that had wandered in off the streets to bother her.

Sorry, I had to vent.

Any feedback is much welcomed.

Marcella

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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
In reply to: mdsblu1
Fri, 03-30-2007 - 11:21pm

Hi Marcella, welcome back!


      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2007
In reply to: mdsblu1
Sat, 03-31-2007 - 7:37am

Thank you Jill, you are soooo good :-)

I do not like the idea of using depo. If it causes spotting and breakthrough bleding that will just mean more migraines for me. I don't like the idea of it's side effects and the black box warning. I just do not see it as an option.

I have an appt with my internist soon and I am going to talk to her about it. She is really wonderful and I know she will understand. My DH and I have decided that I will not go back to the GYN we saw today. I will try to find someone else who can help me. In the mean time I have upped the dose of Lyrica to prevent the Migraines. I am very hopeful that this will work.

I agre that it would be good to get another look at my hormones. It's just that in the past they have always been normal.

Thank you for understanding and replying. I will keep you posted. BTW, I really do love the Yaz, just not the headaches!

Marcella

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
In reply to: mdsblu1
Sat, 03-31-2007 - 12:28pm

Hi again Marcella,


      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2007
In reply to: mdsblu1
Sat, 03-31-2007 - 1:25pm

Hi Jill,

I like this idea even though it is a surgical insertion. At least it can be removed if it is unbearable!

I will talk to my doc about it. Thank you!

I will update you when I know something :-)

Thanks again for your support and advise--I really think you are great!

Marcella

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-12-2002
In reply to: mdsblu1
Sun, 04-01-2007 - 7:15pm

Hi Marcella,

I read through this thread, and I think it's a good idea you are getting a second opinion, or at least seeing your internist again. I agree with your decision not to go back to that other gyn.

While you do need to go off Yaz if you have to get your hormones tested, 2.5 weeks isn't long enough to show whether or not your hormones are normal. This is because it can take quite a few months for your hormones to correct themselves after being on hormonal birth control. I had a Mirena IUD (progesterone only) for 3.5 years, I had it removed over seven months ago and my natural progesterone levels are still trying to recover.

I do think that you need to consider the idea of going off Yaz if you are getting migraines on a regular basis. Hopefully your internist will have a better suggestion. If I were in your shoes, I would try Implanon before Depo. You wouldn't have the risk of bone density loss, and you can get it removed if there are issues. Depo can screw your body up for two years after you stop it as well.


 


 


iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2005
In reply to: mdsblu1
Mon, 04-02-2007 - 7:15am

Think about what you are telling Marcella to do. Remember, she is taking the Yaz for PMDD, not for birth control. When a woman who has severe PMDD, the Yaz is actually a relief. No, the migraines certainly aren't... but stopping Yaz will most certainly cause more problems than the migraines. Suicidal thoughts every month. Marcella can't risk that. The Yaz is her lifesaver.

Vida

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iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2007
In reply to: mdsblu1
Mon, 04-02-2007 - 11:12am

Vida,

Thank you for pointing this out. Many of us on Yaz have for the first time in many years been able to get through the late lutial phase without suicidal ideation or suicide attempts. I am one of those people. It also allows me and others to be with our loved ones without causing pain or upset. PMDD ruins lives--the lives of the people who have it and the lives of the people around the person with the PMDD. Going off Yaz is not an option for me--there is no other treatment out there right now for me. I can't take antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds only help so much. Alternative therapies offer some relief but they do not even begin to touch the more severe symptoms. As I said in my first post, neither my internist or my nuerologist want me to stop Yaz. What they are looking for is ways to manage the migraines. The Yaz works.

Again, thank you Vida,

Marcella

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2005
In reply to: mdsblu1
Mon, 04-02-2007 - 11:23am

No problem, Marcella. I'm one of those people as well.

People who don't know what PMDD is need to avoid giving advice about treatment options for it because it's more of a disservice than good advice. Right now the best course of treatment for most women is the Yaz birth control pill. Contrary to some beliefs, evening primrose oil will NOT help PMDD. If you have PMDD your best bet is to try out the Yaz, and don't give up after only one month.

Vida

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-12-2002
In reply to: mdsblu1
Mon, 04-02-2007 - 7:18pm

I didn't try to tell her to do anything, I merely said that she should consider it. And I didn't really say anything that Jill didn't say, aside from the fact that, to get an accurate hormone level test, two weeks off Yaz wouldn't really cut it.

And it is explicitly stated that if a woman suffers migraines due to her pill, then she needs to stop it. The migraines might be bearable now, but chances are they will get worse over time (assuming of course that she has been on Yaz for three months or more, and they obviously haven't stopped). And if they do and they reach the point that migraine treatments don't keep them under control, then what? Her life will suffer again, regardless - you only have to see the posts from the women on the Migraine & Headaches Board to see what their quality of life is like for some of them. Some women on there have been known to express suicidal thoughts.

Having been on Depo and suffered severe side effects myself - including horrendous mood swings, this was one of the reasons I suggested that if she were to go for a progesterone-only method, to try Implanon first. Because it appears that the side effects can be recovered from quicker than with Depo.


 


 


iVillage Member
Registered: 04-18-2003
In reply to: mdsblu1
Fri, 04-06-2007 - 5:42pm

Marcella,

I have no understanding of your situation, but good luck in finding a good solution. I am glad Jill is helping you. She is an excellent resource.

I know it is tough because each method affects each user differently. I wish you the best in figuring this out with your doctors.

I was going to post my experience on Depo and Norplant, which is similar to but NOT the same as Implanon. After reading Vida’s comments, I chose to refrain because I am not familiar enough with PMDD to do you any good.

Good luck.
Holly

Holly

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