Re: Problems with Seasonale
From: Katrina (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Tue Jul 26 17:30:23 2005
I started it on a regular 28 day pill taken continuously (throwing the
sugar pills away so no period) after my first lap in 2002. About a year
later I started bleeding and bled for 8 weeks and stopped only by taking
two active bc pills a day for almost two weeks.
My doctor switched me to the Seasonale then. For a year I did quite
well on it, with only minor spotting and my cramping was not too bad.
Since August of last year I have been having problems with it that seem
to be getting worse. I have much more breakthrough bleeding, have
cramps at least several days a week, and whenever I exert too much
energy (hiking, hunting, 4-wheeling, etc)I cramp so bad I can't move for
several days again and bleed for 4 or 5 days.
I am quite sure it is the seasonale that is causing this, as it does
contain components that may cause blood clots and since nothing in my
daily routine has changed. If you are considering taking it, or just
started, pay attention to these details (as I'm sure everyone on this
forum does) because Seasonale may not be the best choice.
At Thu, 21 Jul 2005, Lori wrote:
>
>I tried Seasonale last year and gave up after bleeding continously for
>three months. It was awful.
>
>In 2001, after having been on Demulen for a year I started taking it
>continuously. That did work. No bleeding of any sort for four blissful
>months (I did it because I was living in a remote place in S. America).
>I went back to taking it 3 on/1 week off for the next 6 months and only
>went off of it to try Ortho Tri Cyclen for my skin (a bad idea - it made
>me anxious, and I quit BC all together until the seasonale).
>
>I really wonder if it helped that my body was already used to Demulen
>before I tried to go continuously...
>
>Glad to hear the advice about the timing and taking 2 at a time. Wish I
>had known that then. I also wondered if not taking it at exactly the
>same time each day was causing the problems. I may never go on a pill
>again (on Lupron now, will maybe be on depot provera after) but that's
>good to know in case I do.
>
>At Thu, 21 Jul 2005, anonymous@obgyn.net wrote:
>>
>>At Mon, 20 Sep 2004, Christina wrote:
>>>
>>>Hello everyone! I just recently started Sesonale last month. I too have
>>>been bleeding for almost 3 weeks straight... My doctor told me to wait
>>>one more month and I should be alright. I'm getting so frustrated
>>>because this is the 3rd type of birthcontrol pills I've had since May...
>>>I'm so frustrated!!!
>>>
>>>--
>>>Christina
>>>
>>>At Sun, 19 Sep 2004, anonymous@obgyn.net wrote:
>>>>
>>>>At Wed, 19 May 2004, chris wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>At Thu, 13 May 2004, anonymous@obgyn.net wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>At Thu, 6 May 2004, Teresa wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>At Sun, 11 Apr 2004, anonymous@obgyn.net wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>At Fri, 16 Jan 2004, Kathy wrote:
>>>>>>>>>I recently had a trial of Seasonale for three months. Within the first three weeks of taking this cbcp I started bleeding- first lightly and then gradually like a regular period. It lasted fourty one days. I called my doctor after 15 days and she said it was normal, then after 30 days I called again and she said to go off the med for a week and start again. I bled very heavily for the week I was off and started again. After two and a half weeks back on Seasonale I started bleeding agian for another eleven days. Finally my doctor took me off. I've had trouble taking any form of birth control continuously. Now I started Demulin. Don't know much about it and whether anyone else does? My seasonale experience sounds similar to others though. make sure you call your doctor. Excessive bleeding can cause anemia too.
>>>>>>>>>Hi all! I am currently on Seasonale, and it's my first month on them. I
>>>>>>>>>have to deal with some new side effect everyday. For the past week or
>>>>>>>>>so, I've been feeling cold for a couple of hours, then hot for the next
>>>>>>>>>couple of hours. I also have been bleeding off and on for the past
>>>>>>>>>couple of weeks. Has anyone ever experienced this? The gyn. said that
>>>>>>>>>the bleeding is normal. But I thought birth control was supposed to
>>>>>>>>>stop the bleeding not start it. TIA!
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>--
>>>>>>>>>Kathy
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Hi Kathy,
>>>>>>>>I have also recently started taking Seasonale and am in the 3rd cycle of
>>>>>>>>my first pack. I started breakthrough bleeding approximately at the
>>>>>>>>last week in the very first cycle. I am now as I said in the 3rd cycle
>>>>>>>>of my pack and am still bleeding. I really would like to continue but I
>>>>>>>>am having serious doubts, It has been almost 6 weeks of having a
>>>>>>>>"period" How has it panned out for you?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Gina
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Hi Gina, my Seasonale experiences mirrors yours. I am in week 10 of my
>>>>>>>first pack. I have been bleeding pretty much non stop since I began the
>>>>>>>pills. Not heavy most of the time but enough to be a pain in the neck.
>>>>>>>Sometimes not much more than a little discharge and others times almost
>>>>>>>like having my "period". I really had hoped that Seasonale would work
>>>>>>>for me but am thinking that I probably will stop them rather than
>>>>>>>purchase a new pack after I reach week 13.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>--
>
>>>>>>>Teresa
>>>>>>>
>>>>Hi all,
>>>>To those that have been experiencing a lot of "breakthrough" bleeding,
>>>>here is what my doctor told me to do ( and so far it has worked): the
>>>>sales rep for sesonale told her to tell her patients to take 2 pills at
>>>>exactly the same time a day for 3 days. For me, the bleeding stopped
>>>>after the 1st day. Then she said if that did not work, to contact her
>>>>office. She also said that Seasonale is very "time-sensitive" and it is
>>>>imperative to take it at the same time every day because missing it by
>>>>even 2 hours can create the tremendous breakthrough bleeding we are all
>>>>experiencing. Hope this helped.
>>>>Sarah
>>>
>>Thank you so much for putting this up here. I jumped on the internet to
>>search feedback and problems on seasonale because it made me bleed a
>>week earlier than my regular cycle with breakthrough bleeding, and i've
>>been breakthrough bleeding for the past two weeks. It is so
>>frustrating, and I thought maybe there was something wrong with me.
>>Yeah, it's great not to have a period every month, but not at this price
>>of spotting every day and you don't know when it's going to stop. I
>>would start to spot just a bit, and took a pill because i thought it
>>would compltely stop it, but it only started it up full force again. If
>>you have to take this at precisely the same time every day...i don't
>>want a half hour to make me have my cycle every day for the week. And I
>>shouldn't have to pump my body up with a double dose of this stuff every
>>day just to have it work. I'm going back on my old stuff.
>>Thanks.
>>Julie
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