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Re: About Mircette (Birth Control Pills)From: Patti Tessler, Family Nurse Practitioner (anonymous@obgyn.net)Sun, 19 Nov 2000 17:03:03 -0600 (CST)
At Tue, 14 Nov 2000, Renee wrote:>It didn't have NO side effects on it. Just when and how to use it. >Renee Hmm...I thought the content of the patient insert was the same for each pill on the market and was federally regulated. Well, I'll try to fill in the blanks. In the first three months of pill use, a woman may experience temporary side effects of nausea, breast tenderness, bleeding at unexpected times (called breakthrough bleeding), changes in acne for better or worse, or changes in headaches for better or worse. These side effects normally go away by the time the woman has finished her third pack of pills. I always tell my clients that if these side effects last longer than three months, or are driving them nuts during that three month period, to call me to consider a change to a different pill. Sometimes a woman on the pill will notice a great decrease in menstrual flow, even to the point that there's no flow at all. If a woman hasn't missed a pill, then she should continue taking the pill as scheduled. If she's missed a pill, or misses two periods in a row, she might consider getting a pregnancy test. Decreased menstrual flow may also contribute to some of the pill's beneficial side effects, which include decreased cramps and decreased anemia. Many women also experience decreased acne on the pill, although some will have acne get worse; if that happens to you, contact your prescriber about a possible pill change. In addition, the pill can lower your risk of cancer of the lining of uterus, your risk of certain kinds of cysts and tumors, and your risk of pelvic inflammatory disease. It cannot protect against sexually transmissible infections, so you should use condoms or dental dams whenever you have oral, anal, or vaginal sex. There are other side effects that have been reported with the pill but are less common. A few women have changes in weight, but usually not more than two or three pounds. Occasionally, a woman will have a more siginificant weight gain on a certain pill, but that is quite uncommon, and is often helped by changing pills. Some women note changes in mood, sex drive, frequency of yeast infections, darkening of skin in the face, increase in oily skin, increased OR decreased facial hair, changes in breast size, changes in the fit of contact lenses, and probably some others I'm forgetting. Lastly, some very serious side effects, which are very rare among young women and nonsmokers, can occur. Although they are rare, you should be aware of these warning signs. If you experience blurred vision; shortness of breath; pain in your chest, arm or leg; severe headache; severe abdominal pain; weakness on one side of your body; or speech problems; you should stop taking your pills, call the office that prescribed them, and go to the emergency room if the symptoms are severe. I'm not sure what happened to your insert, but I hope your next pack of pills will include it so that you'll have access to the information coming "straight from the horse's mouth." Please write again if you have further questions. Remember that the overwhelming majority of women use the pill without any negative side effects, and that if negative side effects occur, they can often be controlled by changing to a different pill.
-- Patti Tessler, BSN, MSN, RN, CS Family Nurse Practitioner
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