kayjay Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 hello all, I am going to try birth control pills to help with my POTS and my endometriosis. I know I can't have YAZ because it keeps you from retaining water. I also know that it needs to be monophasic. I have hyperadrenergic pots. Do any of you have suggestions of something that helped you? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potsgirl Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 I've found that Reclipsen (a variant of Apri, which you can't get anymore) seems to work well for me. It's monophasic, and I had been on the Apri for years, switching over to Reclipsen for the last several months. I'm not sure how much it helps my symptoms, but it certainly doesn't cause any. Hope this helps!Cheers,Jana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janey Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 What does monophasic mean? Is this when you don't get periods, you just take it constantly?If so, I take Yasmin, which I find helps my symptoms (I only know this because when I came off it a year and half ago it made everything WORSE!!) because it raises my blood pressure slightly. Yasmin you can take continually or in monthly cycles, stopping each 28 days to menstruate.Janey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potsgirl Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Janey,Monophasic BC pills have equal amounts of estrogen and progestin in all of the active pills. They are known to cause the fewest side effects, since the hormone levels stay balanced. Jana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Burschman Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 I did feel better on BCP (because they raised my blood pressure,) but I stopped taking them because I get migraines with auras, and BCPs raise your stroke risk if that's the case.I took Alesse, or whatever the generic version was. It had lower amounts of hormones than some, so it caused me fewer hormonal problems such as breast tenderness.Good luck! I noticed right away that I started "blacking out" more when I stood up when I quit them. Oh well.Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reef Diver Posted September 19, 2009 Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 I'm not sure if this falls under your qualifications or not... but I'm currently on Lybrel. It's a continuous pill form of birth control in an attempt to skip the monthly periods. I was taking Yaz before my diagnosis without breaks between packs (my Gyno would give me extra packs) but I still was having breakthrough bleeding. They wanted me off the Yaz anyway (the retaining water reason, I suppose) so I switched to Lybrel. I've been on it since the beginning of August and had no side effects or break-through bleeding.No idea if it's monophasic though. Best of luck!Chelsea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadesofgrey49 Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 So is birth control OK for us? For years, gynecologists have recommended I go on it to regulate my cycles. I've been afraid of side effects, especially now that I have the POTS diagnosis. It was possible that I had PCOS, but I think we're throwing that idea out now.I saw the gynecologist today and he gave me a prescription for Loestrin 24 (a low-dose pill). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iheartcats Posted October 20, 2009 Report Share Posted October 20, 2009 I was on a few over the years. The last one I was on was my favorite - Seasonique. I had to pay for it (barely covered on my insurance at the time), but it worked well and didn't seem to upset my POTS.If I had to go back to BCP from Mirena, I'd start with that. I didn't even get migraines any longer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Burschman Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 ShadesOfGrey,A lot of people with POTS feel worse when they get their periods, so many take birth control continuously.BCP do tend to raise blood pressure, so they might not be good if you have high blood pressure from POTS. But they might be good if it's low.However, for those of us who get migraines with auras, they do increase stroke risk. But I've never heard that POTS itself is a contraindication for BCP.Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadesofgrey49 Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 Thanks, Amy. You're right--I feel terrible when I have my period. That makes sense. I'm not really sure if I've experienced a migraine aura. And the blood pressure thing--I'm going to start the beta blocker/midodrine combo soon...I wonder if adding BCP will mess with that. I don't really know what doctor to ask about this as I don't really have a POTS person to manage the little things. I just focused on seeing different people till I found a confirmed diagnosis. I'm thinking about asking my GP after I present her with my condition and all of my records, but I'll have to see her just to ask her this question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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