IBS and The Birth Control Pill - if you take the pill, read this
#153394 - 02/23/05 04:36 PM
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nh
Reged: 07/29/04
Posts: 3
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I have had IBS for a very long time - constipation and spasms/cramps which make it impossible to breathe much less eat and function normally. In the past few years, my condition has worsened and IBS bouts have increased in frequency. However, recently I decided to do a little experiment and change my birth control pill from Yasmin to Loestrin (I had taken Loestrin for 8 years then decided to try Yasmin about a year ago. I had been on Yasmin for a year straight.) Well, it's been three months and I've had not one symptom of IBS. This is quite incredible esp. if you could have seen how much I was suffering. When I made this decision to change my pill, my next step was to get off of any and all PILLS immediately if I felt no change. Net/net I was desperate to try anything b/c doctors and diets didn't seem to work (I am in very good shape and work out/do yoga regularly.) I honestly think it was my Birth Control pill this whole time...Just something to think about if you've tried everything and your a woman on the pill.
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I also just started taking Loestrin and it has helped my IBS TREMENDOUSLY! I'm a new person... 
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awesome. so happy for you. i didn't go into much detail on my posting, but the reason I stopped loestrin the first time is b/c my period got really superlight and it freaked me out. however, i do believe, as my gyno said, that it means nothing about fertility etc. b/c eventually on yasmin, my period came back. however, a heavy period is not worth the cramping and vomiting and C...My stress level has only increased since I changed back to Losetrin so the IBS isn't bc of the stress. I'm sure we're going to find out all the side effects of the Pill years from now when long range studies can be conducted...
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I'm on OrthoTriCyclen Lo right now. I was on OrthoTriCyclen for 3.5 years before I switched to the Lo version about 2 years ago. I will be returning to the regular version of OrthoTriCyclen next month because they are free  .
I haven't had any problems being on OrthoTriCyclen since I was on it before I ever had IBS, but I wonder if it might contribute to the symptoms.
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Elizabeth
all those years it wasn't IBS - it was celiac!
send me an email: liz@dopple.net
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...is not that one pill is right for us all, but that the slightest "malfunction" in our hormones can send our IBS a screaming!!! Wish there was a sure perfect way to find that ideal hormone balance. I don't have any "parts" left so don't need birth control but still fight the hormone wars!!
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Take care,
Michelle
...the greatest of these is LOVE. (I Cor 13)
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I'm sort of like that too. My IBS and bcp started about the same age. So I can't say how I would feel with a change of bc. I take orthocyclen. I do think though that I feel better on the pill than off b/c it makes periods and cramps so light. Every so often I have a bad month (which was this one) and might still get D once in a while (this time I had it worse than ever since the diet- quite unexpected and only period related) but compared to what I had when I was a teenager it is so mild. I used to get bad D and cramps so bad I would vomit. Now I don't even have to take advil. So I guess I'll just stick with the same pill. I am SO scared of getting pregnant that anything is worth staying baby-free!
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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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There's been lots of discussions on this board about connections between the pill and IBS symptoms - some say it causes theirs, while others have gotten worse after going off the pill.
Like you LM I'm freaked of getting pregnant and I also love the easy periods on the pill. Well, I'm on the patch now actually, as I duscssed this with my doctor in the summer (mostly on the issue of trace amounts of lactose in the pill I was on, Alesse). He thought it would be better too since the hormones don't have to go through my digestive system and just go straight to the blood stream. I can't say it's made a huge difference in my IBS symptoms though, as the time I started it my life also started getting more stressful (went back to school after the summer break). But I like the patch more anyway cause it's sooo much easier to use (you don't have to remember to take a pill every night at the same time etc.) I know some women who've gotten skin reactions to it but it's worked great for me.
I think that any messing around with our hormones is going to affect IBS. I considered going off contraceptives that do that, trying a diaphragm and condoms or something, but I think I'm going to stick with the patch (which is, btw, the same hormones as the pill, just in patch form) for now anyway (and I just got a 1 year prescription refill so at least for that long!)
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The first doctor that diagnosed me 14 years ago immediately took me off the pill. At the time, we were ready to start a family, and this was no big deal. However, I went back on the pill after my second son was born, and for the past 9 years have taken the lowest dose available with no problems.
My opinion is similar to all posted - hormone imbalance does affect our IBS, and my hormones are totally messed up without bc pills. I also suffer severe PMS that is greatly helped by the pills, so I guess I'll be on them as long as my health allows it and my gyn thinks it is safe.
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God is Faithful!
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Cool! I was thinking about switching to Loestrin when I get into my 40s (not long now...), so I'm glad to hear that it gets you more stable.
Before that, though, I'm hoping to convince my doctor to approve my using 2-3 pill packs in a row so I cut down on the frequency of my (fake) periods. I'm definitely less stable when during my non-pill week.
Is anyone else out there using the pill or patch to skip periods? I believe the official term is "menstrual suppression".
--AC
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Yep, I do it occassionally like when I'm travelling or when I just don't want to get it (I also get less stable during that week). My doc says it's totally ok as long as you're on a low dosage pill or patch - which included Alesse which I was on, and that patch Evra that I'm on now, and a bunch of others. It's a wonderful option to have and I've never had any problems or side effects with it.
There is another pill or patch or something out now though on which you only have to go off it 4 times a year (so you only get your period 4x/year). Not sure what it's called but I'm sure you could find it on google or ask your doc about it.:)
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I use the ortho evra patch and I do this too. My doctor said that I just have to make sure that I at least have 4 periods a year so I only have to take it off about every 3 months. It has been great although I still get kinda crampy around the time I should have gotten my period but thats really my only complaint.
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a friend of mine was diagnosed with IBS four years ago after she changed pills. She changed back and hasn't had a single symptom since...wish I could blame mine!
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S.
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For those of you who went off the pill and IBS symptoms decreased or subsided altogether, did it happen right away? I went of the pill a month ago and have seen no change in my IBS...can I rule out the pill as a contributor?
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