Pill vs. Patch vs. Shot

Pill vs. Patch vs. Shot vs. Ring

Tell me, which of these do you prefer? Pros/cons for any you've been on?
Thanks

idoyognaked said:

Tell me, which of these do you prefer? Pros/cons for any you've been on?
Thanks

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Things were great when my girlfriend got the shot. Then she got her second shot, 6 months later?, and everything really hit the fan. She turned into Krazy Grrl. First she was nice, then she was mean, then she was weepy, then she was... well, come to think of it, she was NEVER horny after that.

Ambivalent as I may sound, I'm kind of against the shot. What's the name of it, again?

Re: Re: Pill vs. Patch vs. Shot

Chuckwrox said:

Things were great when my girlfriend got the shot. Then she got her second shot, 6 months later?, and everything really hit the fan. She turned into Krazy Grrl. First she was nice, then she was mean, then she was weepy, then she was... well, come to think of it, she was NEVER horny after that.

Ambivalent as I may sound, I'm kind of against the shot. What's the name of it, again?

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yep , shot bad , shot very very bad. It made my friend blow up like a balloon with weight gain , messed her period to hell and back and then she didn't have one for almost a year.
I prefer the pill ... however I don't need it anymore

Funny how I just stumbled on this thread, because I had
my annual ob-gyn exam today (which went very well by
the way).

Last year I was put on Yasmin, one of the newer birth
control pills, due to me having very irregular periods (due
to stress from my job), so far its served me well! I highly
recommend it.....the first 3-4 months that I was on it I
had the occasional nausea but other than that I was fine.
I just got my prescription renewed for it today, so I'm
happy as a clam

I had thought about doing the Depo shot but didn't....and
when I've heard different stories about those who've had
the shot, and the subsequent weight gain and other things,
I'm glad that I did not go for the Depo.

Anyhow, the only "side effect" from the Yasmin I get is that a few
days before I get my period, I get very moody, I cry....so I combat
that w/ taking some extra calcium (I can't swallow horse pill
vitamins so I take Viactiv calcium chews).

I recommend the pill.


tigerjen

Silly question TigerJen .. does calcium help moodiness before a period?

MistressRain said:

Silly question TigerJen .. does calcium help moodiness before a period?

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surprisingly, it does.....I actually found that out from my
gyno about that. I had started taking a calcium supplement
when I had bad cramping a long while back and it helps.

Some friends are on the pill and all they have to tell me is slight weight gain (which I would actually like) and clearing up of the skin. Also, less cramping, which would be great since I get them pretty bad. I was wondering about the patch though. I assume it'll have pretty much identical effects as the pill. I'm hesitant about it though because I'd be afraid it would fall off. I mean I know it's designed to stay on and everything but still plus it just wouldn't feel like I was on anything if I'm just putting a sticker on my skin, you know? One of my roommates is on Depo and she doesn't have many problems with it. I like the appeal of not getting my period. I have an appointment in a month so I have until then to decide which one. Keep the suggestions coming

I've tried being on the pill and that was disgusting. I gained weight, was moody and had heavier periods. I hated trying to take the damn pill at the same time every day. I also know several children conceived on the pill, so I don't find it to be too reliable. Come to think of it, I got pregnant on the pill too (I miscarried very early).

I've never tried the patch, but I've heard good things about it. However you do still get your period, which I find as a downside anyways. However, when I need to switch methods about a year before I decide to have a baby, I'll probably go this route as you only have to worry about it once a month.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the shot. (depo provera) Rather than containing both progesteron and estrogen, it only contains progesteron. What does this mean? Progesteron sheds the utuerine lining. Estrogen builds it back up. Thus, in other forms of bc, the estrogen is building uterine lining, and then you get progesterin the week before you bleed, which causes you to shed the lining. On the shot, you're only getting progesteron. That means that once you've shed the lining, you don't get your period. At all. You also can't get pregnant because there is no lining to support a fertlized egg.

I have never experienced weight gain with the shot. I have had some problems with painful breakthrough bleeding twice (in about 3 years) but that was a sign to myself and my gyn that we needed to modify my injection schedule. You usually only have to get the shot on a 10-12 week schedule, but I process the chemical too quickly so I'm at about every 8 weeks.

The cons are that it is unpredictable to know how your body will react. For every woman who adores the shot, there's another MORE vocal woman who hated it. But that's generally true of every pill. I hated ortho tricyclin. The other major con of the shot is that once you go off it, it will take between 6 and 12 months for your lining to build up enough to start having normal periods again or to be capable of getting pregnant.

So, in order of preference...The shot, the patch, and in a distant last place the pill.

bump

I'm with deliciously_naughty. I have been on Depo for several years now. I experienced minor weight gain, but I was already depressed. It has not affected my libido (though the antidepressants have to an extent). The best thing about it - and really the reason I'm on it - is that I don't get my period. That's the best thing in the world to me. For me, the birth control bit is secondary. Sure, it's handy (I have medical problems that would make getting pregnant bad), but I'm really on it because it stops my periods.

I have been on all three.

Pill=two pregnancies. Doesn't seem to work for me. I could be blamed once but TWICE?!?!?!? I don't think so....

Shot--Irregular periods and hard to get in to my doc to get the shot. Many, many reported cases of infertility afterward. No thanks.

Patch--I liked it. Easy to use. Visible which can make this more suitable for the paranoid. Drawbacks: Leaves a bandaid-gunk ring and itches if put under clothing seams. I wore mine without stopping so I did not get my periods.

I am planning on asking for the Nuva Ring when I see my doc next time.

That is inserted and worn for the cycle. I have never heard a negative report about it.

There's another shot besides Depo called Lunelle that's relatively new. This one is monthly instead of every 3 months. Feedback from anyone who's been on that shot, or on NuvaRing too, would also be appreciated.

Thanks for all the input so far

My wife tried two different types of birth controll pills then switched to the patch.

The patch by far is her favorite.

I'm all about the shot. I do get my period once in a while, but it's very light and short. I was on the pill for 1 month, but I kept throwing up and had no libido at all. If you do use depo, you should take calcium supplements.

- green fairy

I forgot about the calcium supplements bit. Actually, extra calcium is good for every woman. I like the chocolate Viactiv chews, myself.

I'm on the patch now, and it's all I've ever used. I actually just put my second patch ever on today, so I'm new at it. I like it so far. No spotting yet or anything. I did get really dizzy one day during the first week though. I can only put the patch on my ass because thats the only place it wil be hidden when I wear my swimsuit, but I guess that doesn't bother me too much. im scared of it falling off, even though it probably wont, and it always sticks to my clothes and gets the sticky ring around the edges. I'm glad that I only have to worry about it once a week, so I think its pretty good.

When I first started on bc, I went on the pill. First one I tried gave me horrible cramps, and my period lasted almost 2 weeks. They scrapped that one, and gave me another, and that one was even better! (Insert sarcasm there) I got my period (I think it was my second cycle on those pills) and 3 months later, it went away. That was AFTER I stopped with those pills.

After that, I was strictly a condom girl. Yeah, yeah, I have a 7 year old to show for that method. After she was born, I went on depo, and it worked great for me. Some weight loss, no period, no moodiness, no side affects that were bad at all.

Well, after hubby and I had #2, I went back on it, all excited and ready for my life to be fine again. Wrong. I was bitchy to the point where I didn't use a normal voice when talking to my husband. I ad a sex drive in the negatives. Seriously, I didn't let him so much as kiss me.

I gained weight, not much, but enough to make me feel even worse about myself. I didn't have my period, but I still had cramps every month like I did. And the bad thing is, I didn't even notice that it was the shot doing it until about time for my 3rd one. I talked to the doctor about it, she assured me that it was still just working through my system, and then she stuck my but. Yay.

I didn't go back for my 4th, and within a week or two of my missed shot, I lost the attitude, practically raped my husband every time I saw him, and started having a normal period.


Since then, we did condoms until we were ready for # 3, and now, my tubes are 'tied'. No more bc for me. *yay*



I think overall, though, your bodies reaction can be different to diffrent things. Chemicals react differently, your hormone levels are different, even from one year to the next. Something that worked before might not work again, and something that didn't work before, might now. Good luck in what ever you do decide to use.

TiltedHalo2805 said:

I'm on the patch now, and it's all I've ever used. I actually just put my second patch ever on today, so I'm new at it. I like it so far. No spotting yet or anything. I did get really dizzy one day during the first week though. I can only put the patch on my ass because thats the only place it wil be hidden when I wear my swimsuit, but I guess that doesn't bother me too much. im scared of it falling off, even though it probably wont, and it always sticks to my clothes and gets the sticky ring around the edges. I'm glad that I only have to worry about it once a week, so I think its pretty good.

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Wait, can you only ever wear it in one place? You can't wear it on your shoulder one week, and then another week if you want to wear your swimsuit you wear it on your ass? Or is it just that you've only just started, and it's summer so you're swimming a lot?

the only way to go...

VASECTOMY!!! The only way to go. Ladies, if you're done having kids, make him get those puppies snipped.

The pill gave me PMS.

The shot made me psychotic and depressed.

Foams/sponge/condoms all caused allergic nasty burning itchy rashes.

Abstinence, withdrawal, rhythm....no freaking way!

Originally posted by Etoile
Wait, can you only ever wear it in one place? You can't wear it on your shoulder one week, and then another week if you want to wear your swimsuit you wear it on your ass? Or is it just that you've only just started, and it's summer so you're swimming a lot?

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You can change where you put it every week, it's just that yeah, its summer, and I'm swimming a lot. And I never really know when I'll be swimming, so I wouldn't want to take the chances of putting it on a different place.

I heard that the patch is not a good idea for heavier women. Is their any truth to that?

anything where you get your period is not for me

As for infertility caused by the shot, I've looked into it and there isn't any sort of reliable statistic on it. Granted, it does take about a year for you to get your period again, and it can take up to 18 months to become pregnant, but that's because it takes 6months to a year for your uterine lining to build back up. After that, it will take however long it will take for you to get pregnant.

Lunelle, the once a month shot is not as popular, and actually may not be getting produced anymore. My doctor told me that they don't carry it anymore, but I wasn't sure if that was b/c it wasn't be made anymore or what. I don't have any other information on it.

Hi! This is the wife of y=mx+b. Karebear, the Pill has been shown to be less effective in woman who weigh 150 lbs. or more. The Patch, however, is fully effective in women up to 200 lbs. It is recommended that women over the weight limit for each method use a barrier as back-up.

To my knowledge, weight is not an issue for Depo-provera, but it is known to cause weight gain. I had a patient who gained 50 lbs. within 3 months of using Depo.

Like my dh said, I use the Patch and think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. I'll likely stay on it until we try to get pregnant.

*bump*

Come on ladies, I know more of you have been on at least one of these before. As of right now, I think I'm leaning towards the patch but I'd still like more suggestions.

Thanks

I've been on the pill for about four years now; I love it. Have not gotten pregnant (although I'm deadly afraid of that changing), nor gained any weight (been within 5 pounds of the same weight for 3 years), and it works wonders for cramps and skin breakouts. I have yet to have a truly agonizing period, and that for me is the worst part of it. Don't mind bleeding once a month and I think I'd panic more if I just didn't have one at all.

As for other side effects, I have not noticed any more moodiness than I already had...granted, I started on the pill in my junior year of high school, when my mood swings were at an all-time high, so ANYthing was better than that! I have started getting once a month migraines, but I'm unsure if that was directly related to the pill or not.

I would consider going on the patch although I don't really know of any better reasons than the convenience of not needing to remember a pill every day. The shot scares me. I've found something that works, and until I get pregnant, I'm happy with it.

Still wishing for the vasectomy, though...