I know there are already discussions on this, but I really don't know what IUD or "Taking Charge" or whatever it is people are talking about on the other posts, and to be honest, I'm not interested. I just want to talk about birth control pills.
I just started taking it, am on the last week of my second pack (the little white "placebo" pills). I have one more pack left, but am considering just putting an end to it now. Should I finish out the last month and then go off of it, or just move on with my life now and stop taking the pills this week?
My reasoning for stopping is because I think that it has made me sick. I feel sick every morning, which I didn't used to before. Instead of just putting an end to my cramps during my period (which is what I wanted it to do), I seem to have cramps the whole month. I get stomach-aches and diarrhea and wonder if it is the cause of my loss of energy and overeating.
I've heard many terrible things about the pill recently as well -- that it decreases sex drive, increases weight, messes up your body basically. I don't know why I wasn't informed of all of this BEFORE I started taking it...
And what's this about lactose? Is there MILK in my pill? WHY?!?!?
Any suggestions about what I should do, what I can expect coming off of it, and what some other pros and cons to birth control does to your body would be very appreciated.
I'm mostly frustrated because I've been wanting to buy a nice bra from my christmas money, but am worried about waiting for my bra size to change!! First up, now maybe down (maybe even down to smaller than before? I hope not :( ), and it's just all this time and waiting and I'm kind of sick of it. I wish I never went on the damn thing in the first place.

I had similar problems when I first started taking the pill.  I called my doctor several times and she said to give 3 or 4 months until your body is "normal" again.  It sometimes takes a while for the hormones in the pill to override what your body is doing naturally. (which I'm not so sure I want my body overridden...)

I have considered going off of it too, but it really does help with cramping and overall mood. 
Before you stop taking it, call your doctor.  I was fed up and my doctor said to give it another month and all was well. 

You might make a pro/con list.  I'm sure others can tell you all the cons.  I've tried to look up the cons on line but all that ever comes up are the positive effects of the pill.

Also, there might be other factors besides the pill that are making you feel sick.  I would try and stick it out or talk to your doctor and see what he/she thinks.  I hope you feel better soon!

I talked to my doctor (not my OBGYN) and she said my sickness might be from the pill. She gave me additional pills to take with the cramping and also told me to get a fiber supplement. I've been using both, but I haven't seen many changes. Did it really get a lot better for you after the three months? It just seems like I am putting way too many things into my body and not letting it do it's natural thing. And it seems a waste to have to wait another month or two if I find that I'm still feeling terrible from it... I'm really not sure what I'm going to do. I'm indecisive by nature, which just doesn't help at all!

Just get off of it - what's the con?  I don't think it counts as waste when it's already pretty much waste as it is....may as well keep your system clean and functioning so you can help the rest of the population - we need a lot of help. 

  since you just started, i imagine your boobs will just go back to the size they were before, so you should still be able to get that bra. 

Shannon - i played the game of Pharmaceutical Jenga (just piling pills ontop of pills to feed growing numbers of side effects that clearly signal that these medicines aren't working) and i only got worse and worse and took more and more medications and lotions and face washes and antibiotics and anxiety drugs...NONE of which are in my system anymore, and I'm healthier (and prettier - healthier, plumper skin, brighter eyes, more healthily proportioned, and happier than I've ever been. 

I mean, if you want to be purely objective about it, look at their motives - you only pay them when you're sick (vs doctors whose clients pay them to maintain their health - there bad doctors have sick patients, whereas here, "good" doctors have lots and lots of patients who come in regularly)...Look purely at the effects of foods and how many people are prescribed LOADS of pharmaceuticals before -if ever- considering nutritional aspects of the person.  So rationally, and evidently, doctors are more motivated to keep their patients sick than they are to keep them healthy. 

If we really wanna talk healthcare revolution...i suggest we start holding these corporations and the doctors that support them more accountable. 

The evidence is really overwhelming once you start looking at it. 

Point being - my response is to leave it behind and talk about it with your friends. 

I think the decision to stay on any birth control really depends on your reasons for being on it in the first place and whether you feel they are worth the effects any regular drug will have on your body, but I definitely agree with Juxta on the hazards of layering medication.  If your pill requires more medication just to simply stand it, I cannot see how that is good for you.  I think it is time to reevaluate the brand / type of oral contraceptive you are taking because they are not all created equally.  I have had a very bad expereince with one brand and type of birth control, but after trying another, it's been like night and day for me.  Sometimes this can be a difficult discussion with your doctor, but it's totally worth it.  I don't believe doctors want to keep their patients sick to make money, but they definitely establish relationships with phramceutical reps and brands that they are more likely to offer because they can get those drugs at a better cost to themselves.  Your body is the only thing you'll have throughout your whole life, and you want to keep it in good working order, so no question is insignificant.  You should feel like you understand the medication you're taking and how it works. 

From personal experience stopping the Pill after 2 years of use, it also will take some time for your hormones to become regular again as well once you stop.  Regarding the lactose ingredient, you can also have a conversation with your pharmacist about what's listed in your birth control.

I hope you start to feel better soon!

The reason I went on birth control was mostly because my cramps had gotten so bad during my period. The night before telling my mom I wanted to go on the pill, I had thrown up because of cramps... And I do NOT throw up very easily. (It's not always THAT bad either... just very painful. People always say exercise helps, but I really can't even bring myself to move half the time). My periods had also started to become longer and heavier and it's just such a pain (literally).
I also wanted it as a good backup in the case of pregnancy. I am sexually active with my boyfriend, and we use condoms, but if something were to ever happen I wouldn't know what to do. I am unwilling to get an abortion, and I am not ready to be a mother seeing as how I am only 19 years old. So it was a nice little "safety net" of reassurance I suppose.

Well, I got my period last night, and I have to tell you the cramps are still bad... maybe even just as bad as before. I'd rather just be taking IBU 800 for this like before when I got cramps.
I've talked about it with friends a lot and I have come to a decision: Whether there is a pill out there that will work for me, it is NOT this one. So I refuse to start my next pack, even if my body will adjust more (and a few friends have suggested that their's hardly did). Because I'm on the last week, there really isn't enough time to try a different kind right away. SO, I'm going to go off of it for a little while, evaluate how I feel and how my periods are. I'll give it some time, and if I see noticeable improvement, then I have no reason to try another kind. If I'm still struggling or interested, then yeah, maybe I will.
Thank you all for your input, it's also helped me to reach this conclusion :) You girls think it's a good one?

Hi all,
If you could consider going superhero for one month before you discontinue your medication, you may find that the transition is easier.

Modern western dietary habits upset the ability of the body to balance the hormones required for menstruation. The superhero plan allows the possibility for balance to re-establish itself. Alicia's daikon drink will help. As well as her cure-all and phlegm fixer. All three remedies work well for smoothing the transition.

A macrobiotic councilor and an acupuncturist may also be of assistance.

Are you saying to use the Superhero plan with birth control or instead of?
I've been vegan for over a year, and eat fresh most of the time. While I would consider adding in Superhero meals into my life more often, I don't think it is plausible for me, in my situation, to make it an every day sort of thing.
Also, I think that if birth control is upsetting a person's body (especially for a prolonged period of time), they should listen to that and, at the very least, switch to a different pill. Like many said, there are a ton out there. And while I'm sure that one is more likely to agree with me than the one I am on currently, I just don't feel like putting myself and my body through all of the trials and errors of figuring that out. Which is why I'm going to see how I feel once I am off of it for awhile and make my decision from there :)

I was suggesting that your diet might influence the symptoms of imbalance that occur when you stop taking hormones abruptly.
Superhero is the best approach that I am aware of.

Justin- I agree changing diet and acupuncture can both help tremendously with regulating menstruation/getting rid of cramps.  In my experience, a lot of people are more interested in a "quick fix" rather than the slower approach of re-balancing the body so that not only will the cramps be in control, but hormone levels will be regulated thus avoiding other diseases and, if ever one would want to have a child, it would be that much easier.  Juxta spells it out very clearly, pharmecutical companies do not make money unless you take their drugs.  These same companies donate lots of money to medical schools that train the doctors you are seeking advice from.  Every drug comes with a package insert - I suggest you read it.  You will often be suprised.  Your doctor is not required to tell you of the dangers and side effects, but that package insert is required by law.  You are not doing anything to solve the problem of what is causing your cramps by taking the pill - you are only putting synthetic hormones into your body which then stop you from ovulating (among other things) so you just don't get your period.  Yes, you bleed every month but that is just from stopping the hormones and your body reacting to that withdrawal.  It's not a period.  There is something out of balance hormonally or physiologically already with your body if you are having severe cramps.  Masking that now with synthetic hormones is not going to help you in the long run.  Eventually that imbalance will affect other things.  And if you take the pill for X years to cure Y problem and then decide to come off ?  Say hello to your original problem again, probably in surround sound stereo.  The Kind diet is about taking control of your life through your diet -explore extending it to EVERYTHING you put in your body - and all those hormones you pee out every day?  They end up in the water supply.... 

I can only speak from personal experience (I was on it for 10 + years), but I regret being on it. I started when I was 13 because I was bleeding way too heavy for too long and I was in sever pain. The doctor though I may have had early signs of endometriosis and though putting me on the pill would correct it. Well, it did, but I battled "morning sickness" for the first few month and after some trial and error I ended up on Yasmin, which I though I loved. There are so many horror stories and lawsuits with this particular drug (and her sister, Yaz). Heart attack? Stroke? Blood clots? Adrenal disease? I don't think so. I ended up going off of it because I was having some major hormonal imbalances form being on it for so long (adrenal problems). I think that there are so much more natural (and healthy) ways for coping with PMS now. Talk to a naturopath about some supplementation. As for brith control-my hubby and I were using spermicide until recently (we're trying to have a baby now :). I don't know if that is the "healthiest" option, but it leaves my hormones alone!

Also, while I was on it, I started having panic attacks. I haven't had one since I wenf off of it a year ago! Another thing, If you don't feel comfortable taking it, then don't. I think a lot of doctors have a hidden agenda with prescription drugs. They push and push because the drug companies pay their paychecks. They are trying to prvent teen pregnancy (a noble idea, don't get me wrong), but by putting EVERYONE on the pill. It's just not worth the risk to me :) There are plenty of other birth control options that are hormone free.

Get off of it! I started having horrible panic attacks when I was on it too, and they've decreased significantly since going off of it. I also haven't had a period in 5 months! Which some people may think is great, but I really don't. I went to the doctor and apparently the pill thinned the lining of my uterus so much that I am still cycling, but just am not bleeding. They think it should come back within a year. It's really a terrible thing to put into your body.

The pill is extremely dangerous.  I was on and off of it for a long time, and the hormones (of several different pills) made me absolutely crazy.
Seriously look at your diet!  Going vegan and then superhero was the best thing I ever did, and I was vegetarian before that.  I realized that the dairy and eggs in my diet were affecting me so badly all those years! 
I grew up in a meat and potatoes house, and cried over the meat almost every meal.  My dad insisted I eat it until at the age of 16 a colleague Dr. of his said to let me go veg because the lining of my stomach was deteriorating.  Since my period started at the age of 13, it was always terrible, sometimes lasting as long as 10 days and extremely painful and heavy.  Sometimes I would pass out at school and have to go home. 
Anyway (sorry this is so long), the pill did make my periods slightly less heavy, but my PMS was worse and I was very neurotic.  After i got off of it the first time, within a few weeks my poor hubby cried and said he was so glad 'to have me back'!
There are plenty of other methods of birth control that will work beautifully if used correctly, you don't need to risk your health, sanity, and marriage pumping yourself full of hormones! 
When you are cramping badly, as Justin suggested, a warm healing tea or soup does wonders for soothing things from the inside out.

Hi Shannon! I was wondering if there was a birthing center anywhere near you.  I know that this may sound like a weird question (since you are obviously trying NOT to get pregnant right now), but there is one near me and I recently made my appointment for my annual women's physical there.  I never knew that they did anything other than deliver babies.  I can get my annual pap and talk to them about holistic approaches to birth control.  Just something to consider. The most important thing is that you do what feels right for you.  It is your body after all! :)  Good luck!