the pill...cerazette

[pulling out my hair]

I just threw my Cerazette packs into the trash after only three weeks. I have been on combinatin pills for the past 10 years and while I had the usual mood swings I only stopped them because I was developing melasma on my face which can happen after taking them for so long. So onto Cerazette. It took about 10 days for the effects to hit me full force. Awful bloating, stomach pains, abnominal pains, moody as hell and constantly on the verge of nausea. The only way I knew I was not pregnant was the constant spotting. I stopped taking the pills five days ago and go figure, realized that I had neglected to see the hair loss (I am talking hand fulls) until now. Hopefully that will stop soon. I have never had any horrible side effects like this before, so I am thinking this pill is not for me. My doctor did not mention it, but it seems these pop pills do have more side effects maybe?

[Angelfire]

Yikes....I'm a little unsure what to expect now but I will keep you posted, I took my last pill yesterday and swapped it for folic acid instead today! My GP was really positive about the likelihood of NOT having any side effects coming off Cerazette, but I shall wait and see. Anyone know how quickly the weight is likely to come off?
I have to say I thibnk Cerazette worked well for me, I just hope it doesn't have any effect on my fertility returning to normal quite quickly.

[worriedmumof1]

I have read samples of what everyone has written about this pill. I have been on Cerazette for around 6 months, all was going fine until 2 days before a family wedding in August, I suddenly started
- feeling very sick
- had some stomach cramps
- Hot flashes
- Cold flashes

Occassionally it backed of and would give me a reprieve but would always come back with a vengance. I have stopped haing sex with my partner for fear that the nausea is acctually a stomach bug.

In the last few weeks

- I have noticed my hair is falling out,
- I am loosing weight,
- my joints ache,
- I feel emotionally and physically drained,
- constant nagging in my back
- repulsion at the thought of food, (I do think this may be linked with feeling sick)
- with a mix of diorreah and constipation thrown in there.

I have been talking this through with my doctor who is arranging a rediculous amout of tests, but he never seems to mention the Cerazette?
Could this POP pill be the root of all my troubles?

I would apreciate anyone who has had similar experiences to get in touch with me, and how they went about discussing this with their doctor.

[Rowana]

I took Cerazette for 18 months quite happily, having regular but really light periods, until this summer when I developed really bad acne in my armpits. After trying different razors/deodorants/showering 3 times a day the main remaining suspect was this pill. I also put on about a stone in the time I was on it, but I was aware my eating habits weren't as good as they could be so not sure it was anyones fault but my own.
Stopped taking it early July; it took until the end of September for my normal cycle to get reestablished - and I've always been a heavy bleeder so there was no mistaking it - and am now waiting to do a pregnancy test at the end of this month after much determined trying to conceive. My armpits are not yet completely back to normal as I'm still getting the odd spot, but the painful red eruptions have gone and I'm left with some scars.

[hazelnut]

I have been on cerazette for nearly 4 years and on the whole have been happy with how it works. I went on it as doctor had concerns as I am overweight and possible risk of deep vein thrombosis. I do get bad skin, and my liabido is less than it used to be, but never have had periods which suits me. That is until the lastr week. I had a severe case od gastritus, was sick and had bad diarrohea, but continued to take pill throughout. Had stopped being sick, and diarrohea stopped, around same time I had spotting. This has been on and off for about 6 days, with yesterday being the heaviest yet, but not enough to need a pad or tampon. I had nothing by the evening, and had sex. Nothing after sex either.
Has anyone else every experienced anything like this, as been on pill for so long? Also, do you think the bleeding is a sign iis stopped working? concerned as had sex last night but it has been 6days sice had any diarrohea/sickness, and have taken it religiously same time everyday...HELP!

[clairabell]

i have been taking it for months now...no periods...high sex drive ...but now in alot of pain with breasts and womb????? anyone eles having same probs??

[hazelnut]

well, made my mind up after researching cerazette throughly, and seeing my GP. Have decided to stop cerazette, and go back to a combined pill (ovranette). My GP said that really with my family history, and current state ofhealth I don't need to be on a progesterone only pill. On a combined pill there are less of the bad side effects, and fertility is supposed to return to normal if trying to conceive once you stop it. Only down side is gonna start having periods again!! However at least I won't have the niggly worry I always had that I might be pregnant!
For anyone wanting advice on this pill, I have to say from my experience (4yrs on cerazette), the minuses outweighed the benefits for me.
PRO'S: No periods, 12hr window to take.
CONS: acne, weight gain, mood swings, depression, low sex drive, no periods = no clear way of knowing if possible pregnancy, sensative to the touch breasts!!
Hope this helps anyone out there, as I was very concerned reading other peoples experiences. If fertility is an issue, doctor agreed can take longer to conceive after coming off cerazette, so in my opinion unless you have to be on cerazette for medical reasons, stick to combined pill, or barrier methods (Cap, condoms) or the coil. I know periods are inconvenient, and I'm sure having them again will be unpleasant but in some ways I think its better to know what your body is doing, which cerazette masks.

[nursey nurse]

i have been taking this pill now for nearly 3 months and had no problems until this last week or so. I recently went on holiday and got an upset stomach. I took an extra pill incase it hadne been absorbed and carried on taking the pills at the same time every day. As soon as i got bk off holiday i did a pregnancy test as i am such a worry wart and luckily it was negative. However this last wk 4weeks later, i have had horrible stomach cramps- feels like i am going to have a period but i dont.
I hate worrying that i may be pregnant and it was too early to show on the other test. Bring back my periods. I see my GP in a few wks for a pill review. Has anyone else had these cramps front and back?

[smeged]

Hi all, been on this pill for over two years, had no problems or periods since taking it, gained over a stone thou and asked planning nurse about the weight and she said that the pill will give you a better appetite. Not that I am eating anymore than usual, been to weight loss club but couldn't shift it. Only last month got really bad period pains through the night and thought this can't be right so, stopped taking it now for over a week just to see what happens. Feeling really fat so I hope that goes but I will have to put up with heavy periods instead.

[Amylouise]

Hello everyone,

I am quite shocked over the horror stories i have read so far, I just want to share my expereince with this pill. I have been on it for about 3 years after trying many others before, with cerazette i have had no periods what so ever which has been great but i know my sex drive has decreased. what worries me is that everytime i go into the family planning clinic the nurses are always shocked i am on this pill? any ideas why? Also i have been scared as the nurse said i can only smoke 5 cigs a day because this pill thickens the blood so puts me in danger of having a stroke (i am 26). I am thinking of just going au naturel again.

[hazelnut]

in response to Amylouise, I know that from being on combined pill and cerazette (POP) the risks of a blood clot or deep vein thrombosis are higher on both if you are a smoker. I'm not a smoker, but my sisters are. One has just been prescribed cerazette as her blood pressure was high and she was previously on microgynon 30. I don't think she has been told any restrictions of her smoking, although they recommended she stop, obviously! Maybe your nurse is trying to scare you into quitting!

[Guest]

I stopped taking cerazette one month ago now and have not had a period since. I suppose it's probably too early to make a fuss but I'm a bit confused. Then again I had like 3 periods in a row, with a few days in between each, at the end of my Cerazette 'experience', so perhaps there's just not enough blood left in there for a while?! Makes me mad though, maybe I should've just carried on with the pill if the constant periods were just my body adjusting! I don't think so though cos the period only stopped when I stopped taking the pill. I went back to my doctor the week after I stopped taking it, and spoke to him, he was a bit reluctant to prescribe me something else due to my family's history of heart disease and my highish blood pressure but I begged and after seeing my weight & BP had gone down since the last time, he agreed to giving something a go (as I'd really like to be able to control periods/know when they are coming) and prescribed me Loestrin 20. Incidentally has anyone tried this pill? I couldn't find a topic for it. It seems a less common pill? I gather it has low oestrogen so I may still get cerazette-style spotting/bleeding :/ haven't been able to start taking it yet, because I was advised to wait till my next period, which of course hasn't come & I wish it would so I could try it out. I know some of these forum posts say it took a while to get a period after coming off Cerazette, but does that go for everyone including those who bled whilst on the pill? Or was that just those who had no periods on that pill anyway? I'm wondering how long I may have to wait. Really doubt I'm pregnant as only had sex once when I was on cerazette and have bled since then anyway. Couple of weeks ago I got terrible lower back/stomach cramps so thought maybe it was on the way but a few days later they stopped and nothing has come of it :/

[Guest]

Um, ignore my above post. Came on this morning typical. Good thing though. I would still appreciate anyone's experiences with Loestrin though if there are any, even though I know this thread is about Cerazette.

[princess198538]

i have been taking cerazette for 5 months now and i do have the occasional bleed its nothing major just spotting i no longer get period pains i have not put weight on with it if anything i have lost weight. Id defo advice anyone to have this pill

[SuzyG]

Hi all
Have been on Cerezette for 10 months and have just stopped taking it.
I was on Binovum for about 15 years and had no problems at all. But...because I was 35 and a smoker the doctor took me off it.
After 2 years I thought I would enquire about other types of pill seeing as I had stopped smoking. I was put onto Cerezette.
I had problems at first with bleeding, not heavy, just enough to cause me bother because it was constant. Gradually the periods got lighter and fewer. I ended up with only a light bleed every 2 months or so.
On Saturday I stopped taking it for the following reasons:
weight gain...gone up 2 dress sizes
hair loss...plug blocked, pillow covered
fatty deposits on the hips and thighs and on my back
my legs look swollen
feeling bloated all the time.

Now I have only been off it for just under a week but am starting to feel less odd and bloated. Can anyone else tell me if the swelling on my legs and thighs will go?? Does the weight come back off?? I have always been a very small person and its really upsetting me, my dovtor wont have it that its this pill thats caused it!!!!!