Effect on growth: oral contraceptives/BCPs

[ParisEmanuelle]

There might have been previous threads on this, but I'm very concerned about this issue. I'm thinking about discontinuing my ortho-cyclen. I've read about so many different side effects that can occur when you stop taking them. However, I feel like I'm experiencing more side effects by taking them (shedding, nausea, voluptuous hips

), so I'm just going to bite the bullet and quit! My hair grows fairly nicely and I've got length, but my main concern, like many, is density. What's the use of having long hair if it's not as full as you'd like it to be?

Ladies, I'd like to know your experiences with this matter and how it affected the condition of your hair. Thanks much!!!!

 

[afrodyt2000]

well I was on ortho tri cyclen and I swear I was losing too much hair so I switched to the patch and I still had some serious symptoms I wouldn't want to ignore. My doctor suggested I try Yasmin, another pill and I have heard that it supposedly helps you lose weight or not be bloated around when your period is coming.

 

[Kaela]

I take ortho tricyclene and have been for awhile with minimal side effects...they still exist however. BCPs deplete your body of b-vitamins which I think can be a contributing factor to any hair thinning. I always take a multivitamin daily, and sometimes additional Bs to help combat this effect.

 

[adrienne0914]

after switching between several brands, i stopped taking BCP last october because of all the shedding that i had. it was pretty bad. it took about 6 months to completely leave my system before the shedding totally calmed down. by the way, Yasmin was the last pill that i took. for me, the shedding was about the same as the rest of them, but i know others that don't have a problem with it.

 

[pressncurl]

I've been taking Ortho-tricyclen for a year with no noticeable side effects. My hair is as thick as ever, growing great, and no more shedding than usual.

 

[Sky]

Paris,

I took many different pills - ortho, Yasmin ( what a disappointment ) and my hair still shedded and was not as dense, as you say. Immediately ( within a month) after stopping the pill I had virtually no shedding and my hair is so much thicker (I already have thick hair) . It is a major difference. My family even noticed without me telling them that I stopped the pill.

It took me 5 months to decide to stop taking the pill so I know its not an easy decision and my hair was just one of the deciding factors. And I may add that even when I increased my vitamins it still did not stop me from shedding like crazy. Good Luck.

 

[ParisEmanuelle]

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. I will be quitting in a couple of weeks, and if there are couple of months of shedding, I'll just have to endure it! I think as long as I continue my daily vitamin intake and take care of my hair, it will be better in the long run!

 

[kix]

Hello ladies!

My two cents worth here!

Anytime you start or stop any hormone products, you will see a slight bit more hair shedding than usual. Sometimes a lot more. However, this is a temporary process as your body has to adjust to the new hormonal changes. As long as you have no other underlying medical conditions, and are not abusing your hair, the shedding will come to a minimum and can even stop altogether, with proper care. In my many years of starting and stopping various birth control (hormone-based), I have had no significant or long term problems with hair growth/hair shedding.

Best of luck to you all.

Kix

 

[Sky]

[ QUOTE ]
Hello ladies!

My two cents worth here!

Anytime you start or stop any hormone products, you will see a slight bit more hair shedding than usual. Sometimes a lot more. However, this is a temporary process as your body has to adjust to the new hormonal changes. As long as you have no other underlying medical conditions, and are not abusing your hair, the shedding will come to a minimum and can even stop altogether, with proper care. In my many years of starting and stopping various birth control (hormone-based), I have had no significant or long term problems with hair growth/hair shedding.

Best of luck to you all.

Kix

[/ QUOTE ]


I understand what you are saying because everyone is different and I know that everyone may experience different side effects.

For my case I was on the pill for 2 years(this last time consistently) and my symptoms lasted til the day I stopped taking them. I only even recognized the damage it was doing to my hair within the last 8 months because I found this board 8 months ago (thank God) and started to take care of my hair. My hair was jacked up before this board and was shedding then too. But since I hadnt found this board( and didnt know the possibilities!) it didnt matter to me that my hair was shedding.

Since I found the board my hair has been in wonderful condition and I eat right and everything. That is when I realized it was the pill and reluctantly went off. I wanted to believe that my mood swings, hair shedding/thinning and extra 15 lbs was not due to the pills and would one day stop. That never happen. Since I have been off the pill I am at my normal weight and my hair doesnt shed when I comb it and it is so thick that I was just thinking the other day that the longer it gets the harder it is going to be for me to handle beccause it has gotten so thick.

Even in the BC pamplets they list hair loss as one of the side effects. Hair shedding or loss on hormonal pills is real. For some people it may stop , for others it will not.

I am all for people protecting themselves against pregnancy, but if you know your body is responding differently(negatively) and it has continued to respond that way for months even years, then I think people should listen to their body and do whats best for them. For someone the risk of being pregnant is greater than the other risk which is entirely understandable but there are significant risk ( which hair shedding is included) to taking the pill.

 

[Champagne_Wishes]

Quite honestly, I didn't know that one of the side effects was shedding. For me, I didn't have any shedding (lucky me). My hair is still thick as usual but I'm experiencing breakage. It's an relatively old problem. I would like to get off the pill but I kind of need it because of acne. A catch-22 in my case. *sigh*

 

[Sky]

[ QUOTE ]
Quite honestly, I didn't know that one of the side effects was shedding. For me, I didn't have any shedding (lucky me). My hair is still thick as usual but I'm experiencing breakage. It's an relatively old problem. I would like to get off the pill but I kind of need it because of acne. A catch-22 in my case. *sigh*

[/ QUOTE ]


Lucky you! I wish to God that my hair didnt shed or that I didnt experience the other side effecs. I just had to write my comments because it was stated that those side effects were temporary ( for those who had them) and would go away and in my case that wasnt true.

For some people they may not go away and the body may never really adjust to the pill. For my acne I take Differin, which for me works a lot better than the pill. That was another concern of mine that my face would break out a lot after I quit the pill but luckily for me it didnt. I think it just didnt agree with my body. But I guess for every woman that it negatively effects there is another woman that it works for, so if it works for you then thats great.

 

[Champagne_Wishes]

I've tried Differin but no dice. I resorted to Accutane. Now that medication made my hair dry and shed, but it quickly grew back (Thank goodness) Breakouts is null so far but my skin is kind of on the blotchy side. Apparently the side effects was hypopigmentation a.k.a. lightening of the skin. It's not on Michael's level but it's noticeable lighter. My new dermie took me off of it. Now I started using gentle products, I starting to notice that I must be suffering from sensitive skin.

 

[Sky]

(Dayum this board is addictive)

I could not get a prescription for accutane , my dr said my acne was not that severe ( and it wasnt but I wanted something to work quick) so differin was my first real perscription. I dont even have to use it everyday. But I did notice when I was on the pill I didnt have to use any acne medication.

The things we girls must do to look beautiful!