Mini-pill - progesterone only trial

Well I tried this for a month. My own trial, thinking that this might be a better birth control pill option, thinking that a steady dose of progesterone would be benificial over estrogine spikes.

I got 1/3 more migraines. I'm going back to Yasmin. It's been hell.

You absolutely have my sympathies. Despite constant reassurances (actually, scrap that, LECTURES) from my GP that the mini-pill wouldn't affect my migraines I found myself completely debilitated. Ended up on 1-2 migraines a week, compared to 1 a month off the pill.

Came off it and the effect was almost instantaneous. Can't believe Drs are told to spin that line to their patients. I was so so ill....

LHx

Hi LIz

I was off the pill for years and I still got migraines. I do have to be careful what pill I take when I do take it. I just can't win but I'm glad it worked for you. Definatetly worth a try, but I wouldn't recommend the mini-pill.

Thanks for letting us know how it worked. I guess I won`t be trying it.

My daughter just tried the mini pill for her migraines too. She's going back to see her doctor to switch back to her regular pill. The mini pill didn't help at all.

That stinks. My dr. tried me on the mini-pill a few years ago, but she wasn't optimistic about it. Not negative, either, just realistic - said, "this may not work for you with the migraines, but we can try it. I'm thinking you may not be able to take birth control at all, and if that's the case, we'll explore an alternative." She was right. So its "alternative" methods for me. LOL I've tried more standard birth control pills and mini pills and got severe migraines within a ridiculously short period of time and they were constant, debilitating, etc. Just can't tolerate it, I guess.

I was put on the pill back in 1995 for the migraines. They figured it would help my ridiculous hormones....and this was no GP, this was one of our most respected migraine doctors in London. I lasted ok until the pill free week. When I had the scariest migraine I had ever had.
My husband called the GP out. She didnt say much, except...you have migraine, go to bed, dont take any more.....

HRT pushed my through the roof too. Hormones are very twitchy things..

I'm the complete opposite. I can't take the combined pill.

I can remember having migraines as a kid, but nothing too severe. When I started taking the combined pill, a monster was unleashed in my head, pretty much immediately. Even thought I promptly stopped taking it, it was too late.

I just wonder if I'd have had less migraines if I had never taken the combined pill..... prob not, but still....

What I did when I first started on the pill (not for BC but for migraines) was take the active pill all the time. I'd throw out the week of placebo pills and just take the active pill. That knocked out my period and kept me from having the extra migraine that I'd get each month. Then, when my new neuro (not my current one, but new at the time) didn't like me having any estrogen at all in my pill (I was on one of the lowest doses of estrogen at the time), the gyn (who came up with the idea herself) switched me to the depo provera.

I was on that for close to 10 years with great results, as in no period and no extra worse spike each month. But then, about a year and a half ago, in the span of two months, I gained 50 pounds! Once I realized what was going on and quit the depo, I had put on another 10. I've lost 45 of those 60, but I still need to lose about 20 more, since I was coming off weight gain from other drugs. So now I'm on the implanon, an implant in the arm that lasts three years and very slowly releases progesterone. The dose is so tiny that it shouldn't have an effect on my system, even if the progesterone in the depo did. But because I already had such a thin lining from the depo, I have maintained not having periods, which I LOVE!

The doctors have all assured me that it is perfectly safe to live without periods, and since I don't expect to have kids anyway, I am perfectly happy with the system I have.

In my opinion anything hormonal (pill, injections like Depo Provera, implants, hormone releasing coils etc) is absolutely lethal for migraine. If I where you I would stop it right away. It could make a real difference for you since you are having such a rough patch at the moment.

Whenever I messed with hormones my migraines went stratospheric (as in not reacting to triptans anymore). Skipping the pill free week and taking it continuously to avoid having the period is a very dubious practice to say the least. At some point my body just wanted and needed to have a period and I got one despite taking the pill continuously without brake.

It really cannot be healthy (despite what doctors - mostly male - say) to suppress the female reproduction system in such a manner. Imagine men being advised to take a pill to suppress their perfectly healthy male reproduction system. <---- this is the reaction you would get.

I have been off hormones for 10 years now and will never ever touch the stuff again.

P

Petzi,

I think it depends on if hormones affect your m. For me, I have no hormonal relationship and I have an IUD. Mine is following endometriosis treatment though and has kept it away for the last 5 years which has been worth it. The benefit of light to no period (I still cycle and all the crazy hormones are still there) is just a plus and not the reason I did it. I don't know if it's different across the pond but in the states, not so many male ob/gyn's anymore. I actually refuse to see a male and it's not a problem finding a female doctor (I refuse to see someone who can't empathize with what I deal with and men just don't get it).

Becky

Becky,

you are lucky that your headaches are not triggered by hormones. Obviously when you have medical issues with your lady bits you have got to do something about it. If hormones help fine, but if you are a healthy girl with no problems in the reproductive area why strain your system.

In UK/Germany/Austria there are plenty of male gynecologists about. Sorry guys, but in this case I tend to sexually discriminate. Talk about awkward and uncomfortable . After a couple of embarrassing and unsympathetic encounters I finally found a lovely female gyn who is just the best.

P.