I am experiencing several side effects with the contraceptive pill, what can I do?

Question

Hi, I am experiencing several side effects from my contraceptive pill (Alesse) : vaginal dryness, lightheadedness, slight nausea, and headaches. I used to take Marvelon, but it gave me such bad acid reflux and nausea that I would vomit at least once a week while on it. I tried the copper IUD, but my menstruations are very heavy and painful and it made it worse (I passed out from anemia + the IUD travelled lower to my cervix) and I have tried the hormonal IUD (Myrena), which caused me to have an hemmoragic ovarian cyst that led to a surgery. I have tried the Lolo Pill in the past (5 years ago) as it is the lowest dose on the market, but it made me depressed and I had similar side effects to the ones I got on Alesse. hi! Thank you for your answer. As I mentioned, copper IUD is no longer recommended for me given how much I lost blood while on it. My obgyn removed it and recommended a hormonal IUD instead, but that didn’t turn out great …. I will talk to my doctor about it and see if the patch is an option. It has not been three months I am on Alesse yet (2 months now). I asked my pharmacist and she told me it is better for me to see after three months if the side effects go away. thank you so much for your time. kind regards, [Name removed]

Naji-tom Samaha · Accepted Answer

Hello, These are indeed possible side effects of Alesse and other contraceptives. If you want to be sure that they are due to Alesse, and if it is a possibility for you (your pharmacist will be able to confirm that with you), I think suspending Alesse for a short while to see if the symptoms disappear would be a possible avenue. After that, re-starting it to assess if the side effects come back. There are many other types of contraceptives, but seeing as you mentioned not wanting progestin-only ones, there is the contraceptive patch, and copper IUD (non-hormonal). I invite you to discuss these and other options with your pharmacist and doctor if Alesse is not a suitable option for you. I hope I've been helpful, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any other questions Kindest regards Tom Samaha, pharmacist I am sorry, I had misread about the copper IUD. Please don't hesitate if there is anything. Have a great day.