Dianette making me fat?

MelanieC

Not sure where to post this but just wondering if anyone knows or has experience of taking the contraceptive pill Dianette? I'been taking it for a couple of years now and it's fine in that sense but I seem to be finding it really hard to lose weight (go to the gym 3 times a week and kill myself! and don't eat outragously) and I'm wondering if this could be the cause.

I know it's the strongest pill available with the highest dose of hormone (the others didn't suit me for one reason or another) and is actually also prescribed for chronic adult acne so maybe the strength of it causes more weight gain and bloatedness than the other pills?

It's the only thing I can think of coz otherwise I don't know why I'm not a size eight the rate I'm going!

Does anyone else have any info or personal experience re this particular pill in this way? Coz if it is this then I'll come off it in a heartbeat and go with a different method of contraception. It'd be worth it to finally be rid of this flab, it's not fair! :mad:
Thanks guys.

Lux23

I don't think the pill in itself makes you gain weight, its a steroid so it increases your appetite so you would actually need to be eating more.

If I were you I would go to the Doctor and get checked out, if they say it could just be the pill then consider going off it for a while or look at other options like an IUD.

But maybe there could be things in your diet that are making you gain weight so maybe pop along to the Nutrition and Diet forumn posting up a typical day (with portion size) and the regular posters should be able to give you some pointers. It could be that you are eating too much of something.

LegacyUser

I've been on dianette almost 2 years now, and I haven't noticed any change in weight at all. But weight gain is common enough afaik.

vibrant

Same thing happened to me, I was eating well, exercising lots and the weight was just not budging.

Went on Yaz, lost 7lbs in the first three months without any great effort.

Looking back I think Dianette is a really lousy, horrible pill and I'd encourage everyone to think if they really want to stay on it.

Yaz also helps with adult acne, it just doesn't have those horrible strong side effects that I found on Dianette. Like the weight and the witchy witchy moods! :eek: Have a chat with your doctor the next time you're in.

MelanieC

Thanks!
Lux, yeah it is a steroid and don't steroids blow you out and make you puffy and bulky?
And vibrant, I don't find it affects my moods but like you say it is a very strong drug for acne, (which I don't even suffer from), so it could be it's too much for my body to take and process normally? Thanks for sharing your experience, at least now I know that it has happened someone before so that means it cetainly could be happening to me too.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming it entirely for my weight but it just seems to me that considering I eat well enough (not super-healthy but not terribly either) and am exercising loads, I should be losing weight automatically but I'm not, like something else is preventing it from happening.

PS: Have said it to my doctor a couple of times but she just says there's been no scientifc link between the pill and weight gain proven yada yada yada......so won't really commit herself to saying yes or no but I think that because this particular one is so strong maybe it does have this effect on the body?

LegacyUser

I'm on Dianette for nearly the past two years, in the first 3-4 months I had gone from just under 8 stone to 9st 3lbs. I know that doesn't sound like much but I have a small frame and have never ever had weight problems before.

Anyway, like yourself I've been trying to lose the weight and it's not budging. I went to my GP and told her about it, she wouldn't take my concerns seriously, the same as yours. I went to another GP who said that I had to stay on it for another 6 months (was originally prescribed it for menorrhagia and acne) so I have 3 and a half packets left... counting down the days! But yes as another poster said, I've been told I'll be put on Yasmin or something else that's not as strong.

I sympathise with you OP! I'm honestly eating better and exercising more than I did before I started it and I've seen virtually no difference.

billybigunz

Yeah it is the piill, I'd stop taking it.

SOme people might try and blame eating too much or exercising too little but we all know it is the pill.

miss no stars

From Irish Medicines board:

Although Dianette also acts as an oral contraceptive, it should not be used in women solely for contraception, but
should be reserved for those women requiring treatment for the androgen-dependent acne described.
....
It is recommended that treatment be withdrawn 3 to 4 cycles after the acne has satisfactorily resolved
and that Dianette is not continued solely to provide oral contraception. Repeat courses of Dianette may be given if the
androgen-dependent acne recurs

Also, my own doctor said that you really do HAVE to come off it after two years. It's crazy that you're still on it. And yeah, Dianette does seem to make your weight go up.

sam34

billybigunz wrote: »

Yeah it is the piill, I'd stop taking it.

SOme people might try and blame eating too much or exercising too little but we all know it is the pill.

its irresponsible and potentially dangerous to tell someone to stop taking prescription medication

also, you cant be 100% sure that it is indeed the pill causing her weight gain, there are other potential causes

shellyboo

sam34 wrote: »

its irresponsible and potentially dangerous to tell someone to stop taking prescription medication

also, you cant be 100% sure that it is indeed the pill causing her weight gain, there are other potential causes

Methinks billy is trying to be smart.

sam34

shellyboo wrote: »

Methinks billy is trying to be smart.

i'm not so sure about that!

shellyboo

sam34 wrote: »

i'm not so sure about that!

Definte whiff of sarcasm off his post IMO. Implying that the OP is simply eating too much and blaming the weight gain on the pill.

MelanieC

shellyboo wrote: »

Definte whiff of sarcasm off his post IMO. Implying that the OP is simply eating too much and blaming the weight gain on the pill.

Yeah I agree, think Billy has decided that I'm sitting on my ass all day eating cream cakes and saying damn this pill for making me fat..........which is totally untrue.

I am not saying that the dianette has necessarily made me gain weight, I did that all by myself by not eating well or exercising enough in the past. What I am saying is I think it is preventing me from losing the weight now that I am eating well and exercising more than ever.

Basically I am eating healthier than ever before and exercising far more than ever before so why is it that I am heavier than ever before? I'm heavier now than when I lived a far unhealthier lifestyle which seems odd.

And reading that literature from the Irish Medicine Board saying that no-one should be on this pill solely for contraception and certainly not for longer than two years has got me really worried. If it is that potentially dangerous why does my doctor keep prescibing it for me? :eek:

Is anyone else out there on Dianette purely for contraceptive reasons? I would appreciate your experiences. Thanks everyone.

implausible

I wouldn't be 100% that it's the pill that's causing this problem. You sound like a friend of mine who, despite being a very healthy eater, found it impossible to lose weight when she took up exercising on a regular basis.

The doctor, eventually, took her seriously and got her thyroid checked out. It's underactive and had been for many years. God knows the size she would have been if she wasn't as active as she was!

It's worth checking out OP, but it sounds like it would also be a good idea to change pill. Some types just don't suit some people, it can be trial and error e.g. Yas turned me into an emotional wreck, no problems with microlite.

dudara

billybigunz wrote: »

Yeah it is the piill, I'd stop taking it.

SOme people might try and blame eating too much or exercising too little but we all know it is the pill.

@billybigunz - please stick to helpful posts only. Sarky comments are not appreciated in Personal Issues

dudara

LegacyUser

Is anyone else out there on Dianette purely for contraceptive reasons? I would appreciate your experiences. Thanks everyone.

as was said above...and from what i was told by my own doctor...dianette is the strongest pill out there, it is not actually intended to be used soley as a contraceptive pill..its main use is to treat acne/hormone issues, it just happens to be a contraceptive aswell...

If it is that potentially dangerous why does my doctor keep prescibing it for me?

i was on dianette for 5 months...*i am not trying to scare monger*..but i ended up with a massive pulmonary embolism from this particular pill...very nearly died..i was put on it for reasons other than contraception ie acne...but these things happen..it could've happened with any other pill..but i would seriously consider getting a second opinion/changing doctors.. i would definately question a doctor who seems to think its ok to prescribe this pill purely for contraception purposes...also a doctor who would perscribe such a strong pill without trying lower dose alternatives first...

to answer your actual question...i actually found that i lost weight on this pill...was less bloated too..but different pills effect people in different ways.

MelanieC

Thanks everyone.
Just to address a few things - I have had blood tests galore coz it occurred to me too that maybe I had a thyroid problem, but no, everything's fine in that area.
Also, to be fair my doctor had tried me on lower doses of contraceptive pill but none of them ever suited me and so that's why Dianette was eventually prescribed. Microlite and a few others I can't remember the name of were too light for me and I kept bleeding between periods and the next one down from Dianette brought me out in a rash. I had the implant in my arm for a while as well but again I was bleeding constantly on it. So I guess this is the only thing that will work for me contraceptive-wise and maybe that's why my doc keeps giving me repeat prescriptions for it.
After reading the posts on here though, I'm quite nervous about it now, even apart from the original concern I had.
I have five more days left in my current pack so think I will come off it after that and see if i notice any change. I'll just have to be super-careful contraceptive-wise (I got pregnant with my daughter while using a condom!) and hope for the best!

LegacyUser

Yes, it's definitely the pill. I was on Dianette for 5 months and went from 8 stone 2lbs to 9 stone 7lbs, I'm 33 and have been 8 stone since I was a teenager. I changed to Yasmin and thankfully lost all the weight in a matter of weeks.

MelanieC

Thanks Amy,it looks like it's definitely a major factor anyway so like I said, am going to come off it and see what happens. Fingers crossed.
Just hope I'm not back posting here in a few months preggers! (Seriously though.... )

Sheebs

I was on Dianette from about the ages of 16 - 19, because I was so young I didn't really realise I was putting on that much weight and thought it was just a fact of growing up (even though I didn't eat that much and did excercise). When I realised I could probably shift the weight if I changed Pill, i changed to Yasminelle and nothing really changed. Went off the Pill altogether around a year ago and have gone from nearly 10 stone to a nice just under 9stone. Makes some difference to my small frame!

Scarinae

I went on Dianette around the time I left school, partially for my skin and partially as a contraceptive. I did notice my boobs got significantly bigger relative to my weight, and I have got heavier since I started on it, but honestly I think a lot of that is down to change in lifestyle etc as well

I moved to London this year to do a Masters, and went to get a continued prescription from the college health service. The doctor I saw was quite surprised that I was still on Dianette after all this time (over four years), and told me that it is no longer prescribed as a contraceptive. She changed me onto another one called Cileste, I was terrified my skin would flare up but it's been fine

However, all medications affect people in different ways. Only your doctor can really advise you what would work for you - I'd advise just talking to them next time you have an appointment, and suggest that you would like to try a different pill. They may say there is no link, which is true, but there are lots of other contraceptive pills (and other methods, in fact, such as the injection/patch/etc) so I don't see why they'd have a problem trying you on something else for a while

StormWarrior

I took dianette 6 years ago, and it was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I only took it for a few months. Before I started, I had never had a trace of cellulite. Almost as soon as I started taking it, I developed cellulite. I had always had a meagre appetite before, breakfast and a small dinner was all I ever ate. But dianette made my appetite go through the roof, and I was constantly hungry. I soon stopped taking it but the damage never entirely went away. It is absolute garbage, I wish I had never taken it.

LegacyUser

Hi,

I'm on Dianette now for 4 years. I have put on at least a stone, maybe closer to two. Late last year I decided to take a few months break and to be honest I felt a bit better not taking it because my mood improved greatly. I don't weigh myself (too scared) so I don't really know if my weight changed in those few months.

But my skin went CRAZY bad. All through my teenage years I had really bad acne and it came back with a vengance. I couldn't cope with the acne, it was really painful. I went back to my doc and she convinced me to go back on dianette (it was the only thing that solved the acne problem).

I am torn between having acceptable skin and the weight problem. I honestly feel like I have put more weight on in the past few months. I exercise and definitely don't over-eat.
I am tempted to change to a lower dose pill. Does anyone have any experience with acne and a lower dose? I know I have to go back to the doc but a few success stories would be good...

MelanieC

I feel your pain, I'm torn between wanting to lose the weight and wanting to be protected contraceptive-wise. Like I said, I've tried every other pill going (Cileste was mentioned - yep,tried it!) as well as the implant and condoms and nothing suits! Well I guess it was just a fluke that I became pregnant while using a condom before, I suppose I'll just have to trust that it probably won't happen a second time. :rolleyes: I have heard too many horror stories about the injection and coil too to go there, especially as I seem to be the kind of person who will have an adverse reaction to just about everything!
So I understand your dilemma, it's a frustrating place to be and you're not sure what to do for the best. Reading other people's experiences on here of this particular pill though is frightening, don't think there was even one person who had anything good to report so don't think there's really any other option but to come off it and hope for the best.

LegacyUser

Hi,
If it is a steroid, as some people on here have stated, I can sympathise - I was taking steroids for 12 months for an inflammatory condition and came off them a few months ago. They gave me mood swings, hunger cravings and also encouraged my body to store fat - these are natural side effects of the drug. The only thing you can do is keep to healthy food and drink lots of water. Keep the suger/white carbs low - steroids make it difficult for your body to process these. Since coming off the steroids I have lost 1 to 2 lbs per month (a little more at first) without changing my routine. I wouldn't like to go on them again - the mood swings were the most disturbing side-effect - but I might have to. The thing about them is you really shouldn't stay on them indefinitly - they have other potential harmful side-effects in the long term. Definitly talk to your doctor again about the alternatives.
Best of luck.

LegacyUser

Reading other people's experiences on here of this particular pill though is frightening, don't think there was even one person who had anything good to report

not quite sure if its true but i *think* dianette (diane 35) is actually banned in america....wish i knew this before i started taking it!

I've tried every other pill going (Cileste was mentioned - yep,tried it!) as well as the implant and condoms and nothing suits!

what about the IUS...seeing as you've already had a child, or IUD no hormones at all ??

Bottle_of_Smoke

Just had a quick glance at wikipedia. It suppresses the actions of testosterone on tissues. That means going to the gym is less effective because your body won't make as much lean tissue with the calories you consume.

Less lean tissue = less calories burnt up = more fat storage(weight gain)

MelanieC

FFS!!! :mad::mad::mad:So I've been killing myself in the gym and the whole time this damned pill is keeping me from reaping any benefits? That does it, I take the last one of my current pack tomorrow and then no more.

Hopefully I will start to see some changes although don't know how long it will take (oh,wouldn't it be lovely if it was instantaneous??!! :D;)) I'll let ye know anyway coz it seems no-one at all should be on this.

Thanks everyone.:)

LegacyUser

Yeah please do keep us updated hope you find something to suit you eventually!

Best of luck

LegacyUser

My two cents:

I took dianette for nearly 7 years, and now I definitely know that I shouldn't have, at least for so long a period. It caused me to gain weight, lots of celulite, lower sex drive, and depression. At the end of it, I had no energy for anything, and was extremely emotional (cried at the slightest provocation, etc).

Also, when I stopped taking the pill, the acne came back and I was put on antibiotics for it anyway, so it's only a temporary solution.

The upside is that I while I was on dianette I felt that I had less hair on my body, which is always nice, and my boobs got bigger.

So just be careful with it and defilitely don't take it for too long.

StormWarrior

There is no need to take the pill or the implant for contraceptive reasons. There is a coil that does not have any hormones added, which you can get and it lasts for 10 years. I will never take anything with hormones again. Even if you're taking it for acne, it's not worth it.

MelanieC

StormWarrior wrote: »

There is no need to take the pill or the implant for contraceptive reasons. There is a coil that does not have any hormones added, which you can get and it lasts for 10 years. I will never take anything with hormones again. Even if you're taking it for acne, it's not worth it.

The thought of a coil gives me nightmares *shivers*, I don't think I will ever feel ok about having something inserted into me. I know it's great for loads of people but definitely don't think it's for me, just a personal thing.

Barracudaincork

MelanieC wrote: »

The thought of a coil gives me nightmares *shivers*, I don't think I will ever feel ok about having something inserted into me. I know it's great for loads of people but definitely don't think it's for me, just a personal thing.

I can understand it may give you the shivers to have a foreign object inside you etc but if you think about it, you may have felt that way about tampons at one stage. Maybe if you look at the coil as a medical device just like say a pacemaker, or someone who has screws from a bad break still in them etc you may realise that there are a lot of people walking around with foreign objects in them and its normal enough. Im not saying that may ease your shivers, but it may help you look at the coil differently.

I hope you get it sorted and lose the weight etc best of luck!

LegacyUser

No offence StormWarrior but i had to respond to what you say about acne and the pill. I don't know if you have ever suffered with acne problems in adulthood but it is a horrendous and painful skin condition.
I don't want to drag this away from the original topic about weight gain but i think it is very hard for people with clear skin to see beyond the norm in this case. I've even had a family friend say to me recently 'you should wash your face more often'!! Oh if it were only that simple.

lynnsback

Hiya

I was on Dianette for about four YEARS (16-20) and I ended up with totally imblanced hormones and tons of weight gain. My diet did not change. In fact, I started to starve myself when the weight packed on. I became very insulin resistant also. If you want to gain weight, becoming resistant to insulin is a sure fire way of getting there. I am now 29 and have lots of hormone imbalances. I have a strong gut feeling that giving the pill (any pill, but particularly Dianette) to a 16 year old is a very, very bad idea. I ended up with very large breasts (I am not talking about being a DD; I am much bigger than that); which I attribute to giving hormones to a growing teenager.

There IS science behind what I speak of also:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1530790

There is also a great book called The Pill: Are You Sure It's for You? This book has tons of info on the side effects and experiences of women.

My hormones are much better now; but it took me a long time to find a doc who actually tested them all. I now believe that the pill is a very bad idea for any woman for a variety of reasons and think it should only be given to people who: would literally die if they got prgenant (though there are other methods which I have been using for years and no pregnancies for me) OR people whose acne/period pain has not responded to other meds or diet changes (gluten, sugar and dairy can be the big ones).

If you are interested in discussing my experience with non hormonal methods, give me a pm anytime.

As to the thyroid, sadly in Ireland our blood test ranges for the thyroid are totally outdated and skewed. In other countries, people with a TSH above 3 will be dx hypothyroid,whereas here one would have to be at least above 5 and many docs won't treat until 10. Furthermore, antibodies to the thyroid gland are not routinely tested here. Finally, few docs here prescribe natural thyroid or T3; which many, many people need as thyroid treatment.

So, if you change your pill (I think progestin only ones are better in terms of side effects and there is the newest POP, which does not have to be taken at the same time daily) or go off it and find weight still won't budge, it may be time to rethink the hypo thing. I recommend www.tpa-uk.org.uk for lots of great info.

LegacyUser

Well after reading all the negative things about Dianette I thought I better put up a positive expierience. I have been on it for about 8 yrs on and off and when i first read all these posts I was quite worried but then I thought of all the times I have asked my doctors over the years about being on this pill for so long and they tell me there is no problem being on it, different pills have different side effects on lots of people and this pill happens to suit me. I initially went on it for acne but I now use it as a contraceptive. I did put on a little weight at the beginning and maybe moody too but that all settled down after a while.

I think you also have to remember that you body changes alot from when you are a teenager to when you grow into a woman and I don't believe the pill can blamed for all those things, maybe you would have big breats anyway or put on weight.
I don't have any problems with it and Im sure there are lots of others out there like me too.

Munstermad

Just like to add had been on dianette for last 9 years?? Worked great for acne and heavy periods....But am 37 now and really wanted to come off the pill, got Marinea Coil 3 months ago and have lost over 2 stone and almost 3 dress sizes 18-14/12,(I had put up 3 st.5 stone over the past 8 years)
Now I feel great skin a little oily but acne under control...Should have done it years ago as was unable to shift weight and celulite for years despite gym, healthy diets etc etc.... I really cant believe the difference in my shape weight, no more fluid retention and bags of energy etc.....Dianette served me well but will never go near it again. Not blaming it for everything, am sure the weight loss is helping with the energy levels but should have come off it years ago!!!

lynnsback

dianette user wrote: »

I don't believe the pill can blamed for all those things, maybe you would have big breats anyway or put on weight.
I don't have any problems with it and Im sure there are lots of others out there like me too.

Put it this way: by the age of 19 I was a 32FF with a size 10 waist. My sister is a size 8, but only a D cup. All of the slim women I know that have extremely large breasts were put on the pill (any pill I mean; not just Yasmin) in their teens. There is big and there is just oversize.

When I was 29, my hormone doc told me that if he had seen me at 16 he would have taken me off the pill ASAP as the pill was giving me too much fake oestrogen and hence the large breasts. After 30 years of dealing specifically with hormones (he writes books, sees patients and travels the world educating other docs) he feels that the pill will mess up most women's hormone balance in the long run.

IMO from my readings over the years, giving synthetic hormones to someone without a diagnosed deficiency is messing with mother nature and she often fights back. Also, the hormones in the pill are not molecularly identical to the ones naturally produced by a woman. This is good for patents; not so good for patients.

hayleywalsh

Hi i am 16 and i went on dianete last year because of bad acne i was always really slim and since then i put up 2 stone but my skin went clear. I went off the pill because of this and exercised regularly but seen no sign in my weight going down but my skin got worse. I decided to go back on dianete because i thaght it was al in my head me puttin on weight . Im only on my 2nd packet , my skin has already made an improvement but im after putting on weight already . Please help me i dont know what to do

a posse ad esse

Speak with the doctor that prescribed you the medication. There are so many birth control pills on the market and the physician can perhaps find one that does not have the ill side effects that you are experiencing.

Ickle Magoo

hayleywalsh,

We cannot offer you medical advice - if you have any health concerns you need to discuss them with your GP.

We'd also ask that you don't bump other posters threads that are years old in order to post your own query.

As requested, please read The PI Charter before posting.

Cheers.