Deaths in france after taking pill/acne medication

username123

mood wrote: »

Visual disturbance would freak me out. I would go to the optician immediately. I wouldn't have known it could be pill related either.

Yeah, you would think. But they had happened (very very occasionally) since childhood - in fact, I cant remember when they even started or how often I got them, but I knew that they only lasted 20 minutes or so and didnt hurt. So there was a familiarity to them, it was like "oh my eye is doing that flashing thing again, Ill wait it out". Because they were so infrequent until I was an adult, I never noticed any pattern. Then they came maybe once a year or so and I noticed it was always from sunlight glinting off something so I just thought it was some kind of eye twitch from bright light. I had it in the same mental category as when you get a muscle twitching, or the hiccups or something, mildly annoying at the time, but no big deal.

Possibly if it happened for the first time as an adult I would have paid attention. Or if Id ever heard any mention about them or read anything about them. I have never ever heard of someone having an ocular migraine, with no headache, just a visual disturbance, in my real life at all. No one has ever mentioned it. Even when Ive told people they havent heard of it.

I actually self diagnosed after talking to a friend and I found a video on youtube that shows it exactly as it happens to me - that was when I realised I had an issue that I should speak to a doctor about.

sunbeam

username123 wrote: »

To be fair I had never even thought of mentioning the ocular migraines to anyone - I didnt even know what they were, I though it was just a part of the normal human condition and it happened to everyone. I dont tend to discuss every minute sensation I have and I got no headache with them, so I didnt even know they were migraines. I just thought it was a visual disturbance similar to hiccups or something that got triggered by things like sunlight glinting off cars from time to time.

It was only by accident when a friend mentioned that she had to pull in from driving because a visual disturbance with a migraine that I realised it was migraine related at all.

When I say the GP wasnt bothered, she said one or two ocular migraines a year wasnt a cause for immediate action but we needed to keep an eye on it. By the time I had the next visit Id had 3 in 6 months - so it did accelerate and that was when the temp immediately changed me.

I think there should be more public awareness on the ocular migraine thing, I had had them very occasionally for YEARS and never even knew they were migraines.

That was one thing my GP was very clear about when I started Dianette:if I suddenly developed migraines or unusual headaches, I was to stop taking it immediately.

username123

sunbeam wrote: »

That was one thing my GP was very clear about when I started Dianette:if I suddenly developed migraines or unusual headaches, I was to stop taking it immediately.

But would you have known that a visual disturbance, no headache, no pain, that went away on its own after about 20 minutes, was a form of migraine?

sunbeam

No, as I've never had migraine.

Malari

I've been on Yasmin for about 10 years with no side-effects. Lucky I was happy with the first pill I tried so I've no plans to change!

Gauge

Malari wrote: »

I've been on Yasmin for about 10 years with no side-effects. Lucky I was happy with the first pill I tried so I've no plans to change!

I'm the same. It controls my acne and a few other hormonal issues without any side effects so I'm happy with it.

I was worried at one point about the length of time I'd been on it so I had a chat with my doctor and she said that if I'm not a smoker or experiencing any problems it is safe to stay on which was good to know. A lot of my friends talk about how you should take "breaks" from the pill so I wanted to find out if there was truth in that, and there wasn't.

I did go on Dianette as a teenager for about a year to control my acne but ended up switching of my own accord as I found it affected my moods and made me bloated.

Malari

Me too Gauge, I discussed other options because I heard you shouldn't be on that pill that long, but it's the best fit for me, contraception and convenience-wise.

I have no idea why Yasmin was initially prescribed, over any other pill, and I've changed GP since then. It's something I think about!

greenbicycle

Just coming back to this thread myself.

Glad that lots of people have gotten to read my original post as my intention was all about awareness.

I too had no problems whatsoever with my pill and thought it was great. My GP thought it was fine too it was only when things started to get really bad that he started to have second thoughts. In fairness to him, i probably down played everything cause i didn't really want to come off the pill.

I think it is great that there are some of you out there who listened to your bodies and came off the pill when things like migraines and ocular migraines appeared. I had migraines too but had these before i went on the pill so i was not too worried. (Which i now regret!)

These are the people that we need to take a lead from i think.

If all is well thats grand, i would never expect a mass rejection of the pill and this time last year i would have been saying "yeah whatever" to this thread. The pill was far too convenient for me to consider anything else. Bt if you have any doubts or if you think maybe you could try an alternative just do it and come off the pill. And like those wise people who listened to their bodies, if there is anything strange going on, maybe the pill just is not for you and you need to think hard about that.

Mountainsandh

Haven't caught up with the whole thread, just to give my experience : I'm French, so I guess it's relevant.
My sister and I were both on Diane 35 for a good few years. In France, that's what the gyneacologists routinely seemed to prescribe at the time in the 90s, when we were teenagers, as a first pill. It was actually prescribed to us as a contraceptive, with added benefits if you want.

I took it for a few years, then later when i came over to Ireland switched to something else. Never had any problems, but I do remember that our gyne always used to ask persistently and insistantly if we were smoking, and how many cigarettes a day, and warning us about the blood clots risks associated with smoking while on the pill.

My sister who is still in France was on Diane for ages. She had a skin prone to acne and just stayed on that I suppose out of habit. Then the same gyne really rang alarm bells at one stage, seeing as the sister was a smoker, and getting older, and strongly advised her to get off any pill and go for an IUD (after kids etc...).

It was a pretty real worry, and one that we were aware of, because well warned. My sister is ok thankfully, she took it for years, and smoked, but it is a worry.

A lot of women smoke in France, and I suppose the combination of Diane and cigarette increases the risk and might explain the great number of women ill with blood clots ?

I stopped taking the pill too, in my case it was the mood swings/low moods I couldn't bear any more.

Roadtrippin

greenbicycle wrote: »

The pill was far too convenient for me to consider anything else.

I think this is a feeling most women share once they start taking the pill. It is by far one of the most convenient contraception methods and sometimes a lot of women (including myself a couple of years ago) are reluctant to explore other methods simply because they seem less convenient or too risky or something.

However, I reckon raising awareness what serious side effects we need to look out for and talk to our GP about is incredibly important. There are other contraceptive methods and some of them are no less convenient or safe than the pill.
I know a girl that uses an implant after numerous attempts to take different pills and she swears by it. She has had no problems whatsoever with it in contrast to the pill and it has the advantage that she doesn't have to remember taking the pill every day.
When I tell people I use condoms and a fertility app some think it is too risky but for me personally it works and as long as you watch out for the 'dangerous' days it's fine.

Roadtrippin

Mountainsandh wrote: »

I do remember that our gyne always used to ask persistently and insistantly if we were smoking, and how many cigarettes a day, and warning us about the blood clots risks associated with smoking while on the pill.

My sister who is still in France was on Diane for ages. She had a skin prone to acne and just stayed on that I suppose out of habit. Then the same gyne really rang alarm bells at one stage, seeing as the sister was a smoker, and getting older, and strongly advised her to get off any pill and go for an IUD (after kids etc...).

It was a pretty real worry, and one that we were aware of, because well warned. My sister is ok thankfully, she took it for years, and smoked, but it is a worry.

A lot of women smoke in France, and I suppose the combination of Diane and cigarette increases the risk and might explain the great number of women ill with blood clots ?

I stopped taking the pill too, in my case it was the mood swings/low moods I couldn't bear any more.

I think the smoking bit can be a really serious issue because doctors do ask patients whether they smoke before prescribing the pill. But I reckon often patients lie about whether they smoke or not and how many a day and putting their health at risk then because they don't quite realise just how serious the combination of smoking plus pill can be.

The mood swing/ low mood side effect I had as well on the pill and it wasn't just a bad day here or there. Not nice. As I said before, there were too many signs that I clearly just wasnt meant to be on the pill.

sunbeam

Mountainsandh wrote: »

Haven't caught up with the whole thread, just to give my experience : I'm French, so I guess it's relevant.
My sister and I were both on Diane 35 for a good few years. In France, that's what the gyneacologists routinely seemed to prescribe at the time in the 90s, when we were teenagers, as a first pill. It was actually prescribed to us as a contraceptive, with added benefits if you want.

That's interesting. Around the same time in Ireland I was warned by an endocrinologist not to solely rely on Dianette for contraception as a pregnancy could result in birth defects-presumably the feminisation of a male foetus.

Mountainsandh

wow Sunbeam that's shocking, never heard anything about that, it sounds a bit crazy tbh.

Yes Roadtrippin, I lied to the gynae for years on how much I was smoking (like an idiot), sister did too.

Same as you here, I just wasn't comfortable with taking the pill in the end, I did get hormonal migraines (still do despite not being on it anymore !), and was a smoker (quit, thankfully), just didn't feel right altogether.

We have 2 kids and I'm lucky Mr Mountains has no issue with having the snip, but since he hasn't really been able to dedicate the time to appointments etc... for the last 2 years, we're using condoms too. That will get done, off to remind him now
I had 2 c-sections, disgusted now I didn't ask to have procedure done on myself with second c-section which was planned. I knew I probably didn't want any more, but wasn't fully sure...

mood

Gauge wrote: »

I'm the same. It controls my acne and a few other hormonal issues without any side effects so I'm happy with it.

I was worried at one point about the length of time I'd been on it so I had a chat with my doctor and she said that if I'm not a smoker or experiencing any problems it is safe to stay on which was good to know. A lot of my friends talk about how you should take "breaks" from the pill so I wanted to find out if there was truth in that, and there wasn't.

I did go on Dianette as a teenager for about a year to control my acne but ended up switching of my own accord as I found it affected my moods and made me bloated.

Most women I know who got pregnant unexpectedly were 'taking a break' from their pill. Unless advised by a doctor I wouldn't do it.

sunbeam

It did rather freak me out at the time, but it seems that the concern was based on animal studies using cyproterone acetate. As the Summary of Product Charateristics states:

Although low dose exposure to cyproterone acetate during pregnancy has not been associated with teratogenic effects or malformations, clinical data on fetal outcomes following exposure to cyproterone acetate is limited.

Animal studies have revealed that feminization of male fetuses may occur if cyproterone acetate is administered during the phase of embryogenesis at which differentiation of the external genitalia occurs. Although the results of these tests are not necessarily relevant to man, the possibility must be considered that administration of Dianette to women after the 45th day of pregnancy could cause feminization of male fetuses. It follows from this that pregnancy is an absolute contra-indication for treatment with Dianette, and must be excluded before such treatment is begun (see section 5.3 Preclinical safety data).

Ther dose of cyproterone acetate in Dianette is low and I'm not sure if there have been any documented cases of this happening in humans. Any other studies I've come across (and I'm not a doctor) state the risk as unknown. I don't think it is something to be unduly alarmed by, apart from heeding the warning that Dianette must discontinued immediately if pregnancy occurs.

Oh and my GP is constantly asking me if I smoke, as if i'm suddenly going to start at age 40-especially if it meant me having to come off the pill.

Boofle

I have been taking Dianette for five and a half years now. I was prescribed it for moderate acne -which it cleared up very quickly. It has a lot of positive points; ie always knowing when 'time of the month' will arrive, no period pain, clear skin. However it has definitely made me gain weight and I do feel rather bloated a lot of the time.

I attempted to go off it after about a year after taking it and after about 2 months my face just erupted in the most awful cystic acne I had really, really painful spots/cysts all over my face and neck - twenty times worse than the acne I originally went to my GP with and for which he prescribed Dianette! So I went back on it and my skin duly cleared up.

So I am just wondering has anyone else experienced any problems after coming off Dianette - as I am now petrified that I will break out in horrific acne if I ever attempt to stop taking it!

Da Shins Kelly

Boofle wrote: »

I have been taking Dianette for five and a half years now. I was prescribed it for moderate acne -which it cleared up very quickly. It has a lot of positive points; ie always knowing when 'time of the month' will arrive, no period pain, clear skin. However it has definitely made me gain weight and I do feel rather bloated a lot of the time.

I attempted to go off it after about a year after taking it and after about 2 months my face just erupted in the most awful cystic acne I had really, really painful spots/cysts all over my face and neck - twenty times worse than the acne I originally went to my GP with and for which he prescribed Dianette! So I went back on it and my skin duly cleared up.

So I am just wondering has anyone else experienced any problems after coming off Dianette - as I am now petrified that I will break out in horrific acne if I ever attempt to stop taking it!

I came off it briefly a few months ago and had a really bad breakout after coming off it. I went back on it, and it cleared up. I don't know if it's due to the different hormones and the body trying to adjust causing the breakouts or what.

beks101

Took this for about six months when I was eighteen and turned into a hormonal, weepy mess. I remember I had just started college and I would just sit in my room and cry, not knowing why.

I took it for moderate acne and after about a month on it my face exploded into the worst acne I've ever had in my life, it was horrible.

I hate being on the pill and wonder how so many women, probably most actually, do it for years...sometimes decades. I hate messing with my hormones like that

Boofle

Boofle wrote: »

I have been taking Dianette for five and a half years now. I was prescribed it for moderate acne -which it cleared up very quickly. It has a lot of positive points; ie always knowing when 'time of the month' will arrive, no period pain, clear skin. However it has definitely made me gain weight and I do feel rather bloated a lot of the time.

I attempted to go off it after about a year after taking it and after about 2 months my face just erupted in the most awful cystic acne I had really, really painful spots/cysts all over my face and neck - twenty times worse than the acne I originally went to my GP with and for which he prescribed Dianette! So I went back on it and my skin duly cleared up.

So I am just wondering has anyone else experienced any problems after coming off Dianette - as I am now petrified that I will break out in horrific acne if I ever attempt to stop taking it!

I wasn't taking Dianette but when I came off Mercilon about 18 months ago I had the exact same problem. I thought it would just take time for my hormones to settle down and that the acne would go away, but it kept on flaring up every few weeks/months. So I got fed up and have just started on Marviol. It already seems to be making a difference but I'm also worried that my skin will go crazy again when I come off it.

pwurple

beks101 wrote: »

I hate being on the pill and wonder how so many women, probably most actually, do it for years...sometimes decades. I hate messing with my hormones like that

It's because most women don't have your experience with it.

I had never had a 'normal' cycle in my life until I started taking the pill properly in my thirties. Bizaarly, it's the only way I can get pregnant. Take the pill for three months, and then come off it. It bumps my ovaries into action.

I had taken the pill for two months in my early twenties and had problems with it, constant bleeding, etc. i just thought, right, it's not for me, and never went back to the doctor. When I was a decade older, and better able to communicate with a GP about what my problems were, I was prescribed a pill that suited me much better.

beks101

beks101 wrote: »

Took this for about six months when I was eighteen and turned into a hormonal, weepy mess. I remember I had just started college and I would just sit in my room and cry, not knowing why.

I took it for moderate acne and after about a month on it my face exploded into the worst acne I've ever had in my life, it was horrible.

I hate being on the pill and wonder how so many women, probably most actually, do it for years...sometimes decades. I hate messing with my hormones like that

For a lot of people, being on it is better than being off it. I have PCOS and found Yasmin amazing for controlling my periods, hair growth and most of all, acne. My skin cleared right up on it. I hate taking hormones too, but it was worth it for the massive confidence boost and feeling so much better. Unfortunately. I had to stop due to migraines, but if I hadn't had that side effect, I'd probably have been on it for years.

greenbicycle

I could start a new thread on this but seeing as i started this one already and it is the same topic but closer to home i thought i would perhaps add to this one.

It seems that the same thing has happened here in ireland



http://www.thejournal.ie/six-deaths-linked-to-oral-contraceptive-pill-in-ireland-970187-Jul2013/


Now this article talks about yasmin, still not the pill i was on. Also the article is talking about 6 deaths that occured over 21 years, so the risk appears to be less than the headline alludes to.

I just wanted to highlight it from my angle again though. I had the same complications as those people that died but i am obviously very much alive, this article doesnt go into how many people have complications without dying and i think that would be a much higher and significant figure.

Anyway, if you read all my other posts,i am not saying stop taking the pill. I am just saying be aware of the risks,however small, and if you can, consider other methods despite the convenience of the pill.

I think that even if i had read this article a year ago i would have still not come off the pill, far too handy and i was far too stubborn. My post might make some of you reconsider it though.what i am going through/have gone through this year is so not worth it!

Mods, not sure if the thread needs a name change considering the change in location?

lilmissprincess

Got put on Yasmin 3 weeks ago and have been advised to do 4 packets back to back. Would be lying if I said I wasn't a little freaked out at this, due to the death of a (25 year old) family member from clots in recent months.

I know its something to always consider with these things and its necessary to take it, but its not lying fully easy with me.

sari

lilmissprincess wrote: »

Got put on Yasmin 3 weeks ago and have been advised to do 4 packets back to back. Would be lying if I said I wasn't a little freaked out at this, due to the death of a (25 year old) family member from clots in recent months.

I know its something to always consider with these things and its necessary to take it, but its not lying fully easy with me.

Jesus sorry for your loss, that's shocking. I don't take any hormonal contraceptive and haven't for a long time but I thought that if you had family history of things like that then you shouldn't be given the pill or at least certain brands?

greenbicycle

lilmissprincess wrote: »

Got put on Yasmin 3 weeks ago and have been advised to do 4 packets back to back. Would be lying if I said I wasn't a little freaked out at this, due to the death of a (25 year old) family member from clots in recent months.

I know its something to always consider with these things and its necessary to take it, but its not lying fully easy with me.

sorry to hear about your family member lilmiss, she/he was so young...

if you are uneasy about anything i think you have to listen to yourself and if the pill is purely for contraceptive reasons you may want to think about other options. of course taking the pill has other uses too but of course discussing all the risks with a doctor and ensuring that they consider family history is really important. Or of course you may look into alternatives...

lilmissprincess

I had a cyst a few months ago so doctor has put me on Yasmin as a higher oestrogen dose (previously was on progesteron only), so don't know what to think.

sari

I am open to correction here but my understanding was that high levels of oestrogen or oestrogen dominance actually causes and aggravates cysts? Talk to your dr again and if it was me I would also get a 2nd opinion

B vitamin Complex can help as a gentle anti-oxidant, regulation of the menstrual cycle, reduce excessive amounts of androgens from the adrenals and also shrink the size of the cysts. So you could also try that, there is also lots of natural remedies that could help.

RHQS

I was taking yasminelle for two months when I got multiple blood clots on both lungs from it. Anyone else have this problem on this particular pill ?

Dark Phoenix

Malari wrote: »

I've been on Yasmin for about 10 years with no side-effects. Lucky I was happy with the first pill I tried so I've no plans to change!

I am the same but my doc has retired and his replacement is adament that I need to come and see him when my prescription is expired as he wants to take me off it due to some scandal about blood clots etc in UK and canada. I dont want to come off it though as i've been on it ten years and a) it works! and b) I havent had any awful side effects on it and would dread changing to another as I;ve heard so many times people even on this thread talking about the awful side effects of different pills

Can I refuse to change? Am I better to go to another doctor? The way i figure there are risks with every pill and if after ten years I havent had any issues its hardly likely now?

rainbow kirby

2nd opinion might be worthwhile. No harm asking anyway, particularly if you've been on it for a long time with no issues.