Hi! :) this is my first post too! I have been taking the ortho tri-cyclen lo for 9 months now and I still have major problems with it. I started taking the pill in january 05 to try to regulate my periods and bleeding. I started out on the ortho tri-cyclen and then was swithced to lo after a couple of months. I haven't stopped taking the pills because of fear of getting pregnant and in hopes that maybe they will finally do what they're supposed to! But recently I decided to find a new pill or stop taking them!
I have horrible cramps with these pills, my nipples are very very sore. I stay bloated all the time now. I have delevoped several spider veins after taking these pills as well. I bleed for a lot longer than I should. Sometimes I start my period up to a week before I should and bleed way after I should stop. Since taking the ortho-lo I have also lost a lot of my sex drive and as well have mental sluggishness. There will also be days that I feel very deeply depressed for no reason at all, and these are only part of my symptoms. So in my experience I would recommend finding a different pill.