Hormones cause headaches in some women, especially at certain doses while on the pill.

You coudl try and give ovcon another go, and see if the headaches eventually stop.

A more potent progestin means that it is effective in a lower dose.

Potentcy has nothing to do with this, dosage does. If it was not potent, then the progestin would not work as a birth control!

This is why (i am a healthcare professional) 'lay people' should not self prescribe, they can misunderstand the difference bewtween potent and dosage.

Well exactly, all the doctor was looking at was the dosage, not the potency. I found a chart and did my math and it's actually higher in progestin although it has a lower dose of the chemical.

The dose is what counts for headaches though.

You are misunderstanding...

There are different types of progestin, some are weaker than others, which means you need a higher dose, some are more potent, which means you need a lower dose.

Dose is all that matters, not potentcy!
Try the lower dose pill, even though it is hgiher potentcy.

I also don't want to go on portia because I have read it is high in androgen activity and makes acne worse, which the whole reason I am on bc is to improve acne. Are you positive headaches from bc aren't indicative of a higher stroke risk or anything?



Http://www.Wdxcyber.Com/ncontr13.Htm

portia is generic for nordette, which is listed as "lower estrogen, higher progestin potency, higher androgen potency" and ovcon-35 is listed as "higher estrogen, lower progestin potency".



Which to my understanding, high progestin potency = depression and headaches (i'm also medicated for depression), and low estrogen potency = not as good for acne.

Are you actually a doctor or just a nurse or something?

Yes I actually am a nurse that works for planned parenthood.

You did not mention depression, or acne, you only mentioned headaches. When you ask for advice you gotta lay it all out for me so I can help you!

Estrogen in pills also can worsen depression. You shuld also consider using a low estrogen pill. I cannot use birth control pills at all because I suffer from depression, so I use a non hormonal iud method.

Headaches can signify a stroke but part of your body droops and you have numbness and tingling in your limbs that can be quite painful.

Your risk of a stroke from birth control is so low that it is not even funny.

Discuss your concerns with your doctor. Birth control is like trial and error, sometimes you have a few misses before you get a "win"

Can't headaches mean increased stroke risk if they are caused by high blood pressure, though?


Should I be monitering my blood pressure when I go back on ovcon-35?
I mean the slightly increased risk of stroke would be easier to ignore if I didn't get any side effects like that.

Um... I think you might be worrying about this stuff way too much, hon. :d

listen to the nurse-- she knows what she's talking about! Are you over 35 years old? If not, there's pretty much no chance of you getting a stroke. The headaches are normal... Unless you think all pregnant women who get headaches get them because they're at a higher risk for a stroke! All the pill does is trick your body into thinking it's already pregnant, so the headaches you get are just like the headaches pregnant women get, or like the headaches you sometimes get before you start your period.

If you're worried about acne and depression, you might *look into* (not assume it's right for you!) estrostep... I took it for those two things, and was very, very happy with my results in both areas. But please! Discuss it with your doctor, ask him/her why they recommended what they did, what they think about estrostep, etc.

But the headache thing? calm down, love. You're fine. :d totally normal!

The only other reason I don't want to take it is because last time I was on it I would get this fluttering, crunching feeling in my heart almost daily...

Bc pils do not cause that though ...

You sound like you suffer from anxiety and worry, that will cause that feeling you describe.

Strokes do not happen in the heart, they happen in the brain.

I know that. I'm not saying the heart thing is indicative of a stroke, i'm just saying i've never had it off of bc and I got it daily on it. I am on meds for anxiety. If you care to know, I have depression, anxiety, and a dissociative disorder called depersonalization. The anxiety and dissociative disorder are post-traumatic stress related symptoms from an overdose about a year ago. Pre-medication, my biggest recurring fear was brain damage/stroke from the od. I also have an iq of like 120 so please don't talk down to me because of these things.





And the reason I was worried about a headache/stroke connection is because on the pamphlet it says "10. Headache the onset or exacerbation of migraine or development of headache with a new pattern that is recurrent, persistant, or severe requires discontinuation of the oral contraceptives and evaluation of the cause (see warnings 1.C.).





And then warnings 1..C. Talks about strokes and says: "women with migraine (particularly migraine with aura) who take combination oral contraceptives may be at an increased risk for stroke."

to me this implies there is an indication that headaches = higher stroke risk, plus I was diagnosed with migraines a few months ago, but they have since went away....

Anyways, today is the day I would start bc if I were going to, and I am going to go back on ovcon and ask my psychiatrist about the heart thing when I go see him on wednesday.

There is a 'slight' increase in risk, which is normally evaluated by a doctor to determine what your increased risk actually is. Since you do not smoke, your overall risk even with migraines is still not significantly high.(that is in general, I cannot know exactly..Just in general most women that suffer migraines can safely use hbc)

depression and anxiety are worsened by hormonal bc as well.

Have you considered non hormonal methods like an iud? It would definately not increase your risk for a stroke, and it has no hormones, so headaches would not be an issue.

Usually women with migraines can take bc, they do typically take a lower dose method like nuva ring though.

Well i'm not sexually active. I only want the bc to clear my skin and regulate my off-beat periods (they're typically a week or two late).