Need Some Advice - Since The Thread Was Deleted Prematurely

Funny you should bring this up today...
I have been on it for a few years now. I estimate once a month or every other month on my first new patch I would get violently ill (vomitting, diarrahea, the whole nine) it was an awful feeling. Well, I had been off the patch for 2months because we were thinkning about a baby and I wanted to be off for atleast 3 months before we started to try. Then, we found a house and put that on hold for atleast a year. So, I decide to go back on the patch yesterday morning. It was the worst mistake I have made in a long time. Last night, I was sick and awake from it for 6 yes, 6 hours. I became so angry I took off the patch. I will not put it back on...Ever. I think I am going to ask for the Ortho Low dose, I just hope I remember to take it!

A lot of doctors won't prescribe it anymore b/c of lawsuits. I work for a med mal law firm and there have been quite a few potential new cases on this come through our office.

I was alwauys on the pill. I am nutty and wouldn't trust something that could fall off at any time!

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Posted by nycgirl79

DO NOT USE IT
I had a HORRIBLE reaction to it, and had I not taken it off, I would probably have died from a blood clot. Remember the girl who collapsed (she literally dropped dead) in the subways a few years ago? This was from her reaction to the patch!
I started using the patch on on July 5, 2003. The next day was my best friend's wedding and everything was fine. On July 7, my entire right leg was in a lot of pain - achy and sore, like I had been working out at the gym all day. On July 8, my entire right arm (in addition to my leg) went completely numb. At this point I was completely freaked out, and called my doctor (who didn't return a single phone call), then proceeded to look online for side effects of the patch. I read that what was happening to me was a very rare, but VERY dangerous side effect. I immediately took the patch off, and less than 2 hours later my leg and arm returned to normal. When my doctor (ex doctor, now!) finally got back to me she said that if I hadn't removed it, I could very well have died.
I do NOT recommend the patch AT ALL!

HTH....

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Just a word of caution; this can happen with the pill too-it all has to do with the medication that is used in birth control, regardless of the form of the birth control. I know from experience; I was in intensive care for 10 days and had emergency surgery because I developed Multiple blot clots after being on the pill for 3 years. Now, no more pill, patch, etc for me!

IMO, I would not mess with hormones so close to yourwedding. Not because of such life-threatening issues as have happened to some of the ladies on this thread, but simply because of your skin. I switched BC last month and my skin went nuts! Horrible acne like I haven't had since my teens. I thought it was stress and the heat, but my dermatologist said it was definitely the BC. And it's hard to clear up on such a short time frame! Just my opinion, but I would wait until after the wedding to do any kind of switching.

ETA: forgot to say i used the patch for a year and it made me itchy, but not unbearbly. it was fine.

The patch left a burn mark that took forever to lighten up....the pill is much better j/m/o.

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Posted by 103005FallBride

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Posted by LaurenluvsTJ
It was also very itchy and irritating. The sides started to look all nasty like a dirty bandaid after a couple of days. !

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That's what I HATED about it...YUCK!

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My sister was on the patch and she complained about the same thing.

Our gyno doesn't even prescribe the patch any more for a lot of reasons. There were too many negative side effects.

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Posted by petunia77

IMO, I would not mess with hormones so close to yourwedding.

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I didnt want too.. but I need to change my cycle since it fall on my wedding and I am a miserable wreck during that time.

I was on the patch for a wile but the last time I went to the obgyn she took me off of it and put me back on the pill. she said that there is now evidence that the patch has an increased chance of clotting and other side effects like stroke then the pill does

I really liked the patch, I used it for 18 months.
However, I noticed that I started getting really bad bruises on my body for no reason every 5 months. These were really big (6 inches) black and blues.
I didn't connect the two things. After the third one I went to the cdoctor and they told me that it could be a side effect from the patch, so I stopped taking it.