New birth control side effects

[marilos87]

Hi Scarleteen. My Rite Aid pharmacy is becoming a Walgreens so my pharmacist had to switch my brand of bcp's. I've been on bcp's for awhile and I've switched brands at least 3 times over the last 5 years without any problems (such as side effects). My pharmacist will usually switch me to another generic brand of the same pill - which means there should be the same amount of hormones in this new brand pack. I started my new brand of pills 2 Sundays ago (3/24) and I am having what I believe to be terrible side effects of this new pill. I am nauseous all the time, I am dizzy, my breasts are sore (that usually doesn't happen until a few days before my period), my back hurts, I have abdominal cramps, and I get nauseous when I eat. I have never experienced these kind of side effects from the pill and I have been on the same pill (and generic brand of pill) for the past 5 years. I've had to take the plan b pill a few times too and I have never had side effects this bad from plan b. Even on my very 1st pack of bcp's back in 2012, I barely had side effects. What is going on? Is this normal? Shouldn't my body already be used to these hormones? I just don't understand why I feel so sick and why this has never happened before.

[Heather]

Oof, I'm sorry you've been having to live with these symptoms.

It is common enough to not have side effects with one pill formulation but have them with another. However, it does sound, given your history, like this one might just be a bad fit for you. I'd suggest you call your prescribing physician and tell them about this. They might tell you to wait it out another pack or two, as often those effects can subside, or they might make a change in your prescription right away. They also may ask you to come in if they have any concerns about how you have been feeling.