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Ortho Tri-Cyclen

Ethinyl estradiol + Norgestimate

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User Ratings

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Satisfaction

6.6

6.5 Effectiveness

5.1 Side Effects

6 Holistic Benefits

RateADrug users have reported 7 side effects and 2 holistic benefits for this medication.

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Treatment Information

Description | Uses & Side Effects | Warnings

Ortho Tri-Cyclen is a combination oral contraceptive containing the progestational compound norgestimate and the estrogenic compound ethinyl estradiol.

Each white tablet contains progestational compound, norgestimate, oxime, and estrogenic compound, and ethinyl estradiol. Inactive ingredients include lactose, magnesium stearate, and pregelatinized corn starch.

Each light blue tablet contains progestational compound norgestimate, estrogenic compound, and ethinyl estradiol. Inactive ingredients include FD & C Blue No. 2 Aluminum Lake, lactose, magnesium stearate, and pregelatinized corn starch.

Each blue tablet contains progestational compound norgestimate, estrogenic compound, and ethinyl estradiol. Inactive ingredients include FD & C Blue No. 2 Aluminum Lake, lactose, magnesium stearate, and pregelatinized corn starch.

Each green tablet contains only inert ingredients, as follows: D & C Yellow No. 10 Aluminum Lake, FD & C Blue No. 2 Aluminum Lake, lactose, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose and pregelatinized corn starch.

Common Uses:

Ortho Tri-Cyclen tablets are used for prevention of pregnancy in women who elect to use oral contraceptives as a method of contraception.

Ortho Tri-Cyclen is also used in the treatment of moderate acne vulgaris in females at least 15 years of age, who have no known contraindications to oral contraceptive therapy and have achieved menarche. This medication should be used for the treatment of acne only if the patient desires an oral contraceptive for birth control.

Off Label Uses:

At this time, off-label Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo uses include treatment for the following conditions:

Acne
Heavy menstrual bleeding
Painful menstrual periods
Irregular menstrual periods
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
Various other problems, such as polycystic ovary syndrome

Side Effects:
Some of these common bothersome (but not usually dangerous) side effects include:

Headaches (although birth control pills can improve headaches in some women)
Breakthrough bleeding and spotting between periods (especially for the first few cycles)
Nausea and vomiting
Changes in your eyes that make it more difficult to wear contact lenses
Bloating
Breast tenderness or other breast changes, such as swelling
Changes in sex drive (often a decrease, rather than an increase).

Women are often concerned about weight gain due to birth control pills, but recent research suggests that birth control pills probably do not cause weight gain for most women.

Some side effects with Ortho Tri-Cyclen, while occurring infrequently, are potentially serious and should be reported immediately to your healthcare provider. These include but are not limited to:

Signs of a stroke, such as:

Vision or speech changes
Weakness or numbness in an arm or leg
Severe headache

Signs of liver damage, such as:

Yellow eyes or skin (jaundice)
Dark urine
Upper-right abdominal (stomach) pain

Depression or other emotional changes
Migraines (or changes in your migraines, if you have had them before)
Breast lumps
Signs of a blood clot in the leg, such as:

Pain in the calf
Leg cramps
Leg or foot swelling

Signs of a blood clot in the lung, such as:

Shortness of breath
Sharp chest pain
Coughing up blood

Chest pain or heaviness, which may be signs of a heart attack
Sudden loss of vision or vision changes, which can be a sign of a blood clot in the eye
Heavy vaginal bleeding between periods (light bleeding or spotting is normal)
High blood pressure (hypertension)
High cholesterol
Signs of an allergic reaction, such as:

Unexplained rash
Hives
Itching
Unexplained swelling
Wheezing
Difficulty breathing or swallowing.

Cautions / Warnings:

Warnings and precautions to be aware of prior to using Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo include the following:

Combined oral contraceptives, including Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, increase the risk of blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks. These risks are quite small for healthy, young nonsmokers. However, make sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have ever had a blood clot, stroke, heart attack, or chest pain. Smoking cigarettes greatly increases the risk of serious Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo side effects. This risk is particularly high for smokers over the age of 35.

Hormonal contraceptives, including Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, can increase your blood pressure. This can be a problem if you already have high blood pressure.

Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo does not protect against HIV, AIDS, or other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). In many cases, it is advisable to use condoms in addition to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo.

Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo can interact with a number of different medications.

Combined oral contraceptives may slightly increase the risk of breast cancer or cervical cancer, although this is an unresolved and controversial issue. However, combined oral contraceptives seem to help protect women against ovarian and uterine cancer.

Oral contraceptives increase the risk of benign (noncancerous) liver tumors. In rare cases, these tumors can rupture and cause serious problems.

Hormonal contraceptives such as Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo may make gallbladder disease worse. If you have had a problem with your gallbladder, Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo may not be the best contraceptive method for you.

Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo may increase blood sugar, particularly in women with diabetes. Your healthcare provider may need to monitor you more closely. Let your healthcare provider know if you have any sudden vision changes while taking the drug, as this may be a sign of a blood clot in the eyes (a possible side effect of Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo and other hormonal contraceptives).

Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo can change your menstrual bleeding patterns. Some women have breakthrough bleeding (bleeding between periods), while others may not have a period at all. It is normal to have shorter and lighter periods while using the drug. However, if you notice any unusual changes in your bleeding patterns, let your healthcare provider know. If you miss a period, you should make sure you are not pregnant.

Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo can affect your cholesterol. Your healthcare provider may need to check your cholesterol levels after you start the drug, especially if you already have high cholesterol.

Sometimes, hormonal contraceptives may make depression worse. Let your healthcare provider know if you develop new or worsening depression symptoms while taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo.

Occasionally, Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo (as well as any other hormonal contraceptive) can cause eye changes that make it more difficult to wear contact lenses.

Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo is considered a pregnancy Category X medication. This means that it should not be used during pregnancy.

Contraceptive hormones, such as the ones in Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, pass through breast milk. Therefore, if you are breastfeeding or plan to start, discuss this with your healthcare provider prior to taking the drug (see Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo and Breastfeeding). Combined hormonal contraceptives are usually not recommended for breastfeeding women.

Drug Interactions:
Ortho Tri-Cyclen(norgestimate/ethinyl estradiol) can potentially interact with numerous other medicines. Many of these interactions can be severe enough to cause accidental pregnancy, and a backup method of birth control may be recommended.

If you are ever unsure what to do about an Ortho Tri-Cyclen drug interaction, be sure to use backup birth control until you can speak with your healthcare provider. Some of the medicines that may lead to Ortho Tri-Cyclen drug interactions include:

Aminoglutethimide (Cytadren®)
Antibiotics
Aprepitant (Emend®)
Atorvastatin (Lipitor®)
Barbiturate medications, such as:

Amobarbital (Amytal®)
Butalbital (Fioricet®, Fiorinal®)
Pentobarbital (Nembutal®)
Phenobarbital (Luminal®)
Secobarbital (Seconal®)

Cyclosporine (Gengraf®, Neoral®, Sandimmune®)
Many seizure medications, such as:

Carbamazepine (Carbatrol®, Epitol®, Equetro™, Tegretol®)
Felbamate (Felbatol®)
Lamotrigine (Lamictal®)
Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal®)
Phenytoin (Dilantin®, Phenytek®)
Topiramate (Topamax®)

Modafinil (Provigil®)
Protease inhibitors, such as:

Amprenavir (Agenerase®)
Atazanavir (Reyataz®)
Fosamprenavir (Lexiva®)
Indinavir (Crixivan®)
Nelfinavir (Viracept®)
Ritonavir (Norvir®)

Selegiline (Eldepryl®, Emsam®, Zelapar®)
St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum)
Theophylline (Uniphyl®, Theocron®, TheoCap®, Theo-24®, Elixophyllin®)

View / Add User Comments (31)

Ortho Tri-Cyclen Comments

04 Mar 2010

I am 17, and have been on Ortho tri-cyclen since i was 15. I really like it, except that it is hard to remember to take, and i have had many pregnancy scares. I have an appointment to get mirena, but aftrer looking at reviews, I am considering cancelling my appointment. I've been looking into the different kinds of birth controls, and so far, i seem to have been on the right one. The key to this drug though, is to take it everyday. Otherwise, it can cause nausea, or bloating, irregular periods, and isn't as effective in preventing pregnancy. i would strongly suggest this, to anyone, who will be responsible enought o remember to take it everyday. And as a side note, I dont always take mine at the SAME time everyday, and so far, i haven't gotten pregnant, and my boyfriend and I hardly use any other protection.

—Posted by Anonymous

21 Feb 2010

I have taken this for 1 year and it had went really good, i went for my annual check-up last week and Saturday i started my cycle 9 to 10 days early. First time anything like this has happened, my boyfriend and i have had unprotected sex besides me taking my birth control, i took a pregnancy test but it was negative, i dont know what is happening. My bleeding is off and on light and heavy, a brownish red in color but i have followed all instructions, take pill everyday same time and i have never missed a day! ANYONE HAVE COMMENTS OF WHAT I SHOULD DO? OR HOW I SHOULD HANDLE THIS?

—Posted by Anonymous

27 Jan 2010

Since going on this pill, I developed SI Joint Dysfunction. I didn't think the pill had any affect on it, but I went off it for 3 months and had relief of my symptoms. Not complete recovery, but much better. Then I went back on TriCyclen and three days later the severe pain came back. I took the pill for another week without relief. Then, I decided to stop the pill and the pain subsided. I'm about to try the pill one more time for confirmation of the symptoms.

—Posted by Anonymous

View / Add User Comments (31)

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How does your Treatment Compare?

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Show results for:

Brands	Effectiveness	Holistic Benefits	Side Effects	Number of Ratings
NuvaRing	8.94	6.47	3.91	47
Loestrin	7.09	6.02	3.88	47
Yaz	6.55	5.87	3.79	114
Ortho Tri-Cyclen	6.48	5.67	3.94	89
Yasmin	6.37	5.32	4.02	38

View All	About these Scores
	Choose a condition to compare treatments based on user feedback. You can sort by Effectiveness, Holistic Benefits or Side Effects RateADrug user scores, or the number of Ratings. Scores gain significance with the number of ratings, so please share your experiences - rate your drug! Close

Effectiveness of Ortho Tri-Cyclen by Condition

Click on a condition to view RateADrug.com users ratings

Birth Control

Acne

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Effectiveness on "Birth Control"

About these Results
Out of 100% of people surveyed, these results show the distribution in percentages of how users rate the effectiveness of their medication. Click on the various conditions to see how the effectiveness ratings change. Close

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How effective is Ortho Tri-Cyclen?

Reported Changes in Health and Well-Being

Since taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen, RateADrug survey participants noticed these changes in their health:

Effect on:	Much Worse	Worse	No Change	Better	Much Better
Appetite	5.7%	11.5%	75.9%	5.7%	1.1%
Balance/Equilibrium	2.4%	3.6%	91.7%	1.2%	1.2%
Blood Pressure	2.4%	1.2%	96.3%	0%	0%
Breathing	2.4%	2.4%	94%	1.2%	0%
Confidence	2.3%	9.1%	84.1%	4.5%	0%
Coordination/Motor Skills	2.4%	0%	95.2%	2.4%	0%
Digestion	3.5%	7%	86%	3.5%	0%
Emotional Well-being	10%	22.2%	52.2%	14.4%	1.1%
Energy	4.5%	14.8%	73.9%	6.8%	0%
Eyesight	2.4%	3.6%	92.9%	1.2%	0%
Memory	2.3%	4.6%	92%	1.1%	0%
Mental Clarity	3.4%	11.5%	82.8%	2.3%	0%
Pain	4.7%	5.9%	84.7%	4.7%	0%
Patience	5.8%	15.1%	79.1%	0%	0%
Sexual Health	5.7%	5.7%	63.6%	19.3%	5.7%
Skin Complexion	3.3%	10%	44.4%	25.6%	16.7%
Sleep	3.5%	9.3%	84.9%	1.2%	1.2%
Stress Level	4.5%	18.2%	70.5%	6.8%	0%

About these Scores
Out of 100% of people surveyed, these results show the distribution in percentages of negative or positive changes in health and well-being experienced by users for all of the categories listed. Close

Commonly Reported Side Effects Ratings

RateADrug survey participants experienced these commonly reported side effects:

Effect on:	None	Mild	Moderate	Strong	Severe
Acne	79.5%	8.4%	8.4%	1.2%	2.4%
Allergic Reaction	98.8%	0%	1.2%	0%	0%
Anxiety	50%	50%	0%	0%	0%
Breast Tenderness	51.2%	31.4%	9.3%	4.7%	3.5%
Change in Libido / Sex Drive	67.4%	13.5%	9%	3.4%	6.7%
Depression	70.5%	13.6%	3.4%	9.1%	3.4%
Dizziness	78.8%	9.4%	7.1%	2.4%	2.4%
Fatigue	71.9%	12.4%	5.6%	3.4%	6.7%
Headache	71.3%	11.5%	6.9%	6.9%	3.4%
High Blood Pressure	92.6%	2.5%	2.5%	0%	2.5%
Irregular Bleeding	71%	9.7%	3.2%	9.7%	6.5%
Mood Swings	54.4%	13.3%	16.7%	10%	5.6%
Nausea	73.3%	12.8%	8.1%	3.5%	2.3%
Stomach Ache	50%	50%	0%	0%	0%
Yeast Infection	85.5%	6%	3.6%	2.4%	2.4%

About these Scores
Out of 100% of people surveyed, these results show the distribution in percentages of the severity of side effects experienced by users. Scores gain significance with the number of ratings, so please share your experiences - rate your drug! Close

Other Possible Side Effects Ratings

RateADrug survey participants experienced less commonly reported side effects:

Effect on:	None	Mild	Moderate	Strong	Severe
Abdominal Cramping	58%	19.3%	14.8%	5.7%	2.3%
Anxiety	77.4%	8.3%	4.8%	4.8%	4.8%
Benign Liver Tumor	98.8%	0%	0%	0%	1.2%
Blurred Vision	89.2%	6%	1.2%	1.2%	2.4%
Breast Cancer	97.5%	1.2%	0%	0%	1.2%
Breathing Difficulties	93.8%	1.2%	2.5%	0%	2.5%
Cervical Cancer	96.2%	1.2%	0%	0%	2.5%
Change in Weight	55.2%	26.4%	9.2%	5.7%	3.4%
Chest Pain	91.5%	3.7%	2.4%	0%	2.4%
Diabetes	97.5%	0%	0%	0%	2.5%
Eye / Vision Problems	92.5%	5%	0%	1.2%	1.2%
Irregular Bleeding	70.6%	17.6%	9.8%	2%	0%
Irregular Periods	79.5%	8.4%	6%	3.6%	2.4%
Numbing Sensation	93.8%	1.2%	2.5%	0%	2.5%
Pain in Limbs	88%	7.2%	1.2%	1.2%	2.4%
Thrombosis (Blood Clotting)	96.2%	1.2%	0%	0%	2.5%

About these Scores
Out of 100% of people surveyed, these results show the distribution in percentages of the severity of side effects experienced by users. Scores gain significance with the number of ratings, so please share your experiences - rate your drug! Close

Episodes since taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen

Since taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen Rate a Drug survey participants reported these episodes:

Auto Accident	1.1%
Hallucination	1.1%

Seizure

1.1%

About these Results
Out of 100% of people surveyed, these results show the percentage of users who have experienced any of these episodes while taking their medication. Close

How does your experience compare with other Ortho Tri-Cyclen users?

User Comments about Ortho Tri-Cyclen

04 Mar 2010	I am 17, and have been on Ortho tri-cyclen since i was 15. I really like it, except that it is hard to remember to take, and i have had many pregnancy scares. I have an appointment to get mirena, but aftrer looking at reviews, I am considering cancelling my appointment. I've been looking into the different kinds of birth controls, and so far, i seem to have been on the right one. The key to this drug though, is to take it everyday. Otherwise, it can cause nausea, or bloating, irregular periods, and isn't as effective in preventing pregnancy. i would strongly suggest this, to anyone, who will be responsible enought o remember to take it everyday. And as a side note, I dont always take mine at the SAME time everyday, and so far, i haven't gotten pregnant, and my boyfriend and I hardly use any other protection. —Posted by Anonymous Respond Display Name: Email: (Required) Notify me of new comments Email me monthly survey results Sending... I agree to the Terms of Use
21 Feb 2010	I have taken this for 1 year and it had went really good, i went for my annual check-up last week and Saturday i started my cycle 9 to 10 days early. First time anything like this has happened, my boyfriend and i have had unprotected sex besides me taking my birth control, i took a pregnancy test but it was negative, i dont know what is happening. My bleeding is off and on light and heavy, a brownish red in color but i have followed all instructions, take pill everyday same time and i have never missed a day! ANYONE HAVE COMMENTS OF WHAT I SHOULD DO? OR HOW I SHOULD HANDLE THIS? —Posted by Anonymous Respond Display Name: Email: (Required) Notify me of new comments Email me monthly survey results Sending... I agree to the Terms of Use
27 Jan 2010	Since going on this pill, I developed SI Joint Dysfunction. I didn't think the pill had any affect on it, but I went off it for 3 months and had relief of my symptoms. Not complete recovery, but much better. Then I went back on TriCyclen and three days later the severe pain came back. I took the pill for another week without relief. Then, I decided to stop the pill and the pain subsided. I'm about to try the pill one more time for confirmation of the symptoms. —Posted by Anonymous Respond Display Name: Email: (Required) Notify me of new comments Email me monthly survey results Sending... I agree to the Terms of Use
26 Jan 2010	I was put on Ortho Tri-Cyclen as an attempt to regulate my menstrual cycle and hopefully to help lessen the intense, almost debilitating cramps I experienced every month. It helped with no side effects for me, and also had the added benefit of clearing up my acne, which I hadn't expected. —Posted by Anonymous Respond Display Name: Email: (Required) Notify me of new comments Email me monthly survey results Sending... I agree to the Terms of Use
25 Aug 2009	I have been taking ortho tricyclen for almost a month. The only major side effects that I have had is nausea during the first week. I take the pill at night before going to bed. I have started eating a few crackers with the pill and no more nausea...works like a charm. Other side effects are slight abdominal cramping as well as mild breast tenderness (nothing major). I am not sexually active yet (getting married soon :) so I cannot comment yet on the pills effectiveness. I have noticed that cervical mucus is different compared to not being on the pill. —Posted by Anonymous Respond Display Name: Email: (Required) Notify me of new comments Email me monthly survey results Sending... I agree to the Terms of Use

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Medication Name:

Ortho Tri-Cyclen

Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal

Shaq is one of the most dominant professional basketball players in the NBA, but he suffers from osteoarthritis in his right big toe.

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