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Share your experience: submit a drug review
Below are Ortho TRI-Cyclen (Norgestimate / Ethinyl Estradiol) reviews, ratings, comments submitted by patients and caregivers. This information is not vetted and should not be cosidered as clinical evidence. | | Ortho TRI-Cyclen review by 26 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | |  |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Birth Control |
| Dosage & duration: | | Medium (dosage frequency: once daily) for the period of 5 years |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | No undesired pregnancies, lighter period |
| Side effects: | | none |
| Comments: | | One pill daily. |
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| | Ortho TRI-Cyclen review by 33 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | |  |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | birth control |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 pill per day taken daily for the period of 5 yeas |
| Other conditions: | | weight gain |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | no pregnancy, reduced ance |
| Side effects: | | headaches, minimal breakthrough bleeding, weight gain minimal |
| Comments: | | standard dose 28day pack, 1 pill per day |
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| | Ortho TRI-Cyclen review by 30 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | birthcontrol |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 pill per day taken every day for the period of 5 years |
| Other conditions: | | None |
| Other drugs taken: | | None | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Of all of the birthcontrol pills I've taken this was by far the one with the least number of negative side effects and it actually had several positive side effects. It helped control my acne and kept me thin. After several years I did notice a decrease in my libido which came back after I stopped taking birthcontrol pills altogether. I was put on the generic version of this pill at somepoint and I had a completely different reaction. I instantly gained about 15 pounds (mostly water weight I think because I looked puffy). I found out after this reaction that generic pills don't have to be identical to the brand name drugs. I learned the hard way. |
| Side effects: | | I never got pregnant. |
| Comments: | | I took the same little pill for 21 days and then the placebo pills for another 7 days of the month. |
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| | Ortho TRI-Cyclen review by 28 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | irregular periods |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 pill per day taken once a day for the period of 5 years |
| Other conditions: | | Acne |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Periods became lighter and more regular, acne lessened as well. |
| Side effects: | | None. |
| Comments: | | I took the pill every morning for five years. |
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| | Ortho TRI-Cyclen review by 43 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | birth control |
| Dosage & duration: | | 1 pill per day taken daily for the period of 5 years |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | The treatment benefits were clearly protection from getting pregnant as long as the pill is taken regularly without skipping. This pill is also touted as being one that helps in the treatment of acne, although I honestly can't say that it changed my acne pattern whatsoever. I tend to break out around the time of my monthly cycle, and I continued to break out even during the time I was on this pill. I didn't notice any decrease in my break-outs. |
| Side effects: | | The only side effect I noticed was a diminished sex drive. |
| Comments: | | I was told to start the monthly dosage on the first Sunday following the cessation of my period. I then continued taking one pill a day to prevent pregnancy. |
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| | Ortho TRI-Cyclen review by 28 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Ineffective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | acne |
| Dosage & duration: | | regualr dose for birth control (dosage frequency: daily) for the period of 3 years |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | I was given this birth control to help stabilize my hormones to aid in clearing up my acne. I never saw a significant improvement in my acne. |
| Side effects: | | I suffered some very negative side effects. First, this medication made me nauseated. Secondly, and the effect that I am still trying to recover from, this medication gave me the "pregnancy mask" which is a darkening above the lip area. |
| Comments: | | I was to take this birthcontrol pill daily to aid in the hormonal fluctuations that possibly were contributing to my acne. |
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| | Ortho TRI-Cyclen review by 19 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | pregnancy prevention |
| Dosage & duration: | | 0.180 mg - 0.250 mg norgestimate taken daily for the period of 1 year |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | It was completely effective against pregnancy.
One other good effect was my periods became very regular. |
| Side effects: | | Too many bad side effects made this drug intolerable. Here is the list:
(1) severe mood swings, ranging from depression to hyperactive and happy states;
(2) my appetite increased to a point where I was overeating;
(3) my breasts were often sore/painful;
(4) I had nightly dreams (nightmares) and had difficulty sleeping;
(5) It did not clear my skin of pimples like my doctor said it would... |
| Comments: | | One active tablet administered daily from the 1st day through the 21st day of the menstrual cycle, counting the first day of menstrual flow as "Day 1" followed by one green inactive tablet daily for 7 days. Tablets are taken without interruption for 28 days. After 28 tablets have been taken, a new course is started the next day.
NOTE: in addition to 0.180 mg - 0.250 mg norgestimate each pill also contains 0.035 mg ethinyl estradiol |
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| | Ortho TRI-Cyclen review by 25 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | birth control |
| Dosage & duration: | | standard hormone dose (dosage frequency: daily) for the period of 4 years |
| Other conditions: | | none |
| Other drugs taken: | | none | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | With proper administration I never feel too many side effects associated with hormonal imbalances. I also use it as my primary source of birth control have never become pregnant. Even during months that I failed to take it at the same time every day, I did not become pregnant. The pill is super tiny and easy to swallow. |
| Side effects: | | You have to be careful to take the appropriate dose (one pill per day at the same time). You MUST keep it on you at all times so that you are able to do so. Missing a dose would often induce my period which would linger for weeks. I also noticed a dramatic difference in the quality of my hair. Over the last few years of taking the medication I have lost over 75 percent of the super thick head of hair I once had. |
| Comments: | | The treatment is relatively simple and safe. It is also supposed to decrease your chance of cervical cancer. Take one pill each day and there is a 99 percent chance of not getting pregnant. However, you can increase your risk of blood clotting if you are a smoker. You highly advised to be smoke free throughout treatment. Once treatment stops you must seek another form of birth control. |
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| | Ortho TRI-Cyclen review by 30 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Birth Control/Control of Menstrual Cycle |
| Dosage & duration: | | Not sure (dosage frequency: daily) for the period of 3 months |
| Other conditions: | | None |
| Other drugs taken: | | None | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | The Ortho Tri-Cyclen provided effective birth control, and it also did cause my mentstrual cylcle to be more regular. My periods were less heavy, and I did not have such severe menstrual cramping each month while I was taking the pills. There are no other benefits to taking the pill that I am aware of. |
| Side effects: | | I experienced migraine headaches several times per week where I could not do anything other than lay down with the lights off while on this medication. At first, I had no idea what was causing them, but my doctor informed me that my symptoms could be indicative of a more severe side effect, and she therefore advised me to stop taking them. They also caused some bloating and moodiness. |
| Comments: | | The Ortho Tri-Cyclen birth control pills are a low dosage progesterone treatment that is intended to prevent pregnancy. I was required to take one pill every day. My understanding is that I experienced a relatively rare side effect with the migraines. I have not heard any similar complaints from friends who were taking the same pill, other than complaints about weight gain, bloating and mild acne. |
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| | Ortho TRI-Cyclen review by 27 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
| Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | prevent pregnancy |
| Dosage & duration: | | one pill daily taken once a day for the period of 7.5 years |
| Other conditions: | | iron deficiency |
| Other drugs taken: | | N/A | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Ortho Tri Cyclen effectively prevented pregnancy, cleared up acne, gave me regular periods, helped with iron deficiency due to blood loss |
| Side effects: | | Thinning hair, bleeding gums, eventually the iron deficiency came back |
| Comments: | | I began taking Ortho Tri Cyclen at age 20. It gave me regular periods (they aren't really 'periods,' they are just a withdrawl from the hormones) and less cramping, lighter flow. It got rid of my acne. I did not get pregnant in my 7.5 years of taking the drug. I think that eventually the pill prevents you from absorbing nutrients because my iron deficiency came back. I am not sure if the nutrient absorption has anything to do with having bleeding gums more often, but I did have a lot of pain because of a dislodged clot when I got my wisdom teeth removed and the oral surgeon said that this happens more often to women who take birth control. I stopped taking the pill to find more natural ways of birth control, and because my hair was becoming thin and brittle. I also don't like the stories of the effect hormones are having on our environment (going into groundwater). |
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