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thinking of stopping BC

  • amberyard
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  • Lowest count 0-1k highest count 1,247,000 11/2/21. 189,000 N-Plate 527 Weekly CBC
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10 years 2 weeks ago #40122 by amberyard
thinking of stopping BC was created by amberyard
The only reason I started birth control was to help with periods (can't get pregnant) . I've gain weight and can't get it off, started BC 2 months before spleen removal and it has been over 100 days since surgery. I want to lose the weight but also since last count was 33i don't know if I should or not...

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10 years 2 weeks ago #40163 by Katsim
Replied by Katsim on topic thinking of stopping BC
Hi amber

I read your other post. Really sorry to hear you're having a crappy time right now.

I was on the pill for 6 months last year and it improved my count (along with steroids). My consultant reckoned that the estrogens somehow "thicken" the blood. Not very technical language I know, but stopping it could affect your counts so I'd check with your dr first if you can

Kat x

Lowest count 1. Highest count 207 (ivig) Indium scan showed predominantly splenic destruction. No meds currently, just seeing how things go.

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - it's about learning to dance in the rain".
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  • amberyard
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10 years 2 weeks ago #40244 by amberyard
Replied by amberyard on topic thinking of stopping BC
I am going to try to stay off the pill so I can get some of this weight off. If I start having problems I will go back on.

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10 years 2 weeks ago #40250 by Rob16
Replied by Rob16 on topic thinking of stopping BC
Provera, which is completely progesterone based, does not always cause weight gain and sometimes causes weight loss. If you find you need to go back on BC, maybe it would be a better choice. You could also try natural progesterone cream... Ellen swears by it.

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  • amberyard
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10 years 2 weeks ago #40255 by amberyard
Replied by amberyard on topic thinking of stopping BC
That is what I was thinking of nautural progesterone cream...
Thanks Rob

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10 years 2 weeks ago #40267 by sharonb
Replied by sharonb on topic thinking of stopping BC
I went off bc the last few months, it it hasn't affected my counts since, though my cycle is still working on getting back to normal. If you need to be on bc make sure its a low level estrogen. Also fyi I was on Provera since I couldn't take estrogen for a clinical trial, anyways, the Provera caused osteopenia so in no way do you want to be on it for long periods if you take it. Once I stopped it my bone density was normal again.
I have heard of the progesterone cream which may be a better choice then the shot. Heard it helped a friend with similar chronic conditions.

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  • amberyard
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10 years 1 week ago #40290 by amberyard
Replied by amberyard on topic thinking of stopping BC
I started BC due to being very heavy but normal otherwise. 2 months before my spleen removal is when I started and it has been over two months since surgery. I haven't started new pack and want to see if my body stays on track but have it in my purse if I need it. Don't want to put things in ky body if I don't need it.

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  • amberyard
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10 years 1 day ago #40489 by amberyard
Replied by amberyard on topic thinking of stopping BC
Two weeks ago counts 37k and stopped BC. Today counts 18k, so I started BC back up, could it really be the BC that did it?

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9 years 11 months ago #40674 by amberyard
Replied by amberyard on topic thinking of stopping BC
Counts today back up to 39k but i did a pulse of Dex last week.

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9 years 11 months ago #40718 by Katsim
Replied by Katsim on topic thinking of stopping BC
Hey amber,

Sorry to hear your counts dropped - but great that they're back up to 39!

Last year, when I was first diagnosed with a count of 1, I only responded to ivig. I was on 60mg pred, but not really responding. My consultant decided to wean me slowly off steroids - in April I was on 20mg and decided to go back on the pill for a bit. Suddenly I started to respond to the steroids - lowering them led to a lower count & increasing them gave me a higher count. My last ivig was around the beginning of April last year - I didn't need it once I was back on bc.

Once I got the measure of it 15mg pred + bc = counts of around 50. If I stopped either bc or pred my count dropped to low double figures within a few days (13ish) and I started taking both together again. I'd see this drop during my pill free weeks too - but just got used to the fact that it would happen.

My haemo saw all my recorded medication/count figures and couldn't give me any answers.

In your case - it could have been either the bc or dex that has increased your counts and you will only know with time & carefully timed blood tests when you do stop bc. It's frustrating! I've told you all this so that you can see that bc can impact on counts - it saved me from other treatments for a good while. It does seem to be quite a rare occurrence though - my haemo did a small tally with some of his own patients who had taken the pill & stopped and there was only me that had such a measurable impact. It's a weird one!

I'm now off both pred and bc with a count of 50 - it just spontaneously jumped and then has levelled off as I've weaned off medication. If your counts are being boosted by bc, it doesn't mean you're stuck on it forever.

Hope your counts stay in a good, safe range :-)

Lowest count 1. Highest count 207 (ivig) Indium scan showed predominantly splenic destruction. No meds currently, just seeing how things go.

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - it's about learning to dance in the rain".
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9 years 11 months ago #40722 by amberyard
Replied by amberyard on topic thinking of stopping BC
Thanks Katsim

Recount next week to see where they are at with out the Dex in my system. I will see what the week of the placebo pill in the BC pack does. But I have always told my doctor that my counts drop when I'm on my period, and of course they look at me weird.

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9 years 11 months ago #40724 by Ann
Replied by Ann on topic thinking of stopping BC
I've read in loads of reports online that platelets go down just before periods, and that's for 'normal' non-ITP women. But of course they don't notice like women with ITP do. I'd think it's quite feasible that the BC would affect platelets in some way too.

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9 years 11 months ago #40730 by lili
Replied by lili on topic thinking of stopping BC
I usually lurk, but I had a pharmacist tell me that birth control would make prednisone stronger. I imagine that the same thing would apply to any steroid, like dexamethasone.

The explanation is that the steroid hormones in birth control have a similar structure to prednisone and both are destroyed by the same pathway in the liver. This means that if you increase the amount of steroid hormones in your body by taking birth control, then the prednisone will not be destroyed so quickly and will have more effect. It's like increasing your dose. Often you can feel the difference in prednisone side effects when you take the placebo pills to bring on your period.

I've found that most doctors don't know this, but you can look it up online and see how these things are destroyed.

Of course it's also possible that the hormones do affect the platelet count in some way and they may fluctuate according to your cycle.

Lily
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9 years 11 months ago #40731 by Rob16
Replied by Rob16 on topic thinking of stopping BC
Right you are Lily, with regard to estrogen. A quick internet search revealed that estrogen slows the clearance of glucocorticoids, including dexamethasone, thereby increasing its effect.

On the other hand, progesterone is a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist. Nonetheless, it has a net immunosupressant effect via other mechanisms.

So, the effect of discontinuing birth control may depend on the type of birth control used, whether estrogen or progesterone based, or a mix of the two.

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  • amberyard
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9 years 11 months ago #40889 by amberyard
Replied by amberyard on topic thinking of stopping BC
Been back on BC a month now and started cramping/cycle last Sunday. Today and last night still heavy, so I picked up my RX Trans Acid and took my first pills at 10:30, the pharmacy only had 9 of the 21 pills but that should be good to get it under control. The red spots and bruises are getting better just trying to get the period to stop. Also no bloody nose in two days, so I guess the Pred is doing its job now to let the Trans Acid to do its job. Husband is pushing to take me to hospital if it isn't under control by tomorrow. I know he worries about me and doesn't understand that there isn't anything we can afford to do. I don't want anymore medical bills until we pay off last years, which will take about 12 months or so. He gets scared when anything happens, I'm doing what I know to do and taken an easy and trying not to get hurt and that is all I can do right now.

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