Hello,
My gyno today switched me from ortho lo, to Apri due to a lot of breakthrough bleeding. I didn't really want to be switched to a generic brand but..thats what she put me on.
Is there anything i should know about this pill? Im searching on the net, and i can't find much about it. Im assuming its not to popular. Has anyone had any bad side effects from this or acne out breaks? Im kind of scared to start it. Does a generic brand mean anything..since its generic? Also..im on my placebo pills of my ortho lo...sunday when i start Apri, should i wait 7 days to have sex again or no? Please any info on this pill would help.
Thank You.
Apri the generic for ortho-cept, I have never seen ortho cept in a pharmacy, but they also have desogen, solia, and reclipsen as other generics. The desogen website has a lot of good information.
So this saturday you take your last placebo pill from the OTC lo. On Sunday you should take your first Apri tablet. Since you are switching between brands of oral contraceptives, not a new user, you are protected during the first 7 days (as long as you didn't screw up the OTC lo or if you start the apri late).
Apri still has a low androgenic effect, so you shouldn't have an issue with acne. Every woman has a unique experience to each different pill. So what you experience could be absolutely nothing like what others have experienced...don't expect just because someone else had acne/bloating/weight gain/(insert anything here) with it you will too.
A word about generics....the only difference is in the inactive ingredients, usually the pills are a different color. If you have allergies to dye, then you need to be concerned with generics...if you don't you have no need for worry, they are just as effective as the brand...
Thank you for your response. Lots of good information
Quote from ace8484:
So this saturday you take your last placebo pill from the OTC lo. On Sunday you should take your first Apri tablet. Since you are switching between brands of oral contraceptives, not a new user, you are protected during the first 7 days (as long as you didn't screw up the OTC lo or if you start the apri late).
Are you 100% sure about this though? For some reason, i feel you are suppose to wait 7 days? (BTW is the wait period for Apri 7 days anyways? I haven't found any info on that.) I haven't had any bad side effects on LO except the bleeding between periods so much. My acne got better! I just don't want to switch pills and it get worse again..thats really all im worry about & Apri contains Desogestrel and the LO didn't-- i am also hoping this doesnt cause any bad side effects either. My gyno told me that this pill people have praised her about. She said they have really liked it, hardly any negative comments. BTW, is this even a popular pill, ive never heard of it or ortho-cept, is like that OTC?
I am just worried about the waiting period of 7 days. :-/ i hope you are right about this!
Switching brands is just like starting a new pack of the same pills. It is the same reason you don't need to use backup during the first 7 pills of any other pack except that first original pack. To make you feel even more confident, even if you weren't on the pill those first few days after your period are not your "fertile" days, since you wouldn't have ovulated for at least another week. So the risk of pregnancy is low during this time anyways.
Ortho-McNeil is a company that makes a lot of different oral contraceptives including: Ortho-tricyclen, Ortho-tricyclen Lo, Ortho-Novum 7/7/7, ortho-novum 10/11, ortho-novum 1/35, ortho-novum 1/50, ortho-cyclen, and ortho-evra. Each of these are different drugs with different amounts of different hormones. Most Ortho-McNeil contraceptives were the original formulations that recieved FDA approval first.
I don't think ortho-cept is marketed anymore in the US or maybe the marketing rights were sold to organon as desogen. Desogen is usually considered the "brand-name" product.
Sorry this was long...just trying to give you lots of info!
I almost forgot to address the acne concern...I take Kariva (a Barr generic for Mircette) which has the same progestin (desogestrel) as Apri. My acne was significantly better on this pill than before I started taking it.
Well Solia looks just like Desogen. The pack and pill color and all.
I saw a picture of Apri, the pills are red and placebos are white. My Solia are white and green...is Solia and Apri the same thing? I don't want to be taking the wrong thing for the prescription she gave me. Is solia more popular than Apri?
Wow i am sorry about all these questions! I am not even new to BC, and i must be being a worry wart! I guess all i need to know is start taking my Solia this sunday and i am still protected as far as 7 days go already right? I don't need to worry about waiting 7 days again?
you've be graciously helpful thank you :D :wave:
BTW, what is the name brand for Solia or Apri anyways? Ortho-cept?
The pharmacy didn't screw up...they just gave you a generic (mandated by law in most states for products that have a generic).
I wouldn't neccesarily say either is more popular than the other, since there really is no way to know. Which one you get depends solely on which the pharmacy has in stock (usually determined by which generic company gives them the best deal on the drug).
You aren't a worry wart...just being careful, and you are already protected so you don't have to wait another 7 days.
The "official" brand name is ortho-cept. The funny thing with birth control is all the generics also have brand names (apri, desogen, solia). They call these branded generics. The "official" generic name would be ethinyl estradiol/desogestrel.
Well even though they are the same thing, my gyno for some reason really wanted me on Apri (from the way she was talking about) so, hmm..i should probably mention to her what they gave me dont ya think? I really didn't have that much of a problem w/ ortho lo..i liked that pill i was kind of sad to change..i really just wanted to be moved up to regular ortho tri cyclen but oh well..so Solia is a low dose pill like ortho lo?
Hi,
I've been able to maintain my weight pretty much my whole life w/o trying too hard. Over the past year and a half it's been a LOT harder (i workout more now than i ever did and eat a lot healthier than i ever did and STILL can't lose weight, in fact I gain really easily now). It COULD be that I just turned 30 and my metabolism is slowing down. But I was also wondering if it could be my b.c.?? I started on Apri about 8 years ago and it was working great for me. then my pharmacy switched me to Solia, and now Reclipsen. I know they are all the same but has anyone experienced weight gain effects on a pill that was supposedly the same as your old one? Also, over the last year, I started taking my pill packets back to back so that I don't get my period. Could that be the cause of the weight gain? Anyways, I'm just looking for someone who can shed some light for me. thanks!
I was on Apri for 2 years and am starting a new pack of Yaz on Sunday. Personally I really liked Apri and never had any problems with it. My gyno wanted me to switch to Yaz to see if it would help with my anxiety problems, but if not for that, I would have probably stayed on Apri. It's a 28-day pack with 21 days of hormonal pills and 7 dyas of placebo (sugar) pills. In the 2 years, I never took the placebo pills, but you may want to if you have problems remembering to take the pill.
I never had many side effects except for migraines, which only happen about once every 3 months. And they are not bad enough that I need a prescription for it - Excedrin Migraine does just fine. The emotional stuff (anxiety/depression) may just be my body's response to hormones anyway and I think I would have had it with any bc pill, not just Apri.
Everyone is different, but I found for me, Apri was very easy to adjust to and after the first month, I felt fine and never had any problems with spotting or unusual periods.
