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What does it do?
This product is used primarily as an oral contraceptive. It contains ethinyl estradiol and desogestrel.
Last text update: 2011-10-04
Last data update: 2012-01-14
This product has a black box warning relating to the increased risk of serious cardiovascular side effects in women who also smoke.
Usage:
Ortho-Cept is most commonly used to treat the conditions below, together with the percentage of all people taking the medication for the particular condition.
| Disease/Condition | % |
|---|
| Birth Control | 74% |
| Irregular/Painful Periods | 29% |
| Menopausal Symptoms | 5% |
| Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome | 3% |
General Information:
- 9.9
- Ortho-Cept Average Satisfaction Score
- 96% of patients are at least somewhat satisfied with Ortho-Cept.
MediGuard regularly polls our more than 1,900 users taking Ortho-Cept (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)) using the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medications (TSQM). This feedback is continuously updated for the benefit of the MediGuard community. To request scores for specific patient subgroups, please contact research@mediguard.org.
Comments
Global Patient Feedback for Ortho-Cept (Desogestrel with Ethinylestradiol)
Please see our forum guidelines.
I was prescribed Kariva 3 years ago for my severe PMS and just in the last 6 months have I started to experience horrible lower right abdomen pressure and pain, knife like pain in my left side, painful headaches, diarrhea, high blood pressure, weight loss, and in the last week slurred words, intense abdomen pain and faint/dizziness due to Kariva. Avoid this prescription. I ended up in ER due to it, I almost died.
- 26 year old – Source: MediGuard
- Posted: 2009-10-10 03:05:06
I'm very close to 50 years old and started taking cyclessa about 18 months ago to help with pre-menopausal systems. It has really helped. As a matter of fact, I stopped taking it for a couple of months and the symptoms were so bad that I started again. I do take Armour thyroid meds and lovastatin for cholesterol. My thyroid is fine and the cholesterol is fine. I am concerned with the risk of blood clots forming with the cyclessa and my age. Any comments?
- 52 year old – Source: MediGuard
- Posted: 2009-05-21 16:07:42
So far, I've only been on Reclipsen/Apri for a few months, but I feel like it's a better-than-average BCP in comparison to others I've been on in the past. It makes my periods shorter and lighter on average, and I only really cramp the first day or so. That alone makes it great in my mind. It seems to treat acne a little, though not as much as others like Yasmin (which, it should be noted, is not really good for anything OTHER than acne, and has a lot of side-effects). I would say it's somewhere in the middle in terms of hormone amounts, given that it treats acne a little better than some, but less than others, and it may effect libido a little bit, but a lot less than the ones with more hormones. Apart from that, I haven't really noticed much in the way of side-effects, and because it's so much better than the last few I've been on, it may be that it will take me a while to notice any new problems. I would recommend this one to someone who's having problems on a different BCP, as it seems like a good balance, unlike some that might have too much or too little hormone.
- 26 year old – Source: MediGuard
- Posted: 2009-05-12 08:46:16
