My solution to the Nausea / vomiting that Ortho Tri Cyclen causes

While Ortho Tri Cyclen has been an effective solution for my acne, it has one significant side affect that I am not too happy about. Here is the problem: I take the pill every night at 7:30. And I feel extremely nauseated / want to vomit at about 2-3am in the morning. Its causing me to wake up in the middle of the night. It's been so bad that I have to actually get up several nights to vomit to make me feel better. I suspect that the hormones in the medicine peak at 2-3am and my body is not used to it.


I was thinking about stop taking the pill several times because I couldn't get a good night sleep. But every time I look in the mirror, I have decided to continue with it. Because I know with the pill, once you stop, acne comes right back.

With other medicine that you might feel nausea, doctors would say that you need to take it with food. So, every night I have been eating right before I go to bed. So far, it stops me from feeling nausea. I think it's pretty bad for my weight but I have no other choice if I want to keep taking Ortho Tri Cyclen. But, I have been on the pill for a little bit over three months and have not gained any weight. I know it's different for everyone because I know people that have gained 5 lbs, 10 lbs or even 20lbs for just being on the pill. You won't know what your body does unless you take Orth Tri Cyclen.

Visit to the Dermatologist

So, December 14th is finally here and I got to see the dermatologist. I couldn't sleep the night before I was kind of anxious and worried at the same time. What if he prescribe me Accutane? Is it going to permanently solve my acne problems? What if not? What am I suppose to do if he will not?


I went there and told him about my situation. Also, showed him my pictures at the worst time in the month where my forehead was full of red pimples. Then, he asked me to tell him my history of all the drugs/treatments I have been doing for acne. I told him all the over the counter and prescription medicines that I took; which included many face washes, different antibiotics, gels/creams and Accutane. He specifically asked me about Accutane which I told him I only took it for one month on low dose (10mg) per day. He said it's not enough to get rid of my acne. So, naturally I asked him for Acctuane. But he refused; instead gave me more gels/creams that I have used in the past. So what a waste of time!
My mom said I should not fill the prescription, which I agree. My mom suggested that I go see my primary care doctor again and see if he has anything else that will help. So we went on December 18th to see him. I waited over an hour to see him because he had so many patients. Well, it was good after all because at least he didn't say anything about it's going to go away and give me more gels/creams. He said that he thinks that birth control pill, more specifically Ortho Tri Cyclen is going to help with my problem. Come to think of it, my acne does tend to flare up significantly around the time of my period. Other times, my skin tends to heal and there are less acne. So, I got the Ortho Tri Cyclen the generic one Trinessa. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will have a beneficial effect on my skin. I will write another post on exactly how it is affecting me so far.