My gluten-free Birth Control Has Been Discontinued. Help!

[WinterSong]

Loestrin 24 Fe has been discontinued. I called the manufacturers of the new version that loestrin is recommending, and they have ingredients in their product that are derived from wheat. No good.

My doctor is supposed to be calling me on Tuesday to talk about other options, but I'm running out of time on my current pack and want to gather information.

Does anyone have a gluten-free brand that they recommend?

I liked loestrin because the hormones didn't drive me crazy and I didn't gain weight. I'm open to trying a generic of something if it's safe, but the last generic I tried I didn't respond to as well as the name brand.

Thanks for your help!!

[Adalaide]

I don't know if it's an option for you, but have you considered patches or shots? You don't have to worry about gluten content with either. Unfortunately, I eventually found out that I can't take hormone anything because it causes raging migraines. (fun! and totally unrelated to celiac anything) But I was quite happy getting shots before I had to stop. Plus I loved the not thinking about it every day nonsense. 

[WinterSong]

Unfortunately those aren't options for me. I had ovarian cysts a few years ago and the pill helps to prevent them from coming back

[Adalaide]

Sorry. Hopefully your doctor can be helpful in a hurry! I used birth control for non-birth control reasons myself. It can be frustrating because sometimes doctors don't think that if you're out that it's urgent for you to get the situation taken care of immediately. I hope your doctor isn't that daft. 

 

Have you looked into the generics for whatever the alternative is that was recommended? I know you say you didn't do well with another generic in the past, but not all generics are bad. I can't remember the name, but there is a company that imports from India but has an American office to contact and I've never done well with any of their generics. But I've always been fine with everything I've taken that is from companies based in the US, Canada or Israel. 

 

I guess I should point out if you aren't familiar with the generic thing, call your favorite pharmacy and ask them what generic brand they use for whichever alternative was recommended. That way you know what company to call, assuming it is one with a US contact number. And remember, although it is recommended, you don't have to use only one pharmacy. You can try others in your area to see if they offer other brands of the same thing.

[Adalaide]

Oh duh! Is there a generic for what you're taking now? Like, different from the one you tried already? I take Topiramate, a generic, and when the pharmacy I was using switched manufacturers I realized that the one they switched to didn't work. It flat out was not effective any more. But when I found a pharmacy that had the manufacturer that I had been getting it from before, I was find again, even though I was still just getting a generic. Not all generics are created equal so maybe if you can just find a non-crappy generic of it? 

 

Or I read that they're replacing it with a newer, fancier version of basically the same pill. Basically, the same thing only chewable. Probably to renew the patent and be able to charge more money. If your insurance covers name brand and it's gluten free maybe you could just switch to that. 

[WinterSong]

 

 

Or I read that they're replacing it with a newer, fancier version of basically the same pill. Basically, the same thing only chewable. Probably to renew the patent and be able to charge more money. If your insurance covers name brand and it's gluten free maybe you could just switch to that. 

 

This is the one I looked into. It's called Minastrin. I had been taking Loestrin because it is on the gluten free drug list website. I called the Minastrin company and they said there might be gluten in it. Weird! Basically the same thing, but I guess something changed in the processing? Maybe because it's chewable? 

 

I'll try looking around for a generic of Loestrin. Wanted to ask the question on here because I'm hoping to avoid the "oh this one doesn't work for me" phase. 

[Adalaide]

Well, I thought I was trying to be helpful. It didn't dawn on me about the chewable thing, but it should have. I've run into that in the past. Apparently it would be the most difficult thing in the world to make a chewable pill out of anything besides wheat. 

[WinterSong]

Well, I thought I was trying to be helpful. 

No, thank you so much for answering! I really do appreciate your ideas.

[moosemalibu]

Does it have to be oral birth control or can you do an IUD for your ovarian cysts? I have the Mirena which I love...

[WinterSong]

I think I cannot do an IUD.

[WinterSong]

Actually, if I remember correctly, a side affect of an IUD IS an ovarian cyst. 

[moosemalibu]

Actually, if I remember correctly, a side affect of an IUD IS an ovarian cyst. 

That is an unfortunate side-effect! I hope that doesn't happen to me. No side-effects thus far, over 2 years in. Thanks for the headsup.

[BelleVie]

I'm with you moosemalibu, I've had a paragard for six years now. Love it. WinterSong, I have heard both that Mirena causes cysts and that it can help to prevent cysts, so I guess you would have to talk to your doctor about it. I had cysts before as well, and once I got completely off hormones, they stopped occurring, with the exception of one, which was a dermoid cyst, that had to be surgically removed. Have you tried any alternative treatments to help with the cysts? 

[WinterSong]

No I haven't because I'm sexually active and want to be on birth control anyway. The idea of an IUD makes me uncomfortable with the information I've been given so I want to stick with the pill.

[BelleVie]

Ah, I see. 

[WinterSong]

Update! I called the makers of Loestrin24Fe. They also are the ones making Minastrin24Fe. The customer care woman was wonderful and helped clear up a few things. She said that all of the ingredients in the active pills are exactly the same as Loestrin. There is one ingredient in the nonactive/reminder pills that is derived from wheat. So if I skip the reminder pills and just remember to take the active pills on time I should be able to take it. She did however state the disclaimer that while the ingredients are all gluten free they do not test the final product for gluten. However, I've done pretty well with Loestrin24Fe and I've gotten my tTg back down to normal while having been on the pill. I think it's pretty safe.

[WinterSong]

I just double checked this info by calling back (wanted to make sure I got it all straight, and I did). Her disclaimer also said that there is the possibility of CC, but she said that it was a fairly small possibility. The same goes for Loestrin24FE.

 

I think I'm going to go for it. After all, it's the same as what I'm currently taking, right?

[Adalaide]

That's great news. And that is the same disclaimer that most companies give, blah blah no ingredients don't test. Standard CYA. Hope it works out.