Effect of Oral Contraceptive Pill on RSD
 

I have RSD in my left leg and right arm
My left leg has RSD all of the time and my right arm tends to have a milder underlying pain that flares every so often
I am currently in a flare with both limbs
I recently started taking the oral contraceptive because I was having quite bad period pains that seemed to be feeding into my pain responses to my leg and arm
I have been taking it around six weeks and in that time my pain has gradually increased to the point at which I now feel unable to do very much
This is the first time in a long while that things have been so bad and I was just wondering if starting to take the pill was having any impact on things
Obviously I know RSD affects more women than men and that it predominently strikes at times when there are changes to hormone levels - teenage years or late fourties
I read a study that neither proved or disproved a link but did say that there was an increased tendancy to develop RSD in the six months following pregnancy in some women so again is there a link to hormone levels
Any experiences or thoughts you may have would be gratefully appreciated
Thanks

I've been wondering myself - I've been on b/c for the last couple years, and since I got rsd, I haven't had a period. I've actually been afraid to go off and have my cycle, because I'm afraid with the rsd it would be worse!

I do believe hormones have some link - Especially when you see the reports of how women often go into remission while carrying a baby, but then it comes back with a vengence once you deliver. I wonder if my constant stream of hormones in some way affects things?

I've been asking this question to my drs lately, and I think I will just have to see for myself - I will go off and see if the pain improves, gets worse, or stays the same.

RSDFighter - The pain seemed to get worse for you? What kind of b/c are you taking? I'm on seasonique . . . So I take a pill everyday and don't do the on 3 weeks, sugar pills week 4 sort of schedule.

I'm taking Microgynon which is a combined pill I take for three weeks then have a break for the fourth week
I have been on it less than 6 weeks and had my flare around two weeks after I started - since then my pain in my arm has been worse than usual and now my legs decided to join the party
I am seeing my PM Consutant soon to so will mention it as I'd rather cope with pain one week in four than constantly if there is a link between the two
Maybe it isn't linked though because it thought the pill sort of made your body think it is pregnant - so in theory my pain should be less
Who knows - maybe I've been in a good place for too long and its my bodys way of getting me to step back into line
Thanks again
Andrea x

I used to be on birth control... And I had surgery for polyps in my uterus about 6 months before I got RSD, and ever since I have RSD I am not regular at all. I never know when I am going to start but when I do. I am in bed for probably 4 days because its so excruciating. i am just glad I dont have it every month! I dont know if its the medicine that changes, but i do know that hormones change when you are in alot of pain...

one of the 1st things my docs did when i found out i had RSD was to take me off birth control pills...not sure why

Took you off? I wonder why . . . . . Has anyone else been taken off or told not to take birth control? None of my drs has mentioned it, but they also don't really seem to know much about crps sometimes . . . . And while I've told them all about my birth control, and written on my paper saying what meds I'm on, etc, I wonder if my drs aren't looking at the complete picture. Like if I didn't prescribe them I'm not gonna worry about it mentaility. I also wonder if since I was on the birth control before my crps, if that makes a difference. I've been hesitent to go off it because I thought the pain could get worse, but now I'm thinking that maybe it would get better . . . .

I started having horrible periods after RSD. Weeks long, lots of flow, horrible pains. It got worse and worse. I had an IUD - doc took that out and put me on Camila - a "mini pill" with progesterone only.

I have not had a single period since. So my pain has decreased because I don't have any cramps anymore.

I do know that Topamax and I think Neurontin will make the birth control pill less effective - if you take those you have to use some other form of BC.

This is a completely uneducated guess and could be way off base, but given the tendency of BCP users towards blood clots, I wonder if that is the concern of doctors?

I am currently in the process of weaning off BCPs. I'd be thrilled to see a decrease in my symptoms. I'll keep you posted.

So glad you said that daylilyfan! My dr switched me to topomax today, at my suggestion . . . Neither the dr nor the pharmacist said a thing about it making my bc less effective, but I put them in my interaction checker and topomax does decrease the efficiancy of some bcp, it speeds up your metabolism so the hormones don't last all day in your body like they are designed to.

You saved me from what could have been an unwelcome surprise :) I want to have kids, just not right now.

Hi.

I did get a blood clot in my RSD arm (before diagnosed) while doing a test on the arm because of problems with blood flow.

I have been on the depo shot for 10 years. This is the only birth control that doesn't have anything to do with blood clot increases. They will not give me an oral pill because of the risks.