"i&#039;ve been on ortho tricylen lo for over 8 years now and i never want to switch. obviously in the beginning the first month or so was a little annoying.. getting my period still pretty heavy and if i skipped a pill more than once in a month i would spot, but i think that is normal. i&#039;ve always gotten my period for 4-6 days on this pill too which most people would hate, considering loestrin takers don&#039;t even get a period anymore, but i think this is natural. our bodies are engineered to have periods so i think not having one at all is not good. as long as you take your pill everyday i would highly recommend.  i have never experienced any bad side effects and if i ever did gain weight it was from college not my birth control."