I'm also using combined pill, so my body is like clockwork.
I start the Thursday of my rest week (the week I don't take a pill) and flow is very medium - light; I can use regular tampons/pads and the flow isn't even heavy enough to fully saturate them. Pain is mild; I might get a dull ache on the first or second day, but it's perfectly tolerable.
The last day is usually Monday (the day I start my pill again).
Before I was on the pill, my periods were horribly heavy, I would frequently leak so I'd have to use both a pad AND a tampon, and the pain was a lot worse.