Apri and Cramps: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Anonymous
• January 5, 2011

For Birth Control "I took Yasmin for a few years but found out Apri was a cheaper alternative, so I tried it. I used it for about four years. My breasts grew from a 34B to a C. I put on 5-10 lbs. No skin issues. If I missed more than a day, I got severe cramps, but they went away as soon as I was back on schedule. However, over time, I lost my sex drive. It was at zero. Too much estrogen causes that. I was also recently diagnosed with fibroids. They are actually very common and mostly harmless, though they can cause slight pregnancy problems. They also grow because of excess estrogen in the body, and Apri is estrogen-based. I quit Apri immediately, hoping the sex drive will come back and my fibroids will start to shrink a little."

• Anonymous
• December 5, 2010

For Birth Control "I have been on many different birth controls. All of them have caused me to become nauseous, moody, etc. Apri is the first one I've used that I have not experienced any of that with. It has helped regulate my periods and made the cramping less severe. My boobs grew a little, and I didn't gain any weight. The only downside is if you miss a pill, you will bleed a lot and cramp, etc., but I'm pretty sure it's like that with any birth control. Definitely worth trying."

• Ny1...
• August 19, 2015

For Birth Control "Did what birth control is supposed to do, caused frequent crying spells around my period time for no reason at all. The cramps were horrible, causing vomiting, which never happened. Overall, it does the main job: prevent pregnancy."

• Ang...
• February 2, 2021

For Birth Control "Don't take it if you have anxiety. I took Apri for 2 months and one week. It was prescribed to me for acne and painful cramps. It did the job with my cramps, I didn't get any, and my periods were super light and manageable. My acne got worse for a bit but just started to clear up at the beginning of the 3rd month. Apri made my anxiety worse. I am a very anxious person. It wasn't the medication itself, but knowing the possibly dangerous side effects made me anxious. I would get super anxious randomly throughout the day, feel tightness in my chest, my heart would beat very hard. At night, I would tremble and get pins and needles and leg cramps. It would take me about 3 hours to fall asleep. I would twitch when trying to fall asleep and would wake up throughout the night. I started taking CBD oil, and it cleared up most of my physical anxiety, but I was still paranoid. I stopped taking Apri, and after a week, I felt perfectly normal again."

• Zep...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 11, 2015

For Birth Control "I was on Apri, and they said the name changed to Mirvala, and there were no changes to the medicine. However, it seems to have completely changed now! I get my period about a week before my pills have run out, even if I take them at the same time every day. I get cramps throughout the month and a lot of spotting. When I do have my period, it is extremely heavy and painful. It's stopping pregnancy, but that's about all that it's doing for me now."

• Zep...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 11, 2015

For Birth Control "I was on Apri, and they said the name changed to Mirvala, and there were no changes to the medicine. However, it seems to have completely changed now! I get my period about a week before my pills have run out, even if I take them at the same time every day. I get cramps throughout the month and a lot of spotting. When I do have my period, it is extremely heavy and painful. It's stopping pregnancy, but that's about all that it's doing for me now."

• Anonymous
• February 19, 2011

For Birth Control "I've only been on this for a week, but I wanted to write a positive review because there are a lot of terrible reviews of this product out there. I can't say much about weight gain, because I've only been on it a week, but I haven't noticed any change as far as that goes. The first day I took it in the morning and had a bad headache that evening. It didn't go away even after taking painkillers. The second day, right after I took it, I was pretty uncomfortable for a few hours. It felt like really bad cramps. The third day, and ever since, I've learned to take it while eating breakfast (not right before or after, but rather during). I haven't had any more problems. I had noticed increased breast size and clearing skin already."

• alc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 7, 2019

For Birth Control "I get my birth control online through a birth control subscription, and they recently changed my script when I renewed my insurance information. So I switched to Apri, and since then, my life has been the worst. I feel exhausted all day, I get cramping, stabbing, awful pains that lead me to throw up. I don’t even get period cramps. I felt bloated, nauseous, had no appetite. This effectively made me feel like I was dying. I sat on my bathroom floor until 5 a.m. because the pains were so bad, and I was throwing up. Definitely don’t recommend."

• Lol...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 31, 2017

For Birth Control "This is more of an update. Been on this for a full 3 months now, about to go on my 4th. I've always had terrible periods (cramps, heaviness, fatigue, moodiness), so I was hoping the pill could relieve some of those symptoms. So far, I've found all of the pills I've tried so far (Loestrin FE, Junel, Yasmin) haven't done a whole lot to rid of these symptoms. Apri is the same. Although my period is more predictable and more manageable in terms of pain, my 2nd and 3rd day of period is still very heavy, and I still cramp a whole lot on the 2nd day. Made my skin clearer, and no problems of weight gain either. I also am not as moody as I was on Yasmin. And no pregnancies yet, although a couple of scares since this pill can mimic pregnancy symptoms."

• get...
• July 16, 2016

For Birth Control "I switched from Lo Loestrin Fe to Apri because I was getting married and wanted to ensure I was having a monthly period (no pregnancy scares for me, thanks). I didn't experience many side effects at first, but with my first period on the new pill came painful cramping and heavy bleeding. Mind you, I hadn't had a real period in about a year thanks to Lo Lo Fe, but that sort of pain was why I started birth control in the first place. I've been on it about four months now and have seen a significant decrease in my sex drive, which, hello, sucks (newlywed, remember?). I've also seen mood swings and nausea the last couple months as my body has been adjusting, and I'm just not about that life. Switching as soon as I can."

• Mar...
• December 2, 2018

For Birth Control "I was put on this birth control after I was on Tri-Previfem for a couple of years. After taking a lower dose BC, my periods started to be irregular, so they put me on a higher dose (Apri/Desogen) to regulate my periods. So, now about Apri... It did, in fact, make my periods regular. As far as everything else... awful. I have anxiety, definitely get depressed for no reason. Mood swings every week for no reason, like crazy. Zero sex drive. Doesn’t do anything for acne, it makes it worse, in my opinion. I always break out when I’m taking it. It made me gain a lot of weight in the beginning and messed with my moods. During my cycle, I have a terrible crampy ovulation-like symptoms, I have awful period cramps and terrible mood swings, pimples, it’s just terrible. Periods are long. I’ve never been worried about pregnancy because this stuff is so strong I missed multiple days and never got pregnant when I probably should have. But other than that, this birth control is terrible."

• Hal...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 3, 2019

For Birth Control "HORRIBLE. Terrible cramping, abdominal pain, heavy bleeding-why is this med even prescribed? I've taken Yaz and another birth control pill in the past, and I never had anything like as bad an experience as I've had on Apri. I only took Apri because I have a new doctor who wanted me to try it. I had to discontinue the Apri because it caused unbearable side effects. Am really angry this drug has used up so many days of my life and only caused pain. The dysregulation continues in my body even though I've been off the Apri for a few weeks. Never again."

• Anonymous
• August 15, 2010

For Birth Control "I have been on Apri since December 2008 when my daughter was 6 weeks old. At first, I loved this pill. My periods came on time, weren't painful at all, really light, and lasted 2-3 days. In the last year or so, my period has become very heavy, lasting 4-5 days with cramping for at least 4 days. I am miserable! After I had my daughter, I had lost 50 lbs, but I have gained that and probably plus some back. I have NO sex drive whatsoever, which is affecting my relationship with my almost husband (in 5 weeks!). I go to my doctor next week to see about switching to a non-hormonal IUD. I have seen successful stories with Apri, but I don't think this pill is for everyone."

• jof...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 8, 2012

For Birth Control "Previously, I was taking Ortho-Cept, before that, I was on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo. Both of these were wonderful for my skin, which I naturally have troubles with. My insurance doesn't cover Ortho-Cept, so my pharmacy gave me Apri. My face exploded and hasn't gotten any better after 3 months. I assume this is a permanent thing, and I'm looking to switch to Tri-Sprintec. I normally have very painful abdominal cramps, but Apri has helped a lot with the pain."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 31, 2012

For Birth Control "I was taking Yaz for about a year and a half, and it was actually working great. I started taking Apri about 4 or 5 months ago. Yes, my periods are regular, and I am not pregnant, but my cramps are extremely painful still, and I am very moody. I also have a very diminished sex drive."

• Hai...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 1, 2021

For Birth Control "I’ve been on Apri for 3 years, switched from Sprintec because it bothered my anxiety. The first few weeks I took it, I was irrationally angry, but after that, no symptoms. I haven’t gained weight because of the pill, but it’s definitely extremely hard to lose weight on it. Periods are slightly irregular. I went from getting my period on Wednesday, then Thursday, then Friday, then back to Wednesday, and now I get them on Saturday, the day before I start a new pill pack. I experienced mild cramps about 2 weeks before my period. I went from having a normal period to barely a period, back to normal, sometimes slightly heavy now. I’ve spotted a few times in the middle of the month, usually very, very light. This month is a little heavier than that, plus the cramping has me not wanting to be on this pill anymore, so I will be talking about switching to a different one as this one is just inconsistent for me."

• 30F...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 28, 2017

For Birth Control "Taking this to move my cycle over. My periods are typically 4 supersoaker days with some cramping - 2 days. My first month on this hellbent pill was constant cramping + nausea, 25 days of bleeding, and horrid mood swings, dark thoughts, déjà vu, and dizzy spells. Doc had me double up for the rest of this packet, now the bleeding is just sparse spots. BF is relieved to finally have sex, though it's painful because now I have low estrogen. Begged the doc to switch me to a different pill brand."

• Ala...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 1, 2018

For Birth Control "I have been using this medicine for two months. So far, my sex drive has decreased. I’m also more irritable, and I have more cramps. I don’t know if I have gained weight or not. My doctor prescribed this for my PCOS and as birth control."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 23, 2021

For Birth Control "I did not want to change birth controls, but I had no choice. I was on the patch for 5+ years, I loved it, no problems, only had to change it 1 time a week on the same day. Never gained weight, never had emotional problems, nothing. But Apri is horrible, and by reading these comments, I’m lucky my situation isn’t as bad as others. I had to switch because I changed insurances, and this company didn’t offer patches as an option. Apri made me lose my sex drive completely! I never feel like doing anything. I get headaches more often than I ever have in my life, and I’m 23. I’ve gained a little weight, which is crazy because I work a very physical job, and I’ve been the same weight since high school. Also get cramps and never did before. Stay away from Apri. I’ll be switching back to the patches next month when I’m able to start my insurance at my new job."

• Anonymous
• July 15, 2009

For Birth Control "I've been taking Apri for 7 months now and have gained about 8 pounds. I have lost my sex drive, and when my period starts, I get horrible cramps. However, I do always know when my period will come, and it only lasts for a couple of days. This has been the most predictable pill I have taken."

• lje...
• December 19, 2009

For Birth Control "I've just started my second month on Apri, and so far I am definitely not satisfied! I get extremely bad cramps, my hair is literally falling out, I have mood swings like crazy. I've completely lost my appetite, and somehow I've gained weight. However, my periods have started back up again (which is what I started them for). This is the only good thing I can say about Apri. I'm not sure that my side effects are worth it at all."

• Mar...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 23, 2021

For Birth Control "I have been on the pill (continuous pill) from the age of 22 until 37 for very bad endometriosis. The pill was a miracle for me, but then at 37, because I was scared of having phlebitis/thrombosis because of someone telling me horror stories, I stopped taking it. It was the worst decision of my life. A few weeks after stopping the pill, I started having a nervous breakdown, was having panic attacks like never before, my anxiety was crippling, I started to get depressed, I started to have real bad acne, my skin was greasy, my periods were back in full force, heavy and painful as anything. I was a mess, but thank God no phlebitis. Doctors tell you about the risk of taking the pill, but they do not tell you the risk to stop taking it after a long time. I went back on it after I had a talk with my doctor who told me that some girls/women can experience very bad depression, anxiety, and bad mood swings when they STOP taking it. I wish I knew about that. Anyone else experienced that? (Like if yes)"

• Mox...
• August 18, 2018

For Birth Control "I really had never needed birth control. I had relatively clear skin, and until I started taking Apri, I had regular periods (3 days, every five weeks). Immediately, I felt nauseated and was a lot more prone to headaches and irritability. There were also dull, lingering cramps. Then the time when my period should have normally occurred happened. The cramping and nausea became a lot more persistent, and I was spotting. Three days come and go, and it doesn't stop. The cramping and the bleeding get worse. Eight days of this. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and figured it was because I didn't start taking it during my period like the instructions said. But the second month was no better. I was told by the doctor who prescribed this that I should only be getting periods about once every three months, and even then it would be light. I was so miserable, and it was actually worse than my periods were before taking it."

• Jac...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 6, 2019

For Birth Control "I was put on this birth control to control my irregular bleeding and to get the hormones it contains into my system. I’ve been taking it for about 2.5 weeks, the only side effect I’ve noticed so far is I’ve been cramping every day, also a tad bit of discharge but nothing major and no bleeding, which is a life changer for me!"

• Mad...
• February 22, 2017

For Birth Control "I have been on this pill for 3 months and am now switching. I didn't get pregnant, so that's the only advantage. My mood swings were out of whack when I first started the pill. I have headaches, am tired all the time, tender boobs, severe cramping, bad acne, and heavy periods. I ended up with a cyst in my left boob too. My sex drive increased, and I was more wet during intercourse than my last pill. Everyone's body is different, this one wasn't right for me."