Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control User Reviews (Page 5)

• SHa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 22, 2019

"I just started my third month of Kariva. I switched from Junel Fe 1/20. Before, I would get insane mood swings and depression. On Kariva, my mood is balanced as long as I take it at exactly the same time every day. I haven’t noticed any weight gain or change in my sex drive. I had a horrible migraine the first day I took it; after that, it’s only happened one other time. My periods last 3-4 days and are light. The only side effect I can’t stand is that I can’t sleep. I have trouble falling asleep and, once I do, I wake up throughout the night. I’ve been dealing with that for two months, and I’m trying to hold out and see if it gets better because it is a great pill otherwise."

• She...
• August 24, 2016

"I've been on Kariva for almost 3 weeks now, and the first week or so, my body definitely had to adjust to the hormones. I was getting hot flashes, burning up at night, fatigue, nausea, and easily agitated/emotional. At the beginning of this week, I feel like I'm finally adjusting. What I don't like is my vagina is so dry when normally it's wet all the time, and my sex drive has diminished quite a bit. Like others have said, this is taking a toll on my relationship. Guys have to be so patient while we deal with this crap! Overall, though, this is the best birth control I've been on. My skin is looking great too! I'm going to stick this out for a couple of months, but if my vagina continues to be like the Sahara, I don't think it's worth staying on."

• Str...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 30, 2016

"I've been taking it for over a year now (going on 2). I've really had no adverse side effects. I used to get hormonal acne the week before my period on my chin, and once I took the pills, I stopped breaking out. I didn't gain weight. It also helped extremely for my mood swings that I used to get before my period. I would randomly get upset, and the pill has really helped me control my emotions better. The only thing is you have to be consistent and not skip any days. As soon as I skipped a day, I noticed some side effects (ex. minor breakouts). Overall, I really love it. Not everyone's body reacts the same."

• Chr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 21, 2013

"I am thrilled with Apri! I decided to try birth control again because of terrible pelvic pain, probably due to my polycystic ovarian syndrome. Since starting Apri, the pain is gone completely! I was to the point where I was going to opt for laparoscopy just to find a reason and hopefully a cure for the pain, but my doctor convinced me to give this a try, and I'm glad I did! Another bonus is that it helps with my depression and daily fatigue, which was something I wasn't expecting. Add in the fact that I can take the active pills for multiple months straight means I'm feeling a thousand times more energetic than I did before Apri. But when I do switch to the white placebo pills, I feel awful again for that week. Light periods too! Works for me."

• Anonymous
• April 4, 2010

"I have been on Apri birth control for 3 years now. I give it a 3 for the fact that it in fact helped me to get and regulate my period, at the very late age of 22. And that I am not pregnant. But I have worse acne now than I did when I was 13. I have gained a lot of weight on my hips and stomach. I have the worst mood swings, and my sex drive is completely gone. It has caused a lot of problems in my relationship since I started taking it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 5, 2012

"I started taking Kariva when Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo became too expensive for me. I have been on Kariva for the past 4 years. Positives: predictable 5-day periods, no acne, fewer mood swings. Negatives: weight gain (20 pounds), no libido whatsoever. I was able to deal with the side effects for 4 years (my poor boyfriend), and now I've had enough. I've stopped taking it, immediately lost 5 pounds, have a great libido again, and find it easy to track my period with the P-Tracker app."

• SEa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 1, 2019

"I just started this, and right now I am on the period pills. I feel horrible and have felt horrible since the very first pill. Legit nausea all the time to the point where I was waking up once or twice a week around 4 am throwing up (I tried to take it around 12-2 with food every day to maybe avoid this). I also experience uncomfortable bloating really bad when I haven’t even eaten much to be bloated. I haven’t even been eating much period because I’m nauseous all the time. Add mood swings, sadness, anxiety, and headaches to the mix too. I just feel so awful and not myself, so I DO NOT recommend this pill! I hope it gets out of my system ASAP!"

• Anonymous
• September 5, 2012

"I have been on Kariva for three months now. It has been the first birth control I have tried, and it seems to work in the area of birth control, as I have not become pregnant. However, I have had my period for eight days every two weeks and finally figured out that my depression symptoms may have been caused by it; I've been terribly moody, depressed, and cry way more often than normal once I started taking Kariva. Sleep disruptions, loss of appetite, and lower sex drive have also been symptoms I've experienced."

• Bri...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 19, 2017

"When I first started it, I got really emotional and would get irritated easily, but that all subsided after the first month or so. No weight gain, no acne, no pregnancy, lol. But about the only downfall to this medication is that if I don't eat quite a bit right before I take it, I'll wake up in the middle of the night feeling nauseous and not able to go back to sleep. I can't just eat a cracker or some chips and take it, my stomach has to be full. Different medications affect everyone differently, so that might just be me, but I'm kind of curious as to whether anyone else has had this side effect from this medication?"

• Tii...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 27, 2019

"No problem with the pill, been on for 5 months. Since starting, my breast used to hurt every day, they just stopped hurting (they used to hurt around the time of my period). Haven’t had a period since starting the pill, no cramps. I do get bloated sometimes. Only thing is I’ll eat, then I’ll get hungry like 10 mins later, lol. Gives me the munchies, but I don’t munch. I have also lost weight being on the pill. I pay out of pocket, 19.99 for 4 packs, so not bad on price either!"

• aut...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 10, 2019

"I've been on Isibloom since July. The first two weeks, I suffered headaches, and at times I felt nauseous. Since I was using this pill to skip my period, I had breakthrough bleeding for a few weeks. However, I decided to have my period this month. Before birth control, I had 7-day periods that were quite heavy the first 4 days. Now my period lasted 3 days with light flow. I have not gained any weight, in fact, I was able to lose 5 lbs through frequent exercise and somewhat watching my diet. My acne is under control, and I rarely have blemishes."

• izh...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 29, 2019

"I’ve been taking Apri since November of 2018. This is my first time ever being on birth control. During the first month, I was experiencing dizziness. I’m assuming because I would take the pill in the morning without anything on my stomach. When I switched my dosage to the evening (I’ve eaten by that time), the dizziness left. It’s very effective. My only issue is my weight. I’ve never had an issue losing weight, but I could gain weight rather quickly. It’s like I’m unable to lose weight. I’ve been vegan for almost a month now, and I haven’t shed a pound. I believe it’s due to this birth control. Since I do believe it’s due to that, I’m going to stop this brand and method. I truly wish I didn’t have an issue losing weight because it’s very effective."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 7, 2018

"Going into my inactive pills of my first pack. Although this is only my first pack, it has been the pits. Very nauseous, but no vomiting. Bloated, more depressed, very irritable, overthink everything more than usual, almost no sex drive, horrible cramps, almost no appetite, lost all motivation for things, got bad chest pains, indigestion, heartburn... you literally name it. I’m trying to give this pill a chance, but so far, it doesn’t seem worth it."

• Xsh...
• February 19, 2016

"I started this BCP because every month I grew cysts on my ovaries during ovulation, which landed me in and out of the hospital. I also suffered from moderate to severe acne. This birth control has regulated my periods, prevented the formation of cysts on my ovaries, and I haven't had a breakout in weeks. The only downfall about this BCP is my increased appetite, but that's nothing that can't be controlled. My advice for those who seem to eat more while taking ANY birth control is to eat cleaner and healthier so you're not gaining weight. Simple as that. Also, exercise to prevent blood clots and keep blood flowing. That is all. Good luck!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 25, 2012

"I haven't had a single noticeable side effect while taking this pill. No acne, no significant weight gain, no mood changes, no loss of sex drive. Not to mention it works wonders for your cycle: mine's extremely consistent, my periods are lighter, and my once terrible cramps are distant memories. Oh, and you also won't get pregnant. This is a great pill, the side effects some people report are probably an expected reaction or an individual bad experience. Highly recommended."

• Fre...
• November 18, 2016

"I've been on this pill for about 2 and a half years now. I started taking it when I was 16, and I'm now 19. It's been my first and only birth control, and I was put on it because I had insanely irregular periods. My periods were always super heavy and lasted around 7 days. This made me completely regular, gave me way lighter periods that last at most 5 days, lowered my mood swings, and reduced my cramps. I've never once experienced any nausea or negative side effects from taking the pill. Everyone's gotta find the right pill for them, and this is definitely mine."

• Eli...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 27, 2020

"My Dr. told me Enskyce would clear up my acne, and I would have no bleeding because she highly suggested skipping the placebo week. HOWEVER, about 2 and 1/2 into taking Enskyce, I noticed bleeding outside of my period time. Apparently, it was spotting from withdrawal bleeding (something my Dr. failed to mention to me), and when I looked it up, it seemed normal for women starting a new birth control, so I thought nothing of it. It wasn’t until the bleeding became heavy and constant that I began to worry. It’s been 13 days, and the little “spotting” is now a heavy flow of blood. My normal periods have NEVER been this bad. What sucks even worse is the cramps that accompany this constant bleed. The pain has woken me up at night, interfered with my job, and overall just made doing anything difficult because it’s crippling. To top it all off, this med has given me intense headaches every evening, hot flashes, and zero improvement on my acne. I would absolutely not recommend Enskyce to anyone."

• Mel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 17, 2014

"I've been on Apri 28 for about two and a half months now. For about the first two weeks of starting it, my stomach was so upset I couldn't really eat much food. But it did go away. My breasts did get bigger, and I gained a little weight, but also I've been working out, so I don't know if it's muscle gain or from the pill. Another thing is, my period either comes super early, like two weeks early, or a week late. I know it's probably just my body not used to the pill and it won't follow the pill's schedule until after 6 months of taking it. However, my periods don't really hurt at all now. But I'm just sharing my journey so far in case anyone else has been experiencing the same stuff."

• mik...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 2, 2017

"I started taking this pill about a year ago, and it's been complete hell since I started. The first week and a half, I'm unbearably nauseous and hardly have an appetite. At first, I thought these symptoms would subside, but they never did. The next week and a half, I'm cursed with almost extreme PMS symptoms: ridiculous bloating, awful acne, breast pain; you name it. My periods last an entire week, and I get debilitating cramps, so bad that they make me sick the first few days. I tried to wait it out the year, but it's only gotten worse. This birth control has given me the worst anxiety, migraines, heart palpitations, and I'm dizzy constantly. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, not even my worst enemies. Please be cautious when using this."

• Meg...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 28, 2014

"First, I want to start by saying weight gain depends on you. Of course, not everybody is the same, and you cannot expect birth control to help you lose weight. Secondly, this birth control is great, I had to switch to it after the one I was taking got recalled (Yaz). So far, this has made me happy. Like I said, everyone is different. I've had no bloating, cramping, or weight gain. I have been a little emotional, but it's something I can deal with."

• Cat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 3, 2019

"I’m 18 and was prescribed Isibloom using an online birth control provider. I’m currently on my second pack, and I don’t really have many complaints. My emotions haven’t varied all that much, although some days I am definitely moodier, but it’s not to an extreme. I have had no adverse side effects, maybe I feel a little hungrier at times. My period has lightened up a bit— I used to have a 5-day period, now it’s down to 3, and it’s very light with minor cramps. No pregnancy scares either, so I can confirm that the pill is effective. Overall, I like Isibloom, and it seems to work for me."

• Nur...
• April 11, 2014

"I've tried many different birth controls for about 3 yrs prior to taking Apri. I took Apri for my acne & birth control for 2 yrs & it worked great. I decided to stop taking birth control altogether about 1.5 yrs ago. My acne came back immediately, but my periods were lighter and I didn't have cramps while I was off of it. My dermatologist prescribed me Accutane for my acne, but I decided to try birth control again. I've been taking Apri for 4 months & my skin is basically completely clear. Maybe 1 or 2 when it's TOM. However, I've noticed recent weight gain (10 lbs in 2 wks) & increase in my appetite & cravings. My breasts are sore & noticeably bigger. I'm worried this is side effects from Apri. But 10 lbs is better than acne!"

• Luc...
• May 12, 2019

"I was hospitalized last year due to severe anemia and very low hemoglobin. I'm 50 and, unfortunately, I'm still going through perimenopause. Because of this, my periods are horrendous and I would bleed 18 to 21 days a month, be off my period for a week, and it would start all over again. After being hospitalized for it last year and being treated with blood transfusion, potassium, magnesium, and rest, I followed up with an excellent OB-GYN specialist. She put me on Apri and I have my life back, my bleeding is down heaps. Instead of suffering 18 to 21 days, my period is only about 5 days with only 2 days of heavy bleeding. I'm doing so much better and so thankful for this birth control. I also don't have any side effects."

• Tor...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 26, 2014

"I've been on this birth control for about 5 months now. And it sure is doing its job very well. But I do get huge headaches from time to time and feel dizzy for about 2 months now. When I started to take this birth control, everything was fine. But until now, I'm thinking of trying another brand of birth control."

• Anonymous
• May 15, 2011

"The thing about birth control is that it affects everyone differently. Everyone has a different experience with different birth controls because all of our bodies and personalities are different. While some birth controls do contain similar stories, and that is a good indicator, it is truly a different experience for each individual, so try and find one that fits you best, you might have to test a couple out."