Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol and Cramps: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Kel...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 16, 2013

For Birth Control "I have been taking Reclipsen for over 6 months now. I am 21 and have no children. This is my 3rd birth control to try, after Depo-Provera and Natazia. I decided to try Reclipsen for my acne and cramps. It immediately cleared up my face and is effective at preventing pregnancy, but I'm starting to wonder if the side effects are really worth it. I am extremely irritable, and my attitude goes from great to depressed/angry in an instant. I even tried Zoloft for a while but realized it was the Reclipsen. I still have a period for about 5 days a month, along with the awful cramping. I'm calling my doctor soon to discuss other options. I know medications affect everyone differently, so it may be a good choice for you, but definitely not for me."

• Bug...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 28, 2020

For Birth Control "I’ve been on Enskyce birth control pill for a little over a month, and it has been horrible so far. It has given me side effects so that I am anxious and sensitive to pretty much everything. My boyfriend could say “stop” to me, and I would start crying. I’m skipping the placebo pills, and yet I’m still bleeding (not nearly as much, however) AND cramping. I feel nauseous, and my boobs hurt tremendously. It pretty much feels like I’m constantly on my period (minus the bleeding). I’ve been bloated, constipated, with horrible stomach cramps. I’ve had headaches. I haven’t noticed much weight gain, but mind you I’ve only been on this a month. Apparently, symptoms are supposed to improve in a few months, but that’s ridiculous. I haven’t gotten pregnant, so that’s the only advantage to this pill. I would not recommend this brand to anybody."

• kat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 7, 2018

For Birth Control "I want to share a positive experience on Viorele. I've had a really difficult time finding a birth control that works for me. On other pills, I spot if I take my pill even hours late. I've had full week-long heavy periods on other pills. With the arm implant, I spotted for two months straight. With Viorele, I have some cramping right before my period, but just one day, and Advil helps. And then my period is three days long and so light! I missed a pill just last week and no spotting, which is huge for me. It's all about finding what works for you, so I wanted to share my success story on it."

• Ali...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 1, 2020

For Birth Control "I switched to this by accident from Valette — on Valette I had a very stable mood, clear skin, no weight gain, etc. This pill, on the other hand, is horrible. I had nausea for the first week and a half, cramps for two weeks, and I’ve just come to the realization that my insane mood swings are from this pill. It’s making me very depressed, and I cry often."

• Aan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 3, 2019

For Birth Control "I have tried multiple forms of birth control, including the Kyleena IUD. I have awful cramps that make me cry and insane mood swings off and on different birth controls. I got prescribed this pill, and it has changed my life. I no longer have depression during different parts of my cycle, and the painful periods are gone! When I started, I did have some mild stomach upset after, but after an hour, it always goes away. If birth control others rave about doesn't work for you, I highly recommend trying this one."

• sha...
• October 4, 2009

For Birth Control "I started taking Apri as a replacement for Seasonique. My sex drive is completely gone, and my cramps are horrid. I'm not pregnant, though, and it's really cheap. My period is on time every month and very light, but the negatives definitely outweigh the positives. What's the point of being on birth control if I don't even want sex?"

• Anonymous
• September 23, 2019

For Birth Control "Let me tell you that the first couple of months of Apri were bad. I had trouble sleeping, nausea, very tender breasts, among other things, but the worst part was the depression and anxiety. I would cry pretty much every day for absolutely no reason. I lost a lot of motivation to do anything. It was pretty miserable, but I decided to stick it out for a couple of months hoping that these symptoms would go away, and they did. I’ve now been on this birth control for about 6 months and I am very happy with it. It regulates my period, which is the main reason I went on birth control because my periods were consistently 10 days long and very irregular, sometimes I’d have a 2-week cycle, sometimes 2 months. Now I get a 5-day period, exactly every four weeks, it’s great. I do still get cramps, but they are not as bad as they were before I went on Apri. I would recommend this birth control if you are prepared for a rough first couple of months."

• eol...
• January 8, 2020

For Birth Control "I've been taking Isibloom from Pill Club for almost 3 or 4 months now. I was very nervous about taking it because it was my first time taking birth control. And oh boy, did I change. I was angry all the time, always mad at something, felt like I was going to throw up all the time, my weight changed, I've gained almost 30-40 pounds (maybe that's because I live with my boyfriend lol), my acne was doing okay, but the changes in my period were great! My flow isn't as heavy, the first day it's light, but the second day it's heavy! The cramps are the worst on the first day, but after that, no cramps! My period lasts up to roughly 2-4 days, depends if Mother Nature wants to be nice. ALSO, this is coming from a girl that has sex almost every day or every other day, AND I'm not pregnant. AND we don't use a condom either. I would say this birth control is effective, but it just depends on who you are. And we all are entitled to our opinions. And taking the pill is worth all the struggles! Xoxox"

• Rui...
• August 6, 2014

For Birth Control "I started taking Kariva in May 2013 when I was 18. It was the first time I was taking a birth control pill, and I was with my boyfriend for 3 months at the time, so it seemed like a smart decision. I mainly went on it to control my periods and clear up my acne, which I was fed up with after years. Now I have realized that over the past year, it has made me completely emotionless, and I have absolutely zero sex drive. On the bright side, my periods have been light and short (still painful cramping), and my skin has never looked better. I am going to stop taking it and try out a different pill that hopefully doesn't diminish my emotions."

• Dim...
• September 26, 2019

For Birth Control "If I could give this zero stars, I could... I’m so scared at what this pill is doing to me. This is my first time taking a BC pill, so naturally, I knew that I would be sensitive to the medication. I was nauseous, tired, hungry, sleepy, and light-headed when I first started this pill and tried to stick it out. It’s been a month now, and my cramps and diarrhea are awful... also, I’ve been bleeding for like a week straight. The whole point in me getting on birth control was to cut out my periods. They’ve never lasted more than 5 days, and here I am on day 7. I was trying to wait it out, but I can’t do it. Think I’d rather deal with my regular period times and cramps."

• Bri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 8, 2021

For Birth Control "The first couple of weeks were fine. A little increase in anxiety, but manageable. Week 3, I started being moody and just not feeling myself. Feeling nothing at all sometimes, or intense anxiety and/or depression. I figured it was just because my period was coming, but it came and went, and I feel the same. The anxiety can get so bad that I am having panic attacks, which I have not had in YEARS. I am NOT an emotional person, but I can cry in an instant now. I was on my phone laughing at something and then immediately started crying. I have cried more in the past 2 weeks than I have in 6 months, and I just feel like I’m going crazy. It has lightened my cycle and shortened it. I got a lot more cramping than with my normal period, though."

• all...
• June 21, 2016

For Birth Control "When I first started this, I got so sick, but I realized you have to eat before taking this. Do not take on an empty stomach! My acne did somewhat get better. I would definitely recommend this to underweight people, it added a few pounds on me! No emotional problems, the period lasts anywhere from 3-7 days, cramps aren't as bad, good sex drive!"

• Ame...
• November 21, 2016

For Birth Control "My doc prescribed this for endometriosis. I've tried other BC pills, and right away they either made me depressed, nauseated, made my period last for weeks, gained weight, breasts ballooned up and were painful, cramps every day, acne, pretty much every awful side effect you can think of. But thankfully NOT on this pill. There have been zero side effects. Maybe for the first week I experienced mood swings at the same time at night when I took the pill, but it didn't last if that was related to it. I only gave it 9 out of 10 because I've just started the second month, and I'm keeping an open mind in case things were to change. But I'm so thrilled with it so far, and I hope it holds up!"

• duc...
• November 21, 2013

For Birth Control "Horrible starting with the very first pill: severe cramping, migraine, loose bowels, tiredness, confusion, nausea. Had to stop after taking only three pills. Been on the pill off and on since the age of 19. I'm now 43, and this is the absolute worst experience I've had with a birth control pill."

• Ean...
• August 19, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve been on this pill for about 2 weeks, and this past week has been like hell on earth. Constant nausea, fatigue, and awful cramping!!! I started taking the pill to lessen cramps during my period because I get them pretty badly for the first 1-3 days. These have been worse than my period cramps and have been ongoing for about a week now. I’ve had bloating to the point where I look like I’m pregnant. I’ve gotten headaches on this pill too, they last for hours and feel like a dull pulsing pain. These side effects almost made me believe I was pregnant because they were so strange and came out of nowhere, but after reading some other reviews, I believe that it’s this pill. I am young, and I noticed other negative reviews have been from older women, so I thought I would have better luck. I have just been feeling awful for days. Ibuprofen has not helped either."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 15, 2022

For Birth Control "Been on the pill for just over two weeks, and the bloating is terrible. Motivation and drive to do and get things done have steeply dropped. My breasts are always extremely sore. Orgasms now come with pain, and I cramp all throughout the day regardless of where I’m at in my cycle. This should be taken off the market. It’s garbage."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 3, 2020

For Birth Control "I honestly did not hate this Isibloom birth control like I thought I would. I read a lot of negative comments about this birth control before starting it, but after being on it for about two months now, I haven’t really noticed any side effects at all, other than on the first day. The first day was the worst - I threw up, had diarrhea all day, and experienced the most excruciating period cramps of my life, so I was nervous to continue with it. But then after that first day, just...nothing. No side effects whatsoever, so I plan to stick with it. Overall, I’m very happy with this birth control and it seems to be effective at doing its job."

• Hol...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 18, 2020

For Birth Control "On Viorele, I had horrible anxiety and depression after only taking it for a couple of days. It’s been a little over a week now, and it’s already caused me anxiety attacks and problems in my relationships and abdominal cramps. It made me dizzy and feel out of it too. After 9 days, I’m already done, I can’t continue to take it."

• Kat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 10, 2018

For Birth Control "I was switched from Junel to Apri because of breakthrough bleeding. While that has been fixed, Apri has some pretty serious negative side effects for me. My mood is completely unstable and swings terribly, and my anxiety is uncontrollable. Sex drive is basically nonexistent. Other than that, no weight gain, acne, lighter periods, and less painful cramping (my cramps were unbearable before)."

• Anonymous
• March 11, 2019

For Birth Control "Enskyce contraceptive pill sucks. I've been on it for a week, and my period usually only lasts 3 days, but I've been bleeding since I first took it. I'm extremely moody and get irritated at everything! I feel nauseated and have intermittent cramps, which also never happens. I'm switching to a different brand this coming week. I hope the bleeding stops."

• Bea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 16, 2019

For Birth Control "I’m giving Enskyce a 4 as a rating because I have been on this pill for almost 3 months now, and I have terrible headaches. I get headaches every day. They are very dull, yet they still occur every day, and it interferes with my daily life. It has done a great job at preventing pregnancy and clearing up my acne. Sometimes I also get stomach pain and tend to get somewhat constipated. I usually have my period on the 3rd-4th day of taking the placebo pills, and they have become a lot lighter, but my cramps are still terrible to the point where I am unable to get up off the couch. I truly do not recommend this birth control, and I would ask your doctor to switch you to something else."

• Ima...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 11, 2019

For Birth Control "First 2 months I was very sensitive. Not moody, but extremely sensitive. Literally everything made me cry. Now I’m on my 4th month and everything's fine. I love it! I also have endometriosis and I have been struggling with horrible bloating, cramps, and painful sex. All that is now gone. Only thing that it hasn't done is clearing my face from pimples. But that’s alright as long as my endo is under control."

• Rub...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 14, 2019

For Birth Control "I have crazy PMS. I mean crazy. I cry a lot, I'm nauseous (I even vomit some months), get heat flashes, acne, horrible cramps, mood swings, etc. This is why I was not afraid of any birth control side effects because I live with these bad problems regardless. I took birth control (through the pill club and was prescribed this) because of my symptoms and because I've been sexually active for a few months now. I took it a week before my period, and those symptoms seem to have been minimized so far. I have a very high sex drive, however, the pill makes it a little harder to get turned on. I've had okay sex so far and also very great sex (my advice is to use a good amount of lube. It fixes the problem). I've only been on it a week, but so far so good. I will, however, be back to post a review in a few months to see if my symptoms have changed. So far so good, though. (: All bodies are different, but if you're anything like me, I would consider trying this pill."

• Col...
• October 19, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on this pill for almost a year now, and I have no complaints! Used to have cramps that were so bad I fainted or threw up, and it was miserable. Was on Tri-Previfem before this, and it was mild and didn't help with cramps that much. This pill is higher in hormones, I believe, and I actually lost weight when I switched. My only reason I'm not giving it a 10 is I do break out before my period, a bit more than I used to, but it's worth feeling so much better."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 30, 2015

For Birth Control "I've been on this for about 3 years and experience very little cramping and other period side effects, which is great. Also, I haven't gotten pregnant, so I guess it does the job. But I experience drastic mood swings, no sex drive whatsoever, and my hooha is like a desert. I stayed on it because I'm too lazy to make a new appointment with my gyno, but it's starting to drive a wedge in my relationship as the side effects are getting increasingly worse, so I plan to change soon."