Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol and Depression: What Users Say (Page 5)

• Noo...
• April 22, 2019

For Birth Control "This pill is great for preventing pregnancy, but not so great on your body. I’ve been taking this pill for about 2 months, and I’ve experienced, in my first month, such awful sadness, depression, and anxiety. I would have panic attacks at times I never would before because it all came to much to handle, but after a month, they died down, and that wasn’t a problem anymore. But now I am about to start my 3rd pack, and I’m honestly about to just get condoms and wait to get a new prescription, 'cause I’ve had my period like 3 times this month. And yeah, I know you’re thinking, 'Oh, you could just be pregnant.' Well, I’ve been to doctors and taken tests, and no!!! Just this BC!!! May be the one for y'all, but the worst kind I’ve ever tried for me!"

• Aqu...
• November 4, 2013

For Birth Control "I have been taking Reclipsen for 3 months (just finished my third package). I was on Yaz for one year, then Lutera, and now am on Reclipsen. Out of the 3, Reclipsen is hands down my favorite. I stopped taking Yaz after reading scary reviews online and hearing negative reviews from other women I know. The side effects I experienced were noticeable. I experienced a lot of spotting between periods, and if I forgot to take the pill at the exact same time every day, my period started right away--sometimes just hours later! Lutera made my fairly clear skin break out and made me EXTREMELY moody and often depressed. The main side effect I have noticed with Reclipsen is breast growth. At least a cup size this last month! (no complaints)."

• Hop...
• August 25, 2020

For Birth Control "I do not take any other meds, just Apri. I don’t take vitamins, nothing. Let me tell you what has changed. I have been on Apri for 2 months. I gained 11 pounds the first month. Mainly my fault because I had cravings. I have broken out so bad on my forehead and sometimes on my chin. I thought it was due to stress because lately I have had EXTREME anxiety and depression. Never been so stressed in my life, and I couldn’t figure out why I was stressed. I have no reason to be. I am terrified to go to work, I have missed so much work the past month and a half due to anxiety. I’m up all night stressing, so I call in. Then I’m stressed about calling in, so I shut down and sleep all day. I can’t get out of bed, I’m so depressed, and I have no reason to be. I started doing research on why I would be depressed and saw that BC can cause it. So I will definitely be stopping this pill so I can go back to normal."

• Ali...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 1, 2018

For Birth Control "I was prescribed Apri about two months ago for acne. I am halfway done with the 2nd month. So far, I am having some similar side effects as others have described. I’ve been feeling extremely depressed lately and having anxiety. There are times when I feel withdrawn from activities and just want to be left alone. Also, I notice a lack of appetite due to my recent anxiety, which has resulted in weight loss. I’ve lost about 8 pounds since starting the birth control. As for my acne, it seems to be getting worse. However, I don’t know if the birth control is to blame for my acne since I also recently started using tretinoin and clindamycin. I do plan to continue the pills for at least another month since I know sometimes it can take up to 3 months for these symptoms to go away. I’m really hoping my mood changes because I have never felt this much anxiety and moodiness in my life."

• Lyn...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 27, 2020

For Birth Control "I was excited to try this birth control because after talking to my doctor, this seemed like a much better match than when I was on Nexplanon. Sadly, I was only able to take this for the first week. This birth control gave me the WORST migraines of my life EVER. For a week straight, I have been dizzy, and my insomnia is so bad I haven’t slept for the past two nights. But the thing that pushed me to the breaking point is that it caused me hallucinations twice on the last day of taking it. And not to mention the miserable depression."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 9, 2013

For Birth Control "When I first started on Apri, it made me nauseous in the mornings. That went away, but around the third month of use, I got really depressed moods for no particular reason and had random bouts of crying. That went away when I stopped taking it. It worked for its intended purposes, but it wasn't right for me."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 19, 2017

For Birth Control "I was switched to Viorele from Azurette about 3-4 months ago. Azurette was amazing. Light periods, no cramps, no acne, no mood swings, no weight gain, and did not mess with my libido whatsoever. It worked with my body perfectly. Since I've been put on Viorele, I've had the WORST mood swings and bad depression. My boyfriend has even noticed that I never want to do anything anymore and am on the verge of crying/having anger episodes. I have not been myself since I've been on Viorele. I was on my period for literally the first 2 months of taking it. I also have had NO sex drive, which is also affecting my relationship. I know different medications affect differently to each person, but I wanted to share mine with this medication."

• Liz...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 12, 2020

For Birth Control "Been on Cyred for 2 years now, acne clear! In the beginning, I had mood swings, depression went through a really bad time for about 7 months. I decided to put up with it, and now I don't feel like that anymore. Some side effects that were common for me were migraines. Also, with women concerned about weight, what happens is your appetite increases. That goes for any pill, so you really have to watch what you are eating if it does that for you. Other than that, I like my BC."

• Nic...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 29, 2017

For Birth Control "I took Viorele for approximately 2 years. It worked great for clearing up my cystic acne, and it did its job in preventing pregnancy; however, I’ve noticed the following for the past 2 years: -NO desire to be intimate/NO sex drive. This has hurt my relationship, as I now have sex with my fiancé only once a month, if that! -UNRULY CRAVINGS, which led to 25 lb. weight gain. Currently medically diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder -moody, irritable, and short-tempered demeanor -increase in anxiety and depression. The only reason I continued to take Viorele was because it was completely free with my insurance, but it’s clearly not worth it. In my opinion, you should definitely consider another BC pill/method!"

• Dez...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 13, 2019

For Birth Control "This pill Isibloom started out great with little to no side effects and seemingly does its job considering I’m not pregnant. However, after 3 months, I began to experience severe mood swings. I cry all the time over little things and sometimes nothing. I also get uncontrollably angry and lash out on everyone. I have no motivation and I’m depressed most of the time. Some other side effects I’ve noticed were painful periods, nausea (to the point that I actually fainted), weight gain, and bloating. This pill is not worth taking, it greatly affected my mental health. After today, I will no longer be taking Isibloom. I absolutely DO NOT recommend."

• Sug...
• September 30, 2019

For Birth Control "Everyone's bodies will react differently, so keep that in mind while you're reading through these reviews. I've been taking this for 2 months now, about to start my third pack. My first month wasn't bad, I practically had no side effects. I cried a couple of times, but I was also going through a lot of changes in my life at that time, so I have no idea if the pills amplified my emotions or not. The second month was pretty horrible. I had really bad nausea that I've never experienced before. I would be sitting there, and I'd constantly feel like throwing up. That eventually went away, but then the sadness/mood swings came back. Again, I don't know if I can blame the pills because I do struggle with mental health, but I feel like it amplified that sadness. It was more like once a week. But now that I'm starting my third pack, it hasn't been as bad. In summary, I experienced some nasty side effects, but they weren't every day, and they didn't last too long."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 21, 2016

For Birth Control "I started taking this in August of this year, and the first period I had after starting this BC was excruciating. I had severe cramping, swollen and painful breasts, and bloating like crazy. I stuck it out because I know with BC you have to give it a few months to let your body adjust. My periods leveled out, but I only made it 4 months before I had to go back and request something else. My anxiety was exacerbated, depression came back, was extremely emotional, constantly hungry (gained weight because of that), went up 2 cup sizes due to swelling and weight gain, and was bloated all the time. It was a nightmare. It did prevent pregnancy, though, so there's that. I've felt totally normal since switching to the mini pill. This just wasn't for me."

• You...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 26, 2019

For Birth Control "I have been on Apri/Desogen for over 10 years. The only side effects I experienced were tender breasts around my period, a decreased sex drive, and right before my period, usually a week, I would get very sad and upset about stupid little things. I never had that problem before until I hit the 5-year mark on taking this pill. Besides that, no weight gain (but I exercise regularly and played sports through high school and college). Good things were my periods were lighter and shorter, cramps were minimal (which is why my doctor put me on this pill, I had awful cramps when I was younger). I didn't really change my skin. I still have the constant little breakout before my period but nothing drastic like I hear some women have."

• Jus...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 9, 2021

For Birth Control "I wouldn’t recommend this birth control to my worst enemy. Haven’t even been on it 2 months and have noticed severe depression and intrusive thoughts along with heightened anxiety. Also, it has made me have so much discharge that I can’t even exercise without a noise being made. The depression caused me to start getting behind in all of my college classes and has made me want to sleep 24/7. Just no. I personally am cold turkeying being off birth control for the first time in my life after this. Enough was enough."

• jul...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 2, 2019

For Birth Control "This was an awful experience for me. I fell into deep depression, couldn't leave my bed for 14 hours at a time and had really dark thoughts. I became a ball of anxiety everywhere I went, my mood swings were insane. I had a headache that literally lasted for 2 weeks straight and painkillers wouldn't do much, and the nausea I felt like I was going to vomit at the most random times, and every little thing irritated me, so I was being annoying to my boyfriend, my friends, and my family, and I truly felt like I was going crazy. I forced myself to toughen up and at least finish the month (there were like 4 red pills left when I realized I didn't want to do this long term). Now I've reached the placebos, so I'm waiting to get my period and then never touch this medication again. I reacted very badly to Plan B as well, so I'm thinking birth control pills just aren't for my body at all. In conclusion, unless you're lucky enough to not experience symptoms, this can and will mess you up!!!!! :("

• Col...
• January 8, 2017

For Birth Control "I started Apri a year and 4 months ago. When I first started, I was 175. I'm currently 210. My appetite has increased tremendously. It doesn't make me very moody, although I was depressed for a couple of months (maybe that could have been due to school). I've missed as many as 3 days and was still fine. My sex drive has decreased just a little, but nothing too major. My cycle is very regular and only lasts 3-4 days. I cramp, but not every cycle. Overall, it's decent."

• har...
• April 4, 2016

For Birth Control "This birth control made me miserable. I could not even take it for one whole week. Immediately after taking it, I started to feel sick. I had a headache every day after starting to take this pill. It made me feel tired, lazy, and depressed. It seriously made me feel like I was pregnant all over again! I also felt really bloated right after taking it. My pharmacist recommended it because my new insurance wouldn't cover my old BC, Pimtrea. They said it would be basically the same, and it definitely was not. I know everyone's body responds differently, but this one has been the worst for me. I have been taking birth control for 15 years, and this is the only one that has ever made me feel sick."

• Chr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 16, 2019

For Birth Control "Switched from Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo to Mircette for the lower estrogen dosage, but Mircette made me have ZERO libido. Even the thought of anything sexual made me go UGH. Whereas other BCPs gave me anxiety and depression, this made me feel absolutely nothing. It's like I was on antidepressants. Made me feel robotic with no emotions whatsoever, so I just decided to get off hormones altogether and got ParaGard, the copper hormone-free IUD. It's good for 10 years. I've had the IUD for 5 years now and love not having to take a pill or keep switching after your body acclimates to the drug and then you have to switch. Beware of the hormonal mood swings if you get off hormones though! It's a double-edged sword!"

• Dix...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 9, 2019

For Birth Control "I was originally taking Cyred EQ. Then, for some odd reason I don't know, my birth control provider switched me to one of the generics, Isibloom. At first, it wasn't bad. It made my skin clearer. I never got pregnant. It didn't really affect my sex drive. But on Cyred EQ, it let me skip my periods by not taking the placebo. I still got my periods once in a while. They weren't painful but annoying. You miss just one pill on Isibloom and BAM! Period. And I developed some of the NASTIEST mood swings. I could be in the best mood ever, and the next second, something so small would set me off. I'd get unreasonably angry and aggressive, and I would start to scream at people. Even at loved ones, like my mom. It gave me really bad depression. I'd get upset and cry over little things. Once in a while, I would have really depressed dark thoughts. I just took my last pill tonight and I'm throwing the rest away. I'm done."

• Coc...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 7, 2021

For Birth Control "I switched to this from Sprintec, hoping that it would be better in terms of helping my sex drive because I have absolutely none, but this made it even worse. It made me not even want to be touched, hugged, or kissed by my husband. It is ruining my marriage, and I am going to switch to something else ASAP. I’ve taken it for 3 months, and it’s been awful every single day. I feel like I’m going crazy. It has given me severe nausea and headaches EVERY SINGLE DAY, no joke, no exaggeration. I have not been able to get rid of the headache since I started it. I have been taking ibuprofen, Tylenol, and Excedrin like it’s all M&Ms or something. I am miserable. It has made my anxiety and depression 10x worse than what it was. I was doing really well before starting this, and now I feel like I’ve taken 100 steps back and have to repeat the process all over again. It has given me extreme insomnia. I haven’t slept more than 5 hours each night since taking this. Do not recommend."

• Anonymous
• June 19, 2011

"I've been on Kariva for 2 months, and it has turned me into a completely different person. I'm always tired. I can sleep just fine, but I'm constantly tired. I never feel rested. I've noticed it's made me depressed. Everyone around me notices, also. I've had horrible headaches. My appetite has changed. I have blurred vision, dizziness. It's ridiculous. As far as spotting, I haven't experienced any of that. So, effectiveness has been pretty good."

• gia...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 26, 2021

For Birth Control "I have been taking this birth control for a few years now. I was prescribed this for long heavy periods and bad cramps. I was fine for the first 2 years until my anxiety had spiked, making me unsocial and nervous constantly. It had cleared my skin in the beginning, but I now suffer from breakouts before every period. I am a generally anxious person, but my anxiety and depression have gone through the roof! I gained at least 20 pounds since starting this and have so much trouble losing weight despite exercise and a good diet. I also have been experiencing swelling in my feet and ankles and couldn't figure out the source. I finally found out from research that it was this BC. I am so disappointed in Apri."

• col...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 14, 2018

For Birth Control "Been on this birth control for about a year and a half and never really had any notable side effects until about 4 months ago when I started to notice something was different. My acne came back and was worse than it was before I even started the medication, I’m always stressed and have the worst anxiety, constant migraines, mood swings, complete loss of sex drive, depression, bloating and cramping, loss of motivation, you name it, I’ve gotten it as a side effect. More recently (these past couple of weeks), I’ve been constantly nauseous and have been throwing up almost nonstop. It’s been so bad I’ve had to call out of work. I do not recommend this birth control. DON'T TAKE THIS."

• col...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 14, 2018

For Birth Control "Been on this birth control for about a year and a half and never really had any notable side effects until about 4 months ago when I started to notice something was different. My acne came back and was worse than it was before I even started the medication, I’m always stressed and have the worst anxiety, constant migraines, mood swings, complete loss of sex drive, depression, bloating and cramping, loss of motivation, you name it, I’ve gotten it as a side effect. More recently (these past couple of weeks), I’ve been constantly nauseous and have been throwing up almost nonstop. It’s been so bad I’ve had to call out of work. I do not recommend this birth control. DON'T TAKE THIS."

• Aan...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 3, 2018

For Birth Control "I started taking this birth control, and almost immediately my skin started to break out, and it made my breasts extremely sensitive. After 3 months, my skin went back to normal, and my breasts increased from a size C to a DD. My periods were days shorter and much lighter, with little cramping. Although it completely destroyed my sex drive, and I got extreme depression and anxiety from it. I had never had anxiety before, and now it is so bad I have anxiety attacks regularly. It also caused a severe skin rash, perioral dermatitis all over my entire body."