Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol and Weight Gain: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Oce...
• February 1, 2018

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "Moody, depression, lethargic, weight gain, and overall more emotional. Lost my sex drive completely, and my depression has taken over my life. It’s awful, and I wouldn’t recommend this to my worst enemy. Take anything else. I have been on 7 different types of birth control, and this has been the second to worst, the worst being the Depo-Provera shot. I am getting off of it as quick as I can right now. The only good things about this medication are that it decreased my cramping and cleared up my face in the beginning. Please don’t take this. I felt awful for so long because I was recommended to “wait it out” for 3 months to “get used to it.” I was on it for a year and a half, and nothing has changed. Don’t do it!"

• Fin...
• September 21, 2015

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "I changed to this birth control at the advice of my gyn to try to treat my menstrual migraine headaches after being on Tri-Sprintec for almost 10 years. It did what birth control is supposed to do; prevented pregnancy and regulated my period, but the side effects were awful! I gained over 20 pounds in less than 6 months, had really, really bad mood swings, and the medicine caused me to have bad headaches and migraines at least once a week. Even with dieting and exercise, the weight isn't coming off, and it's so frustrating. I never had these problems in my 10 years prior on birth control. It has gotten to the point now that I have discontinued the medication because of the side effects. I hope others have better luck than I did!"

• har...
• April 4, 2016

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "Out of the 15 years I have taken birth control, this one has been my favorite. It made me have regular, light periods and toned down my mood swings. Didn't gain any weight and never got any pimples. I'm extremely sad my new insurance doesn't cover it anymore, and I am devastated. I am now on the hunt for a new bc and have had no luck with one that responds well with my body."

• Bos...
• October 10, 2019

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "I’ve been on several other brands of birth control, all of which gave me cramps or terrible, terrible mood swings/constant depressive thoughts. I’ve been on Isibloom for about 7 months now, and honestly, it’s been great. My period is down to 3 days, which are very light. I no longer have to deal with horrible cramping/nausea, and my “PMS acne” is basically non-existent now. The only side effects I’ve noticed are a slight weight gain, and oddly, I now find the taste/smell of hot coffee absolutely repulsive."

• Anonymous
• July 16, 2012

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "I have only been on Apri for about a month now, and I love it. I have not gained any weight, my sex drive is the same as it was before I started taking the pill, and my insurance covers it. I get it for no cost at all. I don't know why everyone thinks that one pill is going to give everyone that takes it the same side effects. Every person is going to have different side effects, and some will have the same, but the pill is going to react differently to every woman who takes it. This pill overall is my favorite. I absolutely love this pill. It's effective and affordable."

• Mar...
• February 6, 2015

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "Tried lots of different pills after the one I was on was discontinued, and nothing worked for me, so I stopped trying for about 3 years. When my doctor suggested the pill for acne, I said, sure, why not. This pill is one of the few I don't have spotting or crazy 3-week periods with. The only downside is that I find my cramps are 10x worse, and I have gained some weight, I've especially seen that my breasts have grown. My acne has been a lot better, and my periods are more normal, although they do last a bit longer, my mood has also been consistent. Overall, I have had a good experience and am happy to have normal, predictable periods."

• Mil...
• July 28, 2019

For Birth Control "I have been taking desogestrel/ethinyl estradiol for 6 months now, it has been the first birth control pill I have experienced since getting into a long-term relationship. The positives are that it has stopped my monthly period, which settled 6 weeks after starting the pill. I haven't had one since. It has been effective in preventing pregnancy, including forgetting to take it on the odd occasion. The downside is that I have gained a small amount of weight despite being active, and my cravings have increased. I feel it has affected my mental health in a bad way. I'm laid back and level in mood, the day before my period, I would be a little hormonal, but otherwise, I'm pretty level-headed. I've noticed an increased sense of worry, anxiousness, and feeling like I'm going to have a panic attack because I work myself up so much over nothing, which is definitely not me. I also feel quite lethargic and low at times. So, after much debating, I'm going to come off this pill and try something else."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 11, 2021

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "This is the 3rd bc pill I’ve tried, and it’s by far the worst. There’s barely any time during the month where I feel okay. The week before my period, the week during, and the week after, I feel super gross and have low energy. I have gained 15 pounds in the past 2 1/2 months, and it’s been super detrimental to my mental health. My depression and anxiety are the same as on any other pill, but I have depressive episodes where I cry for no reason every so often on this. Do not recommend."

• Run...
• May 30, 2015

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "At first, I had no problems on Apri. Then, about a month in, I gained over 10 pounds even though I didn't change my diet or exercise. I also noticed that I became very moody and had random crying spells around my period, which has never happened before. My breasts are also very tender and itchy, and my acne has gotten worse. I never had bad period cramps before I started taking this pill, and now they are extremely painful. Hopefully, my doctor switches me to a different pill."

• Sal...
• September 22, 2017

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "My doctor put me on this BC 3 months postpartum, and I've decided to stop taking it after being on it for two months. I've bled the entire time being on this pill, mood swings, dark thoughts, very emotional, nauseated all the time, the bloating is so uncomfortable (prior to starting this pill I had my waist back and almost a flat stomach, but now I look like I'm a few months pregnant again!) I have no drive, low energy (I'm sure from bleeding for 2 months), I just want to eat all the time, I've gained weight, overall this BC didn't mesh very well with my body. I'll be going back to taking Enskyce again, which I took for 3 years with no issues."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 2, 2013

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "Apri was the very first birth control pill prescribed to me. My skin cleared up to the point of being a little dry, and my periods were light and regular. However, I started passing large clots during the placebo week, which were very painful. I also gained about 5-7 pounds, and I could have been imagining it, but I thought my legs started feeling funny at night. I stopped taking this pill after 4 months and am now on a different brand I am very happy with."

• Sta...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 20, 2019

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "I was on Apri for about 3 years. Originally started birth control as I have irregular, painful menstrual cycles, and that's apparently all they could do for a teenager with such “irregularities.” I loved it for a while because my period symptoms and pain were basically nonexistent, and my period was only ever 4-5 days long. No acne, and didn’t gain any weight or anything. Before I got on Apri, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depressive disorder. This pill played a huge role in what was an ongoing depressive episode for years. I stopped taking it in February, and I still have my struggles, but nowhere near as bad as I did before. So basically, if you have a mental illness, I suggest not taking Apri. There is a great chance it will worsen your symptoms."

• Anonymous
• October 27, 2009

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "I, my boobs got huge on this pill, but as well as them, I also gained extra weight on my hips. I completely lost my sex drive as well, so it is hurting my relationship. As well, it has been making me so moody. I give this drug a 5 because I never got pregnant. However, the side effects were bad."

• raf...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 12, 2017

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "Was put on this because of PCOS, did exactly what it was supposed to do. Got my period exactly every 28 days, no major side effects except for weight gain (part of which I blame for starting college at the same time). Didn't gain weight at first, then I gained 10-15 lbs, and overall I gained 35-40 lbs. It wasn't easy to lose the weight on this either, even with diet and regular exercise."

• lyd...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 19, 2017

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "I have been on Apri for 4 months. I'm 20 years old. This is my 5th overall birth control, but the best yet. I have had some overemotional moments, or as I call them 'birth control' cries, but nothing terrible. My appetite isn't out of control, on my period, though, is another story. On this particular pill, my period is much longer, around 8-10 days. Sex drive is pretty normal, and weight gain has not been out of control, as long as I watch my diet and get my steps in every day, I stay in the 120-130 range."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 11, 2017

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "I have taken Kariva for about 6 months, and my boobs have gone from an A cup to a D cup, which is alarming. I have pregnancy-like symptoms very often, but I'm not pregnant. Overall, this birth control made me extremely moody and gain crazy weight."

• Hop...
• August 25, 2020

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol 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."

• Anonymous
• January 6, 2011

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "I have been on Apri for 6 months now. My acne has come back, I have horrible and frequent mood swings. I've gained at least 8 pounds around my hips. I completely lost my sex drive, which is ruining my relationship with my boyfriend. I have horrible cramps the whole week before and during my period, and I get it for at least 5 days. The kicker is, it was the perfect pill for the first couple of months, so watch out. I'm going to the doctor this week to switch."

• Jil...
• November 11, 2011

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol "This pill was AMAZING. I was on it for three months, no spotting or breakthrough bleeding even if I forgot my pill. I gained a little weight the first month, but it was only about 2 lbs and dropped it by next month. I was underweight, so it didn't bother me. I didn't break out, my mood overall improved, no or very little cramps, nothing some Midol couldn't fix. Which was why I went on the pill in the first place. My period came the same time every month, and I went up about 1 cup size. The only reason I switched was because my mood swings on the placebo week were ridiculous, but that's how I was before the pill, so I don't think Kariva made me like that. Great pill, I highly recommend it!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 28, 2016

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "I have been on Kariva for about 3 years now. I originally went on the pill for my severe cramps and heavy bleeding. After one month, my acne cleared up, my period got much shorter, and my cramps were less intense. However, I have gained 20 pounds and a full cup size since being on the pill. In addition, I have absolutely no sex drive and a lot of dryness. Though I have experienced anxiety before taking the pill, it has gotten much worse since being on it. My PMS is much more severe as well."

• nao...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 16, 2019

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "So I've taken Apri for about four years now, let me say, I love it. I started taking it for terrible cramps-to the point where I'd puke from the pain and have to pull the car over with each wave. Not only did Apri help calm my cramps 98%, my period only lasts like 2-3 days. I used to have terrible, I mean really bad, skin breakouts. After taking Apri for a couple of months, my skin has been completely clear since. It's like killing two birds with one stone. I never gained weight or felt weird. I'm a college student, so I have enough stress on my plate already, Apri really helps."

• RAi...
• March 12, 2014

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "I have been taking Reclipsen for a little over four years. From the beginning, I never really had any issues with this birth control. I gained 5-7 lbs within the first few months (not a big deal to me) and had some irregular spotting. Since then, the only side effects were breast tenderness (around my menstrual cycle) and some moodiness during my period. What girl doesn't get moody during that time? Overall, I haven't had any other side effects. I will continue with Reclipsen until otherwise."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 4, 2021

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "I have gained 35 lbs in the last year on this pill. My acne is the worst it has ever been, and acne medication has not helped. This pill has made my periods light, and I have no cramps, but the weight gain is crazy. No matter how hard I try, I can’t lose the weight."

• Jes...
• October 11, 2016

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "I was using a smaller dose of birth control before Reclipsen and started to spot after two months. I switched to Reclipsen, and it has regulated my periods very well (even up to the right hour each time). I have been using it for 6 months now. I am mostly responsible for taking the pill every day on time. I noticed some weight gain but could also be due to other factors. My weight has been consistent after the initial weight gain (no new diets or different exercises). In the beginning, I noticed episodes of mood swings, but have been managing them pretty well."

• kar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 26, 2018

Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol for Birth Control "I was switched from Nikki to this birth control because my insurance didn't cover Nikki. I mainly got on BCP to control hormonal acne. I'm 30 and was still getting back breakouts consistent with my menstrual cycle. Juleber has made my skin clear! I've been on it for only 2 months. My skin is a lot drier now (normally oily). I barely have acne now! I did not experience weight gain or any other side effects."