Safyral and Mood Swings: What Users Say

• Anonymous
• July 25, 2011

For Birth Control "I'll break down my experience with parts of this birth control for you. 1) Skin: totally cleared up my skin. Excellent for that. 2) Birth control: it's the only form of contraceptive I use, and so far...no babies. 3) Cravings: it's hard for me to say because I've always craved carbohydrates and sugar anyway, so neutral. 4) Periods: on time. No breakthrough bleeding. 5) Mood: 100% terrible. I cannot emphasize this enough. Nothing will be wrong in my life, and I literally won't be able to stop crying. Yesterday, I think I started crying at 8 am and continued crying at hour intervals until I fell asleep at 9:30 pm. I get frustrated now over tiny things. I have mood swings. I act irrationally. But mainly I just cry ALL THE TIME. And I'm just constantly sad."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 19, 2013

For Birth Control "I've been on Safyral for about 6 months now. When my doctor first put me on this pill, I really liked it. It was my first time going on birth control, so I was nervous about all the weight gain rumors. But it was fine, I didn't gain any weight. I actually lost weight, and my breasts got bigger. My skin cleared up, it has been a great contraceptive so far, but it made me so emotional. Maybe 2 or 3 months in, I just got so depressed. Randomly, I would just get so sad and not even know why. I cried all the time, I had a short fuse. The littlest things would just upset me, and I've never been like that, so I'm switching. Everyone is different, though, and besides the emotions, it was a great birth control."

• Koj...
• May 2, 2013

For Birth Control "Been on Safyral for 6 weeks. I have no complaints. I've never been on birth control but had to go on it due to bleeding for 2 months straight, really heavily. My bleeding stopped, I've not had any mood changes, weight gain, acne, or anything. It's regulated my periods, and now I'm back to normal. It's been a great first experience with birth control."

• Anonymous
• June 10, 2011

For Birth Control "This is my first time using birth control pills. I have been on Safyral for a month and a half. It has cleared up my skin significantly but caused bad mood swings and nausea. I am switching to a new birth control with a lower dose of hormones to help with my mood."

• Bet...
• September 21, 2014

For Birth Control "I was concerned about starting Safyral after reading some of the reviews here, but have been pleasantly surprised by how easy my transition onto it has been. I was not on any contraceptive previously, and when I started my Safyral regimen my only side effect was very light spotting for the first month. Not only did I escape mood swings, weight gain, acne, nausea, etc., but my usual menstrual symptoms (bloating, cramps, breakouts) have become almost nonexistent. I am not yet sexually active, so I can't speak to Safyral's effectiveness as a contraceptive, but I've been very happy with it in the meantime."

• Jen...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 4, 2014

For Birth Control "My experience with Safyral had been an overall good one, but it didn't start out that way. During the first month, all through the second month, I had horrible mood swings. Borderline depression, it felt like. But after the second month, it went away, I started feeling better. I've had no acne. No weight gain. Lighter flows. So I guess this pill is different for everyone based on the other reviews, but this is a great one for me, and I plan to keep using it for a long time."

• jes...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 4, 2012

For Birth Control "I have been on this for a month and have had a horrible experience with my mood change. I have always been a happy person, and now for the last week, I am so depressed and I am constantly feeling a nervous feeling in my gut, like anxiety. I had a baby 2 months ago, and even through my pregnancy, I never felt any mood swings or depression. I talked to my doctor and have decided to stop this birth control. Hope it'll fix this sad feeling."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 22, 2012

For Birth Control "I haven't been on this pill for very long, but my doctor gave me some free samples because I was having breakthrough bleeding with LoEstrin. So far, my main complaint is nausea. I have never felt so consistently sick in my life - not even with the flu! I'll post again when I've been on it longer about weight gain, mood swings, cramps, etc."

• Anonymous
• April 8, 2012

For Birth Control "I have been on this pill for a couple of months now. It's great with acne and no weight gain or anything, but I will say it's absolutely horrible with moods. I've had the worst mood swings. I'm depressed, and I literally cry over anything, and when I start, I can't stop!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 22, 2012

For Birth Control "No breakthrough bleeding, felt the best that I ever had, lost weight, and felt like my old self again. So, I started this medicine in April 2012 and am currently on it, and it's October 2012. This will be my last pack. I have experienced nausea, bloating, mood swings, sadness, depression, fatigue, and just don't feel like myself anymore."

• Anonymous
• September 28, 2011

"Took this for 4 months after having a baby. Having cravings for sugar and carbs. Severe breast tenderness and severe mood swings and depression. I have severe hot flashes and feel like a menopausal woman. They did all kinds of testing on me and said it must be this pill causing it. I'm going off it next week! It has completely changed my personality and made me into an angry hormonal woman with mood swings daily."

• mm3...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 20, 2012

For Birth Control "I've been on Safyral since January 2011. (Almost a year) It was awesome at first, but as time went on, it slowly started to change me. Great if you don't have a boyfriend. I say that because I have ZERO want or desire to be cuddly or intimate with my amazing, sweet, and near-perfect boyfriend of two years. It's the most frustrating of all my symptoms. Next are the mood swings, angry one minute, sad the next, anxious... it never ends! Before this pill, I always considered myself to be a 'guy' when it came to emotions, I was always just happy-go-lucky, NOT with this. Emotions = scale of 1 on this stuff. Pros = 100% clear skin, all the time! No weight gain. It's not the WORST birth control out there, but just be prepared to ride an emotional roller coaster."

• mm3...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 20, 2012

For Birth Control "I've been on Safyral since January 2011. (Almost a year) It was awesome at first, but as time went on, it slowly started to change me. Great if you don't have a boyfriend. I say that because I have ZERO want or desire to be cuddly or intimate with my amazing, sweet, and near-perfect boyfriend of two years. It's the most frustrating of all my symptoms. Next are the mood swings, angry one minute, sad the next, anxious... it never ends! Before this pill, I always considered myself to be a 'guy' when it came to emotions, I was always just happy-go-lucky, NOT with this. Emotions = scale of 1 on this stuff. Pros = 100% clear skin, all the time! No weight gain. It's not the WORST birth control out there, but just be prepared to ride an emotional roller coaster."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 4, 2012

For Birth Control "I have been on this birth control for about a month and a half now. This is my first time on birth control, so I did not understand all the changes that were going on. BUT I started craving so many things, and also nausea will come! Also, many mood swings, especially when my period is near, all I want to do is cry, and acne was HORRIBLE. I did not gain weight or anything like that, though."

• Kar...
• July 28, 2013

For Birth Control "I had a pretty good experience with Safyral while I was on it. It helped regulate my cycle to be much more predictable and on time, and helped with my often severe leg cramps. I didn't experience any weight gain, and though I was sometimes moody, it wasn't anything outside of normal PMS. It did what it was supposed to do, I suppose. However, my problems were when I had to go off Safyral. My insurance stopped covering it, and at first, my OB/GYN didn't have any samples for me, so I had to stop taking it for a while. This is when I started to gain weight and had some crazy mood swings. I felt kind of depressed at times, cried often at work (which is unlike me), and just felt over-emotional."

• Kar...
• July 28, 2013

For Birth Control "I had a pretty good experience with Safyral while I was on it. It helped regulate my cycle to be much more predictable and on time, and helped with my often severe leg cramps. I didn't experience any weight gain, and though I was sometimes moody, it wasn't anything outside of normal PMS. It did what it was supposed to do, I suppose. However, my problems were when I had to go off Safyral. My insurance stopped covering it, and at first, my OB/GYN didn't have any samples for me, so I had to stop taking it for a while. This is when I started to gain weight and had some crazy mood swings. I felt kind of depressed at times, cried often at work (which is unlike me), and just felt over-emotional."

• Sha...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 26, 2015

For Birth Control "I was put on this birth control at the age of 14 due to severe ovarian cysts and breakthrough bleeding from other pills. It was absolutely wonderful the first two years. My skin glowed, I kept a great weight, my periods were always on time. However, all this soon went downhill around the third year. I started to have overwhelming feelings of depression wash over me multiple times during the day, I became sluggish, I didn't want to do things with friends or family, and my relationships suffered greatly overall. After stopping this pill, my mood swings diminished, and I feel like my old self again. Never going back to this pill again."

• Anonymous
• July 26, 2011

For Birth Control "I'm only on my first pack, but so far I have no negative side effects. This week (week 2), I feel great. I have been on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, and it gave me horrible mood swings, which this medicine has not. I love it!"

• JJa...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 28, 2018

For Birth Control "I have been on Safyral for years. I'm in my forties. In my 20s, I had major cramps, bloating, cysts, heavy periods, and severe mood swings. The mood swings included me crying at commercials, yelling, and snapping at the smallest thing. I was so not myself the week before, during, and a few days after my period. I was then diagnosed with PMDD and put on Yaz; it was a life changer. No mood swings or heavy periods. Then my doctor recommended I move to Safyral after reported issues with blood clots while on Yaz. It was an easy transition, and even better, I don't get a period at all. I would recommend if you don't have mood swings, depression, or changes in your behavior during or before your period, this may not be the pill for you. The good thing about pills is you can always try, and if it doesn't work for you, stop taking it; not like the shots where you're stuck for three months. Talk with your doctor and really list your symptoms and work together to make the right decision on your pill."

• Anonymous
• July 8, 2011

For Birth Control "Was on this pill for 2 months and had extreme mood swings, heavier periods, cramping, and acne. I did not experience any weight gain. This is the 3rd pill I have tried but did not like."