Gianvi and Depression: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Enw...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 11, 2017

For Birth Control "I was on Gianvi for about 3 years or so. At first, I really, really liked it. It was super easy to take, my skin cleared up, and my periods became sooo much easier, as well as I stopped getting cysts. However, towards the end of my taking the pill, I began to realize just how depressed it was making me. I began having suicidal thoughts, I was just in a really bad place, and then it occurred to me that it might have been the birth control affecting me, so I stopped taking it, and I have been so much happier, the depression is as if it was never there. Looking back, I miss Gianvi. It would have been perfect had it not affected my head."

• ell...
• May 24, 2019

For Birth Control "I was prescribed Gianvi to help with my acne. I didn't notice that much of a difference in my skin, however, my mental health definitely took a big hit. I already suffer from social anxiety, but this took it far beyond that. After the first month, I noticed that anything and everything was making me cry. I would start hysterically crying, my anxiety would go through the roof, and my panic attacks increased from once in a blue moon to having one at least once a day. I felt extremely fatigued and depressed and would have episodes where I just spaced out for about two minutes... just staring at something and not even thinking about what was going on around me. Aside from my mental health, I also had severe cramping, and my period has been messed up since taking this birth control. I'm currently on my third week of bleeding and am still waiting for my period to go away."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 23, 2012

For Menstrual Disorders "At first, I thought this was great. Same as Yaz, good for menstrual regulation. However, after three months, I felt like I was losing my mind. I was moody, depressed, anxious, irritable, and felt completely crazy. My friends and co-workers started noticing my mood swings too. I stayed on the med because it was fully covered, whereas Yaz costs a significant amount more. Recently, I switched back to Yaz and couldn't be feeling better. I feel like my normal self again. I would rather spend the extra money on the name brand than ever go through that feeling again."

• Kat...
• May 21, 2018

For Birth Control "Gianvi has been a disaster. I was so excited to take it as I needed a birth control method and also have adult acne and PCOS, and it's supposed to be good for that. After the very first pill, I felt very bad, with heavy fatigue, nausea, and headaches. I thought I had a stomach bug and just needed a day to rest. Then I started having panic attacks and severe depression. I had to leave work, it was so terrible. Over the next 7 days, the nausea and headaches persisted, and I alternated between periods of panic, anxiety, severe anger, and sadness. One day I sobbed the entire day for absolutely no reason. It ruined my sex drive. I couldn't get wet enough to have sex at all. I have run 25 miles per week for two years and never missed a week, but for the 7 days I was on Yaz, I couldn't run because I was so exhausted. Even doing the dishes or taking a shower was too exhausting. My acne got a lot worse. This drug is dangerous!"

• Kat...
• May 21, 2018

For Birth Control "Gianvi has been a disaster. I was so excited to take it as I needed a birth control method and also have adult acne and PCOS, and it's supposed to be good for that. After the very first pill, I felt very bad, with heavy fatigue, nausea, and headaches. I thought I had a stomach bug and just needed a day to rest. Then I started having panic attacks and severe depression. I had to leave work, it was so terrible. Over the next 7 days, the nausea and headaches persisted, and I alternated between periods of panic, anxiety, severe anger, and sadness. One day I sobbed the entire day for absolutely no reason. It ruined my sex drive. I couldn't get wet enough to have sex at all. I have run 25 miles per week for two years and never missed a week, but for the 7 days I was on Yaz, I couldn't run because I was so exhausted. Even doing the dishes or taking a shower was too exhausting. My acne got a lot worse. This drug is dangerous!"

• gan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 9, 2021

For Birth Control "The worst birth control I’ve ever been on. I was on it for 3 months, and the third month, I started experiencing awful anxiety and panic attacks to the point that I became very depressed. I have never experienced any of these things, so to have all three come unexpectedly was scary. I finally got off of it and feel so much better. My anxiety isn’t bad anymore and no longer experiencing panic attacks daily. The worst experience on birth control that I’ve ever had."

• Cri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 27, 2017

For Birth Control "I took Yaz years ago, without issue. I don't know if it's my body aging or what, but when I started taking Gianvi (generic Yaz) 4 months ago, the depression/anxiety/anger side effect is just too much. I'm quitting. I have read that the synthetic hormone in this BC, drospirenone, can cause depression. For me, it's been dramatic. Every month, about 5 days before my period, I cry uncontrollably and get irritable and angry for no reason. I'm dead-eyed, depressed, and feel lethargic at times. Also, I have ZERO sex drive and cannot climax when I do. I am not myself, mentally or emotionally, and it's just not worth it to take this pill anymore. If you are prone to depression, do not take this."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 11, 2017

For Birth Control "This pill was absolutely awful for me. Two weeks in, I started feeling more irritable and moody. I ignored it, telling myself it just was the change in the hormones of the pill. I was on it for two months total. I got depressed on it, irritable, moody, cried for no reason, and got a migraine that lasted for days. It was unbearable. I also developed a yeast infection while on it. It was a miserable two months, and I'll never go back. I'd rather take no pill than take this one."

• Str...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 22, 2019

For Birth Control "My mental health got so bad on this drug that I wasn't even able to complete one cycle of pills. Since I started the pack, I'd been horribly depressed. I was crying every day and every night, with major lethargy and other bad effects. I was originally prescribed this medication to deal with period cramps and help me with bad PMS symptoms, but ironically I experienced pains at weird parts of my cycle where I'd never gotten them and, like I mentioned, my mental health worsened significantly. I also broke out heavily all over my chin. It would have been nice if this had worked out, but it led to a really bad experience for me."

• 27y...
• December 19, 2011

For Birth Control "I'm so glad I tried this birth control. After reading all the negative reviews, I was honestly scared. I have been on it for 3 months now, and I have had a really good experience. No weight gain (may have even lost a few lbs), my skin looks the same (never had a problem with acne in the first place), and I can honestly say my mood swings are more stabilized the week before my period. I used to feel depressed for about a week and a half prior to getting my period, and now I only feel down during the four days where I'm taking the placebo pills. I had been on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo in the past, and that made me gain approximately 10-15 lbs and made me have crazy mood swings, so I'm really glad I tried Gianvi despite the reviews."

• amf...
• June 11, 2017

For Acne "This pill is awful. It made me sad, anxious (never had this problem before), and my skin worse than ever. I feel like my entire personality changed. I quit taking it and am already starting to feel better. Everybody is different, but I suggest looking into others, especially if you already have anxiety to some degree."

• Sob...
• July 13, 2011

For Birth Control "I am 39 and have never had PMS to speak of. I have been on birth control pills for over a decade (Estrostep, Ortho Tri-Cyclen) with no problems. Went on Gianvi, and it was a nightmare. I stuck it out for 3 months as my body adjusted, thinking it would get better, but if anything, it got worse. The 10 days or so before my period, I was tense, stressed, and depressed. It had such a negative impact on my life. And no sex drive to speak of. The only positive thing I can say is that I did not notice worsening of any weight or acne problems."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 10, 2018

For Birth Control "The absolute worst birth control that I have EVER taken! I had to stop taking this pill halfway through the pack because of the side effects. One day I found myself crying totally out of nowhere, I was also becoming depressed, which is very uncommon for me, being that I'm a pretty jovial person. Another terrible factor for me was the heavy bleeding even after my period had ended. I already have extremely heavy and painful menstrual cycles as it is, so the fact that I was bleeding even more was a no-go for me. My appetite fluctuated from day to day, but I still gained a few pounds. I'll be switching to a different one ASAP."

• Tay...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 26, 2018

For Birth Control "This has been the worst experience of my life. I’m doing nothing but bleeding and bleeding and bleeding constantly for the past 5 months. Coming from someone who used to have bad anxiety and overcame it mostly, it has made me have anxiety attacks a few times a week. I feel a lack of motivation. I don’t know if that’s due to my constant period or the medicine. I’ve never had a good experience with any BC pill or depo shot."

• btl...
• June 19, 2017

For Birth Control "The good news: my boobs are bigger, and the acne around my chin area has subsided. Bad news: I've gained weight, and I'm always bloated. I've always had a flat stomach, but ever since I started taking the pill, I'm 24/7 bloated. All hell broke loose this weekend when I literally thought I was being possessed by the devil. I started bleeding heavily, and the cramping was relentless and unbearable. After a night out, I came home and was overwhelmed with depression and anxiety. I was hypersensitive to every sound, and I cried for 3 hours for God knows what reason. I'm hesitant to start this new pack after that hellish episode."

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 2, 2021

For Acne "I am torn in the middle. At first, this pill (Gianvi) was fine. I've been on it for a year, but I believe it's causing me some heightened anxiety and depression. I originally went on this to try and curb some of my perimenopausal symptoms (night sweats, acne, fuzzier face). I'm not even sure it really helped my acne. I still get painful cysts on my chin that linger forever, which I never really got until I started Yaz. I even skip periods to try and avoid any breakout, but they still persist. My night sweats have gotten better, but I attribute that to sleeping in tank tops more. I think any pill would help in that department. I'll be talking to my doctor next week to ask about other options. My advice is to listen to your body. If you think something isn't right, talk to the professionals."

• Anonymous
• November 12, 2015

For Acne "I was prescribed this to treat acne, PMDD, and amenorrhea, however, it did nothing to treat any of those things. Instead, it made about 95% of my face break out in cystic acne (you have seen Proactive commercials), caused severe depression and panic attacks (I didn't have the motivation to do anything besides work out and then sit on the couch all day in sweatpants-often crying off and on), prevented me from getting a job (I had just graduated with my Master's and obtained my RD license, and I was so depressed with such cloudy thinking I could not portray myself in a way that would make someone want to hire me), and I had breakthrough bleeding every month during the second week of pills. I will NEVER take BC pills again!"

• Anonymous
• December 27, 2011

For Birth Control "I have been on Gianvi for a little over a month now, and the only bad thing that I have to say about it so far is that I have my moments where I feel sad, depressed, and angry for no reason at all (glad my boyfriend understands). However, my last period was amazing! No cramps, light flow. So far, it hasn't been all that bad."

• Anonymous
• December 27, 2011

For Birth Control "I have been on Gianvi for a little over a month now, and the only bad thing that I have to say about it so far is that I have my moments where I feel sad, depressed, and angry for no reason at all (glad my boyfriend understands). However, my last period was amazing! No cramps, light flow. So far, it hasn't been all that bad."

• Anonymous
• June 4, 2011

For Birth Control "I started taking Gianvi about a month ago and have nothing good to say about it. I read the reviews and thought I would be fine, but I have never cried so much in my life. Things that never bother me break me down to tears, and it's starting to make me crazy since I was never an emotional person. It's putting stress on me and my boyfriend's relationship because we fight on a daily basis now when before nothing was an issue to slight arguments. I feel depressed, and it takes everything out of me to get out of bed in the morning. I'm never happy, but haven't gained weight and haven't gotten pregnant, but that's the only positive thing."

• Hbo...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 11, 2015

For Birth Control "I did not gain any weight and have seen a slight improvement in my skin overall (I never really had/have acne though). One thing that I have noticed is my anxiety and moodiness (depression) is completely out of control. I'm either suffering from sky-high anxiety for no reason, or I'm fighting back tears for no reason! Also, my sex drive has completely plummeted, I mean from 10 to absolutely ZERO. I am in my late twenties, and this has been a real struggle with my long-term relationship. Definitely not the pill for me."

• Sid...
• November 30, 2017

For Birth Control "I have been on Gianvi for about 4 years. I was previously taking Lo Estrin, but it made me really depressed and I never had a period. As soon as I switched, I felt a lot better and I get a mild period the same time every month. It also really cleared my face up, I get almost no breakouts and also didn’t experience weight gain, but everyone is different. I did recently get switched to the Nikki version of the pill, and it was TERRIBLE. I got lumps in my breast, had horrible migraines, and also experienced multiple hot flashes throughout the day. I finally got Gianvi back and almost immediately, these side effects went away. If you are on a brand of pill that works for you, don’t let them switch you, just make them order it or find a new pharmacy."

• Bra...
• August 13, 2017

For Birth Control "I'm on my first week of this pill, and let me tell you, I'm really considering just stopping taking it. I have been so depressed and emotional the past few days. I feel like there is nothing to look forward to in life. Also, I spot every day, and it is so annoying because I want to wear my 'nice underwear' but can't, and I really don't want to wear a pad all the time. I know my body is getting used to it, so I will try my best to continue it. Everyone is different, and I hope that they are having a lot better experiences with it than I."

• Plo...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 16, 2016

For Birth Control "For birth control purposes, never gotten pregnant. For acne purposes, my face used to be extremely broken out, and this definitely helped. However, I gained about 10-15 pounds with the year I was on it (my boobs grew, so that was a plus), and I started going into a depression and feeling like I was going insane. Needless to say, I switched."

• Sil...
• April 11, 2011

For Birth Control "I have been on this medication for about a year, and I really do not like it. Over the past 4 months, I have had severe hot flashes and night sweats about 3 or 4 days before my periods. I have become very emotional (cry over the dumbest things) and now feel depressed. I have an appointment this week with my GYN and will be changing to something different."