Nikki and Depression: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Reb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 13, 2019

For Birth Control "Nikki was the worst experience of my life. I was reluctant to go back on birth control as my experience in the past has been negative. I took Nikki for 13 days. On day 9, I had severe heartburn that turned into vomiting, cold sweats, feeling full when I had nothing in my stomach for almost 24 hours. The next day, I was weak, depressed, and had a raging headache. Initially, I thought I’d gotten food poisoning, but the symptoms persisted. I am nauseous all the time, headaches throughout the day, and completely exhausted. I would have one or two bites of light meals and immediately feel sick. Not only that, but my anxiety is through the roof. I’m not normally a very anxious person, but this medication is making me paranoid, mean, and sad. Don’t let your doctor prescribe it. Find something better."

• Rem...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 21, 2020

For Birth Control "Absolutely do not like this birth control, Nikki. Was fine at first, but it slowly made me so anxious and so depressed I could barely function. It made me break out worse than I ever had before, and it made me so bloated all the time. Even when doing everything right, I still couldn't lose weight. Would not recommend."

• Mad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 11, 2020

For Acne "I’m on week two of Nikki. I switched from Sprintec (used for about 7 years), which I had no problems with and had spot-on periods that always came on the same day, around the same hour, and lasted 3 days. I switched to Nikki for acne reasons. These past two weeks, I have been an emotional MESS. I think I’ve cried every single day. I feel hopeless, anxious, angry, and sad about everything. I almost called my doc to put me back on Prozac because I didn’t know what was going on with me. I got a lot of answers coming to this thread, though. I’m going to try and give this a month or two to see if those feelings subside at all, but if it stays how it is now, I will be switching back to Sprintec. I would rate it more than 1/10 if I was on it long enough to see if it helped with acne or the mood swings stopped, but for now, it’s a solid 1/10."

• Mad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 11, 2020

For Acne "I’m on week two of Nikki. I switched from Sprintec (used for about 7 years), which I had no problems with and had spot-on periods that always came on the same day, around the same hour, and lasted 3 days. I switched to Nikki for acne reasons. These past two weeks, I have been an emotional MESS. I think I’ve cried every single day. I feel hopeless, anxious, angry, and sad about everything. I almost called my doc to put me back on Prozac because I didn’t know what was going on with me. I got a lot of answers coming to this thread, though. I’m going to try and give this a month or two to see if those feelings subside at all, but if it stays how it is now, I will be switching back to Sprintec. I would rate it more than 1/10 if I was on it long enough to see if it helped with acne or the mood swings stopped, but for now, it’s a solid 1/10."

• Kat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 26, 2019

For Acne "I don’t recommend Nikki at all. I had been taking Gianvi since I was 18, and now I am 22. I began taking it because it was prescribed by my dermatologist for acne. After 2 1/2 years, my pharmacy started giving me Nikki. I didn’t think much of it because I thought it was basically the same thing. Wrong. It didn’t make me break out, but it caused horrible mood swings. I felt very depressed and very anxious all the time (I don’t have a prior history of depression or anxiety). I decided to stop taking Nikki, and it has been a HUGE difference. I feel like a different person."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 25, 2019

For Birth Control "I read the reviews on Nikki before I started it - saw the negative comments but stayed optimistic that it might work for me. After about a week on it, my acne became pretty bad, and I noticed that I was having pretty significant hair shedding, which was awful since I already have very fine hair. Also, this may just be coincidence, but I also noticed extreme fatigue and depression at the same time while on this medication."

• Jan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 18, 2022

For Birth Control "I wanted to start a birth control before I got married, so I have been on Nikki for about 4 months now. I feel like a zombie. My mood swings are so bad, and I get extremely irritated over nothing. I start fights with my fiancé for no reason, and I have zero sex drive. I struggle being in social situations because I feel like I’m just going through the motions. I get married in 3 months, and I don’t even feel excited, I don’t feel emotion about anything. It has made me feel like a completely different person, so I’m quitting hormonal birth control entirely. I know people have had good experiences with this birth control, and that’s wonderful, but it just isn’t worth the depression it has caused me."

• Sid...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 22, 2022

For Birth Control "If you don’t want babies, take this. If you want underlying symptoms, do not. I’ve always had anxiety my whole life, but this has made it so much worse. It makes me so unmotivated and slightly more depressed. It feels like a cloud over your head constantly. I was constantly irritable over the smallest things and would have meltdowns and more anxiety attacks. It also made it impossible to lose weight. I would work out for more than an hour every day and consume dangerously low calories and could still not lose any weight. This pill also proceeded to change my body shape— it has made me wider and not able to gain muscle. The only good thing was that my skin was perfect. Honestly, if you’re thinking about getting it, I would say use condoms and Plan B if necessary. If you’re okay with these symptoms, then take the pill, but everybody is different."

• lau...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 6, 2022

For Birth Control "I would never recommend this to anyone. I've never been on BC before but needed to go on it due to sex and painful periods. I’ve had relatively clear skin most of my life and was told this would make it better, but it’s done the opposite. My skin is awful - red, irritated, and bumpy. Not to mention the depression, I can’t remember the last time I was happy. I've only been on the pill for two months, but I'm quitting after this pack. Never in my life have I been a suicidal person, but I'm directly on the edge right now. This pill has probably been the worst thing to happen in my life. Two months ago, I was a ray of sunshine, I was relatively skinny and had great skin. Now, I'm moody every day, depressed as anything, and have the worst skin, and think I may have burned a few bridges. I would stay away from this BC at all costs. At this point, I’d rather be pregnant than dealing with this garbage."

• Del...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 29, 2018

"I had been off of birth control pills for a year, but I started getting terrible periods. Bad cramps, vomiting, etc. So I made an appointment and was prescribed Nikki. I've been on it for almost two months, but I will be stopping today. At first, I felt fine, but over the past 3 weeks, I have started suffering from depression and anxiety. Bad. I think that birth control affects everyone differently, but seriously watch your mental health if you try Nikki."

• Nat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 3, 2022

For Acne "I'm on my 2nd pack of Nikki birth control, so I'm about a month and a half in, and my skin has absolutely never looked worse than it does right now. My skin has always been pretty smooth for the most part, with maybe some breakouts on my chin or forehead, but since I started Nikki, I've had terrible acne all over my face, sometimes even on my neck. I switched pharmacies, and I believe that my new pharmacy doesn't have the generic form of Yaz that my other pharmacy carried, but the generic form of Yaz I was taking before Nikki never made my skin look this awful. I've also been feeling significantly more depressed and anxious recently, and I hadn't contributed that shift in mood to Nikki until I read other people on here saying that Nikki made them feel more depressed and anxious - now I'm suspicious! I've read some people on here say that Nikki didn't start helping their acne until around month three, so I'm gonna wait another month or two and come back to update y'all."

• Bil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 5, 2021

For Birth Control "I’ve been on Nikki for a month, and it is awful. Severe depression, bloating, can’t lose weight, GAINED weight. I missed a single pill, and I’ve been spotting now for a month, and the whole reason I was put on this rubbish was to control my period. I’ve had enough."

• Can...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2019

For Birth Control "I am just now into my third week of this medicine. The first week, I was nauseous and had a headache and just felt terrible. This past week, I have been so unbelievably irritable. I have three small children and just can't be the moody single mom. I have to be here for my kids emotionally. I have noticed my patience decreased and my anxiety increased. I've been more down than usual. I have ZERO sex drive with my boyfriend, which is completely unusual. And I've also wanted to EAT everything! The main reason for this medication was to regulate my periods because I have a small fibroid. I've noticed a lot less pain from that and no bleeding so far. But I'd honestly rather have that than all these side effects. I do not recommend this medication. It has been awful."

• Mar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 1, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve only been on Nikki for two weeks and already experiencing a lot of uncomfortable side effects. The first and most noticeable was breast pain. Nikki has also caused severe bloating, water retention, depression, no sex drive, and mood swings. I don’t like how I’ve felt since being on this pill, so I’m going to stop taking it. I would rather have my periods and normal PMS symptoms, as annoying as they are, than take this with all the side effects and not feel normal. The artificial hormones don’t work well for everyone. Another note: birth control can severely deplete your body of vital vitamins, such as vitamin B. My sister was told her vitamin B levels were really low, causing low energy and chronic fatigue. The doctor didn’t even tell her it was a common side effect of the birth control, they just wanted to prescribe something else—do your research, ladies!"

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

For Birth Control "Terrible. I’ve been on this pill for 3 months. I’ve only had about 1 week cumulative in those three months where I wasn’t spotting or bleeding. Terrible mood swings and depression. Extremely painful periods. I did not get pregnant, which means it did its job, but honestly, there weren’t many occasions where there was a risk of getting pregnant, lol. With constant heavy periods and cramping, there was hardly any desire to have sex. Worst birth control I’ve ever tried."

• Ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 3, 2021

For Acne "This pill was absolutely awful for me. I bled every day for the 7 months I was on it and also have never been more depressed. I also experienced severe fatigue every day for the first few months on it (I had to skip classes because of how tired I was). I switched from Junel because of how badly it broke out my skin, and Nikki definitely cleared it all up, but it wasn’t worth it at all. Of course, everyone is different, but I just wanted to share my experience."

• Mae...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 17, 2022

For Birth Control "Worked wonderfully the first few weeks. Right now is the time I usually PMS. Out of nowhere, I started feeling nothing like myself at all. Super horribly depressed, like I’ve never been before. I do like how it made me physically, I’m skinner and my chest got fuller, but I will be switching. I can do ANY symptom, just not the depression. It’s unbearable. I know sometimes it takes a while for your body to adjust, but I simply cannot do it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 17, 2022

For Birth Control "I'm 22 years old, female, and I started taking Nikki around 3-4 years ago. A little backstory, I was new to taking birth control and started with the NuvaRing, but it made me so anxious and depressed to the point where I had suicidal thoughts. I only then realized it was linked to the NuvaRing. My doctor then switched me to Junel Fe, and that made me bloat so bad and worsened my acne. I then did research and requested to use Nikki/Yaz, which was the best decision I've ever made. I lost weight on Nikki, my acne has gotten better, it prevented pregnancy, and my boobs are more perky! I never experienced any depression on this pill! And for my sex drive, it was low, and I was kind of dry on some occasions, but nothing like the desert. I was still able to get wet. Overall, I recommend giving it a try; it's different for everyone, but it really helped me out. I'm sad to have to change my birth control due to my health insurance changing."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 20, 2021

For Acne "I switched from Tri-Sprintec to Nikki to help with my acne. I was on Tri-Sprintec for 3 years and have been on Nikki for almost 3 months, and I think I will be switching to a different birth control after this pack. I have been crying so much, and I feel depressed every time I start a new pack. Towards the end of the pack, I’ll be better, but I don’t think it’s worth suffering if there are other birth controls out there. For my acne, I think it’s helped a little, but nothing like, oh my gosh, wow. For my period, it was positive because it made them less heavy and last 2 days."

• Rmb...
• November 11, 2019

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "Just started my second month of Nikki. So far, I feel like my PMS symptoms have gotten worse. My breasts were sore for the first month, now they are fine. My hot flashes and mood swings before and during my period also seemed a lot worse. My depression has seemed to be more severe as well. But it is also the start of fall, and I have more seasonal depression. So, with this being said, I don’t know if it’s the pill making it worse or just my normal seasonal depression. I’m hoping my body just needs to adjust to the pill. I will give it three months and update again. Hopefully positive!"

• Del...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 21, 2021

For Birth Control "I wanted Nikki to work for me, I really did. The first month or two was great. No acne, no weight gain, nothing. Then, about three months in, I had maybe one good week out of the month. After that, I was emotional, depressed, and having suicidal thoughts daily. Headaches and breast soreness/swelling started, as well as other fluid retention. I do appreciate that it still never caused weight gain or acne, if I wasn't so emotional, I would have kept taking it. Everyone is different, so maybe it won't make you emotional."

• Joa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 25, 2018

For Birth Control "I don't ever write reviews, but I had to share my experience with this birth control. This is my first time getting back on birth control in almost 2 years, and a doctor prescribed me Nikki. I typically have pretty clear skin, about one or two small pimples here and there, but within 3 days of me taking Nikki, I ended up with two pimples on my back and three on my face. Within 4 days of taking Nikki, I also started to experience mood swings and depression. The emotional side effects from this birth control are not worth taking whatsoever. I found myself to be more irritable and emotional for the most ridiculous reasons, and that isn't me. I was on it for only 11 days, and it was the worst birth control experience I've ever had. Please save yourself the time and pay a higher price for a better birth control."

• All...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 5, 2020

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "I literally do not recommend Nikki for any female ages 18-25 years old. I’ve been taking it for 6 months, and I cannot tell you how badly it has affected me. The depression was so bad, and my emotions were not in check. I cried if you looked at me wrong or even breathed wrong, I felt like. I’ve been off of it for a week and felt like I’m going through a drug detox: throwing up, headaches, and sweats. I had bruises so dark in a different spot with every set of pills. So please, if you are hesitant, don’t take it. I should have stopped a long time ago because after being off of it for a week, I’m finally myself again."

• sea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 29, 2021

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "Nikki has improved my life so dramatically. I was on birth control from ages 14 until 27 when I started trying to get pregnant. After my son was born, I decided to stay off the pill and see how I felt. The first year was okay, but then my periods became irregular and I started to have horrible mood swings. I would feel almost euphorically good for a week or so after my period ended and then live in two weeks of nightmare living. (irritability, depression, low energy) I started reading more about PMDD and decided to give this a try. The first three days I had really bad headaches. I have also experienced some nausea and also random increased anxiety, which oddly always seems to happen after eating. Perhaps the anxiety is related to the nausea? Overall, my mood has been much more stable all month long. No highs, lows, or angry outbursts. No weight gain - I think my stomach is actually feeling flatter. I plan to take this for three months continuously."

• sdi...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 2, 2021

For Birth Control "I was on Rikka before, and it made me so angry all the time and depressed, so I have gone to my doctor, told her about the irregular moods I had. She had told me Nikki would be a good match for my irregular moods. She said, 'It would help calm the moods down.' I was so excited about it because I wanted to feel normal again. After the first week of taking Nikki, I was calmer, feeling normal. Then, as time has gone by, I have been feeling so bad, depressed, anxiety attacks throughout the day. I will have anxiety attacks six times or more a day, and I will literally cry a lot. When I said A LOT, I MEAN A LOT. I would be more sensitive than ever. The anger I had was so fired up, I would get mad so fast and easier. I really didn't like it. Nikki makes you feel sick, pregnant, bloated, and I would have bad headaches that I wouldn't even process throughout the day. Also, I have been taking Nikki for eight months, and I feel like Nikki changed my whole emotions and me as a person. I thought I was tripping, but it was real."