Ocella User Reviews & Ratings (Page 5)

• Anonymous
• October 27, 2009

For Acne "I have been on Ocella for 2 cycles and have experienced lighter periods and no side effects except a slight headache during menstruation. My skin is slowly clearing (I had small bumps from hormones around my jawline). I am concerned it has been changed from a generic per posts. I just picked it up at Walmart yesterday and paid $10, so I am confused...?"

• Kri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 8, 2014

For Birth Control "This may be premature, I've only been on it for a week, but I have been super moody. Irritable, cried 3x in the past week and have developed a lot of pimples on my forehead and nose. I usually never break out, only when on my period and not as much as this. I also am highly anxious... I'm an anxious person to begin with, but with the pill for this week I've been near panic attack a lot, and that hasn't happened in a decade. I'm hoping my body gets used to the pill and these awful side effects will go away. Will update after the month."

• Anonymous
• January 9, 2010

For Birth Control "I've been on Ocella for about 8 months now, and it's been decent, but I am looking for a new birth control. I'm 26 years old and have used several different pills before, including Alesse and Lo-ovral. I found out I am allergic to synthetic progesterone (norgestrel and alike) in virtually every birth control available, which is why I switched to Ocella. Ocella has done the job as far as preventing pregnancy, but I have had mood swings bad enough to start taking Wellbutrin, I've gained some weight, and my sex drive is terrible. The mood changes and the huge sex drive decline are the reasons why I will be changing again. I'm also worried about all of the warnings on Yaz/Ocella/Yasmin and the high incidence of strokes associated."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 25, 2022

For Birth Control "I was super scared to take birth control because of the side effects, and I’m glad I made the decision to hop off of it when I did. I was on Ocella for 5 days and had to stop because it completely changed who I am. I stopped going to the gym, had to skip classes, and almost lost vision in my left eye (it felt like there was a line of blurriness). Additionally, even though it was only 5 days, for my past two periods off of it, I have experienced the worst anxiety/depression I have ever felt in my life. This feeling has been going on for 5 days now, and it’s only getting worse. Although it was nice not having to deal with breast pain/cramps, the side effects were not worth it in the long run."

• Anonymous
• November 15, 2012

"I'm not going to say this is a bad product because everyone is different. But I was on this for about 6 months. And the last couple of months, I had noticed myself having horrible thoughts and also helplessness. I would cry all the time and freak out over nothing. I was suffering severe depression. People all around me started noticing I was acting different. My face also broke out, and my sex drive was very minimal. I am an emotional person to start with. All around, the pill did what it was supposed to, but it was just way too much estrogen for me. I am now on the NuvaRing, and I love it."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 14, 2013

For Menstrual Disorders "I used to take Sprintec to regulate my period and help with cramps, which worked for a while, but after 2 years, my periods were back to being miserable. The first week or two on Ocella were tough, I was very nauseous, had stomach cramps, and headaches, but it all went away after the second week. The first day of my period the first 2 months was incredible! I didn't even feel like I had a period, but by day 2, my awful cramps were back. I spoke to my Gyno, and we've decided I can take Ocella continuously. Next week is the first placebo week that I'm skipping, and I will only have 3-4 periods a year. Besides the first couple of weeks, I haven't had any other side effects."

• Anonymous
• October 22, 2011

For Birth Control "My doctor prescribed me Ocella last year, and I remembered it made me feel horrible, but not the exact reason why. My vagina is always dry no matter how excited I am, and sex is horrible. I noticed that when I wasn't having sex! Now that I'm having sex regularly, my libido is really low. I think it's too much estrogen for me. Overall, most days I just feel sick, and my period was just light spotting, so I guess that was the only benefit coming from week-long periods."

• Lov...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 9, 2017

For Birth Control "I started taking Ocella due to complications with a ruptured ovarian cyst. I'm on my 10th day of taking it, and I still have my period. I've been getting chest pain and rapid heartbeats, I have absolutely no sex drive, and I have been experiencing the worst migraines of my life. I will not recommend this pill to anyone."

• Cou...
• June 14, 2017

For Birth Control "I was prescribed birth control about 6 years ago due to complications from ovarian cysts. The very first one I tried was Loestrin 24, which made me incredibly nauseous. I then tried a couple of other ones, but they all made me nauseous as well. Finally, I was prescribed Ocella. I felt pretty good on it. Didn't notice any weight changes. My skin looked AMAZING. I would just get bad migraines/nauseous/sick a day or two before my period and some days randomly during the month. It wasn't until I STOPPED taking Ocella (or any birth control... long story/not sexually active at the moment) about 6 months ago that made me realize how much better I feel off of it. I feel like a new person. My mood is 10x better. Sex drive is back. Only downside - my skin."

• Mia...
• February 18, 2018

For Acne "Took for acne for 14 months, very effective for my hormonal acne. It almost completely cleared it. No nausea or headaches. Side effects include weight gain of about 6 to 8 lbs in 1 year. Slightly larger breast in the first 2 or 3 months only. However, at the end of the 13th month, I had some symptoms that led me to be diagnosed with gallstones. I read that taking birth control pills does increase the risk, so I just stopped. The dermatologist gave Spironolactone, but within two weeks, I had some skin rashes, which may be a side effect. Hope to lose the weight gain and stop the gallstones from getting worse."

• Emi...
• April 10, 2018

For Acne "I majorly broke out eventually, getting pimples every day, not hormonal acne, but lots of zits and redness. I’ve tried a birth control before, but now that I’m on Ocella, let me just say it’s a miracle for me, no side effects whatsoever. Although each first day of the new pack I wake up having an upset stomach and anxiety, it eventually goes away that same day. I used the pill for my awful-I mean excruciating-cramps and acne, which have helped honestly 100%. I have no cramping anymore. I’m on my fifth month now, and it has cured my acne. I’m not entirely clear, but I’ve reduced my pimples to two pimples a month, and those pimples always show up the week before my period, so my period's to blame for this. It was the best pill for me. But like I said, this cured and helped my acne soooooo much, I have gotten so many compliments on how smooth my skin is. A miracle pill is all I’m saying (:"

• Dds...
• January 20, 2018

For Acne "I noticed after 9 months my stomach became very sensitive, but I could never find a trigger food or figure out why I would eat one thing and be fine, and then eat it another time and have to run to the bathroom. After 2 1/2 years, it finally crossed my mind to stop Ocella and see how I felt, and it was a total turnaround. My stomach is no longer sensitive, and I haven't had an episode since I stopped. I am leaving this review because I searched high and low to see if anyone had an experience like mine, and there weren't any. Though Ocella cleared my skin, having my sensitive stomach control my life was not worth it to me."

• Anonymous
• August 8, 2011

"I have been taking Ocella for 7 months now. At first, I felt very sick about an hour after taking a pill, so I had to eat something every time I was taking it, however, I didn't gain any weight. On the contrary, I have lost some, weird I know. Nausea went away after the first cycle, my period became lighter, I don't have bad cramps anymore or before period acne. My issue is terrible mood swings right before and when on my period. As some of you were saying, I feel insane. I can't control my emotions. Also, recently I started feeling fatigued. I feel tired all the time, almost depressed, especially right before my period. I have never acted this way before."

• Sco...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 14, 2017

For Birth Control "I've been on birth control since I was 16, now 22. I've tried 3 birth controls before Ocella. All previous ones had breakthrough bleeding, mood swings, and one gave me out-of-control yeast infections. That's when I switched to Ocella: zero acne, I skip my period, no breakthrough bleeds, no weight gain besides 3 pounds and a little bloating every so often. Best part: no pregnancy scares for the last 2 years. Love the protection and stability it's supplied! I will say I've experienced intermittent anxiety on it, might try another kind if it continues. Hope this helped. Worth a try, it's kept me safe, happy, and acne/pregnancy free."

• Iha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 5, 2015

For Birth Control "The only reason I didn't rate this pill a 1 is because it did clear up my skin, which is initially why I switched to Ocella. I was on BeYaz for 3 months and loved it, and when I learned my insurance did not cover it, I quickly had to switch to a similar generic birth control, which I thought Ocella was always compared to BeYaz. So let me just say it did wonders for my skin. HOWEVER, within a week of taking the pill, I noticed a huge change in my mood. I was really sad all of the time, especially at work. It only went down from there. After 5 weeks on Ocella, I had an anxiety attack at my boyfriend's house, and the following week I experienced the heaviest depression I have ever felt in my life. I had horrible thoughts, felt hopeless and down."

• Nic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 23, 2021

For Birth Control "I just started taking this drug about 4 days ago. Was on YAZ before. Did this because it was free for me. I honestly enjoyed YAZ, and it was good. Just heard this was the same thing... But yesterday, I have never experienced the worst mood swings of my life. I never have had so much anxiety about the dumbest things. I just took it a couple of minutes ago and then was thinking about why my heart was beating so fast. Come to these reviews and realize it’s this awful pill that has never made me feel so mentally dysfunctional. Will be tossing these awful pills out. For your own safety, I do not recommend. I’m normally a very happy person, and these pills have definitely made me overthink my whole life and obtain not even an hour of sleep because I was jittering the whole night... Typically, I sleep 9 hours and fall asleep right away in less than 10 minutes. WORST EXPERIENCE WITH A PILL EVER."

• Ash...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 20, 2021

For Birth Control "I took it for a week, and the first couple of days were fine, but by around the third day of taking Ocella, I started to feel extremely irritable. Every little thing would make me super upset that usually I wouldn't get so upset over. I also felt super anxious and depressed. It's like every ounce of positive feeling and self-love has disappeared out of my body. I stopped after a week because it is not worth feeling this way. I know it can affect everyone differently, but I personally have had a bad experience."

• Syd...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 6, 2015

For Birth Control "I'm writing this because as I do more research to try to find a new BC, I realize most people leave bad reviews! I had been on Ocella for almost 10 years when my doc recently told me it's known to cause blood clots. Until then, I had otherwise a good experience with it. I think the most noticeable things I can remember are slight dryness and a decreased sex drive. But no emotional turmoil or headaches - which is what I'm facing now. I miss Ocella!"

• Kat...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 6, 2021

For Birth Control "I was on birth control for over 10 years. First Yaz, then Ocella. I was on Ocella for about 7 years. After I quit 2 years ago, it has been a nightmare. I got horrible acne, stomach problems, PCOS. I have celiac genes but didn't have celiac until I quit this medication, which activated my symptoms. It has been 2 years since I quit, and I am still sick from this medication. I have horrible acne scarring all over my face, and I am lactating since quitting, even though I've never been pregnant. I've gone to many doctors, and the only solution is to get back on birth control pills. I do not recommend this medication."

• Per...
• October 20, 2010

"I'm 17 and have been on Ocella for about 9 months, if not more. In terms of effectiveness, I can't say I know, because I use a condom every time I have sex. However, it has done wonders for my acne, and I haven't had an increase in weight. But I've noticed recently that whenever I have my period, I end up being in a TERRIBLE mood. I don't want anyone to talk to me, or anything. I want to cry. I'm either pissed or I cry. Another bad thing I noticed is my sex drive has gone WAY down. I'm considering changing it, but I need the pills for periods as well, my periods are very irregular, but I want to be on birth control since I am having sex."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 2, 2015

For Menstrual Disorders "Overall, no major issues with Ocella, and I've been on it for over two years. I started taking it due to terrible, heavy periods that caused nausea and migraines. My periods are much lighter now, and my face rarely breaks out. I still get migraines and cramps, but not as bad as before. I've also avoided pregnancy, and I never had issues with mood swings."

• Cle...
• January 1, 2017

For Birth Control "Was an effective form of birth control and cleared up my acne spectacularly; however, I started getting horrible migraines during the week I was not taking the hormones. My hands and left side of my face would go numb, I would get nauseous, and I would be incapable of doing anything but lie there because I could not fall asleep because of the pain."

• Hat...
• April 20, 2011

For Birth Control "I have been taking Ocella now for about 6 months, and in those months, I have experienced some weight loss as well as clearer skin. However, I also have found that I have absolutely no sex drive. I am only 21, and before taking Ocella, I had enough sex drive for me and other people, but now nothing."

• Anonymous
• October 21, 2010

For Birth Control "I've been on Ocella for two days, but for those two days, my doctor advised me to take a double dose (two pills a night) for these first 2 nights. So far, I've had bad nausea, dizziness, headaches, and been extremely tired. I hope that when I start a regular dose, these side effects will go away."

• Anonymous
• October 16, 2009

For Birth Control "I've been on Ocella going on almost a year, then boom - it's no longer generic. $35 bucks a month! Or $90 if you buy 3 months (and that's with insurance), all in a matter of three months from when I last refilled my prescription. Very upsetting. Only one manufacturer for it, so it is now a brand. I'm not sure if this all works under your insurance and what they cover, but that was the reason I was given for the increase. Now I'm nervous about switching to something else because that's just outrageous to pay, especially in this economy. $15 bucks for 3 months' worth was nice, hopefully, having to switch doesn't cost me elsewhere. Other than that, I think this is a great birth control and would continue to use it if I could afford it."