Drospirenone / ethinyl estradiol and Cramps: What Users Say (Page 4)

• KCa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 14, 2018

For Birth Control "My pharmacy switched me over from Gianvi to Nikki. Since taking Nikki, which has been for about 4 months now, my once clear skin has become a playground for acne. Not only is my skin a problem, but my periods, my horrible cramps have come back, and I never know when it's coming. One of the main reasons for being on birth control is to regulate my cycle and also help with my PMDD. I plan things around when my cycle will be, and with this I have had to miss wax appointments because my period just shows up randomly. Can't forget to add the headaches, nausea, weight gain, blurred vision, and the biggest problem being mood swings and aggression it has caused me. I have found myself becoming increasingly aggressive, and that's not me. Thank goodness I went and saw my doctor last week, and I have now been switched back to Gianvi. I can't wait to feel back to normal again."

• Chr...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 16, 2022

For Birth Control "I have been bleeding for 103 days straight. Not just spotting. Bleeding. I have zero desire, so my relationship has suffered. I was prescribed this medication to no longer have periods and to help with cramps. This has helped with nothing."

• lex...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 19, 2021

For Acne "I’m in the middle of my fourth Yaz pack right now, and I wish I was seeing the acne-clearing effects more. Most sources say by 2-3 months you should start seeing your skin improve, and by month 6 you should really see them, so I’m not gonna quit it yet. I still wanna see if it will help my acne. The first month I had my period for a month straight, it was light, but I still had cramps and stuff, so that wasn’t fun. My boobs got bigger, biggest during the 2nd-3rd month, and then they’ve gone down slightly so far through the 4th month. Other than that, no weight gain. I have been more depressed and emotional lately, so that’s kinda a bummer, but my skin's been slightly better. Some redness has gone away, and I definitely get fewer pimples, but I still get some. Hopefully, it will be better by month 6 and on. So far it’s just not good, not bad, just eh."

• SDi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 9, 2014

For Acne "I mainly got on Yaz for acne, and I've been taking it for four months and have only seen a slight difference. I still break out really bad on my period, and it just seems like an ongoing cycle. The good thing about this is my period is very regular and SUPER light, which I love! I also don't experience cramping anymore. I am hoping that my acne starts to go away soon, though."

• Meg...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 3, 2021

For Birth Control "I did not like this birth control at all. For me, it helped me not get pregnant, but that was the only positive. It made me very hormonal, depressed, cramping 3/4 weeks of the month, and I experienced my first migraine I’ve ever had in my life, and it was insanely painful and agonizing. I stopped taking it after having that migraine, and I had only been taking it for 2 months. I finally decided all the negative side effects were outweighing the pros, and it wasn’t worth it anymore. I’m 28 and have taken birth control since I was 17 on and off. This was, by far, the one with the worst side effects for me, personally."

• Anonymous
• February 16, 2021

For Birth Control "I started taking it to regulate my period a year ago, and it has been a rollercoaster of a year. About 5 months after taking it, my mood swings started to get really bad, I always had headaches, my cramps were bad, and I started to have symptoms of anxiety and depression. I used to be so full of energy and always happy, now my mood swings are 24/7 and I have 0 energy whatsoever. Definitely going to switch birth control pills. I don't recommend Yaz."

• bb8...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 13, 2013

For Birth Control "No significant weight gain, no cramping during period, period lasts for a shorter amount of time, no heavy bleeding (no spotting, either). Overall, I'm very happy with Ocella. I'm 24 and have been taking it for 5 years. At this point, I'm not even sure how my body would react to not being on birth control since it has been so long."

• Anonymous
• May 7, 2008

"I took birth control about 2 years ago (another pill and the patch), and neither worked very well. They both lowered my libido significantly. I've been taking Yaz for the past 2 months now, and although it doesn't treat EVERYTHING that I expect it to, I can't expect something like this to be perfect. I still have slight PMS, and there are the undeniable cramps, but it has a short period of time, and it keeps me from getting pregnant. I think it's actually raised my libido! Yaz = good!"

• Jen...
• June 3, 2017

For Birth Control "Yaz gave me horrible mood swings, depression, headache, sickness, leg cramps, hair loss, slow foggy brain, etc. I lost 1/4 of my hair. I'd feel so much headache to the point my brain became foggy when I tried to work. I couldn't read and think as fast as I could before I took the pill. It hurt my work performance and gave me horrible headaches and body cramps. My leg hurt really badly, possibly due to a blood clot. I quit it but got 5 big endometrial polyps while using Yaz although something else might have caused them. I had surgery to remove them a few months ago, and I have been sick and weak ever since, became anemic, and couldn't work for months. I get super dizzy from anemia at work now. My body isn't like it used to be."

• Jen...
• June 3, 2017

For Birth Control "Yaz gave me horrible mood swings, depression, headache, sickness, leg cramps, hair loss, slow foggy brain, etc. I lost 1/4 of my hair. I'd feel so much headache to the point my brain became foggy when I tried to work. I couldn't read and think as fast as I could before I took the pill. It hurt my work performance and gave me horrible headaches and body cramps. My leg hurt really badly, possibly due to a blood clot. I quit it but got 5 big endometrial polyps while using Yaz although something else might have caused them. I had surgery to remove them a few months ago, and I have been sick and weak ever since, became anemic, and couldn't work for months. I get super dizzy from anemia at work now. My body isn't like it used to be."

• Yaz...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 27, 2020

For Birth Control "I’ve used this medication for about a year and a half, and lately, over the course of the last 6 months, I noticed I am insanely depressed. I have never been depressed and have no reason to be depressed. The depression, irritability, cramps, headaches, and aches come rushing in a day or two before my period is coming, then different symptoms subside. Usually, the cramps and headache go away, but I’m stuck with everything else the duration of my period, which is about 5-7 days. I thought this was just a part of life, but after a while, I don’t want to believe this has to be my life just because of a period every month for the next 10+ years. So I’m going to try something different. Everybody is different, but this was my experience. I didn’t have hair loss or weight gain/loss, nothing else was affected, just the things I mentioned above. I’d say try it, but if you start feeling depressed and moody, blame it on the Yaz."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 16, 2022

For Birth Control "I started Yaz because I wanted to switch from my old birth control. My gynecologist suggested Yaz because of the fewer days off of hormones. I finished out my last pack of my old pill and switched to Yaz. About 2 days into it, I had severe stomach cramping. I didn’t put two and two together, I missed work for 2 days and honestly thought I was constipated. The cramping continued once I returned to work, it was throughout the day, and food seemed to subside it at times. It would really hurt in the middle of the night and in the mid-afternoon. I debated going to the hospital or doctor to figure out what was wrong. Fast forward through the whole pack, I got to the placebo pills. Within two days, the stomach cramps were gone. I thought whatever was wrong was better. I took my first hormone pill on Sunday, and Monday I had intense cramping again. Not everyone is the same, so it may work for you, it just was not a good experience for me."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 16, 2022

For Birth Control "I started Yaz because I wanted to switch from my old birth control. My gynecologist suggested Yaz because of the fewer days off of hormones. I finished out my last pack of my old pill and switched to Yaz. About 2 days into it, I had severe stomach cramping. I didn’t put two and two together, I missed work for 2 days and honestly thought I was constipated. The cramping continued once I returned to work, it was throughout the day, and food seemed to subside it at times. It would really hurt in the middle of the night and in the mid-afternoon. I debated going to the hospital or doctor to figure out what was wrong. Fast forward through the whole pack, I got to the placebo pills. Within two days, the stomach cramps were gone. I thought whatever was wrong was better. I took my first hormone pill on Sunday, and Monday I had intense cramping again. Not everyone is the same, so it may work for you, it just was not a good experience for me."

• Anonymous
• August 3, 2013

For Acne "I was on Yaz for 4 years for acne and pretty much had no problems. I did not experience any weight gain at all. It may have made me moody on the angry side at times, but I didn't find myself crying over nothing (I might have a short temper anyway). My acne did clear up but never completely, I have always still had a few pimples while on Yaz, but I was happy with the level it was, so I am not sure if it was Yaz or whether I only broke out due to stress in my final year of high school. Other than that, it lightened my period and eliminated any cramps that sometimes were so bad I would vomit. I only stopped taking it because I was sick of taking it every day, and it may have decreased my libido. But everyone's different."

• Str...
• April 21, 2015

For Birth Control "I started taking this when I was 17 years old (now almost 22), and ordinary antibiotics weren't helping my acne problems. Before, I had unpredictable periods (often skipping once every several months for no reason), painful cramps, and a period lasting up to 7 whole days. Now I have a 99% clear face, a regular light medium period lasting 4-5 days, and NO cramps! I am not sexually active (never have been), so I'm not sure how effective it is for me actual birth control-wise, but my sex drive is much lower. I may end up finding a new brand once I get married later this year because of this side effect alone."

• Emo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 6, 2014

For Birth Control "Made me very emotional and anxious. I felt like I was going crazy. It also made my periods irregular and gave me awful cramps. Only took for 4 months, and it caused me to have 3 very painful ovarian cysts. Was not the right birth control for me!"

• Emo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 6, 2014

For Birth Control "Made me very emotional and anxious. I felt like I was going crazy. It also made my periods irregular and gave me awful cramps. Only took for 4 months, and it caused me to have 3 very painful ovarian cysts. Was not the right birth control for me!"

• BWa...
• September 5, 2016

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "I started Loryna for PMDD. Started on a Sunday. By Tuesday, I had 3 enormous, painful zits. By Thursday, I was in severe abdominal cramping pain. Similar to period/early labor pains. By Saturday, they landed me in the ER. Every lab test and ultrasound/X-ray was normal, so the only diagnosis that made sense was the pill. I'm currently on day 9 of my period, which would normally only last 5-6 days. Needless to say, it's in the trash now."

• ESm...
• December 3, 2017

For Acne "This pill has cleared up my acne and regulated my period! I used to never get my period, and now I get it every single month. I did go up a few bra sizes, but I remain the same weight overall. It did make my period very heavy and very painful, along with bad emotional breakdowns on the sugar pills. Other than that, I really like this pill!"

• Jen...
• June 7, 2011

For Menstrual Disorders "Before I started using Yaz, I was very scared because of all the bad things people had said. After finishing my first pack of Yaz, I noticed a lot of spotting and some odd bleeding now and then. I am 16 years old and had been switching pills for a while now because none of them seemed to suit me. I use Yaz for period pains ONLY and have noticed a huge improvement in my cramps, there still are some mild cramps, but not near as bad as they were before. Already my breasts have gotten bigger, which I don't really mind because I was near the smallest bra size you can get. My mood is completely fine. My skin has never been acne-prone, but it hasn't broken out at all. I haven't noticed any side effects. I love this pill."

• 123...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 2, 2020

For Birth Control "This pill was absolutely awful! It was prescribed to stop my bloating, shorten my heavy periods, and make them less painful. The first month I had all of the secondary side effects listed. I was moody, irritable, exhausted no matter how much sleep I got, had debilitating cramps, was super bloated, my skin got worse, I had to pee at least once an hour if not more times, I had breast tenderness, my breasts got larger (even though I have worked out the entire time on the pill), and I had awful headaches (I never used to get headaches and I have one almost every day)! Since the sugar pills are only 4 days, my period didn’t even start until Sunday and lasted just as long as my normal period. It was awful! I am switching pills at the end of next week, and I do not recommend this to anyone!"

• Gra...
• August 8, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on this medication for about three years now. The first few months were terrible. I broke out, had severe mood swings, I'd cry for no reason. After month four, I felt completely fine. No more mood swings or acne outbreaks. My period got lighter, I stopped cramping as much. The only problem I have now is that I don't get as wet as I used to. But that's what lube is for. And hey, I'm not pregnant, so it's doing its job."

• jpa...
• April 8, 2016

For Birth Control "As far as birth control... never got pregnant. That is the only plus. Horrible cramps, heavy bleeding, soaking through tampons in an hour or less, passing of large clots, headaches. Looking forward to switching off to a different BCP."

• Kel...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 9, 2016

For Acne "I've been on a few different kinds of birth control pills. Nothing really worked the way I wanted. One brand lowered my sex drive, another brand made my acne worse instead of better. Finally, I ended up trying Ocella even though I was nervous because of all the talk I hear about girls getting blood clots. But I must say, this works. I have mild cramps for a day or so, and it's only off and on. My periods are lighter and usually last about 4 days. My face is the clearest it's ever been. I should have been on this brand in high school. Once in a while, I'll get a pimple. And it hasn't affected my sex drive. It's an A in my book."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 23, 2018

For Acne "I'm almost done with my 2nd pack now, and my acne got worse! This is the worst since the day I was born! It is all cystic acne and very painful! The only good side effect that I can see right now is I don't get cramps. But I will still give it 2 more packs before I give up on it completely. I'll be back to give a review again."