Drospirenone / ethinyl estradiol and Headaches: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Amj...
• May 3, 2014

For Birth Control "I have been taking Zarah for almost 3 months. I have polycystic ovarian syndrome and am working on getting healthier to try and have a child. When I first took Zarah, I got these major headaches at first and tender breasts, but after three weeks the headaches went away. I haven't had my period in a little over a year because of my PCOS, so when I got my first one it was painful, but since then they have been easier. My skin looks great, and I haven't gained any weight. I still have tender breasts, but part is due to my PCOS. I'd recommend it if you can bear with the first two or three weeks. It has been better than others I've tried. Also, no mood swings either."

• bec...
• August 9, 2017

For Birth Control "I was on this medication for one month and have never felt worse in my entire life. Before taking this pill, I was an energetic and positive person. Now I am exhausted all the time and hit a wall at 4:00 every day. My confidence has plummeted, and I am experiencing extreme mood swings, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. I have never experienced anxiety prior to taking this birth control, and I have had multiple intense panic attacks within the past month. Other side effects have been increased heart rate, tight chest, trouble breathing, and chronic headaches. I was put on Yaz for my acne, and it did help in some sense, but it is not worth feeling like crap 24/7."

• Anonymous
• January 22, 2009

For Birth Control "I have been taking Yaz for a month now. I have been on so many birth controls in the past, and they all made me crazy. I feel normal on Yaz. The only downfall is I do have a hard time getting up in the morning. Extremely tired. There is no spotting, though, no bloating, no headaches, and I think I lost weight, which is a plus."

• Lan...
• November 3, 2019

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "I started taking Yaz as my PMDD symptoms were getting unmanageable. For 1 week before my period, I would become depressed, irritable, fatigued (to the point of needing to nap during the day), and very emotional. I also had cystic acne and would get severe period pain. The first month on Yaz, I felt great. I had no emotional symptoms the week before my period, and my skin started to clear, and my period only lasted 4 days and caused me no problems. Almost immediately after starting my second month, I started to become depressed, irritable, and incredibly fatigued, as well as getting headaches daily. It took me a couple of weeks to realize that it was likely the pill, so I stopped taking it, and within 48 hours, I felt completely normal again. I know it works for some people, but it really didn't work for me."

• nrn...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 17, 2019

For Birth Control "It's been more than two years with the Yaz pill, and there was nothing wrong in the first place, no extra pounds, no extra cellulite, no absurd food issues, and no extra baby. But then my migraine started getting bad. I had loss of vision, severe headaches, and very, very harsh mood changes. No, not change, more like some permanent anger. So I quit Yaz. I don't use anything else right now because I don't trust pills. It has been just a week, but even now I feel better."

• Vic...
• June 17, 2021

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "I started Yasmin as I read that it helped with severe PMS and didn’t cause weight gain. In short, I thought I was dying when taking this. A list of the symptoms I was experiencing, which have gone since I stopped taking it: Extreme fatigue (big into my fitness and I couldn’t do a 10-minute walk at times), extreme emotions (crying, depression) whilst feeling numb and disconnected, joint pain, knees especially, muscle pain and shooting pains in arms and legs. DOMS would last 5 days instead of 1 day. Weight gain - over a stone, constant nausea, night sweats, anxiety and chest pains, regular heart palpitations, declining kidney function, painful, swollen feet, bleeding under the skin, bad headaches, sore eyes and blurred vision, hair loss and brittle, broken nails. Please reconsider taking this pill, I think it’s awful. Now on the copper IUD and I’ll take the very painful periods any day over how I felt on Yasmin."

• Rad...
• July 7, 2015

For Birth Control "Let me just start this by saying, you need to wait this birth control out. I had some moderate acne before taking the pill and was needing to get back on a birth control and figured that Yaz would be a good bet. Well, I have really zero side effects with Yaz, which I was so happy with. I still have a sex drive, I don't get headaches, bitchiness, or stomach aches. Overall, great pill. I had read the reviews about the pill before going on it and noticed most people had an initial first breakout period with it getting better until month 3, so true! The first two months were hell, terrible breakouts I would say the worst in my life. But I am now in month four and am hardly breaking out! Wait it out, it will pay off!"

• Bri...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 4, 2020

For Birth Control "I've been taking Yaz for 10 months because of my irregular menstrual cycle. I have to say that my experience has been fine. It, of course, regulated my cycle and cleared up my cystic acne. The only thing I don't like is the headache I get on day one and two of starting a new pack. Other than that, everything functions like normal. No vaginal dryness, no spotting, no low sex drive, etc. Although my experience has been good, I will keep a lookout for these symptoms that other women have experienced as a precaution."

• Kay...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 8, 2024

For Birth Control "I've been taking Loryna for 2 months now, and it's honestly been the best birth control pill I've taken. I've tried the implant, shot, and patch before. The implant and shot made me lose 20 pounds, and the patch made me very nauseous and made me throw up constantly. So I said, let me try something else. I read many bad reviews on this birth control, but everybody is different. I'm happy I didn't let the bad reviews stop me from trying. The first week on this, I did have headaches/migraines, but they went away. In the third week, I did get cramps here and there. This pill boosted my mood during the first month. I'm now almost done with month two. I did notice that for one week straight, I was extremely moody during my second month of taking birth control, but now I'm fine. I take my birth control every night before bed."

• Gia...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 26, 2018

For Acne "All side effects (headache, nausea, crazy emotions, spotting) went away after my first month on Yaz. I saw improvement in my skin after just a week, and my skin was completely clear after 4 months. I didn’t gain any weight, but the only thing is that I am always thirsty. I would recommend this pill to everyone who is struggling with acne."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 12, 2012

For Birth Control "I've been on Ocella for about 4 months now, after being on Microgestin for 4 years. I don't have too many complaints with either, although I will say that my skin is far clearer on Ocella than it ever was on Microgestin. My periods on Ocella are quite light and last only 4-5 days; cramps are usually mild. No headaches, nausea, mood swings, or noticeable change in sex drive, which seem to be a problem for a lot of other women. Also, I actually dropped a couple of pounds after starting Ocella with no lifestyle or diet change. My only concern is that I do have a history of ovarian cysts, which Microgestin effectively quashed; only time will tell whether or not Ocella causes any change. I'm 23 years old, otherwise healthy."

• emi...
• February 4, 2008

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "I took this for a few months and decided to stop. Several mornings, I woke up to a severely swollen face that lasted for several hours. I also experienced headaches and swollen hands. It also did not improve my PMS symptoms."

• Bor...
• August 18, 2008

For Birth Control "I have been on Yasmin for 5 years, since I was 16. I stopped it for a few months (I switched jobs and lost my insurance). In that time, I went to a clinic and was given their low-cost birth control pills. Once I got back on Yasmin, I stopped having breakthrough bleeding, headaches, nausea, and everything in between. So, of the two or three birth control brands I have tried, Yasmin is by far the best."

• Kva...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 20, 2020

For Birth Control "I liked how clear this pill, Nikki, made my skin, but that was really the only positive. I experienced headaches, very heavy periods with bad cramping, and bleeding between periods (at times as heavy as a normal period!). I thought maybe my body needed time to adjust, but after 8 months of feeling like I was bleeding all the time and always in pain, I switched birth control. I love how clear my skin was, but it's not worth it."

• Loz...
• January 27, 2020

For Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder "Loryna has helped my PMDD somewhat. I also have cut meat mostly and am very active and limit drinking. My issues with this are breast pain, constant bloat. I thought I had a sensitive gut before, but have issues where my pants sometimes don’t fit by the evening. I drink tons of water and limit inflammatory foods, but it still doesn’t help. I bleed randomly. Right now, I have 5 pills left before the white pills and am bleeding. I spotted for a week before that. This happens without rhyme or reason. My skin looks good, but to be honest, I take good care of it. I am sure it’s contributing, but habits are too. The headaches I get on this medication are terrifying and sometimes last three days. I felt so validated finding this forum because I thought something was really wrong. My libido is significantly lower, and it’s difficult to achieve arousal. I never had an issue with that before. The worst: my blood pressure is now elevated. I just asked my doctor about an alternate treatment."

• Anonymous
• September 4, 2008

For Birth Control "I think Yaz is a good birth control pill overall. My doctor switched me to this pill because it is one of the lowest doses out there. I needed to go back on birth control pills because I suffered from hot flushes as soon as I went off the pill. It took two weeks on Yaz to stop the hot flushes (I'm only 42, by the way), and I feel so much better. I do agree, however, that it does make me a little tired, and I do have some headaches (during the period week), but nothing like the monster headaches I got on some other brands. All in all, a good product. I will be on it as long as my doctor allows me to-hopefully to 50."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 22, 2019

For Birth Control "I started taking Yaz just last month. When I started taking the white period-inducing pills, the period didn't stop after I switched back to the rest of the monthly pills. I've had my period for 13 days straight at a time and am not sure what to do. Also, breast soreness, nausea, and headaches have occurred, making this rather unpleasant."

• Tre...
• October 7, 2016

For Birth Control "I have PCOS and struggle with mood swings, hair loss, and pretty severe hirsutism. I have had a lot of success with Yasmin for all of the above. The most notable and stable difference comes after the 6-month mark. My body and facial hair grow back thinner and at a much slower pace, my mood is very stable, and I don't lose anywhere near the same amount of hair from my scalp. I also have easy and comfortable periods, and my appetite is very stable on Yasmin, which I can't say about other pills. I haven't put on any weight as a result. The first 2 weeks of being on Yasmin can be difficult (nausea, headaches), and I don't recommend it for very sedentary/very unfit ladies, as the risk of clotting is slightly higher because of its Drospirenone content."

• Ano...
• December 10, 2019

For Birth Control "Went on Yaz twice for short term to skip period for travel. However, both times had side effects of headaches and difficulty breathing every day, severe anxiety (social anxiety + became paranoid of blood clots), extreme exhaustion (to the point where I had to sit down every few steps) and low motivation. Consulted doctor while overseas and he mentioned my pulse was very slow. We shook it off as me being inactive on holidays, but after some research I found that Yaz increases blood potassium, decreasing heart rate which increases chances of clots forming. Also had frequent urination and extended bleeding after period. Did not get nauseous per se but did feel that type of indigestion burning feeling in chest few hours after taking pill. The first time before I took Yaz, I was selectively reading the positive reviews but after this second round, I can't deny the side effects of Yaz and the possible dangers. I will be stopping Yaz tomorrow."

• TEA...
• February 29, 2020

For Birth Control "I’ve been on Gianvi for about 3 months now, and honestly, at first, I was very worried about side effects and very nervous as to what would happen to my body, but it’s the best decision I ever made! Within the first week of starting the pill, I was nauseous almost every day (I take my pill at 9:00 pm). Every now and then, I’ll get a bit nauseous, but it is tolerable. I did not gain/lose any weight and do not bleed (nor haven’t bled) any other time than when I menstruate within the first three days of starting the placebo pills. The only significant complaint I have is frequent headaches. I have a headache at some point throughout the day almost every day, some last hours and others, minutes. Again, they are uncomfortable but tolerable, and if they are very bad, I’ll take some OTC pain relief drugs. I am happy having peace of mind and no more pregnancy scares! Also, my periods have shortened, lightened, and are much less painful ever since I started taking Gianvi, which is great."

• Anonymous
• July 22, 2014

For Birth Control "I have been on this birth control for about three months. Although my periods are shorter, I have had really bad side effects. It has made me very moody, I have had really bad headaches, and I have experienced major hair loss. It freaked me out, and I switched back to my prior birth control."

• Cha...
• October 2, 2017

For Birth Control "I have been on Yasmin for 11 and a half years. At first, I didn't have any problems. But over the last few years, I have noticed terrible things happening each month. First, it was spotting, breast tenderness, mood swings, sadness, headaches, irritability, you know, the small little things. But more severely, I have heart palpitations, dizziness, and now high blood pressure."

• Kat...
• October 11, 2018

For Birth Control "Just finished my first pack of Ocella. I am pleased so far! This is the third birth control pill I have tried, the first two were nightmares. I quit the pill altogether for two years but decided to start up again with Ocella. I was on Kariva, then switched to Minastrin. I had awful weight gain with both. I didn't change my diet, it was all water weight that was lost within a week of stopping the pills. So far on Ocella, I have not gained any weight and do not feel bloated or puffy. I am assuming that has to do with the diuretic effect of the progestin, which I am all for if it keeps bloating at bay! The first few days of taking this pill, I had extreme nausea, but that went away. I also had a few headaches, but I got that before taking Ocella. Given my past experience, I was terrified of taking this pill. So far, it has been a breeze. I am hoping that it continues to be like this! Give it a shot and see how it works for you. If you have struggled with other pills in the past, this may be the one for you."

• Anonymous
• August 15, 2018

For Birth Control "I have been on Loryna for 3 months. There were no symptoms up until the second pack, I had heavy mood swings, got really mad at little things, and became very impatient. I had never had period cramps before birth control, and when my period comes, I get painful cramps, lower back pain, and headaches. People started noticing why I wasn’t “being myself.” I’m switching because I feel miserable. But my skin looks so healthy. You can’t base your experience with birth control on all of these reviews because everyone will react differently."

• Spa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 23, 2013

For Birth Control "I was on Gianvi for 10 months. The only problem I had was spotting. I switched to Zarah since it's the same compounds, just higher estradiol. I just started my second pack and am very happy with it. My face is glowing (compared to the occasional breakouts). I was able to lose weight with exercise. My period was a lot lighter and no cramps, just a little bloat. I got headaches the first week. I've been moody, but overall it's good."