Alesse-28 User Reviews & Ratings

• Etn...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 23, 2018

For Birth Control "I've been off birth control for almost 6 years, I couldn't find one that suited me and didn't make me a bloated, crazy person. I had tried Yaz, Yasmin, Tricicyclen Lo, and so many others. The only one I had not tried was the mini pills or Alesse. Very hesitant because last time, I bled for weeks, I was depressed, anxious, vomiting a lot, dizzy, and felt like garbage. It took almost a year to get used to Yasmin, and even then, I felt awful. I'm on the generic version Alesyna, and I've had ZERO side effects. I was worried about my sex drive declining and gaining weight, as well as depression being on it, but none of that has happened. If anything, my sex drive is higher than usual, my periods are lighter and shorter, I overall feel extremely happy all the time. No mood swings. I was terrified by all the bad reviews, but like my doc said, every body is different, and you just have to keep trying 'til you find one that works for you."

• PIL...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 26, 2023

For Birth Control "When I started taking this pill, my life went downhill. I was on it for 2 months and bled for 2 months straight. Within the first week of taking it, I was so bloated and gained so much weight to the point where I couldn’t fit into any of my pants. It caused numerous mental health issues, and I thought I was going crazy. I couldn’t control my emotions, and I was extremely irritable. All of these problems went away as soon as I stopped taking this pill. Do not take it or have your children on it."

• Ema...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 22, 2020

For Birth Control "I’ve been taking this birth control Alesse-28 for over 3 years now. I was fine for the first year, but then after that, I was so moody and irritable, always sad and depressed, and very emotional. I have no energy at all, and I’m always tired. Another thing is that for some reason I get really bad leg cramps and am always constipated. Something else that I have experienced is weight gain, ovaries always hurt, and painful intercourse. Another awful side effect is that I have ZERO sex drive and vaginal dryness! One good thing about this birth control is that it cleared up all my acne, but other than that, it’s definitely not worth the side effects."

• Jay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 28, 2020

For Birth Control "I went on Alesse a week ago, and the day after I started, I was terribly nauseous, which I thought was normal, because my body was adjusting. The next day, I had a terrible anxiety attack and felt like there was literally a gray cloud over my head for the next several days. I cried every 10 minutes, I barely had an appetite, and I overall just felt so on edge at all times. I didn’t want to live like that and just wanted some peace. Once I realized that the happy girl in me was gone the second I started taking birth control, I stopped right away. I will be seeing my gynecologist, and hopefully there’s something out there for me, but I strongly advise you to stay away from this pill."

• Van...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 17, 2020

For Birth Control "I have been on Alysena (100 µg of levonorgestrel and 20 µg of ethinyl estradiol) for almost 3 months now, and I have really noticed a significant change in my mood. I used to be really happy and have lots of energy, and lately, I've been feeling depressed and get anxiety at least 1-2 times every week. I easily get annoyed and irritated, and I just don't feel like myself. Everyone will react differently to this birth control, but it's just not a great experience for me."

• Ban...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 4, 2020

For Birth Control "I’ve been taking this birth control, Alesse-28, for about 4 years now. At first, it was great. I did notice weight gain, every three months, I found my period would go from heavy to light, and then my boobs would become extremely sore on the third month. Extreme mood swings, depressed. Since May of this year, my periods have been almost nonexistent, sometimes I’ll have some spotting. I’m not pregnant. My stress has increased. I am a university student, but I had major life changes, so I’m not sure if the increased stress is what is causing the missed periods. Last month, my period did last for about three days. I’ve had to go onto an antidepressant recently as well. I’m currently trying to switch pills, as I cannot stand the missed periods and worrying every single month if I’m pregnant. As much as I like light periods, I would like to have at least something so I don’t have a heart attack."

• Lan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 2, 2021

For Birth Control "I'm currently on my third pack of the generic version Alysena 28, and there are basically no side effects for me anymore. I did have spotting like every day for the whole first pack when I started it, but that went away. Also, I think it increased my anxiety a bit for the first few months, but that also went away. The only things I still notice are headaches on the placebo pills and sore boobs, but other than that, it's good, just takes some time getting used to. Also, this was just my experience, and it affects everyone differently!"

• Aan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 3, 2020

For Birth Control "Can honestly say this has ruined my life, and I wish I never took it. I was only on it for 4 months, and I'm still affected by it almost 4 years later: headaches, lightheadedness, irritation, weight gain, and most dramatically, inability to orgasm. This has made my life an emotional roller coaster, I have so little hope of ever being taken seriously or recovering from."

• Mis...
• July 11, 2014

For Birth Control "I am on Alesse 28 for 3 months now (I usually skip the sugar pills). I don't have any problems with it. No spotting, just a little nausea for the first 2 days, but that's it. I didn't gain any weight, nor did I lose any. My breasts did go up one cup size. I was sexually active during my 2nd month, and I continued to menstruate as indicated in my pamphlet I had received with my prescription. It works, and I'm happy. It gives me peace of mind."

• --A...
• September 5, 2015

For Birth Control "Have been on Alesse for over 12 years now. Started the pill because I had very painful and irregular periods. Since being on the pill, I have been like clockwork and have very light and much less painful periods. No mood swings to report or any other side effects. Although everyone is different, I have nothing but good things to say about this birth control."

• aya...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 29, 2019

For Birth Control "I have been taking Alesse 28 for 4 months. Except for the fact that it prevents pregnancy at a high rate, I don't like it at all. I have horrible mood swings since I've been taking it. This conclusion is not even biased because I didn't read any reviews before having these symptoms. I got it as a recommendation from the doctor. Once on it, I feel constantly nervous, anxious, sad, and mad for no reason, and when I'm happy, I'm really happy. I don't take any other medication, so I can only blame it on this pill. I think I will stop it ASAP. Just need to find an alternative."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 5, 2018

For Birth Control "I took Alesse 28 for three months, and it worked. I never got pregnant, and Alesse cleared up my mild acne. But the side effects legit made me feel like I was crazy. The mood swings made me question my sanity. I would always lash out at my boyfriend randomly and be angry at him even though he did nothing wrong. I hated him so much for no reason. I lost my sex drive, my vagina was always dry, and so it would cause my vagina to bleed and hurt after sex, and I became really depressed. I stopped taking Alesse for a month now, and my boyfriend told me that my attitude and mood are normal and back to the way I was before taking Alesse."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 21, 2017

For Birth Control "This pill changed who I am. It ruined my relationship with my family and my boyfriend of 3 years. Before this birth control, I was outgoing, could talk to anybody and liked by all sorts of people, but after years of taking this pill, I just got ticked off by everything and everyone. Anyways, I get upset a lot, get upset at the dumbest things, took things way too personally, and it ruined my jobs as well! I just couldn't deal with people and would walk out of jobs. I mean, I did my job well, I was able to speak with the customers, but I didn't even want to build rapport with them. I just had zero care about people. I didn't even want to put energy into it, but I coupon, and that has been therapeutic for me. Marijuana calms me down too."

• Meg...
• February 8, 2019

For Birth Control "I started getting migraines behind my right eye, almost every day. My anxiety was off the charts, which is something I haven't struggled with in years. Then I became really sluggish and tired, but still anxious all the time. I went to see my doctor because I thought something was seriously wrong with me. She reviewed my medications, and the first thing she said was get off the birth control. I called my gynecologist, and she said the same thing - go off it for a month and let me know if you feel differently. Two weeks off of it, and I feel great. I haven't had a headache in a week. I'm not exhausted, and I have zero anxiety. It was crazy. I thought I was losing my mind. If you start to have any of these symptoms, you are not crazy, consider taking a break from this birth control. It's marketed as low dose, so it will have fewer side effects, this means nothing. Listen to your body."

• Niv...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 12, 2024

For Birth Control "Had to share because I think my experience is unusual. Not many bad side effects. I had good skin before (never broke out), and good skin on it. Average periods before, light after. First month of use I had night sweats (no one ever mentions this). I've struggled with losing weight my whole life, and this is the first time ever that I don't feel that dark void hunger. Maybe I was missing hormones, but somehow this pill has reduced my appetite and emotional eating. I have a clean diet, no processed food, and have been sugar-free for 4 years so didn't expect to gain, but whoa I didn't expect it would lower appetite. It made my libido very high too, which is the opposite of everything I read. All I ever got was night sweats, some cramps, and bloating. I feel so balanced. I'm 32, and this is my first hormonal BC."

• AMa...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 15, 2018

For Polycystic Ovary Syndrome "I went on this birth control to regulate my period because I have PCOS, so it is what my doctor recommended. I never had any side effects, and it worked well for the first year. Last month, I started noticing very weird feelings and was literally questioning my sanity. I had days where I was my normal self and then others where I was totally not. I felt loopy and out of it, like I was high. I have never had anxiety or any mental health issues, so this was terrifying. I told myself it was NOT worth it and got off them right away after reading similar experiences and reviews on this birth control. Will never go back on them!"

• Bec...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 7, 2020

For Polycystic Ovary Syndrome "I had taken this birth control last year and decided to get off of it for almost a year. I didn't experience any side effects, and my periods were coming regularly. I've been put back on it, and it's been about 2 weeks now. However, I'm experiencing side effects that seem rather detrimental to my health. Every time I take my pill for the day, I experience chest pain and arm warmness. I was also experiencing horrible back pain on my left side for the first few days. I'm going to discontinue taking it."

• Mad...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 18, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve been on Alesse-28 for almost 3 years, and as far as using it as birth control, it has worked perfectly! I did gain some weight and become a little more emotional after starting this pill, which hasn’t been great, but I had no other significant side effects like nausea. I never really had acne, so my skin hasn’t changed much, maybe more pimples around the time of my period, but that’s about it. My periods used to be pretty heavy and last about 6 days long, now they last about 4-5 days, they’ve gotten pretty light, and I only cramp on the first day or so. I also use an app to track my period, and after being on the pill, my periods have been very regular! There have been a couple of times where I had out-of-the-ordinary spotting, which made me worry that perhaps I was pregnant, but my period had always come a few days afterwards. Overall, it works well for me!"

• Bon...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 7, 2021

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "My daughter went to the doctor on April 30th, 2020, and complained of cramps and discomfort during her menstrual cycle, which was why she was there to see the doctor. No further investigation was done by the doctor, for example, a scan, x-ray, or referral to a gynecologist. Instead, she was given a birth control pill, Alesse-28. On May 21st, 2020, two and a half weeks later, she had a pulmonary embolism at work and died. The coroner said it was the medication that caused her death. It turned out that she had a benign tumor of the uterus, which could have been easily treated. She was a healthy 47-year-old woman-nothing else wrong with her. Please rethink birth control!"

• Ina...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 18, 2020

For Birth Control "It's been a week I have been using the Alesse-28 pill. I have no bad side effects. My breasts got bigger. I started getting a few bumps on my face, not sure it’s because of the pill, hopefully not... hope this month goes well."

• ALY...
• February 27, 2014

For Birth Control "Alesse-28 was the first oral contraceptive I've taken. I usually have a very heavy flow, and my period would be a full week and would never come at the same time every month, but since I started to take Alesse-28, my period has become VERY regulated, and my flow is light and lasts usually around 3-4 days only. The best thing I would say is that I don't get cramps anymore. Before taking the pill, I'd be pretty much bedridden. I get only a very slight pain now, but it's barely noticeable! It also helped with my acne! I had a lack of appetite when I started the pill, and I lost 7 lbs in one month. The worst parts were the nausea, major mood swings, slight depression (cried every night), anxiety, and the lack of motivation in everything."

• Dan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 25, 2020

For Birth Control "I’ve only been on Alesse-28 for a month now, and I’ve already decided to stop. Literally, it has been the worst month of my life. Extreme moodiness, acne, borderline depression, and a non-existent sex drive are just the tip of the iceberg! I understand that everyone’s body is different, and pills won’t have the same effects for everyone, but honestly, save yourself the trouble and don’t use Alesse."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 24, 2018

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "Took this pill to have control over when my period would start. Into the second pack, and I have started feeling very anxious, nervous, and panicky. I’ve started crying for little reasons. Just threw the pack away. I would much rather have my period come at the wrong time than control it and feel like this."

• Cat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 28, 2019

For Birth Control "I have been on this pill for 7 months, and I have noticed many side effects lately. Constant bloating in abdomen and face, depression, severe anxiety, and weight gain. My worst symptom is the breakthrough bleeding each month! I do not recommend this pill."

• Don...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 31, 2021

For Birth Control "I found that Alesse-28 worked really well for me. Before taking Alesse, I could tell when my period was due because of my temperament - I would feel angry, frustrated, moody, and I also had such a strong appetite. Also, on my period, I would feel tired, weak, nauseous, and sad. Alesse-28 really helped neutralize my pre- and during-period moods and nausea. It also really helped to clear up my skin, which was a nice bonus. It worked really well for me, and I will continue to take it."