Alesse for Birth Control User Reviews (Page 5)

• Jup...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 9, 2021

"Oh my. Yes, this pill definitely was not for me. When I started, I got really bad spotting, I also got incredibly bad migraines. I’ve taken it for three months, and it put me in such a bad depression. Everyone around me was noticing it, and it has caused a lot of problems between me and my boyfriend. I haven’t felt very motivated or excited, and it really got rid of my sex drive. This was not it for me. I honestly wouldn’t recommend it for people who already have depression or anxiety, for me personally, it just made things worse. I’ve stopped it now, and already I feel a difference. Don’t take it!!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 23, 2017

"I took Alesse for 1 month and 1 week. After the first week, I broke out with the worst cystic acne I have ever had in my life. I tried to stick it out to the three-month mark to see if it would clear up, but it was so horrible I decided to stop 1 week into my second pack. I'm giving it 5 stars because I didn't experience any other side effects whatsoever, which I have gotten on other pills."

• uah...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 27, 2017

"I was taking this as a contraceptive and to prevent ovarian cysts, which I am prone to. This pill worked great for those two things, and I had no problems with this BCP for the first year of taking it. However, after around a year and a half on it, I developed extreme anxiety, panic attacks, severe moodiness and change of temperament, as well as nausea every single day. I am about to go off of it, hopefully, I can find a BCP without these side effects."

• m09...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 29, 2017

"I'm a 27 yo woman who has only used the pill as birth control. I started birth control at 24 yo. I was on Microgestin 1/20 FE that worked pretty well for me for a couple of years. No weight gain, no migraines, no anxiety or depression, decreased PMS. The only thing was that if I was a little off on my timing, I'd spot. So I switched. Thought maybe there's a better pill out there for me? I was on Alesse for 10 months. I went from 112 lbs to 122 lbs. Which I didn't mind, really. What I endured with this birth control was horrifying. I was constantly bloated. Pregnant belly bloated the entire month, had severe cramps that would immobilize me completely, I suffered from panic and anxiety attacks and slight depression. I had a foggy mind and would sob at least 2 times a week."

• ky0...
• August 8, 2017

"I was on Alesse for about 4 years. Just going off it now just to see how I feel off birth control (if I feel any different). My experience with it was great. My period cramps became way more manageable, and my periods only ever lasted about 4 days max. For the last 2 years, my boyfriend and I would have sex, no condom, and never had any scares, so it works well! (I was good with it and took it every night before bed). I don't have acne-prone skin, so I didn't experience any problems while on the pill. I've been on Alesse since grade 12, so I'm curious as to how my body might be off the pill, that's the only reason I'm going off it, and I would definitely take it again if/when I go back on the pill."

• ano...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 11, 2017

"I started taking this pill about 3 years ago. At first, I wanted to use it as a birth control and to clear up my acne (which wasn't that bad; I had light to moderate acne with no cysts). However, my acne got a lot worse (severe cystic acne), and I didn't know it was from that pill. I had acne like I never had before, and I started experiencing violent headaches (at least 1 or 2 per week). I tried a lot of treatments for acne, but none of them worked. Due to a breakup with my ex-boyfriend from the last 5 years, I stopped the pill about 3 months ago. Honestly, my face cleared up now, and it's as smooth as a baby's butt! Also, I never experienced headaches again since I stopped that pill. So yeah, that pill did its job as a birth control, but it wasn't the great one for me, and it's too bad that I realized it 3 years later!"

• Amm...
• April 19, 2015

"I started using the generic brand, which the pharmacy gave me, and had really bad side effects, such as feeling depressed, listless, crying all the time, which I never do. Then my doctor recommended I use the name brand Alesse. I've been on it a month with no side effects at all. I feel great. I had no cramping and a lighter period. I feel happy and myself again. I've tried a lot of other brands, all with some side effects. For me, this is a great birth control."

• Ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 19, 2015

"I started the birth control last summer in August and stopped it this April. For the first 6 months of taking the pill, I had no problems at all, I felt normal except I did get acne, which went away after about 1-3 months. It shortened my period to about 4-5 days instead of my normal week-long and a half periods. But after 6 months of taking the pill, I would sometimes get my period early by about 8 days, and then the next month it would be back to normal. Also, I would get bad cramps and back aches, which appeared after 6 months. This was bothersome to me, especially after the pill worked great for about 6 months. The early periods, cramps, and backaches were doable, but I decided to switch off it to Loestrin 1.5/30."

• Che...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 12, 2016

"This birth control was the worst experience of my life. It gave me horrible breakouts for an entire week during each month, and I gained a significant amount of weight. I stayed on it hoping it would get better, but it never did. I've finally switched brands and finally seen improvement in my skin."

• Ang...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 18, 2019

"I tried the generic brand of Alesse called AlySensa 28 for 3 months, and I can safely say it's been the absolute worst 3 months of my life. I experienced almost all possible side effects: painful cramping, increased bleeding, headaches, body pain, mood swings, panic attacks, everything. I also never had this birth control actually regulate my period, my period came when it wanted and was just super heavy and incredibly painful, and I had some major mood swings, which is not even close to normal for me. Although, I didn't get pregnant, so there's that."

• Anonymous
• March 10, 2016

"For the first year, I was on another brand (can't remember the name), then my doctor switched me. The first 2 months of using it, I started feeling exhausted and extremely emotional-I'm not usually. About 4 weeks ago, I ended up going to the hospital for difficulty breathing and such. The doctors misdiagnosed it and sent me off. After 2 weeks, I went back with a very swollen leg and very painful. Turns out this birth control caused a massive blood clot in my groin area, and those breathing problems were mini blood clots going through my lungs and heart. All thanks to this brand."

• NWa...
• September 15, 2016

"The first day I took Alesse, I felt perfectly normal. The next day, I instantly felt nauseous and tired. The third day and three days after, I had severe migraines that never seemed to go away, even after taking two 400 mg Advils. The migraines went away for a week but came back this week for another dreadful four days. Couldn't handle it anymore and went to my doctor, who advised me to stop taking the pills and wait a week to see if the migraines continue without the use of Alesse. Hopefully, I just need to change brands of birth control to better suit me! I'm sure it's a great birth control, just wasn't for me!"

• mad...
• October 13, 2016

"20 yr old female here. I was put on Alesse for acne & contraceptive purposes. Acne runs in my family. My mom had it really badly until she was about 21. I was on Tri-Cyclen Lo, but it made me feel sick in the mornings. So Alesse was pretty bad. I was on it for just under a year. I didn't get pregnant even though I never used a condom with my boyfriend. It helped my acne somewhat, except I got cystic flare-ups on my chin & small dots on my forehead during my period. I gained about 10 lbs. Period cramps were still bad and lasted for days sometimes. MADE ME AN EMOTIONAL WRECK. I'd cry so easily and felt unusually depressed/anxious. I believe I have too much testosterone in my blood, so Alesse might not have been strong enough."

• k09...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 19, 2016

"Alesse is NOT an appropriate birth control choice to help with hormonal acne. One of the main causes of hormonal acne is a rise in androgens (male hormones), which you do NOT need more of if you are experiencing hormonal acne (jawline, chin, cystic). I did not realize that Alesse had added androgens and went on it for just short of a month. Needless to say, my face, back, and chest area have broken out worse than being off birth control altogether. I am sure this is a great birth control option for some, but keep in mind that it is probably not your best bet if your main focus is to decrease your acne. Hope this helps!"

• Anonymous
• July 5, 2011

"I was on this for about a year and everything was great. Then I went off it for about 5 years (did not take anything else in place of Alesse). I then went back on for about 6 months. After the first month, I started having severe external itch, got tested for a yeast infection, but it wasn't it. For 5 months, I woke up 2-3 times every night with unbearable itch. I went off the pill and noticed right away the symptoms were much milder. Within 2 months, I'm completely normal again. I don't know what's different between 5 years ago and now, but something is definitely different."

• Lai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 21, 2016

"I've been on Alesse for three months now, and although I haven't suffered any weight loss/gain, acne, or nausea, I have felt extremely fatigued and lethargic. Not to mention the fact that my period would randomly start halfway through when I still had 7 or 8 active pills left. And when my period did start, I would suffer bouts of depression, crying for no reason, spending all day in bed and entertaining a few suicidal thoughts. I will be discontinuing the use of Alesse, and I plan to speak with my doctor about other alternatives. As a contraceptive, the pills work, but they are not worth the side effects I was enduring."

• Zan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 4, 2018

"I started taking Alesse for really bad cramps that left me immobile and missing my classes. After being on the pill for 2 months, I've had the lightest periods I've ever had. Only downside is that my mood dropped considerably."

• Lt1...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 27, 2018

"I was on Diane 35 for 10 years. Started getting migraines with aura, so my doctor said I should try Alesse and it could help with the migraines. Only took 2 pills of Alesse to know I couldn’t take it again. I’ve never had such severe migraine auras and had actual migraine pain that spread from the top of my face down to under the cheekbones. I’ve never felt that bad/unwell in my life. I clearly had some sort of reaction, I’m sure it doesn’t happen a lot. I definitely will not be continuing Alesse. I’ll have to figure out what to try next. But just wanted to share my experience in case it might help someone."

• Nic...
• December 29, 2018

"I used Alesse for about two years, and it was effective as far as birth control goes. I got this to help my acne and irregular periods plus cramps. For the acne, I didn’t notice any difference in my skin, and since it’s always been bad, I couldn’t tell if Alesse was making it better or worse. For the irregular periods, this helped tremendously! My periods were so light, only lasted 2-3 days with light spotting on the last day, and I was cramp-free for two years! I would’ve stayed on it, but I wanted to try something different for the acne, so I’m now on Cyred. I didn’t notice any other symptoms besides what I mentioned. When I got off Alesse for a few months, my period was its usual weird, heavy, painful period as soon as I got off it. Overall, I would recommend it if your main concerns are irregular periods and cramps."

• Joa...
• October 21, 2018

"I was taking this pill for the last 9 years. Didn’t really have any side effects for the first few years. In the last year, I would wake up with blurred vision that would last for a good hour. I am now off this pill, and my vision is much better. Also, I started to get major cramps a week after I started a new pack, plus spotting. I’m done with this pill and all BC pills."

• Min...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 21, 2018

"I’m a first-time user, and my doctor prescribed me Alesse. I’ve been on it for 5 months, debating on switching pills for the last 2. This pill caused me acne when my skin was basically almost perfect before, and a little bit of weight gain. The only good it gave was some less bad cramps. But overall, would not recommend."

• Gir...
• September 16, 2017

"I've been taking Alesse for 3 months now, and my experience was very poor. There's a number of problems I had with this birth control pill. Number one is the nausea. Every day for the last couple of months, I would feel slight nausea to the point where I thought maybe I was pregnant. I took pregnancy tests a number of times because I was worried if maybe I was really pregnant. I did some research that the pills give you nausea, so I waited and continued taking it with food before taking it, and still, nothing worked. On top of that, I've gotten severe acne. I don't usually get acne, my skin is clear, but once I started taking the pill, my acne grew worse. It's really bad now. Lastly, the mood swings and period cramps, which were terrible."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 11, 2018

"I went on Alesse originally to see if it would help my acne. I was on it for 4 months, during which I experienced terrible breakouts on my forehead (the only place I never break out). My forehead was completely covered in small rough bumps that could not be concealed. I also broke out everywhere else on my face. As soon as I switched pills, all the acne cleared up. I’d say it’s worth giving it a shot, but it definitely didn’t work for me personally in clearing up acne."

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

"I started taking Alesse 2 months ago when my other brand ran out. It has been horrible. I gained 15 pounds (the most I've ever gained in a short time span). I am horribly moody, and I get extremely nauseous about 3 hours after taking the pill. The nausea lasts for hours too. Even if I take the pill before bed, I feel sick the next morning. I have absolutely no sex drive since starting, and I'm constantly bloated. I do not recommend using!"

• Sam...
• January 21, 2018

"I was on Alesse for two years. For the first few months, I didn't experience any side effects, but after that, I was an emotional wreck with no sex drive. After those side effects subsided, I began breakthrough bleeding a week before I started my sugar pills (this lasted a year), which was frustrating. I am now off the pill and am going to be trying something new. I did not personally experience any acne or weight gain, but the emotional side effects were daunting."