Alesse and Weight Gain: What Users Say (Page 2)

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

For Birth Control "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."

• mad...
• October 13, 2016

For Birth Control "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."

• 22...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 26, 2014

For Birth Control "I was on Alesse for many years, and it worked fine, hardly had any symptoms. At first, it made me feel like I wanted to be more intimate with my significant other, but after a few years of taking it, I now have bad leg cramps, a very extremely low desire to have any kind of sexual engagement with my partner, and I gained about 20 pounds since I've been on it. I'm not blaming the birth control for the weight gain, but I'm looking forward to getting my libido back."

• wat...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 30, 2022

For Birth Control "I have used Alesse and then later the generic equivalent (for coverage reasons) for 8 years (age 17-24). I got a really consistent period, light, and would last 2-4 days max, no period side effects. I didn’t have any side effects of my period before starting birth control (no cramping, etc.), but they were irregular before. However, I believe that being on Alesse has caused me to gain weight and makes it difficult to lose weight, as well as gradually developing depression. I am going off of it for the summer as an experiment to see if this helps, since unfortunately, like many young adults, I have never known my adult body without birth control pills, so it will be interesting when my periods start again, without Alesse."

• Sky...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 17, 2022

For Birth Control "I was previously on a BC that made me moody, my new Dr switched me to Alesse. My mood is better, but I put on so much weight. It made me so depressed. I didn't know what was wrong with me, I felt gross all the time. Switched back less than 2 weeks ago. Feel less sick and lost a bunch of weight already, with nothing else changing. So now to find something that doesn't make me moody or fat, lol."

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

For Birth Control "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."

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

For Birth Control "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!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 30, 2017

For Birth Control "I've only been on Alesse for a week, but I'm already quitting it... no physical pain or acne or anything like that, but I'm experiencing these horrible mood swings. All of a sudden, I become extremely irritable or want to cry my eyes out, it's unbearable. Also, I'm hardly ever hungry or full now. The not being hungry thing isn't so bad, but I can literally eat an entire tub of ice cream and still not be full. I've definitely gained a little bit of weight."

• Xcv...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 2, 2015

For Birth Control "I have been on this pill for almost 4 months now. The first month I had breakthrough bleeding, no other side effects other than that. The third and 4th month was when the side effects all hit me at once: bloating, weight gain, slight headaches, and uncomfortable cramps. My period has gotten a lot lighter, but I am thinking of switching if these side effects still occur."

• Ale...
• April 7, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on the generic of Alesse called Alesyna for about 3 years. I put on over 20 pounds with this BC, going from 107-130. I have terrible anxiety and extreme exhaustion. For preventing pregnancy, it worked, but I did NOT enjoy gaining so much weight."

• Ban...
• January 26, 2021

For Birth Control "I have been on and off Alesse for 3/4 years, and aside from the headaches, it's been a smooth ride. I also gained some weight, but it went to the right places, so no complaints, haha. If you get headaches from the birth control, try changing the time to taking it before bed. I stopped getting headaches that way, I guess I'm sleeping through them. Also, the best plus was my boobs became super full, so overall very happy with it. Disclaimer: just because one birth control works for one person doesn't mean it'll be the same, my friend didn't like Alesse, so truthfully it just depends on your body's makeup."

• Sid...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 4, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on Alesse for over a year and a half. Side effects hit me hard. (I'm 21 years old.) I had perfect skin my entire life (even through puberty), and after I commenced the pill, the acne hit me like a ton of bricks. All forms of acne are on my face, and I've been using dermatologist products and services, and they said it's a hormonal issue as to why the acne has gotten so horrible. The high androgen actually causes skin to get worse. So when people say birth control doesn't cause acne, they are WRONG, because this birth control DOES CAUSE ACNE. Not only did I get acne, I gained 15 pounds, breasts got larger (only plus side), severe nausea the week before my period, and began suffering depression. It's time to switch to another birth control."

• Ali...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 15, 2017

For Birth Control "I switched to this pill after taking progesterone only, and I almost immediately regretted it. I was moody and nasty, gained 10-15 pounds within the first two weeks of taking it, started to become depressed, and it completely reduced my sex drive. I also had mild acne before I started taking it, and it developed into cystic acne within a week and didn’t clear up. I’ve been off it for over a month now, still have the cystic acne, but my mood and sex drive came back up. I hated what happened to me on it so much that I stopped taking it after the first month because, to me, trying to finish the 3-month trial wasn’t worth it. There are other options."

• Lys...
• March 31, 2016

For Birth Control "Was on Alesse for 4 months, but by the middle of the 4th month, the breakthrough bleeding I would experience after the first week of the pills had not stopped. I would have my period for two weeks. In the first two months, I experienced weight gain and a bit of nausea and swelling of my breasts. However, after about a week, the nausea was gone, and in the third month, no other side effects except bleeding were felt. I scored it so low because of all the breakthrough bleeding. No other side effects, though, once it was more regular to my body. I'm 18, btw :)"

• SJa...
• September 3, 2019

For Birth Control "I've been on birth control for just under 10 years and am still taking Alesse. The first 3-5 years were TriCyclen Lo, but then I got my period for over a month straight, and my doctor recommended switching to Alesse. The first day I took it, I felt incredibly nauseous. This went away after a day or two. During my time on this medication, I rarely experienced spotting, my periods were very light (about 2-3 days long, never required more than a regular-sized tampon), and while I didn't have bad acne in high school, I did get fewer zits while on both TriCyclen Lo and Alesse than I did in high school. I am about to try getting a copper IUD, though, because I've been experiencing some depression, anxiety, and low libido, and think they could be caused by birth control. I may also have gained some weight, but not sure what that's attributable to."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 18, 2018

For Birth Control "Side effects: no sex drive, lump on my breast, weight gain, and fatigue. I've been on Alesse for 6 years! My dad's girlfriend was also on it, and she said it made her fatigued, and she got off of it and felt so much better. I am now trying Tri-Cyclen Lo and hoping it will help."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 17, 2025

For Birth Control "I started Alesse birth control in December of 2024. It is now almost March of 2025. So far I’ve had a pretty wonderful experience, no acne, no weight gain, and no terrible side effects. I am 16 years old and under 100 lbs and have not put on any weight, and even if anyone were to, it’s usually due to fluid retention and will eventually subside. (My doctor told me the only potential amount of weight would be 2-5 lbs, and it usually goes to the breasts or bum.) I find it scary and quite misleading reading reviews on this birth control, hearing that some women gained like 30 pounds. This is quite unrealistic and may not be caused by the birth control itself, that could’ve been caused by other factors (the pill itself shouldn’t be blamed!) Also, disclaimer: I started the pill to help awful period cramps, and it has already started helping them significantly! (Also gives me a regular period - I know when to expect it. DON’T let bad reviews scare you, everyone is different :))"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 24, 2015

For Birth Control "I spent almost 2 years on Alesse 28. My first couple of months were okay. I experienced severe nausea and gained 10 pounds but lost them shortly after. I took Alesse routinely at 10 pm. My first month on it I woke up with sweats, seeing 'stars' and started vomiting. I assumed it was a bug until it happened the following week again. My doctor told me to give it 3 months, so I did. This continued about once every 1-2 months at the same time during the night. I began living with Gravol in my back pocket until I had enough. I came off Alesse and have not had any midnight 'episodes' and feel so much better. It was effective in preventing pregnancy although I always use backup methods anyway. My periods were short and light and minor cramps."

• con...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 21, 2016

For Birth Control "I have been on Alesse for 5 months now, and at the beginning it seemed to work effectively - regulating my periods, preventing pregnancy, as well as partially helping my acne. Although by the 3rd month, I started getting my period before the placebo pills, and it became irregular again, coming any time throughout the month... I'm now switching to a different pill, but all in all, the pill was okay when it was working. Although my periods were irregular, it still prevented pregnancy, so that's great. Only thing is that I gained around 5 lbs, and it didn't help with cramps or lightening my period, which is one of the reasons I went on it in the first place."

• ama...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 23, 2015

For Birth Control "I just got the birth control today. I haven't tried it yet because my biggest fear is gaining weight and having very bad mood swings! Would these side effects stop if I came off the pill after they occurred? (I'm 16 years old.)"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 4, 2015

For Birth Control "I have been on Alesse for 6 years now, and I have never had any issues. No cramping, no acne, no weight gain. I highly recommend this birth control. 24 yr old."

• kfi...
• November 9, 2016

For Birth Control "My skin was great before and after starting Alesse! I've had no weight gain, and my periods are extremely light. I no longer need to use painkillers for menstrual pain, and my moods have been stable."

• Asi...
• January 3, 2017

For Birth Control "I hated this BCP. I gained 15 pounds in two weeks, and I was depressed and crying all the time. It also gave me chin acne, which I never have."

• Sha...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 6, 2014

For Birth Control "It did not help with PMS or acne, but I had no weight gain."

• Han...
• March 7, 2021

For Birth Control "I've been taking this for two years now, and I have no issues. My friends on other pills have gotten severe depression and weight gain, but I have been lucky."