Alesse User Reviews & Ratings (Page 5)

• Pup...
• September 4, 2019

For Birth Control "I started Alesse 28 in December of 2018. I was put on it by my doctor to help regulate my excruciating periods (so bad I'm on prescription painkillers). The first 3 months, they were still just as bad as ever, causing me to miss classes, my acne, however, cleared up. Since then, they have caused me mood swings, depression, worsened anxiety, and countless baby scares. My periods are light and short, but still very, very painful. I would not recommend unless you enjoy scaring both yourself and your boyfriend every few months with random and confusing unwarranted pregnancy scares. Side effects also consist of sleepless nights, leg cramping, migraines, a non-existent sex drive, and nausea, which is great. I've been lucky not to have weight gain, but the bloating is absolutely terrible, it starts early and lasts all day. Definitely going to ask my doctor about switching pills or just going to tough it out, I would recommend painful heavy periods over this any day."

• tee...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 12, 2019

For Birth Control "I started Alesse in December 2018 for a couple reasons: 1) to help with my cystic acne 2) prevent pregnancy. My first couple weeks, my cystic acne went away, but I got a bunch of surface-level pimples, which was discouraging. By month 2-3, my acne was super clear, but now (month 5-6) my acne is the worst I've ever had it. Not cystic, but it's out of control awful, and my skin is super inflamed. On top of all that, the pill has made me very emotional to the point I sometimes burst out crying for no reason. It has been fairly effective for preventing pregnancy, but I did have a pregnancy scare when it made me skip my period one month (but it just skipped for no reason). Overall, it was okay for starting out with, but I'm definitely switching."

• Anonymous
• November 15, 2009

For Endometriosis "Before being diagnosed with endometriosis, my doctor put me on Alesse to help with menstrual irregularity and intense pelvic pain. After two weeks on Alesse, I had to be put on iron and progesterone because I bled until I was anemic. Be careful about taking hormones that contain estrogen if you have endometriosis."

• Syr...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 15, 2017

For Birth Control "I have been on Alesse 28 for a year now as of this upcoming March. Big improvement over my other pill, Ministerin 24. Before I took Alesse, I had irregular periods with lots of blood on the 2nd day. After switching to Alesse, my periods are only 4 days, and I have no spotting compared to my other pill. I recommend this pill to any woman, but talk to your gynecologist first, as it is not for everyone. Also, I have no acne!"

• Not...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 16, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on Alesse for 2 months now, going on my third month. This pill is not so bad, no weight gain, acne, or mood swings. But I'm experiencing chronic fatigue on this pill, when I am on my period week, I feel so much better. Everything else is really great, but I'm not sure how much longer I will stay on this. I can't live my life with exhaustion, it makes me lose desire for things I normally love. Coffee fixes it a little, but it is still there. I would rather have the old me back, or maybe switching my birth control? But it's a good birth control other than that (you will find nothing perfect out there)."

• Ami...
• December 3, 2010

For Birth Control "If you're looking for a birth control that's easy on your body in the sense that you don't get mood swings, no weight gain, good sex drive, etc., you might like Alesse. If you're looking for all that as well as an acne treatment, BEWARE (especially if you have adult acne)! My doctor put me on Alesse because I was looking for a birth control and an acne treatment (I had moderate adult acne on my cheeks). The first three months, I thought I was in heaven. No mood swings, no weight gain, clear skin, etc. Then, approaching my period in the fourth month, I woke up with six acne cysts on my chin, jaw, and lower cheek. I had never had them before. Still getting pre-period cystic breakout, onto Diane 35 next month."

• AJa...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 10, 2021

For Birth Control "I’ve been in this for close to 10 years now. I tried switching to an IUD last year and had to come back to Alesse because my acne got out of control. My skin is super nice on this, my cramping is lessened, my periods are shorter, and I haven’t gotten pregnant thus far. What more could I ask for? I would recommend this but know everyone reacts differently to birth control brands."

• Ell...
• March 22, 2015

For Birth Control "I have been on Alesse for almost 11 months. My first time using birth control. For the first 6 months, I was fairly happy with it and did not experience any side effects that I noticed at the time. Now, I am considering going off the pill because, for the last few months, I have had a very low sex drive and gained 30 pounds since starting Alesse. My job has been very stressful, and I have stopped working out regularly, so those things are a part of it, but I think going off the pill would be beneficial for me and could help with losing the weight."

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

For Birth Control "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!!"

• Sar...
• November 10, 2015

For Birth Control "No side effects for me, but everyone is different, so everybody's experience will be different, and not only depending on your weight or height! Try it for at least six months, and if it's not for you, just switch!!"

• 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."

• NWa...
• September 15, 2016

For Birth Control "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

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."

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

For Birth Control "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

For Birth Control "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."

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

For Birth Control "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!"

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

For Birth Control "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

For Birth Control "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."

• Ran...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 13, 2020

"I took this pill for about a month and a half. I noticed my periods got heavier with more cramping, and PMS symptoms showed no improvement either. My acne cleared up (but my skin was good before the pill). The biggest thing I noticed was that my hair was noticeably thinning a lot-not visually, but I could feel it. I also noticed I was crying, hopeless, and less motivated much more than ever before. Effective contraception is one of the only few good things that came out of this pill, but for me, the side effects weren't worth it. I'm going to try to go off and see if that helps."

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

For Birth Control "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!"

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

For Birth Control "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."

• Amm...
• April 19, 2015

For Birth Control "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

For Birth Control "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."

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

For Birth Control "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."