Altavera for Birth Control User Reviews

• Kome
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 24, 2022

"Was really scared of weight gain and acne from reading the reviews, but did not experience any of that. My breasts were super sore but they also did go from B to DD in a span of few months. Only a bit of bloat but nothing that some herbal teas and work out didn’t fix. Also sex drive was CRAZY high on this! Ladies whatever BC you might be taking remember to take your supplements (B2, B6, B12, folic acid, vitamin A, zinc, iron) etc since BC lowers all that and it might explain symptoms. As always, you never know how your body will react unless you try it! Stay vigilant for symptoms but try not to be too paranoid or stressed. It is your own body!"

• kano
• May 22, 2020

"I was initially put on Chateal (which I loved), the next month they gave me Levora. I went from 130 to 135lbs on Levora in less than a week. It kept climbing despite me barely eating since I was working, going to school to school full time, and taking care of my ill family member. Also, more depressed. The next month, it was Altavera, and everything got significantly worse than I could have imagined. I was explosively angry, depressed, having complete mental/emotional breakdowns, no sex drive at all, and in a constant state of existential crisis. By the end of it I was 142lbs despite my coffee and yogurt diet (not a diet of choice but just convenience with limited time). By the time I was off the pill, I dropped to 125lbs in less than a month with no change in hectic lifestyle or diet. It was the worst month of my life. I wouldn't I recommend it to anyone who already suffers from depressive states and anxiety. I haven't been on BC since because I'm scared of going through that again."

• Roxy
• December 21, 2013

"I just switched to Altavera after trying other pills for the past year and suffering from weird side effects from each. I will say that for me, this has by far been the best one and I wanted to write a review because I've seen so many bad reviews about this pill. I previously tried Ortho-Tri-Cyclen Lo, Yaz, and Lo Loestrine FE. I believe I have symptoms of PMDD so I wanted a pill that will help with that. This is the end of my first month but so far I have had no breakthrough bleeding at all, my face is slowly clearing up, and my hormones are much more even (no more sobbing over little things). My period was on time and normal for what I was experiencing prior to birth control. I did notice headaches but so far so good! Hopefully this helps."

• paige
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 11, 2021

"THIS IS THE WORST BIRTH CONTROL If you’re a girl that takes birth control DO NOT take Altavera, I switched birth controls about three almost four months ago and shortly after got a really bad rash on my face which ended up leading to breakouts. I’ve never gotten breakouts only one every now and then but ever since I started the new birth control my skin had a really bad reaction to it. The dermatologist just put me on a new birth control that is used to control acne and gave me a cream to clear everything up but I cannot stress this enough to not take Altavera. Everyone’s different and everyone’s body’s reacts differently but just helping the ladies out with a terrible experience I’ve been going through taking this stuff. Hopefully in about a month my skin will be back to normal again"

• Amy...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 28, 2017

"I had my IUD removed and was put on this immediately after. It has been 3 months. I have gained 15 lb, have acne on my face and chest and horrible mood swings as well as periods of sadness. I do not recommend this at all. My doctor said it was a great pill for woman in their 40's...men should take these things first!"

• AY0ST...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 30, 2015

"#1 it gave me acne. #2 I GAINED so much weight in such a short period of time #3 it made me beyond emotional, I hated everyone/everything, I wouldn't smile & I was on the verge of thinking I am bi polar at times. If your doctor EVER! prescribes this to you.... RUN! Long story short.. I HAD A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE."

• Sam
• March 9, 2021

"So I had been on Levora for 5 months and my pharmacy ended up giving me Altavera. WOW don't let them switch you. They are NOT the same. I had zero side effects with Levora. With Altavera my hair loss started coming back, my acne got bad again, my appetite ...destroyed my progress in my training program. I am ravenously eating, even while on a prescription diet pill. All that was on top of a month of breakthrough bleeding, how exactly is it the same strength and ingredients but causes a month of breakthrough bleeding as if it is a different pill? Weird. Also had WILD mood swings when I first switched, admittedly I was having a really bad start to the month that coincided with my starting this pack. Would it have been different? Idk but I was randomly cry for two weeks straight. My mental health dropped to an all time low. I have 2 more peach pills of suffering until I can switch back. I know every body is different, but its just not worth it. It is a rubbish brand."

• Helen...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 21, 2016

"I am a healthy 27 year old female and have been on Altavera as a birth control method for the past 2 years. In the first 2 months I had some issues of stomach upset and increased emotional fluctuations, but after 2 months of usage, my hormone levels evened out and I have not had any side effects since. Also, sometimes when I schedule my period around vacation or an important event, it has been very easy to quicken my period (take only 2 weeks of pink before white). However, when I tried to skip my period (skip the white sugar pills and go to a new pack) I did have some spotting in the 5th week on the pink pills. I have not experienced any weight gain, headaches, increased cramps, nor acne in the 2 years I have been on Altavera."

• Lyla
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 7, 2019

"This pill made my periods light and I didn’t get pregnant but holy shit did it turn me into a monster. I am still on depression medicine because of it. I constantly fought with my boyfriend and friends, I was absolutely horrible to everyone around me. I felt so out of control of my emotions and cried every single day. I wouldn’t recommend this pill to any human being."

• Maggers
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 18, 2020

"I have been using this birth control for almost 3 months. At first I didn’t notice that I was getting more pimples until today! I looked at my face and it’s normal for me to get 1 or 2 every couple of months but I had 4 horrible ones. My sex drive has decreased and I am unmotivated to workout. I will be switching back to Lillow. Highly do not recommend."

• Yerduax
• July 25, 2017

"I took this pill for about 4 months before I was switched to Portia (which is the same thing) by my pharmacist. I liked this pill. My periods are so light which is nice because I have always had heavy periods! No acne and no weight gain. As much as I liked this pill, I did have mood swings at the beginning, but by the end of taking Altavera I was fine!"

• Phatg...
• August 3, 2018

"Altavera made me so huge and gave me acne. I was always tired I couldn’t move I always felt heavy even after working out. This pill made me so emotional and cranky most of the time. I wasn’t motivated to move around at all. It slowed my body down!! WORSE PILL!! DO NOT GET!"

• anna
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 24, 2019

"Alright, I was switched to Altavera after experiencing nausea every day for weeks with my old birth control. I started taking it in the mornings and it seemed to be working fine. My appetite was insane though, constant eating and then no desire for food at all. The nausea every time I started a new pack was tiring and I was always constipated. On the bright side, my skin was clear as ever and my periods became a bit lighter. I also experienced migraines every two weeks on the dot. The ocular kind to, so I had to be sent home from work or bed ridden because I couldn’t see straight. I didn’t gain any weight and my mood swings became non existent. I’d recommend it, if it didn’t cause me nausea and migraines all the time. But then again, everyone is different :)"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 13, 2022

"I love this birth control. I was taking Junel for a year and I gained 30 pounds and was so depressed I hardly even have memories from that time period. I stopped taking it for about 5 months and then due to hormonal problems affecting my ovaries I had to take birth control again and my gyno switched me to Altavera. It’s been a year now and I was able to lose 30 pounds and get out of my depression. The hormones in Junel statistically are better for no weight gain and altavera supposedly has a side effect of weight gain but it was different for me. You can’t always make a decision based off of what other people say since we’re all so different inside."

• Good...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 3, 2023

"This has worked better for me than Portia. When on Portia, I had velvety rashes. My libido is still here on Altavera, no headaches, feeling fine as if I'm not on birth control, to be honest. So, I actually like this pill."

• Rubbi...
• June 17, 2016

"I've taken this drug for a month now and I love it. I had an abortion before I starred this drug and this lessened my bleeding. My skin is fine, it never was unclear. My weight is actually going down but I'm open to that changing later. No vomiting, headaches, random nausea, or mood swings. My sex drive has been the same, through the roof. Only thing that I've noticed is my sensitivity to salty foods. I've always gotten sodium headaches if I've eaten to much salt through out the day but now it's a bit more sensitive to alot of chips, too much gravy, and popeyes chicken. Either than that... I LOVE IT!"

• Schlee
• July 23, 2013

"I've taken birth control since I was 15, I am now 24. I used to get horrible migraine headaches around my menstrual cycle so I was put on continuous birth control. This has really made a huge difference for me! Instead of having a monthly period, I have a period 4x a year, every 3 months. I do believe birth control has been a contributing factor to my weight gain however. I don't have any crazy cramps or horrific mood swings. Currently I am taking Altavera."

• John...
• July 9, 2021

"I started on Portia and then was switched to Altavera (they said it was the same exact thing but a different name basically) and on both, I gained like 20ish pounds! I was also more irritable and could not skip like one period or else I’d bleed from skipping. IDK if it was Portia or Altavera that was so bad but I’m just going to say both weren’t the greatest :/"

• ellenp
• May 24, 2019

"Yeah absolutely not. I would rather have my period for 4 weeks straight than have to take this pill. I'm usually on Portia and have been for about 10 years and It says it's equivalent but absolutelyyyyyyyyy not. Altavera makes me the moodiest, most emotional person ever. To the point where I'll be completely fine and then one minute goes by and I'll have tears in my eyes for no reason. It's the WORST. Highly highly highly recommend asking for a different pill if this is what your doctor prescribes. "

• Jess
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 15, 2018

"I have been on this birth control for 2 weeks and it has made me break out in horrible cystic acne all over my face, neck and back. Has also made me so nauseous and feel like my food isn’t digesting and just sitting in my stomach. Feel myself gaining weight everyday! Switching back to Orsythia where I had no side effects!!"

• BPL
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 26, 2023

"This is my holy grail of birth control! I have been taking it for 3 years and love it! I use it to skip my periods, and it works seamlessly. It also cleared my skin and eliminated my mood swings almost entirely. The only thing though other generic brands and even the name brand of this drug (Levora) do not work the same for me, and it has been tricky for me to get both physical and online pharmacies to prescribe me this specific generic brand."

• Cathe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 20, 2018

"So I just started the pill (on my 3rd week of my first pack) and I’ve noticed some things and I can’t tell if it’s just my body adjusting or if something is wrong. I've never been on BC before until now and I started my period 6 days ago. I’ve noticed increased nausea and I’ve had some pretty consistent/painful cramping for the full 6 days almost non stop. My flow has also been pretty heavy. I really hope that this is just my body adjusting to the pill and that it will even out within the next month or two...."

• Kano
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 25, 2018

"I asked my doctor about taking birth control because my periods would last 1 1/2 to 2 weeks. They were very heavy, with the first 2 to 3 days where I would have terrible cramps to where I couldn't move. Midol did not always help. After starting the birth control my periods are now 3 or 4 days long. They aren't heavy and I don't get cramps. I do, however, get terribly gassy the week before my period, but that's worth it to not have awful cramps. My boobs get tender too before my period, but I had that before birth control. I've been on Altavera for three years now - going on four - and I am happy with it. I didn't really gain that much weight when I started it. The weight I did gain was from not the best diet and no exercise. It's not hard to lose weight either, if you're still taking Altavera."

• Veryb...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 15, 2021

"I've been taking various generics with the same active ingredient for 5 years (Portia, Chateal, and Levora) with no side effects at all. Mostly I've taken Portia and never had an issue. Just last month I was switched to Altavera through my insurance and I have been CONSTANTLY exhausted and moody. I'm a healthy 30 year old and I went from sleeping 7-8 hours a night, doing an hour of cardio 3x a week and walking everywhere to sleeping up to 12 hours a night and waking up too tired to get out of bed. I feel terrible all the time and my mood sucks, and I just feel weighed down and slow. I know it's only been 7 weeks and I could just be getting used to it, but I never had side effects when switching generics before. If Altavera works for you, more power, but it doesn't work for my body and it's made me very miserable. I changed because my insurance covers this, but I'd rather pay put of pocket for Portia or Chateal."

• Give...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 28, 2021

"At first , I was put on Chateal worse thing ever, then I switched to altavera . My first month on it my skin was HORRIBLE and I was emotional, otherwise I had no other problems anyway I decided to stick with it. It’ll be a year in October since I've been on it and my skin is clear, my period comes the same time every month, I'm not having mood swings, no weight gain. Of course everyone has a different body and will react differently however I hated it at first but you have to give it time for your body to adjust."