Balcoltra and Depression: What Users Say

• Kit...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 25, 2021

For Birth Control "I was switched to this birth control to help regulate my periods and help with breakthrough bleeding I’ve had with another pill. I haven’t been on this pill for a week, and for the first few days, I kept telling myself that I need to continue this birth control at least 3 months because maybe my mood will level out. It has not. I have become extremely depressed and unmotivated. I was not struggling with depression before the pill, and I was generally in a happy mood. However, I did suffer from depression in my early teen years. I have been on this pill for 5 days, and I am already having suicidal thoughts. Because of this, I have decided to quit taking the pills. There is no reason I should have bad thoughts about myself and my body and my existence this much from one pill. It has also made me lose my appetite, and I cannot sleep."

• hel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 13, 2020

For Birth Control "I’m on my second month of taking this BC. My gyno put me on it to help shrink an ovarian cyst I have that’s close to rupturing. So far, I have noticed somewhat of a decrease in cramps. Thank goodness because those cramps were the worst pains I’ve ever felt, and I would consider myself a person who has a very high pain tolerance :/ But on the other hand, I have been bleeding/spotting for about 3 1/2 weeks now after I had my full 6-day period. I’ve experienced abnormal mood swings, increased anxiety, worsened depression, and insane random crying sprees over the smallest things or just nothing really at all. At this point, I think the pain is a better option than how crazy this pill has made me feel."

• Jul...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 24, 2023

For Birth Control "I recently switched to this as another option to Lo Loestrin, which I heard worked in a similar fashion. The mental side effects have been absolutely horrible. Five days in, and I am moody, agitated, and picking fights, which is definitely not my personality, and I have been so incredibly depressed it’s insane. While this might work well for some people, if you are doing well on the Lo Loestrin, or have had any issues in the past with other birth controls with higher estrogen that affect your mood, I would definitely not recommend this birth control. This has been a nightmare, and I’m immediately going off of it."

• Yaz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 8, 2020

For Birth Control "Horrible. Experienced terrible mood swings and increased depression and anxiety, plus cystic acne that I never experienced before this pill. I’ve also been constantly bleeding for the past 4 weeks because of it, wouldn’t recommend at all."

• Roa...
• March 4, 2021

For Birth Control "This was my first birth control I've ever taken. I was prescribed this due to abnormal bleeding I had prior, and it was supposed to “regulate” my period. It worked for about 4 weeks, and I started bleeding again. When I tell you I've become depressed! I was bleeding for about 4 weeks, HEAVY! Heavy blood clots. I went to the gyno to get switched, and they told me this brand is designed to make you bleed compared to other birth control, which stops your period! Overall, this is the worst birth control, I wouldn't recommend! I kept cramping, it's just ridiculous."

• Rac...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 27, 2022

For Birth Control "I don't know how I feel about this pill. It has stopped my period in its tracks and helped to get rid of some pain I was having, but I have this new depression that has turned me into a completely different person. It is really like what they say on the commercials, doing things that used to make me so happy, now I'll leave early because I feel blah. I have anxiety and did have my first anxiety attack in a while about a week into the pill. I don't know if that is related, though. No big changes in weight or diet, though."

• Ell...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 29, 2019

For Birth Control "I have been on Balcoltra for around a year, and it really is one of the best birth controls I have been on. Previously, I was on Sprintec, and it caused me to be very depressed and have mood swings. Being on Balcoltra allowed my acne to heal up, and a very short, light period. The only downside with this pill is that I find if I take two in one day, I get violently sick to my stomach and vomit."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 11, 2022

For Birth Control "DON’T use this! I’m 26. I’ve been on birth control (Ortho Tri-Cyclen) since I turned 20 with no major issues. I switched because of predisposition for heart conditions and blood clotting disorder, and Balcoltra is supposed to be lower in hormones. Gyno gave me 2 free packs. I don’t have insurance, and I quickly realized the pharmacy wanted to charge me $240 a month! I had already started taking them, so I figured I’d finish the free packs. Within maybe the first weeks, I had become extremely depressed and unmotivated. I’m usually a happy person, and I’ve never had issues with my body. I developed some sort of body dysmorphia. I lost my appetite and often skipped meals and somehow still managed to gain weight and had bloating. I started having severe acne, and I think I might be losing my hair too. I didn’t think it was the pill until the second month on it. I’m done with it now, but my recommendation is to save yourself the mental strain!"

• Nik...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 23, 2023

For Birth Control "Not worth the stress. I’m in my second month of taking this birth control. I was put on this to help shrink an ovarian cyst. So far, I’ve had nonstop bleeding. I’ve been bleeding/spotting for a month straight, literally. I normally have a cycle of 4 to 6 days, so going from 4 to 6 days to a whole 30 days nonstop is insane. I’ve experienced abnormal mood swings, weight gain, increased anxiety, depression, random crying, and acne for no reason. I get off work, shower, and get right in the bed because I’m so depressed, and I have no reason to be. My life is great, I’m a mother, wife, and business owner, but taking this birth control just has me feeling depressed. Having acne as a side effect makes depression even worse. Now I’m depressed and feel ugly. Ughhhh."

• Ros...
• December 5, 2019

For Birth Control "I was on Balcoltra for a total of 4 horrible months. This was the first BC I’d ever been on-recommended by my OBGYN to treat ovarian cysts. Now, my cysts were painful, but nothing compared to this BC’s side effects. I was nauseous every single day. I woke up nauseous, I went about my day fighting the urge to vomit, and I’d go to bed sitting upright until I’d fall asleep and wake up at 3 a.m. with food coming up my throat. I’d also get frequent migraines, definitely gained some weight, have episodes of depression, and I’d developed acne that I hadn’t had since my teenage years. The only upside is that my period would last about 3 days when prior to it, it would last about 7-8 days. I know it was this BC doing all of this because I switched to Blisovi and have yet to have any side effects. My acne cleared up within days, I sleep through the night, and I’m losing some weight. I know every body is different, but this one was so intense I really wouldn’t recommend it to ANYONE."

• acn...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 11, 2019

For Birth Control "I switched to Balcoltra after Tri Lo Marzia when I began getting periods over 12 days long. 3 months in, my period is back to normal, and nothing else is. I am on birth control (BC) to help my acne, and I now have huge cystic breakouts when I've never had cystic acne before. Ever since starting the medication, I've had severe mood swings, which continued to get worse and spiraled into full-on depression. Like many other commenters, I tried very hard to believe it wasn't the birth control, but I have experienced nearly every side effect of this medication at this point. This was my fourth birth control I've tried, and I am officially done with BC altogether. Thanks for nothing!"

• All...
• May 9, 2020

For Birth Control "Switched from Lo Lo to Balcoltra, and the first 3-4 months were great. Then I started to have horrible depression and anxiety. Went to a therapist, and it didn’t help, so she prescribed me an antidepressant. I’ve also gained lots of weight and lost weight on Lo Lo. Recently, I’ve started having the worst headaches and migraines. It’s almost every night. It seriously just prevented pregnancy. Do yourself a favor... don’t take this!!! Anyway, I’m switching to an IUD because they aren’t systemic. Wish me luck://"

• KLa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 1, 2020

For Birth Control "I experienced the worst anxiety/depression within days of starting this Balcoltra. I thought I was going insane, and thank goodness I put the pieces together at the end of the first pack and stopped taking it. The first day after stopping, I felt like myself again."

• mar...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 19, 2022

For Birth Control "This is truly the worst possible birth control ever. I started this when I was 15, and I immediately noticed poor acne on my face that I never got before. It made me really depressed, anxious, and angry at small things. I had terrible period cramps on this pill, I even had an ovarian cyst, which was extremely painful. This pill was awful for me, and it's different for everyone, but it did not help me at all."

• Mad...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 28, 2022

For Birth Control "I was put on Balcoltra to help regulate my menstrual cycle. It worked, but it caused me major depression and suicidal thoughts. I have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety a few years prior, but after therapy and being on Prozac I felt so much better. However, after the first few weeks of taking Balcoltra, the Prozac wasn't helping, and I fell back into depression. I had to quit it, and once I quit, I felt immediate relief from my depressive episode. Would not want anyone with a history of mental illness to be on this specific pill."

• Whi...
• February 4, 2022

For Birth Control "Went to the gyno about chronic yeast infections, and all I was told was to stop wearing tight pants and cut caffeine. The doctor then fixated on the fact that I’m married and not on BC. I had no insurance, and instead of prescribing me something affordable, she gives me a few sample boxes of Balcoltra. The nurse who retrieved these boxes had a look of concern on her face, and I should have walked away from the whole situation. I gave them a try instead. The first week was fine, but then spotting began, followed by six straight days of the worst period pain I’ve ever felt. This was also during COVID lockdown (the least stressed six weeks of my life). I was in the middle of writing a novel, and all of a sudden my brain was too foggy to think. The pain was excruciating, and all of a sudden I was depressed and borderline suicidal. Upon nearly crashing my car into the side of a bridge, I stopped taking them. And everything went right back to normal. These pills are not okay."

• Ann...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 16, 2022

For Birth Control "I’ve been on this for a month, and it really works for me! I was very nervous about depression/anxiety side effects since I struggled with both as a teen, however, I haven’t had any major mood side effects. I also used to have a really heavy period, and this lightened it up. My cramps were a bit worse than usual, but honestly, considering all the other PMS symptoms it alleviated, I don’t think it’s an issue. No weight gain or other side effects either."

• lpb...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 11, 2022

For Birth Control "I was put on this after trying six different birth controls over a three-year span. I began birth control because of a six-month-long period and ended up on this one later on. I became very depressed, it caused weight gain, and a lot of suicidal thoughts. I began taking Lexapro to help with the depression, but it didn’t seem to be working. After about nine months, I decided to wean myself off of it and also stopped my Lexapro, and I felt so much better. I want to find a new method of birth control because this one was a living nightmare. I figured it caused the depression because the moment I stopped taking it, I felt so much better mentally, and I could actually be happy again."

• Hal...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 6, 2020

For Birth Control "I was put on Balcoltra a little over a year ago after having trouble with a huge cyst wrapping itself around my ovary - yes, it’s as painful as it sounds!!! It helped so much and also helped regulate my periods. I went from having awful cramps to barely any, and my flow was a lot lighter. About 8 months into taking it, I realized my mood was always really depressing while I would PMS. I was so sad all the time. I got put on medication for that, and it helped, but I’m not sure if Balcoltra was the problem. There have been some other women talking about their mood swings on it."