Chateal and Anxiety: What Users Say

• M02...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 12, 2017

For Birth Control "DO NOT EVER TAKE THIS MEDICATION! I've been on this for two weeks, and it's been two weeks of HELL! My anxiety is through the roof, I'm overly emotional and cry all the time. (No suicidal thoughts though.) This pill will make you feel like you have food poisoning or the stomach flu or something. I have headaches, dizziness, an indigestion/heartburn-type feeling -- I just have this bizarre feeling near my upper stomach/diaphragm, I can't even describe it. I'm constantly gassy, whether it's through burping or passing gas, stomach cramps and pain, back pain down in and near my pelvis, pain in my lower right abdomen. No appetite. The side effects are worse when I'm at work, which makes it very hard to stay at work. Wicked nausea!"

• Fdu...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 2, 2019

For Birth Control "I've been on Chateal for around 4 months and have been having a terrible experience. Not until I had read some of these other reviews today did I realize that my horrible mood swings, depression, and anxiety were completely exacerbated by Chateal. I honestly thought I was losing my mind and have had some suicidal thoughts from time to time. I'm a college student, and these emotional episodes are taking a huge toll on my academic life. In addition, I have gained a significant amount of weight and feel bloated a good amount of the time, and also, I'm always breaking out with acne on my face, back, and arms. I'm so glad that I was able to see some of these reviews, which validated what I was going through. I'm going to stop taking Chateal today!!!"

• Nik...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 17, 2020

For Birth Control "Sooo, I took Chateal early 2019. The first month was okay, I thought I found a BC that worked for me! Sikeee!! The second month, I started having really, really bad anxiety, severe nausea, headaches, really bad thoughts (suicidal), smh! I had to stop mid-pack because the symptoms were horrid! Now, to the previous day, my fiancé and I want to have a little blessing, and it’s really hard because it’s been six months of trying and no luck, sadly! My periods are very irregular now, and it’s hard to track ovulation! I just hope I’m able to conceive soon!! Fingers crossed."

• bam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 17, 2014

For Birth Control "Started taking the pill three weeks ago. No side effects like headaches, weight gain, or fatigue, but I'm having extremely bad mood swings constantly. This pill makes me feel like a crazy lady! I'm normally a calm, relaxed person, also, my anxiety is extremely high. Seriously considering stopping the pills ASAP. Hopefully, Planned Parenthood has something else to offer that works for me."

• Anonymous
• April 5, 2019

For Birth Control "I was prescribed this medication shortly after my abortion (sadly). Normally in the past, I don't have major side effects of birth control, but Chateal birth control I did. First off, this birth control gives you the same exact symptoms of pregnancy: back aches, acne, nausea, fatigue, etc. I have been on this birth control for about 3 weeks now, and I had to QUIT. Please do not take this birth control. I have HORRIBLE nausea that lasts me all throughout the day, it is horrible. Also, my back aches are really bad as well. I had to take a pregnancy test. The acne I got from this was horrifying. Usually, I have pretty nice skin, and I RARELY get acne, but this made me break out on my whole face :( All together, this is not worth taking, I would DEFINITELY use condoms over this. Also, this medication causes me SEVERE anxiety as well and headaches! Please do not take this medication."

• Cat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 9, 2015

For Birth Control "I had an intensely bad experience using Chateal. The first few weeks of taking Chateal were okay, I started to get more and more anxious as time went on, and by the fourth week of taking this birth control, I had a major panic attack/mental breakdown that sent me to the ER. I thought I was having a heart attack. I had numbness in my legs, arms, and face. My other symptoms were major mood changes, including depression and anxiety, loss of interest in life/suicidal thoughts, tightness in my chest, trouble sleeping, nightmares, sleepwalking, and irritability and anger/sadness. It was terrible."

• Jor...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 10, 2018

For Birth Control "I have been on this same birth control for 6 years. I haven’t had any unwanted weight gain, no cramps. I do have an awesome regulated period, and finally, my acne has been gone for about 8 months now, and I struggled hardcore with deep cystic acne, and I’m only left with scars. (Thank you!!!!) I don’t have any issues with depression or any signs like that. I do normally have some anxiety, but it hasn’t gotten worse from taking the pill. There is one thing that I struggle with on a day-to-day basis. I have been with the same partner for 4 years, and while we have always had a great sex life (no problems with orgasms), I just have an extremely low sex drive, and I believe this birth control has caused that. It feels like it’s only getting worse. I hope my review helps you. It’s great because no pregnancy, but everyone’s side effects will be different."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 3, 2018

For Birth Control "I was initially prescribed Chateal in August of 2016 and began experiencing intense mood swings after several months’ use. I am a very emotionally stable person normally, so after journaling the effects and doing some research, I decided that this was not normal and stopped taking it. I felt better right away. After starting a new relationship, I started taking Chateal again in October of 2017, hoping that this time it would be different... it wasn’t. About two months in, I began feeling depressed and experiencing deep-in-the-pit-of-my-stomach anxiety. I would go from a happy mood to a depressed mood and back again in the matter of minutes, even waking up in the middle of the night with anxiety. I experienced terrible insomnia, irritability, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. After reading reviews, I am happy to know that I am not as crazy as I feel and that other people have dealt with the same things, so hopefully this review can help someone else!"

• Ste...
• August 5, 2017

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "Before taking Chateal, I was on Sprintec for 9 years. I had a flawless experience with Sprintec, but when my health insurance ended, I was left with Chateal. The first few months were fine, but over time, I started spotting between periods more and more frequently. I was very careful about taking it at the same time every day, but still, the spotting persisted. After just over a year on Chateal and about 6 months of spotting, I switched back to Sprintec a week ago, and no spotting yet! Also, while on Chateal, I felt down a lot of the time and had pretty bad anxiety. I'd rather pay out of pocket for Sprintec than get Chateal for free. It kept me from getting pregnant, though, so it works in that sense."

• Hid...
• July 15, 2019

For Birth Control "For many years, I took a different form of combined hormone birth control pills (Apri). I eventually discontinued this when I realized it had been what was causing anxiety (panic attacks), low libido, and migraine headaches. Earlier this year, I decided I would like to try a different type of pill and was given Chateal. I started in early March and have constantly questioned it. This type of pill has not caused the problems I had with Apri, which is great, and has also made my boobs about 2x bigger (!! awesome), but I have many other side effects. Side effects include: severe breast tenderness, weight gain (5 lb in 4 months, which is very unusual for me), but also just general abdominal bloating, cystic acne on face/chest/back (which I never have usually), poor sleep (waking up frequently), mild anxiety and sharp irritability, and thick white vaginal discharge (unrelated to yeast infection). Maybe this pill works for some people, but after 4.5 months, my body is clearly not taking well to it."

• Hid...
• July 15, 2019

For Birth Control "For many years, I took a different form of combined hormone birth control pills (Apri). I eventually discontinued this when I realized it had been what was causing anxiety (panic attacks), low libido, and migraine headaches. Earlier this year, I decided I would like to try a different type of pill and was given Chateal. I started in early March and have constantly questioned it. This type of pill has not caused the problems I had with Apri, which is great, and has also made my boobs about 2x bigger (!! awesome), but I have many other side effects. Side effects include: severe breast tenderness, weight gain (5 lb in 4 months, which is very unusual for me), but also just general abdominal bloating, cystic acne on face/chest/back (which I never have usually), poor sleep (waking up frequently), mild anxiety and sharp irritability, and thick white vaginal discharge (unrelated to yeast infection). Maybe this pill works for some people, but after 4.5 months, my body is clearly not taking well to it."

• bre...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 3, 2019

For Birth Control "Overall, great birth control. I've tried three different birth control pills and I think Chateal is my favorite. I have, however, experienced some negative side effects. Weight gain: my weight always fluctuates, but in the last 8 months of using this birth control, I’ve gained 10 pounds. Anxiety: I’ve noticed my anxiety and my depression peak, especially the week prior to my period. I was giving it a few months, but I realize it’s the pill because my anxiety skyrockets during week 3. Now for the pros! In addition to the negative side effects, I’ve had amazing effects as well. One being regularity: my period works like clockwork and I’m back to 3-day periods like when I was a teenager. It’s great! I’ve also noticed a lighter flow. I don’t normally have skin problems, and this has had no effects on my skin, possibly has made it even clearer."

• Pea...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 2, 2017

For Birth Control "I started this birth control a year ago, and for around 9 months, everything was fine. I was emotionally stable, there wasn't any significant weight gain, and my periods were super predictable and manageable. I ran out around the end of November, and I elected to take a break from the pills and didn't refill. When my period came in December, PMS hit me like a freight train. It was awful, so I reordered and everything was totally different the second time around. I don't know whether the formula changed at some point, or if something changed with my body, but I've had prolonged vaginal bleeding and have been experiencing crippling depression and anxiety. I stopped taking the pills last week and everything is 100% better."

• Ari...
• January 28, 2017

For Birth Control "Lately, I've been feeling 'off.' I feel moody and sometimes want to cry for no reason. I recently felt super nauseous, dizzy, and felt like I was going to faint while driving, but for no apparent reason. I went to the doctor, and everything was fine. I went to the optometrist, and everything with my eyes was fine. I've had panic attacks, severe anxiety, a feeling of 'blah,' headaches, and dizziness, plus all-around weirdness, and I believe it's from these pills. I was on a different birth control a while ago, and I got weird symptoms from it too. I'm going to change my pill and see if that does the trick. Plus, I've gained so much weight from this pill."

• Hor...
• August 6, 2015

For Birth Control "I started Chateal in January, it's now August, and I stopped taking it about 2 weeks ago. This pill works great for its intended purpose because I definitely didn't get pregnant, but the side effects were becoming too much for me to handle. I gained about 8 pounds, which I did not like as I'm very self-conscious and have a mild eating disorder. It also made me severely depressed and anxious. I would cry all the time at the smallest things, and I just couldn't take it anymore. After just 2 weeks of not taking it, I have noticed a huge improvement in my mood. I haven't cried for 3 days, whereas I was crying about 5 times a day while on the pill."

• bbm...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 19, 2018

For Birth Control "Severe pain when menstruating. First month I went from 118 lbs to 102 lbs. Not normal. I got no acne whatsoever, but my skin just looked tired and dull. I lost my appetite and had no sex drive at all and was so hard to orgasm. I was jealous and super anxious, depressed, and moody. I also got two ear infections in the same month and a popped eardrum, which I’ve never had. Ear infections before, yeast infection, recurring sinus infection. Then about 5 months in, I had extreme pain on one side and bleeding and nausea. I thought I was having a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. All scans came out normal. Migraines with flashing lights. Depression. This pill did NOT work for me. I stopped it and felt better literally two days later. I feel back to myself, I gained some weight that I needed, and my skin looks way better. Going to try Yaz. Good luck, ladies."

• Ann...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 17, 2018

For Birth Control "Only got this birth control because it was cost-effective. Only 2 benefits were that I didn’t get pregnant, and it really lightened and shortened my period. But besides that, I’ve gotten horrible anxiety, I cried at random times, I was always so irritable and sometimes even mean. I was only on it for 5 months before I finally stopped. I’m feeling so much better now, and I so far don’t feel miserable like I did on that birth control."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 11, 2021

For Birth Control "Don’t get me wrong, the pill did its job! It made my period regular, and I didn’t end up pregnant while on the pill, but it had some crazy side effects to it. At the beginning, I started with just headaches, and slowly over time it caused me to have through the roof anxiety, depression, and nausea. It got to the point where I couldn’t take it anymore and had to stop taking the pill."