Levora and Headaches: What Users Say

• Mrs...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 7, 2013

For Birth Control "I am a 27-year-old first-time oral birth control user, and I started on Levora 11 days ago. I know side effects are supposed to last for a few months, then even out, but I don't know if I can handle a few months of this! It has hit me in phases! The first phase was headaches (which I never get normally!), breasts sore beyond belief, and exhaustion. That has now shifted to hot flashes with lightheadedness, followed by anxiety and LOTS of crying! I have also been constantly nauseous. Thinking of food makes me nauseous, but I'm also starving and feel like I can't eat enough! All I can hope is that this is also a phase and it will even out, and I'll just have to tough it out. But if it doesn't ease up, I think I'll have to try a different pill."

• Ang...
• May 30, 2019

For Birth Control "I've been on Levora for birth control for about 5 years. The past few years, I've been having a lot of gastrointestinal problems, bloating, belching, feeling full after small meals, feeling like food sits in my stomach and takes forever to digest. I have been to the GI doctor so many times to no avail. I stopped taking this pill, and all of these symptoms disappeared. When I restarted this pill, the symptoms returned with a vengeance after 4 days. I'm getting off it ASAP. But now, I'm terrified of trying another pill because these symptoms have made me miserable. After reading these reviews, I'm also wondering if my frequent headaches/occasional migraines will go away as well. Fingers crossed!"

• Tor...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 18, 2018

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "I've been on this for a month, and I was in horrible shape. Spotting, mood swings, headaches, chest pain, shortness of breath, weight gain, major cramps, and tummy gurgling. I was in a bad mood every day, and I couldn't be nice to my children. I stopped taking them, and it's like magic, all my symptoms disappeared. I'm so upset. My new doctor recommended this since they do not carry Chateal. I loved Chateal. It worked great! I wish my insurance carried these. Never will I take nor recommend this because."

• Jen...
• April 11, 2011

For Birth Control "Great hormone balance. I've had issues before with other pills (Microgestin, Aviane, Kariva)...you name it...breakthrough bleeding, depression, headaches, low drive, etc. I thought I was just not someone who the pill worked for without major side effects...but Levora is great. No issues whatsoever, higher drive, absolutely no weight/depression/spotting/tenderness issues. Amazing pill - highly recommend it if you've had problems with other pills before."

• Jen...
• January 3, 2012

For Birth Control "I started using Levora after stopping Yasmin. I'm starting my third Levora pack next week, and so far my experience with Levora has been great! No headaches, no nausea, no feeling physically weak or overly emotional. My libido is really high, and my breasts have gotten a little bigger. I did, however, have the food cravings as mentioned in other comments, and it did make me gain a little weight, but I notice that when I'm taking the reminder pills, I'm a lot slimmer than when I'm taking the active pills. I also have increased acne by very, very little, nothing that makes me complain or feel annoyed. I recommend Levora for anyone debating on it. It worked well for me!"

• Mad...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 27, 2018

For Birth Control "I have been on this birth control for the past two years. At first, I loved it and didn’t experience any symptoms. Recently, in the past 6 months, I have had so many symptoms that I didn’t even realize were from the birth control when I looked it up (before I realized it, I thought my body was just weird and didn’t know what was going on). I’ve experienced severe bloating and cramping on a daily basis, headaches and nausea, especially in the mornings and at night, increased discharge, mood swings (I get upset and angry so easily, but it’s so hard to feel happy), and a really bad decreased sex drive to the point where my boyfriend of 3 years was wondering what was wrong. This has worked great as birth control prevention, but I will be going to the doctor in the morning and changing it because I am so over this medication and all the negative symptoms."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 5, 2012

For Birth Control "This is the first and only birth control medication I've been on. I've been taking it a little over 2 years now. I've had no side effects besides EXTREMELY low sex drive. I've never had a particularly high sex drive, but now it's nonexistent. I haven't had any of the headaches or mood swings. There was a mild increase in my acne, but I'm also a college student, so I don't particularly lay all the blame on the pill. Overall, it does its job, but I would caution potential takers with low libido."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 5, 2012

"I have been on Levora for about 2 years now, and I'm about to switch. What I like about the pill is that it works great. I'm forgetful and haven't gotten pregnant. When I miss, I can't double up because I will get highly nauseous. I also have to take three months straight before I can take the placebo week. If not, I will wake up in the middle of the night on the first night back and throw up. Other issues I've had: nausea, headaches, weight gain, anxiety, excessive crying over nothing, I'm easily irritated and angered, increased hunger. The worst side effect, however, has been my sex drive. It has completely gone. I have to talk myself into having sex with my husband. Not cool."

• Lyn...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 15, 2013

"I was put on Levora because I didn't want my period anymore. Didn't have any problems to begin with, my period has always been light and on time. It would just happen on days where I really needed it not to. I've been taking it for exactly 3 weeks (started the day my period ended), and it's been great! I have no mood swings whatsoever, no weight gain, no headaches, and no nausea! My libido was already pretty high, but now it's even higher! My breasts are a tiny bit sore, but they've increased from an A to a B. The only negative thing I've noticed so far is that I have more breakouts than I used to, but it's not horrible. I was supposed to start my period today but didn't, so it could be working for that. As long as I have fewer periods. First birth control for me."

• Luc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 11, 2018

For Birth Control "Terrible experience! Levora is a very dangerous birth control! After only 3 weeks of taking this birth control, I experienced shortness of breath, very acute chest pain, and headaches. Prior to taking Levora, I was in very good health. I work out 3 times a week, and I am in pretty good shape. I never had headaches, absolutely never experienced chest pain or shortness of breath. After only 3 weeks of taking Levora, I was very scared! The chest pain was so strong that it would wake me up at night, and I could not sleep! After 3 weeks of using this pill, I stopped. Please do NOT take this pill! It’s extremely dangerous! I had a CT scan to verify if there were any blood clots in my lungs and a radiology of my legs! This birth control is the worst and will give you serious health issues! PLEASE DO NOT TAKE IT!"

• TLC...
• January 20, 2012

For Endometriosis "I have been on Levora for approximately 5 years. After I started having severe abdominal pains, I decided to stop taking birth control altogether. I thought that maybe my body was just upset that I had been pumping synthetic hormones into it, so I stopped taking it for 6-8 months... it didn't help. While I was on it for the 5 years, it was great. I didn't have any problems with it... my weight was fine, acne no worse or better, no mood swings, and no drop in libido. I ended up back on it due to endometriosis, only this time I had all the problems I didn't have initially. I had spotting that lasted at least 2 weeks, got severe headaches, gained 10 lbs, my breasts were very tender, and the WORST PART... NO SEX DRIVE AT ALL!"

• Rev...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 18, 2018

For Birth Control "It has worked perfectly for me without any side effects at all (no weight gain, increases in acne, nausea, mood changes, or headaches). I take it continuously, so I haven’t bled at all for a few months, not even any spotting. Before this, I took Sprintec 28, and I bled almost every day for 5 months!"

• Che...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 9, 2017

For Birth Control "When I moved in March, the new pharmacy carries this birth control for my insurance. This month I was finally able to switch back to Marlissa. Even though it's the same dose of hormones, my body completely rejected the Levora. It made me so crampy, stopped getting periods at the end of the month, and got them at weird random times, nauseous, and severe headaches. This never happened on Marlissa. Luckily, my pharmacy was able to order Marlissa under my insurance because Levora is downright awful. There are tons of brands for a reason: every body responds to different kinds of medications and their brands! Inactive ingredients play a huge role people don't think about. Try out some and see what works for you - keeps you regular and keeps the cramps away."

• Anonymous
• August 7, 2011

"Been on this pill for numerous years. Overall, have had no problems. Decreased the intensity and length of my periods, which is great. Sex drive could use some help. Never get cramps, headaches have subsided (maybe pill related or due to my age)."

• Sam...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 25, 2016

For Polycystic Ovary Syndrome "Due to being diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, my doctor put me on Yasmin but later switched me to Levora. This birth control has its pros and cons. Pros: I never got pregnant, even though I was a little inconsistent with the time I took it and sometimes would even forget. Cons: It did not help with my acne. I was easily irritated and would be depressed when my period was coming. It was very difficult to shed pounds and very easy to gain weight, so I had to be cautious with my food intake. I always had headaches and felt tired and lazy a lot of the time. Birth control affects everyone differently, but I would suggest trying another brand before trying this one."

• End...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 25, 2015

For Endometriosis "I've been on other BCs before, so I knew it would take a few weeks to adjust. Migraines: week 1, I had two migraines with auras. I have had migraines in the past, but never with auras and never this bad. I kept getting migraines and headaches until I cut out all caffeine. Acne: I know every girl reacts differently to BC, but honestly, if anything, my acne got worse. I didn't really have a problem before this pill, but now I notice a few pimples every day. Pain: since I'm not on my period on this pill, the pain is 'lessened' but not gone. Instead, it's almost constant. Bleeding: I have been 'spotting' every day for over 2 months. Lately, I'm getting rashes and a bad smell because of wearing liners every day. For these reasons, I'm stopping."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 27, 2017

For Birth Control "At first, I thought this pill was great for me, due to needing a 'stronger' birth control for breakthrough bleeding and whatnot with a previous pill. I noticed my periods were a lot shorter and lighter, and the breakthrough bleeding wasn't an issue anymore, which was great! Shortly after, I started experiencing terrible headaches and nausea, despite taking it with a meal. I would wake up in the morning and not be able to eat or do anything... I also started breaking out more frequently. Then I started noticing it affect my overall mood. I feel like I turned into this terrible, moody, and mean person! I didn't feel like myself while taking this pill. Everyone's body reacts differently to medication, my reaction to this pill was absolutely terrible."

• Anonymous
• March 3, 2011

For Birth Control "Levora was great for me. It is the first form of birth control I have been on, my period is lighter than it was. I did have some acne at first, but that went away... it was no worse than my face breaking out around my period. I stopped getting headaches the week before my period too. I was having to take Excedrin as soon as I woke up every morning."

• Tin...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 4, 2021

For Birth Control "I have used Levora for 10 years now. Great birth control, and I am surprised it only has a 6.2 rating. I never really noticed any major weight gain. It doesn’t give me any headaches or symptoms. I have my period right when it says it’s supposed to come. If I miss a pill or two, I sometimes will start earlier, but that is my mistake."

• Pin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 26, 2016

For Birth Control "I got on this birth control to make my periods lighter and easier, yet I got more than that! My acne was cured (moderate acne), now my face is clean. I don't get cramping, and my headaches are gone :)"