Lutera and Depression: What Users Say

• Kar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 18, 2020

For Birth Control "I'm on my 3rd pack of Lutera, and I haven't gotten pregnant, but I suffer from anxiety and depression, and these pills have absolutely increased that by 10. My sex drive has plummeted, and I’m unmotivated to the extent that I stay in my bed several days in a row. I’ve also been experiencing a lot of abnormal bleeding. Keep in mind that it is only my third month, and everyone is different. The pill does the job of me not getting pregnant, but I am more concerned about my mental health at this point."

• Aly...
• May 9, 2014

For Birth Control "I have only been on it for a little over a month. It's the first birth control I've been on, so I was new to side effects. I finally realized my mood swings are huge. I find myself very emotional and depressed, and minutes later I'm beyond happy. I do get headaches quite a bit, but it can be from something totally different. I feel like I've gained a little bit of weight, but I can't blame anything but myself. I don't think it's a horrible pill, it just affects me badly."

• sta...
• August 29, 2011

For Birth Control "I started on Yaz and had to switch because of blood clots. My doctor then put me on Loestrin Fe, and I got super depressed and emotional, so I was switched to Lutera. I have been on Lutera for the past year, and I feel moody, but it is more controllable. Ever since I have changed to this birth control, I have had a lot of infections, from urinary tract infections to yeast infections to bacterial vaginosis. I have never had any of the above before this birth control. I have not changed my lifestyle at all and really believe it's the birth control. I have had two friends who completely agreed with me when they were taking the birth control, and I am really surprised I did not read any reviews about this."

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

For Birth Control "I've been on this birth control, Lutera, for 4 months now. I don't have any complaints about it! My skin is actually clearer than when I started, though my skin care routine is the same. I haven't gained any weight, had any nausea, mood swings, or depression. I'm a type 1 diabetic as well, and it hasn't affected my blood sugars at all."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 4, 2012

For Birth Control "I'm only on the first week, and I'm moody and feel down a lot. I don't like it because I took birth control before, and I've never felt mild depression like this before and moody. I'm also having cravings for sweets every day, which is very unusual."

• not...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 28, 2016

For Birth Control "I first started taking Lutera around the beginning of January. I noticed immediate mood swings within the first 2 weeks of taking it. I had a little trouble sleeping one night and literally started sobbing out of nowhere (mind you I'm not a very emotional person). It made me extremely depressed, and I only ever felt angry or sad, never happy, not to mention I felt very disconnected from my boyfriend, who I am deeply in love with. I immediately got off of it during the third week. They say to stick it out the first 3 weeks at least, but I could not stay on it one more day. I immediately noticed the changes, and I was back to my spunky positive self, thank God!"

• not...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 28, 2016

For Birth Control "I first started taking Lutera around the beginning of January. I noticed immediate mood swings within the first 2 weeks of taking it. I had a little trouble sleeping one night and literally started sobbing out of nowhere (mind you I'm not a very emotional person). It made me extremely depressed, and I only ever felt angry or sad, never happy, not to mention I felt very disconnected from my boyfriend, who I am deeply in love with. I immediately got off of it during the third week. They say to stick it out the first 3 weeks at least, but I could not stay on it one more day. I immediately noticed the changes, and I was back to my spunky positive self, thank God!"

• Sha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 19, 2013

For Birth Control "Since pills work differently depending on the individual, I think it's important to know a little about the person reviewing. I'm 5'1", Asian, 105 lbs. Lutera is the second birth control pill I've tried, before was Beyaz. I do like Lutera better, as Beyaz was depressing. I've been taking Lutera for 4 months now. I have noticed a difference with my period timing. It would come earlier than the average 28-day cycle but would only last 3-4 days. These past two months, it has only lasted 3 days. The pill seems REALLY effective, considering sometimes I forget to take my pill at the designated time. NO difference in acne for me."

• krr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 26, 2013

For Birth Control "I switched to Lutera from Tri-Sprintec on my doctor's recommendation. Everyone reacts differently to birth controls, and my body did not like Lutera. I've gained about 15 lbs in 2 months of being on it. I'm extremely moody and borderline depressed, always tired, feel spaced out a lot, and I don't have much of an appetite, ever. Which made it even more frustrating that I was gaining weight. Planning on switching back to Yaz, I've never had side effects with that one, it was just more pricey."

• Mic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 18, 2019

For Birth Control "Just started 2nd month on this pill, Lutera. I have never taken any kind of hormonal birth control before this. So far, the side effects have been few and have been all positive. I've found that my mood is actually more regular in general (less feelings of anxiety and depression/PMDD), period is much lighter with no pain, and my breasts have grown (not tender). My libido has always been high and now seems to be the same, if not slightly higher. The security of knowing that it is extremely unlikely I'll get pregnant is the biggest bonus of all; that in itself has relieved so much stress for me and my partner and may be what is helping with my mood more so than the hormones. So far, so good. And so worth it for me."

• Bek...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 23, 2019

For Birth Control "I have taken 4 other birth controls. I am now in college and recently had to get the IUD taken out, so my doctor prescribed me Lutera. It is the worst birth control ever. Wish I did my research. I’m going on month 5, and I feel like a psycho girl. I get so angry at the smallest things, cry all of the time, have anxiety over everything, and feel depression on the regular. You would be so surprised at how this pill can affect your moods for the absolute worse. I didn’t even realize. I am no longer taking it, I want my self back."

• Eli...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 7, 2019

For Birth Control "I was on the Aviane equivalent for a year, and it was fine. My insurance switched me to this. Now, for the past four months, I’ve become depressed, angry, and irrational. My periods have become altogether 10x worse on all accounts, including migraines, weight gain, emotional breakdowns, horrible cramps and backaches, and heavy bleeding. Stopped taking it for two weeks and feel so much better already. Beware this pill! Made me crazy :("

• Sam...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 11, 2021

For Birth Control "I’ve been on Lutera for about 2 years and did not have issues with it. I noticed that my periods became lighter, shorter, and less painful. One thing that I realized was that a week before my period, I would get really sad and depressed, and my mood was just not it. I also noticed weight gain, but that might have been with the pandemic; not sure on that one yet. A major thing for me was that before I was on birth control, I was not the type to burp; after getting on it, I started burping a lot more. So, more gas. I am thinking of getting off of it because of the lack of good mood."

• Sam...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 11, 2021

For Birth Control "I’ve been on Lutera for about 2 years and did not have issues with it. I noticed that my periods became lighter, shorter, and less painful. One thing that I realized was that a week before my period, I would get really sad and depressed, and my mood was just not it. I also noticed weight gain, but that might have been with the pandemic; not sure on that one yet. A major thing for me was that before I was on birth control, I was not the type to burp; after getting on it, I started burping a lot more. So, more gas. I am thinking of getting off of it because of the lack of good mood."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 14, 2018

For Birth Control "Wow, this birth control was awful. I was on it for about 4 months and gained about 10 lbs. Worst of all, it gave me depression and bouts of really dark thoughts. It was gradual, so I didn't even know it was because of the pills. Luckily, my boyfriend made me stop taking them, and I felt better within 3 days. If you're taking this, please be careful!"

• Kit...
• August 25, 2013

For Birth Control "I am 17 years old, 5'1" and 125 pounds when I was originally 105 lbs. I started taking Lutera almost exactly 1 year ago. It was my first birth control, and the reason I was getting it was because my periods were horrible. There would be days I couldn't go to school because I had to change my pad every couple of minutes. Also, I planned on being sexually active once it started kicking in. I became sexually active about 3 or 4 months later, and it is great with protection. I gained a LOT of weight. I expected to, but not this much. It's made me have very low self-esteem. ALSO, I don't know if it's just me or the pill, but even though I have been sexually active, it's impossible to have an orgasm. I want to switch because of the weight gain, but I'm too scared."

• She...
• June 12, 2017

For Birth Control "Negatives of this pill: Rapid weight gain (I gained 30 pounds, and my diet was the same as it has always been, and prior to birth control pills, I've never had problems with weight gain). While I already suffer from anxiety and depression, taking this pill had doubled that. Almost every day, I felt depressed, angry, and sad. I've had so many breakdowns, it was tiring. Now that I am off it for a couple of weeks, I feel much more calmness and peace of mind. There's no doubt that the hormones in this pill had something to do with it. Do not take this back to back (skipping inactive week), when I did this, my legs swelled up and hurt, and I couldn't stand for long periods of time and also had constant spotting and cramps. Always had breast tenderness."

• Ans...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 18, 2015

For Birth Control "I started this birth control because after taking my other for 2 years, it started making me nauseous during my period. Ever since I've started taking this medicine, I've had the worst mood swings. I'll go from laughing to pure anger, then crying. Not to mention it's made me incredibly depressed, and now I have cramps 24/7 and not just during my period. Also, my nausea has gotten way worse. And don't even think about having sex... I have no sex drive at all. Nada. And when I do have sex, it hurts and is not enjoyable in any way. I would not recommend this medicine to anyone. The effects it takes on your body are horrible."

• Rhe...
• November 30, 2020

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "Lutera has been a nightmare for me. I started it because of heavy bleeding and bad cramps. I just finished my 2nd pack, not taking the placebo pills. I haven't stopped bleeding since the end of the 1st pack's 2nd week. Four weeks straight of bleeding. Not spotting either-I'm going through a box of super tampons each week and clotting just as bad as my period off the pill. Instead of awful cramps, I'm having mild cramps and occasional sharp pelvic pain. But... it's every day now, not just two days of my period. It also left me unmotivated for the first several weeks and worsened my depression during that time. Thankfully, the mental side effects seem to be subsiding. So, not only dangerous to my mental health, it's also doing the exact opposite of what I started it for. All the nurses will say is 'the spotting could continue for the first 3-6 months.' At the rate I am having periods, SIX MONTHS is 45 periods (almost 4 years' worth of bleeding for me). If it doesn't stop by the end of this pack, I'm beyond done."

• Rhe...
• November 30, 2020

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "Lutera has been a nightmare for me. I started it because of heavy bleeding and bad cramps. I just finished my 2nd pack, not taking the placebo pills. I haven't stopped bleeding since the end of the 1st pack's 2nd week. Four weeks straight of bleeding. Not spotting either-I'm going through a box of super tampons each week and clotting just as bad as my period off the pill. Instead of awful cramps, I'm having mild cramps and occasional sharp pelvic pain. But... it's every day now, not just two days of my period. It also left me unmotivated for the first several weeks and worsened my depression during that time. Thankfully, the mental side effects seem to be subsiding. So, not only dangerous to my mental health, it's also doing the exact opposite of what I started it for. All the nurses will say is 'the spotting could continue for the first 3-6 months.' At the rate I am having periods, SIX MONTHS is 45 periods (almost 4 years' worth of bleeding for me). If it doesn't stop by the end of this pack, I'm beyond done."

• EC2...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 3, 2016

For Birth Control "I started this medication two months ago, and I start my third pack tomorrow. This is the first hormonal birth control method I have used, and I am very satisfied. Before I started it, I had terrible PMS. I was ready to go on antidepressants if birth control did not help; I felt that bad. As soon as the second half of my cycle began (for me, around day 16), I was very depressed until my period, to the point of missing work, not showering, not even getting out of bed. I also had outbursts of anger, extreme fatigue, my skin got oilier, and I had headaches throughout the month. All that went away when I started this pill. My breasts feel sore and got bigger, but all other minor side effects went away after the first two weeks."

• Ian...
• September 28, 2019

For Birth Control "It was my first time on birth control. I’m starting my second packet of Lutera. No weight gain. A little acne and spotting. However, this birth control affects my emotions a lot. I feel very depressed for no reason sometimes. I think that’s the hardest side effect that happened to me. I’m satisfied with the pill, but the mood changes have been hard to control."

• mym...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 11, 2016

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "I've been taking Lutera for dilated veins in the uterus (PVC). I've been on it for about 3 months to ease cramps and decrease bleeding, but it hasn't really done either. During the first month of the pill, I bled daily, so I didn't necessarily have a period. I also gained about 5 pounds within 2 weeks, became extremely moody, and still had issues with cramps. Month 2, I still experienced a lot of spotting, but it would be suppressed for about a day or two, then continue for a week. I actually had a lighter period, and some of the cramping was eased, but the weight gain and moodiness came with depression, lack of energy, and made my skin break out (seeing I never really had acne issues). I'm almost done with my 3rd pack, and I plan to switch pills once I'm able to visit my doctor again."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 15, 2016

For Birth Control "Do not take it! I was recently misdiagnosed with PMDD because I was having severe mood swings, headaches, anxiety, depression, etc. Because of those effects, my OB put me on SSRIs on top of this birth control, diagnosing me with PMDD. Only to find out months later that those and Lutera were literally making me crazy. I was taken to the ER when I had a severe panic attack the other day and followed up with my primary doctor. She took me off the antidepressants and also took me off Lutera, explaining Lutera was the cause of it all. That I more than likely do not have PMDD and that I should have been given a different birth control by my OB long ago instead of misdiagnosis."

• LPC...
• July 12, 2016

For Birth Control "After taking Lutera for 4 months, all of a sudden I got my period two times in three weeks. Since I started taking it, my breasts got huge, I gained weight, I've been depressed, and my sleep pattern has been thrown off. As soon as I stopped taking it, I felt 1000 times better, I feel like myself again, and now just have to work on getting back into shape because of the weight gain."