Portia for Birth Control User Reviews (Page 4)

• All...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 8, 2018

"I had significant weight gain, constant bloating, fatigue, and nausea. This was by far the worst birth control I’ve ever been on. It was used to treat endometriosis, but I would rather have the symptoms of it than I would the birth control."

• bro...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 31, 2015

"I've been on Portia for a couple of months, and it's the worst. I have terrible headaches, I'm always sleepy and lazy, always nauseous. It does help my period a lot, though, but it always makes me feel like I'm pregnant or something. I'm always hot at night as well."

• Anonymous
• May 29, 2011

"I have been taking Portia for 7 months now. Everything was fine the first 6 months, and then all of a sudden, I got really bad acne. I have also noticed I have crazy mood swings, and so has my boyfriend. I am going to switch."

• Kka...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 29, 2018

"I've been on this birth control for more than a year, and I love it. The first month, I had nausea, headaches, and I was very emotional. Now I'm used to it, no stomach pain or anything. I take the pill at night before bedtime and wake up good."

• Can...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 1, 2018

"I was on Portia for about 2 years. It worked miracles in the first 7 months for clearing my acne. After taking it for a month, my face was basically clear, but for whatever reason, my acne came back after a year and a half of using it. My sex drive was nonexistent, but I didn't mind it since it cleared my skin. Also, in the beginning, I got nauseous every time I started a new pack, but over time that disappeared. Some pros are that it helped in getting rid of my cramps and also lightened my period. I'm now trying Yaz for my acne."

• Lex...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 15, 2018

"Like many others, I was switched to Portia after Levora (which I loved!) was discontinued. Have to begin by saying I was skeptical of the whole gaining weight or having mood swings while on birth control stories, but man, did this pill mess with me. Giving it 3 stars because it shortened and decreased my pain during menstruation immensely, but it wasn’t worth the massive mood swings (namely unwarranted irritation and then extreme depression)—that just came out of nowhere about two months into taking this pill. My appetite also majorly increased and was much insatiable, which was kind of a bummer. I think I gave Portia a fair shot, but after about 4-5 months, I’m switching to a different pill—I understand everybody is different, so this may work for some, but definitely not for me."

• Sss...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 31, 2021

"I have taken a few different generic birth control pill options since I was 18, now almost 27. I switched to Portia in April of 2020 because I wanted to try a birth control option that I could skip my periods with. Worst decision I’ve ever made. Although I remained active throughout the pandemic (I am a horse trainer) and didn’t make any dietary changes, I gained nearly 20 pounds in the first 6 months on it. When I went to talk to my doctor, they convinced me that the pill wasn’t to blame, so I continued to take it for another few months. I am up to 165 now, from consistently weighing 130-135 before taking this medication. I also experienced extreme fatigue and lack of motivation, and debilitating anxiety and depression on this medication. To add to that, it made my occasional light acne turn into regular breakouts with cystic acne. AND I had breakthrough bleeding constantly, sometimes 2 full periods a month. Listen to your body, your doctor is wrong."

• Anonymous
• April 30, 2018

"Unfortunately, Portia caused such profound nausea and vomiting that it was impossible to take. I even took it with a big meal (dinner) and tried taking it before bed so I could sleep through the side effects - I ended up waking up at 2 a.m., throwing up several times. I tried this 3 nights before I called it quits. Going to switch to a progestin-only pill to see if this helps with the nausea. Good luck, ladies!"

• Ker...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 14, 2013

"This pill is perfect! I've been on it for about a year now, and I have to say it's done me well. I never had really bad PMS or cramping, but because of Portia, my periods are incredibly light and virtually cramp-free. My breasts got bigger, and I did gain a lot of water weight, and I was bloated for the first month or so, but once I adjusted, it went back to normal, and I feel very healthy on this pill. No mood changes because it's a lower hormone dosage than most pills, and my period is very normal. Love Portia!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 20, 2014

"I have had a great experience with this medication. With this pill, I have some PMS, nothing out of the norm, and barely any cramping (which is great because I suffer from bad cramping). I recommend this pill, been on it 6 months, and it's great!"

• Mcl...
• August 1, 2020

"Just like everyone else here, I was just recently switched from Levora. I loved Levora and never had any side effects. Now, Portia, I have been on for a solid week now and have already experienced extreme mood swings, and the smallest things will set me off and send me into bawling my eyes out for no reason! My boyfriend was the first to notice it, and I looked up reviews, and I have all of the same mood swing side effects as everyone else. I’ve been on multiple different pills, and this is the first one to ever give me any side effects."

• KBa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 17, 2020

"Yeah... no. I got switched to this brand Portia from Chateal (which I loved) and had a bunch of weird side effects. My acne got worse, I got stretch marks galore, and had pretty common chest pain. I got brown discharge most of the time. I skipped the placebos as I had really bad periods, but the pill really only took away the symptoms of a period but kept the bleeding. I don’t recommend if you’re using this brand to skip your periods."

• Js1...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 8, 2017

"I started taking Portia after my first pill was giving me too much breakthrough bleeding. I never had any breakthrough bleeding on Portia, but I developed moderate depression and anxiety issues while on it. I was moody, less interested in sex, and bloated most of the time. I switched back to the original pill I started on, so hopefully that goes better!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 3, 2020

"OMG... Two weeks of taking the pill and I gained 8 pounds and got acne. I didn’t even notice I gained weight till I went on the scale... My skin was clear before and I didn’t change my diet or anything! I work out every day and was 115 lb, now I’m 123 lb. I should have read the reviews before. Please don’t take this pill... your doctor be lying that it gets better, but it won't."

• Kve...
• March 17, 2017

"I had a bad experience with this birth control. I was taking another birth control before this one. I switched to this one because of my mood. And around the 3rd month, I went crazy. I started to think weirdly, I started to think I didn't love my boyfriend anymore. And I know it's not true, but it is the WORST. I went off it about a month ago, and I still have the worst depression and anxiety. I can't even look at my boyfriend the same anymore, and it breaks my heart. But I heard it gets better and these thoughts will go away. Remember, ladies, never act when you're on birth control, it's not you! But this made my relationship the worst. So I needed a break from birth control after this one, a break is well needed! Good luck, ladies!"

• iha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 20, 2017

"When I first started it, I didn't notice it was giving me side effects until I look back now. The first month, I felt dizzy, anxious, depressed, and disoriented. I thought it was because I was trying to get used to the change in hormones. But then, those side effects continued until now, which is 3 months on it. I have gained 7 lbs that I had worked off before I started it. It makes me feel horrible. I've gotten lazier and have no motivation to do my schoolwork and study. I have also had the side effect of my legs feeling numb. I have also had the side effect of low blood sugar and my hands shaking like crazy. Don't use this product. It's the worst birth control I've experienced."

• Kir...
• April 29, 2015

"I started this birth control about a month ago and immediately felt side effects. The first two weeks I noticed my appetite was completely gone and my stomach always felt slightly bloated. Then suddenly I started my period, and the first four days were very light bleeding, but I had terrible cramping/back aches/nausea like I have never experienced before during menstruation. Now I'm on day 9 of this never-ending period, and I've had a consistent stomach ache/cramping to accompany it. I HATE this birth control. I know that you're supposed to give yourself time to adjust to these things, but I don't want to keep putting something in my body that can make me feel this sick."

• Bet...
• February 23, 2016

"I'm on day 2 of the Portia-28 pack. Started my period Saturday, and my gynecologist told me to start the pill on Sunday. I couldn't get to the pharmacy, so I started on Monday. Since day 1, I have noticed a change in my period already, it immediately lightened it up. Usually, my periods are heavy the first 2-3 days. I am also sporting a Kotex super plus or super. Now I don't need a tampon, and when I took my regular tampon out after it had been in all day, the blood was brown. I also have noticed my sex drive has spiked, and so far, no nasty side effects such as nausea or breast tenderness. I am sure that as much as it has already shortened my period, I won't be spotting throughout the month. I hope it stays this great for me for as long as I take it :)"

• Pan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 16, 2019

"I was switched to Portia when my health provider stated they were no longer providing Levora. I took it for about 3 months and noticed I was extremely moody and crying constantly the week before the placebo/sugar pills. When I requested a new birth control, they advised it takes a few months to adjust to, but I insisted on getting a new one. I couldn’t handle all of the emotions, and I knew this was not working for me."

• Anonymous
• February 1, 2020

"Horrible. I gained 30 pounds on it, I got acne like you wouldn’t believe. It was a rough time. My pharmacy switched me to Portia randomly, and right after that I gained weight. Didn't take long to figure out it was Portia causing the horrible acne and weight gain."

• AJa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 17, 2019

"Update. I’m three days into my third week, and I have to stop cold turkey. My skin has always been clear and smooth, besides the occasional breakout. I’ve never had pimples or acne of any kind, and now my skin looks dreadful. I’ve never been so embarrassed. Sorry. Apparently, this is a generic to another brand, and I wish I had known because I would’ve said no."

• Ang...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 16, 2015

"I've only been on this birth control for about a month, and I already don't like it. I've been spotting for about 2 weeks now, I get headaches, vivid nightmares, gained weight, terrible mood swings. The list goes on... The reason why I switched birth controls was because my last one (the Depo shot) was giving me extremely bad headaches and cramps. Also, I bled for 3 whole months while being on it. I just want to find a birth control that fits me and doesn't give me all of these symptoms."

• Lov...
• June 1, 2019

"I would never knowingly recommend Portia to anyone I know to take it. Other than putting on a little bit of weight in the first 2 1/2 months, seemed like everything was going fine. Then that third month was about to hit, and I was nauseous, I had breast tenderness, and was sleeping for 15 hours a day. I figure I must have been pregnant. The fatigue was so horrible, but then I lost my eyesight twice within a week and had migraines so bad that I couldn’t function as a person. Not symptoms of being pregnant, that’s when I finally went to the hospital to get an MRI done. I wasn’t on another medication. I had my blood work checked, everything came back normal. I have now been off Portia for 3 weeks now and still having headaches and migraines from time to time. Sure, I didn’t get pregnant, but I also didn’t have sex because I never saw my other half due to me sleeping so much and the severe migraines that I’d wake up with and go to bed with."

• Nic...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 14, 2019

"I started this pill maybe 3 years ago, but I was on and off due to lack of sexual intercourse and the side effects of the pill. Side effects included severe lower back pain, blurry vision, depression, and extreme tiredness. This is the only birth control I've been on, and I seriously would like to try different options. Not to mention, I've picked up weight using it, smh."

• Rha...
• July 26, 2015

"I switched to Portia after being on Levora (I had no side effects with it) for three years. My first period was extremely heavy, but no cramps. I'm on my second period, and I feel like I've gained 10 pounds from bloating. I look like I'm 3 months pregnant. I've been very irritable and had cramps and headaches during these few days. I hate this birth control. It's effective, but it's not worth severe, uncomfortable bloating and weight gain."