Portia and Mood Swings: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Thu...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 20, 2018

For Birth Control "I was on Junel Fe for almost a year before I started taking Portia. Junel Fe made my acne clear up, but my period was very irregular. So my doctor prescribed me Portia. My acne has gotten so bad all along my jawline and chin. It’s cystic and painful. It’s nowhere else on my face, but it is so embarrassing, I don’t want to leave the house because I feel like people look at me and think it’s an STD. Not only that, but it has caused severe mood swings and depression. I got into a huge fight last week with my boyfriend for no reason at all and canceled plans with my mother the day of just because I had no motivation to get up and go do anything or see anyone. So now the question is, do I keep taking it for a few more months to see if things get better or change to something else?"

• Moo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 9, 2018

For Birth Control "This pill is a nightmare! This is my first time taking the pill, I only started taking it in the hopes of improving my very painful periods, and I regret even trying it. I’ve been on it for 3 weeks now, and my life has been totally ruined. I have crazy mood swings, major depression, and mad rage! My face started breaking out even though I’ve never had issues with acne before. I have gained weight even though I’ve been working out and resisted most of the insanely strong cravings I’ve been getting. My life has gone downhill, so I’m going to stop taking this pill immediately. The sad thing is I have now lost faith in the pill and will just deal with my horrible periods."

• 20Y...
• April 24, 2014

For Birth Control "I have been on Portia for over 2 years. It is effective in reducing cramps and lightening my period, but I am overly emotional all of the time. The slightest thing will set me off into a crying frenzy. I have also experienced heartburn/acid reflux problems. Getting off of this pill after reading all of these reviews. I guess I'm not alone in this."

• Lis...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 15, 2021

For Birth Control "STAY FAR FAR AWAY FROM PORTIA!!! I was like many other ladies on here taking Levora and had no side effects and no weight gain. Kaiser switched me to Portia and told me it was the exact same thing. So I trusted them. I have menorrhagia and was given birth control to stop my periods completely. It did its job for a while, that is keeping my periods away. But as months went by, weight came on so fast. No matter how much I did and how healthy I ate. I was a fitness instructor and had never had weight issues. From the start till now of taking Portia, I have gained 60 pounds that are stubborn and will only budge a pound or two. As the years went by, I became different. I wasn't me. I became severely anxious and was diagnosed with anxiety disorder, then the depression set in. I became foggy-minded, and often dizzy. I am constantly bloated, have severe mood swings, feel drained, have acne, and experience chest pains. After 5 years, I'm getting off it with a hysterectomy."

• Anonymous
• April 25, 2011

For Birth Control "Portia is the third birth control that I have tried. I have noticed weight gain that I did not have with my other pills. My moods are also terrible and unstable. I get awful cramps and headaches during my period. Overall, these are small prices to pay compared to other issues I have had with other pills."

• Sar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 31, 2021

For Birth Control "I’m on week 3 of Portia birth control, and it’s horrific. It makes me so depressed and have the most suicidal thoughts and mood swings. It gave me a severe rash all over my body, it’s the worst rash I have ever seen. My boobs did get bigger, but the rash is all over them anyway. I have diarrhea, and I cannot sleep at night. I wake up 2-3 times a night. This pill is a nightmare. Don’t try it, I’m serious."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 15, 2021

For Birth Control "If you are taking Portia 28 and think it may be the cause of your acne that you can't explain, throw it away. It gave me cystic acne when my skin was previously clear. I'm talking about clusters of painful, deep cystic acne that left scars and wouldn't go away for months. I became way more irritable and had intense mood swings, always feeling so 'done' and tired. The first few weeks, I couldn't even keep the pill down and woke up to throw up every night. I never got a good night's sleep due to this, and my body was in a constant state of stress and exhaust. I only decided to search up reviews to see if I was the only one, 7 months in. Now I see that the majority are facing the exact same problems as me. I'm so frustrated that I didn't take just a second to research this brand because it would have saved me so much emotional distress and confusion."

• Han...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 30, 2019

For Birth Control "I was prescribed this to help lessen my cramps since they were debilitating, but it stopped them completely, and as someone who someday wants to be a mother, this was distressing, but obviously reversible. I began the birth control at the end of my period as prescribed, and three weeks came, and I began to expect my period. I got severe mood swings, irritation, anxiety, and beyond severe depression. I usually get moody around my period, so I didn’t think anything of it. But I ended up skipping two periods with no let-up of the emotions I was feeling, not to mention tender and painful breasts and random punches of cramps. My depression and overall emotional state have been bad before, but never this bad. Never to the point of such incredibly dark thoughts. If you are being prescribed Portia, go ahead, but it may muck you up mentally and physically, and you’ll prefer your periods to it any day."

• Ren...
• February 28, 2020

For Birth Control "This birth control seemed normal the first few months. Then suddenly, my face is breaking out in red, dry patches, like peeling the skin off my cheeks and forehead. I’m noticing the crazy cravings and mood swings. Can’t stand this pill. I had a previous pill that broke my face out as well, but more like pus."

• Mel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 19, 2019

For Birth Control "In terms of doing its job of not getting pregnant, Portia does very well, and I did not experience heavy periods or extreme cramping while I was on it for 4 months. Just like many others, I was not notified when my pharmacy changed me from Levora to Portia. I feel so dumb for not connecting the dots that this BC could be the cause of my emotional distress (started happening around the time I started Portia), which was bouts of depression, MAJOR mood swings, very short temperament, and breast tenderness. My breasts were so sensitive I took out my nipple piercings I had for over a year. After consulting my doctor, I was able to switch back to Levora, and everything has been much more normal since! Ask your doctor to go back to Levora if it works for you ladies!"

• rmo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 23, 2020

For Birth Control "I’m so glad to see others going through similar experiences to what I am. I have only been taking Portia for two months, and the side effects have been crazy. To start, like many others have said, the mood swings are ridiculous. I found myself feeling randomly depressed for no real reason and even crying on occasion (this is out of the norm for me), and my acne has gotten out of control. I’m breaking out in places I hardly ever do and also in places I never have in the past. Normally, my acne is extremely mild and manageable. My periods are also a lot heavier in the first couple of days, which is another clear sign that this BC is too intense for me. Normally messy periods coincide with messy side effects for me. I was suggested to try this BC, and I’ve already asked to change to something else, this is a terrible product and not at all worth the trouble. Do not take this!"

• Anonymous
• February 16, 2012

For Birth Control "I was put on Portia after I had my baby, but I was also put on postpartum depression pills. All of a sudden, I started getting very bad mood swings, and I thought it was my postpartum depression pills, so I switched it. But I still get bad mood swings. Now I think I got to switch birth control pills, but it did regulate my periods and didn't give me acne. But I hate having mood swings."

• Jgi...
• April 3, 2015

For Birth Control "I started taking Portia when I was 16 (22 now), and I was on it for about a year. I have since switched birth control brands twice. Before being on Portia, I had very bad cramping, and it 100% went away when I started this pill. I never became pregnant either. I'm rating it at a 5 because my mood swings were out of control! I also had some nausea, and I was hungry all the time. I actually lost weight taking this pill."

• JSc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 15, 2021

For Birth Control "I have been taking Gianvi since I was 20 years old, and I absolutely loved it: no weight gain, clear skin, no emotional breakdowns, and it cleared my PCOS. I recently changed my birth control because I noticed I was bloating due to being on it for so long. My doctor switched me to Portia, and only 3 days into my new pack, my body itches, I’m emotional, and I am antsy. I also gained a few pounds within 3 days. DO NOT USE PORTIA! It reminds me of YAZ and should be taken off the market! I would take the bloating with Gianvi any day over the side effects with Portia!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 9, 2024

For Birth Control "I have been on this pill for the better part of 4 years, and I loved it most of the time. The first 6 months I started taking this pill, I had frequent spotting and irregular periods, but otherwise no other symptoms (that I can remember). After 6 months, I switched to SPRINTEC and absolutely hated it, as it made me bloated, made me gain 20 pounds, and gave me dry and painful periods. I decided to switch back to Portia after a couple of months and have been on it regularly for 3 years. Over the last 3 months, however, I started to get severe mood swings and depression the week of my period, and it got to the point that I had to switch it for the benefit of those around me (I would cry all the time and get easily annoyed with them). Other than the very recent mood swings, I loved this BC, and if the next BC doesn’t work, I will absolutely be coming back to Portia and deal with the mood swings."

• Law...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 14, 2019

For Birth Control "Don't ever try Portia! I was on Levora for years, no issues. Then I got switched to Portia. I have had issues psychologically, anxiety, some depression, feelings of adrenaline, issues with my eyesight, mood swings... Terrible drug. I stopped taking it today. I was being told I had issues from stress and anxiety, met with my doctor multiple times, and no one ever informed me of these adverse effects of Portia. Had I been told these effects, I never would have taken it."

• Pan...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 13, 2022

For Birth Control "This birth control has been horrible for me. I was originally on Junel Fe, then my gyno switched me to Portia so I would no longer have a period since I have endometriosis. This birth control made me gain 20 pounds, I turned into a completely different person where I had severe mood swings and felt depressed and unmotivated. My libido became non-existent when it was very high before. Worst birth control I have ever been on, and this honestly should not have been released. I do not know how it passed testing."

• Mar...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 9, 2022

For Birth Control "I was on Portia for over 2 years and initially didn’t have any issues. After my second year, my mood swings were crazy, and the week before my period, I would snap about every minor inconvenience. I didn’t gain weight, it cleared up my acne, and my periods became very regular! I have now switched to a different brand, and I feel more like myself than I did on Portia."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 13, 2015

For Birth Control "I've been on Portia for a few months now. I've always had a super heavy 7-day period and terrible cramps. The cramps have reduced a lot, but my period last month was 14 days long. However, it was substantially lighter. It was also very, very rare for me to get sick before starting this pill, and since I've been on it, I have vomited out of nowhere 3 times. My mood swings have also been pretty bad since starting Portia, causing me and my boyfriend of over a year to fight a lot more often. I'm thinking of changing this pill."

• Anonymous
• April 6, 2019

For Birth Control "They switched me to Portia because of apparent manufacturing problems with my usual birth control, Levora. It does the job for protecting against pregnancy, however, this has given me bad mood swings. I feel slightly overweight, and my anxiety just gets bad. It’s said that Levora is the same, but my body says the opposite. I’m going to consult with my doctor for a different brand."

• akm...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 10, 2022

For Birth Control "This birth control SUCKS. Mind you, I’ve only been on it for a couple of months now. I have a very good complexion, and out of absolutely nowhere, I have breakouts and cystic acne. My mood swings have been miserable. I'm either crying or angry, which is completely unlike me. I also have zero sex drive. Do not take this pill. Worst birth control I’ve ever taken."