Portia and Nausea: What Users Say

• Gra...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 23, 2019

For Birth Control "I was switched to Portia after Levora was discontinued. TLDR: It was not a cute look. I experienced wild physical side effects that I had not experienced with Levora. 1) My skin broke out into more acne than it has in years, and my cheeks were constantly red. 2) I started Portia the same time I got back into my old cardio routine and clean diet that typically maintains my weight. THIS BIRTH CONTROL MADE ME GAIN 20 POUNDS in a month. And I'm 23, so it's not because my metabolism is slowing down. 3) I'm bloated ALL the time and hate how this medication gives me a perpetual food baby. 4) I'm constantly nauseous. 5) But I'm also constantly hungry. Now for the psychological symptoms: 6) I got depressed so easily and intensely, in a way that I had never been before and ended up being sent to the psychiatric ward for the first time."

• AJa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 8, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve never been on birth control. I haven’t had a regular period since I was 20. I’m now 30. The first 4 days I would get nauseous for about an hour after taking it, not realizing they recommend you eat something 30 minutes before taking it...a meal or a snack like crackers and cheese...the last 3 days the nausea has faded. I did notice I was a little more emotional, but I am aware that my body is adjusting to this and learning how to act right after so long. As crazy as it sounds, I just want a normal cycle that makes me feel like an actual woman and not like something’s wrong anymore. I’ll update this if things change. Hoping it’s all smooth sailing because I have no problem stopping it cold turkey and just coping with PCOS and irregular periods."

• Sof...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 29, 2018

For Birth Control "I switched from Levora to Portia about two months ago because Levora was discontinued. It is by far the worst two months. I have had a dramatic increase in acne. Levora really helped my acne, but with Portia, I am having constant breakouts everywhere. I have chronic headaches and feel very nauseous in the mornings. I feel an increase in my appetite. I tend to feel very down most of the time-sad for no reason. I am very unhappy being on this birth control."

• Dis...
• October 31, 2019

For Birth Control "I, like many others, was previously on Levora and was switched to Portia (without my consent) by Kaiser. Levora was my first experience with BC, and I took it for a little over a year. My only issue was prolonged spotting if I missed a dose. Once I was given Portia, I gained a little over 30 pounds in less than 4 months, I had frequent headaches, extreme fatigue (had to use my lunch break to nap daily), woke up nauseous every morning, and experienced the only 2 yeast infections I have ever had. Unfortunately, it took me about a year to realize Portia was the culprit. Since they told me it was the same when I switched, I never even suspected. I felt like a failure for gaining weight and not being able to get it off, I was frequently depressed, and my work suffered because I was often too tired to focus. Because of this thread, and my other research, I stopped taking Portia about a week ago and just opted to purchase Levora through an online BC provider NuRx."

• My...
• May 20, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on Portia for about a month now, my period is extremely heavy, although that's normal for me. I noticed that it makes me very tired, which I really dislike because I'm a very active person. I'm constantly nauseous, and I mean constantly. I'm into fitness, and I gained 6 freaking pounds. I get headaches more than usual as well. I know these are normal side effects, but I am really not liking this birth control so far. I used Lavora until they discontinued it and put me on Portia, I never had problems with it like Portia."

• Ton...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 12, 2020

For Endometriosis "The first 3 months on Portia, I had water retention, low appetite, nausea, and lost some weight. But the pill immediately stopped my period. I am taking Portia for Endo. I've been taking it for close to a year, and it works great! It keeps all of the symptoms away, and I have had no acne or major weight gain."

• Bre...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 13, 2019

For Birth Control "I have been on Portia now for 7 weeks after previously being on Depo-Provera for 3-4 years. Portia just isn’t for me. The worst symptom I’ve had is EXTREME breast tenderness/enlargement. My boobs feel like someone used them as a punching bag every day for 7 weeks. It’s been horrible. I’ve been in so much pain every day. The second worst symptom is weight gain. I’ve gained about 10 pounds on this in just a month and a half! I’m so self-conscious about my body now. I was 125 lb, now I’m 135 lb. My 3rd side effect of Portia is occasional nausea. My 4th side effect is a yeast infection I got in the first couple weeks I started Portia. Going off of this ASAP! Not worth the misery..."

• yik...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 12, 2019

For Birth Control "PORTIA is horrible. Every year around May, I get prolonged periods. Mostly all the years, I have used Levora besides this year. My doctor prescribed Portia to me this year and said it would stop my bleeding and clear up my acne. They lied. Though I only took this pill for 5 days, I experienced the worst case of nausea, migraines, and reflecting on my previous days' mood swings. I have become very irritated with everything and everyone. This pill makes me feel so horrible, and it has done nothing for my acne. I gained 2 lbs. while taking it, and I don’t recommend it for others to take."

• Anonymous
• August 17, 2011

For Birth Control "I'm rating this 5/10 because, well, it prevented pregnancy. It was cheap and easy to use, I used it back to back to prevent periods, too. I took it for about 8 months. Right away, I had trouble eating foods, especially in the morning. Even things I liked to eat, cereals, fruits, etc., I couldn't stomach. By month 5, I had chronic nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach. There was hardly anything I could eat that wouldn't make me sick. In the beginning of month 8, I was diagnosed with gallbladder disease. I stopped taking Portia, and my symptoms disappeared within a week, so I was able to cancel my surgery. I've been on various birth control continuously for over 7 years. I have never had problems before."

• Nek...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 18, 2018

For Birth Control "I feel absolutely terrible. I have painful breast pains/tenderness, pelvic pain. I've been super anxious and depressed, the nausea is my worst effect. I could eat normally and still feel nauseous. I wake up and feel nauseous. I recently spotted for the first time, and it sucked. I've never had such a terrible period. For my first month, it caused heavy bleeding and painful cramps. It also hasn't affected my sex drive, but the discharge is horrible, I'm always wet. Also, recently, as of these past two weeks, I've been diagnosed with a yeast infection and vaginitis, and yesterday I went to urgent care, and they did x-rays to find out the pills' hormones have been causing me to be constipated - making my stomach growl after literally anything I eat. I get gas/bloating, so everything has been building up inside me causing the pelvic pain on my left side. Now, the only good effects are I've been losing weight, and my acne got somewhat better. I hope to switch brands soon. I hope this information helps someone."

• No...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 26, 2016

For Birth Control "I used to be incapacitated during my period due to cramps, and I'd never remember when the blood would start. This almost eliminated my cramps, lightened the flow, and shortened my period. As a plus, the pill packaging makes it super easy to remember when to break out the pads. I don't think I saw any side effects, but that might be because I already had headaches and nausea."

• May...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 21, 2019

For Birth Control "I was prescribed the pill Portia after my last miscarriage because they did not do Levora anymore at Kaiser. Portia is one of the generics of Levora, so is supposed to be the same. Worst mistake of my life. Before Portia, I was on the implant, nothing ever happened, so I love the implant. I wanted something short-term after my miscarriage so I could grieve without getting pregnant in the meantime. So I asked my doctor for Levora, which I used as a teen prior to the implant. She gave me Portia instead. Since then, I have the worst nausea I have ever experienced. Migraines that debilitate my everyday functions. Once, I was so weak from my migraines and nausea I couldn’t even drive myself home after leaving from school sick. Not to mention its adverse reactions to my depression medication! I’m officially done with this pill!"

• shy...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 9, 2021

For Birth Control "Don't ever use this. It is horrible. I've taken the pill twice, I take them at night, and I make sure to drink plenty of water and eat with it too, but both times I have woken up super sick. I throw up to the point where I'm dry heaving, and it doesn't stop. My body has a severe reaction, I get cramps like I'm PMSing, and I'm not due for another couple of weeks. I can't leave the bathroom because every time I do, I'm back within five minutes needing the toilet or trash can, if not both. I don't know if it helps with anything else, and I'm not going to find out. This is awful, please listen to these reviews. It sucks and is not worth it."

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

For Birth Control "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

For Birth Control "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."

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

For Birth Control "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

For Birth Control "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."

• Anonymous
• April 30, 2018

For Birth Control "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!"

• Kir...
• April 29, 2015

For Birth Control "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

For Birth Control "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 :)"

• Lov...
• June 1, 2019

For Birth Control "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."

• Gan...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 19, 2019

For Birth Control "This is the worst birth control. I was taking Levora before this, and they switched me to Portia. Since taking this pill, I have noticed a change in my moods, making me extra irritable. The major concern was the yeast infections. Before taking Portia, I never had a yeast infection. Since taking Portia, I get one at least every two months. This has been the worst experience ever. I never had problems feeling nauseous in the morning or throughout the day, and with this one, I do. Thankfully, I just switched."

• hb8...
• June 23, 2011

For Birth Control "I have been on Portia for two years. I would say overall, not a bad birth control. When I originally switched to Portia, it was much better than the pills I took before. I no longer got nausea after taking it, like with my old pills, and it cut down my period. Right now, I can say a bad period is three days long, which isn't bad at all, or it just doesn't show up, which is nice. I have gained no weight from it. My only complaint is, since I started it, I've noticed I've gone from wanting sex to having almost no interest in it, and I have become dry. My mood has been getting worse each month, so I think it's time to switch to a different method."

• xoh...
• April 6, 2015

For Birth Control "I just finished a month of this pill, and so far it has worked really great. At first, I was very unsure and skeptical since it was my first time on birth control. I mainly took this due to my bad cramps and heavy period. The first week was a little tough for me since I had minor feelings of nausea in the morning and threw up three times that same week. But after that, everything was great, my skin cleared up, my PMS got so much better (my boyfriend and I used to fight a lot due to my PMS). We didn't even fight this month at all. And my period lasted only four days, cramp-free, along with slight bloating, which is great compared to lasting seven days."

• Cas...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 14, 2018

For Birth Control "This has been the worst birth control I’ve ever been on. Great at controlling my period, so I don’t have two periods in a month anymore, but I’ve been so nauseous the past two months. I have to stop taking it. I’ve been throwing up and nauseous every single day. Can’t eat hardly anything without getting sick. My mood has been up and down. I feel like laying in bed every day. No motivation. It’s horrible. But the worst symptom by far is the nausea for me. I hate throwing up more than anything else on this planet, so feeling like I have to all the time is pretty much my worst nightmare. I highly suggest something else if you want to feel even the least bit normal. This is the first pill I’ve ever been on that makes me feel this bad."