Skip to main content

Portia User Reviews & Ratings (Page 4)

Portia has an average rating of 4.1 out of 10 from a total of 202 reviews on Drugs.com. 22% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 54% reported a negative experience.

Reviews for Portia

Commonly mentioned side effects
  • Anonymous
  • April 25, 2012

For Birth Control "I have been taking birth control pills for 7 years now. Was on Tri-Sprintec for most of that time, and my breasts would get really sore once a month, so the doctor switched me to Levora. I had no problems with Levora. However, for the past 4 months, the pharmacist switched me to Portia, and I have horrible breakouts one week a month. Kind of embarrassing when you're 27. To make matters worse, I have had perfect skin my entire life up until this point. That was the one thing I have always received compliments on, so it's especially heartbreaking to now go through this. I need to switch ASAP."

5 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
7 Report
  • cll...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • March 12, 2018

For Birth Control "I do not recommend this pill due to my personal experiences. I was gaining weight, and it was combating against all the work I was devoting to losing weight. I would get extremely bad chest pains, and I thought I needed to see a cardiologist, it was so bad. I was on Levora prior to this, and I absolutely loved it and had no issues, but my pharmacy had it discontinued from their warehouse. I just got off the Portia this prior weekend, and I started Altavera today and will post a review on that drug as well."

4 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
3 Report
  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • June 20, 2014

For Birth Control "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!"

9 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
4 Report
  • Anonymous
  • August 20, 2018

For Birth Control "When I went to my pharmacy, they told me Portia had taken the place of Levora. Well, I took this for one day and hated the reaction of it immediately. It gave me jitters and anxiety. I am going to ask my OBGYN to get me back on Levora immediately."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
3 Report
  • 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."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
3 Report

Are you taking this medicine?

Your review helps others make informed decisions.
Write a review
  • 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."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
6 Report
  • Anonymous
  • May 29, 2011

For Birth Control "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."

4 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
10 Report
  • 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."

9 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
3 Report
  • 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."

7 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
3 Report
  • Lex...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • November 15, 2018

For Birth Control "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."

3 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
3 Report
  • 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!"

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
3 Report
  • Ker...
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • February 14, 2013

For Birth Control "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!"

10 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
6 Report
  • Mcl...
  • August 1, 2020

For Birth Control "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."

5 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
2 Report
  • KBa...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • November 17, 2020

For Birth Control "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."

2 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
2 Report
  • Js1...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • November 8, 2017

For Birth Control "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!"

5 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
3 Report
  • Anonymous
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • October 3, 2020

For Birth Control "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."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
2 Report
  • Kve...
  • March 17, 2017

For Birth Control "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!"

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
5 Report
  • iha...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • September 20, 2017

For Birth Control "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."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
4 Report
  • 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."

2 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
3 Report
  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • July 18, 2014

For Birth Control "I have been on it for a year now. My acne cleared up a lot! I am much more emotional over the last year and cried a lot more, but I didn't think it was from the pills till I read the comments on here. I have gained some weight. My period is shorter than before, is now three days. I haven't gotten pregnant, so it's working for me!"

8 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
5 Report
  • 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 :)"

10 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
4 Report
  • Pan...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • September 16, 2019

For Birth Control "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."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
2 Report
  • Anonymous
  • February 1, 2020

For Birth Control "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."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
3 Report
  • AJa...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • December 17, 2019

For Birth Control "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."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
2 Report
  • Ang...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • November 16, 2015

For Birth Control "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."

3 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
3 Report

Are you taking this medicine?

Your review helps others make informed decisions.
Write a review
Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or remove inappropriate content. Reviews appearing to come from parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any medication and should not replace the expertise and judgment of healthcare professionals.