Portia User Reviews & Ratings

• Cano
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 12, 2021

For Birth Control "I started this birth-control because they were out of the Seasonique that I was on. It was only supposed to be temporary until they got that birth-control back in stock but I ended up staying on this one because I’ve had no side effects. The only side effects that I had on Seasonique was large blood clots while bleeding. On Portia I have not experienced this. I’m surprised by all the negative reviews but I guess everybody’s body reacts differently to different drugs. Portia is definitely a win for me though."

• Anonymous
• February 6, 2020

For Birth Control "I don’t remember when Kaiser changed from Levora brand of birth control pills to Portia. But I know that since I started these pills my life has sucked. Awful weight gain, I don’t eat bad at all and exercise 3-4 times a week. I have never had bad acne now I get it on my forehead and chin all the time?? I feel depressed, not motivated to do anything just want to sleep. I have really bad headaches which is another thing I never really had previous to these pills. I am changing ASAP and please girl for your sake, you should too!"

• Anonymous
• August 27, 2009

For Birth Control "Amazing ... I was on YAZ and it caused spotting and weight gain, after a year they switched me to Portia and I lost all the weight and haven't spotted since; also my PMS is completely nonexistent now and the killer mood swings I experienced on YAZ are gone too. I can't stop raving about how great Portia is, it made me feel like myself again."

• AJano
• 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 to eat something 30 mins 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"

• Riss
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 16, 2019

For Birth Control "I was on Levora I struggled with weight gain, anxiety and depression regularly but I didn’t think to connect it to my birth control. Then I was switched to Portia due to kaiser discontinuing Levora and the first month seemed okay I thought my body just needed time to adjust. Then at the second month I started getting migraines, then it was the serious weight gain and my anxiety and depression went through the roof. I was extremely suicidal and dangerous no only to myself but anyone close to me as well. I was unable to function as a person anymore and I decided to stop taking it and within the first week I felt like a new person and my weight dropped dramatically as every week passed. It’s honestly scared me and I will never use a hormonal birth control again. Never again."

• GradS...
• 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."

• k19c17
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 23, 2018

For Birth Control "Started taking Portia about 2 months ago- had to stop because I was not myself at all! Felt like a cloud was over my mind at all times. Caused EXTREME anxiety, depression and mood swings. Lost friends and broke relationships, after 2 days of accidentally not taking I noticed I felt like myself again and refuse to go back on. PLEASE watch your body and your mental response- don’t want anyone to have to go through this because of a silly pill!"

• Rosie
• January 7, 2019

For Birth Control "This product should be band! Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong! Painful abdominal cramping all day everyday, breast tenderness and heavy pain in breasts, dramatic mood swings, intense depression, cramping during sex, yeast infections, dry skin and scalp itch, numbness in arms and legs, Heart palpitations. It taking STOP IMMEDIATELY and talk to your doctor. I was put on this without my consent!"

• Fed...
• November 3, 2018

For Birth Control "I have never experienced anything more awful. I was taking levora and I loved it, but then it got discontinued and my insurance switched me to Portia. At first, I took two months of it and felt terrible. My breasts were so tender and hurting all the time, I had chest pains constantly and thought I had heart problems. I was incredibly moody and got sad or upset for no reason pretty often. I took a month break from it, but then felt like I had no choice to get back on since my insurance didn’t cover anything else, and things got worse. I have been getting panic attacks, feeling depressed and even suicidal, not acting like myself, shutting everyone out and I finally realized that this drastic change is because of my birth control. It’s messing up my hormones and my mental health and it’s just not worth it. I cry all the time and feel so empty inside and I’ve never experienced this sort of helplessness before. Please don’t take this pill."

• Sofia
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 29, 2018

For Birth Control "I switch 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 times-sad for no reason. I am very unhappy being on this birth control"

• Andy
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 2, 2019

For Birth Control "If I could give a -1 rating I would. My pharmacy switched me to Portia in July (WITHOUT CONSULTING ME FIRST) so I have been on it for 7 months and let me tell you, I have not been myself ever since. I was on Levora before and with Levora life was simple, now it's hell. My boobs are always sore, I have frequent acne, I am a always annoyed and angry, I cry more often, and worst of all I have no sex drive. This pill is horrible. Never again."

• DBano
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 9, 2019

For Birth Control "Within a year after my doctor switched me to this medication, I gained 15 pounds and developed an aggressive form of breast cancer (triple positive, invasive ductal carcinoma) at the age of 39. Fortunately the cancer was only stage 1B at the time when I noticed the lump, but it has been an absolute nightmare and I am still going through chemo. I don’t know for sure that the pills caused my cancer, but I have absolutely zero family history of breast cancer, had none of the other risk factors, and I was unusually young to be diagnosed with cancer."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 17, 2013

For Birth Control "I've been on a couple of birth control pills since I was 17. I'm 24 now and I just started Portia. I've noticed bad bloating and weight gain. I workout a lot and I've felt HUGE over a week now. I've also had mood swings and BAD acne."

• Auano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 9, 2018

For Birth Control "I had been on Levora for about ten years when my pharmacy switched to Portia. I was told it was the same thing (generic version) but my experience says otherwise. I took it for about two weeks when I started noticing I was VERY gloomy/sad/easily triggered. I wasn’t as resilient as I normally am. I also started bleeding during sex and was so disturbed my it I almost fainted (I never bleed during sex and basically got my period out of the blue). I would NOT advise anyone to take Portia - the gloominess/hopelessness feeling I got from taking it is enough to make me quit oral birth control altogether. I’m really struggling to find a solution."

• ILMF
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 31, 2013

For Birth Control "Portia is good for preventing pregnancy. It also made my periods lighter and with hardly any cramps. The down side of this is the side effects I faced for 8 years. They included: -Pain with intercourse, Major migraines, Neuropathy pain on the right side of my body, Severe pain on my right side that it made it extremely difficult to walk, Episodes of expressive aphasia, which was extremely embarrassing when speaking to the doctors I worked with. Luckily they blew it off with a joke, Dizziness, off balance and blurred vision, Weight gain. I went to many doctors and a lot of tests and nobody could figure out what was wrong with me. When I stopped this pill last year so we could try to get pregnant, all my issues went away."

• Mrapp
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 12, 2019

For Birth Control "I was reading a lot of these reviews and honestly can’t relate to most of them. Fortunately, I’ve had a fine experience using Portia except for one side effect.. But I’ve been on Portia for about a year and a half, and actually got randomly switched to another brand in which I even requested to go back to Portia! I only get one day of cramps and a 3 day period, so it’s been nice. The one bad thing is the severe mood swings/ depression I get the week before the placebo pills. At one point, I was starting to think I had a bipolar disorder! (Before realizing this was due to the birth control). Thinking about switching to a new brand just because of that, but I may return to Portia in the future."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 29, 2012

For Birth Control "I have been on Portia for over a year it has made me lose weight and caused me to have crazy mood-swings. i got two benefits from the pill which is weight loss and definitely did not get pregnant. This pill works really good for me and I will continue using it until I'm ready to have a child in the future."

• Cfz
• February 7, 2017

For Birth Control "Absolutely hate this pill. Was on nuvaring but co-pay was going up to 65bucks a month and I couldn't afford that! This pill makes me moody and little things bother me that shouldn't. I have no sex drive, breasts are tender and don't want to be touch. Unfortunately I have to wait out the month before switching to another pill. Definitely not a fan of this birth control."

• dakater
• January 12, 2012

For Birth Control "I've been on birth control for over a decade and Levora for over five years with no issues. The past three months, the pharmacist has substituted Portia for my normal medication, insisting it was the same. In the first month, I noticed severe pain and bloating with my period; the following two months brought bouts of depression, rage and hysteria. If you are prone to depression, avoid this medication. Additionally, I lost my appetite almost completely and probably ate less than 1500 calories a day, AND gained weight! Four days ago, I switched to Syeda (a Yasmin generic) and already I feel better - and my libido has improved."

• Disap...
• 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 that 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 online BC provider NuRx."

• jen_c
• January 28, 2014

For Birth Control "I switched to Portia 12 days ago when I started spotting from another birth control (Alesse). I just wanted to say I started taking Portia on Tuesday and have been crying for consecutive days from Friday to Tuesday out of no where. I have also found it very hard to get studying and made me a much lazier person. I will be discontinuing this birth control today because my mood swings were affecting me too much."

• Anonymous
• October 16, 2017

For Birth Control "I was switched from Levora to portia and I hated it so much! I gained 7lbs in 3 weeks even with my healthy diet and exercise. I am switching back immediately, and I don't even know why I was randomly switched the first place. Also, my anxiety was super bad too right when starting this. Never again."

• taylo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 21, 2016

For Birth Control "Taking Portia landed me in the hospital. After taking it for 4 months, I began having horrible head aches and sensitivity to light. A few days later I went to the Doctors, after a CT, MRI, and a MRV they found a major blood clot in my brain. Two days later I was admitted into the hospital with blindness in my left eye resulting in having to have a spinal tap to take the fluid off of my brain. For the next year I will be on a blood thinner and a brain swelling medication. DO NOT TAKE PORTIA!!!"

• River...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 9, 2017

For Birth Control "I don't have acne issues, my cycles are the same painful and heavy. But my only issues that I can't deal with are the mood swings, bad dreams and tiredness. I've been taking it for 2 months now and my attitude SUCKS! I don't even want to do things I enjoy. And there is absolutely no sex drive! I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one having these issues. I was starting to think I was crazy."

• 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."