Ethinyl estradiol / norelgestromin and Nausea: What Users Say (Page 3)

• bri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 19, 2023

For Birth Control "I tried Zafemy for about 2 months, and during this time period, I was bleeding nonstop. I had headaches from whenever I woke up to whenever I went to sleep. Zafemy even made my chest break out, it was all red with a rash, and I had bad acne. The rash and acne went away eventually. I didn't relate the side effects to the birth control. Both the rashes and acne appeared again, so I went to the doctors to see what was going on, and they said it was the birth control that was causing it. I was put on Xulane, and I absolutely love it! I have no problems with it, no acne, no weight gain, no rashes, nothing! The only side effect is being a little nauseous. But other than that, I love this birth control."

• Nbb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 20, 2019

For Birth Control "Was put on Ortho Evra to treat my PCOS, just came off Diane. Wasn’t great at taking the pill, so I tried this patch, and OMG, only had it on a week, and I was absolutely crawling the walls. I did read all the side effects before using, but I have nausea, anxiety, depression, and I'm hungry all the time and no sleep. I also felt it was uncomfortable because my clothes kept catching on it. My acne is worse, and yes, all this in one week!!!! Never again."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 28, 2015

For Birth Control "I've been on the patch for about 4 months now, and I can honestly say that I love it. This is my first time being on BC, and I did a lot of research before picking one out. The first 3 months, I experienced some of the side effects: headaches, nausea, sore breasts, emotional as hell. But all that stopped in the 3rd month. I still get a little emotional, but that's just regular PMSing. Do not buy the generic brand, it sucks ass. It doesn't stick as well as the name brand, so I spend the $5 to get it. My skin gets a little irritated around the patch, but I have seriously dry skin, so that can play a factor. Overall, I'm loving it! My BF can relax a little because he doesn't have to worry about condoms anymore because this is more cost-efficient."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 28, 2017

For Birth Control "I have to say, I was terrified of starting the patch after reading so many awful reviews. Over the past 8 years, I've been on 4 different combined pills, all of which eventually made me nauseous and caused me to vomit soon after taking them. So I was really worried the patch would have similar side effects. I'm now 6 weeks in (so I've had my first break) and have to say it's great. I haven't had any problems with it coming off or peeling, and I barely notice it! Obvious negatives are how noticeable it is and the yucky stickiness you get around the edge, but these are bearable. The only side effect that's bothered me is how sore my boobs are all the time - I can barely put my bra on! Upside though... they've grown! Overall, good, easy method."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 6, 2014

For Birth Control "I have been on the patch for 10 months now, and I absolutely love it. I don't worry about pregnancy scares at all. The only downside I have is that when I put on a new patch after my period, I get really nauseated and a bad headache for a few hours, but this started about 3 months ago. The other downside is that when I exercise and take hot showers, it seems to make the patch slip off. But it's honestly the best birth control I've been on, easy to use and great protection."

• JPH...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 8, 2018

For Birth Control "Some reviews said that it comes off in the water, but I have not had this happen. You have to make sure there is no lotion or soap residue on the area before you put it on. Also, I always wipe the area clean with rubbing alcohol before I apply to ensure a tight hold. And if I place it in my pelvic area, I shave first, wipe with alcohol, and press firmly. I go swimming all the time for hours at a time, and it has never fallen off. I've had no side effects, especially with my sex drive or vaginal lubrication. No headaches or nausea for me. I feel absolutely normal, even with having hypothyroidism, which impacts different hormones, I don't feel any side effects. I always recommend this to my friends. It's much easier than remembering to take a pill and safer for me than an IUD. I say everyone should try it for themselves rather than be scared off by other people's bad experiences."

• Anonymous
• May 15, 2009

For Birth Control "After having awful side effects from oral contraceptive pills, and after trying Ortho Cyclen again as part of my IVF protocol (it made me so dizzy and nauseous I woke up in the middle of the night vomiting), my reproductive endocrinologist switched me to the Ortho Evra patch. What a difference! None of the horrible side effects, and I can eat and keep it down! Yay!"

• bab...
• October 2, 2019

For Birth Control "I got the patch about 3 months ago, and I've been on it since then. I don't take the week off, so I do wear it for 4 weeks instead of 3. At first, I did get super nauseous, but it went away. Mood swings a little, but not crazy like how I was when I was on the pill. I've been spotting and bleeding on and off for the second month of using it. I do not know why, but I would like to know from any girl why I have been."

• Anonymous
• November 28, 2015

For Birth Control "This is my first time on any kind of birth control, and I must say this has been a horrible experience for me. I say this because my period has been horrible, it has been intensified. I have horrible cramps, my back and my stomach hurt every day. The smell of things makes me nauseous. I'm very moody, I'm always sad or upset - it's kind of ridiculous because I wish someone had informed me about this. I bleed uncontrollably, it's heavier than normal and it's thicker. I feel like I should just try another source of birth control."

• Kas...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 13, 2019

For Birth Control "I love this birth control. For me, Xulane cleared up my skin, and I have no weight gain or other side effects. In the past, I've been on the pill and have had an IUD, and I like the patch much more. The only downfall I've observed is that if I do a lot of physical activity right after I put it on, I get nauseous. Otherwise, I think it's great."

• Sho...
• June 6, 2016

For Birth Control "I would give the birth control patch a 10, only because I was previously on Depo for 6 months, and I was bleeding the whole entire time. My doctors decided to switch me over to the birth control pills that didn't help, so I decided to get on the patch. Within 3 days, my bleeding and spotting ended. Yeah, I experience some side effects such as back pain and nausea, but it doesn't last a long time, and it's bearable."

• Jac...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 14, 2015

For Birth Control "I'm 19 years old and started the patch 3 days ago. I took birth control pills for 3 years and recently had my Implanon removed after a year and a half with horrible, heavy periods and terrible mood swings. So far, the patch isn't affecting me terribly. I do have nausea in the mornings, but nothing too terrible, I just hope it ends soon. I will come back and post in a few months after I see how my body adjusts to it."

• Ell...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 7, 2020

For Birth Control "The Ortho Evra patch has served its purpose for me for over a year now, but I'm having to stop due to unmanageable weight gain. My appetite has increased hugely, I'm more prone to emotional eating, and I can't lose it as easily as I used to. I keep active every day, so I was expecting to be losing weight, but my doctor told me I've put on 10 kg in the last 5 months. I've never piled it on like this, so unfortunately, this might be the last straw now. Before this, I had breast tenderness and nausea for the first two days of wearing the patch, but nothing unmanageable. I had one incident where I bled continuously for over a month, only stopping when I came off it entirely for a couple of weeks. I think this was due to me not breaking from it frequently enough."

• Anonymous
• June 21, 2011

For Birth Control "I've had really bad experiences with birth control in the past - the pill made me throw up on a daily basis, and the shot was just a nightmare. After the crazy mood swings, lethargy, two-month period, social anxiety, and weight gain I experienced with the shot, I was nervous about trying birth control again. But so far, I've had a good experience with the patch. The first month, I didn't have much of an appetite and often felt nauseous, but now that my body has adjusted, I only have a few minimal side effects. I crave junk food more, but that's easily managed with a bit of willpower or chocolate. My breasts have grown a bit, but after the shot shrunk them, that's not a bad thing. Thank goodness I found something that works."

• Lay...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 8, 2017

For Birth Control "At first, like most people say, the symptoms were terrible. Abdominal and back pain, slight nausea, mood swings, general foggy feeling in my brain. After a couple of days, the symptoms decreased, and now all I experience is some mood instability the day I replace my patch. I've never had a problem with it falling off, though it does tend to get fuzzy around the edges from your clothes. It does kind of kill your sex drive at first, but I feel like I'm back to normal now. Hooray for regular periods and no babies!"

• eye...
• April 8, 2013

For Birth Control "I have tried three different types of birth control: the pill, which I never remembered, NuvaRing, I had terrible side effects and ended up in the hospital due to infection, and Ortho Evra. I have been on Ortho Evra for two weeks now, and so far, it has been okay. My main concern is the red squares left on my skin after I take off the patch. Also, the first day of a new patch is pretty intense. I am VERY tired and sleep more than awake, get very dizzy, and just a little nausea. It really isn't that big of a deal because it passes in less than 24 hours, and I feel great after that. Oh, and no baby!"

• Ber...
• January 26, 2017

For Birth Control "I'm on week three of the patch, and I can't wait for it to be over. This is the second time this year I've used the patch, and I remember the same side effects as before: headache during most of the first week, coupled with constant nausea. The only thing that seems to make the nausea subside is eating! Needless to say, I've noticed some weight gain! I suppose you've got to try these things... In theory, it's a great idea, unfortunately, it doesn't work for me."

• Cai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 21, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve been on the patch for a little over a month now. After failed attempts with almost every option of birth control, I was given the final choices of NuvaRing or the patch, so I chose the patch. I will keep the rating high because it is really easy to remember and is much better than some side effects I’ve had on other forms of birth control. The biggest drawback for me is the nausea and vomiting, which I didn’t realize how common these were until reading the reviews here. Some days the nausea is so debilitating, I can barely get off the couch, and I have a 1-year-old to take care of, so it definitely isn’t ideal. I also am experiencing pretty bad, frequent cramping as if I am on my period, even with a patch on. I will hold out for my trial period, however, and hope it gets better, like lots of women here report, especially since I am virtually out of BC options. Women really need more options of birth control available to them."

• Rhi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 15, 2019

For Birth Control "I have used this patch since February, so around 5 months. I consistently keep my patch on (no period). Pros: easy to use, don’t have to remember to take it every day like the pill, can be hidden, no pregnancy (hopefully). Cons: I randomly bled for 14 days straight whilst on my patch, so I took it off for a week and bled until I put my next patch on, so I bled for 21 days total. I never used to get cramps but now developed light cramps, nausea (especially in the morning), spotting, irritation on skin from the patch, and fatigue. Overall, within your first 3 months, the side effects are definitely more severe. I still get a tiny bit of spotting, my cramps are much lighter, and I don’t get consistent nausea every morning. I have PCOS and almost never used to have periods (hence I keep the patch on as periods now scare me), so my experience may differ from someone with regular periods, but overall I’ve found it to be fine apart from the odd side effect."

• kja...
• June 30, 2015

For Birth Control "I have been on Ortho Evra for 3 years now, previously, I was on the pill. I gained an additional 5 or so lbs when I switched over, but I think it's way worth it. My period is now regular, and my usual heavy flow significantly decreased. Recently, my pharmacy has started giving me the generic, don't do it. I have spotting all the time, pretty heavy. It's like having a regular period in between periods. For the first time last week, the spotting was really heavy, I'm switching back to the brand name. Other than that, no mood swings, no decrease in sex drive, no nausea/headaches/breast pain/etc. Great birth control!"

• Hou...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 30, 2015

For Birth Control "I know everyone has different reactions to different birth control, this does not work for me! I switched from the pill to this patch because I hate taking pills every day, and it's so much of a hassle. So I found that as soon as I started the patch, the first 3 days were extremely nauseous. Within the first week, my face and chest broke out crazy in deep cystic acne. I didn't have any acne before, and it caused libido (a major decrease in sex drive), as well as made me super emotional and just angry all the time. Therefore, I immediately switched back off of it due to too many unwanted side effects. I just bought the Nuvaring, I hear good things about it and that it's a very low dosage... Hopefully, not as many side effects involved."

• mam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 9, 2019

For Birth Control "I started Xulane a couple of months ago. I immediately started to get the worst headaches, nausea, gained lots of weight, and my boobs grew significantly in size and are sore constantly. I’ve been on my period for 40 days with heavy flow and unbearable back pain and cramps. Some days I can’t even get out of bed without taking large amounts of pain medication."

• Sad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 3, 2019

For Birth Control "So I went to my OB on Monday for my yearly checkup, asked to get on the patch contraceptive! Thinking it won’t be as bad because I was not ingesting it, whereas before I took the pill, it was bad reactions! So she told me I was going to spot for Monday because she did the test! Well, it’s Wednesday, and I’m still spotting. Little did I know this can do that! Monday night, I felt off, I’m like, new meds, gotta get used to it. Tuesday came, and the nausea started slowly creeping in, so I’m like, okay, then the nervousness started, so I took my anxiety meds. Helped a little. Today I woke up after sleeping 6-9 hours, exhausted, nausea, headache, boobs hurting, so by mid-afternoon I was feeling better. By 7 pm, I thought I was dying, felt like I had a fever and sweating, and just couldn’t handle it! After reading up on it, I took it off. I cannot go on for the next 1-3 months like this, so if you have a sensitivity to medications or have had troubles with birth control, I do not recommend this at all."

• Joa...
• June 5, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been trying this patch for about 3 weeks now, and the cramps are unbearable. I feel like I need to take Midol every day, it's so bad. Feels like period cramps. I feel so nauseous that I want to throw up, and my boobs are terribly sore. Not to mention it has caused me to have a horrible yeast infection that I've treated twice in 2 weeks, and it just won't subside! I'm hoping after I get through this month of the patch that my body becomes immune to it, otherwise, this patch is the devil, and I hate it. I wouldn't recommend it."

• ayo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 3, 2019

For Birth Control "Xulane was fine for the first day. My sex drive was up, but nothing too bad. The next morning, I was vomiting for 4 hours. I ripped the patch off and started to slowly feel better. I wouldn’t recommend this at all. I was nauseous throughout the night but wasn’t too surprised. When I woke up, I immediately needed to throw up and couldn’t even leave my bathroom."