Aurovela Fe 1/20 and Mood Swings: What Users Say

• BCh...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 23, 2021

For Birth Control "This is the 3rd time I have attempted to take birth control. I have severe ovulation issues, and my doctor thought trying a “low dose pill” would help. Aurovela Fe is absolutely awful. I’m on my 2nd month, week 2 of the pack, and I’ve never experienced anxiety and mood swings this severely in my life! Sobbing, crying, even having emotional breakdowns. I have GI issues already, and this pill has made them even worse. And the breast tenderness?! I thought they just hurt, but my significant other even mentioned how much larger they looked. Oh, and the bloating is also severe, like really bad. I’m 31, and I’ve never felt like my life was spiraling out of control until I started taking this. I’m not even giving it a chance to “level out.” I will be stopping cold turkey. If I could give this zero stars...I would give it a negative 5."

• BCh...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 23, 2021

For Birth Control "This is the 3rd time I have attempted to take birth control. I have severe ovulation issues, and my doctor thought trying a “low dose pill” would help. Aurovela Fe is absolutely awful. I’m on my 2nd month, week 2 of the pack, and I’ve never experienced anxiety and mood swings this severely in my life! Sobbing, crying, even having emotional breakdowns. I have GI issues already, and this pill has made them even worse. And the breast tenderness?! I thought they just hurt, but my significant other even mentioned how much larger they looked. Oh, and the bloating is also severe, like really bad. I’m 31, and I’ve never felt like my life was spiraling out of control until I started taking this. I’m not even giving it a chance to “level out.” I will be stopping cold turkey. If I could give this zero stars...I would give it a negative 5."

• isa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 20, 2021

For Birth Control "I started this Aurovela Fe 1/20 birth control the beginning of November, and it was fine until like December 20-something. I wasn’t able to sleep, had major headaches, started to feel really down, and think so negatively. I have random breakdowns multiple times a day, just crying, and have been having to sleep with my mom to keep me comforted. I am just now stopping this pill, hoping it helps, and just to take care of my mental health by exercising, keeping up with my skincare because it caused a lot of breakouts, and focusing on my relationships with others. Please don’t get this birth control! It really changed my life and made me a different person. I’m not the happy person I once was, but hoping to get back to it."

• Anonymous
• December 22, 2020

For Birth Control "I was on this for a month and a half. First month I was so nauseous and had horrible headaches. Also had been super anxious and emotional. Start of my second pill pack I got borderline cystic acne out of nowhere. I just switched back to my old birth control. I googled the reviews tonight and saw that 80% had negative effects, no wonder I feel and look like this. I can’t believe anyone thought to prescribe this to me, I’m actually livid. Four days before Christmas and I have over 25 pimples on my face. When I say last Friday my skin was clean, I’m not kidding. Livid."

• ccr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 30, 2024

For Birth Control "My pharmacy switched me from Estarylla to this, and over the past month of taking this birth control, I have been feeling absolutely insane. I'm not normally an emotional person, but have cried multiple times before going to sleep, been hating my husband to the point of considering divorce, haven't been able to sleep, and emotions have been up and down like crazy. I've never felt like this before, so I started to think it might be the BC - did some research and saw other women saying similar things. I plan on throwing this medication out right away and requesting to get back on Estarylla ASAP. Be careful!"

• Ema...
• February 9, 2021

For Birth Control "My NP prescribed this to me after I came to her with complaints of severe PMS. However, this pill has done anything but prevent it. I’m currently in the middle of my second pack on the pill, and I’ve noticed severe changes. My depression before starting my period was bad prior to starting the pill, but the pill has heightened it. I feel so depressed now and also get much more emotional—both angry and sad (crying). The PMS feels like it lasts the entire month. My acne does not seem to be improving, either. My periods are somewhat shorter yet are irregular (it came unexpectedly 2 weeks earlier). Not to mention—I have bad physical PMS, such as headaches, nausea, and more, which I’ve never had before. In my personal opinion, this pill has done me no justice, and I will be switching as soon as I can. I want to feel like myself again."

• Blo...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 10, 2022

For Birth Control "I love this pill! I was given Aurovela Fe 1/20 after almost losing my IUD, which ended up being embedded in my cervix for months. I was scared to be put on hormonal birth control because of all the side effects I’ve heard people had. However, I love this pill. I haven’t had any mood swings, my migraines have gone away completely, and my periods have gotten significantly lighter. I have nothing but good reviews for this birth control! I can’t believe all the bad reviews I see for this pill."

• Lin...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 10, 2021

For Birth Control "I have been on Microgestin since I was 17 because it was my form of protection from pregnancy, and now I am 25. When I first started, it was great, I saw my periods come once a month - very regular, which I loved. I didn't gain weight or start getting acne. But I did notice mood swings, it wasn't too bad. Just something I would notice before my period. I never had any issues with it after all this time, but now I am married, and I am noticing a low sex drive. Not sure if it is this birth control pill or something else? I am worried about getting off it so suddenly since I have been taking it for so long. The pill is the form of birth control I have personally taken this entire time, not sure how my body will react to others..."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 29, 2021

For Birth Control "My doctor recommended this birth control as my first one because of the low hormones, and I haven’t had any physical side effects at all. I can say I’m a little more emotional than normal, but my new cramp-free 3-day periods make up for the extra crying."

• Sar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 24, 2021

For Birth Control "This pill almost cost me my relationship with my boyfriend! Horrible mood swings as soon as I started this and was on it for about 2 months. I also started experiencing severe hair loss to the point where I’m almost balding. The moods made me feel super anxious, self-conscious, very irritable, and felt like crying over everything! I was on Junel for the longest, and it worked great. But apparently, the pharmacist said they weren’t making it anymore, so they switched me to Aurovela. I can't keep on taking this pill and am discontinuing it immediately! And had I seen all of these horrible reviews, I never would have started taking it to begin with."

• Mic...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 5, 2022

For Birth Control "The absolute worst thing I’ve ever put into my body. I’ve always been a happy, upbeat person. On this pill, I struggled with extreme anxiety, depression, weight gain, acne, uncontrollable anger, insomnia, and mood swings since being on this pill. I was great on Junel. Never once had a suicidal ideation until a few months being on Aurovela. It took me a while to connect the dots. I thought my anxiety and depression were outside factors until I took a few months off from taking the pill and felt like my normal happy self again. Then going back onto it, I felt the anxiety, depression, and anger kick in and take over my life. I’m an actual lunatic on the pill. I highly recommend staying as far away from Aurovela as possible."

• Don...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 27, 2021

For Birth Control "I was switched to Aurovela when I moved and changed pharmacies about 4 months ago. I've dealt with anxiety and depression for my entire life, but I was always able to cope until I started Aurovela. I lost all motivation, could barely force myself out of bed most days, and it amplified my anxiety nearly to the point of having panic attacks. I've always been a stoic person, but while taking this medication, I was constantly on the verge of tears. I started to suspect a few weeks back that the medication was causing my extreme mood swings, anxiety, and depression, so I made an appointment with my doctor and just got switched to a new medication. I've only been off Aurovela for a few days, but I'm already feeling a million times better. I can't believe I toughed it out for so long. I've tried several brands of birth control pills over the last decade, but this is by far the worst. Save yourself the trouble, don't take this medication."

• use...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 12, 2022

For Birth Control "I took this birth control for a year. Positive Effects: For about 11 months, it made all my acne and pore congestion completely disappear. This was really why I remained on the medication for so long despite the bad side effects. It also made my period disappear during placebo week starting at the 3rd month. It did reduce my libido a tiny bit, but not to the point where it made me not want sex or my boyfriend. Negative Effects: At around 12 months, my skin began breaking out. Not extreme breakouts, but I no longer had flawless skin as I had for 11 months. I experienced extreme bloating for the first couple of months. Extreme like intense discomfort. This did get 'better', but I was always bloated the entire year of taking this medication. I did realize that my mood swings got worse while taking this pill."

• PRR...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 14, 2022

For Birth Control "Awful. I was on Lo Loestrin Fe for my first month of birth control, and I didn’t have any issues besides occasional nausea. When I used Aurovela, within the first couple of days I had awful, pounding headaches every day for hours on end, awful mood swings, and on the last night I took it, I woke up at 3 in the morning with the worst nausea I have ever had and threw up for several minutes and passed out. I knew something was up when I saw such a low rating for this medicine. Maybe it’ll work for some people, but from what I've seen and my own experience, this pill is an awful experience."

• LJS...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 9, 2022

For Birth Control "If you struggle with mental health, this birth control is definitely not for you. It was prescribed to me by my gyno after a 2-minute conversation with her, and she essentially rushed the conversation because she was very busy and told me that this is what she starts all her patients on. So I took her word for it and took the birth control for about 6 months. My mood stability went out the window and I became very reactive, acting like I was PMSing all the time. I was irritable, sensitive, emotional, and just feeling down all the time. Even after a week of not taking it, I feel so much better mentally. I’m hoping as my body comes back to normal before the BC I feel more like myself again. Additionally, I used to suffer from acne but have had relatively clear skin for the past year. Taking this BC has made my skin flare back up with hormonal acne, and it’s been very frustrating. Not a fan at all of this BC."

• LJS...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 9, 2022

For Birth Control "If you struggle with mental health, this birth control is definitely not for you. It was prescribed to me by my gyno after a 2-minute conversation with her, and she essentially rushed the conversation because she was very busy and told me that this is what she starts all her patients on. So I took her word for it and took the birth control for about 6 months. My mood stability went out the window and I became very reactive, acting like I was PMSing all the time. I was irritable, sensitive, emotional, and just feeling down all the time. Even after a week of not taking it, I feel so much better mentally. I’m hoping as my body comes back to normal before the BC I feel more like myself again. Additionally, I used to suffer from acne but have had relatively clear skin for the past year. Taking this BC has made my skin flare back up with hormonal acne, and it’s been very frustrating. Not a fan at all of this BC."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 1, 2021

For Birth Control "I took this for a month before I immediately got off of it. I originally had been on Lo Loestrin Fe for over a year before my insurance stopped paying for it. Then switched to Microgestin for a few months, which was fine except I was getting occasionally cystic breakouts. Switched to this, and for the first month, I had never been more emotionally unstable. I had the worst mood swings and cried hysterically for no reason (and I don't cry very easily either). It got to the point where I had some rather-dark-thoughts. As soon as I switched back to Lo Loestrin Fe, the depression, mood swings, and frantic crying subsided. I had some 2 months left of the Aurovela Fe, but I would literally never give it to my worst enemy."

• Bla...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 1, 2021

For Birth Control "I pride myself on taking care of my 4c natural hair. This pill has made my hair become weak, brittle, extremely dry, and damaged, and even worse, it’s falling out by the handful. I’m completely devastated. I have been using this pill for 3 months. Also experiencing extreme, swollen, and painful breasts. Last night, fluid was leaking from one breast! Extreme mood swings, depression, and anxiety. Almost unable to focus, which is completely outside my character. Came here to see if I was crazy, and I’m clearly not judging by all of these reviews. Today, I’m stopping cold turkey."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 25, 2022

For Birth Control "I actually loved the birth control. It definitely made my boobs bigger and made my acne not bad at all. No weight gain or anything. Right when I started it I did have some mood swings, but after that I was completely normal. The only long-lasting side effect I had was a low sex drive."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 6, 2022

For Birth Control "This is my first time using birth control. When talking to my doctor, I requested something with a low dosage so that I still may receive my menstrual cycle. The doctor suggested Microgestin, but the pharmacist gave me the generic brand, which is this pill. I have had the worst experience when it came to mood swings and weight gain. I do not like this birth control. My mood swings are horrible, I have had the worst attitude you can think of. It makes me very aggravated, irritability out of control, always getting into an argument. When you get to a certain section of pills, it makes you eat, eat, eat, and eat like you can never get full. The hunger feels ridiculous. After I had my baby, I lost my weight going back to normal size, but starting those pills added my weight back. THIS IS NOT THE PILL FOR ME. I will try one more pill before I give up on birth control, everything is meant to be natural."

• MSa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 7, 2020

For Birth Control "I was wary of taking Aurovela Fe 1/20 at first as I normally take Junel 1/2 FE until my pharmacy had to give me this one due to shortage. During the first month, I hadn't had any problems with bloating, weight gain, or sudden mood swings, but at nearly the third week, I did experience some bad chin acne till the end of my days."