Junel Fe 1/20 and Mood Swings: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Ala...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 23, 2019

For Birth Control "Honestly, never had a problem with Junel Fe 1/20. I have been on it for 4 years, never gained weight, cleared up my acne, and never gave me mood swings. I use it continuously (never have a period), and it has been great. Tbh, give it a shot and use it for longer than 3 months, and you'll be fine."

• Tes...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 23, 2019

For Birth Control "I haven’t had my period on this pill except once for the three years I’ve been taking it (and I don’t skip the placebo pills), which is absolutely amazing! The only drawback is that it gives me mood swings sometimes (I’ll start bawling for no reason at all or over the smallest thing, which I had never done before the pill), but it’s so worth not having a period! It’s also cleared up my acne. I was most scared of weight gain on birth control, and I’ve had none of that."

• Eca...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 29, 2020

For Birth Control "Although I had positive experiences with this birth control, Junel Fe 1/20, like no breakthrough bleeding, no mood changes, etc., I got pregnant. I did not miss any pills, was not on an antibiotic or any medication that could have interfered with the birth control, and took it at the same time every day. Therefore, I would not rate this as an overly effective birth control pill. I am starting it again now, 1 month after delivering our unplanned (yet very loved) baby, but my husband also had a vasectomy."

• Anonymous
• April 15, 2012

For Birth Control "Junel Fe has caused me to become EXTREMELY emotional, and I have gained at least 10 pounds in my stomach area. I feel embarrassed because I am usually a small, petite girl. I'm definitely going to call my pharmacist to ask."

• Jes...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 10, 2017

For Birth Control "Worst birth control I've ever taken. It made me angry, moody, cranky, and emotional. I've had cramps every day since I started taking it, and now I'm spotting constantly-almost daily. I also gained 8 pounds in the first 3 weeks of taking it. I stopped taking it after the first month because it had so many negative side effects. I've never had issues like this in 35 years from birth control pills... SMH."

• Jes...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 10, 2017

For Birth Control "Worst birth control I've ever taken. It made me angry, moody, cranky, and emotional. I've had cramps every day since I started taking it, and now I'm spotting constantly-almost daily. I also gained 8 pounds in the first 3 weeks of taking it. I stopped taking it after the first month because it had so many negative side effects. I've never had issues like this in 35 years from birth control pills... SMH."

• Sad...
• November 18, 2015

For Birth Control "I began this birth control in January of 2015 (after about 10 months of being off BC). I moved, so I got a new doctor who prescribed Junel Fe 1/20. I had never had an issue with BC before, so I never thought this pill would put me on the downward spiral that it did. Let me state that it took me 10 months to realize this pill was to blame because I lived with my in-laws while purchasing a home and planning a wedding...stress was becoming a close relative. But this pill gave me back acne, weight gain, chin hair, migraines, a cyst on my breast, no sex drive at all, and mood swings so bad that suicide or divorce would cross my mind. Worst pill ever. Strongly advise against."

• Aan...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 8, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve been on Junel for almost two years, and wow, those first 3 months were TERRIBLE! The nausea, anxiety, mood swings... it was insane! But after 3 months, it all went away. I had light, regular periods. It was really a great pill, I gained maybe 5 lbs on Junel, which wasn’t that bad compared to the 20 lbs on a pill I was on years ago. HOWEVER, the reason I’m going off of it is because I feel like it changed me completely as a person. I feel like I have no emotions, which is terrible because of my patient, loving boyfriend. I feel like this birth control protected me from emotions because I feel so disconnected with the world and myself. Also, this pill ended my sex drive... like *bang* I just can’t feel anything to get aroused. Smh, I hope this all goes away after stopping next week!"

• Bec...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 18, 2020

For Birth Control "I was on Junel Fe 1/20 for 4 months. It was $45 every 3 months. It started off just fine. I felt great, no weight gain, no acne, my breasts were constantly sore, and I grew in size, but it wasn’t too much to complain about. My periods also improved. I noticed I was a bit more emotional but didn’t worry too much because I already have anxiety and thought it would level out. Month 4 hit me hard. I woke up after the first week and just cried. For some reason, I felt hopeless in the world, and no matter what I did, I didn’t feel better. I tried vitamin B12, changing my diet, nothing worked. After weeks of debating, I switched to Lutera, which is a different progestin, and I am finishing my first month and feel 100% better. I’m still emotional before my period, but that is nothing out of the ordinary. Junel did its job at preventing pregnancy, but the cost of my mental health was not worth it."

• Mar...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 20, 2019

For Birth Control "For what it's worth, I started this already having high anxiety and bipolar, compounded with an eating disorder - so the points about weight gain and mood swings were pretty freaky to me. I started taking it due to endometriosis-related period pain. Junel Fe 1/20 has worked perfectly for me; the only change I've noticed is that I don't spend a week in bed barfing from the pain. If you have bipolar II and are worried about the complaints of anxiety/depression worsening, give it a try. It worked just fine for me alongside Latuda."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 14, 2019

For Birth Control "I was only on the Junel 1/20 pill for a week, and I had to stop taking it. It made me so sick all day, every day. Although I only threw up once during that period, I was constantly nauseous. I got bloated, my mood swings were terrible, like bouncing off the walls terrible, and my face broke out so bad. I know the pill affects everyone differently, but I do not recommend this pill."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 11, 2017

For Birth Control "I have been really satisfied with this birth control pill. I've been on it for nearly 3 months, and it's everything I wanted and more. I haven't gained weight, my acne has gotten way better than it was. I have been protected from pregnancy (I take this pill RELIGIOUSLY down to the minute every single day!). At first, it can be tough with the mood swings, but TRUST ME, they go away. My sex drive is great, my mood is great, and life is great with this pill. I highly recommend it!"

• Anonymous
• March 15, 2019

For Birth Control "I have been taking this pill for 9 months. I don’t know how I made it through the first three months because I was constantly dizzy, nauseous, throwing up, I gained 10 pounds, and I started feeling sad and irritated all the time. Well, it’s 9 months now, and most of the symptoms have gone away, but I am still really depressed. My mood swings are off the charts, and I lack motivation for anything. It regulated my period, which is really great, but I don’t think it’s worth my mental health. I’m going off it."

• Anonymous
• February 2, 2020

For Birth Control "Went on this about a year ago, it cleared my skin, had no weight gain, and very light periods. Some breakthrough bleeding in the beginning, but that’s normal. Unfortunately, for the past few months, I have gotten two periods each month that are heavier than my periods before I started birth control. The worst part is that it has completely wrecked my mood, I cry at least once a day, I have no energy, and never feel like myself. I have had no history of mental health issues, but this genuinely makes me depressed."

• sma...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 2, 2015

For Birth Control "I have taken Junel Fe 1/20 for two months primarily as a method of birth control. So far, I have had a few episodes of mild nausea and one more serious episode where the nausea was nearly immobilizing and accompanied by harsh pelvic pain and spotting. I have had some mood swings and low feelings -- though I experienced this prior in the form of PMS, too. My breasts seem slightly larger, though I have not gained weight otherwise. Prior to taking Junel Fe 1/20, I had very occasional breakouts, which I am still experiencing. I experienced spotting and light bleeding on the active pills -- which will hopefully subside as the hormones regulate."

• Mad...
• January 20, 2019

For Birth Control "Please never take this pill! I am typically not the type to write out reviews, but I felt like it was necessary for this one. I’ve been on birth control for about 8 years and have only had to change my brand 3 times because my pharmacy stopped carrying two of them. My pharmacist recently told me they no longer had the Microgestin I had been on for years, so they were going to change me to Junel. I noticed acne right away, and I am typically not one to ever get acne. I spoke to my doctor about changing, but she said to try it out for at least a couple of months 'til my body adjusted. I continued to have acne flare-ups that I have never had in my life. I could not control my mood swings and found myself becoming really irritable and crying for no reason. I spoke with my doctor and am now changing my birth control (BC). This is a major warning, especially coming from someone who’s tried other BC and never experienced anything like this until starting Junel."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 14, 2019

For Birth Control "I was on Junel for 3 years. The first 2 months, I was VERY emotional, but after everything evened out, I saw some positive things. Gained a little weight (I was fine with it because it went directly to my boobs and butt), helped my acne (still broke out around my period), also COMPLETELY STOPPED BLEEDING. No cramping-nothing. Which is kinda weird, but my doc said it was fine. Imagine not having to buy tampons for 3 years. All in all, pretty neat. I moved to another country, so unfortunately, I have to switch to another BC..."

• Tif...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 11, 2019

For Birth Control "I have never in my life had such serious side effects with any prescription like I have with this. I took it for a total of 10 days before I had to stop. At day 4, I had 3 pretty severe anxiety attacks. Days 4-10, I experienced really bad mood swings, hard crying for no reason, and at day 10, I was put into the deepest depression I've ever experienced, to the point where I had to go to a friend's house as I was worried about self-harm. I am serious. The most horrific feelings, and I'm on day 2 of not taking it, and I'm nauseous, have a headache that won't go away, and my chest hurts from the anxiety that I am feeling."

• Bir...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 4, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on Junel Fe for about 6 months. I'm 21. So far, everything is good. I switched pills due to spotting for 60 days straight on a 90-day pill. Junel Fe gives me hardly any cramps, which is amazing because mine used to be so bad I would vomit, and I have light to no periods during the brown pill week. I did, however, notice I want to eat 24/7 (which I can control), and my mood swings are a little more severe. Sex drive and acne weren't affected."

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

For Birth Control "I’ve truly loved this birth control, Junel Fe 1/20. The first few months, I had some symptoms like breast tenderness, headaches, and was more emotional than usual, but they weren’t severe symptoms by any means, and by the third month, they were gone. My period comes on time each month, like clockwork, and is MUCH lighter than it has ever been. Cramps are less painful, and any PMS symptoms are just generally more bearable. Plus, best of all, no pregnancy here! :)"

• pin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 27, 2019

For Birth Control "I've been on it for nearly two months now. The first month was fine, and my period was amazing. I normally have awful periods with so much pain I vomit and heavy bleeding, but the pill made all of that stop. But now, going on month two, there isn't a day that goes by where I don't feel ill. Dizzy, nauseous, headaches, mood swings, really weird dissociation, abdominal pain, and cramping – I'm going to stop taking the pill immediately because I can't take it. I would rather have a week a month of an awful period than feel like this every day. I might try another kind of birth control, but I'm hesitant because I don't want to go through this again, and I'm only using it to regulate my period, so I'm honestly not sure if it's worth it."

• lis...
• April 12, 2017

For Birth Control "I'm so glad I finally read reviews about this pill, and people are not lying when they say it's the worst. I recently found out that I have vertigo, but I was dealing with what I thought were vertigo symptoms for much longer than my doctor said they would last. The symptoms of this pill and vertigo are extremely similar. I am constantly lightheaded. Almost every day. Sometimes to the point where I can't even drive. It makes me nauseous. I can't focus at work. And if you think people who said it gives them mood swings were being dramatic, they're not. I have anxiety attacks on a regular basis. I've most definitely gained weight and have seen my acne get worse. DON'T TAKE THIS PILL!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 16, 2016

For Birth Control "Very surprised at the negative reviews - everyone is different! I've been on Junel for over a year and have loved it. No weight gain or mood swings. I used to have incredibly heavy periods with painful cramping, and all of that has completely disappeared! My periods are light and short, and I honestly get about one cramp a month."

• Nes...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 10, 2018

For Birth Control "I have been on this birth control (BC) for about 6 months. (I used to be on Gildess, but it has been discontinued from the factory, and this one was a perfect match.) I feel like this BC has made my depression and anxiety worse. I still experience mild nausea. My face breaks out, and they seem to stay there. I’m always emotional and agitated. I get cramps, but they are minimal. My periods are light, but they are a brownish color. I’m going to stop it because I want to see if my depression gets better or maybe try a new birth control. I wish they would bring back Gildess."

• adj...
• June 17, 2016

For Birth Control "Before my body adjusted, I had really bad mood swings. When my first cycle on the pill came around, it was a little unsettling, to say the least. Bad cramping. Inconsistent dark blood. Menstruation is no longer a hassle, though, as it's practically stopped completely. No mood swings. No change in appetite. Less acne. You might not match this pill if you continue to yield undesirable results."