Junel Fe 24 and Mood Swings: What Users Say

• ALa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 5, 2020

For Birth Control "Horrible. Do not recommend. At all. Save yourself. Just started month 3, and it has been AWFUL. So glad I found this. I've had about every side effect but abnormal bleeding. Haven't been able to have sex for over a month because of vaginal dryness/inability to get wet/loss of interest (just ended month 2 yesterday). Sex was great until this pill! My side effects: major vaginal dryness (going on 3 months), no sex drive/interest/pleasure, breast tenderness/PAIN/enlargement, nausea, headache, bloating, fetal-position cramps, mental changes/mood swings, trouble concentrating, tired/weak ALL of the time, irritable, anxious, discouraged. I could go on. I was starting to question myself, my body, my mind, my relationship, felt like I just could NOT get better. I'm disappointed it took me so long to realize this was the only change. Good thing is I'm not pregnant, but hard to get pregnant when you can't have sex."

• Jul...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 25, 2020

For Birth Control "I’m not great with keeping a specific time, but I always take this pill between 11:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. This pill should take about 3-6 months to regulate in your body. Within those months, it’s normal to feel some mood swings, slight changes in period, and/or weight gain, so don’t worry. Prior to this pill, my periods were 5-7 days tops. The first period while being on this pill lasted 2 weeks, the second lasted a week. From the third month moving forward, my periods last about 3-5 days tops with no ovulation. My period dates also shift a bit. I didn’t notice any mood swings until about the 6th month. To today, I sometimes feel sad or depressed, and I won’t know why. I also cry a lot easier now. It’s nothing I’m concerned over though, not too bad, and the mood swings are easy for me to quickly get over. Positive side effect: my breasts have gotten noticeably bigger. My boyfriend has also “finished” in me multiple times with no pregnancy outcome, so the pill has been doing its job. I’d recommend."

• Jza...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 27, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve been on this birth control for a little over a year now. I love it. The first three to four months, I had very bad mood swings and normal PMS, but after those months, I felt fine. Two side effects that I did notice are I never have a sex drive. Another is heavy discharge, but nothing too hard to handle. Other than that, the pill works great. I’ve used it for a whole year, taking it at 8 pm, and now I’ve changed to 12 pm. Still, I’ve never had a problem and have never been pregnant! I’ve also had my boyfriend finish inside many times, still not pregnant! :-)"

• Anonymous
• October 22, 2019

For Birth Control "This birth control Junel Fe 24 is great, especially for first-timers!! It is really low in progesterone (which is why, sadly, after 3 years of being on it, I have to switch to a higher one due to getting too used to the strength and bleeding more than once a month). BUT my first few years on it, I had a really good experience with Junel Fe. I had a super light period that lasted anywhere from 2-5 days, and I had no cramps or migraines ever. I did not notice any weight gain, and despite other reviews, I think my sex drive was really, really good. In my first year, I did have a lot of discharge, which was kinda annoying, but that is something that became less in my third year (I think it had to do with my reason up above). My only 'con' with this birth control is that emotionally I did notice I was pretty sensitive to silly things (I found a reason to cry about almost anything, ahah), but this was not anything major, and I wish I could continue this birth control if it weren't for the low mg of progesterone :("

• Chr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 19, 2019

For Birth Control "I was given Junel Fe 24 as my first birth control about 3 1/2 months ago. I've always been pretty in control of my emotions, but these pills made me feel out of control. I was okay, a little skeptical, for the first month because the cramps during my first period on birth control got worse. I began to notice that my cravings right before my cycle were absolutely crazy. I wanted to eat everything and anything I could get my hands on. I have never experienced cravings that bad. My mood swings were terrible too. My sex drive was almost nonexistent, and I felt a lot of anxiety. My breasts got larger, and you're probably thinking that doesn't sound too terrible. Wrong! I'm seeing my OBGYN soon because I think all those bad hormones in this birth control started to cause a sore/tender spot on my right chest that might turn into a cyst. I recently switched birth control to one that all my siblings have, and I have been on it for two weeks now."

• Emm...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 29, 2019

For Birth Control "I've encountered so many problems with this pill. Constant infections after intercourse. Smelly discharge before and after periods. Headaches, high blood pressure, mood swings, depression, anxiety, irregular periods, intense anger, zero sex drive. The thought of having sex with my partner was repulsive. It's a massive mess. I was on it for almost a year. Good thing I found out what was happening. It almost cost me to lose my child's father. It can ruin relationships. Terrible experience."

• Jay...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 3, 2020

For Birth Control "My entire stint with this birth control, Junel Fe 24, has been awful. I’ve experienced every terrible side effect in the book - mood swings, weight gain, bloating, acne, you name it. I have felt incredibly depressed the whole time I’ve taken it, and my mood is all over the place - I actually cried for several hours when my succulent lost a leaf. My period is painful, and I apparently will not stop bleeding. Worst birth control I’ve been on so far."

• Tro...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 23, 2019

For Birth Control "Terrible. I used to have a problem with acne years ago, and this birth control has made my acne just as bad, if not worse, than before. I was on Blisovi and Hailey before, with no side effects, and my skin cleared up. This birth control has put my body in a downward spiral with mood swings, depression, decreased sex drive, and again, bad acne everywhere. I maintain a good diet, good sleep, and good hydration too, and nothing has changed except this birth control."

• Can...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 13, 2020

For Birth Control "I started taking Junel Fe almost a year ago. I always heard horror stories on the internet and through friends about birth control pills. For the first few months, it was fine, my periods were regular, just did not last as long and were not so heavy. About 4-5 months after taking it, I missed 3 periods in a row. Then I got my period again for the next 3 months, and it was super heavy and was lasting 8 days or more. At first, I brushed it off and did not even think it was the pills doing this. I’ve also gained almost 20 lbs. When I started to realize it could be because of my BC, I brushed it off because I tend to be a hypochondriac/overthinker. I didn’t realize what this pill was doing to my anxiety/mental health until my best friend, family, and boyfriend noticed. I’ve always been a super happy, no stress, easygoing person. I was lashing out on people for no reason and had the craziest mood swings. It works for a contraceptive, though!"

• Ata...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 18, 2018

For Birth Control "I was prescribed this birth control after I suddenly stopped getting my period. I had almost no side effects for the first couple of months and had a period every month, which was great. At the beginning of month 3, I broke out so bad to the point where I went to the dermatologist to get acne prescriptions to help improve my skin. Around the middle of month 4, I started getting really bad mood swings, anxiety, and depression, and would get an extremely bad migraine and chills the first day of placebo pills. The next month, my mood improved, but then I started getting headaches throughout the month and also really sore breasts, and also increased appetite. In the sixth month, I still had the headaches, my appetite decreased, the breast tenderness went away, and I started getting really bad cramps and mild nausea. I got tired of the unpredictable side effects and changed my prescription, so hopefully I won’t have the same experience!"

• Jul...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 12, 2022

For Birth Control "I was on Loestrin 24 Fe and then was given Junel. I loved it. Barely any period, absolutely no cramping, and it completely helped with my mental health. It saved my life. Now my pharmacy changed it to Blisovi, and I’m having horrible cramps and period mid-pack. And horrible mood swings and depression."

• Aur...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 28, 2020

"First of all, it might or might not work for you. Birth control pills have different effects on people, although quite the same symptoms. For me, it was fine! My ob-gyn doctor prescribed it to me because I didn't have my period for 3-4 months, so it was to regulate my menstrual cycle. It was my first time taking birth control pills in general too. The first time I got my period after taking the pills, it was so heavy. So, so heavy. But that is to be expected since I didn't have my period for months. The next cycle, it lasted for 3 days tops, no cramps or anything of that (although when I had regular periods, I didn't have cramps anyway), and the bleeding was very light. My weight stayed the same tbh, but my mood swings were a little sensitive but I try to channel it through healthy mechanisms. It works fine as preventing pregnancy too, so so far, so good on that."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 12, 2019

For Birth Control "This was the first birth control I had ever been on, spotting in the beginning, and I will say the positives are that I get my period for like a day and always know when it's coming. However, I've always had some depression issues, but right up until I started taking this medicine, I was the most mentally healthy I have ever been. As soon as I started taking birth control, my moods drastically changed, and I have such anxiety about everything, cry all the time, and everything scares and worries me. I lost drive and focus to do almost anything, wouldn't recommend if you already have hormone issues and imbalances because this throws you for a loop and makes you go crazy. I feel bad for the people who have to deal with it and see the changes in me, because I used to be able to feel happy, and now it's harder. Need a new birth control soon to level out my moods, and I can start feeling like myself again."

• Sou...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 25, 2019

For Birth Control "I started this birth control over 2 months ago, and today I had to call it quits. Everything was great for the first month, except for some occasional mood swings. But those mood swings increased so much by the 2nd month. I constantly feel angry all the time, and I don’t even know why. I absolutely hate feeling this way. My poor husband had spent the last 2 months getting yelled at by me all the time for no reason, which is so not like me. But I gave it a 5 because mood swings were the only side effect I got from this birth control in the past couple of months I’ve been taking it."

• Tay...
• July 11, 2019

For Birth Control "I absolutely hate it. Took it for 1.5 weeks and stopped because I was bleeding, and I still am. It’s been three weeks of bleeding now. I’m miserable. Mood changes (for the worse). Generally feeling more irritable than usual, probably because I haven’t stopped bleeding for three weeks. It’s not worth wrecking your body over. NEVER AGAIN."

• Jes...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 14, 2021

For Birth Control "Junel Fe was fine. I didn't love it, but it wasn't the worst birth control I was ever on. It did its job and kept me from getting pregnant, and my mood swings were not as bad as on some other birth control pills. It also did not do as well lightening my periods, I had some cramping and a few really heavy periods. All in all, I would probably recommend it, but it wouldn't be my first recommendation."

• Jen...
• February 20, 2020

For Birth Control "I have a disease called Empty Sella Syndrome, and basically my pituitary gland is flattened by an enlarged brain, making my hormones non-existent and have no estrogen. I was miserable for a long time. They started me on estrogen/progesterone tablets, but it did nothing to increase my estrogen because it was not absorbing through my stomach due to my gastroparesis. Then they switched me to estrogen injections/progesterone tablets, which increased my estrogen, but after a month or so, I ended up getting my period for 4 months straight and nothing was stopping it. If I missed my injections, I would be miserable with mood swings, hot flashes, and exhaustion. Turned out this was because the injections were making my estrogen too high. I then started Junel Fe 24 and was able to stop the injections/progesterone and only have to take the Junel Fe 24. I have no more postmenopausal symptoms, and my period only comes on the designated days. This medication changed my life for the better when nothing else was working!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 16, 2023

For Birth Control "Do not recommend. I started this birth control about 6 months ago because, like most, I didn’t want to get pregnant. So far it has done its job in that aspect. I have very light periods and they normally only last a few days. So if you are looking for period help, this is great. However, the bad outweighs the good for me. I have absolutely no sex drive. Before this, bf and I were intimate pretty much every day. Now we go weeks and sometimes even months because the thought of sex doesn’t interest me anymore. I can’t “O” more than once a week. In addition, I have insane mood swings, irritability, sore breasts, and breast enlargement. I am also taking an anxiety medicine which also has a low sex drive side effect, so it very well could be both causing this. All in all, it’s hurting my relationship."