Lo Loestrin Fe and Mood Swings: What Users Say (Page 5)

• eli...
• November 12, 2015

For Birth Control "I've been taking Lo Loestrin Fe since March of 2015. It's now November of 2015, and I feel pretty good about it overall. I take it at the same exact time every day without fail. After the first two months, my period completely stopped. During the first three months, I had almost no sex drive. It wasn't until my body got used to the medication that my moods started to stabilize and my sex drive went back to normal. I get more emotional and irrational around the end of each pack, but that's the only lasting effect this birth control seems to have on me. I would recommend Lo Loestrin Fe."

• DS1...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 3, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on Lo Loestrin Fe for 2 years now, and I've loved it. I haven't gained any weight, no acne breakouts, and I haven't had a period in 2 years. It's been amazing. The only thing is I have some mild mood swings during my Week 3 and Week 4 of the pill and some breast tenderness. I originally got on the pill for my heavy period and severe PMS, and I've had zero cramps and no bloating. Best birth control I've ever been on!"

• KC3...
• February 6, 2018

For Birth Control "I was on this pill for 2 years. It gave me mood swings in the beginning, followed by spotting, irregular periods, vaginal dryness, and a very decreased libido. I noticed about 1.5 years into taking this pill that my clitoris became way less sensitive to stimulation and that it actually physically shrunk (clitoral atrophy)."

• Ell...
• August 20, 2016

For Birth Control "Took it for about nine months, and everything went smoothly. My heavy, horribly painful periods suddenly became lighter, shorter, less frequent, and less painful. I even lost about 30 pounds while on the medication (I'd been trying to lose weight for years prior). However, I stopped taking it for about a month (had surgery and had to cease all medications), and when I got back on it, it was like a completely different drug. My period went back to being heavy and my cramps were even worse than before, but this time it came with intense mood swings. I'm talking screaming/crying one minute, laughing the next. My advice: this is a good medication as long as you continue to take it and don't stop. The hormones will mess you up."

• Ali...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 23, 2016

For Birth Control "So I have read some reviews of this pill that are bad, but my review will be great! I am on my 6th week taking this pill, and I'm so happy! My sex drive is back! Acne is clearing! Period is gone, lol, it disappeared, but oh well. (Not pregnant/took tests.) Only cons I have were that I do get a tad emotional and cry over little things. I had brown spotting for 2 weeks when I first started it, no appetite, and a tiny bit of nausea."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 7, 2016

For Birth Control "First month was great. Slightly more anxiety, but thought it would surpass. The pill got worse month by month. More anxiety, more depression. Weight gain, nausea/vomiting, extremely painful periods with crazy mood swings. Cannot wait for this pack to be over so I can switch."

• She...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 3, 2016

For Birth Control "STAY AWAY FROM THIS PILL. I was on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo. I liked it a lot because I had zero acne. The only problem was that my periods lasted over a week and could be painful. I changed gynecologist when I moved to college. She put me on Lo Loestrin Fe, and it was the worst year of my entire life. My face looked worse than it did in 7th grade. I have ZERO sex drive. I already have anxiety, and this pill made it a million times worse, and I about drove everyone, as well as myself, crazy with my mood swings and attitude. Wanna know the worst part? I had two periods a month. One on the week my actual period was supposed to start and one on the second week in the pack. I put up with that for an entire year thinking it would 'regulate.' It didn't. BEWARE."

• tdh...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 13, 2016

For Birth Control "I understand that this BC is not for everyone, but I have noticed that a lot of the 'bad reviews' didn't give this pill a chance for longer than 1-2 months! My doc told me it would take at least 3 months to adjust to the pill, and to wait it out about that long to see any side effects subside. As far as my experience goes, I have had a few very manageable side effects. The first week or two, I gained 5-7 lbs in water weight, had some minor mood swings/crying spells, and decreased appetite, but that all went away and returned to normal. The only thing negative so far for me is that I have had spotting/period in the middle of each pack, which is very light, as well as cramps for about 4 days straight. Hoping that part goes away soon!"

• meo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 18, 2017

For Birth Control "I would not recommend this birth control at all. I've taken BC in the past and had 0 complications. To begin, this BC is a low dosage, so it really shouldn't have this severe of symptoms. Two weeks after starting this birth control, I noticed a huge increase in appetite (causing me to gain weight), I had mood swings, spotting, and fatigue. I am now finishing up my 2nd month and am stopping this because I ended up having episodes of depression again, heavier spotting (had to wear a tampon), and got acne (in addition to the 1st month side effects). Do not waste your time, pain, and energy with this birth control."

• b49...
• November 12, 2019

For Birth Control "I would give this birth control a rating of 0 if I could! This is absolutely the WORST medicine I’ve ever taken in my whole life!!! This is the first birth control I’ve been on, and it has done nothing good for me. This pill gave me excruciating cramps (worse cramps than I had before taking Lo Loestrin Fe), terrible mood swings, and I have had breakthrough bleeding 3 weeks out of the month for the past YEAR. It’s almost as if my body has never adjusted to this low-dosage medicine. I had anxiety/depression before I started taking this medicine, and this past year has been absolutely awful for me emotionally and mentally. This is NOT the right birth control for you if you already have anxiety or depression. I cannot believe I have waited this long to realize all of my problems came from this birth control. I do not recommend it at all."

• oih...
• January 15, 2016

For Birth Control "Loved this birth control. Didn't have mood swings or gain weight. Also didn't have a period except for an exceptionally light one every 4 months or so, which was great in my opinion. The only reason I had to stop was because my stupid work switched insurance companies and the new one didn't cover this."

• LKM...
• March 30, 2016

For Birth Control "WORST BIRTH CONTROL. I was on it for a little over a year and just got off of it (thank goodness!) First 3 months of taking the pill, I gained 18 pounds... And my diet and exercise did not change whatsoever. I developed these extremely painful vaginal infections while on this pill, and my sex drive dropped significantly. Never suffered with acne, not even during my awkward teen years, but as soon as I started taking this medication, I broke out EVERYWHERE... Face and body. But worst of all, this pill made me absolutely PSYCHOTIC. I'm generally a really happy person, but all of a sudden, I became EXTREMELY testy, angry, and teary all the time. Even had quite a few gnarly panic attacks. I would never recommend this to anyone..."

• Kim...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 3, 2022

For Birth Control "I've been on Lo Loestrin for 8 years! Absolutely the best birth control I've been on! Was skeptical at first to the idea of no period, but loved that fact after several months. Never got pregnant while on it. No mood swings. No weight gain. No acne! Wish my insurance didn't make me have to change."

• Don...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 22, 2015

For Birth Control "I'm 21, I've been on this pill for about 5 months now, and it's been terrible. I got on this pill because I wouldn't get a period for about 4 or 5 months, and when I finally got my period, it was super heavy and the cramps were unbearable. I now get a period every month, and they are light, lasting 4-5 days, but I still get intense cramping. I also have dark brown spotting every month, probably a week after my period, and that lasts another week. But this month, I have been spotting nonstop and waking up with cramps every day. Ever since I started it, I have also had the worst mood swings, crying at everything, pushing my boyfriend away, and it's been affecting our relationship badly, 0 sex drive, and severe depression, making my anxiety worse."

• Mad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 5, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on this BC for less than a month. I love it. I'm 5'6", 110 lbs, and 23 years old. I work out 6 days a week and have a normal diet, nothing radical. Noticed no weight gain with this pill, no mood swings, no headaches. This has improved my skin and is 100% effective in preventing pregnancy. Just be sure to set an alarm and take it at the same time each day (I take mine at 10 pm) before I go to bed. If you're hesitating, don't. Give this a shot and stick with it, you'll be happy you did. Cheers!"

• Dar...
• December 21, 2015

For Birth Control "I was on this birth control for three months. I gained over ten pounds and went from a C cup to a DD. This pill was absolutely terrible for me. I lowered my sex drive, and my emotions were so all over the place that I considered seeing a therapist. Seems like a lot of side effects for such a low dose of hormones. Not worth it at all."

• Cec...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 13, 2023

For Birth Control "I've never experienced mood swings because of birth control until Lo Loestrin Fe. However, my situation may not apply to most people, but I still wanted to share. I have a Nexplanon implant as my main birth control and have two periods a month - one every other week. So my doctor suggested I take a very low dose of pill birth control to stabilize my periods. I took Lo Loestrin Fe for about a month and got so incredibly anxious about everything, I would get random panic attacks without knowing what the source of them was and felt very unlike myself. I decided to stop taking Lo Loestrin Fe since I prefer having two periods a month to having those feelings and thoughts. After just 5 days of not taking Lo Loestrin Fe, I don't have these random anxious feelings and thoughts, I feel like myself again. That felt like a rollercoaster ride."

• NN0...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 26, 2015

For Birth Control "I was on Lo Loestrin Fe for 1 1/2 years. Overall, good experience. Not pregnant and never have been while on this medication. I took it every morning around the same time, weekends within 4 hours of my usual time. I did not consistently have a period each month, which is normal for this medication. Sometimes I had the usual cramps and mood swings around the time I was supposed to have my period, but no bleeding. Had breast tenderness. I did not gain weight. No issues with acne, but I have a very strong regime for that due to the type of skin I have. I would recommend it to women starting birth control for the first time. I needed a higher dosage of estrogen due to breakthrough bleeding twice, so now I am on Junel 1.5/30, no complaints so far."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 15, 2015

For Birth Control "I have been on LOLO (Canadian version) for just over a month now. I personally have had side effects on this pill, but nothing extreme, and I feel pretty good. Here's a list of my side effects week by week: Week 1: dry eyes, dull cramps, vivid dreams, feeling tired. Week 2: small dark spotting, irritable, acne, large appetite, tired. Week 3: large appetite, acne, emotional, dark spotting. Week 4: dark spotting, tired, dull cramps, appetite normal. Did not get my period on the placebo pills. Spotting was no big deal at all. No weight gain. No bloating. No horrendous cramps that I usually get. So far, during the second pack, I am feeling pretty good. I think this pill is worth a try, and you need to give your body time to adjust!!"

• Mom...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 11, 2016

For Birth Control "I started this BC for severe bleeding, and it was a horrible experience. I am 33 years old, and this is the worst BC pill I have ever used. I bled for 12 days straight during my first period while on this pill. It has also caused my face to break out horribly and awful mood swings. It has also caused me to be severely bloated. I would not recommend this to anyone."

• Nom...
• September 4, 2019

"Awful, my prior pill, Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, was no longer getting manufactured. Had zero issues on that one, perfect. Suggested trying this as an alternative low-dose pill. Fought through the first 3 months, was BAD. I felt like a dark cloud hanging over me, depressed, bad thoughts about life, never had this on the pill I was taking before. Nausea, enlarged breasts getting close to the end of the pack, period doesn’t come at all, just feel exhausted 5-10 days or so near the end of the pack, like I took a sedative every day. Started napping during the day, never was like that before. Went to the doctor for a blood workup thinking my nutrients were off or low iron, all was fine, so it is definitely the pill. Mood swings like crazy towards the end of the pack, crying, sensitive, anxiety, etc. I suffered through all this month by month because I’m out of low-dose options and wanted to be on something, but planning to stop in a week. I can say I tried to just bear with the symptoms but can’t live forever like this. Suggest trying if considering, but you’ve been warned."

• Its...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 2, 2013

For Birth Control "I have been using Lo Loestrin Fe for 1 month now, and I've had my period three times this month, breaking out like crazy and having so many mood swings with depression. On my period, I have medium-high cramps, back pains, and my breasts are sore. All the time! I haven't really gained any weight, which is good, but I'm going to keep using it and see if it gets better."

• ano...
• October 6, 2015

For Birth Control "I am 31 years old and have been on Lo Loestrin Fe for about 2 years now. My Dr. suggested putting me on this bc because the other birth control I was on was giving me severe mood swings. The thing I love about this bc is that I don't have my period AT ALL, not even once. The downside to this bc is that at the end of my pack, I start to have a few days of mood swings, depression, anxiety, and I get overly sensitive about stuff. Also, I gained a bunch of weight from taking this pill, before taking the pill, I was 115 lbs, and now I am about 145 lbs, and I'm 5'2. The other good side to the pill is that it stopped the cramping immediately. I want to go off the pill, but I am scared of the side effects of coming off it."

• Ash...
• January 2, 2012

For Birth Control "I'm a very petite, 16-year-old girl who is taking this to help regulate my periods. From what I can tell, I have had no side effects (weight gain, bloating, depression, mood swings) yet except for a few breakouts (which could be caused by just being a teen) and breast tenderness! This is severe! I'm just an A cup, and I can't tell if I'm growing at all or not, but I do know that I've only been on the pill for 1 week, and the pain I am feeling in my breasts is ridiculous! I can no longer lay on my stomach. The slightest amount of pressure hurts. I hope this wears off pretty soon, or I might consider stopping the pill."

• Unh...
• April 10, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on this pill for about 6 months, and I didn't experience any weight gain. My only issue with this pill is that I get very emotional during the third week of the pill. Doctors recommend taking a B-complex vitamin at the same time. I didn't know this at first, but once I started doing this, I noticed a positive change but still had that mood swing in the third week. I would just get a little obsessive and cry easily. Just remember that each pill works differently for everyone. So a pill that makes one person gain weight might make another lose weight."