Loestrin 21 1/20 and Cramps: What Users Say

• Loe...
• September 14, 2015

For Birth Control "After only taking this pill for 14 days, I made the decision to discontinue it. For me, this medication makes me miserable. The problems I experienced were: major anxiety, irritability and agitation; nausea; one episode of extreme dizziness and headache to the point I wondered if I was having a stroke; breast tenderness; fluid retention; fatigue; strange dryness around my gums; abdominal cramps; and a noticeable change in my bowel movements; an absolute loss of libido. It is hard to believe that a little BC pill can wreck your physical and emotional well-being in less than 14 days. I will never take this pill again!"

• Gin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 30, 2018

For Birth Control "After trying several different combined pills, this one is by far the best. I suffer from moderate acne that would flare up every month to the point I felt so self-conscious I wouldn't want to leave the house. Three months later and my skin is completely clear, not even so much as a tiny pimple. Along with the acne I had before, I also had very heavy and painful periods-also gone. I now have three days of light, pain-free bleeding every month, and my mood is better than ever. I would definitely recommend this pill!"

• Ali...
• January 27, 2016

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "After the first 3 weeks, it was amazing. The first 3 weeks, I had horrible headaches and nausea, but once my body got used to the hormones, that went away, and I had little to no side effects. I did have weight gain, but I've had that with all the BCs I've tried. I had very heavy periods with awful cramps that were making me miss school/work, and this made my periods very light, regular, and with very tolerable cramps. Lifesaver. I haven't had as good of luck on the 'generics' of Loestrin, but it got very expensive and then discontinued. Oh, and also no pregnancy."

• Sam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 4, 2019

"I’ve only been on this for about 2 weeks, but already my breast size has grown a cup, but I've thinned out overall. It’s honestly helped me with binge eating. I have really light cramps every day (almost not even noticeable). I had a miscarriage about 2 months before starting this, and my hormones were super imbalanced. Loestrin has definitely balanced them out again. No more crazy mood swings, freaking out on my boyfriend for no reason. I haven’t had any acne or anything negative to happen yet. I would rate this a 10, but I’ve only been on it for a couple of weeks, so things could change."

• Chl...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 28, 2017

For Birth Control "I've been on this pill for a week, and I've had to stop taking it. I had to swap from Noriday to this as I was having irregular bleeding and very bad cramps. First day, no side effects as expected. But from the second day onwards, my period disappeared, I started to experience horrendous dizziness to the point I would class it as vertigo, and at one point, I was sure I was having a heart attack because I had a very dull ache in my chest and my blood pressure was 172/151! Not to mention my moods are all over the place!"

• Abc...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 14, 2019

For Birth Control "I've been on this pill for 5 years. I went on it for birth control. It's great for preventing pregnancy and for setting your periods in a routine - you know when you're due to come on and can plan holidays, etc. around it... But for the past year or so, I've been experiencing really bad mood swings, dark thoughts, and it's causing relationship problems. I'm constantly up and down, I don't know when my mood will change... I've decided to stop taking the pill now and will consult my doctor. My periods are also a lot more painful now, even though the pill is supposed to prevent discomfort and pain during periods (that's how it was sold to me anyway). Overall, for the first few years, this pill was perfect, but since I hit the 3-4 year mark... it has caused me nothing but problems. As I'm in the UK, this is prescribed for free on the NHS as it's for birth control."

• Lad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 25, 2023

For Birth Control "I am 38 years old and decided to get back on birth control. The doctor prescribed Loestrin as I wanted to try something new. In the past, I had taken Ortho Tri-Cyclen for a short period. Anyhow, I started this new BC and had an unpleasant experience immediately. On the second day, I had cramps and dizziness. On the third day, I got a light headache which I figured would go away, and also felt dizzy and tired. On the fourth day, I still had a minor headache lingering and dizziness, and after I ate lunch, I felt sick. On the fifth day, I took the pill again and my headache became a migraine later in the evening. I took some Tylenol and felt my heart race a little and took a warm shower to ease the migraine. I went to bed and woke up at 4 a.m. with a migraine and had to shower again to ease it off. The next day, I decided to stop taking this birth control as I don’t feel I should have that many side effects with birth control. The only pros were that I felt my mood was better but not worth the side effects."

• kek...
• March 5, 2013

For Birth Control "My cramps got worse, my period got heavier and lasted longer."