Microgestin Fe 1/20 and Depression: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Hon...
• January 12, 2017

For Birth Control "I've been using this pill for a year now to have regular periods because I don't have periods and to also ovulate every month, which the pill did help me. But the side effects are the worst, which are nausea, weight gain, breast enlargement, tenderness, hurting a lot, mood swings, depression, emotional changes, changes in appetite, nervousness, headaches. I'll be using my last two packs, and I'm done with the birth control pills altogether. I hate that my body went through so many changes."

• Mis...
• January 29, 2010

For Birth Control "I had a bad experience with this. I was pretty healthy prior to using this birth control. I even stopped smoking cigarettes because I knew it would make everything worse. I started taking Microgestin two weeks ago and have become very ill. My side effects were high blood pressure, chest pain, shortness of breath, blurred vision, water retention, swollen fingers, dizziness, racing heart, feeling very tired, and depressed. It had a few benefits: clearing up my face and regulating my period, but the side effects were too many to handle. I know it works differently for everyone, but I wanted you guys to know that these risks are possible, especially if you smoke or used to smoke. I am going to get switched to a different birth control. Best of luck!"

• use...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 3, 2018

For Birth Control "I was on this pill for about 5 months. No bad symptoms except a lower sex drive, but it was manageable. I started to have irregular bleeding, so I switched to two pills over the course of 3 months, both of which made me severely depressed. I am hoping to get back on Microgestin since although there were symptoms, none of them compared to what the other pills put me through."

• Hal...
• July 25, 2013

For Birth Control "I loved this birth control at first. I never had any side effects at all, and then when I moved, I had to switch brands because my pharmacy didn't carry it. That brand was fine too, but then I ended up moving again and got switched back over to this. Ever since the switch (it's been almost 8 months now), I have felt terrible. I get depressed and moody easily, and I have completely lost my sex drive. When I do try to have sex with my boyfriend, it takes an extremely long time to get me aroused, and we end up having to use lube every time. It's also made me gain about 10 pounds. Basically, the only upside I've had to being on this pill is that I've gone from a B to a D."

• amy...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 16, 2017

For Birth Control "This pill is a nightmare. I have been on this pill for ten months, and I officially go off in 7 days, and that can't come any sooner. I don't even know where to start with all the horrible things this pill caused me. I didn't start getting all these issues until six months into the pill. I got extremely, extremely bad anxiety. I have been in a constant state of anxiety for the past five months. I am also extremely depressed due to this pill. I developed sleep paralysis and insomnia due to this pill. I am a completely different person than I was ten months ago. This pill ruined my life. My memory also got extremely bad on this pill as well. This pill literally has caused my life to spiral out of control."

• Dis...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 14, 2014

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "Slowed down my abnormal bleeding after a few weeks, it stopped altogether, then started up again, but not to the degree that it was before I was taking it. I've gained 10 lbs from it. I eat half of what I used to and eat an extremely healthy diet. I do 30 mins of cardio and 30 minutes of weight training 5-6 days a week, plus bicycling 7 days a week. I've had awful mood swings and depression, bad headaches on top of it."

• Wya...
• October 12, 2015

For Birth Control "Ok, so I was taking norethindrone because I was breastfeeding my son when I decided to stop breastfeeding. My doctor prescribed Microgestin 1/20. At first, it was okay, my headaches improved, and it helped decrease my milk supply faster. But once I got on the second pack, I started having frequent headaches and migraines. My periods have gotten lighter, a plus considering I'm a bleeder. (TMI, sorry.) I haven't gotten pregnant, but I get bloated almost every day, and I literally have no energy. I could sleep all day and still wake up like I haven't slept in a week. I am not prone to depression at all, yet since I've started this, I get depressed for long stretches of time, and I get extremely irritable. I'm getting an IUD later this week because of the effects."

• Mrs...
• January 11, 2012

For Birth Control "My doctor switched me from Loestrin Fe to Microgestin Fe to help my endometriosis. I could not figure out why I have been so miserable (tender breasts, extreme cramping and bloating, weight gain, and depression), but after reading some of these reviews, I can relate. The best oral contraceptive that I have tried is Loestrin 24, but my insurance doesn't cover it! The only positive thing from this experience: I've given up on it, and my husband and I are trying for a baby!"

• Bro...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 17, 2016

For Birth Control "Horrible!!! I decided to give this a try, but in the first month I gained 10 lbs. My appetite increased so much. I couldn't control myself, it was worse than the munchies (420). My husband and I started having issues because I was never in the mood for sex, and I mean NEVER. Horrible, horrible, horrible. Mood swings, I would get really sad out of nowhere, pretty depressing. I was very negative, started losing confidence, which is not me. Only good thing this pill did was give me super clear skin. Today is 1 month and 1 week, I am not taking it anymore!!!"

• amd...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 23, 2015

For Birth Control "I began this birth control when I was 17, and my experience wasn't pleasant. I began taking Microgestin Fe 1/20 in June 2015. When I first began the pill, I had pretty bad nausea and was extremely emotional for the first month. In my second month, I became depressed and began to have anxiety attacks for just about everything. When my boyfriend and I would have relations, he would tell me I was shedding more hair than normal. I paid more attention to it, and my scalp began to hurt as if I had my hair in a ponytail and just took it out. Every time I'd shower or brush my hair, chunks would come out. By the third month, I had lost about 30% of my hair and had noticeable bald spots. Not a pleasant experience. Life got better when I stopped taking it."

• vsl...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 2, 2018

For Birth Control "Let me just start off by saying I never break out, I’ll get the occasional acne around my period that goes away within a couple of days. While on this birth control, it made me get painful acne on my chin and jaw area. It also made me extremely depressed, anxious, tired, and hungry. I was prescribed this particular brand when I communicated to my doctor that birth control made me moody. I’d also like to add that I had painful cramps during it. The only pros were that I did not get pregnant and my period was extremely light. With that said, I wouldn’t recommend this birth control."

• Amy...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 30, 2022

For Birth Control "I took this for 6-12 months when I first married. I didn’t get pregnant, but I did gain weight and get depressed. Cried a lot for no reason and felt hopeless. And my sex drive dropped completely, which was really sad since I was newly married. This pill did not work well for me. A positive blood type. Not sure if that is relevant."

• Jam...
• November 27, 2017

For Birth Control "I'm not really sure yet if it's the pill, but I'm usually a happy-go-lucky person, always energetic and just a great person to be around. I started taking this pill 6 months to a year ago, and for the last few months, I get angry over small things, I cry so easily and feel sad and lonely. I just don't feel like myself anymore. After reading all these comments about causing depression, I'm not convinced these pills are not making me depressed."

• Jam...
• November 27, 2017

For Birth Control "I'm not really sure yet if it's the pill, but I'm usually a happy-go-lucky person, always energetic and just a great person to be around. I started taking this pill 6 months to a year ago, and for the last few months, I get angry over small things, I cry so easily and feel sad and lonely. I just don't feel like myself anymore. After reading all these comments about causing depression, I'm not convinced these pills are not making me depressed."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 11, 2022

For Birth Control "My doctor switched me to Microgestin after issues with my previous pill. I had the worst anxiety of my life on Microgestin. Panic attacks every other day, crying at the drop of a hat, no sex drive, depressed, exhausted all the time. I felt like a shell of myself. I know this pill has worked for some, but if you try it, just pay attention to how you’re feeling. It took me way too long to figure out it was this pill ruining my life."

• Sav...
• March 2, 2016

For Birth Control "It's about to be my third week on it, and the only reason I'm writing this review is because it's a third week of hell. I have been on my period the entire time, and it's very annoying. Today, I had such a strong feeling of depression. I haven't cried so much in a long time, and I've been crying on and off for hours about minor things. I'm going to wait this birth control out for a few months to see if my body adjusts, but I hope it's worth it, because so far I feel awful."

• Nev...
• October 21, 2015

For Birth Control "I switched to FE 1/20 from Sprintec birth control, and it's been nothing but hell. I don't know if it's my body that's reacting so negatively or what, but I hate this birth control. It hasn't even been a full month, and I'm already on the verge of losing my mind. I've been crying almost every day, snapping at people, feeling depressed and hated. It's unreal. I've never been so sad in my life. My headache has also gotten much worse than before. The only positive is it made my boobs bigger and my period lighter."

• Joj...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 4, 2021

For Birth Control "I was on Microgestin for 8 months. In that time, I had horrible, horrible mood swings. Extreme irritability that came out of nowhere. Anxiety through the roof, depression that made me never want to get out of bed, literally no libido. I also developed a horrible rash all over my back and on my bikini line that my doctor just attributed to having 'sensitive skin.' I did not connect the dots until I read these reviews and stopped taking it immediately. Everything has improved drastically since NOT taking this pill for only a week. Steer clear, if you're on it currently, PAY ATTENTION. I would never recommend this pill to anyone."

• ste...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 19, 2019

For Birth Control "I changed from Trinessa to Microgestin because I was feeling depressed and very dry. But I have been taking Microgestin for 5 months, and I feel the same, I cry and get mad over nothing, and I am always in a bad mood. I just realized, reading the reviews, that the reason for this is the pills. The only good thing is that I weigh the same, and I have no acne. I am definitely switching after I finish this package."

• Mom...
• November 21, 2016

For Birth Control "After significant weight gain on Depo and the implant, I told my doctor how I'm sensitive to hormones, more specifically progesterone. So, this pill is considered low dose and is a mixture of progesterone and estrogen. I decided to try it. Love the perks of clear skin and 15 pounds down in 5 months. Cons: nausea after placebo week, dark inner thighs, mild depression, and random headaches. Although I can't say there is a direct correlation between depression, headaches, and the pill. Open to trying extra low dose and see how it works for me. Positives outweigh negatives at this point."

• Lpa...
• July 31, 2018

For Birth Control "Most awful birth control ever. It should be off the market. A week into taking it, I felt off... sad, dizzy, nauseous, and sleepless. 3 weeks into taking it, I had full-blown PMS and got my period. That period started 8 days ago and is still going strong. Simply awful."

• Tur...
• March 10, 2016

For Birth Control "I've never taken birth control before, I was always scared to. I'm not sure how I feel about my experience with this. I'm on my last 3 pills before the brown ones, and this week I've started experiencing light bleeding. Also, this week I have started to experience depression, for lack of better words. I've never really been an emotional person, but this pill has made me super emotional. I literally have cried at the drop of a dime this entire week. I wasn't sure if it was just the things going on in my life or if it was this, but after I've read the reviews, I've narrowed it down to it being this. I haven't experienced any weight gain, though I think. I haven't weighed myself, but my boyfriend has told me that I'm looking smaller now."

• All...
• January 18, 2018

For Birth Control "I have mixed feelings about this pill, but ultimately the bad outweighs the good. I went on this pill because I had stopped getting my periods and needed to normalize them. I was upset about weight gain, but my boobs increased 2 cup sizes, which was a positive for me (although breast growth may not have been due to the birth control). As far as avoiding pregnancy, this pill did an amazing job. However, after being on this pill for a year and a half, I still have terrible acne (and I had clear skin before the pill), and I have been depressed. I guess you have to assess the reasons for taking the pill, but I am going to stop and go for an IUD instead."

• ray...
• December 3, 2015

For Birth Control "I just read most of the reviews, and half of them to me are ridiculous: anxiety and depression? Your period gives you mood swings, being a girl, you get mood swings! I've been on this pill since I was 15. I am 22 now. Never had a problem unless I miss a few pills. I have never been pregnant, very light blood, no cramps, very little pimples. To anyone with bad acne and bad cramps, I highly recommend this pill. I used to throw up because of my bad cramps, and now I rarely even get one."

• Anonymous
• April 25, 2011

"I would first like to say birth controls act different on every person who takes them, but this one was terrible for me. I've had three for the past year, trying this one hoping it would be the one for me, but it wasn't. In the first week, I felt my moods changing and my appetite growing. By the end of three months, I developed depression. Not all because of the pill, but I'm sure it's some to blame. Hope this helps."