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

• krc...
• March 2, 2012

"I've been on Microgestin for a couple of years. The pharmacy accidentally gave me Junel Fe, and I started breaking out, headaches, low libido, and fatigue. I am running back to Microgestin. I have no side effects and still have a libido. I like this one out of others I have tried."

• Anonymous
• December 30, 2012

For Birth Control "I was on this pill for a year, and the only side effect I had was the occasional bad headaches. Each month, my period would get lighter and lighter. I had very little cramps. I was pretty happy with it. I stopped taking it for over a year and went back to my doctor five months ago to get back on it, and now I'm experiencing every symptom possible!"

• 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."

• cbi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 19, 2016

For Birth Control "Overall satisfied. Makes periods predictable. I've always had short periods with bad cramps, took away most cramps but still have pain and soreness. I've noticed no weight change, although my appetite changed a lot. Still gives me nausea and headaches. But overall satisfied."

• Anonymous
• February 27, 2010

For Birth Control "I'm into my second week of month two on this pill. I am 21 years old and have used the shot, the implant, YAZ, Ocella, Ortho-Cept, and now Microgestin. I have been diagnosed with migraine headaches, and my doctor has been working with me on finding a birth control whose side effects don't outweigh the good. With everything else, I have had immense headaches and nausea, but with this one, so far, so good. Really light period, larger breasts, less mood swings."

• xal...
• November 28, 2016

For Acne "I have never in my life had acne, including during puberty. I've been on this pill for 3 months, and I have the most intense acne all over my chin. I have a very thorough skin care routine, but nothing works. Aside from the acne, every time I start a new pack, I get an intense headache and physically feel sick, like I'm coming down with the flu. This pill has been nothing but issues for me, and I just made an appointment to change pills entirely."

• Kay...
• February 13, 2017

For Birth Control "I have been on this pill for almost 3 years. I think it's a little silly seeing people who have only been on this pill for a month-under a year comment on here because I did not see the effect this pill took on me until a year or two down the road, but I suppose everyone is different. Anyway, for the first 9 months-a year or so I was experiencing minor headaches from this pill. I did not gain or lose any weight that I was aware of, but I am also a very active person. Further, my period was nearly constant for the first few months on the pill, and prior to starting Microgestin, my period was very regular. I could predict its start and end dates easily, and it came right on time every month. Now, however, I rarely have a period at all, and it's awesome!"

• Anonymous
• March 14, 2012

"I have been on this birth control for about 6 months. I switched from Lo Loestrin because that birth control gave me my period continuously. Since being on this birth control, I have had absolutely no side effects. I get my period for about 5-7 days, moderately heavy, then progressively gets lighter. I had moderate cramps for 2-3 days during my period, but I would get cramps without birth control too. I take it at exactly the same time (9 pm) every day and get my period every month at the same time (during my inactive pills). No weight gain, headaches, moodiness, or anything. This birth control has worked well for me, although everyone is different."

• kai...
• November 19, 2010

"Okay, I just finished my first month, and in that month, there has been maybe 2 days that I have gone the whole day without bleeding heavier than my normal period. My hair is like 3 times thinner and getting progressively worse. I'm calling my doctor on Monday to switch. I would never recommend this to anyone. Also, every time I eat, I feel awful, like my stomach hurts, my head hurts, and I'm always tired with absolutely NO sex drive. My breasts got a little bigger, but my acne got worse. Overall, this pill is miserable."

• Moo...
• August 29, 2016

For Birth Control "The headaches alone made me quit taking this pill. I have been on it 5 months, and never in my life have I suffered from such severe and frequent headaches as I have these past 5 months. I've been unable to work 2-3 days out of the week because of this. Not to mention it took 3 months for my periods to become regular. I was starting a new cycle every 2 days. Gave it 2 stars because you have to at least give one star, and the other is because I'm not pregnant."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 29, 2016

For Birth Control "Terrible. I remember being extremely moody, tired, nauseous, and got headaches when I first started. It eventually evened out; however, my face broke out, and if I missed a pill and had to take two, I would vomit profusely. Also, I got spotting mid-cycle. I finally decided to go off it, and just after stopping it, I got awful cramps and nausea. Weeks later, I'm finally starting to feel like myself."

• its...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 12, 2015

For Birth Control "I started this in mid-October after I went off my old pill (LoLoestrin Fe) due to the fact I couldn't afford it anymore, and there's no generic. My reaction to this pill is odd.... sometimes it gives me an insane, insatiable sex drive, and sometimes I have no drive at all. Sometimes I bleed/spot for 2.5 weeks, sometimes I bleed for 3 days. I have a little acne, which is bothersome since I have PCOS and was hoping for this pill to get rid of the spots, but so far there's been no improvement. Sometimes I get nausea and headaches, but not consistently. Had my first ever yeast infection after being on it for 2 weeks, none since. I'll give this a few more months before I look into switching, since I may still be just adjusting to it."

• Anonymous
• September 7, 2017

For Birth Control "I tried this birth control for a week, and I have been breaking out severely. I have mild nausea and headaches, but other than that, no side effects. I want to switch to a birth control that will help with acne, but I am not sure if I can switch mid-cycle."

• sas...
• March 20, 2012

For Birth Control "I was on this pill for 3 months, and I decided to switch because I kept getting breakthrough bleeding and headaches. I did not experience any changes in breast size like some other people are claiming to get, I also did not experience any weight change. I did always feel lazy/tired, and my hair seemed to be falling out. On a good note, it seemed to help with my acne and didn't kill my sex drive. Oh, and I didn't get pregnant."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 22, 2012

For Birth Control "I've been taking this pill for over seven months now, and overall it works well. In the beginning, I would spot almost every day (horrible) and get headaches. After the fourth month, all of the side effects went away and so did my period. Yay!"

• Nis...
• April 29, 2011

"One thing that bothers me is people saying they gained weight. Some people experiencing weight gain can blame the pill, but for a vast majority it's because at 18-23 your metabolism slows, and no matter how you eat or exercise you will gain weight, and that's usually the blame factor. I just started this pill today. I get it free from Planned Parenthood! Yippee! It is the first pill that hasn't made me vomit all day long, which was wonderful to get. I had a super high estrogen pill that was the only one that didn't give me nausea, but it gave terrible headaches and made me act out and be cranky. After just one day of this pill, I feel like my old happy self again. I wish I tried this one sooner!"

• Buf...
• March 16, 2012

For Birth Control "I started Microgestin in June. I had read tons of horrible reviews, and my experience was far from scary. I had never been on any birth control before. The first month, I spotted off and on, by the second month, my bleeding was mostly done. I used Microgestin continuously because my periods give me unbearable cramps. The second month, I got a yeast infection, which I had never had before, and started getting terrible night sweats to the point I would wake up freezing and would have to change my clothes in the middle of the night. I also started getting terrible headaches. I decided to stay on this pill until March. I continued to have terrible headaches and night sweats. However, it did work for keeping flow away."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 21, 2017

For Birth Control "I was on Mononessa, and my doctor switched me to Microgestin, saying there are fewer side effects. Worst mistake I ever made. I used Mononessa without having one complaint. It's been one week since I started Microgestin, and I'm having chest pain, headaches, feeling nauseous, and tired all the time, and I can't sleep at night."

• wil...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 19, 2022

For Birth Control "I've been taking Microgestin for 7 months now. The first month was fine, but after that I had terrible side effects, and after reading the other reviews on here, I see I'm not alone. I get extreme and painful bloating almost every day and have gained weight in only my stomach (with no change in diet and even an increase in activity). I have terrible mood swings and feel like I can't control my emotions. I cry over every little thing and have had an increase in anxiety. I basically cry every day. A couple of times now I've had severe depression before my period starting, which I have never experienced before this pill. I am fatigued, have frequent headaches, and overall feel a change. The only positives were that it was effective for the sole purpose of birth control and helped clear my acne. Other than that, I do not recommend. My experience has been pretty negative and I'm eager to see if there is a change after now stopping my pills."

• ame...
• February 11, 2017

For Birth Control "I took this for a total of three weeks. WORST PILL EVER. In that time period, I gained 10 pounds, was bloated all the time, and had the worst stomach pains and headaches. I have never been hungrier than I was when I took this, except every time I ate, my stomach puffed up and became hard to the point where it was uncomfortable even to lay down. During that time, I think I actually was depressed from the weight gain and pain. When I finally got my period, I was in so much pain that I laid in bed for two whole days and felt nauseous with sharp cramps and couldn't even move to turn in bed. I also lost 10 times more blood than ever before on my period. Overall, I have never felt sicker while taking this pill."

• K10...
• December 15, 2016

For Birth Control "I have a Paraguard. It's great, it also has some big side effects, such as super heavy (HEAVY) bleeding, long periods, and horrible cramps. I think the other side effects were that my body experienced a lack of progesterone due to having the Mirena before, so trying to balance out. Eight months in with no relief, my doctor gave me Microgestin, which I have consistently taken at the same time daily for the past 40 days. I have also been bleeding for the last 39 days. I think everyone is different, and I specifically need a higher dose pill, as this is a low dose, so I just switched over to Chanteal, so hopefully that helps. No relief from headaches and acne on this pill, though, and it made bleeding worse."

• kit...
• August 16, 2016

For Menstrual Disorders "I had my baby on June 17, and I want to get on birth control pills, so I asked my ob/gyn for some, so she prescribed me some pills. After my postpartum was up, I was taking the pills for 12 white pills, and it seemed like every time I took it, I would be sick: headache, back pain, feeling hot, stomach pain, and burning sensation in my side and back. But I have been feeling sick ever since. I'm going to stop taking this medication. I already have two beautiful girls, Santeria and Mariah, and I don't want any more. I'm just going to go to the doctor for a full check-up because my cycle is crazy. One day I bleed a little, then it turns brown blood, then it turns back red. I'm going to get checked as soon as possible, it's starting to worry me."

• cra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 17, 2017

For Birth Control "I switched to this brand because my local pharmacy didn't carry Tarina Fe. I was only on this pill for 4 days, and within those four days, I lost my appetite and had mild headaches. I didn't think too much of it until the fourth day when I had the worst migraine (the ones you feel in your eyes) of my life, along with nausea to the point where I would get out of bed and start gagging. I felt so sick, and my head hurt so bad that I couldn't even watch TV or listen to music to ease anything. However, within the four days, I didn't cry as much as I did on Tarina Fe... which is worth something."

• Bun...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 22, 2015

For Birth Control "Man. It hasn't been a month, and my body is all out of whack. Mood swings, lack of sex drive, extreme hunger within minutes of taking the pill, headaches, dry mouth, and vagina!"

• Sar...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 9, 2012

For Birth Control "I was taking this Microgestin Fe 1/20 for just over 4 years. I got really bad headaches and gained weight, and I was very moody."