Microgestin Fe 1/20 and Mood Swings: What Users Say (Page 4)

• sth...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 19, 2017

For Birth Control "I was on this pill for 2 1/2 weeks and quit. I felt normal the first 2 weeks, but once I started the third week, my mood completely changed. I argued with my boyfriend for 3 days in a row over little things, and I knew it was the pill. Also, I've been eating so much more the past two weeks, and I'm so scared to weigh myself because I know I've gained weight (also because of the pill). Lastly, I have very, very clear skin; I break out once a month, if that. However, my last week on the pill, I broke out terribly. I have a painful zit on the left side of my forehead, 2 small pimples on the right side, and 2 small pimples on my left cheek. I never get pimples on my cheeks!!! This pill is horrible!!!"

• Joy...
• November 18, 2013

For Birth Control "After being on this for 18 months, I am happy to try something new. Where to start? All seemed fine, then it started to snowball. Mood swings (crying over commercials!), no sex drive, breakthrough bleeding that lasted longer than actual periods (3 days period, and 2 weeks breakthrough) and increased headaches."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 23, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been taking BC pills for the past 12 months, and Microgestin is the 3rd type I've tried, and also the worst ever. First month ok, hardly any side effects. By the second month, I started having severe mood swings to the point my BF and I considered counseling. I cried for no reason, got irritated over every little thing. I also gained weight around my waistline, despite being a very, very active gal going to the gym 3-4x a week, plus a super healthy diet. Hair loss and low sex drive were also something I noticed. The worst thing I would say was the anxiety attack, it was getting really bad that I was literally gasping for air and having chest pain on a daily basis. I finally decided I had enough of all this. Definitely NOT recommended!!!!"

• Anonymous
• November 21, 2011

For Birth Control "I've read a lot of reviews on this pill, and I agree with the reviews that reflect negative side effects. I believe every woman is different, and my chemistry doesn't work well with this pill. I've been on it for five months, and I can't wait to switch. I've noted breast tenderness, weird cramping, severe mood swings (laughing and crying at the same time while watching commercials; that was odd), my period doesn't occur in the normal cycle time, and I've gained a significant amount of weight. It probably works well with some women, but not for me."

• Sam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 4, 2016

For Birth Control "My first time taking birth control, my gyno put me on Lo Loestrin Fe 1/20, and my hormonal acne cleared up, my sex drive was fine, overall great pill. Then I had to switch to Microgestin Fe 1/20 because insurance didn't cover Lo Loestrin Fe 1/20. Ever since I started taking Microgestin, I have had horrible acne and started off with horrible mood swings, and I'm on month four right now and have recently been experiencing some anxiety and nausea, I think due to this pill. Going to my gyno tomorrow to switch back to Lo Loestrin Fe 1/20 even if it is more costly. Microgestin Fe is horrible, I do not recommend, especially if you are prone to having acne, which is one of the main reasons I started taking BC."

• Cam...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 6, 2016

For Birth Control "I am 20 and have taken this pill for a little over a year. I have yet to get pregnant, so it does its job as far as I am aware. I haven't personally had the side effects of low sex drive or acne; my skin actually has cleared up a lot since starting it. I did, however, gain about 10 lbs after starting Microgestin (thankfully losing 5 lbs since the initial gain). Additionally, I noticed dramatic mood swings and depression. I feel like I cry over minor details, and I never used to cry about practically anything. It's the only birth control method I have tried, and my insurance makes it free."

• Anonymous
• May 11, 2016

For Birth Control "I am 19 years old and have been on Microgestin for 5 months. This has been the worst experience of my life. The worst side effect I have had is the weight gain. I have been the same weight and size for years. I've never had to buy new jeans or clothes because of them not fitting me. Over these 5 months, I have put on 15 or more pounds, going up about 3 pant sizes. I have also had muscle aches, low sex drive, hot flashes, major change of appetite, emotional breakdowns, minor anxiety attacks, and so on. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Steer far away from this birth control."

• Sam...
• June 25, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on many different BC pills because I suffer from migraines, which worsen with estrogen. This one has been the absolute best for me. I took it for more than a year and had super predictable and light periods with almost no cramps, my acne was absolutely relinquished, no weight gain, no mood swings throughout my cycle, and no pregnancy (the most important). If you think you are having weird symptoms within the first two months or so of taking it, wait it out. This is a miracle pill. My doctor (without me wanting to) switched me to a complete non-estrogen pill because of my high risk for stroke and I hate it in comparison so much I stopped taking it. I should have never let my doc switch me because I miss taking this pill so much."

• Blo...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 27, 2018

For Birth Control "If you have any history of depression or anxiety, please avoid this BC. Yes, it gave me a light and short flow with no breakouts, but is that worth your mental health? Some months on this pill were fine or okay, but after about 9 months, I started developing horrible mood swings and eventually severe depression. I know my body very well, and there is a definite link between BC and depression."

• Hel...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 19, 2017

For Birth Control "This was the first birth control I was ever on. The first 4 months on it were fine. My sex drive was normal, my moods were normal, then it all changed. I noticed I started to become depressed. I had emotional outbursts, I was moody all the time. Not to mention my sex drive became nonexistent, and I was so dry down there it was too painful to enjoy intercourse. I felt like a completely different person, and not in a good way. In July I went off the pill and stuck to condoms. I'm starting a new brand called 'Lutera' and hoping it's better than Microgestin Fe 1/20 was. Pros: No pregnancy scares. Periods were on time. Cons: depression, anxiety, mood swings."

• Daa...
• January 27, 2018

For Birth Control "I have been on this pill for about 5 months. I am a student and have found I am all of the sudden lacking motivation to study or spend time with my friends. I have all of the sudden become very moody and irritable. I cannot wait to get off this pill. Pros: more regular periods, no cramps or acne. Cons: horrendous mood swings and depression symptoms."

• McD...
• December 10, 2010

For Birth Control "I have been on this pill for about 6 months now. The first 3 months, I was sick for the first week of every pack. The first month, I had my period 2 weeks early and skipped the second month completely. Since then, I've had my period regularly. It has become very light and only lasts about 3 days. I experience slight cramps the first day of my cycle. Sex drive decreased the first 2 months but is normal now. I had horrible mood swings, but they are settling down now. Overall, the medicine has not been too bad. A lighter period is great, plus I'm being protected. But I have heard of people having missed periods. I am currently having my 2nd missed period since starting. We use a condom too, but I'm still scared."

• Lup...
• August 12, 2016

For Birth Control "Horrible! I switched from Lo Loestrin Fe to Microgestin due to insurance. Going on my third month! Ever since, I've gained 15-20 pounds. I live a very active lifestyle, and for the most part, I eat super healthy. I've been experiencing horrible headaches along with mood swings and heartburn, besides my gained weight. I do not recommend this BC! I am certainly going back to Lo Loestrin Fe. Screw this BC."

• Gul...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 20, 2016

For Birth Control "The pros for this pill are that it did lighten my period, which is what I was looking for since I have fibroids that make my cycles heavier than normal. Also, I didn't get migraines with these pills like I did with some other birth control pills. Now to the cons. Within a few months of taking this pill, I have picked up 14 pounds! My moods are horrible, and my sex drive is low. I tend to feel down a lot more than usual as well. I was also very, very tired all the time. No matter how much sleep I got or how well I ate, my energy was just gone. I decided to switch after the last pack of pills. They just didn't agree with my body."

• Anonymous
• April 30, 2016

For Endometriosis "I was put on this medication because I suffer from endometriosis-related pain as well as extremely irregular periods (I had about 3-5 periods a year versus once a month). I can happily say that I no longer double over in pain, it's still uncomfortable but not unbearable. My periods are also much more consistent. However, I have noticed mood swings that I have never had a problem with before, as well as more than normal breakouts (mostly around my chin and cheeks). I also experienced a bit of nausea the first couple of months I was taking it, eating right before you take it helps a lot. Overall, it did what my doctor and I set out to initially do, but it does have some side effects I'm not thrilled about."

• 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."

• Sam...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 1, 2012

For Birth Control "I've been on this particular birth control for a little over a year now. I've been on Loestrin 24 Fe and Lo Loestrin 24 Fe. It's helped more than Loestrin itself did. I haven't had bad acne, no weight gain whatsoever (it's extremely hard for me, so weight gain is welcomed for me), no crazy mood swings, no nausea. Cramps haven't been the greatest, but they are better than they used to be on the other birth controls!"

• She...
• November 15, 2016

For Birth Control "This is my first time on birth control. I know they recommend you only being on the pill for 10 years, so I wanted to wait until it was truly needed. I have been on this pill for 4 1/2 years. The first 3 1/2 years were amazing. I lost weight, my skin was amazing, my periods were very light and only lasted 3 days. I am always moody around my period, but I've always been like that. But this past year is totally different. My boobs are massive, I've gained weight for no reason, and I stopped getting my period altogether. I feel I needed to take stock in pregnancy tests because I was always 28 days on the pill, and now I get it every 6 months, if that. My mood swings are crazy, and my food cravings are nuts. My sex drive dropped too."

• Anonymous
• November 1, 2010

For Birth Control "I have been taking this medication for two months now. Overall, it has been good and does what it needs to do, I have had nearly no bad side effects: no weight gain, no headaches/nausea, no mood changes, spotted only once, lighter 'period,' etc. Slight improvement in acne that wasn't bad to begin with, no change in breast size. The glaring exception to this is a drop in sex drive that was low to begin with, which kind of negates why I chose this form of birth control in the first place."

• Bon...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 9, 2015

For Birth Control "Unhappy with this birth control. Been on it for 2 weeks, continuous bleeding and mood swings. Day 1 starter. Started this pill on my first day of period and I've been bleeding since. My normal period before this birth control was 5-6 days tops. Took it to avoid pregnancy, but now I'm suffering. I don't even want sex anymore. Seriously considering throwing the pills away, won't need it anyway. Sex is the farthest thing from my mind after taking this pill."

• Joc...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 28, 2018

For Birth Control "I’ve been on Microgestin for about 5 months, and I’m worried the changes I’ve felt in myself are due to this pill. I was on a different birth control for 2 months prior to Microgestin, and it was terrible. I had periods lasting 8 days (normally my periods were 4-5 days), and all 8 days were heavy and painful, so I had my BC switched to Microgestin. I stopped getting my periods and had zero pain, occasional bloating but nothing too bad. BUT I noticed I was getting frequent migraines, horrible mood swings, I’d cry about the smallest things, I gained 20 lbs in 5 months, anxiety, and zero motivation to do anything! I considered myself a very upbeat and generally happy person before taking Microgestin. I just didn’t realize until now how bad BC can actually affect you in other ways besides the menstrual cycle."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 3, 2015

"I am 18 years old and have been on this birth control (the only birth control I've ever taken) since January of 2015. My first few months were pretty good. I had mood swings, of course, regular periods, very mild cramps, and headaches (which I usually get every now and then with a period). But in March of 2015, I had a very light period and haven't had one since. Yes, I'm regularly sexually active, I've had the same boyfriend for the past three years, and we've never used any protection until I got on the pill. I take my pill regularly every day around the same time, and yet, I've still had no period. I took a pregnancy test, and it came back negative. Any suggestions on what may be going on? Are other females having this same problem?"

• Sie...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 5, 2017

For Birth Control "I was on Microgestin Fe 1/20 for about eight months. The first few months were alright and normal, typical birth control stuff. Out of nowhere, I realized I would find myself crying over absolutely nothing, have these awful mood swings, and had ZERO sex drive. Finally fed up with it, I went to my gyno, and they switched me to Apri. I've been on Apri for a week, and I feel 100 times better than I did on Microgestin, and I have a sex drive back!!"

• thi...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 29, 2018

For Birth Control "When I first became sexually active, I started on Microgestin. The nausea during the first couple of months was unbearable, and it resulted in losing 10 pounds. After the nausea cleared, I became so violently emotional that I couldn't take it anymore. This pill made my life a nightmare!"

• hon...
• June 21, 2021

For Birth Control "Started BC ~2015 with Microgestin. Didn’t have bad side effects, lost 30 lbs in 6 wks working out 4-5x a week, didn’t affect my skin but never really had acne, no mood swings, hair was getting dry/brittle but thought just poor maintenance on my part. Bled consistently for 2 weeks at a time, then the bleeding would stop for about 2-3 weeks, came back for 2 weeks. Lasted about 3 months. Stopped for a year & tried other BC. Fails. Then a new doc prescribed Microgestin again this year in January. Pros - Periods are almost nonexistent. No weight gain. Cons - hair is THINNING OMG. Mood swings so bad like clockwork. PMS starts at the end of my 2nd week of pills. I want to cry every second of the day. I lose my temper & see red & break things like my phone lol or hair brushes. And then calm down 1 hour later. Random spotting too. I’m in therapy for this now. In addition to what I was already seeing a therapist for. I get BV a lot now too."