Minastrin 24 Fe and Spotting: What Users Say

• Lau...
• November 6, 2014

For Birth Control "This is the first BC I have been on and have been taking it for two years now. I have had no issues with it. While starting, I did have the normal spotting until my body was used to it. But after my first two periods, I was fine. I haven't experienced any mood swings or pain. If I miss my pill, I take it as soon as I can remember, and I am fine."

• Ktk...
• January 9, 2015

For Birth Control "I'm 18. This is the first pill I've been on. I've been taking it for 4 months every day at the same time, no missed pill. The first month I was very moody, anything set me off. I'm fine now, but considering swapping because each month when 'ovulation' would occur, I bleed. It's constant spotting for almost a week at a time. Of course, I was on antibiotics at one point. But other than that 1 month, I've bled. I'm tired of the spotting, but they said to give it a few months. Not sure what to do. Breasts did get larger. Just don't like the spotting at all."

• Ara...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 7, 2015

For Birth Control "I have been on Minastrin for over a year now. My very first form of birth control. The first 2 months were tough to get through, with spotting, bloating, mood swings, etc. But after my body got adjusted to the birth control, everything has been perfect. My periods are lighter and last 4 days. My cramps are still present, but they aren't as bad. I don't have severe acne or weight gain. Anyone who has a bad experience, I say just give it time before you write it off as terrible birth control."

• Ama...
• June 25, 2014

For Birth Control "I've been on Minastrin for 5 months now. The first 3 were horrible. I had every possible side effect: bloating, mood swings, sore chest, acne, spotting, you name it! About my fourth month, my body got adjusted, and I now love it. No spotting, mood swings, and my acne has subsided. For those who are just now on it, push through."

• Hea...
• October 7, 2014

For Birth Control "I have been on Minastrin 24 Fe for 2 months now. I wasn't on any birth control previously. I have not noticed any weight gain...if anything, I've noticed a decrease in my appetite. I do have slight headaches daily, but not anything Tylenol can't fix, and they are slowly subsiding. They were pretty brutal in the first month. The biggest side effect I've noticed is how emotional I am! I used to NEVER cry, and now if my boyfriend even looks at me the wrong way, I start crying! It's ridiculous. Sometimes I feel like I'm about to cry, and I have absolutely no idea why! Also, my periods are lighter and shorter, but I still have a little spotting. The doctor told me this would happen. I'll keep taking it for now."

• Meg...
• February 1, 2015

For Birth Control "This is my first time on birth control, so I'm not comparing it to another brand. I started taking this to help with my extremely heavy and painful periods. Pros: periods are 3 or less days and are extremely light, I no longer experience horrible cramps, just very minor aches. I haven't gotten pregnant, only 4 placebo pills compared to 7, my skin cleared up. Cons: my transition period was rough - I spotted 20 of 30 days the first two months. I had extreme nausea the first month that killed my appetite. I still have occasional nausea, particularly at night, but I no longer spot. Only side effects I've noticed. It took care of my main problem though - heavy painful periods, so it's been worth it, I will stick to it."

• Anonymous
• May 12, 2015

For Birth Control "I am 36 years old. I have previously been on Loestrin 24 FE, then Generess FE. My physician switched me to Minastrin, and I have gained weight, I am so lethargic and tired all of the time. I am moody and overall unhappy, which I have never had in my life. I get cramps periodically, and I get spotting at random times, although very, very light. This is the most horrible pill I have ever been on. I will be getting off of it immediately."

• ano...
• February 21, 2015

For Birth Control "This has worked great for me! 9/10! I only say 9 because of something that has recently come up. I'm on my 4th pack of these pills, and all of a sudden, since Thursday of week 2 (it's now Saturday), I've been spotting on and off, which I thought would happen the first three months, but it's month 4 and just starting now. But otherwise, my actual periods are almost nonexistent, very light, only lasting about 2 days, so this really works great for me!"

• Amb...
• December 28, 2015

For Birth Control "I have been taking this pill for almost a year, probably by far the worst birth control I've ever taken (side effects wise). This pill makes you bleed and spot ALL the time. I take it at the exact time every single day, and yet somehow my period will start like 2 weeks before I'm supposed to get it, and it will last for like a week of just pure spotting. This is verrrrrry annoying and inconvenient for a woman with a boyfriend. You never know if one day you're just going to start bleeding or not. Periods are just as bad as before I was on the pill, cramps, bloating, and heaviness of bleeding varies. I also have almost a nonexistent sex drive, which sucks. Also, I have been having stomach issues on and off since I've been taking this."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 9, 2015

For Birth Control "Been on for about 7 months. Sex drive has been gone since starting. Sex hurts if tried, and I'm very emotional constantly. Gained a bunch of weight. Haven't had my period in 4 months, only some spotting."

• Ano...
• August 30, 2015

For Birth Control "I had been on a different BCP for over 20 years and had a generally low libido but pretty much no period with that pill. I went off to have a child, then returned to the same pill and became very emotional and depressed with a worse libido. My doctor changed me to Minastrin, and my emotions were much better, and libido improved also. I do get spotting the week before my period, which is non-existent. However, now that I've been on this pill for over a year, my weight has increased 14 pounds. I am so hungry, and my blood sugar doesn't seem to be very steady (I tend to get low blood sugar easily and am not a diabetic). So now I'm really hungry and can eat as much as my husband, and even though I'm exercising more, I continue to gain weight."

• h__...
• November 16, 2015

For Birth Control "My experience with Minastrin was extremely favorable. I was suffering from intense period symptoms-overwhelmingly bad cramps that left me bedridden for at least 2 days, dizziness, uncomfortably heavy flow, irregularity, and periods that lasted up to 9 days. The first month of taking Minastrin was, admittedly, rough. I suffered some spotting and rather invasive mood swings. However, I have read that this is not common and might be related to the intensity of my periods prior to taking Minastrin. Once I got used to having Minastrin in my body (it took about 4 months), my periods became extremely low-maintenance. I still suffer from mild cramping, but I now have regular and very, very light periods, thanks to Minastrin."

• rev...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 18, 2014

For Birth Control "I started this pill as my first pill ever, and it definitely helped with the intensity of my heavy bleeding issue prior to starting the pill. However, I noticed a lot of mood changes, a decrease in sex drive, weight gain, lots of spotting, and I never missed a pill. I am switching to Beyaz now, hoping to get better results."

• Jay...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 3, 2015

For Birth Control "Omg... this is just some bullcrap. I was on Minastrin before I got pregnant, and the periods weren't really heavy, but I cramped really bad. So I decided after the baby I would go back on it until my Paragard comes in. Whelp, I get back on it, keep in mind I'm already facing postpartum depression. I have every symptom listed. I can't believe it would make me suicidal, but yes... it does. I stopped taking it because I couldn't stand the spotting, well, of course, that turned into a heavy period. Then, two weeks later, I got another full period. So I went without birth control for another month, which wasn't cool. So I decided at the start of my current period I would start back taking it. And here I am... spotting after my period, and I have blood clots."

• Kou...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 29, 2015

For Birth Control "I started a sample of this pill on 12/13/2015. In the beginning, it was okay. A week later, I started spotting and cramping like my period was coming. This went on for about a week. Now I'm extremely nauseous ALL THE TIME. I can barely eat. Plus, I have no energy since starting this pill. I also became depressed for no apparent reason. And let's not talk about the migraines. It's safe to say they are now in the trash! I'll go back to the old-fashioned condom method of birth control."

• Tba...
• August 19, 2014

For Birth Control "This is the first birth control I have ever been on, and it's awful. I only gave it a 10 because it does what it's supposed to. I've been on the pill for 6 months. The first three months I had severe acne. I've never had an acne problem until then. Spotting is a severe problem, I have to wear pads the majority of the time (two weeks at the most with no spotting). Periods are very irregular, one day I'm good, the next few days I'm not. I've experienced mood swings and cramping. Not a good experience at all."

• VCo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 26, 2015

For Birth Control "I'm giving this pill an 8 because, for me, it had very minimal side effects. I didn't gain any weight, it cleared any blemishes, and I experienced no mood swings or depression. However, I did experience severe spotting and breakthrough bleeding, even after being on the pill for three months. My doctor told me to give my body three months to adjust, and during my fourth month on this pill, I bled for the entire first week of my fourth pack! Therefore, it feels like I'm getting a period (or at least have to wear pads) twice a month. The spotting is absolutely annoying, and I'm strongly considering switching to another pill or just taking myself off of birth control entirely."

• Amb...
• May 1, 2014

For Birth Control "I overall was not very happy with this. The reviews were horrible online, but I decided to try it anyway. It did shorten and lighten my period a lot, which I loved. But I had a lot of spotting before I got my period, which was annoying. I did notice my acne get worse. But no emotional effect except being more hungry. I also noticed my breasts get slightly bigger, but as well as my belly area. I'm 17."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 19, 2016

For Birth Control "After giving birth in Jan 2015, I started a different pill in March, then started spotting, which led me to switch pills. My doctor switched me to this pill at the end of December, thinking it'll be stronger. WRONG. I always either had spotting or heavy breakthrough bleeding. My periods were ridiculously heavy, then lightened just a little bit, but not that much. I have an appointment on Feb 24th to see what's going on with me and to switch pills! Do not take these pills!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 25, 2015

For Birth Control "I've been using this birth control for almost a year now. It's my very first pill, and I haven't had any problems with weight gain, mood, or even spotting in between periods. However, it is important to take it daily around the same time. At the same time is better, if possible. I use this as my main method of birth control."

• Xti...
• January 11, 2016

For Birth Control "A little history. This is the first birth control pill I have been on, which is now a total of 4 months. The first month I spotted/bleed for two weeks straight. The second month I spotted for one week prior to my actual period. Third month, no spotting, but had a full-blown period for 7 days - the whole last week of the pill pack. I definitely see myself being moodier since taking this pill, but no anxiety or depression or acne. However, one side effect is excessive weight gain. Since taking this pill, I have gained 15 pounds and counting. I am considering a switch for this reason alone, as I practice portion control, which has kept my weight consistent for almost 2 years. Good to try, but weight gain is a major con!"

• kiw...
• August 23, 2015

For Birth Control "Well, it's only my second month, almost third, and my experience has been very well until I randomly got my period, and since then, I have been spotting. I get cramps randomly in class and have discharge in my underwear. I don't recommend this pill. I think it's awful."

• not...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 9, 2015

For Birth Control "I was on a different pill before Minastrin that worked well, but it was discontinued, so my doctor switched me to Minastrin. I was on Minastrin for about six months and just recently stopped. I was having spotting and cramping every month. I had bad mood swings each period. Periods were very heavy and irregular. I gained 10 lbs even though I work out 5 days/week and watch my diet. It worked as far as birth control, but the side effects were too much for me. Everyone's body is different, and this pill did not agree with me."

• Ano...
• September 23, 2015

For Birth Control "I'm on my second month of Minastrin 24 Fe, and I have to say that I really haven't had any real problems on this birth control. I had accidentally forgotten to take my birth control for a day about two days ago, so yesterday I took 2 when I remembered I didn't take it (followed instructions) and started spotting soon after. The next day I woke up to my 'period,' which wasn't expected until October, which is in about a week and a half. I'm now on my 'period' for the second day. I also know that you aren't supposed to smoke cigarettes on this birth control. Also, I have multiple mood swings a day due to Minastrin 24 Fe, but I pull myself together. Nothing too bad that a person can't handle."

• And...
• February 4, 2016

For Birth Control "While this pill was effective for me in that I did not get pregnant, my experience with Minastrin was poor, to say the least. I had spotting between every single period that usually lasted around 7 days, sometimes more. My periods were very heavy for days one and two, with some of the worst cramps I've ever had. My breasts were in near-constant pain, but on the bright side, stayed the same size when I lost 10 lbs during my time on the pill. I've recently switched to a higher dose of hormones, which my doctor said should stop the spotting. Good luck, ladies!"