User Reviews for Nortrel 1/35 to treat Birth Control
Nortrel 1/35 has an average rating of 4.8 out of 10 from a total of 61 ratings for the treatment of Birth Control. 33% of those users who reviewed Nortrel 1/35 reported a positive effect, while 43% reported a negative effect.
“I mostly love this pill, mostly. I have been using it continuously for the past two years, and out of those two years I've probably had my period about 6 times. With taking it continuously, I am not supposed to get my period. It's GREAT for a few months, you feel great, very good protection against conception, and easy. But, every now and then I will start to bleed randomly. If I keep taking the pill while bleeding, there is brown blood that will linger for about 2 weeks, BUT if its my actual if I stop my medicine for about 5-7 days, I can let myself have a period, and then start over. I really don't like it when I start spotting and bleeding randomly, with no clue. Has ruined underwear, and been embarrassing. I would say it's a I really like it / really don't like it relationship with this birth control. It works spectacular against pregnancy, and is great for a little bit, until your vagina has enough and decides it needs to have a period, even though technically it isn't necessary.”
“I started out on Necon back in the 80's worked great but was taken off the market. No side effects and perfect skin as well. I'm on Nortrel now as a hormone replacement therapy taking it continuously 1/35 and works perfectly for me. Without it I have horrible menopausal symptoms. This keeps me feeling well and happy. I need my hormones and this works. Please keep making it!”
“This medication Nortrel 1/35 has really work well for me, I started taking it when I was 20 and have used it as my primary source of BC. I suppose I was lucky but I have not experienced any of the commonly mentioned side affects other than some mild cramping the 1 month I took it as my body adjusted to the hormones. Since then, ten years later, I have not had any weight gain, headaches or nausea and I can’t say that it has effects my mood either. My periods went from 8 heavy days of nightmare periods to 3 to 4 days of using a liner with only an occasional cramping. Most importantly after a decade of use I have not become pregnant or had a single pregnancy scare. This pill has worked very well for me”
“This is the WORST pill out there. I was on Desetta 1/35 for years and had to switch pharmacies and they gave me Nortrel 1/35. I had extreme nausea that woke me up out of my sleep and caused me to throw up every morning. And no it was not morning sickness I had multiple pregnancy tests and blood tests done. I do not recommend this pill at all I’ve never had a medication make me feel so sick.”
“I really didn't like this Nortrel 1/35 pill. I was on Pirmella 1/35 for about three years but had to switch to a different pill due to the virus(I now get my pills from Nurx). This was "the closest thing they had to Pirmella". Bad, lingering headaches, weight gain, longer and heavier periods, and horrible acne. I never had any of these on my original pill. I also get numbness and tingling in my fingers and hands on this pill. I haven't got pregnant yet, so that's the only positive thing.”
“I began taking this birth control when I was 17 (I am now 20) because my periods were normally 10-15 days long, very heavy, and very painful. Overall the birth control works (I never got pregnant) but I experienced so much nausea and vomiting within the first year, and any time I would forget a pill this same nausea and vomiting would occur. I also experienced symptoms like migraines, bloating, and swelling in my breasts, but my periods were much more bearable. Overall it accomplished what I initially wanted, but I think it’s caused me more harm than good.”
“I'm not pregnant after taking Nortel 1/35, so that's a plus. I haven't had many of the side effects some others have. I occasionally get nauseous and I get a pretty annoying headache during the placebo week, but other than that I have 0 complaints. It's important to remember everyone reacts differently to medications.”
“I've been taking this pill for over a year now. Sadly gained more than 20lbs from this. Super abnormal for me and it's so hard to lose this weight. Constantly nauseous even after months of taking it, even when taking it at night. I'm a very happy person and now I have days of depression. I've been sleeping more and feel unmotivated. I have unreasonable anxiety levels. I've never been an anxious, nervous or sad person. I've even been losing more hair than usual! Nortrel has been horrible to me! This birth control was prescribed because I had really heavy bleeding from the nuvaring and experienced a bit of anemia (gone now). It has regulated my period to super light but it's not worth it when there are so many options. Finally switching to another pill!!”
“I started Nortrel about three months ago and have gained 30 pounds, completely lost my appetite, and also restart my period the second I stop taking my pills and the exact same time. I was on Marlissa before this and while it gave me more anxiety it was nowhere as bad as Nortrel.”
“I started taking this medicine Nortrel 1/35 in January 2020 it is now April 2020 and I have gained 20 pounds since being on this medication. I will be stopping after this pack is over. When I initially started I had the worst cramps and nausea. It did get better and served its purpose. But a side effect of weight gain is not my favorite.”
“I had been on less strong pills before switching to this one, and I wish I never switched. This pill is absolutely awful. Prolonged bleeding and continuous spotting, terrible. TERRIBLE. constipation and bloating, and extreme anxiety and depression. Only pro is that my skin has been doing better. I wouldn’t give this pill to my worst enemy.”
“Works fine. not pregnant so that's good. A little more emotional than usual but nothing major! no overall weight gain but my boobs got bigger ;) it's important to remember everyone's experience will be different!”
“I have been on this BC for 10 years , since I was 16 and never had a pregnancy , a symptom or a problem. It works good !”
“I’m very emotional & depressed. I feel LOW. All I want to do is lay down & eat. I’ve been sleeping longer. I have no energy. It’s making my endo cramps worse. Just horrible. I haven’t been on it long but I’m feeling worse day by day. I switched to this birth control as the last birth control I was own gave me severe acne. And when I stopped it started to clear up. ”
“I’ve been taking Nortel for about 2 years now, at first my period cramps were horrible for about a week and also I was on a period for about almost two weeks due to this being my first time on birth control. I was 17 when I first started taking the pill and the only reason why my doctor recommended I take Nortel was due to my horrible acne (which was bad). After 1 year my acne finally cleared up of bruises and scars and my period became regular. I think because I’m young and I really balanced my hormones along with my acne.”
“Okay so this is MY experience with Nortrel 1/35. (Meaning my body reacts differently than yours on this birth control) So I got on this BC because of the depo. I was bleeding nonstop for 5 months. My gyno prescribed me this since it was a high dose and was sure my bleeding would stop. It definitely worked as it should. I stopped bleeding and I get my period at the end of the month. My period now only lasts 3/4 days instead of 7/8, from before I took any type of birth control. Now the cons of this. My mood is HORRIBLE. I cry for any little thing, everything bothers me. It even affected my relationship. If you’re currently depressed and have anxiety I do not recommend it. I have never felt so low of myself. It’s emotionally and mentally exhausting.”
“I started the Nortrel 1/35 birth control a week ago and have been nauseous ever since!!! I have no appetite, everything makes me nauseous. I have HORRIBLE mood swings and starting to get cystic acne. I was on depo shot in 2017 but got off after reading many horror stories. I decided on the pill because It was the safest form to me. Despite all the horror stories I can say my experience on depo wasn’t nearly as bad as being on the pills and definitely thinking about switching back!”
“I took these pills for two weeks to regulate bleeding from my copper IUD, and it was a complete disaster. I didn’t experience any weight gain, but I was consistently nauseous and my clear face turned into a pepperoni pizza. I also experienced intense mood swings during my last three days on Nortrel. I would not recommend this birth control to anyone. I would rather deal with heavy and irregular periods than out the rest of my body through the gauntlet.”
“I have been on birth control since I’m 15 years old (now 23 years old) because of the chronic pain and bloating I would get on my periods not to mention the very heavy flow. I’ve been on 4 different pills. I was taking Necon for 3 years, which was my favorite pill. Unfortunately, my pharmacy said the manufacturers were no longer making Necon and I had to switch to the generic brand of Nortrel. I’ve now been on Nortrel for about 2.5 years. I have only one complaint and it is a very crucial one... I receive HORRIBLE migraines. Other than that I react okay to the pill. My mood is fine. I don’t PMS. My flow is light. Periods last 3-4 days. I could say weight gain, but I’m not going to blame my overeating on a pill... that’s just me being unhealthy. As fast as I gain the weight, I can lose the weight so that’s the issue. It’s only those darn migraines. When they hit... they hit hard.”
“I have Stage III endometriosis and have had two surgeries in two years. I was put on Nortrel continuously for the past few years and never had endo symptoms, no sore breasts, no period or spotting, and overall didn’t feel emotional or anything. Unlike most here my pharmacy gave me Necon saying it’s the same (it is the generic).. even though the binders aren’t. And I had two weeks of sore breasts and just started my period for the first time in two years. Terrible pain and issues. So I would take anybody’s opinion with a grain of salt, even mine. It fully depends on how your body metabolizes ALL of the ingredients not just the active ones! Ratings on medications can only get you so far without trying it, unfortunately.”
“I took Necon in my 20s and had no issues. I just restarted last week, but I am 47 now. I thought I was just having a bad week, but my moodiness is awful. Extreme anger and frustration over the littlest things. Sleeping only 2-3 hrs a night and that's with the help of benadryl, melatonin, and ambien. Gained 5 pounds. No motivation to work out. Craving carbs and naps. I need to stop taking this med and see what happens.”
“I took Necon in my 20s-30s. I am 40 now and have been on Nortrel (generic of Nortrel) for 3 months. My pros: regular, 3-4 day periods, light flow, no to little acne, intense sex drive in week 3 (no dryness here), no depression/anxiety or lack of sleep (I take clonazepam), rare headaches, rare spotting. My cons: extreme bloating (Midol helps), weight gain/ increased appetite, mood swings, irritability, fatigue, cramps, nausea (I take ondansetran), gas, backaches (I take 800 mg Ibuprofen). Besides weight gain, there are 2 cons that can be age vs the pill. I see cellulite on my legs and my hair is thinning. I noticed most reviews are from girls younger than me so I can’t compare. I love the light, short, regular periods. I am able to live with the majority of my cons. I am looking at ways to diet & become more active. Take at your own risk but note your symptoms. See what you can live with, medicate (if you are okay with it-it helps). For me this is not the best but it's not the worst either.”
“I have been on this for 2 years since I was 18 and have had a great experience. My doctor started me off on Taytulla and I had so much anxiety from it. It cleared my skin, my boobs did grow a little, and I don’t notice a change in weight gain at all. Protects from pregnancy. I started the pill to help with acne and to help with me being emotional the week before my period, during, and the week after which left me with one good week out of the month where I wouldn’t cry everything! It fixed it after a month and my skin after about 2 months. One side affect I noticed was my skin did not tan the same and I was more prone to burning. Now that it’s been 2 years, this side affect has subsided. But so has it’s positive affects. I feel like I break out more now than I did in the past 2 years and that I am starting to be more emotional like I used to be for a longer amount of time around my period. Might just be the point I’m at in life but figured i’d share!”
“I started having panic attacks during the placebo pill week of taking Nortrel 1/35. I am not one to have panic attacks... at all. Just recently, (over a year after the panic attacks started), I realized I was switched to this from my original Necon around the time I started having the attacks. My doctor switched me back to Necon, I took the first pill and the next day... panic attack. I've been reading women say they have panic attacks when they're taking this. Mine is the opposite. I have them when I'm not on it. How weird is that? I'm thinking it's going to take a total readjustment of my body to get over it but these panic attacks are debilitating. I dont know what to do. I feel so helpless and stuck.”
This information is NOT intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews might be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge and judgement of healthcare practitioners.
Learn more about Birth Control
Drugs.com Health Center
- Birth Control Options
- Birth Control Pills
- Hormonal Birth Control (Non-Pill Options)
- Non-hormonal Birth Control
- Permanent Birth Control
- Emergency Contraception
- Birth Control Pills: Benefits, Risks and Side Effects
- Birth Control Pills - Periods
- Birth Control Pills and Breakthrough Bleeding
- Missed taking your birth control pill? Here's what to do next
- Antibiotics and Birth Control Pill Interactions
- Birth Control Medications and Alcohol
- Grapefruit and Birth Control Pills: Your Questions Answered
More about Nortrel 1 / 35 (ethinyl estradiol / norethindrone)
- Side Effects
- During Pregnancy
- Dosage Information
- Drug Images
- Drug Interactions
- Pricing & Coupons
- Drug class: contraceptives
Consumer resources
- Other brands
- Lo Loestrin Fe, Taytulla, Loestrin 24 Fe, Loestrin 21 1/20, ... +22 more
“Honestly the worst birth control I’ve been on. This is the third birth control I’ve tried, and I get two periods per month with cramps and heavy bleeding on one. I’m also SUPER hormonal—more than I ever was with just my regular period. I am depressed and super irritable and tired and hungry. Would not recommend.”