Nortrel 1/35 and Cramps: What Users Say

• Anonymous
• June 8, 2011

For Birth Control "I've been on Nortrel 1/35 for about 10 months now. I'm 22, and this is the first time I've been on birth control. I had spotting between periods for the first few months I took it - way longer than you're supposed to. Sometimes it practically was a period, and then during the off-week, I would have another one. But my periods were never regular, and now they are - a good thing. My cramps, however, seem to have gotten worse. But my biggest problem is vaginal dryness! It's not that I don't have a sex drive, it's just that sex HURTS without an hour of foreplay and a gallon of lubricant. I guess that makes this a highly effective method of birth control because I'm starting to avoid sex out of fear that it will leave me sore for hours."

• Lad...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 16, 2020

For Birth Control "This medication, Nortrel 1/35, has really worked 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 effects 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 affected 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."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 27, 2021

For Birth Control "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."

• Anonymous
• February 9, 2011

For Birth Control "Nortrel is the third birth control I've tried. I have been taking it for 2 months now. I haven't experienced any breakthrough bleeding, which was my problem on the other two pills, but my periods on this pill have been unbearable. This pill has caused me to have extreme cramps, major mood swings, bloating, back pain, breast tenderness, and a very, very heavy period. It lasts about 5 days, but it's far heavier than my period has ever been. I thought that my body just needed to get used to it, but my second period on this pill seemed considerably worse than the first."

• Sue...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 13, 2019

For Birth Control "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 ondansetron), 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."

• Sha...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 24, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve been taking Nortrel for about 2 years now. At first, my period cramps were horrible for about a week, and also I was on a period for 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 Nortrel 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, I really balanced my hormones along with my acne."

• Gra...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 23, 2020

For Birth Control "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."

• Anonymous
• August 26, 2017

For Birth Control "I am so glad to see I'm not the only one who had a bad experience with this! I was also switched from Neocon and made to feel crazy when I told the pharmacist this did not feel the same as the Neocon. I experienced a lot of nausea, sometimes waking me up in the middle of the night. Headaches, dizziness. Really painful period, weight fluctuation, terrible mood swings. Increased vaginal discharge. Neocon was certainly better. I just switched to Aviane, thankfully, a new doctor's office was able to help me do so. I've been on Aviane before, and it was worlds better."

• Ave...
• October 7, 2017

For Birth Control "This birth control was awful for me. Like many others on here, I was switched from Necon 1/35, which I was on for a year and a half, and it was working wonderfully for me. The first few months I was taking this, I noticed my periods were incredibly heavy, and my cramps were debilitating. My mood swings became so severe, and every month I would have incredible nausea the week before and after my period, yet I managed to gain about 5 pounds despite not having an appetite. I decided to stay on it for a few months to see if the symptoms would straighten themselves out. Now, 6 months in, I'm experiencing massive hair loss. I'm talking 6-8 thick handfuls a day. I've lost about half of my hair thickness/volume. Switched to OrthotricyclenLo. Hoping this works."

• Sha...
• March 20, 2015

For Birth Control "I've been on this pill for 10 years now, all of my 20s and late teens. The first 3 months were hell, as the other reviews pointed out: heavy bleeding that lasted two weeks for me, super emotional, cramps. After about 3 months, things started to level out, and I have not had any problems since then. So far, the pill has proven effective in preventing unwanted pregnancy, helped control my acne slightly, and my periods have gotten lighter. One downer I have noticed is it feels like my sex drive has taken a dip after a year of being on the pill, but aside from that, no problems after 10 years."

• Van...
• March 26, 2018

"Been using it for 6 weeks now. Periods are now every 2 weeks with 1 week off. Bloating, increased water retention. Menstrual cramps are horrible. Sex drive has decreased. Only been using this to decrease menstrual flow and seen no difference, now hate the product. Only upside: my breast size increased."

• Jan...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 26, 2022

For Birth Control "I switched to Nortrel 1/35 after a horrible experience with Ortho Tri-Cyclen. With Ortho, I had migraines constantly (never had them before taking that pill), so I had to switch. My gyno recommended I try Nortrel and skip my period for the first three months. Those first three months were definitely the worst time I had with Nortrel. I had cramping, and it wouldn’t go away when I tried to use the bathroom, and I was very nauseous and extremely sensitive to smells (trash and minor body odor from others). Once I made it past the three months, I was fine. No cramps, no migraines, lighter periods, and less severe PMS symptoms. I’ve been on it for a few years now and I haven’t wanted to switch. I do still get ovarian cysts occasionally (which I had before birth control) and spotting every now and then. But overall I would recommend, with the recommendation to just fight through the first three months."

• Sam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 8, 2018

For Birth Control "This birth control was awful. While it did its job in ensuring pregnancy prevention, I experienced the worst headaches and cystic acne of my life. Horrible mood swings and painful cramping. Do not take this medication if you have other options."

• Nor...
• September 13, 2021

For Birth Control "My doctor prescribed this birth control to help regulate my periods. I started taking this pill on the last day of my period (day 7). The first few days were fine. But on days 5 and 6, I bled heavily and had cramps like a normal period. After that, I spotted every day with cramps and backache. But the worst part is the mood swings and fatigue! I can go from happy and relaxed one minute to angry/irritated/anxious/sad/depressed the next. I just sit and cry. My poor husband gets the brunt of it, but he’s so sweet and understanding, which makes me cry even more. And I feel overwhelmingly tired to the point where my brain is constantly cloudy. My doctor said to give it more time, but I don’t know how much longer I can take this and subject my husband to the mood swings."

• Gor...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 6, 2017

For Birth Control "So far, I haven't really had issues with this birth control yet, and I have been using it for 3 months. The main issue I had is that it made my back break out more than usual, but it seems like it's getting better now. I take it at night, so it doesn't make me have any nausea. My periods are still not regulated normally with it yet, but I have noticed they have gotten lighter, yet, they are still painful."