Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo and Sexual Dysfunction: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Ros...
• August 7, 2017

For Birth Control "Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo is probably the best pill I've ever been on, and I've tried seven different pills in the last four years! I've been on it for about three months so far, and I've noticed that I grew a cup size, my skin has cleared up, and thankfully no weight gain or pregnancies. The only downsides are that it's expensive, period cramps are a little more intense, and my sex drive has decreased a tiny bit. Other than that, this pill is great, and I definitely recommend it."

• Ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 24, 2018

"Before taking this pill, I was an extremely positive and happy person. I had killer cramps and I ended up in the ER, so I needed them! I started taking the generic of Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo in June 2017, and the first 3 months were okay. I did notice lots of changes in mood, and I got easily annoyed, but it wasn't drastic; I cried many times over little things. My discharge was a bit thicker, yellowish, and had a nasty odor; I thought I had infections. One night in February, I went to sleep and woke up a completely different person. I had never experienced horrible symptoms of depression in my life. My sex drive vanished, I became so dry and barely had discharge. The thoughts I had never went away, and I cried myself to sleep for 3 weeks. I finished my pack on March 3rd, and I've been off since (was on for 8 months). I still don't feel like my happy self, but each day I’m getting better, and I don't plan on taking it again! Everyone reacts differently, but based on my experience, I don't recommend!"

• Mee...
• March 2, 2012

For Birth Control "I've been on Ortho Tri-Cyclen for four months. My period used to be random, and I would bleed heavily for 7 to 8 days. I had horrible cramps and nausea. Horrible moody PMS. Now... light periods, 3 to 4 days. Same time. I've gained weight while on the pill, my breasts got bigger, but I was petite to begin with. No acne. At the beginning, I was emotional for the first month, but now I'm not. The only thing that is happening now is I have pain during sex. I would be ready to go, but once my boyfriend and I try, it hurts for him to put it in, and I'll have to stop because it hurts so bad. I'm making an appointment now to see the doctor, but I've heard it's because of the low dose of estrogen."

• Cra...
• August 27, 2011

For Birth Control "Taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo the last 9 months and have not yet had a really significant problem. The first three months were the worst because I seemed to spot daily until my third period on this pill. Sex drive is low but not awful. Have not seen a big change in my skin, but I have a specific type of acne, so check with your doctor before taking it for that. Always suffered from painful periods, and this pill helps, but the side effect that most bothers me is long periods. I start bleeding midway through my third week and don't stop spotting until midway through the first week of the next pack. ANNOYING!"

• Anonymous
• June 30, 2011

For Birth Control "I was on this pill for 8 years. I never had mood swings, weight gain, or decreased sex drive. It initially helped with acne, but I developed cystic acne while taking this pill, and the pill didn't seem to help it. I thought I should switch birth controls for this reason. I switched to Ortho-cept/Reclipsen - BIG mistake. NO sex drive, mood swings, extreme fatigue, and depression. The only positive was that it has gotten the cystic acne under control. The rest of the side effects aren't worth it though, and I have switched back to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, which had none of these side effects. I definitely think Ortho is the way to go."

• Tri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 6, 2019

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "I took this for 1.5 months due to heavy periods. I'm 37. First 2 or 3 weeks I was okay, by the 4th week, my head was spinning! I took a picture of myself and couldn't even recognize myself, it was that creepy. Almost like a demon possessed me. My vagina dried up so bad and felt swollen. Painful sex, stomach bloated up so bad (didn't gain lbs. but felt such painful bloating), it made me sad, especially after losing 50 lbs on my weight loss journey. Cramping so bad. Vision change. I was so sad and ANGRY! Decided to stop it a week early or I'd die, so now off of it for 2 months now, and I get my period every 21 days instead of my normal 35. Yeah. Great! This stuff is a monster, my vagina is still not normal, and I go in mood spurts that ARE NOT NORMAL! Trying to fix my abnormal bleeding, what a joke, I'm now paying a deadly price. I give it a 'shouldn't even exist' rating. Ruined and still is ruining my life. Don't do it! Find something else, do your homework before trying a pill. I wish I did."

• Amy...
• August 8, 2017

For Birth Control "I started taking the generic form of this medication a month ago. Reading reviews is something that I always do, so I wanted to share my experience. My concerns about starting a birth control pill were no weight gain, no changes in my libido, and hoping to clear up my acne. This birth control pill, I believe, increased my libido, which was amazing. My acne is better, but not completely gone. The reason why I am stopping this birth control is because I cannot control my eating. It's like I have the munchies all day long, we're talking worse than when I was actually pregnant. I work out every day, I'm in good shape, but overeating will ruin any workout. Another side effect I'm having is that I'm incredibly tired. I yawn all day long."

• Ele...
• January 14, 2017

For Birth Control "I love this pill. Before starting Ortho, I was on Junel Fe and had two periods per month. One on and off the active pill. With Ortho, I've had none of that nonsense, no weight gain, no additional moodiness, no loss of sex drive, and relatively good control over my acne. I only see flare-ups on the inactive pills. My only complaint would be that it didn't make my period lighter or decrease my symptoms. Overall, love it."

• jan...
• September 23, 2013

For Birth Control "I have been on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo for about 3 years now. I haven't had any side effects, but my acne got pretty bad, and my sex drive is totally down. I wish there was something I could do to change this. Other than those issues, I have been trusting this pill."

• Anonymous
• July 26, 2010

For Birth Control "I am 23, about 5'3", 105. Been on it for about a year now. Went to my doctor to get on birth control when I was getting married. She recommended this because of the low side effects. WRONG! Everything you read here is true! I threw up my first three days on this. Went away after a week. Had headaches, couldn't sleep well, very moody, was always snapping at my husband, crying at everything, had spotting, and worst of all, I had very low sex drive. I feel I could live the rest of my life without sex. Got off of it for a month, and things were so much better. I was already back to my normal self. Got back on it two months ago because of two reasons: it did keep me from getting pregnant and got rid of my acne. Have not gained much weight."

• fru...
• February 25, 2011

For Birth Control "I have been on Ortho TriCyclen Lo for approximately 15 years. I'm not sure exactly when I started since it's been that long. The first 5 or so years were great. I had regular periods, light to moderate bleeding, less acne, and cramps, but after that I've had less sex drive, regular adult acne, steady weight gain with the inability to lose easily (even tried Weight Watchers with no effect), mood swings, and slight depression. Other factors may have come into play with school, work, and relationships, but I'm now married and the side effects are more noticeable since the other factors have leveled out. I'm trying something else mainly due to weight gain, mood swings, and cost - I'm in Arizona - OTCL is now $88 a month."

• Kat...
• June 25, 2010

For Birth Control "I've been on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo for about a year now, and it has done its job on preventing pregnancy. It has not affected my weight and has not caused me any sickness. What it hasn't done, though, is help with breakouts on my face or my flow. And it has caused me to be moody and get upset easily. It has definitely lowered my sex drive."

• Em2...
• August 14, 2012

For Ovarian Cysts "I recently switched from Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo because I had spotting, so I'm switching to a pill with more progesterone because that's what the nice doctor said I should do. But while on this pill, I could definitely tell I broke out instantly and had crazy mood swings during the third week, but it was doable. I don't think I like phasic pills. But other than that, no weight gain, no loss of sex drive, and still the same periods (which have always been bad)."

• mar...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 3, 2016

For Birth Control "I'm 16 and I've been taking this for about 8 months now. It works, I haven't gotten pregnant, but it hasn't really regulated my period. A couple of months ago, I had my period for 3 weeks straight despite taking the pill. Also, it absolutely killed my sex drive, which is very annoying. I've had depression for about 5 years now, and I don't know if taking Tri-Cyclen Lo made it worse, but it definitely didn't help."