Ortho Tri-Cyclen and Mood Swings: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Mel...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 3, 2016

For Birth Control "I first went on this pill when I was 20 years old. Everything seemed to be fine. Periods were lighter, no mood swings, no weight gain. Acne was so-so. Skip ahead 2 years later and went on a trip and forgot to bring my birth control with me because I had my period at the time and the days just evaded me. So I waited until my next period to take it again. Once I got back on it, I had intense mood swings for no reason and tremendous weight gain that keeps continuing. I gained 30 pounds in 6 months since getting back on the pill. My eating habits haven't changed, and I've actually been more active, but pounds keep coming. It definitely affects sex drive, because the month I was off, it was high and then went low again after."

• Ama...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 22, 2019

For Birth Control "I was on Ortho Tri-Cyclen for about 10 years until I lived out of the country, and they didn't have it. I didn't realize how bad my PMS and period were until I switched, I just thought it was normal. On Ortho Tri-Cyclen for the week leading up to my period, I was angry, sad, emotional, etc., and would get mind-numbing, painful cramps along with heavy periods. I recently switched to Taytulla and now have no PMS and little to no periods or cramps. It's different for everyone, but my PMS was badly affecting my personal relationships and work."

• Mrr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 19, 2015

For Birth Control "I've been on Ortho Tri-Cyclen for about 3 to 4 months now, and the biggest positive for me was that it cleared my hormonal chin acne. Lately, I've really felt the mood swings, though. I'm usually a very happy person, but lately, I've been feeling very blah, and I feel like I can't concentrate. Sex drive is also a little blah. Weight is about the same too."

• Stu...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 16, 2018

For Birth Control "My best friend and I were both switched to Tricyclen because it was a heavier dose of hormone and would help make our periods lighter and help with acne. My acne got worse on the pill, and I found myself emotional, but it was effective at preventing pregnancy as it was the only form of birth control my partner and I were using. My best friend was also on Tricyclen, and she recently found out she was pregnant. She was responsible with her pill and never missed a dose. I went with her to get the abortion, where the nurse told us the pill is only 91% effective. Nine out of every 100 women get pregnant while on Tricyclen. Those were numbers I did not know when I was prescribed it, and since learning that, I have switched to another form of birth control."

• may...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 9, 2022

For Birth Control "It did its job - prevent pregnancy. The side effects that came with not being pregnant, however, were not worth it. It immensely affected my mood, which in turn affected my relationship. I also gained about 10 lbs, which affected my mental health as I already had body image and self-esteem issues. Overall, I don't think it's worth it."

• Nan...
• February 8, 2017

For Acne "I went on Ortho Tri-Cyclen for about a year, and I can honestly say my face cleared up tremendously. The only downside was that I experienced crazy emotions and mood swings. I unfortunately ran out and wasn't able to refill my prescription for a couple of weeks. As soon as I went back on it, and for the past year, I've had the worst acne I've ever had. Cystic, as well as scarring, I've never experienced. I tried to stick it out to see if I would get the results that I had when I first took it, but it hasn't gotten any better. I'm now switching to Gianvi and hoping this will make my acne better."

• Ter...
• November 15, 2015

For Birth Control "I was on Alesse for the last 2.5 years - my cramps calmed down quite a bit, but I was still spotting (but without BC I would have 7-day periods and terrible cramps, I also have fibroids). My doctor suggested that I change pills since I should have stopped spotting and put me on Tri-Cyclen. I was on this pill for two months, and although I did not have spotting, I noticed that it caused major mood swings, depression, weight gain (10 pounds), tenderness in breasts, and my skin has changed (occasional pimple and normal skin, I started to have red bumps, pimples, and oily skin). I've decided to stop using this pill as it is not for me. My doctor has suggested I go on this new pill called 'LOLO' by Actavis. I can't find much on it and will probably not use it."

• jan...
• January 4, 2021

For Birth Control "This birth control gave me the worst side effects. I went on this medication mainly for acne, only for it to get worse. Not only that, I became extremely irritable and had terrible mood swings. It did nothing for making my periods lighter but did ease cramps. After taking it for around four months, I stopped taking it. My acne came back ten times worse, as well as worsening my mental health. I DO NOT RECOMMEND! My appetite was also increased so much to the point that I could not get full, resulting in weight gain."

• bri...
• April 13, 2016

For Ovarian Cysts "I started this birth control my freshman year of high school (15-16) due to ovarian cysts. I absolutely adored this medication until about six months ago. Six years on the same pill is pretty impressive! I knew exactly when my period would start and end. Friday at three, gone by Sunday at one. About six months ago, I started feeling mood swings, sadness (for no reason), crying out of nowhere, weight gain, and inability to lose weight (which in fairness could be caused by my ovarian disease). All of those symptoms are also what people with thyroid issues have. I had my thyroid checked, and it turns out it was an abnormal hormonal level due to the long use of this birth control! Other than that, I have had absolutely no problems at all."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 1, 2018

For Acne "Everyone’s body is different, but in my experience, taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen was the worst decision I’ve made. I gained 25 pounds in the span of less than 4 months, even with a healthy diet and leading a very active lifestyle. The weight gain was crazy and happened extremely quickly. Nausea was also a prevalent, everyday thing when taking the medication. Did I mention the mood swings? I felt like all my energy had been zapped from my body. Originally, I took it to help with my acne, but ultimately it ended up making my acne WORSE! Horrible medication and would never recommend it to anyone."

• MNa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 23, 2018

For Birth Control "Month 4 on this pill after switching from the Nuva Ring. Periods are longer and heavier, skin has not cleared up, and mood swings are worse before the period. However, my sex drive is back, I haven't gained any weight, and I haven't experienced any migraines. I hope it'll clear my skin soon, that's why I switched from the ring in the first place."

• Big...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 20, 2018

For Ovarian Cysts "I have been taking this pill since I was 15 (5 years). I have never had a problem with it. It had cleared up my acne, the periods are so regular, and I always know the exact day of when it starts and ends (they are short and less painful). My cysts are gone. I usually have 1 bad painful day, but that’s it. The week before I start, I get EXTREMELY EMOTIONAL. I cry for no reason, get angry at people, and have weird mood swings. Other than that, I love this pill. Unfortunately, my doctor is changing my prescription to another pill because I have high blood pressure, and the chance of stroke is too high (even though I am only 20 years old!). I want to switch back to this pill, it is amazing and effective!"

• Hea...
• March 22, 2016

For Birth Control "Well, I had a terrible experience on this birth control. I won't say it's a terrible birth control because I know everyone is different. But starting off, I experienced mild nausea and mood swings. I was much more snippy than usual and irritable. After the first week, I started getting a few deep cystic pimples, one along my jaw and another on my chin. The worst part was my first menstrual cycle, it was excruciatingly strong cramps, like someone stabbed me, radiating to my legs and stomach. I couldn't walk. Large clots, I ran through super plus tampons every hour. I became so anemic I was advised to go to the ER by my PCP. But overall, I didn't get pregnant. Wasn't worth it to me. I stopped after two months, I couldn't adjust to this pill."

• Viv...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 10, 2017

For Ovarian Cysts "I am about to start my second month on an oral contraceptive pill. I have experienced both positive and negative effects, all seem very normal. I have always had a great period - regular, 3-4 days, not too heavy, and hardly any menstrual cramps. My period would only bring awful, very unwanted mood swings. I would always be very emotional and angry. Within the last 2 months, I started to develop ovarian cysts that would rupture, and my doctor suggested I take Ortho Tri-Cyclen. Here are my results. Pros: - Mood swings are no longer an issue (my boyfriend has really noticed the difference in my emotional level) - No weight gain - Goodbye cysts! Cons: (these varied throughout the month) - Trouble sleeping with weird dreams - Nausea - Menstrual-like cramps during placebo week."

• Ann...
• December 7, 2017

For Birth Control "I switched from LoEstrin to this because that BC gave me terrible and painful acne, mostly on my back and chest, to the point where I wouldn't wear anything deeper than a turtleneck. It also lowered my sex drive and caused dryness during sex lasting longer than 5 minutes. After about a month on Ortho, my acne started to clear up, and I now only have a teeny bit around the time of my period. I will say the very first week on this BC I had incredible mood swings, and it really intensified my depression and anxiety, but after the first week, I had no problems. I'm not sure if this pill caused me to lose weight or if it was stress from school, either way, in the past 3 months I've lost about 5 pounds. Wish it made my boobs grow, though, oh well."

• Lil...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 17, 2016

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "I went through a number of birth control pills and even had the Implanon. Each one gave me some sort of side effect (mostly horrible mood swings, terrible breakthrough bleeding, and depression). I started taking this pill a couple of months after I had my daughter, and it worked great for me. But as soon as my prescription ran out and I had to wait a few days to get back on schedule, I just kept bleeding. It's been going on for two weeks now, and I'm still bleeding today. IDK what to do about this. I'm so frustrated because this has been the only pill that hasn't severely altered my hormones until recently. Should I continue the usage and wait it out a bit longer? Really don't want to be pregnant again."

• Kat...
• September 17, 2016

For Ovarian Cysts "I have been on Ortho Tri-Cyclen LO since I was 15. I am now 21. I recently tried out the regular Ortho Tri-Cyclen the past month (I know they say it takes about 3 months to fully kick in), but worst experience. I can't even last more than a month on this. I'm going back on the LO. The amount of water weight I am retaining is insane, my feet look like sausages. I'm a solid 125 and a vigorous gym junkie, and I am 132 pounds now and feel like I constantly have a pregnant belly. I go into full mood swings nonstop and in general just feel disgusting about myself. My skin is usually clear, and I keep getting bad breakouts on my face and shoulders. Very nauseous at night as well all the time."

• Anonymous
• February 3, 2017

For Birth Control "I experienced mood swings and anxiety due to this prescription. ... would not recommend."

• Anonymous
• May 8, 2008

For Birth Control "Rated 9 on account of the mood swings and headaches. But, they are manageable and the medicine is doing its job."

• Moa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 9, 2018

For Birth Control "I've had spotting for 3-4 weeks at a time with this pill, mood swings like never before, and weight gain. Definitely going back to the doctor to change pills."