Sprintec and Depression: What Users Say

• Rit...
• June 1, 2020

For Birth Control "I’m 21 years old. I gained 15 pounds in 3 months while on Sprintec. My sex drive went way down to the point where I just wouldn’t enjoy sex anymore. I couldn’t naturally get wet anymore, so it was painful when we would have sex, so we had to start using lube. The worst thing was that it messed with me mentally. I would have the worst mood swings, and I was very depressed, irrational, and frustrated. My boyfriend is the one who talked to me and asked what was going on with me, and I just completely broke down crying trying to explain that I had no idea what was wrong with me and that I just didn’t feel like myself. He told me it could be my birth control, and just then it clicked in my head, like duh, of course it is. So, I immediately stopped taking it. This is 2 months later that I’m writing this, and I feel 100% better! I’ve lost 10 pounds, and I finally feel like myself again!"

• AF2...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 21, 2020

For Birth Control "I started this birth control, Sprintec, just under two months ago. This is my first one. I have two days left this month, and I’m quitting. I have a history of stomach issues, and my periods definitely aren’t fun either. I threw up the first night I started Sprintec. I have not been myself since I started it. My stomach hurts, and I’m nauseous every day. I have really bad headaches almost every day, if not every day. I can’t sleep. My emotions are awful. I feel so depressed and anxious. I struggle to find the motivation to do anything or even live. I wanted my periods to be less painful. Now I look forward to them every month because I feel better when I’m on it than when I take the pill for the other 21 days. I desperately just want to be myself again. I don’t even know who I am anymore. I’m sure this is different for everyone, but I just can’t handle it anymore."

• Jan...
• February 26, 2020

For Ovarian Cysts "I am finding through more and more reading of reviews is that a lot of these higher estrogen, progestogen pills ruin lives. This pill absolutely destroyed my mental health. I had dark thoughts, I was aggressive and severely depressed. I gained back 10 pounds that I spent the last few months losing within the first month of this pill. I bled for three weeks straight and had super dry, itchy skin. Plus, it made sex unbearably painful, which I have never experienced before. I was practically manic depressive and extremely anxious with migraines and didn't have the energy. I do not recommend this at all, and I am really considering stopping birth control altogether as I am about to start Apri, and they say the same side effects happen. If you are trying this and have any symptoms, especially emotional and the weight, and pain down there from dryness and sex being unbearable, STOP ASAP and try something new. Please take care and don't ignore side effects."

• Kay...
• August 12, 2010

For Birth Control "It hasn't made me sick or caused acne. I went to the doctor's twice from a urinary tract infection since I've been on it. I've been taking it for a month now, and my mood has changed severely. I have no interest in sex at all, I get dry, and I have no intention of wanting to do it. I feel stressed and depressed, and I've never been like that. I feel bad for my boyfriend, and it's been ruining our love life. I'm calling my doctor to switch as soon as she is available. When they say birth control doesn't affect your mood, they are wrong! Read the other reviews."

• Ash...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 3, 2013

For Birth Control "I love this birth control. I've been on it for almost five months. I've been on two other pills before. They made me have severe mood swings and horrible depression, so my doctor put me on this one. I love it. My breasts have gotten bigger as well, which is a HUGE plus for me. Also, the only thing I use is these pills, no condoms or anything else, and I have a very active sex life, and I haven't gotten pregnant, so it is doing a great job. It has given me a higher sex drive too. I have two problems with it, but the pros outweigh the negatives. Firstly, I get nausea when I start a new pack. It usually lasts 3-4 days. It also gives me heavy periods. Though, they only last 3-4 days."

• Leo...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 9, 2020

For Birth Control "I have been on Sprintec for about 3-4 years. Overall, there's definitely pros and cons for me personally. I was young when I started taking it, and it helped so much with cystic acne. It's done what it's supposed to as far as preventing pregnancy. But as I've gotten older and the longer I've taken it, I feel like I'm dealing with PMS or even PMDD (a more severe form of PMS) for more than half the month. It's terrible... The mood swings are terrible, weight change, fluid retention, acne (not cystic, but acne and dryness of skin), prone to yeast infections after periods, terrible fatigue, and I feel depressed and angry. All this with caring well for my health and my skin. Keep in mind this is my personal experience up to date!"

• Anonymous
• January 12, 2010

For Birth Control "I took this for 5 months and loved it. It actually cleared up the acne I had before I started it, and it kept me from getting pregnant. I started forgetting to take it, so I switched to the Depo Provera shot. It has made me depressed, crazy, gain weight, no period, lactate, acne breakouts, and no sex drive at all. Now my doctor even thinks I might have a tumor on my pituitary gland and will have to get an MRI to find out soon. So, I have definitely switched back to Sprintec, today actually, and I hope all these side effects from Depo Provera go away."

• Ken...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 6, 2020

For Birth Control "I normally try to avoid sharing my experience with birth control as we all know every woman is different, but this pill is awful. The first month of taking this pill, I experienced severe depression and suicidal thoughts. After the second month, the thoughts went away, but I was extremely sad. I also spotted for 3 months while taking this pill and experienced cramping at least once a week. I am now using Tri-Estarylla, and it works very well."

• Ash...
• November 12, 2020

"I personally would not recommend this birth control pill to any woman. It completely changed my personality while I was on it, and I was depressed and constantly anxious. I was so dramatic about every little thing and cried all the time, I felt like a crazy person, and I honestly probably appeared that way too. I had 0 sex drive and was always dry, which was very uncomfortable. Perhaps the most concerning of them all was that it messed with my ability to retain memories and recall events that occurred when I was on it. The majority of these months are now somewhat of a blur to me. When I finally quit taking it, it was like a cloud had been lifted and my quality of life was back completely. I will soon be switching to an IUD, which I hear is a much less systemic option, and I recommend this to other women too."

• Bro...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 8, 2021

For Birth Control "I was on Sprintec for five months, and it was awful. Experienced horrible acne and mood changes. I was a completely different person on this. I was constantly crying over everything and having mental breakdowns almost every day. It was so bad that nobody wanted to be around me. It really put me in a bad place, I had really bad depression while on it and constant dark and negative thoughts. Everyone’s body reacts differently, though, I just wanted to post this so if you are experiencing negative thoughts, please reach out to your doctor so they can help you."

• Aan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 12, 2020

For Birth Control "Contrary to others, I have not had a negative experience on Sprintec. First time on birth control, and I have been on it for about four months now. The only changes I have noticed are some breast growth, about one cup difference. I have lost about 8 pounds (again, contrary to my expectations), but I am not sure if this is from the birth control, it seems to be correlated with when I started the pill. I am a very active person already, so that was kinda odd. Acne has not really improved, although I wish it would. In the beginning, I did have some nausea if I took my pill without food. I don’t know if increased depression is correlated to the pill, but it could be."

• Dev...
• April 14, 2021

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "I was on this for 2 years, stopped it because I had been broken up with (didn't want babies). I no longer had a need for it. After stopping this, I ended up bleeding for 2 weeks at a time. Once a month, I had 1 week where I wasn't on my period, and I would soak an overnight pad in less than an hour. I had extreme cramps, skipped uni because I would have to go to the bathroom every 30 minutes to change my tampon and pad. I had fainting spells, sleeping in school because I couldn't stay awake. I came home from school at 4, slept until the next morning every day (due to the amount of blood loss). This birth control permanently ruined my natural mental cycle. I NEVER had this problem. I could not include the rest of my experience because only 1000 characters are allowed. I ended up in the hospital for 4 days, 2 blood transfusions, and heart failure. There was also cystic hormonal acne, suicidal thoughts, and depression. I can't stop it now, or else I would end up risking my life again because it permanently messed up my reproductive organs."

• Anonymous
• December 12, 2010

For Birth Control "I've been taking Sprintec for a month now. The first week and a half I started taking it, I had the worst mood swings (crying profusely, suicidal thoughts, depression), but that was it really. Those feelings only lasted that long. The only times I felt nauseous was if I didn't eat a meal at all before or after taking the pill. (I believe if you eat a good-sized meal right before or right after taking it, you'll be fine). My breasts feel slightly sore and are a bit more rounded and full now (which I'm curious to see if they get to another cup size, me being a 32A right now). I feel like this pill is effective and the side effects are mild and not too bad."

• Daa...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 5, 2016

For Birth Control "I have used this birth control for months now, and I honestly like it. The first week I used it, it gave me really bad suicidal thoughts and made me deeply depressed. I cried mostly every night and at work. But after that week, I was totally fine except I started having really bad headaches. But every birth control comes with symptoms that only last a week or two, and you're totally fine for the rest of the months, depending on if your body accepts it or not. I don't really have acne, I haven't gained weight, my boobs look fuller, and I haven't gotten pregnant yet. Also, my period was heavy in the first month, but through the second and third month, it gets lighter and lighter, as well as the cramps. I love it. Just have a good diet, vitamins, and exercise."

• van...
• November 2, 2010

For Birth Control "I've been on this birth control for about 5 months. It is the first one I've ever tried, and my only negative complaint was that it made me very sad. I cried about everything in the first 2 months of taking this pill. My face is a lot clearer and looks better than ever. My periods last 3-4 days, which happens to be normal for me. I've never had any spotting during my active pills. I think this is a good birth control, but every birth control is different for everyone. I'm happy with this one."

• Jes...
• December 15, 2014

For Birth Control "Before I had another birth control, and my hormones were through the roof and made me depressed really bad. I switched to this brand because of a lower dose of hormones. So far, this brand is working for me! (NO baby yet.) I have been using this for about half a year, if not a year already. I had missed periods, very late periods, and mild mood swings (nothing major) though. Acne is pretty bad, which I don't like about it. My appetite decreased majorly. I lost so much weight because of it. (Even if I eat regularly.) I'm 21 years old and was 123 lbs, now I'm 116.5 lbs exact. My sex drive increased a little bit that I noticed, but pretty much the same, I think. Other than that, this brand works for me."

• Lan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 28, 2019

For Birth Control "Sprintec threw me into a deep depression and made my panic disorder flare up. It got so bad that I lost my job. I’m now back on antidepressants after successfully being off them for a year. While on this pill, I started taking the Xanax that my doctor prescribed two years ago and hadn't needed to use! I almost never had to take my Xanax until I started using this pill. I only took the Sprintec for 2 1/2 months. I wanted to try to stick it out and go three months like some reviews suggested, but I can’t afford taking the chance that it might not get better. If you have battled with depression or panic attacks in the past, I would avoid this birth control! Turned my life upside down."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 13, 2017

For Birth Control "I have been taking this pill for about 6 months. At first, I was fine, but then after a month or so, I started to notice that I was unbearably tired. I would constantly feel the need to sleep. I also felt bloated and gained several pounds. This pill has not only made me feel tired and depressed, I have also no sexual drive, and sex is often very painful now. It's effective because I'm not pregnant, but warning, it makes you feel crazy."

• Gan...
• January 25, 2020

For Birth Control "Started my 3rd pack a week ago. It’s not perfect, but I’m fine with it so far. I was worried about the depression/anxiety/mood swings side effect because I’ve had depression before and still have anxiety. Luckily, my mood has not changed at all. I have experienced 3-4 days of spotting, it mostly happened within the 1st month. The worst thing is it made my boobs really sore. I think it lasted for at least half the time I was taking the first pack, and a few less days with the 2nd pack. So far, nothing for this 3rd month. I’m hoping my periods will get shorter, but that hasn't happened yet. My last period (2nd one I’ve had on the pill so far) seemed to be a little lighter, which was nice. I get bad back pain on my period for the first 4 days, and this time I only had back pain for 1 day! I also got the pill to help with my acne, but it's not helping. I’m gonna keep waiting to see if it helps, but I’m starting to lose hope. So there are pros and cons, but worth a try!"

• Anonymous
• January 22, 2019

For Birth Control "I've been on this pill for about 3 years, I was always a Sun starter, but due to the pharm not having my meds in time, my doc had me start my new pack on a Tues. After starting on a Tues, I began to feel like I want to throw up all the time, and it will happen a week or 2 before my period. I was nervous all this time: anxiety, heart palpitations. I felt this feeling in my chest and stomach often that I can only describe as that feeling you get when something bad is about to happen, zero energy, low sex drive. I slept all the time, negative thoughts, depressed, lost weight, and had no appetite whatsoever. I noticed when I got on the white pills, I started to feel normal again. I will never, ever take those pills again. I thought I was going insane, I cried every day. I’d rather have a baby any day than to feel like that due to Sprintec. I was on Ortho Tri-Lo for years before taking that, and I can’t remember ever feeling like that."

• Jaz...
• March 10, 2019

For Birth Control "DO NOT TAKE Sprintec!!! It was too many hormones for me. I remember days when I wouldn’t even get out of bed because of how much pain my body was in... I would take it at 10 a.m. every day, and by 11:30 a.m. I was angry, my head would spin/I was dizzy, and my vision was so bad some days it was impossible to drive. Sprintec is terrible. I had headaches so bad my eyelids hurt (sharp head pains), impaired vision, the nausea was debilitating, my breasts were swollen for 4 months, and it made me angry and combative for no reason. DON'T TAKE IT! It almost ruined my relationship, and my family members didn’t want to be near me. I would pick fights, and I was depressed for months-crying every day, suicidal thoughts, picking fights with people... and I really thought I needed help. I even went as far as reaching out to a therapist. But all along, it was that birth control... It’s the worst contraceptive pill. Now, I am on Camila, and so far it isn’t bad."

• Rol...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 5, 2017

For Birth Control "I have been taking Sprintec for 9 months now and can't wait for my prescription to be up so I can switch. The first 2 months, I experienced extreme loss of appetite, depression, suicidal thoughts, panic, anxiety, and insomnia. The next 4 months, I leveled off. My periods were painless and light! 2 months ago, the bloating and weight gain began. I can't eat anything without feeling bloated/sick. I wake up in the middle of the night with menstrual cramps all throughout the month. I have put on 30 lbs in 2 months. I am an active person and work 40 hrs a week. I eat a raw vegan diet, and I practice yoga daily. This amount of weight gain doesn't add up. The one positive about Sprintec is it prevents pregnancy, but I hate this roller coaster ride."

• Ano...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 25, 2024

For Birth Control "After a few months of being on this medication, I found that my mood was changing. I would be sad, started caring about things that wouldn't typically bother me, and I also found myself crying a lot. I was taking this medication for 4 years and then I stopped. I've been off it for 1 year and am still experiencing everything listed above. I thought I would go back to my regular self before I started this medication, but that didn't happen even after being off it for a year."

• Lok...
• July 4, 2016

For Birth Control "Worst pill ever. I had evasive thoughts. I would visualize how I killed people. I never had these types of thoughts before the pill. I was depressive and very angry. Gained eight pounds and acne problems became more severe. My doctor said that they are perfect pills for me, but I quit taking them because I was not myself. All my problems went away when I stopped this pill. Best decision of my life."

• Ali...
• March 1, 2017

For Birth Control "I would not recommend this birth control to anyone. I just finished my second pack and ended up in the emergency room after bleeding for 8 days straight with the heaviest period of my life. I am used to heavy periods because I have endometriosis, but this was the worst, along with very painful cramps. I ended up with a huge cyst on my left ovary. Other side effects I have had are terrible anxiety and depression. The first month, I was so sick to my stomach and could hardly eat. My breasts have been swollen and so sore the last two months, worse than both my pregnancies. The worst symptom is I have been so irritable and hateful, which is not me at all. I just want to feel like myself again!"