Tri-Lo-Marzia and Headaches: What Users Say

• Nik...
• October 19, 2018

For Birth Control "I have been on Tri-Lo-Marzia for about 2 years now, and I have not experienced any side effects. It has done its job, and I have not gotten pregnant. I used to experience terrible pain on my period, including vomiting, dizziness, intense cramps, headaches, etc. Tri-Lo-Marzia stopped it all. It also shortened my period to about 5 days instead of 7. Overall, it has worked out well for me, and I would recommend it. However, everyone is different and reacts differently to medications."

• Sam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 5, 2019

For Birth Control "I am writing this review from a hospital bed in the emergency room, so that should be a clue as to how well this medicine worked. I had previously been on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo for over a dozen years with zero side effects and was really scared to start this new generic one when they discontinued my normal pill. The first two weeks on Tri-Lo-Marzia were okay, some minor heart palpitations and headaches, but the best was yet to come. Within hours of starting the third week of pills, it felt like I was having a heart attack. I’ve had intermittent extreme palpitations and episodes of “afib” with burning chest pain because of this medicine! Once I finish the last few pills, I am throwing the rest of my supply in the trash!"

• dis...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 17, 2018

For Birth Control "Would never recommend this to anyone. I got constant migraines as soon as I started taking this medication. From the moment I would wake up until I went to bed, I would have this constant, horrible headache. Not to mention, I was on this for hormonal acne, and my skin has NEVER been as bad as it has been while taking this. It is so bad that I'm embarrassed to leave my house. I gained 5 pounds the first month I was on this medicine because suddenly I have the appetite of a teenage boy going through puberty now!!! I have nothing good to say about this birth control and HIGHLY suggest you be cautious while on it. I am only writing this review to warn people."

• Joe...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 17, 2018

For Birth Control "The worst! New gyno suggested after I specifically requested Ortho Tri-Cyclen L. On this, I gained 29 lbs in 3 months. I work out 5 days a week and can’t lose 5 lbs. I’ve been depressed, moody, bloated, severe headaches, having anxiety, and either eating everything in sight or not eating at all. And absolutely no sex drive. I do not recommend this product to anyone. It also caused my lymph nodes to swell up. Please be extra careful when trying these pills. I just threw out my pills in the trash..."

• Kat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 26, 2019

For Birth Control "I was on the Tri-Lo-Marzia generic pill for three months after Ortho-Tricyclen Lo brand was discontinued. The first month was as expected with a new hormonal birth control. I had headaches, stomach pains, and nausea. I figured I'd give my body a couple more months to adjust. In the second month, I became depressed and lost all control of my emotions. I cried multiple times daily, often when in public and without any trigger. I cried getting out of bed every morning. I have never struggled with emotional issues before this. It got to the point where I was seriously depressed. I am two days off of this pill and already feel 10x better. I didn't give this a one-star rating only because it did make me have nice skin and I didn't get pregnant. However, in hindsight, if I had to do it again, I may rather have gotten pregnant."

• Dan...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 26, 2024

For Birth Control "I was on this medication for about 10 years. I never got pregnant, and my periods were very consistent, so it worked super well. However, about three months ago, I began experiencing horrible headaches during my period. My blood pressure had gone up, and I switched to Lo Loestrin. The headaches are now gone."

• ama...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 9, 2019

For Birth Control "I had taken Tri-Lo-Spintec for about a year, and then they changed it to Marzia because of some changes in the insurance, but they told me that since they both had the same ingredients, they should work the same. NOT AT ALL. At first, I was excited because on the other one I would get a bit of a headache on the first day of the pack, and it didn’t happen with Marzia. Still, four or five days after I started taking them, I started developing some discomfort in my vagina and eventually got a vaginal yeast infection. I couldn’t believe it since I take very good care of my hygiene. It came back the next month that I took a pack. Also, my period came a week late, lasted two more days than usual, and I had some pain (three things that are not usual in me). Sex has also been very uncomfortable. Definitely not my best experience."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 5, 2018

For Birth Control "In the beginning of taking this BC, it was not too bad. After a few months, I started experiencing side effects. I get cramps so bad I have to stop walking or stop any movement I'm making and just freeze until they go away. I also feel like I'm tired all of the time. Recently, I have been experiencing headaches and bloating. I've also noticed that ever since I have been on this birth control, I have an extremely low sex drive. I never did gain any weight, but I have been battling with crazy cravings. I have always had very bad hormonal acne, and after being on this birth control, I have noticed it cleared up some but not completely. I would be cautious if you are on this birth control. Give this birth control at least 3 months for your body to adjust. For me, I have given it a year, and it just keeps getting worse."

• Ami...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 20, 2019

For Birth Control "Overall, I was happy with this pill. Besides the headaches it was giving me, I would get a headache while taking active pills as well as during the inactive week. My acne got better, although I still get flare-ups once in a while. When I started the pill, I had spotting continuously for 2-3 months, but it stopped after that. For those who just started the pill, it's important to know that spotting is common, but it will go away."

• mys...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 2, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve been on Tri-Lo-Marzia for 1 1/2 years now, and it’s worked well for me from the get-go. After getting the Mirena out (hello cysts), I waited a bit before going back to the pill. I had SERIOUS post-Mirena breakouts for a good 6 months, and this pill COMPLETELY CLEARED UP MY SKIN!! It didn’t change my appetite much at all, which was great, and I didn't have any weight gain aside from a little bloating now and then. I occasionally experience some nausea, headaches, moodiness, but nothing unbearable. Everyone's different, but if you’re dealing with hormonal acne, I suggest giving this a shot."

• Ang...
• January 18, 2020

For Birth Control "I wish I could rate this drug a 0. I wouldn’t recommend anyone to take it. I took this pill for about 3 months, and 3 months later I am still feeling what I believe to be aftereffects of coming off the pill. When I started the pill, I experienced daily headaches, then a really bad one that made me feel like I couldn’t fall asleep or something bad would happen... I guess some kind of paranoia. I developed severe anxiety, and I’ve never been an anxious person really, so this was one of the hardest things. I experienced brain fog, nausea, and just overall feeling uncomfortable every day. I also experienced serious chest pains that led me to believe I had a blood clot or was maybe having a heart attack. Since stopping the pills, I haven’t felt back to my normal self yet, but I’m hoping that I feel like myself again soon. I’ve just been experiencing some headaches, anxiety, and a very strange feeling in my head that I assume is brain fog as well."

• Tan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 29, 2020

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "The first birth control I ever tried was Loestrin FE. It made me extremely nauseous and gave me terrible headaches. I’m now on Tri-Lo-Marzia due to my period coming every 2 weeks. So far, so good. I’m on my second week, and my period has not started. I take it every AM with food, and I feel perfectly fine. The only difference I’ve noticed is that my anxiety has increased."

• KEa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 5, 2018

For Acne "I was put on this for acne, and my headaches and moods have been extremely awful; I have broken down so many times, and the back of my head is in serious pain. When I take painkillers to help with the headaches, I feel pretty fine, but man, this pill is seriously getting to me, and I'm gonna fight through and see how long all these symptoms will last."

• Jun...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 17, 2018

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "Absolutely terrible. After trying this pill for only 5 days, it is now in the trash. I have had pretty bad periods my whole life, usually lasting for 10 days or more. The timing in between can go from 3-7 weeks. I also have frequent cysts and severe mood disruptions. I was put on this recently with hope that it would stabilize all this. Well, I will deal with what I know and try healthy alternatives. This completely defeated me for a week. My mood dropped to the lowest I've felt in a long time. I couldn't stop crying. My head was pounding, and I vomited for days. I almost immediately stopped taking this pill because it was SCARY. I've now been off for three days, and my head is still pounding, I'm incredibly nauseous, and I've started bleeding heavily. I hope other people can find relief, but I also want you to know that it can be shockingly bad. I've had issues with anxiety and depression before, and I wish my doctor would have been more concerned with the reaction this pill could cause."

• Ann...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 17, 2019

For Birth Control "So I’ve been taking Tri-Lo-Marzia for a while now (years), and it only now just clicked that it’s probably what’s causing all my problems, when one of the issues I was blaming on a death in the family. Let’s see, 40 pounds weight gain, joint pain, muscle spasms, boils/large cysts, terrible headaches the week before my period. Only recently did I think this was the issue when the spasms happen worst after my cycle when I started a new pack of pills and had none during my period. I have one more row of pills before my next period, and helping with getting switched back to Tri-Lo-Sprintec, things will go back to normal. My pharmacy changed me to Tri-Lo-Marzia without telling me it was different years ago because they weren’t carrying Tri-Lo-Sprintec. Also, I get really anxious or annoyed by stupid little things super fast and just haven't felt right for a while."

• Bri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 5, 2020

For Birth Control "I would NEVER recommend taking this pill. I started this pill in October and was fine for the first two months. The end of December through January (and it is now February 4) I have had the worst anxiety and depression. I was never anxious or depressed before this medication. I have never experienced anxiety aside from nervousness due to school stressors (normal). I now anticipate going to bed early every night to avoid feeling this way. I have also experienced headaches, nausea at night, dizziness, and a fast heart rate as well. I just threw this medication into my garbage pail this morning because of how horrible it is making me feel. Everyone reacts differently to medication, but Tri-Lo-Marzia Birth Control has made me stop taking birth control for good - I am honestly traumatized."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 12, 2019

For Birth Control "I had the worst experience. I couldn’t sleep, I had major headaches, and I had hair loss! My hair came out in clumps, it has helped my acne but is not worth everything else I’ve gone through. I have endometriosis, and this doesn’t help it whatsoever, my periods are still so heavy and brutal. This pill has made me feel so anxious and irritable all the time. I will be getting off of it immediately."

• Ann...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 2, 2018

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "I was recommended this pill by my doctor for abnormal bleeding, and it worked and helped regulate my periods. I had the normal side effects: cramps, headache, etc. The first couple of weeks, after that, it went away. I have no side effects, and I think it helped my acne a little too. I'm happy with this pill."

• Ano...
• May 27, 2020

For Birth Control "I have only been on the pill for 5-6 months now, and since I’ve started, it’s been horrible. I got on birth control because I had extremely bad cramps and super heavy flow, which caused me to be nauseous and very weak when trying to walk without taking 3-4 pain pills. I blacked out each time I had my cycle, even at university classes too. Only high doses of pain pills worked. So, the second week, I started feeling sick: constant headaches, nausea 24/7. I lost interest in a lot of things, I constantly felt irritated and I hated talking to people. I wanted to be alone and I felt sad when I was alone but wanted to be around people (very confused). Two months in, nothing changed except for me cramping for 2 weeks, the week before and week of. It was lighter but lasted longer, and I had no appetite at all. And I exercise a lot, but I still look like I’m gaining weight, and my family keeps telling me this. All I can say is be cautious before you use this."

• Mpa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 10, 2021

For Birth Control "Terrible. The first week was nonstop crying for no reason. Anything made me cry. I got terrible facial hair under my chin, also, they were dark coarse hairs. Since each week increases its progestin, the hair got worse each week. As far as pregnancy prevention, it did fine, but just terrible facial hair and headaches. Stopped it and went back to a monophasic pill."

• peg...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 29, 2021

For Birth Control "I would not recommend this birth control to anyone, I was on it for almost a year, and the only positive was it kept me from getting pregnant. I had horrible acne a month or two after starting the pill, and it continued throughout my time on the pill. I still had painful cramps and headaches on my period, and it also caused me to gain about 15 pounds within a year. I have been off of it for about 2 months, and I've already lost the weight I gained while on it. The bigger problem is that my first period after the pill was 11 days late, and my second period was 11 days early. I've been on 4 different pills before and never have experienced lasting issues after I went off the pill. Do yourself a favor and try something else."

• Tar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 13, 2021

For Birth Control "Honest review here. I have sinus tachycardia, and estrogen is a trigger. I wanted to try birth control again at the lowest possible dose after a couple of years of not being on anything. Within that week, I started getting a burning chest, racing heart, horrible headache, and 24/7 cramps. Threw it in the trash where it belongs."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 16, 2021

For Birth Control "On my second day, I was feeling horrible on this pill, feeling dizziness, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and discomfort, gassy, headache to migraines. So horrible! I do not recommend Tri-Lo-Marzia. Never again will I take this pill!"

• cre...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 10, 2022

For Birth Control "I’ve been on Tri-Lo-Marzia for about 5 months now. Before starting the pill, my cycle would skip for a few months, and when I eventually got it, it lasted for about 6-7 days. Immediately after starting it (about a week or 2), I lost 15 pounds and gained it back right after. The longer I take it, the longer my periods last each month-or should I say twice a month. I get my period twice a month now for about 10-14 days and only 6 days between them. It also isn’t a regular “period.” The blood isn’t red, it’s more like a very dark, almost poop brown color. I get spurts of blood every 2 days where it’s bright red, then goes immediately back to the brown. I don’t know if it has cleared my acne at all because I’ve been using topical medication at the same time as taking this pill. I’ve also had headaches for weeks straight, even after taking Advil, it doesn’t lessen. The only plus I can think of is that my hair is growing faster maybe?"

• Hal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 5, 2019

For Birth Control "Have not even taken this a whole month because it is terrible. The first day taking it, I felt nauseous and had a headache. Side effects are awful, and I am done taking this pill."