Ethinyl estradiol / norgestrel and Weight Gain: What Users Say

• Bro...
• March 19, 2018

For Birth Control "I was one of those girls who has anxiety over trying new medicines. I looked up everything online and got scared easily. However, I have been on Cryselle for four years now. And I love it. A lot of people share the negative stories behind it, but I want to share my good experience. I have not gained weight from this drug at all, no mood swings or anything like that. My periods went from being 7-8 days of hell to 4-5 days of livable periods. The only downside (and this isn't even that bad) is that my breasts have become more tender a few days before my period. That's it. No crazy cramps or bad blood clots. This was the first birth control I tried, and it worked well for me. Everyone reacts differently, but I wanted to share my good experience and possibly get rid of some girls' anxiety about this pill."

• Anonymous
• November 6, 2011

For Birth Control "This pill has done nothing but cause me problems. My skin is oily, I have really bad mood swings, I have gained 6 pounds, and I'm constantly crying over any little thing. I find a reason to argue with my boyfriend over ANYTHING. I'm seriously thinking about stopping the pill."

• AVB...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 11, 2013

For Birth Control "I absolutely love this birth control pill, worked great for me. I had no weight gain, I had a regular/short period with no cramps! It also helped a lot with my acne, while on the pill, I had no acne and very clear skin, but now that I'm off, I wish I was still on the pill just for that reason."

• Chr...
• July 23, 2019

For Birth Control "I was on Cryselle for about a year before I was switched to Low-Ogestrel. This pill nearly ruined my life! Within the first month, I gained nearly 40 lbs. Then came the moodiness and apathy. By May, I felt literally insane. I had crippling anxiety, had zero interest in intimacy with my fiancé, and ended up in the ER with panic attacks. It was determined that I was estrogen dominant. *A pill only doesn't have to be exactly alike, just within a certain range to be called “equivalent.”* While I’m sure Cryselle didn’t help, things spiraled on this pill. I was prescribed medications for anxiety and depression; I have NEVER experienced either of these in my life. I am now on multiple regimens to bring down my estrogen and regulate my hormones. I have lost half the 40 pounds in 3 weeks and am dealing with acne and weird body odor as my body gets rid of whatever was in this pill. The reviews mentioning anxiety especially definitely held true for me."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 4, 2013

For Birth Control "I recently just switched to this pill because I kept spotting and having heavy periods on the estrogen pills, but I have to say this pill is working great for me so far. I have little to no periods, the only place I gained weight was in my breasts, so that's cool, and my mood has been so stable I barely PMS anymore. The only negative is that I sometimes break out on my face a little bit before my period, but a few pimples over heavy bleeding and spotting in the past is no problem! Great pill, highly recommend it if you have heavy periods and want a lighter one."

• GEE...
• November 17, 2011

For Birth Control "I have been taking this pill for 3 months, and it has been great so far. My periods are lighter, and I hardly have any cramping, when before they were horrible. (Really!) It has made me less moody during my periods, which my boyfriend finds amazing, and it has also made the sex better in our relationship. Besides the slight weight gain, this pill has been exceptionally good to me, and I will continue to take it."

• dra...
• March 23, 2008

"I've gone through about 15 different types of BCPs, all with negative results from being a bitch 24/7, being depressed, sore breasts, skin discoloration, weight gain, UTIs, you name it, it's happened. This is the only one I've taken that has not had any effect on me physically, emotionally, or even personally. I love it and have been on it for 2 years with no problem. I would recommend it to someone who's had as picky a body as I do."

• TRa...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 27, 2013

For Birth Control "These are my first birth control pills. I had heard about the weight gain and such, but it never happened to me. I am really happy with the pill. During my pre-pill life, I had cramping and lots of gas and mood fluctuations during periods, but during this pill, I have very predictable periods and almost no mood imbalances or unusual pain. Since I work out regularly, I experienced no weight gain at all."

• Len...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 19, 2021

For Birth Control "I’ve been taking this birth control for a year now. It is so not for me. My hair is falling out in clumps, my anxiety is terrible, I sometimes get 2-3 periods a month, and I’m getting acne in places I’ve never had acne. Not to mention I don’t usually gain so much weight, but I’ve gained more in this year than I ever have. 1/10 for effort, but if your doctor recommends this, RUN!"

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 20, 2019

For Birth Control "(18F) Before starting this Cryselle, I had 7-8 day-long periods with awful cramps (to the point of passing out). To make a future point, I also had zero acne and no family history of acne. About a month in, my acne got so bad I never considered the cause was Cryselle (Norgestrel 0.3 mg, ethinyl estradiol 0.30 mg). My periods were so light and only lasted 2 days. Never had any cramps, and I felt like I could live my life. But my acne was all over my body, and it hurt to even put glasses on. After a year on antibiotics for the acne (which helped a lot), the acne came back when my only medication was this birth control. Finally, after 1.5 years, I switched to Sprintec (Norgestimate 0.25 mg, ethinyl estradiol 0.035 mg) instead, it has a different type of progestin and slightly more estradiol. Now, my acne is completely gone. When I read reviews saying the medication has no effect on acne, don’t always trust them. Was even told this by my doctor. Make sure to pay close attention to changes in your body. Also gained 35 pounds very quickly."

• sam...
• October 30, 2015

For Endometriosis "I was diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis and had a chocolate cyst that was removed 6 months ago. However, excruciating pain and cramps persisted. I was so drained all the time and attributed it to my busy schedule. A month ago, I went to the OB-GYN because my cramps became daily. They found a lemon-sized cyst on the right ovary and told me to go on Cryselle for 4 months to shrivel it. Before I could start taking it, I had a horrible bout of pain, fever, nausea, and dizziness that felt like my endo symptoms. I think my cyst burst because the persistent pain was gone. Doc said to take Cryselle anyway. The first week, I got a few big pimples and expected to gain weight and be moody. It did the opposite, felt like my old self, energetic and happy!!"

• bcb...
• January 14, 2016

For Birth Control "I have been on this pill for 3 months now, and I have to say it has been awful! I do not feel like myself, I'm really irritable, angry, depressed, and my sex drive is gone. I've been working out daily and eating right and still gaining weight. I've also got awful period acne breakouts on Cryselle. The only positive things are that the pill does its job and my periods are 4 days max (they're also light)."

• Kmh...
• August 26, 2017

For Birth Control "I've been on this medicine for 6 months. I gave it a 5 for the sole fact it does do its job in preventing pregnancy, and my periods have been overall shorter and lighter. However, starting this pill, I was miserable from extremely tender breasts, nausea, extreme emotions, and weight gain. I've been on birth control for 10 years and have never gained weight, but within 6 weeks of starting this pill, I gained 20 lbs. Because of that, and the fact that it makes me extremely emotional and/or moody, I will be stopping at the end of my current pack."

• Eli...
• March 20, 2013

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "A month ago, I switched from Lo Loestrin Fe to Cryselle because of the expense of Loestrin. So far, I think Cryselle is okay. I'm on birth control to regulate and lighten my periods, and Lo Loestrin did that for me. So far this month, Cryselle didn't do anything for them. They are just as heavy and I still have bad cramps. But they are regular. What I do like is it cleared some of my acne. I've had no weight gain, but I am very emotional. Oh, and my breasts have grown tremendously."

• ruu...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 2, 2016

For Birth Control "This is the worst form of birth control I have ever been on. I gained 10 pounds in a month without changing my diet. I'm normally an anxious person and get hormonal around my period, but this pill intensified everything. I cried almost every day and got angry over stupid things, and I didn't have any anxiety-free moments throughout the day at all on this pill. Terrible headaches and nausea. I just got off of it, so I'm hoping it all goes away soon. I don't recommend this."

• Uni...
• September 16, 2010

For Birth Control "I have been taking this birth control for 5 months now! And ever since I started taking this birth control, I have gotten an odd, abnormal redness to my face, gained 15 pounds, and haven't had anything but spotting for the last 4 months."

• Aut...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 30, 2021

For Birth Control "I took Cryselle for about a year or two. It was the worst birth control I’ve taken. It made me extremely moody, and I felt angry, to the point that my friends and family could see the difference in my mood. It also made me gain 15 pounds so fast that I now have issues with my knees. I talked to my doctor, and she switched me to Junelle Fe. I love Junelle, and my family told me never to go back to Cryselle. But now I was told Junelle is on back order, and they’re having me take Aurovela. I’m scared to switch since I really like Junelle."

• Nik...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 3, 2018

For Birth Control "I started Cryselle as my first birth control drug. When I started, I bled on and off for about a month. After that, everything was great. Very regular periods lasting about 5 days with only 1-2 “heavy” days. Just experienced the normal teenage acne problems, nothing out of the ordinary. No cramps. Some weight gain but was also a part of growing out of adolescence. I’m 20 now and had to switch pills because over the past year, periods have gone down to about 3 days with very light cycles and have had pre-hypertension for about 2 years. Now my blood pressure qualifies for hypertension, so I switched in hopes it would come down. Also experienced breakthrough bleeding of brown discharge for two weeks straight. Assuming it was a lot of old blood that had accumulated. After switching, my body has finally let go of all that old blood (there was a lot), so just be mindful of that. Was on this pill for about 4 years and it was a good run."

• Moo...
• September 21, 2017

For Birth Control "This is my first birth control I have ever been on. I've been on this pill going on two years. It does its job in the field of preventing pregnancy. The only thing I dislike about it is I get very moody at times while on it. If I skip a pill and have to double up on it the next night, I get a real bad headache! I have experienced weight gain as well, which no girl cares for. But like they all say, everyone is different."

• Jas...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 4, 2023

For Endometriosis "I started Cryselle a year and a half ago for endometriosis. My doctor originally started me on it with the instructions to take it perpetually, skipping the placebos. The worst thing to do. Your body can't handle that, and I had constant bleeding for several months. Once I started taking it for three months and then a week of placebos, my period evened out, and I haven’t experienced any pain or heavy periods since. However, I noticed I started gaining weight fast. I went up two dress sizes within three months. As of now, I have gained thirty pounds on this pill and can't seem to shake the weight off with exercise. I also naturally had a high metabolism, which seemed to completely disappear. Overall, I love that it works, but the side effects are a bit too much. I'm worried that I’ll just continue to gain weight on this pill, as I haven't stopped yet."

• wd1...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 14, 2016

For Birth Control "I got switched to this pill because I was beginning to have severe cramps on my Lutera pill. I liked this pill for the first 3 months as I noticed my boobs grew, my acne completely cleared up, and my cramps were gone. However, during this time period, I noticed about a 10 lb weight gain that only occurred while I was on the pill (I lost 8.7 pounds while on my sugar pills one week). I also noticed that I was really emotional and got upset about everything, and I never cry, ever. I know everybody has different reactions to medications, but I would suggest not even trying this pill because the pros were not worth the cons."

• tak...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 15, 2022

For Birth Control "Went on this birth control at the age of 16 to regulate my cycle. My cycle was irregular since it started at the age of 13. I went to my pediatrician, who prescribed me Cryselle. During the second month of taking it, I noticed weight gain in my torso and face specifically. In addition to that, my appetite was insane. I had huge cravings for junk food and was hungry all the time and had lots of gas. I also struggled greatly with anxiety and depression. Literally cried myself to sleep in my room and experienced dissociation like I never had before. Panicking and crying about everything, including my existence. I did get my period every month, but at what cost? Don’t recommend it."

• str...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 5, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on this pill about 8 months now. It's my 3rd birth control. Tricyclics give me bad migraines, and I was on Minastrin before this. Minastrin always made me really sad for no reason, too nauseous to eat, very moody and depressed, and I had no period. Cryselle was such a big turnaround for me. I'm back to my normal happy self, periods only last 1-2 days, rarely any cramping. The only thing I noticed was a little bit of weight gain, but that could also be from switching, as the last birth control made me too sick to eat half the time."

• Bet...
• November 10, 2020

For Birth Control "I was on Low-Ogestrel-28 for about 9 months before my family basically had an intervention with me and told me I had to switch to something else. It wasn't until about month #6 that I really started experiencing the bad symptoms like depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and anger/mood swings. I also saw increased appetite, bloating, water retention, and 10 lb weight gain. I was crying, lashing out, and overly emotional. I finally called my ob-gyn, and I got switched to the mini pill, and I feel 100% myself again. I feel like I'm on nothing. I came to the conclusion that estrogen and my body just don't do well, no matter what brand of combination pill. This pill has big-time side effects on me and messed with me psychologically. I noticed a drastic change 1 month off of them already, like I'm mellowed out and relaxed. This pill landed me in therapy because I couldn't control my anger. As a side note, it 100% did its job, which was to prevent pregnancy."

• Anonymous
• May 30, 2012

"This is my third month on this pill, and so far, it's really good. I have not experienced any bad acne or weight gain. My periods are much less painful, I don't have to take any painkillers during my period now! (Sometimes I took 2-4 Aleve a day to stop the pain.) I haven't experienced any nausea or discomfort, and I rarely have mood swings now."