Jencycla and Depression: What Users Say

• CCa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 8, 2020

For Birth Control "I am on my second pack of Jencycla and highly considering calling it quits. My periods were always 3-4 days prior to taking this pill, and the past month, my period lasted for 9 days and was heavy the entire time. My period stopped for 5 days, and now I'm bleeding again. In a little over a month, I've gained close to 5 lbs, my skin feels different, I have on/off depression and moodiness, and seriously, the random and constant cramping. Also, I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but I swear I can smell chemicals from my skin, and it only started once I started taking this birth control. It's a very noticeable and strong chemical smell that's especially strong on my hands. No amount of washing with soap gets rid of it. I'm giving this one more month, and if the side effects don't stop/slow down, I'm going to try a different pill."

• Jah...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 12, 2018

For Birth Control "I've been in all different kinds of birth control since I was 14. They have all had horrible side effects. I started this BC after having my first daughter because I was breastfeeding. I have never experienced a single side effect. Due to insurance issues, I wasn't able to get this specific one, and they switched me to 'the same formula just a different brand.' It was a no-go!! I had mood swings and severe depression instantly. I only took it for like a month. Anyways, got insurance all sorted out and was able to get Jencycla again. No joke, guys, my depression has actually IMPROVED since being back on this mini pill. And still no side effects. I've been taking it for about 1.5 years total, with a small 3-month break. 10/10 would recommend."

• Nur...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 9, 2019

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "This medication made my life purely awful. I have PCOS and was placed on Jencycla for period regularity. Well, I was on it for two years. I lost almost all of my hair, was having horrible mood swings and depression, gained more weight, and became suicidal. My doctor kept telling me it was related to PCOS and kept putting me on more meds that I refused to take. So eventually, I decided to stop taking it, and honestly, I never felt better. In two months, I’ve lost twenty pounds, my hair is growing back quickly, and my mood swings have slowed tremendously. I do not recommend this med, but like with any other, it affects people differently."

• Mot...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 18, 2020

For Birth Control "I’ve been on this Jencycla pill for a year now. Chose this one because I wanted to breastfeed my newborn. This is the first time I use birth control, so I don't know how to compare it to other pills, but I honestly feel like this caused me postpartum depression. I feel on edge most days and really overall depression. I didn’t think it was the pill, but upon doing more research, I found that maybe it has been the pill messing with my overall mental health. I’ve gained a tremendous amount of weight. I eat like I normally would over the years, but I feel like after starting the pill, weight just packed on easier. And yeah, I also don’t feel motivation to do much around the house, I think that comes from the depression. I was waiting for a full year of using it to pass to really be able to see if I liked it. I haven’t gotten pregnant since being on it. So that works fine, but at the cost of my mental health and physical health, lol."

• Mot...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 18, 2020

For Birth Control "I’ve been on this Jencycla pill for a year now. Chose this one because I wanted to breastfeed my newborn. This is the first time I use birth control, so I don't know how to compare it to other pills, but I honestly feel like this caused me postpartum depression. I feel on edge most days and really overall depression. I didn’t think it was the pill, but upon doing more research, I found that maybe it has been the pill messing with my overall mental health. I’ve gained a tremendous amount of weight. I eat like I normally would over the years, but I feel like after starting the pill, weight just packed on easier. And yeah, I also don’t feel motivation to do much around the house, I think that comes from the depression. I was waiting for a full year of using it to pass to really be able to see if I liked it. I haven’t gotten pregnant since being on it. So that works fine, but at the cost of my mental health and physical health, lol."

• Aly...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 5, 2021

For Birth Control "My experience with Jencycla was absolutely horrendous. The first month wasn’t horrible, but then I started to notice weight gain and insane acne in the 2nd month. Then, at the 3-month mark, the mood swings, irritability (everything irritated me to no end, I wanted to hide in a hole alone), and depression hit, and I became suicidal."

• Tor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 15, 2018

For Birth Control "My gynecologist gave me this to prevent pregnancy, and I’m still a virgin. She told me I might get blood clots and depression, but not many other side effects. Well, just now I got a sudden headache, and the first two days I’ve taken it, I’ve been very depressed, dizzy, and sleepy-never been this bad. I’m going to stay on it for as long as I can, but if I feel any worse, I’m just going to say maybe sex isn’t worth it. I also got on these to combat my PMDD, but I don’t think it’s helping me with anything yet."

• Tin...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 2, 2022

For Birth Control "I’ve been on this birth control for over a year now, and here’s my experience. I had switched over from my old birth control, which was a combination pill, but got off that because of major headaches. The first 6 months on this pill were not bad at all. No headaches, I felt normal, but the only downside was that I felt very emotionless, I still do at times. I find I became very nonchalant towards a lot of things, and I do believe it is from the birth control. The first 6 months, I had a very irregular cycle and still do. My period would come for about 7 days, then it would be gone for 2 months, and so on. After being on it for a bit over 6 months, my cycle started to become more irregular. I had no period for about 3 months, and then suddenly I got my period, and that period lasted a total of 15 days. The last few days were spotting, but still, the bleeding didn’t completely stop after day 15. Since then, I get very irregular bleeding and spotting out of nowhere. I do bleed sometimes after sex."