Jencycla and Weight Gain: 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."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 11, 2023

For Birth Control "This is awful. I am 25 years old, and this pill has made me gain over 20 pounds in half a year. I bleed every other week heavily, and it's never red anymore, it's always dark brown. I have terrible and extreme cramps, worse than I've ever had too! My acne is next-level bad, and a rash started appearing on my shoulders, chest, neck, and back. My skin is super dry and weird too. I had to go on this birth control because of my migraines, but I absolutely hate it. I have never had issues like I've had on this pill before. I will be trying to get on something else soon."

• Ann...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 26, 2020

For Birth Control "Jencycla has been the worst birth control I've ever been on. My hair is so freaking thin near the front of my head since I started taking it, getting yeast infections, periods come sooner than expected, cramps, mood swings, weight gain. I'm switching pills now and hope my hair grows back and can feel confident again."

• 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."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 31, 2022

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "I was prescribed this medicine to control heavy bleeding caused by premenopause hormonal changes. I used to take Minorval but would have non-stop bleeding for several weeks. I've been taking Jencycla for close to a month now, and the weight gain is crazy and depressing. I control my eating and try to be more active, but it keeps going up. Is it water retention, maybe, but I don't know what else to do other than to stop taking it and see what will happen..."

• Jes...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 9, 2021

For Birth Control "I have been taking Jencycla for about 4 years now. I can't take estrogen only because it gave me migraines. I have not gotten pregnant, but ever since I started taking it, I began gaining weight, and it's only gotten worse since. My periods are very irregular. It can vary anywhere between 25-50 days in between periods with no real pattern. I will also spot a lot of times in between as well. The good thing is it has reduced PMS symptoms drastically, and I noticed when I tried to stop taking it, the cramps without birth control were so bad I could hardly move, so right now I am sticking with it to help with the pain."

• CLO...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 24, 2025

For Birth Control "I’ve been on Jencycla for 2 months in combination with an estrogen patch as a treatment for perimenopause. I have only had 1 light period since starting it. However, my breasts hurt and itch constantly, and I have gained 15 lbs. I will be talking to my doctor about the weight gain at my next appointment."