Nora-Be and Depression: What Users Say

• Rac...
• July 15, 2015

For Birth Control "I've tried many, many forms of BCPs. Having given up hope that I could find a decent pill that didn't cause weight gain and depression, I made an appointment to get a Mirena IUD or the Implanon. I asked my doctor one more time if she thought there were any low-dose options I should try, and she put me on this. So far, so good. I can normally tell what the side effects are very quickly upon trying a new pill. This one seems fine so far, and it's only been a few weeks. With all pills containing estrogen, I feel very foggy, a bit depressed, my athleticism suffers, I don't sleep as well, and I gain weight. I already lost 3 pounds when switching to this pill without any dietary changes. I feel great when climbing/hiking/running."

• Des...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 18, 2021

For Birth Control "My wife doesn’t think she has any side effects from Nora-BE. And when I brought it up last night, she threatened me with divorce. She seems to like it because she doesn’t seem to have a period when she’s on it. But this pill is seriously messing with my wife’s mood and has completely destroyed her sex drive. I quote, “she would rather eat rusty nails than have sex with me.” This pill is literally destroying my wife’s emotions and has caused constant depression, and it all started after she started taking Nora-BE. And there is nothing I can say or do to get her to make the connection between this pill she takes every single morning and the way she has become so abusive and depressed on it... but what do I know? “I’m too stupid to understand how she feels.” My wife was never like this before, and everything I have read here from you ladies explains so many things, and I see so many similarities."

• Sal...
• December 18, 2016

For Endometriosis "I started Nora Be in April of 2016 because of severe cramping, vomiting, cysts that came especially burdensome with each menstrual cycle. It is now December of 2016, and I can say my pain and cramping have decreased to a much more livable situation. However, weight gain, laziness, anxiety, and depression have all increased so much. I definitely do not want to go back to the pain but am thinking of trying to go without for a bit to see what happens."

• Sha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 23, 2019

For Birth Control "I started taking Nora-Be at age 44 after being on Ortho Cyclen for 5 years. The doctor recommended I switch to POP (progestin-only pill) because of elevated blood pressure. Should have stayed on Ortho Cyclen. I felt all right the first 3 weeks, but on the fourth week, I was bleeding really heavily, super plus tampons soaked with blood, had the worst PMS symptoms ever. Immediately stopped taking them. I still feel depressed even though I have been off of them for almost two weeks. Just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience? Would NOT recommend Nora-Be."

• JTM...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 13, 2016

For Birth Control "I have been on Nora for about 8 months. It has been a positive experience. Everyone is different; the way hormones affect you will be different; I felt that on combo pills with estrogen (particularly the 2 years I spent on Microgestin, yikes), I experienced consistent depression, anxiety, weight gain. I just think the way estrogen affects my body/brain is not good. So I tried a progestin-only pill. Negatives: your period is (somewhat) inconsistent. Mine has still been a normal period, 4-5 days; it's just not as easy to plan as the combo pill. I do miss being able to skip periods like on the combo pills, but not feeling emotional all the time is worth it. Have to take the pill at the same time daily within an hour or so. Set an alarm, and it's easy!"

• Kbm...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 21, 2021

For Birth Control "I've been on birth control for 5 years now. I started out on Cryselle for 3 years. I generally liked it, but it made me extremely paranoid and depressed. A new doctor then changed me to Nora-Be. I bled for a month straight, had horrible headaches, and started having terrible acne. I called my doctor, they told me it was not the pill, and they basically wouldn’t change me to a different one. So, I just stayed on Nora-Be, hoping my body would get used to it. I've been on it for 2 years now, my periods are now so irregular (roughly every 2 months) and absolutely painful. It is giving me horrible cystic acne, and it is causing me to have UTIs. I have never had acne until now, and it is painful, so I have finally decided to stop taking it, and I do not recommend this pill to anyone. I feel so naive, I didn’t realize that this pill was causing all of this until now. I give this a 2 rating because it did prevent pregnancy, but it is nowhere near worth the suffering that it has caused."

• Che...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 5, 2015

For Birth Control "I've been on Nora-Be for 4 months now. For the first 3 months, the spotting seemed never-ending. It would stop for a few days and then start again. It was so annoying feeling like I should always keep a tampon in, just in case. I've gotten increased acne, but not too bad. I've also had an increased appetite and gained about 15 lbs! Major bummer! I wasn't eating well either, but I've NEVER gained weight this fast! This past month, no spotting. My period actually came a couple of weeks later than expected. I almost thought I was pregnant. This pill was useful as birth control-2 stars for that. But now I've been experiencing mood swings and depression in overdrive. I cry so easily and so often now. I'm planning on trying the full pill."

• Can...
• August 6, 2016

For Birth Control "I'm 26, and I switched from a combination pill to Nora-Be, and I hated it. I was on it for 7 months, and at first it was okay for the first 2 months, then I started having 2 or 3 periods in one month for 7 days at a time. I have had extreme mood swings, depression, and major weight gain. I don't use scales because they are discouraging, but if I had to guess, I would say I've gained 15 to 20 pounds, if not more. I eat healthy and exercise at least 2 to 3 times a week. I have decided to try out a diaphragm. I'm done with hormones. Ladies, these hormones are no good for us. Even though they are effective for birth control, it's not worth emotional and physical distress. My advice: try a non-hormonal method."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 17, 2017

For Birth Control "I just stopped taking this birth control due to the negative side effects I have experienced. It caused me to have severe headaches every single day, mainly behind my eyes. I also felt moody and depressed. I would not recommend."

• Cla...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 18, 2016

For Birth Control "After having my first son, I went on the mini pill because I was nursing him. I was on it for about two years, and the side effects were minimal. However, I'm on it again now while breastfeeding, and I've noticed a lot more side effects. The facial hair growth is ridiculous. I have to pluck my chin like once a week. I suspect it's also causing my moods to change. I feel manic depressive. I go from feeling great to feeling suicidal within the same two-hour period. Overall, it's doing what it's supposed to do. I haven't gotten pregnant. But maybe it's not worth it. Tracking my period and avoiding ovulation really isn't that hard."

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 4, 2019

For Birth Control "I switched from Lyza to Nora-Be about 3 months ago and was told it was the same thing. Same hormone, dosage, and everything. But it does not feel the same, and I can't figure out why. When I was on Lyza, I felt even better than without birth control. But once I started the Nora-Be, I started feeling depressed within the first few days, and it just continued to get worse! I thought I would level out after some time, but no, it's still continuing to worsen. It is like PMSing 24/7 (including the cramps). An emotional rollercoaster ride that just won't stop, along with unexpected physical discomfort like joint pain, bloating, headaches, and it's even messing with my blood pressure! If you react sensitively to hormones, then this one may not be right for you. Although everyone's body reacts differently! I would recommend Lyza instead as a similar alternative for a more leveled experience (especially emotionally)."

• pen...
• September 13, 2016

For Birth Control "I was on Nora-Be for 2.5 years. Previously had taken a combination pill, then was off BC for a while. Started Nora-Be to alleviate my heavy, painful periods. At first, I was pleased because it helped the physical side effects of my cycle. But I noticed less and less regular periods (expected) with tons of other physical symptoms. Weight gain, acne, anxiousness, depression, fatigue, and bloating. I was so bloated all the time. I would have these horrible emotional PMS symptoms for like 3 weeks, spot for 2-3 days, normal for a week, and then back to the horrible symptoms. I just couldn't deal with it anymore - it was affecting every area of my life. On the plus side, I didn't get pregnant. I stopped taking it 6 months ago and feel great."

• Jes...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 3, 2016

For Birth Control "Well, I initially went on this birth control to regulate my hormones - lots of breakouts lately and mood swings. I've been on the patch, Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, and Yaz before - all of them I had bad side effects with. I can say for sure Nora-Be calmed my breakouts and mood swings, which is great... but it definitely gave me a heavy period, bloating, fatigue, depression, aloofness, itchy dryness, and tender breasts. The pros do not outweigh the cons in this case, so I will be going off. Also, I just read about the ovarian cyst side effects... not worth it!"

• Ang...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 6, 2018

For Amenorrhea "So I was on Nora-Be for 2 years. I gained like 40 lbs, no change in my eating habits. It was supposed to replace my previous birth control pill, Yaz, which I think worked way better. After starting the pill, my periods became longer, 7 days or more, it was 3-5 days. I also had almost constant spotting, had to wear a pad all the time. I recently stopped due to all these reasons. My biggest reason: I had crippling depression, anxiety, extreme fatigue, abdominal pain. Almost immediately after stopping the pill, my depression and stomach pain went away. I now have the energy to work on losing the weight. Do not recommend this pill, and it has to be taken at the exact same time, very inconvenient."

• Cca...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 25, 2019

For Birth Control "After being on a combination pill for almost 8 years, my doctor wanted me to switch to a progestin pill due to the fact that I have a liver condition. While I protested, I switched. As soon as I switched, the first day I got acne, and the second I started to get major headaches all day that lasted until the end of the pill. The fourth day, my period started with HEAVY bleeding like never before, with huge clots, bad cramps, and crazy mood swings and depression. I called immediately to switch back to the combination pill as soon as possible. I might just be a bad case, but I'm just putting this out there to let others know it wasn't effective for my case."

• All...
• February 9, 2016

For Birth Control "Awful. Horrendous mood swings. Depression. Anxiety. Night sweats."