Nora-Be and Headaches: What Users Say

• Lul...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 27, 2020

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "This is the most awful birth control pill I’ve ever taken in my entire life, and I’ve tried several. I took it exactly on time every day for one week. Starting with day 3, I had a constant headache, nausea, acne, pain in my legs, generalized pain in my body (back, joints, etc.). By day 5 I was bleeding a little, then by day 7 I was bleeding a LOT - like if someone just drew blood straight from my arm and dumped it in the toilet. It wasn’t even like normal period blood, it was so bright red and thin. And on top of the other symptoms, I was dizzy and had cramping, too. It also gave me intense hot flashes and a slight fever, I was sweating practically all the time, and I would wake up several times a night. AWFUL! I would absolutely never recommend this pill to anyone. If I could give it negative stars, I would."

• Kit...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 26, 2016

For Endometriosis "Ok, almost 3 months into taking Nora-Be, and I'm back with an update... So, I had breakthrough bleeding the first 2 months, but it slowly went away. You have to make sure to take the pill at the exact same time every day. I've lost weight, typically, looking at BC makes me gain weight. All the pain and bleeding I had for years with endo is gone. I haven't been taking the week 4 pills and jumping to a new pack, but I just read somewhere that pop doesn't have placebo pills, so the 4th week is also hormone? I'm not 100% on that yet. Ok, back to side effects... No more acne, but skin feels dry. I'm dry everywhere, unfortunately. Small price to pay for a pain-free, cyst-free existence. No headaches, no nausea, no more breakthrough bleeding. Will update in another month..."

• col...
• June 10, 2010

For Birth Control "I had been on the combined oral pill for many years and had tried many different kinds. I have experienced every kind of mood swing possible, severe cramping and abdominal pain, headaches, nausea, heartburn, moodiness, and had severe irritability, and uncontrollable bursts of tears before and during my period! As well as a decrease in libido. I felt out of control! I went to the doctor, she told me I was experiencing PMDD, which is much worse than PMS. She put me on Nora-Be since it only has a synthetic progesterone and no synthetic estrogen (which apparently increases all of the craziness). Only taken for a short time, but better already! I have more control of my emotions, and my libido is back in overdrive! Breasts are tender though."

• SJa...
• March 6, 2017

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "In the past, I did not take any form of birth control due to the high hormone levels. I have recently had to be put on the Nora-Be for abnormal bleeding, unbelievable cramps, and just all-over debilitating monthly experiences. I have been on the 'mini pill' for 2 months so far. The first month's period was still painful but only 2 days and not the full 7, there was very little clotting, and I could still function in daily life. Not bedridden with a heating pad or ingesting a whole bottle of painkillers. It is now month 2, and my cycle should have started 4 days ago. I'm not worried one bit that it hasn't!! LOL. I have had no headaches, no neck pain, no discomfort at all. Can't really say if my weight loss is due to the pill or diet and exercise."

• Anonymous
• January 15, 2016

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "I've only been on this medication for 1 week, and I've gained 10 lb. I haven't gained weight in over 5 years. I'm extremely bloated, water retention, headaches, and severe cramping. I want to give it a chance, but I'm 42, and these symptoms aren't tolerable. I feel bipolar and on edge. I'm scatterbrained and very emotional. No bueno!"

• Dev...
• April 24, 2016

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "I would not recommend this pill for anyone, not any progesterone-only pill. Bloating that makes me look 3 months pregnant, constipation, 50 pounds of weight gain in under 2 years that won't exercise off, skin feeling too tight all the time, headaches, fatigue, appetite is weird, constipation and diarrhea, mood swings, hot and cold flashes, and a never-ending period. Medical staff all say it's normal and can't be the pill... so it's all in my head. I stopped this pill 2 nights ago and lost a third of my stomach as the bloating is decreasing. Stay away from these pills!"

• Jro...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 21, 2014

For Birth Control "I've been in this 3 months now. Have gained 11 lbs!!! I exercise, eat right, and I look swollen. Have had 3 different spotting occasions that haven't lasted more than 3 days at a time. No cramps to really report, occasional night sweats, no headaches. Just really hating the weight gain!"

• 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."

• 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."

• emi...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 29, 2016

For Birth Control "Horrible experience with this medicine!!! Now granted, I didn't get pregnant, so I guess you could say it was 'effective.' BUT the frickin' mood swings that go along with it!!! I was constantly worried about EVERYTHING. I would go from being in a great mood to down in the dumps, depressed within minutes. I would get so frustrated I would *embarrassingly* almost punch my husband during any tiny argument. I also had a headache almost every day. I have noticed a lot of reviews mention weight gain, I can't say I experienced that per se, but I do notice that after a couple of weeks off of it, I have stopped craving carbs as much. Good luck to ya if you do try this medication. Just monitor moods."

• Ivy...
• April 10, 2021

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "Started Nora-Be, took 4 days and noticed a heavier period, horrible bloating. I have a heavy period due to fibroids, so was trying this to reduce the period. This made my period even heavier! Horrible painful cramps even with ibuprofen and huge clots, I had a very big clot and felt really shaky, horrible like the flu. I went to the ER! Pretty much saying I felt like rubbish from anemia, but I've had anemia a long time and just figured out I had it, always felt okay, not this horrible. Was afraid to quit taking it, so took two more nights and last night horrible cramping, hot and cold flashes so bad, felt like the flu and could not sleep. Noticed pains when I first started it, around the ovary area. The 2nd day was a headache, not bad, just abnormal and felt rubbish. Stopping today after 6 days. Going to OB-GYN in a few days. I will not try hormones ever again, wasn't on any for 15 years."

• Hed...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 17, 2016

For Birth Control "I have taken Nora-Be 0.35 for 3 months. I have experienced heart palpitations and heart fluttering in my stomach. This seems to occur in the morning and evenings. My periods start on my second week of each new pack. I have had headaches behind my eyes and some weight gain. I plan to discontinue this medication to see if my symptoms go away. I'm 47 and seeking a better form of birth control."

• 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)."

• I...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 14, 2016

For Birth Control "I mean I love the pill. The only problem I seem to have with it is headaches and trying to remember to take it every day at the same time. But I haven't had a problem with the other side effects at all since being on it and have only been on it for two months."

• Lil...
• April 8, 2016

For Birth Control "I'm 39. Have 3 kids. I had been using the NuvaRing for several years and loved it. No problems. But because of my age, having diabetes, my doctor put me on Nora-Be. I just got off my cycle, started this pill, and 3 days later I started bleeding again and have been for 5 days, and I mean extremely bad, going through a pad and tampon every 30 min. I have read other reviews and see this is common, but I have had mood swings, headaches, dizziness, cramps, bloating, increased appetite, and heart flutters. I'm not taking this BC anymore. I'm done having kids now anyway, so I think I'll just tie my tubes and not go through or worry about this anymore."

• Nor...
• May 23, 2016

For Birth Control "I just started a .35 mg dose today to treat ovarian cysts related to endometriosis. Awful! I took it with toast, and two hours later felt tingling in my face, was itchy, disoriented, had a headache, a sore throat, felt anxious, and dizzy. After reading other reviews, it seems like this crap disaster pill only worked for one woman ever. Never take it. I'm 38 and otherwise very healthy. Drugs. No thank you."

• Sar...
• February 14, 2017

For Birth Control "I switched to Nora-Be because I was experiencing bad headaches on combination hormone BC. The headaches stopped, but I bleed multiple times a month. It's terrible. It feels like I never get a break from my period. I'm on day three of the placebo pills, and I still haven't bled too. I'm definitely switching to a different medicine."

• 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."

• nic...
• January 3, 2018

For Amenorrhea "So let's just start with the fact I'm trans (FTM) and that I was on another medication right before this. Went to my doctor to switch medication to stop horrible mood swings, headaches, nausea, etc. The Nora-Be was prescribed and started a period 15 days after my original December one. It's now day 7 of this period (mine used to be 3-5 days, mind that) and it's just rubbish. I was told it'd thin out my lining so then I don't have a period EVER again, but now I don't believe them and I'm gonna email my doctor about it because she said it WOULDN'T do what it's currently doing to me. She even said because it'd stop the periods, I'd stop feeling so much dysphoria around my gender... haha, that's a lie."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 27, 2023

For Birth Control "This is the worst birth control I’ve been on. I had to switch to this one from my other birth control because I am currently breastfeeding. I’ve been on it for about 3 months now, and I’ve been having a massive amount of headaches. I decided to not take it anymore and not put my body through this."

• Jad...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 26, 2015

For Birth Control "I'm taking Nora-Be for almost 2 years. The first year was great, 8 months, no period, and then suddenly the period started to show up every 6 months, then 3 months. So I'm asking if I'm taking this pill every day at the same time and the period is coming. Some headaches with it. So I'm not happy at all. Thinking to change for another pill. Maybe the body got tired of taking the same one."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 13, 2017

For Birth Control "This has by far been the worst birth control I have ever had. I have a constant headache almost daily ever since I started taking it. My breasts reduced in size, I have gained massive amounts of weight, and it makes you angrier than ever."

• no...
• May 9, 2016

For Birth Control "I'm on the minipill and have never had any issues. My insurance switched me to this one, and right away, I've experienced nearly all the side effects! I am trying to switch to a different minipill now to stop all the side effects and feel normal again! What I've experienced: breakthrough heavy bleeding the second week of pills, no period during the last week of pills, nausea, headaches, weight gain, acne, cramping, and just an overall feeling of not feeling well."

• Kay...
• December 26, 2021

For Birth Control "I started taking this pill postpartum because I’m pumping. It’s been one week and I’m done taking this pill. I noticed within a day of taking it I started spotting, and now I have a heavy flow with terrible cramping. In addition, I feel moody and constantly have a headache. I’ll be reaching out to my doctor to be switched to something else. I would not recommend this pill to anyone."

• ver...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 6, 2019

For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding "I loved this birth control, Nora-Be, it cleared my skin issues, and it didn't give me headaches until I got my period. I went from having a moderate flow to a heavy flow, having to change every 2 hours because my tampon was soaked through, and this was the first day of my period. I'm on my third day, and it's still the same, I emailed my doctor to get a new prescription."