I have been on LoEstrin24 for over a year and a half. For the fir...

I have been on LoEstrin24 for over a year and a half. For the first year, I had no side effects. After starting a very competitive graduate program this fall, I began having panic attacks, anxiety, hot flashes and am sweating constantly during the first week of a new pill pack. I believe that the stress have exacerbated the potential side effects of the pills and only now am I seeing the downside of this method. I was previously on Depo Provera for 7 years and then tried the patch for 1 year (HATED it). I've found that controlling my stress levels has helped but not completely ameliorated the side effects. Also, as an FYI for those who are worried about the brownish discharge - I still have it after 18 months on this pill.