Femcon FE side effects

July 22, 2010

I started Femcon FE 3 months ago due to a fibroid cyst on my uterus with major bleeding and periods lasting 10 days and bleeding between! The last 2 pills I tried did not seem to help regulate my period at all back to it was when I was using Kariva for the past several years. I knew that I was way too lucky for way too long with the 4 day very very light periods!! I noticed at first that my breasts were so sensitive and painful and it hurt just having a shirt on!! I was on vacation and out of the country so I did not have the luxury of picking up the phone to try to make changes with my doctor. I also experienced the same thing that alot of others are talking about with the discarge and it is nasty and does not make you feel "fresh & clean" I tell ya!!! I noticed I was tired and wanted to eat all of the time when usually I am a pretty active person watching what I eat (but I always seemed hungry!!). I did gain some weight but I guess at 46 my metabolism has slowed down and not actually buying the Chips Ahoy anymore can only help me get that all under control! Chocolate is weekness for alot of us and I would love to blame my weight gain on it but I will take some of the blame!! LOL It is only 3 months later and I am extremely happy that I did not make changes (atleast not yet) because my periods last only 4 days and are only slightly heavy the first day. The discharge is almost gone and I see changes daily so am very hopeful! I am 46 and have no desire to have a hysterectomy or partial so I can avoid those out of control bleeding episodes and out of control periods! I am hoping this is the right answer for me.

I had been on the pill for 11 years when I developed a fibroid cyst on my uterus. Two different Gynos suggested I switch to a little higher hormone level pill to help shrink the cyst and therefore allieviate the bleeding that was happening during sex. I switched from the pill I had been on forever to Femcon FE.
The first thing that Femcon did was make my breasts SOO SORE I could hardly stand to touch them, or have them touched. After a month or so, that side effect went away. The bleeding during sex stopped completely, as did most of my bleeding during my period. I was freaked out that I was pregnant just about every time I was supposed to have a period because the Femcon made my periods so light that at times it was non-existant. Light, non-existant periods are hardly a complaint, by the way...
I went off of Femcon a year ago because of the outrageous cost, but I have just started back up again this week. So far I'm a little bit emotionally sensitive and a bit nauseous, but that happens everytime I stop and start back on a pill.
I have loved Femcon in the past. It's easy to take (chewable and minty!), I'm just afraid sometimes that I'll brush it out of my teeth before it gets in my system :) I have a super high sex drive and it didn't mess with that at all in the past. It made my periods so light that I could have sex pretty much any time of the month without any hesitation, it shrunk my cyst, and it kept me from getting pregnant.
I'm a fan...and Femcon FE comes highly recommended by me!

I have only been on Femcon FE for about 4 days and already the headaches are killing me. I was so tired and sleepy yesterday I could not wait to get home and lay down, and I feel the same today. My question to anyone out here is, have any of you taken birth control while using an estrogen spray? I am using Evamist once a day. I had an IUD put in in November and felt terrible, like you do when you are pregnant. My GYN said it's because my estrogen levels were too low. The spray worked wonders, I felt great!!!!! But the cramps and bleeding were not getting any better, so we took out the IUD and she put me on the pill, and said to keep using the Evamist. She swears that the reason you gain weight from being on birth control is because your body looses estrogen and you aren't producing eggs, so your body thinks you are pregnant, which is why you gain weight and can't lose it, and you feel terrible, like a women in her first trimester. she said if you get the hormone balance right, weight will not be an issue. Anyway, I am not sure how long I am willing to tolerate feeling this way, and I'm not sure if I should stop the Evamist or the pill or both.

While I was in college I took birth control religiously. I started taking it when I was very young, 15, because of some problems I had with cysts. I lost an ovary at 13 and basically started using birth control to regulate my periods on just one ovary a couple of years later. Tried lots of different kinds of pills too. They never seemed to work right, or they would work for a couple months then all of a sudden I would have breakthrough bleeding. I was switching pills every 6 months to a year.

During my junior year of college I had been taking Femcon FE for 6-7 months. I experienced the same things I always experienced from birth control. Little bit of weight gain, some nausea, but I also had increase in appetite and was very tired all the time. Every pill is different so I just chalked it up to my birth control reacting differently than those had in the past. I took my pill every day and was very mindful about having sex if I took one too late in the day.

What happened next is indescribable to those who've never miscarried. I had no idea what was going on. I thought, "oh my god, what if its another cyst and it is consuming my only ovary I had left?" I quickly realized this was a different pain. A pain that lasted about 10 hours, pulsed off and on, and got stronger and closer together as time passed. Hmmm, sounds like labor to me. At this point, I'm pretty sure of what's going on but still equally terrified. I'm losing a baby but how did I even get pregnant?

Most people don't know this, but you can still suffer from postpartum depression from a miscarriage. I know I did. My grades dropped, my relationship with my boyfriend was definitely strained, I felt disconnected and so sad. I felt so guilty that if I'd just read the signs maybe my baby would still be here. But I do know that the continued use of Femcon FE that far along into my pregnancy, and believe me, it went a lot farther than you would imagine, is what ultimately caused my miscarriage. I do not drink or smoke and am relatively fit and healthy. I urge anyone who has taken Femcon FE and suffered anything like this to go to:

******

If we all join together maybe we can get this drug off the market and save so many more women the pains we've suffered.

I was 17 when i started Femcon Fe over a year ago and had the worst experience of my life. Ironically, i broke up with my boyfriend of a year the same day i started my first pack. Within a month my breasts shot up a cup size and i gained a bit of excess weight. I had begun to feel very fatigued on a day-to-day basis, have anxiety problems, and ultimately felt like i was falling into a deep depression. i had attributed theses negative emotions to the recent breakup without taking into account that i had just started birth control. The depression worsened for 7 more months until i started a generic, and much less expensive, brand of birth control. It was around the start of the upcoming school year when i had made the switch and almost immediately i felt much lighter in spirit. (At this point i had just met a new love interest, and once again, attributed my positive emotions to him rather than linking the new birth control as the culprit for my happier days.) I continued using the generic brand for several months until my annual appointment with my OBGYN. I had informed my doctor that my parents could not afford the cost of Femcon Fe, and how i was forced to make a switch to generic. Upon hearing this she gave me 2 free packs. Within days of starting i fell into the same slum i experienced the first time around. i had begun to feel irritable, had constant mood swings, low self-esteem, loss of sex drive, headaches, and overall i felt like a mess. My mom showed me this page with other users who went through the same side effects. A couple days ago I threw away my last pack and made the decision to stop all together. I would NOT recommend Femcon Fe to anyone. It will really fuck with your mind and life. I realize that everyone's body reacts differently to the hormones, but sine the majority of users had negative experiences i don't think it's worth the risk.

OK. So I'm not crazy. I am in my 3rd month on Femcon. I went to the ER yesterday because for tghe second time in 2 weeks my vision distorted and terrified me. The first time, I went to my eye doctor who is watching me for macular degeneration, but was told that my retina was detached and I was having an ocular migraine which SUCKED!!!!! It went away until yesterday when the vision distorted again in a store and I still had to drive with no peripheral vision. I called my eye doctor and OB/GYN from the store. The eye doctor said to go to my primary for bloodwork. I made it to the office and the headache was starting to creep in. I was extremely nauseous and scared. The nurse practioner said I needed a CT scan asap. While she said that, me face went numb and I could feel numbness in my left arm. (I had experience that the first time around too.) She sent me on my way to the ER to rule out a stroke. I told every doctor and nurse that I think the contributing factor is the Femcon. The first incedent was during a regularly scheduled period, but this week, I started to have breakthrough bleeding which is quite heavy. All of this was so I could control and dimish the pain of Endometriosis without taking Lupron injections. I have no idea what to do from here, but I can't live with migraines and take care of a Special Needs child.

I am just confused and really really scared. I started the pill, and this is my second pack, the second week, about half way through. I have this really jelly like black/brown stuff discharging out of me. Its not blood, because its brown! and im not due for my period until 2 weeks later. This is scaring me, and same with the blood clots and stuff. I am16 and this is my first pill ive ever been on. Ive never had another problem, my mood is better, my face cleared up, the only thing that is wrong is i have these red bumps on my chest that wont go away, like its an allergic reaction, What should i do?

I am not a new birth control user. When I was 15, I was put on Yasmin, and I managed to stay on that for about 5 years until my insurance no longer covered it. I was then put on Yaz in college, which made me sick all the time (horrible nausea, bloating, dry mouth, and contrary to what most users say, I had HORRIBLE acne and mood swings!). After two months (my OBGYN recommended to try it out and see it through), I was put on the generic brand of Yasmin called Ocella. My body readjusted really well to Ocella, but unfortunately, my OBGYN said he HAD to switch me over (apparently a lot of patients were getting pregnant of Ocella, and if they weren't getting pregnant, they were forming cysts which I was checked for repeatedly - OUCH! ). He put me on Loestrin 24, where I have been appalled by the side effects (the acne is back and deep under my skin on my forehead, nose, and chin - - the mood swings are horrifying, my poor family and bf who have suffered under my wrath) and I'm done with my second month pack tomorrow. I told my OBGYN I needed to get off of Loestrin - and so he put me on FEMCON (which sounds like a female television channel). The first no-no I recognized was the "chewable" tablets. Are we 5 years old? What birth control is that effective if its chewable? Makes me nervous. After reading this site, and having the reactions I have had to semi-"normal" bc's like Yaz and Loestrin, I'm weary to start FEMCON. If there is anyone out there who has had a similar change in bc's like I have and you are taking FEMCON ... any suggestions? Is there anything out there like Yasmin that is A) Less expensive, and B) Not giving anyone cysts??

I have been on FEMCON FE for 11 days I have had the worst breast tenderness, emotional breakdowns, and I have been bleeding since April 11th. I got on Femcon to regulate my period and cramps also I have fibroid tumors I have not been able to bare a child so hopefully the pill will help my uterus get back on track.

I started Femcon 3 weeks ago as I am starting in vitro process. The doctor put me on Femcon before I was to start hormone therapy. I get internal ultrasounds weekly. The second week of taking Femcon the doctor found a cyst on my ovary which I was told is a common side effect for someone my age, 40. By the 3rd week the cyst was the size of a baseball. When I first starting taking Femcon I thought I would rip my own head off. I was irritable, depressed, bloated to the extreme. my breasts were sore and huge. my back hurt. All I wanted to do was cry. But since this was the process I was told to go through I roughed it out. After the first sight of the cyst I was told to stay on for another week to maybe shrink the cyst. It grew. Thankfully I am now off it but it has delayed my in vitro process until the cyst is gone. This was the worst emotional roller coaster ride I have ever been on. Dan you to hell Femcon!!

I've been on Femcon Fe for about 2 months now and I am not impressed whatsoever. I am 20 years old and have never been pregnant before but this pill definitely gives you all of the symptoms of pregnancy. I have been taking BC for about 2 years now and have done well on other ones but my doctor wanted to try me on something new. I have had extreme breast tenderness and have noticed increased breast size in just 2 months. I only weigh about 110 lbs and am between a C and D cup normally. I don't need to get any bigger. I eat constantly and as soon as I start getting hungry, I'll start shaking. I have had terrible mood swings that start 2 weeks before I am supposed to start my period. My boyfriend has been a trooper for the past 2 months, I must admit. I am fatigued and find myself not being able to smile about much of anything on some days. I am a college student and can't afford to be so tired that I can't get any work done. I'm constantly fighting to stay awake in class and concentrate and have taken a 6 hour "nap" in the past week due to a headache. I have always been an extremely energetic person. I plan to stop taking these pills when I go see my doctor again in a month. It affects different women in different ways but I strongly suggest that you stop taking these pills if you experience these symptoms.

i am 16 and just started femcon fe about 20 days ago and after reading these posts, i've been scared out of my mind. im so frightened to just pass out and die from the things you people have posted. i know you all have strong feelings towards femcon, but do you know how it affects other people? i want to control my periods too but i dont want to hear about this horrible stuff. i've had minor side effects from femcon. i had nausea and a headache one or twice in the first 5 days, but they went away with some tylenol. today i think i am experiencing breakthrough bleeding but after reading al of this im scared ***less of all those horrible things that could happen. i dont want any of that to happen but i dont want to deal with my natural, painful, awful periods. you people scared me, i hope you know that. a 16 year old is petrified of dying now. thanks a lot people.

I've been on Femcon FE for 2 years and I absolutely love it. I had horrible experiences the 6 months I was on Yasmin - major weight gain, periods worse than before, irritability, increased PMS symptoms - but I only have two qualms with Femcon - 1. I had a bit of breakthrough bleeding and 2. the price is outrageous. I recommended it to a friend, and she experienced a lot of these frightful symptoms being described on this page but she RARELY took her pill on time. I think the key to Femcon is taking it EXACTLY the same time every day, I noticed that the breakthrough bleeding I had usually only happened when I varied my pill times by a few hours. If anyone has a good experience with Femcon, could you recommend a similar brand? I have to change brands due to price :(

I just came from my GYN today who prescribed to me Femcon FE b/c I am trying to stop my period for a week for a vacation I have coming up. I have not been on birth control for over 5 years b/c of the side affects and this is exactly why! Well thankfully after reading all your comments, I WILL NOT be taking this pill and have decided to just deal with my period on my vacation. I just dont have time for mood swings, weight gain (esp. when I just enrolled into a gym), and diarhea.

Thank you Medications.com :)

femcon has always worked good for me. my periods are more regular, shorter, and lighter. the only side effect i have experienced is slight diarrhea.

you just have to find the one for you. the hormones in all of our bodies are different and the chemicals react differently in everyone.

I was on Femcon for a month. Within the first 3 days, I noticed a bit of fatigue and emotional crying but chalked it up to work and kids. 2 weeks on it, and I knew something wasn't right. I was "in a funk" for lack of a better term, crying randomly, lethargic and unable to get motivated enough to do work. 3 weeks in, and I was in a full blown depression (and I've only gotten depressed when family died). I was crying uncontrollably, barely able to drag myself out of bed in the mornings, no energy to even bothering showering before church, and everything was just so overwhelming. The littlest things took so much effort: getting dressed, walking to the car, going up the stairs.

Side effects I experienced:

Overeating
Depression
Lethargy
Headaches
Dark Urine (suspected liver problems related to Femcon)
Weight Gain

I've only been off for over 30 hours, but already see a slight increase in enery. Whereas yesterday walking to my car exhausted me and seemed overwhelming, today it wasn't so bad. Hopefully as my metabolism continues to process this and it gets fully excreted from my system, I'll return to normal soon.

I was on Femcon Fe for about 8 months due to my irregular period and bleeding between periods (some times for a whole month). My Dr. wanted me to get on those pills since 6 years ago, but I did not want to because I was so scared of the side effects. I went for second opinion several times, and all the doctors were telling me to get on Femcon Fe as soon as possible. I was losing so much blood that I almost got anemia. My experience with Femcon Fe as great, it serves the purpose. However it lowers my sex drive, for what I was happy (I have a high sex drive, but my husband doesn't...).

Femcon Fe is the most effective birth control pill I have ever used -- but that's because I have spent 3 miserable weeks of migraines, exhaustion, dizziness, depression, hostility, and now a week plus of hives the size of silver dollars that feel like electroshock treatment and look like leprosy. I feel like I am being stung all over my body by bees. The symptoms are worst on my stomach, breasts, and esp nipples, but the rash extends all the way to my hands and toes. My 2 yr old runs screaming from me and his father won't come near me either. All treatments have failed; the only thing that has helped is ice. After I got the results from the skin biopsy & bloodwork from my dermatologist today, confirming that this is severe systemic shock to Femcon Fe, and I spoke with my OBGYN, I looked up the fine print on this fine pill and, sure enough, all of my symptoms are described in detail in the really tiny deathly warnings / does not apply to ordinary people section. I've never had an allergic reaction to anything in my life, not even to poison ivy. Also, I've taken birth control pills on and off for nearly 20 years, and never had any problems other than breakthrough bleeding (the reason I switched to Femcon Fe). But this thing feels like it is trying to kill me. I've been wanting to unzip my skin for over a week. I've been using pain spray the hospital gave me for childbirth. So, be warned. My OBGYN's office was passing these pills out like candy, and they even taste like candy, as they're mint flavored and melt in your mouth. But they are evil, evil, evil pills. Steer clear!!

I have been taking Femcon FE for almost a month, and for the past three weeks I have been experiencing things I have never had or felt before. I have been having heart palpitations, chest tightness, massive anxiety, nausea and easily depressed or saddened from the smallest things. If I am in a stressful situation I find that these are all greatly intensified. I finally realized that these all started right about when I started taking the Femcon. These posts have helped reassure me that I was not going crazy, and that other women were experiencing the same or similar side effects. I called my doctor right away about my problems since starting this pill. They informed me that some women have been known to have these side effects and that I should stop the pill right away. I have stopped and am switching to another pill. Thanks for your posts and help!!

I have been on Femcon FE for about 5 months and the irregular bleeding and periods have not subsided as of yet. what has changed though is I have gained about 10 lbs. I noticed first how I did NOT want to go the gym which I previously loved. So what I thought was laziness and now think might be a side affect (fatigue) both must have attributed to the weight gain. I did experience a lot of nausea the first two months but that subsided, but now I have been feeling some sort of vertigo feelings as well. Has anyone else experienced this?

I am 30 years old and was diagnosed with a large fibroid tumor in my uterus three months ago. Because of this tumor I've had irregular periods and extremely heavy bleeding which obviously lead to anemia as a result I was prescribed Femcon to help regulate my periods and prepare me for a myectomy. First off it took three packs of Femcon Fe to finally stop the heavy irregular bleeding but I have spotting and irregular light bleeding coupled with cramps all month long. I am usually a very happy , upbeat energized person who has a positive outlook on life and just haven't felt like myself lately, I keep experiencing all the symptoms listed below along with the other blogs; including heart palpitations, night sweats, extreme anxiety (i"ve never had this before) along with tiredness, depression, breast soreness. I thought I was going through a midlife crisis up until doing some research and finding this blog. The heart palpitations and chest tightness really started to worry me. I am a pretty active, fit individual and all these strange thoughts starting looming in my mind I felt like my body was slowly dying even had nightmares. As a result, I am going to call my OBGYN first thing tomm to switch to an alternative pill. Thanks so much for your comments

I was on Femcon for almost a full year and within that year I had depression, weight gain (25 pounds), fatigue, acne and heavier than normal (for me) periods. Fortunately, after only a month of not using the pill, almost all of my symptoms subsided; I was even able to lose the weight I had gained (and more) within only three months. What hasn't completely gone away is my acne. I developed cystic acne on my chin and around the sides of my mouth within the first week of being on Femcon. I have always had nice skin without ever having to do anything to it so breaking out this bad was a complete shock to me. I assumed that what I was experiencing was just due to "being a teenager" (I was 18) and not a change in lifestyle. At first I tried washing my face twice a day, when that didn't work I tried oil controlling cleansers, when that didn't work I tried proactive, antibiotics and acne fighting makeup. Though it did reduce my break outs a little, I would still get at least 2 big pimples a week. I've been off the pill for about 8 months now and the acne has subsided a great deal yet I still break out occasionally in the same area. I assume that this is still "left over" oil blockages and infections that are now just coming to the surface. I also have minor scarring near my mouth area that I am very self conscious about. I'm almost considering spending the money for a chemical peel! If anyone has had similar problems and/or has a solution it would be great to hear from you!

I have been drinking Femcon Fe for a week and half and my breast had become sore. Especially my areola and the nipple became very sensitive. The pain was similar to the milk cloths that a mother produced having difficulties breastfeeding. Also, my breast are growing. My husband suggested to stop drinking them because side affects indicate that hormonal variety in the pills is to much for my body to bear, causing an unbalance of hormones which causes pain in certain parts of the body and gain weight because the body is trying to store the excess hormones in other areas of the body. Even though, my appetite has not change I have noticed a change in my body. Be careful drinking contraceptive pills, they can be harmful to your body and health. Therefore, I rather be safe and pain free. I decided to stop drinking the pill. But not everyone has the same side effects. Every women is different. Woman should be attentive when taking any type of contraceptives.

Well, I have only been on Femcon Fe for a week, but my experience has been great so far. I am 46 yrs old and have been suffering from severe migraines related to perimenopause (fluctuating estrogen) for the past 3 years. After trying numerous migraine medications, which I could not tolerated, I went the hormone treatment route for my migraine headaches. Topical lose dose estrogen patches worked for a short time, but then the headaches came back. I went to see a GYN who suggested that my migraine headaches are due to extreme fluctuations in estrogen, which is quite common in the perimenopausal period. He recommended oral contraceptives. I was quite relucant to take OCP's, as my husband has had a vasectomy, so I don't need it for birth control. I am also concerned about the risk for thromboembolic events and stroke (yes, I am in the medical field). Initially, he put me on Yaz, which I did not tolerate well. I had problems with depression, anxiety and insomnia on Yaz, I then tried Lutera which made me feel like a freak--very anxious and moody. My GYN suggested that I need an OCP with a very low dose progestin (Femcon Fe). I have only been on it for 2 weeks, but I am very excited with the results so far. No headaches, INCREASED libido, INCREASED energy and slightly improved mood. I may post again after being on it a while, but so far it is a thumbs up from me for Femcon.

Femcon Fe is terrible. I've been on it for two months and gained twenty to twenty-five pounds. I have been discharging thick black clots for three weeks out of the eight weeks that I have been on it. On the week of iron pills I had an extremely terrible period (bloating, cramping, headaches, moody, depressed). I would rather be pregnant than deal with these side effects. Gynos don't realize wha they are doing to their patients by putting us on these pills after hearing such terrible reviews.

I love this birth control. It has changed my life for the better. I have fibroids, and FemCon FE has helped my periods become normal. It has increased my sex drive (which made my husband happy) and I have very little pain or cramping. I will admit, though, that when I first started taking it, my moods were unstable for about the first three weeks until my hormones became balanced with the pill, and I get headaches once in a while, but other than that, FemCon FE is the best one out there for me. Each woman's body is different, however, so remember to keep that in mind when you decide to use birth control. What works for one may not work for another and vice versa.

I have been on Femcon for almost a year and it has helped with my endometriosis but in other areas its not so great.I gained about 20 lbs in a few months time and coud not figure out why b/c my eating habits had not changed and at the time I had a job that kept me very active. My breasts become EXTREMELY sore about 2 weeks before my period. They also grew a full cup size within a months time, which most women consider a blessing but my breasts were already large so I didn't need any help in that area! I also noticed mood swings in myself, Im normally a cheerful person but would become depressed on certain days out of the month. I started dieting and exercising as my new year's resolution but have become VERY discouraged b/c I cannot drop this weight no matter what I do. My yearly pap is due in April but I have a feeling I will be going in early to try to switch pills now that I know these pills are causing such a disruption in my life.

I am so happy to have found this site. I have been taking femcon fe for a year now. I have two months until my yearly pap. I think im going to stop taking the pill. I feel just like everyone else on here. It has to be this pill. I feel tired, angry,happy,sad, and my husband and i have no relationship at all. There is no sex life at all and it has put a massive wall between us. I also cant get ride of my wait. I use to be in 9/10 but now im in 16 and cant get it off. Im stopping tonight. I want to thank all of you for takeing your time to write down what your going though. Im pretty sure all of you guys have saved my marriage. I hope.

I've been on Femcon for about a month now but i let then dissolve on my tongue does anyone know if this is ok to do? my sis doctor said it was fine but scares me i dont see mine for another month. I have gained 10 ponds since on this and feel like I'm prego i have BREAST TENDERNESS bad and my boobs have gotten so much bigger ( which i kinda like lol) but not along with weight gain and then hurting so much, I have mood swings bad and always have to pee a lot and always want to eat. I took a pregnancy test just to be safe and it came out negative I dont want to be on this anymore and don't recommend it either.

I was on OrthoTricyclen (sp?) for 10 years and never had a problem. Went off the pill for 8 years and when my OB put me back on the pill she put me on Femcon. She gave me 3 months of samples. I was about to start my 3rd pack when I found myself in the hospital with a pulmonary embolism. They said I had several blood clots in my right lung. I was hospitalized for 4 days and had to take blood thinners for 6 months. Because of all the blood thinner, I started having issues with my iron levels and had to have bags of iron pumped into me weekly for 6 weeks. They have done every test on me humanly possible and the results came back that it was the Femcon that made me have a PE. Please be very cautious when taking this medicine.

I am 44 years old & was put on Femcon 2 months ago for perimenopausal symptoms. Since taking it I have had cystic acne on my jawline & chin, charliehorse like cramps in my one calf and foot, breast tenderness & they have increased in size, extremely dry skin, my libido has disappeared & when I do have sex it is very painful. Emotionally I feel better however I don't know how long this will last if all of these symptoms continue. I think I am done with these & will try to deal with the perimenopause in another way.

I am not sure how long I have been on Femcon FE, but I think for about 3 years. The Brand I was using prior had been discontinued through my Pharmacy, so my Dr. switched me to Femcon FE, as I did not like the side-affects of the generic version of the previous pill I had been on. I am in my 20's, and during these last 3 years I have moved frequently to 3 states & different towns & settling from graduation to careers to buying a new home. SO, now that my life is settled, I'm more able to listen to my body. I thought that maybe I was having some kind of allergy to certain foods I was eating, as I experienced a Yeast Overgrowth condition during my childhood, and self-diagnosing thinking that it may have flared-up, because I was experiencing a constant fatigue, and it didn't matter how much exercise or sleep I would have, I was always tired...which my husband constantly teases & nags me about, along with never having the desire to have sex. Recently, since I have been trying to get off from using Benzoyl Peroxide on my face, I have developed cystic acne along my chin, and oddly on my jawline, as well as my forehead...& thought I was using the wrong make-up or experimenting with different cleansers was the culprit. I also would get easily depressed or sad during different times of the month, but before my life settled-down, I thought it was from all the stressors I had going on with moving & new jobs. Also, my appetite hasn't been that large. Well....a month ago, I decided to research Femcon FE's side-affects, because my life has calmed down, and everything in it is going wonderfully. I've changed to eating a more healthy/organic diet, I get up to 8 hours of sleep or more. I'm not working at the moment, so my life is pretty easy, & I'm exercising weekly, once or twice a week. I also researched Comedogenic Acne...and discovered what ingredients I should stay away from in Cosmetics & cleansers & switched to a more gentle/organic skin care routine. SO...I wondered....what COULD POSSIBLY BE CAUSING ME TO FEEL & LOOK THE WAY I DO??? Which lead me to this WONDERFUL website, and I am so THANKFUL for all the ladies sharing their experience with this pill...because it allowed me to FINALLY figure this out all on my own without paying expensive bills to dermatologists, naturopath's, & regular doctors. THANK YOU LADIES SO MUCH. After my period last week, I decided NOT to buy a new pack of Femcon FE & I met with my Gynecologist today who has given me samples of another Pill with a lesser Hormone (Ortho Tri-cyclen Lo). Ironically all the cysts that were on my chin & forehead are gone, and now my skin just has some healing to do on it's own. AMEN!!! Don't know yet about the other side affects I had been experiencing, not sure if they are gone or better, but hopefully the new pill will be a good fit for me.
Thank you SO much ladies & Medications.com!!!

hi i been on the femcon pill for about 6 weeks , and for some reason i feel like i cant get of bed in the morning im so tired ! i just had a baby 11weeks ago but i was never this tired as all ever since i been on the pill i been very tired . an having cramps everyday. i am always eating now witch i cant complain because i wanna gain weight . i was just wondering if anyone knows if you really will gain weight with this pill and how fast will you be able to tell ?

I was on a birth control pill for four months when I experienced a 28-day period, so I immediately wanted to switch pills. I was put on FemCon, which I loved at first because it made my periods lighter, no cramps, and I was 100% regular with my period. HOWEVER, over the past year being on FemCon I noticed some horrible changes in my body that I had attributed to age and moving across the country. However, two days ago my husband found my FemCon package in our bedroom and started reading the side effects--for fun, I guess. He freaked out, because basically my life has been negatively affected by things that are listed as possible side effects of the drug:

-Significant weight gain (about 20 pounds)
-Extreme moodiness
-Depression
-Difficulty wearing contacts
-Vaginal infections

I can't say that these things are directly caused by the drug since lots of different changes have happened in my life over the past year; however, I do know that I've been wondering what the heck is wrong with me lately, and I'm definitely thinking that it's the FemCon. I feel fat as a heifer no matter how much I exercise; I snap at minor irritations and feel like I want to jump off of a cliff; after wearing contacts for 6 years I all of a sudden couldn't wear them any longer; and I get a vagainal infection every 6-8 weeks. I stopped taking FemCon the day my husband read the fine print. At this rate, I'd rather be pregnant!

Well,let me share my story about FEMCON FE ive been on the pill for about 4months Now And my only side effect has been HEADACHES during my week that I get my period BUT Only During that week other than that NOPE NO OTHER SIDE EFFECTS an d may I ad i started taking thiz pill after I had a very long and SAD MISCARRIAGE I WAS 3 MONTHS PREGNANT AND AT MY FATHERS FUNERAL WHEN I LOST MY BABY AND AFTER THE DNC MY DOCTOR RECOMMENDED FEMCON FE AND IM OK WITH IT CANT SAY HAPPY BECAUSE I WISH I WAS STILL PREGNANT TAKE CARE LADIES AND JUST CHOOSE THE RIGHT PILL AND PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BODY!!!!!!!!

So glad to read this here. I have wondered the past year what is up with my face?!!! I have had problem skin in the past and been able to get rid of acne and worked so hard to have nice complexion after acne issues. Then I started to get huge breakouts, giant cysts all on my chin and lower part of my face...and they hurt and they won't go away and have scarring and always 2 or more huge cysts happening, get rid of one finally and another pops up or pops up AGAIN in same place! And I too have felt depression and fatigue, so unlike me. I have always taken various nutritional supplements and I eat healthy, and this is just not me. I wondered if it was the femcon.Only thing I have changed in past year as I have scrutinized every aspect of my life wondering what the heck is going on! I'm done with it.My face is a trainwreck.No more femcon for me.

My daughter has been taking this and started having bad stomach aches, gas and bloating. Anyone else have lots of gas?

wow i cant tell all of you women how thankful i am that you posted on here, i started femcon fe a little over a week ago my ob/gyn had me on 4 pill for 4 days then 2 for 7 and then one after that well Saturday i got really sick vomiting blood and everything i cant keep any food in my stomach, so the on call doctor told me to stop taking then well my dr told me on mon to start them again but only take 2,,still nothing but sick she has me taking a pill for the nausea but that makes everything worse.. my emotions are way out of wack, im tired all the time and my periods are extremely heavy a lot of clotting.. i always seem to be in tears,, and its not helping my job at all.. im calling her tomorrow to get me off of this.. so thank you very much

Hi, my name is B. and I am 24, this is my first time using birth control and I have been on Femcon FE for a little over one month now. I always had irregular periods, sometimes i skipped, sometimes i bleed for an excessive amount of time. The reason why I was put on birth control now is because I had very heavy bleeding, which i clotted badly, passed out, was extremely dizzy, and so forth. It is normal to have periods like that in my family but after a few days i went to the hospital cause i noticed that my situation was getting worst, i was told I was anemic and i had to have 4 units of blood transfusions...

My gyno put me on Femcon FE and i was told to take two a day to stop the bleeding first off, she also gave me additional meds for the nausea. Well, at first I stopped bleeding for about a week and after the week was up I went down to one pill, well I started spotting, but my gyno told me that was normal. A few more days has past and my bleeding is getting heavier, not as bad before, so my gyno told me to start taking two a day again, and i did and still am. Well I am STILL bleeding, and I have been bleeding for 16 days now. I have been taking Femcon FE for a little over a month and I am almost done with the 3rd month's package of Femcon FE.

Some of the side effects I have been feeling:
-vaginal cramps (some REALLY painful)
-depression
-moodiness
-being tired most days
-some weight gain
-bleeding

Since reading these stories you have shared with me, I am going to discuss with my gyno on Thursday about maybe trying a new birth control, so thank you for your opinions.

I'm having some horrid experience with femcon fe and going for my yearly tomorrow so i'm talking to my gyno about it then... but its DISTURBING me on how many girls keep saying "Tylenol is helping the head aches" i hate to be the bearer of bad news but Tylenol aka ACETOMETAPHINE DECREASES the effectiveness of femcon fe. Its different for EVERY birth control pill. IE: YAZ is decreased by everything BUT acetometaphine....

I have a little sister taking FEMCON FE shes only 15 yrs old out of no where she started acting strange.She started taking the pill for stomach cramps since in our family of girls we have chronic cramps. She got angry for no apparent reason, she got depressed,headaches,nausea, and she got cold shakes, she was ticked off at any little thing. We thought that she was just rebelling because of her age, but then I heard my mom talking about my sister taking birth control pills. I thought "oh thats it" thats the reason she's acting strange. I explained to my mom that the pill can give you a hormonal imbalance witch leads to mood swings, depression, and fatigue. Just to check out if I was right I looked up this prescription and came across this website. I read the stories and was amazed how most of the women/ girls had the same symptoms of my sister. Now I know I definitely should prevent my sister from taking this medication. I also think that if the pill is having a negative affect on you or anyone else you should stop taking it!!!!!

I've been on Femcon for about 6 months and next month I will finally be off it. The first 2 months, I was constantly lethargic, depressed, nauseous, but I gave it a go since my doctor told me it would take a couple of months before the medication can do its thing. Around the 3-4 month period I thought I started getting used to it, but I couldn't lose weight even though I go to the gym 5 days a week. Then around the 5-6 month period, I started breaking out badly around my chin & cheek area. I've never had breakouts this bad. I thought it was because of my dog since he slept on my bed, but even after removing him from the sleeping area into another room, the breakouts continued and eventually got worse. I use topical acne medication that help but cannot stop the breakouts. It has been very frustrating. I've also experienced in between bleeding if I do not take the pill at the same exact time everyday, which never happened when I was on Ortho TriCyclen. I cannot wait to get off this medication!

I am so glad I came across this website! I have always read that birth control is not the cause of weight gain, but I just could not understand how after years not dealing with weight as an issue that within a matter of a few months I had gained nearly 10 lbs! I exercise 4-7 times per week intensely and have recently been watching every calorie I've taken in and still managed to gain a ton of weight! Also, I've noticed that I've been increasingly lethargic lately and could not figure out why I needed to take at least 2 hour naps everyday. Needless to say, I will be calling my doctor tomorrow and telling him everything. Thanks for everyones comments!

Femcon FE never gave me a problem. I like it. The other one that I like is Ortho Tricyclen, I used to take this but I switched to Femcon. They are both good to me.

I absolutely loved Femcon Fe. My skin cleared up, my boobs grew a whole cup size in a matter of 3 weeks, and now to mention my periods were a LOT less painful! I was on it for several months before I switched to Quasense (generic form of Seasonale) because I was interested in only having my period every three months. Well, I have only been on Quasense for a little over 2 weeks now, and I'm hoping to switch back to Femcon Fe ASAP. Quasense had made my boobs deflate, (from a C to an A) my acne has come back, and I've got a gut. ***? I am extremely disappointed. I've been so depressed with my new body that I won't even let my boyfriend of 3 years see me naked anymore. Not to mention, I've been suffering from yeast infections and awful discharge. I left a message with my gyno on Friday, and hoping to hear back from her Monday on when I can switch back to Femcon!! I want my body and my confidence back!

I was on Femcon Fe for around a year. I didn't experience any negative side effects, it was easy to remember and quite effective. In May of 09 I started experiencing some weird symptoms (mind you, Ive been on this drug for almost a year by that point), my breasts were so tender it hurt to touch them, I was overly emotional, and exhausted all the time. I complained to my husband and my friends. They all joked and said "Uhoh sounds like youre pregnant". I already have one child and I figured I would KNOW if I were pregnant. Besides, I never missed a period. Never, not once. Finally, in July I broke down and made an appt with my OBGYN to discuss what was going on. My Dr. said she could almost guarantee that I wasn't pregnant and that it was a hormonal imbalance. Well, she got me a blood test and sure enough I was pregnant. 2 more blood tests down the road (because my HCG level was fluctuating strangely), they scheduled me for an ultrasound. Not only was I pregnant but I was 10 weeks pregnant! I will swear in a court of law that I never missed a period. If anything, my periods from May-July were heavier and lasted an average of 9 days. Junes period lasted almost 14 days.
Anyways, September 17th after a detailed 20 week level 2 ultrasound, my Perinatologist detected fetal birth defects. My baby has hydroureter and her left kidney is significantly malformed. The kidney will never improve and they can only monitor its function until birth and the bladder will have to be shunted immediately after birth to drain the excess fluids.
I will never EVER take another birth control pill...EVER. My daughters life will be forever altered due to Femcon. Ladies, beware.

I have great experience with this pill unlike others. Just like with any pill you can get melasma which is dark spots on your skin. I got few but from my previous pill witch was Yaz (it was terrible; daily headaches, no periods which is normal but kept buying pregnancy tests because of it, terrible breast soreness, vaginal dryness, zero sex drive). With this pill, at the beginning of taking this pill, first few days I felt little nauseous but nothing that bothered me. First month I had some breakthrough bleeding but that was gone after a month. No headaches, slight breast increase which I am not complaining about (it can happen in pills with higher estrogen). No breast soreness, no weight gain, no darkening of the skin so far, sex drive is normal. The only negative, this pill costs $75.

I am fifteen years old and I will be sixteen soon. I have tried fem con before but never really stuck with it because I kept forgetting to take the stupid pills. Well after having my period for four months straight I got back on the pill because its the only chewable one they had. (I'm terrified of swallowing pills, even if they are real small) I'm almost through my first pack and it has been THE WORST month of my life. The first few pills gave me morning sickness. I never through up because I would always eat crackers, drink water, and try to breathe it out. I still feel sick to my stomach for a little while after taking the pill. I have to eat something to get the awful taste out of my mouth.. I have gained TWENTY POUNDS in like three-four weeks. i went from wearing a size 2/3 pants to wearing a seven. Although that is not very large the drastic change is not good. Well in the past two weeks I have lost many friends because this pill makes me angry at little things. I get annoyed at little sounds and certain peoples voices. I am going into a very deep depression and have suicidal thoughts because no one wants to be around me. I am taking this pill to regulate my period and its not even working anymore! I hate this pill and everything that it is doing to my emotions and body.

I have had problems with regulating my period since I was 15. When I was 17 I was on Depo (2 years) and it really screwed me up, I gained 40 lbs. and became lactose intolerant (don't ask me how that happened, i have no clue). I still have not been able to loose the weight. I then tried the OrthoEvra patch and I loved it. I went off bc because my insurance doesn't cover it anymore and i could no longer afford it. About a year and a half ago I was diagnosed with PCOS and my fiance and I decided that it didn't really matter if I was on bc, if I was able to get pregnant we would consider it a miracle. Over the last 6 months my mood swings and periods were so severe and painful that I have had to go to the ER 2x so we decided to try bc again, I was prescribed Femcon about a month ago. My first round of pills left me sick to my stomach every day and having migraines every couple of days. I started my second round yesterday and I have been so violently sick since swallowing the pill last night that I haven't slept and had to call out of work. I spent 6 hours in my bathroom last night and by the time i passed out I had thrown up blood twice. Ive never been this sick in my life and I'm waiting to hear back from my doctor to tell her I refuse to take this pill one more day.

I took it from Feb 2007 to October 2008. I decided to take it back since May 2009.

There are some Pros/Cons:

Pros: I lost 25 lbs within a year with that pills. My hormones level (masculine) was getting better. It helped my period to go regular in every month. I controlled my appetite.

Con: My skin has melasma. I was at the beach for few hours with 45 SPF on my face. I got some brown patches, and it was from these pills. Also, I was in depression stage and I was VERY depressed/crazy-emotion over a-small-thing, while I was on the pills. That's why I decided to quit.

I gained 25 lbs back, return to irregular periods, and loves to EAT lot of junk foods. My depression is gone and I decided to take Femcon back and stayed away from the sun.

If you are depression or very upset about any losses/breakups/betrayals/or anything, then do not take Femcon, it gives DOUBLE depression/emotion.