Femcon FE side effects

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). Initally, 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 discharing 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 EXTEMELY 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 didnt 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 resolutiion 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 takeing femcon fe for a year now. I have two months until my yearly pap. I think im going to stop takeing 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 tounge does anyone know if this is ok to do? my sis doc 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 alote 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.

I started this not even at the beginning of the month and right away i am having problems with my body. I didn't look right away to the pill until i found this site and read others stories. But pretty much every day i can't help it; but i cry uncontrollably, and i am also having this brown kinda spotting? i thought it was because i skipped a pill but it does not continue every day because of one pill. Not to mention the nausea i feel. God this pill could really make a girl think she was pregnant with all of these side affects.

I was put on Femcon in November of last year. I told my doctor that i did not like it because my cramps were actually worse and bleeding was heavier. They told me to let it regulate in my system. Well It's now almost a year later so it should be regulated right? Well for the past 2 months i have been having my period every other week with heavy bleeding. This isn't just 3 or 4 days its 7 days of full out bleeding and 3 of light spotting. I have been feeling very dizzy and light headed and i actually passed out at work. I just stopped taking it a week ago and already feel somewhat better. I hate this pill.

I started taking Femcon FE about 6months ago. The first few days were horrible because of cramping and nausea; but then, things seemed fine. About 8weeks after starting the pill I began to have small anxiety attacks. Not thinking it could be my pill, I just let it go. Now I am having panic and anxiety attacks EVERYDAY and they are BAD. I even went to see a therapist because I thought I was going crazy!! However, after finding this web site, I am now switching pills!! I didn't think a pill could play those type of tricks on your mind! I am 26 years old.... I don't need this added stress in my life right now!! So thank you to all who have posted their experiences with Fem Con.... I now know I'm not going crazy.... it's just this pill!

i cannot believe i've found this site...

i started taking femcon earlier this month in hopes of delaying my period (the things we do as women...) & it definitely delayed it but, i've been throwing up, my face has been breaking out (chin area mostly & hard puss filled acne), constant headaches, mood swings, depression... not worth it.

throwing this pack out right now.

FEMCON almost killed me.... or at least the nurse practioner.. i had written a post here before when the first two weeks of bleeding started... after that i waited and about a month after the heavy bleeding started again... i went back to the GYN and explained my problem, she couldn't even examine me because i was bleeding so much. the same nurse practioner told me to take two pills instead of one for two days and it would throw off my period and gave me a pack of new different pills.. i didn't start the new pack because by the end of the second night i almost drove myself to a hospital.... i thought i was going to die.... i had to sleep sitting down and took several trips to the bathroom to change my EXTRA LARGE OVERNIGHT (Always purple pads) pads.... the pain was unbearable where i walked really slow and would bleed nonstop.... a day later i decided to go to the hospital where they told me my hemoglobyn levels were at 8 and i needed a blood transfusion (really i had 2 because i couldnt stop bleeding after they had put liquid antibiotics in my blood) i was admitted and monitored with a heart rate monitor because from all the stress and being so weak i almost went into cardiac arrest by the time i reached the hospital...... it has been the worst experience in my life... i could go on about everything that happened those three days but just thinking about it makes me want to cry...... i hate my life

This is my second pill, first I tried Yaz for about 6 months but still had pretty bad periods with cramps, loss of appetite, and so on...but FEMCOM FE is the devil. After taking it for only a week I felt like a completely different person. Never in my life have I experienced such uncontrollable mood swings, my boyfriend saw a side of me that even I nor my parents had ever seen. I'm a happy person always looking on the bright side and believe me, there is none on this pill. I haven't been eating, and the few times I do, all of it comes right back up. Here's a list of my week...

headache
bloating
MOOD SWINGS
vomiting
joint pain
really emotional
...and awful

I threw out the rest of the pack.

KW

I am halfway into the second week of Femcon FE, I was put on it to help suppress recurrent ovarian cysts, and yeast infections. A couple a days ago, I started getting headaches. However, last night I could barely sleep, and have no idea why, and today I've had severe menstrual like cramps with irregular bleeding, the cramps are so bad I'm having trouble falling asleep. Plus, I was very moody, and sensitive over the past week or so for no apparent reason. I think I will give the doctor a call tomorrow to see if these could be attributed by the Femcon FE.

I just started taking FEMCON a month ago and I stopped this morning! I am an active 27 year old who runs at least 15 miles a week with a small appetite. Since taking this pill I find it hard to make it through a run and I am eating constantly!! Nothing satisfies my cravings! Also, since taking this pill I wake up at night with calf cramping. I started taking the pill due to breakthrough bleeding, which has still continued. I tried to give the pill the benefit of the doubt and understand that within the first month weight gain and fatigue might be normal, however I feel HORRIBLE! I am changing my pill along with my doctor, who rather prescribe different pills than solve whatever real problem there is. I recommend Loestrin or zovia to anyone who is considering the pill.

Thank you ladies for all your comments!
:-)

I'm 29 yrs old and I was on Femcon about a year ago and everything went fine, so I thought. I was having a lot of symptoms after my pregnancy and I kept thinking it was because of my pregnancy that messed my body up. I quit taking the pill because I had no need to take it because I was separated. Within a few months of being off Femcon I was feeling "normal" again. I quit having the continual cold shakes at night and stomach cramps and nausea. At one point while taking Femcon I started wondering if something wasn't majorly wrong with me and I was dying and nobody cared. I would go to the doctor all the time and obviously I was just a hypercondriac who needed anxiety meds. I hate that stupid comment. I would tell them I am not that kind of person. I had never had a problem with anxiety or imagining things. I love life and people always saw that in me. Anyways, when I quit taking the Femcon I started living again. Well, recently I have started getting acne and I was told that a birth control pill would help with acne so I went to my OBGYN and she suggested that I try Femcon again. Well, at this time I still hadn't really put two and two together and didn't really know for sure that all my previous side affects was because of the Femcon so I decided to try it again. The first week I felt a little nauseous, no big deal so I kept taking it. The second week is when it all started again. I started having all my old symptoms of cold shakes, which are so uncontrollable and my whole body would have like convulsions. I was sick feeling all the time, my stomach was cramping up again. Oh, not to mention I was bleeding constantly. I stopped taking it immediately and it still took my body about a month to get over the symptoms but it is. I do not recommend anyone to take this pill. When I was younger I took many different kinds of pills and never had any symptoms like this. Now that I've been off of it for a little over a month my boobs still feel so sore, and no I'm not pregnant! I know every pill effects everyone differently but I feel like I lost a few years of my life going through all that I did because of some stupid birth control pill, Femcon.

My name is Kayla, I'm 19 and i started taking the pill in January 09. The first couple of month were cool, besides your usual bloating and i may have also put on 10lbs but i thought that was usual since i was just recently diagnosed with pcos. (polycystic ovarion syndrome) After about the third month I noticed that i gained about 20lbs and i was very moody and emotional. I just had the urge to cry for no apparent reason. And any one that knows me knows that i am not an emotional person. I stopped taking the pill around april 09. and just recently started yaz this month (07/09) ive only been taking it for a few days so we'll see what happens. But please understand that medicine effects each person differently. this is just how it affected me.

I have been on birth control for over 5 years now, and have never had so many issues like I have with Femcon FE. I was on Yasmin for 5 yrs and loved it. Didn't gain any weight, my breast got larger, and helped reduce my heavy periods the reason I first went on BC to begin with. Well, Yasmin is no longer covered by my insurance so I had to switch. I switched to Femcon. I have cramps, nausea and fatigue. I can't get out of bed in the morning, i just want to sleep all day, I feel like I am pregnant. Besides the fact that I am spotting so much I need to actually wear a tampon, because it is so often and so gross. I have anxiety and stressed out and this medication is not working. I have 3 more pills left and then I am suppose to get my period but after reading a lot of these I wonder if I will even get it now. I am going to switch to Cryselle I tried that once and liked it but I am never putting my body through this again. I feel like I am an old lady when I am only 24 and I am tired every minute of the day. I could fall asleep in the middle of work if I just put my head down. The worst was last night during the night, I felt like I was getting a UTI it was burning feeling. I never get UTI's haven't since I was a young child, and have not done anything different to cause myself to get one. I do think this was a side affect, because today I am fine and don't feel any burning and don't feel like I have to pee.
I would not recommend this at all. Try Yasmin, Yaz, or Crysell. I know those are 3 good ones you don't gain weight, the hormones don't drive you crazy and they seem to work well.
Good luck, get off this horrible drug today!!!!

The first few days were terrible for me, constant headaches and crazy mood swings. I'm on day 14 and things are starting to get better, except for the fact that i started bleeding yesterday (not spotting, period bleeding). My appetite is back to normal and my mood swings have calmed down quite a bit so I'm not as crazy (according to my boyfriend), but I do still have moments where I KNOW I overreact. I'm going to stick with Femcon and see how my body adjusts to it over time, hopefully the breakthrough bleeding will subside and I'll get back on track with my normal cycle. I'd say keep with it unless you're having unbearable side effects. Good luck to all of you! =)

okkk sooo ive been on femcon since September 2008... i have not been so happy with it and plan to change my pill in a week or two when i see my obgyn. the few months i took it i was ALWAYS tired..idk if i just got used to being always tired, but i would fall asleep if someone was talking to me tireddd...also i would also have joint pain the first couple of months.. not to mention i ate ate and ate uncontrollably... i am an active female and i found that this pill slowed me down. i have terrible mood swings stillll, and find that the week i am on the brown pills i have no appetite and loose weight. i find that on this pill im on a constant struggle to ignore my cravings i almost feel as if im pregnant with being hungry alll the time. i am a thin person but i feel like it is impossible if you are weight conscious to maintain your weight on this pill. i did not gain much weight maybe 5 pounds, but i usually fluctuate neways. when im taking the pill i feel like a puffy little balloon and my stomach is always bloated. OHH also i get my period on the second week of the pill every Tuesday like clock work...andddddd when taking the brown pills. the 2nd week is a very light period but still...i feel this is not normal....which is probably why im always tired.....i hope SOMEONE had a positive experience with femcon....

My Doctor also told me that these pills were the answer! I am 49 years old and as soon as I went on the Femcon pills I noticed cramping in my calves. Not severe charlie horse type, just the nagging soreness like if you worked out too much. It made it painfull to walk or run. I also had severe headaches. I stopped this pill after just 4 packs and demanded that my Doctor find me something else. She kept telling me that headaches, feeling sick to your stomach were "normal" effects of this pill and would go away after 6-7 months! What is with these Doctors? Why would you prescribe such a pill? They must get kickbacks. I had no insurance, so these things cost me $65 a month. I had to be firm in the fact that I wanted off these pills. I am now on Sprintec and have no problems.(and only $9 month!) I had no adjustment period like the Doctor said I would have with Femcon. I felt great from day one and even lost the 5lbs I put on when I was on Femcon!

I had been taking Femcon since March 2008 when my doctor switched me because of my girly issues. I actually started taking BC about 8 years ago because of very very heavy painful periods that lasted 20 days and would make me bed rest for 2-3 days. (I took Yasmin for 6 years and looooved it until i got use to it and my periods started returning to their old self about 5 years in). Femcon seemed like a great thing to take and actually worked wonders until December 2008. At that point my doctor recommended me taking the pills nonstop to see if that would help control my bleeding and regulate my hormones. About January... lets say 12th, i started having SEVER diarrhea... im talking like 4-10 times a day. I became severely dehydrated and i, on a normal day drink at least 3 liters of water and no other fluids. This continued until about 2 weeks ago i stopped taking my pills and have now switched to the DEPO shot.. ALL DIARRHEA has stopped... the stomach cramps and everything... before i was living on Imodium when i had plans or was out of town and now... i have a huge bottle and have not used any in a while....

I was put on Femcon FE to regulate my periods and because I am sexually active. I have been with my boyfriend for 1 year and 9 months now and just recently did we start having sex. I know birth controls don't protect against STDS which I'm ok with, since we're both each others firsts. I am 19 years old. I have been on the pill now for a little over a week and a half, not that long. All I have noticed on it are. 1. headaches, which Tylenol definitely fixes, 2. nausea, which isn't that awful but it's not the greatest 3. an increased sex drive, It makes me want it all the time and 4. a decreased appetite. I know I haven't been on it long and these symptoms aren't unbearable, I just hope they end. I guess my body just needs to get used to it. Oh yes and one more thing, I have recently been getting zits, they aren't bad like some people have mentioned but they aren't the greatest either, I never really get zits. It might not be Femcon related at all, since I work around oil and stuff and have been working a lot lately that and it's been hot out and sometimes in the summer I get them. But if they continue and my other side affects continue I'll keep you all posted. So far, everything is bearable and I don't think Femcon is that bad, minus the minty-ness. It's slightly awful haha

Hmmm after reading all your comments regarding Femcon Fe, I really wish I would have stayed on Yaz. I originally started on Yaz (not sexually active at the time) because of my acne. My doctor recently switched me because I was spotting a lot and my periods were so irregular. (They always have been though.)

So I've been taking this for about a week now and I'm not sure if it's just my imagination or not, but I feel warm, bloated, and can't sleep. I'm on anti-depressants as well so Idk.

Question for you guys... I used about 7 pills of my last Yaz pack and my doctor told me to start Fem Con immediately the following Sunday. Should I be worried? I know I should have probably checked into this more but now it's too late. I don't want to have sex because I'm worried.

I'm almost 20 years old and started taking BC to regulate my periods a few years ago and help with extreme cramps. I started on Yasmin and was on it for about 5 months and then started seeing a new OBGYN who suggested trying Yaz. I was on Yaz for about a year and a half and it worked great. But then I started getting really painful ovarian cysts. To help with the cysts my doctor switched me to another BC which made me extremely depressed and emotional. Now I am finally on Femcon FE and have been fo about six months. I haven't had a problem with another cyst again and things were working out fine... until about 3 months ago I skipped a period. No big deal I thought to myself, it is definitely not possible for me to be pregnant, its been over a year since I've had sex, so i figured it must just be stress or the way I'm eating or something..

Well it's been 3 months and still no period. I know most ladies would love to not have one but I'm starting to worry if this is something that is normal. I honestly don't know if it has anything to do with Femcon but I have a strong feeling it does because I haven't been stressed, my eating habits haven't changed and I know it is not possible for me to be pregnant. I am going to see my OBGYN soon if I still don't have one after this next pack but I am just wondering if anyone else has experienced the lack of a period as a side effect of this medicine because on this site I mostly only see women who have it too often.

This is a follow up to a previous post on May 26th when I vowed to stop taking the Femcon FE pills as I was worried it was the cause of my twitching eyelid and heart palpitations. Here I am, a month later, and no twitching eyelid or heart palpitations. I can even enjoy a caffeinated drink now and then without worrying about if it would cause another palpitation.

I would also like to take this opportunity to commend all women to continue to be your own health advocate. It is up to each of us as individuals to be responsible for our own health. Doctors have medical degrees, but we know our bodies. As stated in a previous post by another user, it is untrue that you have to "sign off" when you want to stop medication. This is birth control, not life saving medication like insulin is for diabetics. And, as in my case, your doctor is difficult to reach to discuss symptoms, find a new one.

My doctor told me that the reason a period is so brown and you can spot when you are on the pill is because it creates a fake period. I had been on Yasmin for 2 years got off because i was broke then a year ago got back on to yaz. I just got a script for Femcon and im really worried about gaining weight. My doctor did say that it takes a few months for your body to get used to it though.

Femcon Fe is the first BC I have ever tried. I only got through the 2nd week of my first pack and then I stopped! I couldn't stop eating...I was crying for the smallest things...I had spotting! So I gave up just like that! After 2 months, I decided to give it another try ( I still have the 2nd pack sample). So far, after 3 weeks, everything is OK. No weight gain, or spotting...headaches, yes but it is nothing that Tylenol can't fix. So there..I am going to give this pill a chance. I do hope I get my period once I get to the inactive ones and not bleed for days like the ones did...wish me luck :)