Femcon FE side effects

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 :)

It is so crazy that I found this site today, and super glad that I did....I should have went with my gut 3 months ago when I wanted to stop taking this pill...but now for sure I will!!
I originally started taking a Triphasil pill when I was 14..then it changed to Trivora, and I never had any problems with those pills....then when I moved to California when I was 19 I got greedy and wanted no periods (or short ones at least) so I tried Loestrin...which by the way made me bleed for 58 days straight...I thought I was going to die! So my doc prescribed me Femcon...and I said I'd try anything to get me to stop....It was fine the first few years but I was diagnosed with the first stages of Hypertension 2 years ago (age 24) and I blamed all of my bc symptoms on that! I thought, ugh I hate getting older cause now I have side effects like crazy...well I don't think its my blood pressure, and I wouldn't doubt that FEMCON has helped cause my high BP!!! Always tired, fatigue, WEIGHT gain like crazy, moody, ZILCH sex drive (poor bf), jawline acne (always was blessed with nice skin!), depression (poor bf again, we broke up constantly) and just recently nausea...no food can satiate me...I thought I was going crazy....Im getting off this crazy pill and hopefully I will get back to being normal...I'm 26...I'm not old!! This definitely is birth control cause I don't have sex, and I feel like a total fat @ss all the time!! It sucks!! I sure do feel like it and I'm stopping this pill today! I hope this site helped you as much as it did me!!

been on for 2 months. hungry all the time. and have the weird light brown/milky flossy discharge every few days. oh, and first 2 weeks on, urine smelled like cheerios. no, haven't been laying on the cereal. no weight gain, but that's because i am really working on it, but the craves are like i am pregnant. which i am not. weird. no acne, thank goodness, and none of the extreme other stuff. can't wait to see what my period is like, i haven't had one yet! not even on the brown pills the first month. pregnancy test negative. so we will see.

I started Femcon in March. I've had a horrible experience with it. Since taking this pill i've experienced fatigue, low sex drive, anxiety, mood swings and I just didn't feel like myself. I don't recommend this pill especially if you are an athlete or active woman. Get an IUD!!!!!! good luck

I started taking this pill about a year ago and never thought for a second that my hot flashes, tiredness, and headaches (I mean severe headaches). After I read the comments I called my OBGYN to let her know what was going on and what I think the problem was. I am waiting for a call back now from my OBGYN.

My OB/GYN told me to this pill, on the Sunday that i got my period. I took this pill and never stopped bleeding. i bled for a whopping 34 days. and it wasn't a light spotting either. i went through 6-8 pads a day. i had heavy cramping, almost like i was giving birth again. i took numerous trips to the ER and they just checked and seen how much blood i lost and sent me on my way. the last trip to the hospital was the last time I've taken this pill. This pill makes me feel like blugh!!! like i would have an i don't care attitude.

I am 26 and started taking this pill last month on the first day of my period per Docs orders. I bled through the whole pack of pills so basically for a month straight!! I was very very tired, moody, zero sex dive and had a shooting pain down the front of my right calf that would happen on and off. I started FEMCON FE for heavy painful periods but took myself right off after these horrible side effects. After a week or so off of them I had a horrible anxiety attack that lasted days. I literally thought I was going crazy. Scared me so bad I am going to see a therapist this week. I have had minor anxiety in the past but nothing like this. I DO NOT like this BC and am staying away from it all.

I'm still taking the pill and I feel dizzy, nauseous, anxiety & tired a lot of the time. This is very uncharacteristic of me. I've been taking it for 2 years now, and I thought I had a brain tumor or something, so I had an MRI, and nothing. Then, I thought I had a heart problem, so I had all sorts of blood work, EKGs, heart x-rays, etc. and I'm in "perfect" health. I kept thinking that it was something after I stopped nursing, and I realized it's because that's when I started taking this new pill. I think I'm going to stop at the end of this month - don't know why I haven't stopped yet!

I am in perimenopause. Femcon Fe seems to fix my bladder issues.
Better sex drive very calm. the only problem is I do not want to get
out of bed. Dreams are vivid again so relaxed could sleep all day!
Hopefully I will get used to the medicine because everything else is
much better!!!

Ladies there are some things you should consider before raging out against your BC. First of all, and your doctor should tell you this, it can take up to four months for things to straighten out, but they will straighten out. Anything that means you should stop taking the pill now should be told to you by your doctor (in fact you have to sign off on it), so PAY ATTENTION. There are obviously other less serious side effects that aren't worth putting up with, like hair loss; call your Doc and say your going to stop because your hair is falling out. I had difficulty while on LoOvral driving: I would get body aches, become disoriented, and slowly pass out. When eating/drinking water didn't cure the problem, I immediately stopped the only change I had made - taking the BC. It isn't a listed side effect, just my bad luck with it. I hadn't had the problem before and do not have it with FEMCON. You need to use a little logic. If there is an unbearable side effect, stop and change pills, but please don't rage out (unless that's your side effect). If your worried about your OBGYN trying to give you an easy fix, ask your general practitioner.

I'm going to throw weight gain in right now. I haven't had any. Furthermore, I was told that I might by my Doc. It's temporary, may take several months but it will go away. Also, you body weight fluctuates up to five pounds a day, everyday. It depends on a lot of things ie. when you last went to the bathroom, when you last ate, how much water your retaining...

I suppose the first thing I should say is why I'm on FEMCON. I have alwasy had extremely regular periods (five week cycles - so cool), starting at age nine. In middle school I began to have very painful periods. In High School, the nurse would give me a heating pad and put me to bed for the rest of the day (other girls got 15 min). The pain was so bad I cried in my sleep. When I went to college my OBGYN started me on Yaz. I went about three months with no improvement what-so-ever, and a mild increase in my depression/anxiety. So I stopped, my cycle was now regulated to four weeks and never recovered. The monthly pain reduced to a lower constant over the next few months, but now had terrible spiking shooting pains, at one point I nearly fell down the stairs. Over the next two years a couple more pills were tried with no help and irritating side effects, none lasted long. I changed doctors. My new doctor, said he wanted to try me on a high dose pill tricycle to do a sort of hormonal reset. The jury is out but it seems to be on a good trend.

I have had several side effects with FEMCON. Or at least what could be side effects. I'm currently on a study abroad so any of them could be from an environmental cause, but I'm thinking not. The most irritating has been a pretty severe case of motion sickness, if it's moving and I'm in it, I get a severe migraine, which eventually makes me very nauseous (I don't throw up for anything, but this would have had anyone else I know talking to a toilet). That is steadily going away. The addition of a ginger tablet each day to keep my stomach calm didn't hurt any, either. Second most annoying was breakthrough bleeding and cramping. Starting in the middle of my first pack I got nasty brown breakthrough bleeding (varying degrees) and moderate cramping daily. Very aggravating when your cycle is three months and it lasted the whole time. This cycle I'm don't have either. I couldn't tell you if FEMCON is effecting my depression, but I did have a nasty spell the last time I saw my brother (then again he is my brother). I seem to be doing as well as I ever have since he left. I have some breast tenderness still, mostly in the nipples. During my first cycle it could be very painful, but now doesn't bother me much. Personally, I believed that I was rather insensitive (physically speaking) before, so this may now just be a normal level of sensitivity. I never really had a sex drive before but I've got a pint sized one now. Other short-lived side effects were: nausea, occasional dizziness (continuing, but I am more inclined to blame my diet of cafeteria food at this point), swollen fingers (water retention), heavy watery discharge (not an infection).

If your pill isn't right for you, you'll know pretty quickly. If you get side effects, read the reference packet. I don't recommend reading all of the piddly side effects (ie. headache, nervousness) before hand because you may cause yourself to get them. The mind has a lot of power over the body, if you worry about side effects your just might get them as a point of mind over matter. Do not ignore anything, side effects for most BC are the same, if you've read one packet you've read 90% of every other packet. If you think your having a side effect that's dangerous deal with it immediately, if it isn't listed in your packet - go to the ER or call your Doctor on the spot. If your having one of the generic temporary ones (or worsening of a previous condition), the packet is a good place to look to see if it's normal. If you aren't happy with your BC talk to your Doc. Be smart and give things a chance to normalize. I hope this note can be helpful to people.

Wow I wish I had come across this website sooner. I started taking Femcon FE in September 08, after I stopped breastfeeding my then 1 year old. I had taken trivora before with the only problem being PMS symptoms (fatigue, acne) a week before my period would start. But the period would start like clockwork on the same day every 4 weeks. With Femcon FE I have not had 1 normal period in 9 months. Every month it starts early. I also have had continuous anxiety symptoms of heart palpitations and a twitching lower eyelid, which is embarrassing. I chalked those symptoms up to job related stress as I had a change in work environments in September, and long ago I would have these symptoms during highly stressful times in my life. But I cut back to almost no caffeine when I use to drink 2-3 cups a day of either coffee and soda, and still the heart palpitations and eye twitching continues. I'd rather have plain old PMS then a racing heart and twitching eye. My family doctor recommended I see a cardiologist and ran an EKG which was normal thank goodness. But I'm stopping this pill tonight and hopefully saying goodbye to a twitching eye and erratic racing heart.

Acne on jawline/shoulders/back, major sun sensitivity, anxiety!, weight gain, absolutely NO sex drive, bleeding in between periods, bloating, sometimes a metallic taste in mouth for a week at a time whether chew it or not, migraines, breast aching, cramps at weird times in the cycle... My Dr. switched me to this after I asked for one with a generic because I was tired of paying the $20 copay. After a couple months of samples I went to fill the prescription. There is NO generic and I had to pay $40 because my insurance didn't cover it. Thanks Doc! Then they refused to switch me because I was only on it a couple months. I don't know why I have put up with it for so long - partly because they gave me a bunch more free samples and I'm just a busy person - I've been taking it for maybe a year and a half now. After breaking out in nasty rash yesterday in the sun I have HAD IT! The doctors must get some kind of kickback for prescribing this garbage. I DO NOT recommend Femcon FE!!

One month too long....this is an update from my two previous posts dated May 6th and May 1st, 2009. After starting to spot on the second day of the second week of the pill pack of Femcon FE, I contacted the doctor to verify that everything was truly okay. When it was the third week of the pill pack and I was still spotting quarter sized clots, I called again, and the docs office said to just keep on with it. So I did. At one point I stated to my fiance that the reason it's effective birth control, was because it's impossible to get pregnant if you can't have sex!! He wasn't too amused!!!

I took my last pill of the pack on Saturday May 16th and have lost 4 and half pounds and much of the fullness in my cup size of my already large sized 36DDs. Now, if I were to choose to continue with Femcon FE, which I am not, I would start my new pill pack on Sunday. I would assume that the pounds would come back along with the fullness of my breasts. I refuse to put my body through that on a monthly basis.

Good luck to all of those who are trying to make the decision themselves to take Femcon FE. I was really hoping that it would work for me. So far it hasn't. If I had more time to fool with it I would, but I am getting married in 6 weeks and can't play with my weight like that (I have to fit into that dress!!). I do have 5 months worth of samples left though, so maybe after the wedding, I will give it the two months that the doctor wanted me to. My primary doctor said that she thought the hormone wasn't strong enough since I spotted the whole time, so then again maybe not!!!

Again, Good Luck!!!

Hi my doctor just prescribed Femcon FE for me. I have never been on birth control before and after reading all of this I am scared to start taking this..should I ask my doctor for a different one?

ive been on femcon for about 2 and 1/2 months. Im 18 and haven't had any major side effects..the first day i was on it i had nausea but after that i felt fine. ive noticed my cravings going up the wall and im trying to control them! As for acne, its horrible!! ive always struggled with acne but im getting painful cystic pimples all on my jawline and chin. and now its starting to spread to my cheeks. I hate it and i don't know what to do. I will continue the pill to see if my body adjusts. I went on this pill to clear up my skin and hopefully it works! anyone else with this issue and has it helped your skin?

My doctor put me on Femcon because I have the Mirena IUD and I keep getting cysts on my ovaries. She said the IUD might not be suppressing my ovaries enough and put me on Femcon. I have been on Femcon for almost 3 weeks and I have had nausea, vomiting, depressions, mood swings, headaches, increased appetite and fatigue. I am not taking this pill anymore! It has not helped with the cramping I have had from the cysts, instead it makes me feel worse. I called my doctor today and am waiting for a call back, I can't stand this anymore. Good Luck to everyone else.