Femcon FE and birth control

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!

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 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!

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 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'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.

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!!!!

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.

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!!

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?

Well I have looked at a lot of web site for information about birth controls and this one by far seems to be the best. I'm 22 years old and have been on and off birth control since I was 15. So far every one I have tried has caused either nausea or Sever Break through bleeding. Last November I decide to give the depo shot one more try, for the first month I had no break through bleeding. But in December it started and never stopped, here it is April 30 and I experienced maybe 5 days during my duration of the depo shot no bleeding. So I went to the doctor today because I have come to realize that my body may need a higher dosing of hormones so she prescribed Femcon. Now in the past I have had the same problems that have been posted on here but when I was not on birth control! Birth control, controlled my symptoms a little but never stopped them. So im hopping that Femcon control that awful breakthrough bleeding I experience with many other contraceptives. At the end of my pack im going to update! Todays day 1

This isn't a new side affect but I didn't have a good time with Femcon at all. I only took it for about 2 months and I bled for 2 almost 3 weeks. I was depressed and I know now that I gained 10 pounds while on it. I would never recommend anyone to take this. I am not taking anything now and I don't play on taking anything. I am going to talk to my Gyn. about pain management until I decide to get pregnant again. I just don't understand why doctors seem to think that birth control is a one size fits all drug and it isn't. But I don't know much about nothing so who knows.

I have been on Femcon since February. My doctor switched my pills from Loestrin to try and get a handle on my heavy bleeding during my cycles. I think that's finally under control, but I have gained about 8-10 pounds! I work out and eat sensibly so it didn't make sense why the scale was steadily climbing upward. I know that a lot of birth control pills mention weight gain as a common side effect, but after taking several different brands over the last 20 years, I have never experienced weight gain until now. My appetite has increased and I seem to never feel satisfied after eating. That has to end. It's mostly in my stomach and I just feel bloated! So needless to say, I am switching back to Loestrin as soon as this pack is over and hope for the best. Other side effects included nausea, but that happens the first couple of weeks with me with almost every brand of birth control.

I have been off and on birth control pills for years. I was on Yasmin for 4 years but I had to switch because I started having cramps all of the time, 3 out of 4 weeks a month, no sex drive too. Changed to Femcon Fe. Not too bad. I don't know if what I am experiencing is attributed to this pill but I can say I do have cramps when I shouldn't. I have been on this pill about 5 months. I have had my share of pills though. I am getting off after I complete this pack. I think all pills have side effects. You have to figure out which one is best for you and then keep your fingers crossed. I have had the same symptoms many of the other women have had with different pills. My advice,,,,if you are having symptoms that interfere with your life in some way or fashion, talk with your doctor. That pill may not be for you. Hey, after the years....the pill is simply not for me.
schmooksmom

I believe that Femcon FE is related to my 40 year old sisters ischemic stroke. She was on Femcon for 2 months to control bleeding and then suffered a stroke on the left side of her brain. So far they have ruled out everything else except the birth control.

My wife was just put on Femcon FE for one month in preparation to an IVF Cycle. Today she had an ultrasound and blood work to begin Invetro Cycle and a Cyst the size of the entire ovary was noted in her ovary. We were told that similar cysts and symptoms as listed on this site have been noted by other patients taking the same medication. Don't mean to alarm anyone, but we would not have known about Cyst if ultrasound would not have been done as routine prior to IVF cycle. Beware!!!

I have been on Femcon FE since May 2008 right before my wedding. I have not had all the horrible side effects as described. I do have minor, breast tenderness, and some minor cramping. I am 29 yrs old, and have been on BCP since 2003.

One thing to remember when you first go on any form of hormonal birth control is to give it a few months...your body has to adjust to the levels and usually once you have been on it for a while you adjust to it. If you only give it one or two weeks then thats not enough. The other issue is if you constantly read what others are complaining about and worry about being on Femcon, sometimes the mind will play tricks and will actually start producing some of the side effects...when in reality if you just give a try and let your body adjust, instead of switching back and forth to different meds, you might actually like it and not have issues.

I must say that this is so interesting to me. I have had some of the same exact side effects from breakthrough bleeding to the point of have two weeks worth of periods. I switched to Femcon Fe about a year ago about 8 months ago from Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo to get rid of ovarian cysts. It helped with that but, my periods are longer, cramps are more severe and bleeding more than ever. Weight gain and moods however have not been affected neither has my sex drive. I believe that can be managed with drive and self control. I wouldn't say for everyone to stop because some women have said it works. But, I know now to do research before taking everything thrown at me. After all medicine is a practice :-) As for me, I think I am done with birth control pills altogether.

I hate this birth control pill. It tastes nasty and I have been bleeding for almost two months now. I don't think anyone should take this pill. My boyfriend says I have no sex drive. I didn't realize it until I read all the other women talking about it. This pill sucks!!

The only side effect I had is a mild head ache from time to time. Femcon FE has worked wonderfully for me. I used to have cramps that were so severe I'd pass out while throwing up or I'd be miserable for an hour while throwing up. I feel bad that it didn't work as well for everyone like it did for me, though I'm noticing that the symptoms people are listing as side effects are natural ones from the hormone change during the menstrual cycle. Perhaps more women should be educated thoroughly about their bodies BEFORE they are given a pill.

I stuck with FemCon for about six months...and I am stopping after this pill pak. My doctor raved about this pill, telling me there are fewer side effects than any other pill on the market. For me, this was the wrong pill. My headaches have become so frequent that I actually had to go to a neurologist who told me that this could be a trigger (as could many birth control pills). I have also gained weight, which never happened with any other pill, and my sex drive is down to zero. I have been on birth control for years and I am going to take a break per the doctor's orders. Good luck everyone :)

I have been on Femcon for around 4 years. My sex drive was very intense before taking this pill. I have had no sex drive since starting the pill. We have struggled to figure out what the problem is to no avail. I just decided to look up side effects of Femcon, and noticed all the symptoms are the same. I saw only a few with diminished sex drives. Is everybody experience diminished sex drive as a result??

I'm 21 and Ive been taking birth control since I was 16 for depression. I started with Yasmin, which after a bit lost its effectiveness - when yaz came out I switched to that. It was wonderful. I had been on it for about a year or so and Ive had problems with pelvic pain for awhile. I had a laparoscopy in November and my doctor switched me to Femcon, saying that I might just have a hormone imbalance and that would fix it right up. I haven't been so miserable in my entire life. I went out and bought a preg test because of all the breast tenderness, sickness, mood swings, weight gain and headaches I have all the time. I feel bad for my boyfriend having to get up in the middle of the night to console me when I cant sleep because Im so uncomfortable and nauseous. Im unhappy. And I get two periods a month, sometimes lasting for two weeks, I don't get it! I don't care what the waiting period is to switch back, I still have a box of yaz and Im switching tomorrow.

I have been on multiple birth control pills. I started off with Yaz a year ago. After three months, I started getting horrendous headaches. They eventually got so bad I had to go to the hospital for throwing up so much due to the headaches. They found the problem to be Yaz. I changed to Loestrin, and I never felt better. Yaz also gave me severe mood swings and such. On Loestrin, I felt great, I didn't gain too much, and I was in control of my periods. Around five months, however, I started bleeding constantly. It turns out I needed a higher dosage, so my obgyn wanted to put me on femcon to see how I would do. I'm two months in now, and I am losing my mind. The mood swings are INSANE! My poor boyfriend, he has to put up with it all. I've gained ten pounds, I'm always hungry and I'm angry or depressed all the time.. I can't wait to schedule an appt to go back to loestrin (I'll just get it in a higher dosage). Reading this article helped me 'cause now I know I'm not going crazy XD

I started on Femcon FE about a year ago after having breakthrough bleeding from Ortho Low. I have never been so unhappy, so emotional. I cried daily. I had incredible homesickness, which was new for me. I questioned my major life choices constantly (ie, my choices to move to where I live now, my career choice, the friends in my life, etc.). Also, my face broke out a lot. About 4 months ago I discontinued use, and rather than trying a new pill I just quit. I now use only a barrier method for birth control and honestly, I have never felt better. I feel content. I'm seriously wondering if all the drama and emotions in my life for the past 10 years I have taken various pills have had a big impact on my emotional state. I haven't cried in weeks, months maybe. I won't go into details but my sex life is way better... I am still breaking out unfortunately, however. But I don't plan on taking a hormonal bc anytime in the near future. Forget it! I'm sure the effects of birth control are different for everyone, but I think all women should seriously consider the emotional and sexual toll that the Pill, particularly Femcon, may have on their lives.

Hello every one!!I've been taking Femcon FE for about a month now i switched from ortho tri cycle lo and that was the biggest mistake i made i swear since taking Femcon i haven't been able to sleep,chest pains cramps low sex drive 8days of period and bad headaches body aches and joint pain.This is the worst birth control ever!!Every since taking i have no clear spot on my face and i always use to have a very clear face!!And no im not pregnant!!One good thing is even with all these bad side effects it seems like im not as depressed as i used to be.I have blurry vision now im scared about that and Monday i am calling my doctor because that just freaks me out so bad!!Thats all the side effects ive had in 1 month tho.

I am nineteen years old and I have been on Femcon for about a year and think it's pretty great, actually. I honestly think that bad reactions to birth control happen on an individual basis. The medication will do different things to different people. I wanted to gain some weight (especially in my chest), which influenced my decision to go on birth control, but femcon did not make me gain any weight at all. So, my boobs aren't any bigger, but at least I'm not going to get pregnant!

I've always had fairly clear skin, so I couldn't say if that has been affected.

The only difference that I've noticed is that my sex drive is lower. I went off of femcon for a month to see what would happen to my body and my sex drive went through the roof. My mind was on sex all of the time; every guy was attractive. I'm not flat lined sexually when on the pill by any means, it's just under more control---I suppose this could be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it.

I think that in a few months I am going to switch to a different pill because while femcon was convenient when I couldn't swallow pills last year, now I can swallow pills and the mint taste of femcon makes me nauseous sometimes to the point of not wanting to take it at the right time.

I hope this helps!

I'm starting Femcon Fe tomorrow. I've been on Yaz for the past 4 months, and for me, Yaz made my bloating, cramping and mood swings worse. It also didn't help with regulating.
I had a friend who, when she took any kind of birth control it made everything worse. (Yaz, the depo shot) I really think it depends on the person and their medical/hereditary history.
You won't know until you try.
i'm really excited to try Femcon Fe, i really don't want to have my period for 2 weeks out of the month. =]

THIS IS THE WORST BIRTH CONTROL EVER. I was on Yaz for a few years but was having bad break through bleeding so my gyno suggested switching to Femcon FE last month. Which ultimately was THE worst decision of my life. Okay not THE worst, but definitely in the top 5. I was originally put on birth control to help my ance, and Femcon FE did JUST the OPPOSITE. I broke out like never before, which says quite a lot. My skin had been clear for years and all of the sudden this happens? Definitely seemed a little odd. I also gained an extreme amount of weight within the THREE WEEKS I was on it. And my boobs got disgustingly huge-- fast. If you are considering taking this or just got put on it or have been on it for a while, PLEASE for your OWN good, stop it asap!

Speaking of which, does anyone know how long I should wait to switch back to Yaz? I feel like it wouldn't be healthy switching back right away but I can't think of any other option! Please e-mail me if you know, I would appreciate it more than you can imagine! I just want to fix all of the problems that Femcon brought me and want to switch back as soon as I can. Please help me!!

RIP my skin, body and perky boobs.
-C.
******

i'm still only on my first week of femcon and am hoping it stays as wonderful as it is now. I have not had any of these side effects, funny thing is..I had all those side effects prior to taking this..but not this week. Less anxiousness, i used to have lumps in my breasts all month..now they're soft like they should be, my skin seems the same..only thing i noticed is I did get a little red bump on my forearm that hurt but went away and then i noticed another on my breast..painful to touch but not raised at all. but they are both almost gone. the only thing i am concerned about is two time now in 3 days when i used the bathroom this clump of mucus with blood in it poured out of me..it was the most disgusting thing ever. I don't know what it is..I figure I'll wait it out a little while longer. otherwise, excellent birth control.

I am in awe reading all of these comments and to the point of tears due to my new found emotional self. I just made an appointment today with my doctor because this past month has been awful with the amount of side effects I have been coming across. After the appointment, for some strange reason, I decided to look up what the side effects of Femcon were from other people's point of view. Now, I have been on this birth control for quite a while, and in the beginning I had a lot of break through bleeding, but the doctor said it was normal. And I thought that my restless sleeping was because of my stressful life and the amount of activities I was doing in a daily schedule. However, over the past couple months my attitude and mood swings have been out of control. Unfortunately my boy friend of four years has witnessed a side of me that not even I've seen. I have break through bleeding constantly, I'm extremely emotional, sometimes depressed, and I feel nausea after EVERY time I take that pill. If I miss the pill and take it a few hours later or the next morning, I can predict that I will have an emotional outbreak, feel nausea, and have cold sweats. I originally went on this pill to help with the pain of cysts in my ovaries, but this isn't even worth it anymore. I can't wait to tell my doctor to get me off of this stuff as soon as possible.

Thanks everyone for sharing. This has helped clarify my gut instincts.

Hi Everyone, I am so happy i found this site. I feel just a little better that maybe this Femcon Fe is prob working the right way. Doctor had told me I has polycystic cysts on my left and right ovary so he put me on Femcon Fe. I am 30 years old and I was never on any type of birth control pill in my life (this would be the first time). I have been on this pill for almost a month now. A month ago when i went tomy GYN he had said that the pill would help stop the bleeding (prior to this I had been bleeding for maybe a month). A few days later I did stop bleeding but a few days before dec 26 I had been spotting (on and off). On Dec 27th I started bleeding (my period i guess), its Jan 5th now and I am still bleeding...and cramping (been cramping everyday). I feel as if I am bleeding a lot, been changing my pad a lot. I don't know if this is because I just started this pill and it may change later or what? I panic so much about things like this...is anyone having these same effects or had?

I started taking Femcon fe in late December of 08. It's been about a year since I've taken any birth control so I was having problems remembering to take them. I did what the pills instructed when you forget and I took 2 pills on the same day. I forgot again to take them and repeated the same thing for 7 days only. I just decided to stop taking them and start fresh when I get my next period. Little did I know I was going to have a blood flow. I thought I was getting my period, but it wasn't red it was a burgundy color. I've been bleeding for 3 days know and it's getting heavier. Another side effect is lack of sleep. I haven't been able to sleep at night. It's been 2 nights and I can't sleep. Also, I have been urinating much more than usual and having bowel movements much more than usual. Anyone experiencing the same things? Cramps, bad headaches and mood swings. After 7 days all this!!! I will not take these pills anymore!

The only thing I felt was nausea for the first month.
If I missed a pill I will have spotting and cramps.
I have put on 2 or 3 lbs. but ladies stop blaming
the pill, you have to learn to control your appetite and diet.
If you research it the actual pill doesn't make you fat duh!
I like Femcon Fe and I'll continue to use it!

OK....so ive been experiencing spotting and clotting since August...i went to see my dr and he put me on ortho tricyclen lo it wasnt working so he put me on provera for 2 weeks n it didnt work....a trip to the er n here i am on my 2nd month of FemCon 3rd row of pills and im already experiencing bleeding it happened last month also......stomach pains n nausea....make for a long day.....and the weight GAIN.....My MOODS r terrible....my husband has learned to brush it off but I can cry bout the smallest things i feel depressed....and want to rip someones head off for no reason.....I hate birth control in the first place.......i Dont know whats wrong with me...anybody have any advice..........

I have taken 4 Femcon pills. I only eat homemade salads. I ate one at 6pm. At 4am the next morning, I began vomiting for 4 hours straight. Toast, crackers, pepto - nothing helped. Yesterday, I couldn't even eat anything. Today, I couldn't even push down 3 bites of salad. After FOUR days only, I cannot fit into the jeans I have been wearing since 9th grade. I am 22 and my hips are the size of kansas. My husband has noticed larger breasts, but I can't tell. I am very very moody, my headaches have been terrible! I take 2 Excedrin migraine every 4 hours but no relief. It's Christmas time so doctors are closed, but I will not take anymore. Fortunately I got samples. Who hs left femcon for something else and found a better product? There was no discussion between doctor and I about what pill would be best. I just told her I can't swallow pills and she gave me this. I just got married and this is my first BC pill. I do not like condoms. Someone please recommend something good!!

Femcom Fe has been the wurst I am going on my 2nd week
today I experience vagina dryness this is the wurst thing that can happened to a woman,
and ever since i got on the pill I been in bad mood, constipated stomach pain, back pain, really crazy
I am getting off this pill and will let you know how it goes from here
I have always had a very high sex drive and Femcom totally mess me up :( I am so depress right now I have cry the whole day
your reply is appreciated ladies,

My doc put me on Femcon Fe after Mirena IUD removal.

The pills were just temporary to cover me between Mirena IUD removal and tubal ligation surgery.

I started Femcon FE on 11/17 and by 12/16 had gained approximately 10 lbs...10 lbs in 1 month!!! I stopped Femcon Fe on 12/16 and have lost 4 lbs of the 10 lb gain without any effort.

The other side effect was a nice breakout of acne all over my chin.

I am thankful that I do not have to take birth control pills any longer and will finally have hormones in my body that my body naturally produces.

So.. the beginning of Femcon Fe seemed great and all (no side effects) has not helped my period however ive tried 3 other kinds and they Never seem to help-- but experiencing the very real vivid dreams.. so glad other ppl had this symptom- weight gain is horrible- im not fat but i eat healthy and exercise and NOTHING im ready to give up this pill-and possibly all birth control pills- im sick of feeling "crazy" and upset over nothing- over reacting and so fourth. this is not me. im taking a break from the pill. i will let u know what happens.. just ready to feel like me again
-J.

I started taking this medication at the end of October for birth control because I thought it couldn't hurt to be taking something just in case. Immediately I began noticing changes in my mood. I was always short fused, had little patience with people, was easily frustrated and got emotional over the smallest things.I was sick to my stomach and had a hard time going to sleep. I stopped taking the pill after I completed all the white pills. I never took the brown pills because I had had it with the extreme mood swings and I figured I would start my period anyways. It has been almost three weeks and I have not gotten my period! I am seriously beginning to worry. Has anyone else been in my situation and stopped taking the medicine without getting their periods?

I am 22 and I just started taking femcon almost 3 months ago. I haven't been on birth control in over 2 years and the first month was ok but recently i have been having diarrhea, stomach pains, headaches, heart flutters, and general aches and pains and extreme breast tenderness. Also, when i started taking it 3 months ago i discovered a nickel size dry patch on my neck and in to my face that is itchy, but it is only in that one spot and it wasn't there till i started the meds. I seem to have normal periods which last about 3-4 days, but they are lighter than normal which is good, but I just don't feel right on this medication. I don't know... it is strange... almost like i am anxious about being on it and i never even read the comments and concerns about this med until just now. I have also had trouble getting to sleep at night as well. I want to quit taking them but i am in the middle of my 3rd month...can i quit now? I need to quit them!

I started Femcon FE about 7 months ago because I needed to start a birth control regimen because I was getting married. I started this pill 3 months before my wedding so my body would have a chance to adjust.

I have ALWAYS had normal and regular periods like clockwork. I've never had any issues with my periods in my entire life, until I started Femcon. The first month I was on the pill was fine...I got my period like normal. The second month my period was horrific....I bled for 13 days straight and had horrible cramps, unlike any I ever had before.

The 3rd and 4th month I skipped my period because of my wedding. I was one of the unfortunate that would have had my period on my wedding day, which is the ONLY reason that I skipped.

I am now in month 7 since I started the pill and it's been 3 months since my wedding. I've yet to have a period at all since the wedding even though I am taking the pills like normal...it's been a full 3 months with no period. I've had light spotting the last 2 months, but absolutely no period. I am getting concerned. What's the deal???? Has anyone else had this problem?

UPDATE: I wrote yesterday concerning my possible side effects from Femcon FE. Today I spoke with the OB/GYN office and they feel as though I am gaining weight based on the birth control pills AND that the hormones in them are likely also to blame for my recent crying spells and increased anxiety. I am now officially allowed to say that I will no longer be taking the Femcon. By no means does this mean it is a bad pill, it just is not a good pill for me.

I am a 27 year old who has been on birth control for the past 11 years. I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen for the majority of that time until my sophomore year of college when the doctor suggested I switch to the "shot". Depo Provera caused me to bleed continuously for several months on end and I was then switched back to pills by my new gynecologist. He placed me on a generic form of the ortho which again worked wonders for several years. At 25, I started bleeding constantly from the generic and was switched to several Loestrin 24 which completely stopped the breakthrough bleeding... initially. After a year of it, we were back to constant bleeding. The ONLY side effect I have ever experienced from birth control is breakthrough bleeding. I moved cities and with a new town came a new doctor who thought Femcon might work. I was prescribed it in May and have been taking it for nearly 6 months. Over that time I have been so happy with it as there is no bleeding except when there should be. That is until I read today that my increased anxiety (I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder to begin with), vivid, realistic nightmares, and 15 lb weight gain could be caused by this pill. I am getting married in January and my dress barely fits at this point because of the weight gain. I go to the gym 5 days a week for cardio and weight training yet keep getting fatter... I thought I was stressed out by the wedding and that is what was causing my emotional imbalance... I really thought I was losing it. I just called my gyno and left a VM asking if this could be the reason... Don't quit taking a birth control based on other peoples reports, they are all going to react differently to different people and all meds come with an initial side effect that goes away once your body is accustomed to having that hormone or chemical in it. Initial nausea is common... I have always had it when I started a new medication, especially birth control. It goes away after a couple of weeks. Will keep you posted.

I was prescribed FEMCON FE to regulate my heavy and painful cycle and my iron is low. I have read through most of the Posting here. Of course I am concerned about how my body will re-act to this pill. I have not been on birth control in 10 years. I started my pills on this past Sunday, as soon as I noticed my cycle had started. My cycles are very light on the first day so I use a tampon. I went to work. By the time I thought to go changed myself, I was home again. I checked and it was barely anything there! The next day I used another tampon and I left it in for about the same amount of time, check it and there was nothing! It is now day 4 (Wednesday) and still nothing. I am cramping but not like usual. I have consulted the nurses of the FEMCON company and they said it is possible for my cycle to stop like that. Then I called my OB/GYN and she said the same. I will stick it out to see what happens next. Otherwise, no side effects yet and hopefully there won't be any! If you have had the same experience, please let me know. Thanks!

In May, 2007 I almost died of a massive pulmonary embolism, due to the birth control pills Femcon FE. I have no blood disorders and was perfectly healthy prior to the embolism/blood clot in my calf. I was misdiagnosed at the hospital and was sent home to die, until an orthopedics told me I needed to get to the hospital immediately, but by then, it was too late, the blood clots were in my lungs and I was dying. I was in ICU for 6-7 days. I am not the same person. I was diagnosed with a heart Arrhythmia and it's pretty constant about, 94% of the day I feel this heart Arrhythmia. I also have breathing problems and since I'm a singer/songwriter, I'm not sure if I'll be able to sing well enough. Please, however is on this pill, GET OFF THEM before something like this happens to you. It's amazing that a small pill almost killed me!

Against all odds.

M.

I took FemCon FE for seven days and experienced a lot of severe side effects which included diarrhea after I eat, foully smell in urine, itching and burning in vagina (like a yeast infection), hearburn, hot flashes, burning feeling in my heart and chest (not the same thing as hearburn), and terrifying anxiety symptoms that consisted of heart palpitations, heart flutters, shortness of breath, numbness in arms, dizziness, join pain, lump in throat, tight chest pains, and insomnia. The anxiety symptoms seemed to be worse at nighttime. I literally felt like I was going to have a heart attack and die. I stopped taking the pill three days ago and I do feel some better, but not completely back to normal yet. I did a lot of praying during this difficult time and God helped me get through it. I know I couldn't have made it without Him. The fear of dying was so intense that I thought my heart was literally going to stop. I almost passed out a few times which is also a scary feeling. My doctor put me on Femcom FE for my hormones, not for birth control, because I had a tubal back in 2002. I would rather put up with my crazy hormones then have the extreme anxiety attacks. The only good thing was my period didn't last as long and was lighter. Now that I have went off of FemCon, I started bleeding again like a normal period. I don't recommend Femcom FE for anyone.