Femcon FE and mood swings

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.

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

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....

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

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.

Hi, I've been looking for information about Femcon Fe. This is the 5th type of pill that I've taken. (I've been on the pill for 11 years and have always had breakthrough bleeding). My doctor just started me on Femcon thinking maybe I need a higher dose of hormones. It's only been 10 days but so far I feel like a completely different person. I take the pill before I go to bed and in the first few nights I woke up a couple hours later with horrible cramps (worse than on my period). The cramps have for the most part gone away but I am emotionally a completely different person. My fiance said the first couple days were terrible mood swings, but now I feel completely detached or disconnected from having any emotions. I just feel like I'm in a fog. And for the past 4-5 days I've had trouble sleeping, had terrible headaches, and zero sex drive. I would much rather deal with breakthrough bleeding than deal with this constant disconnected feeling. Does anyone know if it's bad to just stop taking the pills? I ordered a refill of my old Yasmin but it won't get here for a few days.

I just started my second pack of Femcon FE a couple days ago. I switched over from Yaz because my GYN said underweight girls need higher dosage pills because they lack estrogen producing pills. The yaz made me incredibly depressed and i started getting panic attacks so i decided to try it out. So far i have not had mood swings or panic attacks. YAY!! And i have been quite horny ^_^. Unfortunately i think i am starting to break-out. I have always had acne problems but when i first switched to Femcon FE my really large blemishes (cystic acne?) disappeared in a couple of days. Now i am getting a bunch of little tiny red bumps which i have never had before. Like i said it is my second month on femcon so i am not sure if that is what is causing it but i am going to keep an eye on it because i was given birth control to clear up acne, not make it worse. Also, i just washed my face with the same cleanser i always do and it is burning now...odd. Hopefully this clears up because i am definitely enjoying Femcon more than my previous pill.

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 am 21 years old and I've been taking Femcon Fe for almost a year now, before femcon I was taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen. I switched over because I was having very bad break through bleeding. I wish I would have never started taking Femcon Fe, I have had the worst mood swings I've ever had since taking this pill. On top of having terrible mood swings I also get very nauseated when starting a new pack of pills at the beginning of each month. I am calling my Obgyn tomorrow morning so that I can switch to a different pill. I wasn't sure if femcon was what was causing these symptoms but after finding this site I don't think it would be smart to stay on this pill any longer.

I'm glad to see that I am not alone with disappointing side effects from this pill. DO NOT TAKE THIS PILL!!
When I list these side effects, do NOT interpret these lightly. This is serious, ladies. Magnify these feelings by 100 times because that's how I felt. Absolutely disgusting medicine!!!
Here are my side effects:
1. weight gain
2. increased appetite (I don't have a satisfied feeling after eating a meal).
3. insomnia
4. dry skin
5. mood swings
6. fatigue
7. vivid dreams
8. depression
9. breast tenderness
10. breast sensitivity
11. nipple hardness

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. =]

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.

I just started taking Femcon FE about three weeks ago and so far can’t say I have noticed anything that’s being mention in the posts related to nausea and mood swings. But I do have more appetite than before and I am hungry all the time. Also I have more bowel movements than usual. My breasts are tender for last 2 days and am cramping but that could be due to my period cycle coming near. I guess that’s expected. I take the pill before going to bed each night I have been sleeping quiet well actually, better than normal. I am not going to jump to any conclusion yet and will continue taking it for couple of more weeks and see how my body reacts to this new change. So far it’s been okay. I guess just have to watch what I eat and be cautious about my health.

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 can't believe what im reading, I have almost every side effect to what you are all saying. When I called my doctor after the 3rd day of taking the pill, she said it was normal, nausea for hours is normal! Take it @ night... ok still nausea. I thought it was just me getting older, (44) my mood swings are so out of control I would divorce me...my breast are large to begin with, I feel like im carrying 20lb weights on each one. Leg cramps, nausea, not sleeping, hot flashes. After reading this im done... I'll deal with the ovarian cyst my way...Time for a new doctor to. Good luck girls

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!

so i just started taking Femcon Fe a month ago after a Mirena IUD removal, no side effects for the most part except for the terrible mood swings I freaked out on my significant other because of something that he had no control over and normally if we fight i'm okay with giving him time to cool down you know just backing off for a bit but instead i got all emotional this time, crying randomly and then the next second im ticked off and just want to scream, im a pretty emotional person anyway but this is so not me i don't cry over nothing normally or want to scream at someone just because their there but since i've been taking the pill i can't seem to control my emotions

I've been taking this pill for 6 months. In the beginning it was okay. I had break thru bleeding for a couple days but it would go away. If I missed the exact time to take the pill my period would come on early and I would spot for almost 2 weeks! I decided to look up reviews for this pill online and discovered this site. I never had mood swings and couldn't put my finger on why all of the sudden I became moody. After reading I am convinced that it is this pill making me moody. My poor boyfriend has been catching it for months. Going back to Ovcon

Oh yeah...and I keep getting heart flutters or palpitations also. Anybody else?

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,

I started taking Femcon FE in November after the first couple of days I experienced nausea. Half way through the 2nd row of white pills I began to spot but the blood was a very dark brown and there was some cloting. I figured that after my cylcle was complete and my body adjusted that this would change. NO here it is December and I was still spotting and now I have began spotting again. So i've basically been spotting an entire month. I have stopped taking the pill and hope that my body regulates itself. Between the headaches, mood swings and cramping I don't know what to do. It seems as though I've had my cycle twice already for December

I have been taking Femcon for about 2 months now to possibly reduce formation of cyst on my fallopian tube. My periods are shorter, very nice. However my family, boyfriend and everyone around me agrees that i've had terrible mood swings. Extremely emotional and i am not usually an emotional person, crying over the littlest things, getting mad at the drop of a dime. Also this 2nd month i've been taking it i've noticed my breast are tender. Im glad from reading this website im not the only one.

I have been on Femcon FE for over a year now. First of all EVERYONE reacts different to ALL medications! Second, you need to know your body and its problems before you start a new medication. Third, it takes a while for your body to adjust to a new medication....give it time. Femcon has treated me just fine. I've never had any "side effects". I am emotional.........but that's just me and how I am built..........not the pills. My hair is falling out but it is due to a hormonal imbalance from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I have heart palapations but I was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse four years ago. I have gained weight but I've also lost, gained and lost again within the past year. All of that being said.....I absolutely love Femcon!!!

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.

Okay , so I poste on 10/25 some of my symptoms. I started off well but did not maintain that way. It hit me on Friday like a ton of bricks. Nausea, Mood swings, Hot Flashes, Stomach Pain. Insomnia, Dizziness, and back pain. I decided on Monday to discontinue the medication and call the doctor. She absolutely said to STOP it. I have been off for 2 days and I noticed within 24 hours I was able to walk around and complete some of my daily tasks. Still having Nausea, but most all I feel like my stomach right under my rib cage at the top is Bloated!! The palpitations were too nerve wrecking. I am wondering if I really messed myself up. Still have back pain but to add insult to injury. I am now Bleeding SO HEAVY, that it is really concerning me. I would never recommend the meds to anyone, I know everyone is different but , I truly felt that Death was warming over. I am usually the one who doesn't suffer from side effects of MEDS. Go Figure!! This forum is great and I was really surprised that people were actually having the same symptoms and posting them for others to read and relate to. I never thought I would find a forum about the meds that "I " was taking. Glad I stumbled upon this. Just be very cautious of your symptoms, only you know yourself and how you feel. Hope this post helps.

well i've been reading all the replies on FemconFE and to be honest i have a lot of these symptoms that i have never experienced before. well it started a weeks ago that i started noticing bad symptoms. i've been on femcon for a month and a week and i have mood swings,insomnia,hot flashes,dizziness, nausea, severe stomach pain, and worst of all...heart flutters. when i was born i was diagnosed with a heart murmur...well at 8 years old it was lessened to a heart flutter. i haven't had problems with my heart since i was 16. no even the birth of my daughter affected me. but since being on this i can't even drive, clean my house, let alone take care of my 14 weeks old daughter. i'm calling the doctor in a few hours when they open and hopefully he'll take me off of this

Ive been on it for 2 1/2 weeks so far ive noticed i cant sleep at night, my face is dry and kinda itchy which im hoping happens before it clears up. Some mood swings, but nothing i cant handle. I started taking femcon because after i had my son i bleed for 2 months straight, so my doctor put me on it 2 days later it stopped, it was amazing! Did the dryness of the face happen to anyone else? Or did your face just clear up? Ive never had acne problems till i had my son! Im hoping this pill clears it up !

I've been reading ALL the reviews on this website regarding Femcon FE and to be honest I haven't gained any weight, my mood swings are no crazier than usual, and I definitely haven't felt any sickness...but what I have felt, after only taking the pills for a Fin' week!!....is breakthrough bleeding! I can't believe this crap, I'm bleeding and my period isn't due for about 3 more weeks!! And I'm not talking a light little spot here and there, I am freakin' bleeding like my period is here! I've been off and on bc pills since I was 19 years old, I'm now 27...there are WAAAYY too many pills out there for me to stick with this sucker! I'm done!! Good luck ladies

I am on the third pack of Femcon, switched from Ortho Tri-Cyclen because my periods were too long. I can't say I have any major side effects, no depression, no wackiness etc., One that I do have is breast tenderness, my boobs blew up like balloons and I do have major skin/chin problems that no dermatologist can help me with for the last few weeks. I couldn't figure it out what it was from but I think it might be from the pill. Never had any skin problems, acne and all of the sudden my chin breaks out badly, not pimples more like under the skin red bumps. Anyone with the similar problem???? HELP.

I started Femcon 6 months ago after being dissatisfied with Loestrin 24 Fe. This pill has both pros and cons. My periods are lighter now (my reason for starting BC pills was because of heavy and painful periods). There is less cramping with Femcon as well but my periods lasts even longer now than before starting the pill. Last month I bleed for 16 days straight! Since this was the only time I bled for so long I decided to give the pill a few more months. I actually like the fact that since starting this pill my acne has cleared up completely and my mood is much better than before starting the pill (No mood swings around the time of period!) Another con though is that my sex drive as decreased and vaginal mucous has this weird thickness to it and it makes sex kind of uncomfortable! I never had such problems prior to starting Femcon Fe. I may be searching for a different pill or other options soon.

l will let it be known that I'm a healthy 27 year old..very active, never suffered with depression, never had acne, no headaches, never had mood swings (unless someone was pissed me off :) ) NADA...just the 7 day periods with heavy bleeding the first couple days..no cramps though. With that being said.....I have been on Femcon for 1 month now..I'm actually finishing my first pack..i have 2 more pills to go. I can honestly say this pill is NO GOOD for me!! If anyone already suffers from any of the things i've listed above..DON'T TAKE THIS PILL!! The first week on the pill was great..no problems. Exactly on day 10 of the pill..I had break thru bleeding that lasted the rest of the month. It was the nasty brown kind with an occasional red. I started to notice that EVERYDAY around 4:45pm I would become so furious over nothing..i mean NOTHING..go in my room slam the door shut..then turn around and cry because I knew I had nothing to be mad at. I became very depressed. My skin starting breaking out, but just no only on my face..all over my body. Really gross. Im now taking the brown pills and I have really bad night sweats. Horrible. These pills also made me very constipated. My sex drive went down hill too. HOWEVER, the PRO to these pills are I haven't gained any weight, haven't lost any hair (that i know of) and my period is sooooo light...still about the 5-7 days, BUT the cramps are almost unbearable and last for 3 days. I'm whiching in 2 days to Loestrin24 FE. If anyone is experiencing similar symptoms and looking for a new pill, let me know. I will be more than willing to share my experience with Loestrin also.

~RRB~

Anyone have room for my wife. I have had enough. She is sometimes pleasant but most of the time a real bitch. She has not connected the dots between the Femcon and her horrible mood swings. Sex was scarce enough but now I have almost forgotten why I liked it so much. PLEASE HELP! If she stopped today how long until I get her back?
(fyi: I am signed in under my wife's account. She will be so proud of me. I hope I survive! Pray for me please.)

I'm 17 years old, and I have been taking Femcon Fe for three months. I was beginning to get worried that I was becoming bi-polar my mood swings are so bad! I cry at least once a week for no reason and I snap at people all the time. One day I even cried all night long! I also feel tired and gained 5 pounds but my circulation is a lot better than it used to be. My period is considerably lighter too. Even still the mood swings are unbearable and I want to get off the pill A.S.A.P, but I'm scared that I will have some weird withdrawals. Can anybody tell me how it was when they got off.

HEY EVERYBODY, IVE BEEN ON FEMCON FE FOR THE PAST 6MNTHS AND I HATE IT. MOST OF THE SYMPTOMS ALL YOU LADIES HAVE, I HAVE HAD AND DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE IT COULD BE THE PILL: WEIGHT GAIN, DIZZINESS, LEG CRAMPS, GROWTH AND TENDERNESS OF THE BREAST, NO SEX DRIVE, ACHNE, AND THE WORST OF ALL AND THAT WORRIES ME THE MOST IS THE GREAT AMOUNT OF HAIR LOSS IM EXPERIENCING!!! IM 22 AND FEEL THAT I SHOULDN'T BE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. IM JUST WONDERING IF ANY OF YOU HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM AND IF YOU HAVE WHEN YOU GOT OFF THE PILL, DID YOUR HAIR COME BACK? YOUR REPLY IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

I just started Femcon.I was a little skeptical on starting it after reading other peoples experiences.I just came off the NuvaRing, which i had breakthrough bleeding.It wasn't bad but it just was annoying. maybe i am impatient to wait it out but we will see how this pill does.I just want to be free of the bleeding.One thing i will say i haven't experienced any mood swings like i did on the nuvaring.

Hi Ive been on Femcon FE for one month now. I am 20, 5'1'' and weigh 100 lbs. I have not gained any weight at all, nor experienced any nausea. The first 2 weeks I felt like I had some mood swings, the third week I broke out in horrible acne... However, my period lasted about 4 days and was soo light I almost forgot that I had it. I never got any cramps either. Now, I am on my second month, first week, and my acne is starting to clear a little bit.. However, I have battled acne for a lil while and - as I have been told by doctors - it takes your body time to respond to all these hormones. If you are having problems with acne, just remember that usually things that are supposed to clear acne will break you out for about 2 months before it starts clearing you up. It's your body's response to the drastic change going on inside. I would suggest seeing a dermatologist and using some topical gel (Differin).. it has helped mine a little bit. I don't think I'll change BC because I would rather my body just get used to one type and just stay on it....
good luck ladies! Just remember, don't get too frightened by all these postings because every woman's body is different so not everyone will experience the same side effects.

Wow, am I glad I came to this site! I've been reading these posts for almost an hour now and I feel relieved! I am on my second pack of Femcon and hopefully my last! I've had a lot of success with Low-ogestrel for several years but my gyn. gave me samples of this. In the time that I've been on this pill I've experience ALL of these side effects-- I've gained about 10 lbs. (IN ONE MONTH!) even as I've been dieting and exercising. The mood swings have been horrible-- I thought I was just losing it! I feel like crying all the time, even though my life is really good and I am normally a very happy person. I feel bloated constantly, it's really become unbearable. I look like I'm 6 months pregnant now. I feel uncomfortable in my own skin. I'm hungry but I feel too full to eat (if that makes sense!) and I'm just miserable in general! I know it takes time to get adjusted, but I'd just as soon go back to what was already working for me.

I started Femcon back in October after having my second child. I had been on Ortho Tri-Cyclen for years before that and never had a problem with that, but my doctor wanted me to "try something new". Trying something new actually translated to having breakthrough bleeding pretty much equivalent to a period for two weeks and then having my actual period. So there were only about 10 days out of the month that I wasn't bleeding. I guess it's good then that it depleted my sex drive because I couldn't have sex anyway!! The mood swings were ridiculous and my husband and I were on the brink of divorce because of all of this. I stopped taking the pill last month and let me tell you the difference is unbelievable! I'm getting an IUD at my check up in October and cannot wait. I would not recommend this pill to anyone!!

I have been on FEMCON FE for almost a year and have had no problems.
It has given me shorter periods. (3 days- very light) and even though it cost a pretty penny each month, it is worth it. This was my first time ever on BC Pills and not once did i ever get sick, nor did i gain weight.No headaches or mood swings.Only when I took two pills in one day did i get a little nausea but it passed. You need to just give it time.

honestly i thought i was freaking crazy! this is not the right pill for me. I have had the worst mood swings every and i only started taking the pill 2 weeks ago, this is my last week - EVER! I'm dropping femcon like a bad habit. i have been bleeding since the 4th day on the pill with no sign of stopping. i ALMOST broke up with my boyfriend because my emotions are so out of wack, i have absolutely no sex drive and im moody one day and lovely the next. Luckily, i stumbled upon this website praying that i was just nuts and its all the pill not my boyfriend!!! thankful that seems to be the case and embarrassing as it is i had to state my case and hes willing to ride it out for the next week until i can switch back to my loestrin 24 fe. good luck ladies hope this helped! xox

i have been on Femcon FE for about 10 days and I am stopping it now. I have been having a headache everyday, upset stomach, tired all the time, mood swings. I have been also bleeding the whole time I was on the pill. Thank god for this website with all the posts, because now I know it is not just me, and it is this damn pill.

I was recently on Yasmin and have been for a long time, with every birth control pill i take i experience horrible breakthrough bleeding. So my doctor switched me to Femcon FE. The last one he switched me to was Loestrin 24 which was horrible i had every side effect, so i went back on Yasmin. after reading all the posts on Femcon FE im very hesitant and scared to start, Im worried this pill is very similar to LOestrin and im going to have the same side effects.

Ugh. I'm so glad I found this list and that everyone has been so candid!!! I am in my 2nd pack of Femcon and the symptoms are only getting worse. Toward the end of the first week I began spotting and did so on and off for 2 weeks. When I took the brown pills, I had my classic day-later start of a true period, as I have done with the Ortho versions I used to be on. Naturally, the period was very light--actually it never did go to red, only icky brown for a whole week. Then I started the first 2 pills of the 2nd pack before seeing my doctor for the pre-op appointment before my Esure procedure. (He put me on this pill when I told him that I didn't trust condoms alone in the 3 month waiting period while the procedure takes--I don't trust the Divine Sense of Humor this close to finally being sterile.) He told me to stop taking them for 5 days while they put me on something else that would thin out my lining so they could better see the entrances to my tubes, then continue them like I had never stopped. Great. I did that and the procedure has healed nicely. I went back on the pills--much to my dismay. I'm back to all-month-long PMS, tender breasts and spotting. I have been baffled and attributing the constant headaches, cycles of insomnia & exhaustion, lack of motivation, depression, acne breakouts, weight gain, dehydration even though I'm guzzling water, bloating, mood swings, and decreased sex drive to the stresses of everything BUT this pill, because I have never had this problem before. In fact, previous ones helped alleviate mood swings, cramping, irregular and heavy periods, acne, and bloating, but I've been experiencing the opposite for nearly 2 months now. The other day, in addition to the cramps and spotting, I started having major stabbing pains in my lower abdomen--where the Esure could be possibly causing pain--except that they didn't do it on that side because my fallopian tube is blocked naturally. My breasts have been getting more and more sore, and tonight they hurt terribly without touching anything except clothing! The cramps are continual, as are the headaches, and I wake up with my hands completely numb. I haven't been able to get to sleep well for weeks (it is 3:05 a.m. now) and I'm dragging all day. Trying to wake up from a nap is like waking from the dead, and then I'm disoriented and out of it. I'm having dizzy spells too. I can't focus and every little thing sets me off--my poor friends and boyfriend! I'm up and down like a toilet seat!! I don't know if the sore throat I've had for the past couple days has anything to do with this, but I don't feel sick. Could be allergies...??? The last couple days I've had diarrhea and an upset stomach, and with how quickly the breast tenderness level rose to horrible, my insomnia and anxiety rose to an all-time high as I feared I was pregnant. So I bounded out of bed to start looking up pregnancy side-effects, only to see that many of them could be caused by birth control--particularly this birth control--and hence I found this list. THANKFULLY! Grrrrrrrr. Needless to say, I'll be making a phone call to my doc tomorrow. Thanks again for sharing your experiences. I hope mine helps others!

Despite the messages I've seen on this board, I actually have a success story. I've always had horrible experiences with birth control and this pill took time and patience, but I feel *so* much better now that I'm on it. The first 2 weeks were tough - and any birth control will take time to adjust to...you're putting hormones in your body after all - but now my mood swings are gone, my period is regulated plus it's lighter and shorter, I don't have any bloating or water retention, and my acne does not flare up at random.

The only side effects I've had are early afternoon headaches, which have nearly disappeared now that I'm in my second month. My body temperature has even stabilized so I'm not cold all the time (iron in the pill..??).

I was pretty determined to give this a good try because I was starting to completely skip over my period for some reason, and without a regular cycle I was gaining weight out of no where despite my desperate attempts to lose it (I was near anorexic and *still* gaining weight), I was a psycho b*%ch to be around, and when I'd wake up in the morning, my stomach was so bloated I looked pregnant! I'll take the slight side effects of this pill over that any day!

I'm so happy I found this site. I was on Ovcon 25 for 3 years and was given Femcon last week at my annual exam and was told it was the same makeup as Ovcon. I can't believe the effect its had on my body after only 7 days. I'm an extremely happy, sexually active young woman and I have been crying at everything and anything and have NO sex drive. I've been on the pill consistently for over 10 years and have never had side effects like this. Nausea, fatigue, mood swings and anxiety are other strong side effects that I've noticed. I'm stopping Femcom today and will wait until next month to start my old brand. My boyfriend, friends, and family will be so thankful!

I hate this pill! I am going on the nuvaring, i have had no luck with digesting pills. I need something i don't have to ingest. I have had the most awful pains in my abdomen, from gas and constipation. My mood swings have been awful, even though i am on antidepressants! I have had way too much trouble with birth control pills, but this is the absolute worst one!

I recently had a baby and have just started the pill this month. I used to be on Nordette before the pregnancy, but when I went to see my gyn for my post-partum check-up, she decided to put me on this. I don't understand why? (I have heard that doctors can get "perks" from drug firms for prescribing a lot of their product)
I just finished my first month and I'm due to begin my 2nd month this Sunday (June 1st). Until finding this website, I thought I was losing my mind! I'm so glad to find out that I'm not and that there is an easy solution to this...stop taking Femcon! I'm going to tell my gyn to put me back on my old pill. I never had any problems before and why I got switched is beyond me.
I have been getting severe stomach pains, diarrhea, migraines, depression, sleepless nights, back pains,and crazy mood swings! My husband made a comment to me yesterday that I was acting really nutty. That made me stop and think, "Wow, I am totally chewing him out for no reason!" And I have been crying for NO reason lately! Ahhhh!
This might sound crazy...I have been "nesting", too! Compulsive cleaning! (and NO I'm not pregnant again!) Anyone else doing this?
THANK YOU LADIES for posting your comments. I thought I was alone (and crazy!). I am soooo done with Femcon!

i have posted quite a bit on here before, but i have been on femcon for now going on 10 months and i started bleeding a week before my period is due. my period is not supposed to start until June 2 or 3. i am just a little worried about why i might have started my period 1 week early and i am still bleeding and no sign of it stopping. i have cramps, heavy clotting bleeding, sorry for tmi! has anyone else experienced this and should i not worry too much about it? oh and i have had other terrible side effects like major mood swings, crying for no reason, depressed and down all the time. anyway, your input is much appreciated!