Femcon FE and pills

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!

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 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!

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

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.

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!!!!

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!

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.

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!!

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 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.

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.

The first couple of months were fine..but now I am realizing that I never want to have sex and try to avoid it whenever my bf wants it. I think its because of being on femcon FE. I've always been a horny person but on these pills I'm completely different. I'm getting off them..TODAY!

I have endometriosis and chronic migraines (not related to the pill). I am taking a preventative migraine medication daily now, so we figured we would try again to help my pain from the edo with the pill. At this point, all of my doctors have suggested taking lupron, which will put me into temporary menopause, instead of the pill. I am just not ready for that option. Because I have tried so many different pills, Femcon FE is one of my last options before taking the lupron. I was concerned after reading many of the posts on this site, but figured I would give it a try and see. I started it on Sunday April 25th and so far this is what I have experienced:
Increased onset of migraine pain- (but the pharmacy didn't have my migraine medication and I had to wait two days until they ordered it, so that could be the cause of that)
Slight breakout- (but I started a new foundation, so that could be the cause of that)
Increased moodiness
I have not had any cravings like I did on Seasonale (all I could think about was chocolate)
I don't know if I have had any weight gain yet, my scale is out of batteries and I haven't had a chance to replace them! But my cloths do not feel tighter, so that is a good sign!!
I will continue to post periodically while taking Femcon FE. Hopefully it works for me and I will have nothing but great things to say! I am going to stay positive and will away the negative side effects!!!

I was prescribed FEMCON FE to control an unregulated, heavy and extremely painful cycle—and apparently, this is the only BC pill that can do so when one is ALSO prescribed anti-epileptic meds. I was bleeding (and cramping) uncontrollably for 3-4 weeks when put on FEMCON; I’ve been on it for 2 full months. Fortunately I didn’t do much research before beginning the pill—I didn’t really have a CHOICE of pills—these posts would have terrified me… Everyone’s systems are so different, and respond so crazily, especially when it comes to hormones. FEMCON, at least so far, has regulated mine beautifully, with minimal hitches (nothing unusual for BC pills). Some of the past positive postings are similar to what I would have to say—when I was on Yasmin, I still had long, painful, and heavy periods. On FEMCON, again so far, it’s been cut to 3-4 days of super light flow. LOVELY! I suffer from severe chronic migraines, and the halfway-mark seemed to cause me a particularly difficult time, but again, this is nothing FEMCON-specific. It just took me a bit aback. Good luck, all!

I started taking Femcon FE on the 4th of March because my fertility doctor had free samples of it and I only need it for one month before my first in vitro cycle. Today will be the 10th day that I took it and I had to call my doctor because I started getting horrible headaches on my 7th day taking it. It was so bad that I would start crying and my husband would just put his hand on my head to try to make it better. I have a high pain tolerance, so this is not normal for me. I also am exhausted ALL the time. I've had to take like 2-4 hour naps a DAY! Not cool. My doctor immediately told me to stop taking them as the headaches like that is not normal. I have to wait a couple days till I start my period again and then they will put me on just estrogen until I'm ready for the cycle. I know that all BC pills have side effects, but these are horrible and I've heard so many horror stories about it already that it kind of gives me major red flags about it. Just beware if you want to try it. I took Ortho Tri Cyclin 8 years ago when I needed the BC pill and I don't remember having ANY side effects at all.

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 started taking Femcon FE three weeks ago and I am refusing to finish the pack! Since I have taken it I have been experience nausea ( I throw up ever time I eat), moodiness, and weight gain (I eat healthy and work out 6 days a week) and slight depression. I have also noticed a pattern of binge eating and it’s become constant since I have taken this pill. YIKES! I didn't know what was wrong with me until I got on this website and read all these posts! I just want things to go back to normal! Has anyone experienced my specific symptoms?

This pill was prescribe to me to reduce the bleeding and pain cause by fabriods. This is my 2nd package and I am stopping this pills. I have no sex drive at all. I feel like dead in the sex department. My stomach it gotten so big that I can't wear my pants. I have gain about 6 pounds in the pass 2 months. I work out 5-6 days a week and eat healthy. I will find other alternatives to deal with the fibroid pain, but I won't use this pill any longer.

after having my daughter i started taking loestrin 24 it never cycled my period. so my doctor gave me femcon fe it was better than loestrin because it stopped my period, but i've been on it for almost 2 years and i have absolutely no sex drive, i'm emotionally numb, very sleepy, very dry skin and hair, and i easily get like heat rashes on the inside of my elbows, and foggy headed kind of like tunnel vision, i also use to get nausea but i just started taking it at night so i would sleep right through that feeling, and as soon as i'm off the active pills i'm feel amazing and have a sex drive like a teenager, full of energy i hate these pills

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.

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 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 have been taking Femcon for two months now. I did not experience any nausea, emotional outbursts or any other crazy side effects. I have been a many other pills before, and I always tolerate it all them well. I did notice that I gained about 7 lbs in the last two months or so. After reading the posts on this website I automatically attributed the weight gain to the bill. I have numerous friends who are either physicians and/or residents so I decided to inquire about this. My friends and MY DOCTOR assured me that the weight gain is not caused by bc. I also did some online research and found the same thing. You need to control ur appetite instead of taking the easy way out and blame the pill. I do, however have spotting with this pill that I never experienced before. My doctor told me that I need to give it at least 4 months to see how my body will tolerate any bc. I will wait and see.

I have been on Femcon fe for 15 days. I am not happy at all with the amount of side effects I have been experiencing.

here are a few to mention:
1. Headaches- severe
2. Yeast infection
3. Heavy breakthrough bleeding
4. Cystic acne
5. Mood swings, depression, crying spells
6. Weight gain (eating more due to increased appetite)

So, hopefully all these side effects will subside after the 3 months the doctors want you to stay on before switching. But I do not remember any other of the pills I've taken in the past having such severe and uncomfortable side effects.

I've Been Taking The Pill, I'd Say For About Three Months. I'm Sixteen Years Old. It Has Caused A Lot Of Problems For Me. I've Had Weight Gain, And Irregular Bleeding. Before, I Took Yaz. I Had To Get That Switched Because Every time I Had Sexual Intercourse I Would Bleed. Now On Femcon, I Just Randomly Bleed. Last Month, I Probably Went Sixteen Days With A Period, && Now, I'm Eleven Pills Into The Pack And Heavily Bleeding Again. I Would Say, That Since On The Pill, I've Gained About Ten To Twelve Pounds. Anyone Else Have Symptoms Like This?

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!

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

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!!

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 on Femcon for three months now, and I am ready to call it quits. I thought the minty freshness would help me remember to take it-- which it did. Yet, that's been its only positive attribute. I have had yeast infection after infection, sore breasts, and vaginal dryness. I also cramp for about 4 days before I start the brown pills, and start spotting about two days befrore. Emotionally, I feel numb-- except for when I start to cry for no reason. I have to struggle to get myself to do anything. It's awful. I have one white pill left. After that, I'm calling it quits.

I just started FEMCON this month. I actually went to my doctor because I was feeling so bad, she said to give it at least 90 days to work itself out. I had terrible headaches, stomach pain and nausea, (so bad I could not eat for two days), and I have started my cycle still on the white pills, with 9 days before I get to the brown ones. My cycle is very heavy and very bad cramping, it seems like it is not going to stop! I have had trouble sleeping and very vivid dreams. Nothing emotional, I guess a little cranky because of the headaches and cramps!

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 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 for about a month. I didn't get my period last month and this month (I just started my 2nd pack of pills Sunday) my nipples hurt. I guess that is normal with this pill. My face has seemed to clear up and my sex drive seems to be getting stronger but who knows what that is due to. I started taking this pill because of PCOS due to an IUD I think. Not sure if this pill is working yet but so far I don't have anything really bad to say about it! HJ.

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!!!

Ok. I'm a 17 year old girl. I've been on BC for a year or so now for a hormonal imbalance. I was taken of Yasmin, because it was making me a lunatic, and put onto Fem Con. At first everything was alright except for some spotting. But its been a few months now and the spotting returned. That spurred me into doing some research. Now I see that some of my other problems, that I would have never suspected my pills for, line up with the rest of these posts. Things like, skin irritation and dryness (those red rashes on your face are hard to hide! And I've never had to use a lotion on my face before. I'm now applying it 2-3 times a day.), lower back pain (a couple years ago I hurt my back because my back pack was too heavy. I just assumed it was that coming back to haunt me. Then I noticed it started up conveniently after I started these pills. D<), an itchy/smelly vagina (I thought it was just an infection but it hasn't gone away for two weeks now), nausea (I don't know why I didn't think of the pills, really.) and that my rage has considerably been heightened. It only takes a comment on one of my favorite books to set me off now - and then I'm over it in a split second. I've had that with Yasmin before - but I didn't notice the connection then. I'm just glad I'm noticing it now before it gets to the severe depression/suicidal stage again. I've also noticed that I've been kinda paranoid lately, but I've always been afraid someone might pop out of a dark corner. I really don't want it to get worse. I just thank God that I haven't completely lost it again and I can stop before I start gaining weight and losing hair. Please, research any pill you might be thinking about taking so you know what side effects to look out for. I read one post where someone says they almost died. I don't think this pill is for me.

I have been taking femcon fe for about 3 months it was great the first month i was taking it, than the second month came and i started bleeding 2 1/2 weeks before my period, than it stopped than when it came to my brown pills to take it was a very light period. Now i only had 18 days between periods i don't know what to do. I haven't had any bad side effects besides this one. my bleeding is very heavy it soaks through a super tampon in less than 3 hours. what should i do?

I never had normal periods my entire life. I didn't have my first one until I was 17 and then I only had one every 3 months or so. My first doctor put me on ortho lo and I was on that for 2 years. My periods were extremely heavy and would last up to 3 weeks sometimes but I had no other side effects. I stopped taking ortho and had one period 3 months later and then nothing. I was in college and working and basically put my health on hold. I got married and when we started talking about kids I wasn't even sure I could have any. I'm 25 and in the past 3 years I've had one period. I went to another doctor and she gave me a pill to start my period and then I was to start taking Femcon Fe.She said if I didn't have my periods now I would eventually lose the ability to carry a baby. So I've been on Femcon for the past three months now. I bled the entire first pack and 3 days into my second one. It varied daily as to how heavy the flow was. I called the doctor and she said to keep taking them and that if they were too heavy to take Advil and that would slow it down. My last period was good. Lasted 4 days and was normal. There are other side effects though. I'm more emotional now than I've ever been in my entire life. I'm usually a pretty happy, go with the flow kind of person but now I find myself wanting to snap at people, I get depressed and cry for no reason. I love to cook but now the smell of certain foods (especially meats cooking) makes me nauseous. I get sick just driving by fast food places. Needless to say I have a loss of appetite. I did notice that I had some acne but I started to use Pro Activ so thats not a issue now. I have another doctors appointment in a few weeks so I'll see how things are going there before I decide if I want to change pills or not.

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 started taking Femcon Fe a month ago (I'm wrapping up my first pack now). I wanted to make this post because prior to starting this pill, I like you, did my online research to see what others had to say... and it seriously freaked me out. I was horrified, but I already had the prescription so I figured I'd give it a shot. After being well informed of all possible side effects and aware of what to look out for, I began the pill and just waited for the problems to begin. NOTHING HAPPENED. I never got a headache or nauseous. I actually lost a little bit of my appetite (which I was actually quite excited about) and my period... which has always been a full and heavy SEVEN days long quickly turned to FOUR LIGHT DAYS! And this happened instantly. The fact that they're chewable is awesome and they taste fine... the brown pills are gross... but I just take them with a glass of water to avoid chewing. I would definitely recommend giving this pill a try and seeing how YOUR body reacts because everyone is different. I hope it goes well for you as it has been for me.