Femcon FE and yasmin

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!!!!

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

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

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

I've been on Femcon for about a month now, and so far so good. I started out on OrthoTriCyclen which made me vomit several times a week, so, strike one. Then went to Yasmin, which was okay, but decided to switch to Seasonique (sp?) for the convenience of a few periods a year, but it made the skin peel off my face at an alarming rate. I was then switched to Yaz, that was great except for one thing: It stole away any sex drive I may have had--no good. Because of this, my doctor switched me to Errin-a progesterone based mini pill-which did give me back my sex drive, but also made my acne horrific, the skin on my scalp peel off, and my breasts painful. Needless to say, it has been a long and difficult struggle with the world of oral contraceptives, so here's hoping that Femcon works out for me!

Wow, my girlfriend who just started this a week ago is having the exact same symptoms as you girls! Incredible! The doctor/nurse just told her to keep going for a few more months! Yuck. I think she's going to stop and try something else. Maybe Yasmin may be the ticket for her? I've pointed her to this link and maybe she should write the drug company. I don't remember having problem on my B/C when I was younger. She's 41 maybe that has something to do with it. I'm a little out of touch with B/C since I have not taken any in about 14 years, so I'm no expert, but I found this site and it's been interesting reading. Could this be potassium problems? Containdication with other meds?

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 have just finished my first pack of Femcon. After reading the postings on this forum, I was terrified to try it at first! I have always taken Yasmin, ever since it came on the market, and I was very satisfied with it. My GYN however thought I should be having lighter periods with less cramping, so he put me on Femcon (samples) to give it a try and if I don't like it I can go back to Yasmin.
I have not become a mutant like most people here are posting. I have not had crazy side effects or anything scary. I did notice more water retention and sore breasts with Femcon, especially during the third week, but not much more. I get really bloated with Yasmin too, but it's different and doesn't affect my breasts. Headaches are normal for me, nothing out of the ordinary.
So far my period has been lighter (but I am only on day 2 so I will report back) but the cramping has been very bad. Worse I think than with Yasmin. Most importantly, I AM NOT PREGNANT!!!
I will give Femcon another month, as I still have another sample package, and then make my final decision. But I would suggest people try it and see, everyone reacts differently to hormones. So far I am just fine!

So ive been on Yasmin, ortho tri cyclin lo and now my second month of femcon all of which caused different but equally annoying acne. Yasmin made me red and really bumpy acne, tri cyclin was good until right before my period my face went crazy and the rest of the month my face recovered. with femcon i am red again with acne on my jaw line (probably the only place i didn't have it before) any one with similar problems got something else that will work?

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 read a lot of these responses and here and have noticed a common thread among all responses. This may or may not help.

You need to give any new pill a full 3 months before judging it. Your body needs to stabilize with the new hormones that you are giving it. It generally takes about 3 cycles to do so. ANY pill, whether it is Femcon, Loestrin, Yaz, Yasmin, or any other will have the same side effects. So, for that matter, will Nuvaring or other hormonal based birth control methods.

I had problems with Femcon during the first month as well, just like I did with Yasmin. The solution to the problem is giving it a full three months before making your decision. Anything else, and you are simply not making an education decision. Good luck ladies!

I am 26 yrs old and have had my period since August 30, I am currently still bleeding, I went to my doctor who told me to start taking Femcon Fe. I started today took my first one in the morning and I was fine, mind you my doctor told me to take 1 pill 3x a day. So here I am with a horrible headache, nausea and I just feel so tired. I took Yasmin before and it made me sick as well. I am tired of taking these pills from hell that make you sick and not have a normal life. I still don't have a normal sex life being that I have bleed for so long me and my husband don't have that intimate relationship and I don't know what to do anymore, I feel so lost and confused. Please any advice.

This is my first pack of femcon, and 2nd week in, I started bleeding. I also am a personal trainer, so working out and eating healthy are my daily routine. What is not a daily routine, is gaining a pound every day!!!!!!! I weigh myself every morning to be shocked that femcon has put on 3 lbs already. I hate it, and am going back to my old pill Yasmin. Femcon is great if you want to get fat!

Well now it all makes sense! I am just finishing my 2nd week on Femcon FE and I couldn't understand why my breasts hurt so much...now I get it! I was on the depo shot for 2 years and LOVED it, no migraines, no periods...nothing. But because of my age and family history of osteoporosis I had to go off of it. Another doctor in my doctor's practice put me on the femcon because after not having my period for 2 years I got it really bad twice for a week in 3 weeks time. I can't go back on Yasmin because of the migraines, however besides the tenderness issue (which sucks if you have to run/walk fast anywhere), and I'm convinced weight gain, all of the sudden nothing fits. I'm not having the bleeding everyone else seems to be. But when I go for my annual in a week, I am going to definitely ask for something else after being on BC for the last 12 years this has to be the worst.

Hi everyone....I wish I would have done my homework on Femcon before I started taking it. I have not had a period since my son was born....almost 3 years ago! My ob-gyn thought something was wrong with me and did every test known to man but everything came back normal. She prescribed Femcon to "help" regulate my period. I came on my period in the middle of taking my second week. I have been on my period,heavily, for the past 9 days! I want to pull my hair out! I am constantly cramping and bloated to no end! Not to mention my husband is getting irritated because we have not had sex in almost three weeks(he was out of town on business for two weeks)! I am going to call my ob-gyn today to see if she can prescribe a different birth control pill because if this is what it takes to regulate my period, I would have been fine not having one!

i absolutely hate this pill. i have only been on it for a couple of days and i feel like im going to die! my breasts are not tender but i constantly have headaches, diarrhea and vomit all the time. I hate it but then again im not gonna say its the worst pill bc its the first time i am on birth control. i don't know if i should keep taking it or just stop. also, im a little confused on how to take the pill bc my doctor just handed it to me without telling me ANYTHING about it even when i told him i have never been on any kind of pill before. he was dumb. if anyone can please explain to me how to take them i would really appreciate it. i am just nervous that my period wont come once i get to the brown pill and what if i take all the brown pills and it doesn't come? what do i do? start a new pack? im sorry if i sound dumb but my doctor shouldve told me everything about this pill before he prescribed it to me.

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.

I am about to start FemconFE. I have just come off 2 years of Yasmin<-- which i really like but is way too expensive...
I am very nervous about starting a new pill... Mostly I am concerned about the weight gain. About nine months ago I was given YAZ and it made me so emotional and depressed that i could hardly function. So that is also a cocern for me as well. I will post again in a few weeks to update with my thoughts on Femcon

Thank God, I found this site.

I have only been four days into Femcon and I have never been so miserable in my life. I haven't been able to sleep at night for days, the stomach pains have been excruciating and my period is heavier than ever...and this was supposed to slow to down!!!

To anyone who is thinking of taking this pill, read the experiences that I and others have had with it. Because of it, I haven't been able to function in my life and I am behind in everything. I'd recommend other pills besides this one and Loestrin. Yasmin, when I was taking it, was really good.

After being on Yasmin for 3 months, I couldn't handle my side affects anymore. My doctor switched me to Femcon FE and when I looked it up online I almost didn't start taking it because of all the negative things I've heard. It's only been 3 weeks so I my opinion might not hold much weight, but I feel like myself so far on this pill. With Yasmin, I was constantly moody, and my sex drive went from extremely high before to practically nothing. Once I switched to Femcon FE I have lost the mood swings completely- I actually feel better than my normal self. Also, I didn't think I'd like/need the option to chew the tablets but now I'd actually rather. The mint flavor tastes really good. Just don't try chewing the inactive pills! They are gross! I do notice my body is a little sore sometimes and I have some uncomfortable cramps-- but it is only my 3rd week on the pill. No breakthrough bleeding.. and the best thing is--- my sex drive is back, and moods are gone--- all of which my boyfriend really appreciates!

I'm on my first month of Femcon ... started the pills on my first day of my period, got through one week and now I've got my period again. Not spotting ... a full, heavy period. I've never encountered this with any other pill before, not when I began them or after continued use (Yasmin, OrthoCyclene).

I tried to be positive... My doctor put me on Femcon because I was spotting thru my 3rd month on a 3 month cycle. Needless to say, I'd rather spot. I have had amazingly horrible headaches. On top of that, I'm exhausted all the time. And I can't sleep. I spotted thru the first month- severely but didn't have a period. I'd rather have my period. Now I've noticed that in addition to those things, I am constipated (tmi, I know). I've taken 6 fiber pills and 4 softeners over 2 days before I had a response. I've gained 4 lbs. I know that's not a lot in the big picture, but I weigh 110 lbs and have for the last 3 years. I split a pair of pants up the rear last week at work!!!! I was on seasonable and Yasmin before this and will gladly go back to something that makes things more stable.

I am 17 and was put on birth control to straighten out my long, heavy irregular periods. I started on Loestrin Fe and began to break out and have even heavier periods along with dizziness and hot flashes. My doctor then put me on Femcon Fe because he said I wasn't getting enough hormones and I've been on it for almost a month in a half with severe nausea, leg pains, mood swings, crying spells, headache, bloating, and abdominal pain. My periods used to be pretty bad, but this is much worse then before i started birth control. I know I should wait the three months to let my body adjust, but after all the reviews I've read, I don't think this one is really worth it. My periods are also so light that I don't think I need a pad at all. This is much better than the heavy bleeding I had, but all the side effects have kind of canceled out that one benefit. I really would not recommend this to anyone, and am thinking of asking for a change before the 3 months. If anyone has any suggestions about a good brand for my problem, PLEASE let me know.

I have been on femcon for about 3 or 4 months now...I've been breaking out a lot since I've started femcon and didn't know if it was just stress from school or a side effect of the medication. I was on yasmin before but switched because I thought it was causing severe anxiety attacks...and another thing I've noticed is I have no energy no matter how long I sleep at night...it just seems like I'm tired all the time..Is anyone else experiencing this from starting femcon?

I have been taking Femcon for about 3 months now. I took Yasmin for about a year prior to Femcon, and my OBGYN had me switch because I had some bad cysts on both of my ovaries. After the first couple weeks on Femcon, I thought I was going crazy. I was an emotional wreck, I was having random panic attacks for no reason, I was lashing out at my boyfriend (we have been together for 3 years, and I have never fought with him the way I have been lately, and they are arguments that I start myself, over any and everything.) I had my period for the first 4 weeks of taking this pill, and when I was supposed to get my period, it didn't come. My breast have gone up a whole cup size (I went from a D to a DD....not something I needed or wanted to happen!) And I have put on about 7 pounds. This has been like a nightmare to me, and I didn't know why these things were happening until I found this site. I suspected Femcon may be why these things were happening, but I kept on telling mysef that was crazy, and I probably just needed psychologial help. I am so upset with my Dr. for giving me this pill. I feel like a guinea pig for this "revolutionary birth control pill." I don't recommend anyone to take it. I have been taking birth control pills for 10 years, and I have never experienced anything like this. It is like a bad dream. Thank you so much to all the other women that have posted their experiences on here, you have helped to saved my sanity and my relationship!! I am calling my Dr. tomorrow to switch to something else (probalby back to Yasmin).

After reading all your comments here on this website, all I can say is "Thank God, I'm not the only one!" I thought I was going crazy or something. I was on Yasmin for a couple years & loved it! Then I lost my insurance & my doctor gave me some free samples of Femcon Fe. The first month I got acne, severe headaches, moodswings, was terribly nauseous & had trouble keeping food down. Now I'm on the final, 3rd month & I can't eat enough! I'm always hungry (especially for chocolate), I've gained 5lbs, still have acne & headaches, I've experienced random spotting during the month, and now this month my period's late. Ugh! I asked my doctor to switch me to another birth control- she's switching me to Tri-Sprintec. It's offered at the Walmart Pharmacy for $9 a month, which is a lot better than the $45 I had to pay for Yasmin a month. Let's hope this Tri-Sprintec works better than Femcon Fe !!

I think Femcon FE is horrible..Everytime I make it to the brown pills my hormones are in overdrive..I am indecisive..overly emotional and borderline depressed..Today I felt like i wanted to just curl up in a ball and cry at work.I want to go back to my Yasmin or try something else cause this is not for me

Surprisingly i have been ok on this pill. i was on yasmin, then switched to yaz (which was the worst pill ever! i had my period for over 3 weeks on that pill). I've just started on Femcon, and it immediately stopped my breakthrough bleeding. the only side affect i think im experiencing is the headaches! i've been really stressed lately so i dont know if it has to do with that or the pill. also i have been REALLY tired a lot. i seem to wake up, do something then want to crawl back to bed for a few hours. anyone else get tired on this pill? other than that, the pill is actually working. now if we could just fix these headaches...

I am not on femcon yet. I am coming off of the pill from hell loestrin 24. It made me a total pycho, not to mention the doctors told me I was suffering from postpartum depression, I was fine until they started screwing with my hormones. before I got pregnant I was on yasmin for 2 years with no complants all the sudden the doctors are pushing samples of new drugs on me like I am some lab rat. He refuses to give me yasmin why I do not know maybe they get kickbacks for certain meds. I will give femcon a try. I am just tired of felling depressed anxious and just not me. I have been on so many meds to effexor to zooloft and the lists goes on. It is just easier for doctors to push you off as a mental case instead of finding out what the real problem is,

Besides needing a birth control, I was put on Femcon to also regulate my cycle and try to schedule it around my wedding day. Well, it completely backfired! My family is calling this the pill from hell. It ruined my wedding night. I tried delaying my cylce by continuing the active pills (as instructed by my doctor) and instead I got breakthrough bleeding which lasted over a week along with the worst cramps I have ever felt in my life. I was on codine on the wedding day just to make it through the day. I've also been getting migraines around the clock. I've tried sticking it out. I'm now finishing my third month and again I'm having the worst cramps ever along with frequent migraines. I've been doubled over in pain for the past two days now. On top of that I've had terrible mood swings. All of my friends and family are afraid to talk to me, I'm not myself. My doctor wasn't much help either telling me that maybe I should find another form of birth control which unfortunately is not really an option for me. She claimed I'd probably have the same reaction to any pill. Is she right? Before I was on the pill I'd get pretty bad cramps and migraines (bad enough to be put on perscription pain killers back then) and was told that these symptoms would be lighter and might even disappear with the pill. Instead there much worse, almost unbearable. Does anyone have any suggestions/comments? I'm working on finding another doctor. Is there a chance these symptoms might sort themselves out if I continue considering I wasn't taking them properly at the beginning?