Loestrin 24 Fe and bloating

Thank you all so much for writing this. I started taking Loestrin after having a medical abortion (RU 486) because of an unplanned pregnancy. We'd just had a baby and I literally stopped breastfeeding one day and I was pregnant what seemed like the next. Anyway, I have been so bloated that I got nervous I was pregnant again. I haven't had the big bleeds, just brown stuff for about 5 days- but the bloating, the hunger, and constipation is getting on my nerves.

I was really liking this BC, I was on Mircette before and it made me crazy, constant crying, weight gain (I'm on the collegiate rowing team, and we work out for 2+hrs/ day) No reason fro gaining 6 pounds in 7 days. Everything was going fine with Loestrin 24 Fe, but now i've been bleeding for the past week, before the brown pills started... but i guess we'll see what happens in the next few days.

For the people who experienced bloating, I did also on the first day, but if you take a B6 vitamin then it goes away, (I heard that from another gynecologist)

I am 18 years old and have been taking Loestrin 24 for about 7 months now. I started taking the pill because I was sexually active and was having extremely long and painful periods. The first few months of the pill were fine, I had some minor bloating. However, I was happy with the pill for the most part. The little acne I had cleared up and my periods were almost non-existent (12 hours of a light brown spotting at most).

Now, for the past three months I have been struggling with depression and anxiety. I could not figure out what was happening to me because I had never had emotional problems like this before. Given, I am prone to depression (both my mother and father have been diagnosed). Nevertheless, I am starting to wonder if the hormones in Loestrin 24 have triggered my depression symptoms and made them worse since they were NEVER a problem until I went on this pill. Previously, I was on Ortho Tricyclen Lo and did not have any emotional side effects whatsoever.

Also, I am pretty much fed up with this pill after today. A few days ago, I suddenly began having chest pains and a numbness/tingling on my left side (arms, legs, face). Feeling nervous, I went to the doctor today. They gave me an EKG which was normal (thank goodness). However, they have ordered me an MRI for tomorrow to see if I have suffered from a stroke! My doctor said that he thinks that then numbness pain is more likely caused my depression/anxiety. Depression and anxiety that I think were caused by this pill.

I can't stand these pills and I refuse to finish this pack. Enough is enough already! Has anybody else suffered symptoms similar to these and if so, what was your outcome?

i have been on loestrin for only 10 days and i have already gained 5 pounds. i used to be on Yaz, and i was always 115 on the dot no matter how much i did or didn't eat. Now i've gained this weight, plus i started bleeding today, not just a little bit but enough for a tampon! i switched from yaz because it made me cry a lot and gave me brown spotting, but i'll take that any day over the weight gain and bloating!

I am so thankful that I found this site and these words on this drug!
I just started taking Loestrin 24; 2 weeks ago. Within a week I started "flowing." At first it was just spotting then it started into a full period bleeding. More so has been the extreme water bloating in my fingers, hands and feet; they feel heavy & sore/swollen. It's feels like I'm gaining weight or holding in everything in my body and it is swelling up. As well as the cramping in my stomach and back- that is worse than a regular period's symptoms off the pill. And the extreme headache pressure I've had for two days!
I have been off the pill for the last 5 years and only decided to get back on a pill to control my acne (hormone levels) and the strength/length of my periods. Reading these remarks and comments on this sites, makes me want to stop NOW- in taking this. I'm only a little into 2 weeks of this pill- and it sounds like from the comments posted that it can get even worse months on. I'm a little scared to stop taking now, but I'm going to as of today! Thanks all for sharing and making me feel like I'm not the only one experiencing this crazy-ness!

Glad I found this site. I am 37, My OBGYN put me on Loestrin 24 after talking to my cardiologist, to help with a rapid heart rate/arrhythmia caused by my natural hormones which was causing shortness of breath and other symptoms. I am on my 3rd pack. I have taken the last 2 packs back to back per doctors orders. While this pill has lowered my rapid heart rate/arrhythmia, Unfortunately, the decreased heart rate is the only good thing about being on this pill. I do not want to take Loestrin 24 anymore because I am so swollen my jeans do not fit, I have insomnia, I have days of feeling moody in a way I have never felt before, I have cramps as if I have my period but I don't have it, I have food cravings I never had before, I am tired, my body is painfully swollen to the touch (feels the same as swollen boobs) on my thighs and some days when I walk I feel the thigh swelling/pain, also swollen to the touch are sides of abdomen, upper abdomen, arms and some days my socks leave ankle rings from my socs from water retention. my eye is twitching (eye doc said from the swelling) and lids are swollen, I have a call into my Dr's. to discuss stopping this pill and after seeing your posts and the fact that you all have the same side effects from this pill and I feel better knowing this water retention/bloating is not in my head.

I have been on Loestrin for almost a month now and so far I like it. I was on the depo shot since 2005 and I had gained 25 pounds, so I felt it was time for a change. The only upside to the Depo was that I never got a period, but I felt that I'd rather lose weight and deal with the bleeding. I just started the brown iron pills yesterday and woke up with spotting this morning; so far so good, my body has seemed to adjust fine. I have noticed that I have been in a much better mood and the bloating I had experienced almost every day with the Depo is completely gone. I would defiantly recommend this pill to others, but I would suggest taking the pill at the same time every day, give or take a few minutes, and to take it in the morning with plenty of water. To me, taking this pill early in the day gives your body time to react and adjust comfortably.

I am almost finished with my 3rd pack of this pill. The first two months I didn't get a period. No cramping, but a little bloating and felt like I was going to get it. I got scared, thought I was pregnant, and took a PG test. Negative, of course. Second month, same thing. This time I called the gyno, who said it was normal as your body adjusted to it.

Now I am at the third month, and got my period in the middle of the pack, about a week and a half ago. It was very light and lasted only two or three days, tops.

I got it again a week later, and this time it is exceptionally heavy, with full-blown cramps, bloating, fatigue, back pain, etc.

This sucks. On a good note, my breasts are definitely swelling, haha. I know that it can take a long time to get used to this, and I don't want to give up. I am definitely going to keep up with it until I'm at least 5 months in and see what happens.

I don't notice any mood side effects. I'm a little sensitive and easily frustrated, but I am also on Accutane, which has mood altering side effects.

Good luck to all taking LoEstrin!

ok, so i've been on loestrin 24 for a week or so, and i know it hasnt been long but i feel like a ticking time bomb! I feel shaky and jittery and moooooody! My teacher told me th other day to go find something to do...alone...so i could chill out b/c my temper was showing it's ugly face. I've been on ortho before and my blood pressure shot up, the moodiness and stuff was better but I haven't had any kind of problem like these. I don't know if i should wait it out some more or what. I'm not quite sure if my classmates or my family can take much more...OH...and the weight gain, I've noticed some bloating and i'm not a small girl and i already have DDD boobs....have a lot of you had breast size increase? let me know if you have any advise.....kurtney_monster@yahoo.com

Mircette always helped me with hormonal acne but recently i had breakthrough bleeding and my gyno switched me to loestirn 24. First month was fine and my recent breakthrough bleeding stopped. Second month i have severe headaches, nausea, cramps, and acne is worse than ever. No bloating, bleeding (period) or weight gain. My dermatologist saw me last week and said loestrin 24 is not one she would recommend to treat acne. She is putting me on YAZ which has ingredients to treat acne. I start in four days after the loestrin 24 is finished.

Well ladies, after reading all the reviews, I quit taking loestrin 24 fe today. I am 53 and needed something for the anger and heavy periods related to peri-menapause. I have taken it for one month and have had 3 killer headaches, weight gain like crazy, bloating and NO sex drive. So, after going home sick from work yesterday with headache and nausea, I quit today. Guess I will look for more natural ways to deal with life changes..good luck and thanks for all of this input that helped make my decision to quit.

This was my first time taking birth control pills. In the beginning everything was fine. I have been on the pill for about 5mths now. Just recently I started bleeding for no reason at all. (not to mention it is 8 days before my wedding) I am nowhere near the time I am supposed to start. Plus I am gaining weight, I am bloated, and I am eating like a pig. I’ve had to have alterations 2x in the last 4 months. I have been emotional, sensitive, depressed, and impatient and everyone was saying it’s because of the wedding but I knew something was wrong when I started having trouble breathing. I didn’t know any better because this was my first time on birth control pills. I went to my long term doctor today and she suggested that I keep taking the pill even though I now have what appears to be a goiter. Hypothyroidism (An enlarged thyroid (goiter) I have an ultrasound scheduled but I’ve learned today that Estrogen increases the body's production of a blood protein that binds thyroid hormone to it, making it inactive. This may have lead to weight gain and my irregular cycle. I am stressed and I do not know what to do. The only good thing is that I do not bleed heavy but there is slot of cramping now and stomach pains like you wouldn’t believe. I now have high blood pressure, shortness of breath from my thyroid, back and stomach pains from the cramps, bloating, and I’ve been bleeding for 5days. It starts then stops, then starts, and then stops. Sadly my doctor will not give me any medicine and I don’t know when it’s going to end. Those little devil pills have really put me in a terrible situation for my wedding and honeymoon. I’m now seeking a new physician and I don’t know if I will ever take birth control pills again. For all of this, I could have just continue to purchase a few extra pads a month.:(

Hi everybody, I just wanted to say that I am on the patch and it is the only birth control I've tried that gives me NO emotional side effects (mood swings, depression, anger, etc). I have tried Ortho TriCyclen, Yasmin, and the NuvaRing...all were terrible for me. I experience some breast tenderness and bloating around my period while on the patch, but the period is normal and always comes at the same time. If you have tried several pills and you find that you always end up turning into an emotional mess...I would try the patch out. It's a little annoying because it can get itchy, depending on where you put it...but it's still convenient. I would also only recommend it to women who are under 35, weigh under 198 lbs, and have low blood pressure. Hope this helps some people out. Again, it's worth a shot if you can't seem to find a pill that you like.

Increased blood pressure. Went from 122/65 to 165/110!

Heart palpitations.

Weight gain/ bloating. About 15 lbs.

Panic attacks.

Mood swings. Seriously.

It DID help with my severe cramps though...

Overall, not worth it!

OK, now that I have gotten that out of the way-- I am 32 and I have been on Loestrin24 for about 9 months and it seems that every 3rd period I skip. I had a Prego test 2 months ago and it was neg. Now I missed again and I am still freaking out! I get so paranoid! Other then that its OK. I have break through and bloating, but nothing major. I just want to get tubes tied...he he!

I am 28 and this is my first time taking BC pills. Loestrin 24 FE has been okay for me. My side effects include slight nausea (which went away after the first few packs), bloating, occasional breast tenderness, and light headed/anxious at times. I also have had some breakthrough bleeding for a few days during the middle of the packs (which is to be expected for the first few months), but am going to try one more pack before switching to something else. Cramps have definitely been much less, and my periods have lasted for a mere 3 days. I take the pill at night before I go to bed, so perhaps that is why the nausea wasn't so bad.

For those people who don't like this pill -remember that not all pills work for everyone. (I tried Yaz once for 2 days and thought I was going to die!) We all have different body chemistry -so give this one a chance. If it doesn't work for you then try something else. My doctor gave me a sample of Femcon to try after my next pack of Loestrin. She thinks that Femcon will stop my breakthrough bleeding...guess I will find out soon...

Good Luck!

Hi all, I'll be finishing up my first week on Loestrin this Sunday. My OBGYN put me on this due to overlong periods and bad cramping. This is my first experience with a BC, so I'm a little bit nervous about it. For the past several days, I have been getting really nauseous. It's not a constant thing, one minute I'm fine and the next I feel like I need to dart in to the bathroom. I'm not too worried about any weight gain because that is something that I could probably use, but the nausea is concerning me a bit. I have to go back to the gyno sometime next week, so I can probably ask about it there, but reading the comments on this page has got me a little bit nervous. Should I try to wait it out and see if things get better, so should I quit while I'm ahead?

Before I started taking Loestrin 24 I was using orthitryclyclin. I was fine. I heard about a new birth control that would end up in my period only lasting three days. that sounded like the best option. I've been on it since June. NO side effects until recently. Alot of bloating, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, back ache. Any time I smell food or eat food I feel so nauseous. The question is should I be worried about being pregnant or are these normal side effect?

The ups and downs. I have been on Loestrin 24 for 4 months now and it's been a real experience. To give a quick background so you understand what has brought me to this I will begin with my medical history (at least a brief bit of it)
I am on this particular medication due to severe endometriosis. Six years ago I had the Laparoscopic Surgery and two years ago they did a DNC and Balloon Ablation at the same time. According to my Doc this last treatment had been 100% effective for his patients and he was convinced it would for me as well. One full year after my DNC and Balloon Ablation I was still bleeding very heavily at least 25 days out of each month. For those of you who have or are suffering like this you will join me in saying that anything is worth a shot.
My last visit they did all the typical testing and ultrasounds to make sure everything was as it should be internally. They did another biopsy and everything came back normal. The Doctor then started to push a hysterectomy. I am not completely against that option but I am 32 years old and want to prolong something that definite as long as I possibly can.
So, on to the meds. After my first week on Loestrin I had suffered the following symptoms: bloating, severe mood swings, enlarged breasts, breast pain, anxiety, and the bleeding had not let up at all. I called my Doctor and begged him to get me a different medication and he asked me to give this at least three months to get in my system and that I may see changes if I could hang in there. I stayed on the meds and for the first full 3 months I wanted to toss them in the trash! The feelings of anxiety and depression were consuming me and to top that off I was suffering from insomnia as well.
I did finish the pills and started on month 4 and almost immediately I saw a change. ALL the side effects subsided almost like I had never had any. The only remaining problem I currently have is a very small weight gain. Approx. 5 lbs. But for someone who has struggled with endometriosis since I was 20, been to Dr. after Dr. and gotten the same doom and gloom story of what lies ahead for me and my poor reproductive system.... Well, this has honestly been the best result yet. I can and will live with the weight gain and I will happily take my 2 day period each month. I LOVE this pill. Honestly I would do it all over again to get to the point I am now. I can live a normal, happy, productive life and I have Loestrin 24 to thank for that!

Wow - so many of you with the same symptoms and side-effects I'm experiencing. I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen years ago with minimal side effects beyond slight weight gain during the first few months. With this pill, I feel like I've become a monster. I'm bloated and I've been bleeding for 9 days now (I started the pills the day my period ended, on the advice of my doctor. I began bleeding a week later and have not stopped.). I'm normally a very happy person, but in the 2.5 weeks I've been on this medication, my moods change faster than the weather - I go from happy to despondent over the smallest, most insignificant things and cannot be cheered up. I have constant anxiety. I've cried more in the last 2 weeks than I have in the last year. I get angry over nothing, and I feel lazy all the time. My normally above-average libido is in the toilet. Fortunately, my boyfriend is incredibly understanding and knows that the changes I'm experiencing are due to this new medication changing my body chemistry.

I don't want to be like this, though. I don't want to be angry, sad, anxious, lazy, or uninterested in sex. I don't want a month-long period for 3 months while my body adjusts. I'm not in the physical condition to be able to shrug off an extra 10 pound due to bloating, and I'm tired of popping Advil to deal with my cramps. Before I found this site, I thought maybe the symptoms would go away in the next week or so, but I've now decided I'm not waiting this one out - I'm calling my doctor and finding a different alternative. This is simply unacceptable.

Also, I know it has nothing to do with the effectiveness of the medication, but their website disgusts me. "Cammie's Story"? If they spent half that advertising budget on research to eliminate the horrible side effects of their product, perhaps the pill would sell itself.

I am just finishing my 2nd month of this pill. I have been on numerous BC’s since the age 17. I have had some good ones and some bad ones but usually the side effects that caused me to go off the pills was cramping and/or spotting. Recently I had been on Yasmin (not Yaz) for about 4 years. In the past year I had gotten over 10 yeast infections due to the Yasmin. Prior to this past year though, Yasmin was great. Anyway, my GYN switched me to this and I am on my second month. The first month it was like I had my period everyday for the month. I truly don’t know when I actually had my period. My poor husband, I kept telling him “I think I have my period again.” Then when I thought it was gone b/c nothing for a few days, it would come back. But I decided to stick it out. I called my GYN and the nurse said “try to stick it out for three months, it usually gets better.” So I am. And this month, its starting again. I am suppose to get my period in a week but 3 days ago I started bleeding again. But I also have been feeling very lethargic, depressed and I have gained weight. I actually did not even think it was because of the change in the pill until I came across this website today. But I truly have many of the same symptoms you all are talking about. Mostly, the tiredness, weight gain and depressed feeling. But I have others. I have NEVER been over 135lbs in my life now I am at 140 and I haven’t changed a thing. I certainly could exercise more, but that hasn’t changed. In fact, I have been trying to eat LESS to lose this weight but I keep going up. Now I am thinking it may be due to this pill. I am glad I came across this website. I am going to go to my GYN before the next month and say I want off. The one good thing is… I haven’t had a yeast infection since being on this pill! I was getting two a month at times! I am truly glad I came across this website or else I would have never known. Thank you all for sharing your comments about your experiences (both positive and negative).

I started this pill in July for 2 months to regulate my period and just got off of it, because I hate being on bc and I got my cycle. I haven't been on bc since the age of 14. When starting this pill my boobs were verrrrry sore, so I called my dr. and he told me to get some vitamin E 400 I.U. 100 softgels and take one twice a day. That really helped, but when I missed a dose it hurt more. So I made sure I took my Vitamin E twice a day. I have also had some of the symptoms; i.e., bloating, gaining weight (130lbs-142lbs), breast tenderness, mood swings, hot flashes,peeing more than usual,depression, sleeping 12-14hrs a day and an increased appetite. I have been off the pill for a couple of weeks now and just started experiencing the headaches and a little acne(something I rarely have). The weight I gained, I lost and now I am back down to my comfortable weight of 130lbs (due to exercising every day) but I'm still sleeping later, moody and depressed. My Mother and sisters thought I was pregnant and with the symptoms I had, I thought I was pregnant too! I also thought it was just my fiancee getting on my nerves, but after reading some of these post I now know it HAS to be the pill. Well,I can't blame it completely on the pill, because he does get on my nerve, but I love him & that's another story. :) For all the women still on lo 24 fe try taking Vitamin E it should take the swelling and tenderness away, but consult your physician first.

I just needed some advice on birth control. I started loestrin 24 fe in the beggining of the year. I was getting my period before I was do so the doctor switched me to ortho trycycline lo. I was really moody and was having anxiety attacts. I used to take bc pills for years and never had a problem until after my daughter was born. So I went back on loestrin. I got my period again before I was do. The doctor said to give it some time so I did. Again the horrible bloating moodswings anxiety and then depression. I quit talking it and now feel better. Is it possible that bc pills are no longer for me. I really would love to try another pill but a little scared. I never thought bc can cause such grief. HELP

weight gain (hungry all the time), bloating, bleeding randomly, feeling psycho. im not going to take this pill anymore.

I've been reading all the other posts here, and well, It pretty much matches my problems.. I have Headaches every day, I spot and have cramps..
My Acne has been getting worse every month.
I'm really tired, sleep more than I should.
I find myself going through mood swings, bursting into tears at simple things..
and I've gained 5-10 pounds.
So I fell horrible and I'm quitting from this pill.

I am 40 years old had been on the Depo-provera shot for almost one year for endometriosis and had NO side effects other than a significant (25 lbs.) weight gain. After complaining to my doctor about the weight gain he changed my prescription to Loestrin 24 Fe and told me that within approximately six weeks I should see that weight start to drop off. Well, I've only been taking this BC pill for not even a full month and I have significant side effects, such as: severe headaches every day, break-through bleeding, insomnia, fatigue, mood swings, bloating, extremely swollen and tender breasts which have increased a full cup size in just a month and am still continuing to gain weight by the week. I would NOT recommend this pill to anyone.

I was on Loestrin for about 6 months. Main side effects were I was hungry ALL the time, no matter if I had dinner 5 hours ago or five mintues ago. I also had weird cravings. I gained about 10lbs on this pill and my breasts were a full cup size bigger and soar almost all of the time. I can say that moodswings were not an issue, which is the one of the only reasons why I liked this pill. My period completely stopped the third month, which was a plus, but I was more bloating while taking the pill than those short 4 days of the brown iron placebos. I am currently on my the beginning of my second week on aviane, the generic form of alesse and I am pretty sure I am experiencing severe moodswings because of it, but I am leary to think so because it is too early...has anyone else taken this pill?