September 16th
2008
6:08 PM
Hey everyone. I have been on orthocyclen for about 2 years now from a clinic. I finally got health insurance *yay* and I went to a gyno. He was going to prescribe me the same pills but since i still was having my period pretty bad for seven days straight and had headaches etc, he prescribed me on Loestrin 24 FE. I was happy to find out that it had iron pills instead of placebos bc i have low iron. I start it this Sunday. i am a little nervous after reading everyone comments but i have to keep in mind that everyone is different. Once I start taking it, ill update everyone :]]
Bella
-- By bellaxdawn | Reply | Send Private Mail
September 16th
2008
3:48 PM
I just posted a few days ago but need to update. I just started the 4th pack. I Had normal period(slightly longer than when I'm off birth control. on the brown pills third pack and no break through bleed or spotting. But my breast are extremely tender which didn't end with the end of my period. I'm extremely fatigued but have sleepless restless nights. i've developed rashes in the creases of my breast. Not fun. My sex drive has gone down and so has any feeling during sex. My poor husband doesn't understand. I'm moody. I have no appetite but am slowly gaining weight. Crappy pill. I just keep sticking it out because although my husband and I would someday like to have kids, today is not the day as we are both still students. I'll give it till the end of the month and then maybe I'll switch to a new pill.
-- By emczech5 | Reply | (1) replies | Send Private Mail
August 27th
2008
12:29 AM
I have been on this pill for over a year and I have never had any bad side effects (sorry to those of you who have) my periods always come once a month for usually a day or two. I take my pills relgiously every morning I have not missed one in over a year. But suddenly my periods have just stopped (I'm 28 so it's not menopause) if I call my OB he'll just tell me to come in for a pregnancy test. My husband and I have three kids and I knew with each that I was pregnant right away, I really don't feel pregnant. It just doesn't seem likely considering how long I've been on the pill. But have any other long term users just had their periods stop? Any ideas?
-- By mercaties | Reply | (4) replies | Send Private Mail
August 14th
2008
3:56 PM
Every website I go to, most women say that they haven't had a period at all since starting Loestrin, but I'm having the opposite problem... this is my third month on the pill and every month, before I even make it through 2 weeks of active pills, I start bleeding. It's not extremely heavy most days but it lasts for the rest of the month! I seriously can't take it anymore. I basically have about three weeks of bleeding every month and a week or so of normalcy... is anyone else experiencing this problem? My gyno told me that it takes 3-4 months for my body to get used to the pill, but this is ridiculous.
-- By lauren489 | Reply | Send Private Mail
August 12th
2008
3:47 PM
I have also been scared that I'm pregnant with Loestrin 24. I have had headaches everyday, nausea, cramps, major mood swings, my sex drive has significantly decreased, my gums bleed a little when I brush my teeth and sometimes I wake up with dried blood on my teeth. My periods barely last a day, and I wouldn't even say I was bleeding. I took a pregnancy test and it came back negative. I'm thinking about calling my GYNO now and asking her to switch my birth control. I have never found a BC that is perfect for me, but these are the worst side effects I've ever had with one.
-- By mandy777 | Reply | Send Private Mail
August 6th
2008
6:08 PM
im 17, and i started on loestrin 24 fe about 5 months ago. at first everything was completely fine and normal. then about 2 months ago everything flipped. i started getting the biggest mood swings of my life. i would start to scream and yell and throw the biggest temper tantrums about the smallest things ever. i flip out and start fights with my boyfriend everyday about the smallest most stupidest things ever. my lifes been a complete living hell for the past 2-3 months. at first i thought it was just me but after reading all these comments from you ladies i feel completely relieved. i just got off the phone with my uncle who owns an auto body shop after making an appt with him to get my boyfriends car fixed due to one of my temper tantrums when i broke his window and rear-view mirror and after finding out that will cost me about 400 bucks i hungup and called my gyno and made an appt to have my birth control switched. good luck to everyone
-- By nicole31 | Reply | Send Private Mail
August 2th
2008
9:37 PM
After reading these experiences others have had I feel like I'm not crazy for the first time in a long time. I have been on Loestrin for about 11 months, it is the first time I have taken birth control and I am 20 years old. Since starting this pill I have gained about 20-30 pounds, and figured it was just due to a change in my lifestyle. However, no matter how much I have worked out or changed my diet I just can't seem to get rid of the weight. I have had many of the other side effects too, like terrible anxiety, shortness of breath, unexplainable chest pain, terrible stomach pain, and I get extremely angry at the drop of a hat. My boyfriend has said that if my emotions continue to be this out of control he won't be able to handle it anymore. I have tried to control myself, but no matter what I do I feel like I am not myself anymore. I become dizzy for no reason and I have developed some type of acid reflux, has anyone else had this issue? My period is irregular even after 11 months; some times I have it for a week and a half, sometimes not at all, and my period was very regular before starting this pill. I am going to the gyno next week and was wondering if anyone had suggestions for another pill that does not cause so much turmoil.
-- By ked124 | Reply | (2) replies | Send Private Mail
July 29th
2008
10:18 PM
I'm 25, and I have never used bc. I was given this from my gyno. because my bf kept taking off his thingy. So the first day, the very first day my hair started to come out. I gave it two weeks, and threw it in the garbage. I had hair falling out everywhere, I had EVERY side effect listed. My vision was also screwed up. I didn't know what the hell was going on with me. My bf broke up with me, my moods were crazy, my boobs hurt, i had cramps, heavy bleeding, nausea, all i wanted to do was eat food, stomach pains, depression, anxiety, a headache, I was dizzy to the point were I just wanted to start crying, I even had the shits...This pill is a joke. I can deal with minor things like spotting, and I realize it takes 3 months for your body to adjust, but I couldn't even take it for 2 weeks. I did notice that if you take vitamins, the side effects were better.. but still my heart hurt so much I thought, holy crap, I'm going to have a mini-stroke at the age of 25. I am so thankful to god that I found this site and I could read other people's stories. I really think the idea of bc is wonderful, but until they make a pill that my body will accept- I'll stick with condoms, they have worked so far, I would even go on to say, I rather never have sex again then to go through the toll of this pill. This should have never been put on the market.
-- By cat24 | Reply | (1) replies | Send Private Mail
July 28th
2008
9:36 AM
I am 22 years old and have never used bc before. About three months ago, I started using YAZ, and was absolutely fine for the first two months! About two weeks into my third pill pack I started having terrible nausea, dizziness, and I could not drive. I contacted my gyno, and was told i had to finish the pill pack before I could get switched to something else. I was told that the new pill, loestrin 24, would work out much better for me. Six days on this pill gave me extreme anxiety attacks, nausea, my heart was racing, headaches, etc. My gyno kept telling me i would be fine, but I could not take it anymore. I took myself off of the pill a week into it. It has been a little over a week, and I was feeling much better, but I seem to have slipped backwards some. The anxiety attacks have seemed to subside, but my heart is still racing and now i have numbness and tingling all down my left arm. Oh and ps, i get married in four days and start a new job in two weeks. Can anyone who has been through this tell me how long to expect this stuff to last?
July 24th
2008
5:18 PM
I am 22 and didn't think i needed bc because even though i had terrible periods they were so regular i thought i could just track my ovulation. I was advised to start Loestrin 24 Fe by my gyno as a bc + a period helper (7-10 day heavy periods with sever cramps, bloating, head aches, and fatigue).I am now on day 5 of loestrin and was curious of the possible side affects not listed in the info that comes with the pills. I am totally shocked at some of the things i have read. While I feel lucky that slight nausea has been my only side effect so far I have become concerned. My grandma is a retired labor and delivery nurse and has assured me that some meds are just wrong for some people if I end up with some of the terrible side effects that some have had ( b.t. bleeding, stroke like symptoms, leg cramps, stomach cramps, chest pains…). I will be the first at my doctors office as soon as the symptom hits. As for the slight nausea, I will happily endure it for up to 84 days if it means the miserable periods I have been having for 10 years will finally be bearable/ gone. I will keep my posts up every couple of days. Good luck to those of you still searching for bc. Stick with it and stay positive!
-- By devilishswiss | Reply | (1) replies | Send Private Mail
May 12th
2008
1:16 AM
I've been on Lo24 for a few weeks now and don't like it at all. This is my first experience with bc and was put on it as a hormone therapy. I had a tubal ligation 11yrs ago and am a cancer survivor most likely starting perimenopause. Since my tubal my periods have only lasted 3 days, well let me tell you, with this pill it seems like i've had my period everyday since starting it. I have the tender breasts, bloating, weight gain, painful intercourse,and stomach hurts to the touch like so many others have described. I have stopped taking the pill a few days ago and I'm still bleeding. How long will it take for all these side effects to go away? I'm especially looking forward to the bleeding and weight gain to go away. I worked hard in the last year to lose 50 pounds and am very upset now that my pants are snug because of this damn pill. My gyno said there would be no weight gain, minimal spotting for a few days...nice to know they like to bullshit us. I wish I never started on this, lesson learned.
-- By heather2008ct | Reply | Send Private Mail
April 22th
2008
7:07 PM
I was just changed by my gyno from Nordette, which I loved, to Loestrin 24 fe. I was switched because he thought I was losing to much iron w/ my periods w/ the Nordette. I have been on this pill for 12 days and have had heavy bleeding (like a period) for the last 3 days with cramping, back and every other muscle pain, headaches and I have been sweating like crazy due to the hormone change- so much that yesterday at work I had to sit down because I was sweating and dizzy to the point I thought I was going to pass out. It was crazy!! Acne is coming out too. Try it for 3 months, I don't think so. I have never experienced side effects like these, didn't experience any on Nordette for 4 years. I am going back to Nordette. I would honestly rather not use anything than this pill. The only good thing I can say is I haven't had any mood swings so far- I gotta go now I have a headache.LOL
-- By gottaluvit | Reply | Send Private Mail
April 22th
2008
10:33 AM
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!
-- By fourpint | Reply | (1) replies | Send Private Mail
April 10th
2008
9:37 AM
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.
-- By blr67 | Reply | Send Private Mail
March 24th
2008
11:39 AM
ANYONE NOT TAKE THE BROWN PILLS AND NOT HAVE A PERIOD AND ANY BAD SIDE EFFECTS?
-- By libby195 | Reply | (1) replies | Send Private Mail
January 29th
2008
10:50 PM
I am 46 and was given Loestrin to stop excessive bleeding for the past 4 weeks. Within days I had the most horrible cramps, back pain, heavy bleeding, emotional distress. Doctor wants to do an ablation or remove uterus. talk about distress. took me 10 days to realize my problems really began after taking Loestrin. I was about to undergo the ablation he was pushing for. (Which I've heard more terrible things about). Stopped the pills. Loaded up on vitamins and iron and within one day felt alive again. three days later the horrible cramps stopped and the bleeding is almost gone. Now I remember how much I hate prescription drugs. I will resist all forms of hormones, birth control pills and the like from now on. I was never one for heavy bleeding. I was told repeatedly that this is normal at your age. I still don't believe that one.
-- By frankrieg | Reply | (2) replies | Send Private Mail
December 14th
2007
12:08 PM
I started taking Loestrin (again) a couple of months ago. The first week or so was fine...just the usual breast tenderness etc. However, by the time I was in my second week I started to descend into depression...and badly. I felt like crying all the time and felt generally hopeless about life. I am generally a positive upbeat person so the difference was obvious. At first I thought it was the changing of the seasons or because my boyfriend and I live in different states, but then the more that I thought about it the more that I realized the bouts of depression I've had in the past have coincided with taking this pill. I didn't experience weight gain...but instead weight loss....however, this is a reflection of the depth of depression it caused me because when I'm depressed I have no appetite. I have also had unexplained/unjustified anxiety and have been paranoid about my boyfriend breaking up with me, cheating on me etc. It's been really ridiculous, but it's almost as thought my thoughts are uncontrollable. During the one week off, my mood and overall outlook on life improved significantly, but declined once again when I started my new pack. My boyfriend and I have decided that the side effects are just not worth it and I'm going to make an appointment with my gyno to be fitted for a diaphragm. I know it's not as easy to use as the pill, but I figure I may not have a boyfriend if my craziness continues!! Oh...lastly, I did also experience nausea as well....not super bad, but enough to notice.
-- By travelgirl | Reply | (1) replies | Send Private Mail
November 16th
2007
8:55 PM
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?
-- By slrearth | Reply | (2) replies | Send Private Mail
October 21th
2007
8:49 PM
I JUST started Loestrin 24 Fe (day one) and have been reading many articles and websites (anything from the literature in the research journals to the Mayo Clinic posts). I have just read through this entire site and took in all the feedback from the women who have shared the side effects. I have NEVER taken BC until now. I am trying it to keep monthly bleeding and mood swings to a minimum. BUT, I see some serious side effects (depression, acne, weight gain) - these seem worse than just dealing with the monthly symptoms and taking some pain relievers.
Should I STOP? Any advice from veteran birth control users?
Michele
October 10th
2007
1:31 PM
I am 32 and just had an experience with Loestrin. I have never been one to go to the Gyn like I should, but I also had no problems with my cycles or anything until about a year ago. I started bleeding in between periods and my periods became really heavy every time. I went to a gyno and saw the nurse practitioner. She talked with me and did an examination and decided WITHOUT any bloodwork or anything that my problem is probably hormone imbalance(which makes me wonder how she can know this for sure), so she put me on Loestrin. I took it that night like she instructed and was fine for about 2 days, then I started break through bleeding some. I started the pill on Monday last week, I helped a friend move on Friday and have been bleeding ever since. Not bad or anything, but enough to most of the time appear to be a light period. I stopped taking the pill at the suggestion of a nurse friend and now am having an actual period with cramps. I am going to see a different doctor and was also told by her to stop taking the pill. From what I have read it is quite common to bleed a lot on this pill. I'm sorry if that is all that is wrong with me, I would rather bleed a couple of days and then deal with the bad period than bleed every day of the month!!!
-- By dividedmind | Reply | Send Private Mail
September 29th
2007
9:59 PM
I think everyone here has to realize that they just had bad luck with the pill. every medication generally acts differently with everyone on the planet. i've been on loestrin for about a year now and ive had positive and negative side effects. i lost weight and my boobs grew. it had no effect on my cramps or amount of blood. it just changed the color of the blood to a brownish, and my boobs are sore sometimes. so im just going to go to my doctor and tell her. i think everyone here needs to realize you should just be able to talk to your doctor over the phone when something happens that you feel is not normal. ive called my gyno several times about side effects i was having. i see people on here posting about having these symptoms for over a year...so why not switch? come on people your doctor is there for a reason.
-- By lonelymushroom | Reply | (1) replies | Send Private Mail
September 6th
2007
4:12 PM
I'm into my 8th pack of Loestrin 24 Fe and I'm ready to get off of them. Major issue is no sex drive and spotting right before period is supposed to start. So its like I have a really long period anyways. I've been on these pills for more than half of a year and there has been no change in my periods (no shorter periods or lighter periods) :-( And the website says "shorter periods less than 3 days by cycle 6". So its like I'm paying $50 for a "regular pill"anyways. Oh and my boobs hurt like all the time!!! I'm thru with it!!! Does anyone have a recommendation of a pill I can ask my doctor about next month??
-- By mushkamom | Reply | (2) replies | Send Private Mail
August 5th
2007
10:12 PM
I'm 16 years old.
My Mother has took me to a Gyno
in october 2006 .
I got on Loestrin 24 Fe, ive been on it ever sence,
I didnt really notice anything.
My mom had got me on birth control in the first place because
i've had my period sence i was 10 and I get very bad cramps and
alot of bleeding. Once i started taking the pill, I didnt get any better
on cramps, but a little less bleeding. I'm now noticing my breast are extremely sensitive, i'm very moody around everyone, and emotional. Sometimes I do think i'm pregnant, but my period always comes. Does anyone else have these problems? I'm thinking about telling my mom to take me back to switch pills. Is this normal to have these effect?
July 5th
2007
12:42 PM
I started Loestrin 24 Fe in September of 2006 and for a few months my skin was terrible but after two months or so it started to clear up completely. I've always had minor skin problems and i just had to wait a few months and these problems subsided. However, I stopped taking it because I was away from my boyfriend while at college and was not sexually active but I started a new pack about 10 days ago. All of a sudden, my skin has erupted in pimples when I had absolutely none last week. Also, I am extremely irritable and have been experiencing horrible mood swings. I know from experience that it takes awhile for my body to get used to the Pill, but I had already been on it for seven months. I don't understand why I am having such an adverse reaction and am considering going off of Loestrin for good. My gyno said that Loestrin is prescribed for people with skin problems and really bad PMS, but it seems to me that both these things are only getting worse. Has anyone else experienced anything similar?
-- By mebd109 | Reply | Send Private Mail
June 7th
2007
6:20 AM
i have been on this pill for one month...about 2 weeks into taking it, my breasts have increased at least a cup size and are pretty tender most of the time and i was spotting. The worst side effect is that it has triggered my acne to flare up. Im 28 years old and my skin looks horrible. Im hoping this side effect will subside...ill keep you posted! Ive been a little more emotional than usual...BUT other then that...things have been great. Im going to stick it out for a few more cycles to give it a chance - if the acne doesnt clear, im going to have to find something else.
-- By heyitsme | Reply | (1) replies | Send Private Mail
This registry is a place to share positive or negative side effects of using Loestrin 24 Fe. If you directly experienced a side effect while using Loestrin 24 Fe, then we encourage you to enter it here. Please note that entries here are the experiences of individual users, and in no way means that you or anyone else will experience the same side effect, since the same medication affects people in different ways. Please always contact your physician.
-- Please see our disclaimer
September 28th
2008
12:31 PM
Hey everyone, well things change in two days lol
Quick recap, i had been on orthocyclen for like three years and i finally went to a gyno and he said to try Loestrin bc i was still getting really bad 7 days periods. this is now day 7 of loestrin. I was doing fine till last night.
my roommates and I were having a few drinks, went to the bathroom and noticed that i was spotting. it wasn't heavy or anything. so when i woke up this morning i checked it. I just hope that it does this for the month.
I also made the mistake of having sex last night too so i am hoping nothing comes from it
-- By bellaxdawn | Reply | Send Private Mail