Loestrin 24 Fe and hair loss

I have been on Loestrin for a few years. Recently, I have noticed that my hair has got SUPER thin and is falling out from the roots. I am going to have my thyroid checked next week, but has anyone else experienced this??

Well I have been taking this pill for about a year and for the last months the side effects have gotten worse. At first I ignored them because I didn't realize they were indeed side effects. I am experiencing shortness of breath, numbness in my arms, mood swings, depression, hair loss, and this awful dark brown "stuff" instead of blood when my period is supposed to be on. I also now suffer from cramps and severe back pain that I never had before. I started taking the pills to prevent pregnancy and for lighter periods. But I would now have to agree it is hardly worth it!

I have been taking Loestrin 24 Fe for about 2 in a half months. I had started a period in the middle of my first set and they said that it would just take time..well i haven't had a period since. I have had UTI and pregnancy test and they were both negative. The doctors thought i was crazy and I felt helpless and thought it was because i hadn't taken them regularly enough. My symps were nausea/vomiting, yeast infection,sore/tender boobs, dry skin, cold sores, chapped lips, excess sweating (so much to where id wake up with wet hair), dizziness, rash,hair loss, depression, joint pain, horrible abdominal pain(like bad cramps),back pain, no appetite which i lost about 10 pounds in 2 weeks, headaches, and i hadn't had a period in two months. All these symptoms happened in about a two week span. I was freaking out about it because the doctors told me it was just stress but i was sure that something was wrong..i was talking to my mom because i was really scared and upset & she asked what birth control i was on and i told her. She looked at the package and saw it was Loestrin -->FE<--(iron)..no one in my family can take iron and it makes them very very sick. Im going to the doctor tom again to tell them that and im almost positive that this is the reason. I will let you know when i find out.

I have been on loestrin 24 for over 3 years now and haven’t had a period since I started taking it. No period at all, my doctor said this is normal. About a month ago my husband and I decided we should have kids soon since we are close to 30, so I stopped my BC. However, I still haven’t had a period I thought for sure I would see something in a month. I’m not pregnant; if I were, I wouldn’t be posting this message. Does anyone know how long it takes to get this out of my system. I read though all the post and I see a lot of women have the same issues as I do after being on this pill for so long, migraines, slow hair growth or hair loss, gum issues. All these side effects just started about a year ago and I didn’t relate it to the pill until I read the postings because they didn’t start right away. Any how if you experienced the same problem, not having a period and know when I could expect to see one it would be nice to know a month to me seems like an eternity.

I have been on Loestrin 24 fe for the past 4 years. Everything was fine the first year to my knowledge. Now that I have gotten older and started noticing things more recently I have become worried about being on the pill. I haven't had a period in 3-4 years and when some might say its a blessing I am starting to get worried about it. In the last 4 years I have gained and lost weight dramatically but now it I haven't been able to lose any weight started working out and eating less but going no where. Gained 15 lbs in 3 months. My hair is starting to fall out more than usual. I have been getting really nausea lately feeling like I am going to throw up, my vision is becoming worse but went to the eye doctor and my prescription is the same. My anxiety is getting worse and had to be but on Zantax to calm me. I had to take a pregnancy test the other to make sure i wasn't pregnant because of the most recent symptoms. I going to go off the bill tomorrow to see if a difference is made of not being on it.

I just started Loestrin24Fe about 5 days ago. Dr put me on it to control the heavy bleeding and possibly decrease my fibroid.My periods have always been only 2- 3 days my whole life just real heavy for those days. I already have had hair loss prior to taking htese pills and now that I read that hair loss is a side affect, Im real concerned. But I have noticed massive nausea, stomach cramps and yeast infection in the first 5 days. I haven't been sexually active in about 3 months so I had no clue what was causing this until I read all these feedbacks. Thank you so much for posting you experience. I will stop the pills today.

I have been on Loestrin 24 FE for a little over a year.I stopped taking it a few days ago because I could not find any other explanation for my hair loss. I used to have a full head of hair and my hair is so thin that I am becoming to be self conscious and wonder if my hair will ever grow back!! I was wondering if those that have experienced hair loss, if your hair ever grew back??

I've been on the generic of Loestrin for almost a year now (Generic is Microgestin - which by the way is much less expensive - I pay $10 at Rite Aid Pharmacy). I haven't had any side effects other than not getting my period. Its good to see that everyone else here is experiencing this same side effect. Every month I don't get my period i freak out in a mad panic. I don't even get pre-menstrual symptoms anymore ie) breast tenderness or just that "feeling" you get when you know its comming. I was on Ortho Tri Cylcen Lo for 6 years and never had a problem - i got my period like clock work and it always came with the physical systoms that i was getting it 3 or 5 days before. Due to Ortho Lo not being covered by my insurance, i decided to switch to a less expensive pill i could get in generic. BAD IDEA. If you're sexually active and not in a stable or committed relationship i strongly don't suggest this pill. Personally I like the assurance that i'm not pregnant. Id like to get back on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo, but the Loestrin is covered by my insurance, inexpensive, and ultimately i'm never preggers (so it does work when taken correctly), but the fear and anxiety is NOT healthy for my emotional well being. If you don't like getting a period, this is a great pill. Its probably best suited for someone not so sexually active or in a situation where a getting a period each month is an inconvenience - if you're traveling, going overseas, in the military or something.

Lastly, After reading everyone else's side effects i'm starting to realize maybe i'm having more effects than i originally thought. I didn't put two and two together before, but now i'm starting to wonder about the headaches. I've never experienced chronic headaches before in my life until recently. About once a month i get terrible headaches for one or two days - i have to take 4 advils every 12 hours or so. My appetite hasn't change, i haven't gained any weight, and no hair loss for me.

I just started my second pack of Loestrin 24 Fe two days ago. I have not had any nausea, weight gain, unusual acne, loss of libido, or crazy mood swings. I have, however, had non-stop breakthrough bleeding. In the past month, there has only been one day where I was not bleeding. I take it at the same time every morning and have not missed a day. I'm really trying to be patient and give it a couple more months...but it has gotten very annoying. I got on the pill because I recently decided to become sexually active. Having my period 24/7, though, has kept me from actually wanting to start. I was on Ortho (the original) back in high school for regularity, and it made me gain 15 pounds and have intense mood swings. Beyond the btb, I love the lack of weird side effects....has anybody made it past the first 3 months to find more regularity with no side effects?

I just started my first pill of loestrin24fe and am very scared from some of the comments i read on this site like worse acne, no sex drive, hair loss, weight gain, etc. My gyno put me on this pill because of my endometriosis. But I have hormonal acne and I really don't want it to get worse.

I stopped taking yaz 4 months ago and started taking Loestrin. I was on yaz for 2 years and after so many side effects I stopped taking it. It's been a week now that I've noticed my hair is coming out in my hands when I take a bath. I counted the strainds and it's around 30 to 40. I'm so worried because I love my hair what should I do. I've been on Loestrin for about 4 months.

Has anyone experienced hair loss on this medication? Since I started taking this medication, whenever i shower, instead of just a few hairs falling out like normal, there is at least 50 or more that get tangled in my fingers while shampooing...yes I have counted...not counting the ones that just wash away unseen...Im sure that this medication is the cause of it...Im just curious to see if anyone has had this happen???

so happy to have found this site! I have been taking loestrin 24 since mid July, making it almost five months on this medicine. IT IS HORRIBLE. to say the least. for almost a year and a half I was on NuvaRing, which surprisingly I liked, aside from the almost 20 lb weight gain and virtually no sex drive. Who needs birth control if you don't have a sex drive? So anyway, I switched to loestrin 24 in July. BIG MISTAKE. for the first few weeks of this pill I lost all appetite and hardly ate a thing. In the past few months I have been experiencing incredible anxiety, uncontrollable thoughts, and depression. This pill is messing with my head! It almost cost me and my boyfriend of two years our relationship because of the way it makes me crazy. I experience increased heart rate, especially when I wake up and strange leg cramps. I have always been funny, outgoing, and upbeat about life until this pill. This past weekend I was a social recluse and just felt like being alone. I cry over the littlest things and am so irritable when someone says the slightest things. I have been overly mean to my mom, sister and boyfriend over the simplest things. Something is not right with this pill. I thought I was just losing my mind until I read all these other posts. Thank goodness I'm not alone. I had an appt. with my OBGYN today, told her all my symptoms, and she gave me a trial pack of Femcon FE. I am very wary to start them because I have read it has very similar side effects to Loestrin. Has anyone found a good birth control that actually makes them a happy, normal person?! Jeeze, I am ready to swear off hormonal birth control for good! Please let me know if anyone has any experience with switching from Loestrin to Femcon? I just want to be my old, happy self again!

Wow and I thought i was the only one having issues. I've been on loestrin now 4 months. 1st month regular period, 2nd month had it twice in the same month not heavy very light spotty. Am not accustomed to not having a period my periods consist of heavy 10-14 days flow I would go thru a pack of overnights in about 3-4 days. Now this is month 4 and I was due to have my period 2 days ago and no sign. I've had leg cramps and spasm in my back the last couple of night didn't know where that came from. Mood swings my husband is having trouble with doesn't know if it's post parturm depression or from the pill. Am gonna give it 2 more months if it doesn't regulate itself I think it's not for me. Oh and I had hair loss the first 3 months. It started growing back recently. No migraines thank god. And my sex drive is like a yoyo one moment I want to rip my cloths off the next I don't want my husband anywhere near me??

I get very sick when I get my period, they are long and heavy, and I have digestion problems and intense stomach pains for at least 1-2 weeks before and the week of. These symptoms disappeared for a while when I was on Apri (desogen) but after a few months, they came back, and on top of it, I became severely depressed and had such bad stomach pains, I went to the emergency room (and you pretty much have to drag me to hospitals).

This last period was so bad though that I finally decided to take the sample pack of Loestrin that my doctor gave me a month or two ago. Just a day after I started taking it, my period ended and the pain and bloating was gone. This is day 6 and I'm fine so far. On Ortho Tri-Cyclen (my first pill) I had bad side effects the first few days and gained ten pounds in two weeks.

I'm glad these forums exist, because they helped me realize that all of the depression (including suicidal thoughts), stomach pain, hair loss, etc. etc. were side effects of desogen. All of those things that contributed to the worst summer of my life disappeared as soon as I stopped taking it.

On the other hand, I have to point out that there is no "good" pill or "bad" pill. The side effects will be different for everyone. Some women need more estrogen, some need less. Some need fluctuating amounts of hormones and some need the same dosage all month. Unfortunately the only way to figure out what is right for you is to try them, note your reactions, and research the differences between pills. I realized quickly that I needed a low, stable dose of estrogen, which led me to try Loestrin. Not saying things can't go wrong from here, but now I am aware that if I fall into some depression, anxiety, weight gain, or other weird side effects, it *may* be caused by the pill I'm taking.

Is the pill worth it? Again, answers will vary depending on your lifestyle. Are your periods manageable or do they cause you not to be able to get out of bed in the morning? Are they consistent or are you praying you're no pregnant every month? Are condoms working for you or aren't they, and is the 2% chance of still becoming pregnant worth the risk?

While I've had bad experiences with some pills, I'm just grateful for this BC option in general. Until they figure out how to make birth control pills for men (pshh.. that'll be the day) then it's up to us to research and maek the best decisions for ourselves.

I'm 25, on birth control for the first time and I am just finishing up my first month on Loestrin Fe (I was on Yaz for one month before that). I am a bit concerned that I'm set to start a new pack tomorrow and have not had a period, not even spotting. I haven't really had any of the side effects some are describing of weight gain, chest pain, or hair loss. Maybe a bit more acne than usual, but I had expected that since this is only my second month on The Pill.

However reading your experiences I'm beginning to wonder about the mood swings. I have been EXTREMELY pissed off this month, anxious, and stressed, and in general a horrible person to be around. It's like I'm 15 again going through "that stage." It's awful, and I'm quite embarrassed by my childish behavior though I can't seem to help it. I've attributed it to other factors (which, who knows?) but reading your experiences makes me wonder if this pill isn't contributing. I'm definitely going to pay attention; if this continues for another month I'm going to change to another pill. Ugh.

I'm also wondering if I'm going to get my period back? I began taking birth control to control my normally heavy bleeding and severe cramps. Not to eliminate my period entirely!

HEY..WELL HERE IS MY EXPERIENCE...I STARTED LOESTRIN 24 ALMOST 3 MONTHS AGO..I HAVEN'T GOTTEN ONE PERIOD YET...I SPOTTED THE FIRST WEEK I WAS ON IT, BUT OTHER THEN THAT IT NOTHING. I TOOK 2 PREGO TESTS BOTH SAY NEGATIVE...I AM SO MOODY, MY POOR HUSBAND DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH ME..THE HEADACHES ARE SO UNBEARABLE I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I AM ACTUALLY GOING TO MY DOCTOR ON WEDNESDAY TO BE SWITCHED AND HE ALSO WANTS TO MAKE SURE I AM NOT PREGNANT. NO HAIR LOSS FOR ME OR WEIGHT GAIN YET, BUT I GUESS ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN IF I STAY ON IT, I JUST CAN NOT STAND WONDERING IF I AM PREGNANT EVERY MONTH. I AM SO HAPPY I FOUND THIS SIGHT, I AM GOING TO ASK MY DOCTOR A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT LOESTRIN AND HOW MANY PEOPLE HE HAS HAD COME IN WITH PROBLEMS WITH THIS PILL..DOES ANYONE HAVE SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT PILL TO ACTUALLY SWITCH TO?

I have been on Loestrin 24 for 2 years!! And I am finally getting off... and so happy to find this site! I have had to be put on Topamax because my migraines became so bad, which helped my weight gain (that I attributed to my own depression that I thought was my own fault!) I didn't even realize bc could cause depression but it all makes sense! I came on here to find out if Loestrin has been the cause of my SEVERE HAIR LOSS over the past year and a half! When I started taking it, I was also going through a stressful situation and thought that was the cause, but have now realized that my life is back to normal that something else must be causing it. I tried to get my Dr. to take me off of Loestrin about a year ago due to the EXTREME nausea, dizziness, headaches and fatigue that it was causing and he decided that I should just be put on Topamax because I was just a Migraine sufferer! What a nightmare. I can't wait to switch tomorrow!!

I took loestrin 24 for two months.my doctor recommended it because im low in iron and it's supposed to give you shorter pieriods(haha).In reality I had my pierod two weeks before it was supposed to start and then again on the last week of the month.
I experienced hair loss crying and severe depression,when i no reason to be sad or depressed.I stopped taking loestrin two weeks ago. I feel almost back to normal.
I have never had such bad side effects from a birth control pill.this whole experience has really opened my eyes about taking birth control or any medicine with out really looking into the side effects first.

i am 100 lbs and i have a moderate appetite and cant gain weight im just really petite. I have been on YAZ ,Yasmin, and also Ortho Tri Cyclin lo, i have no sex drive on that so i have to stop it. i have never really gained weight on any of them but Yaz made me moody and have bad periods.. i am switching to Loestrin24 but After reading all these posts im so scared to start this pill! does anyone have similar body type or reactions that could help me out before taking this pill on Sunday?!?

EVER SINCE I'VE BEEN PERSCRIBED LOESTRIN 2 WEEKS AGO, I HAVE BEEN BLEEDING IRREGULARLY, STOMACHE PAINS, BREAST TENDERNESS, BLOADED, HAIR LOSS, ANNOYED, AND ALL I WANNA JUST STOP TAKING THEM BUT I AM AFRAID I WILL MESS UP THE REGULATION OF MY PERIOD. MY FIANCE TOLD ME THIS PILL IS INTRUDING UPON OUR LUV LIFE. HELP!!

I have been on Loestrin fe 24 for 6 months for peri-menopause symptoms. It seems to work better for that than for younger women who are used to higher hormone levels. It sounds like to me, from reading above, that the dose is too low for child bearing women, and you're getting peri-menopausal symtpoms while on this.

My hormones were already low, especially my progesterone being 48, so this medicine gave me huge relief from mood swings, insomnia, mid month periods with terrible cramping and even lifted my libido just a tiny bit. It did not stop the hair loss. I never had complexion problems and never got any with this either.

After I had been on it for 4 or 5 months, I started getting the mid month cramping again, then almost every day, felt like I was having a period. The depression came back, just like it was before I started.. So I don't know WHAT happened. It felt like it did me good for a few months, then suddenly
I felt like I did before taking it and now I have gained 15 pounds!

I dont know if this was because of having to take Rhinocort for 3 months for allergies or what, it seemed to all go bad after that. Now I don't know what to do.

But from everything I have read, it does not seem to be the pill for younger women as it lowers your hormones too much. Peri-menopausal, yes it does have it's benefits because it lifts your hormones a bit and keeps them evened out during the month instead of the roller coaster which happens during peri.

Good luck
TD.