Loestrin 24 Fe and mood swings

i was on loestrin 24 for over a year, my period was great, very light and sometimes i didn't get it at all. at first this made me nervous, but once i got used to it i didn't mind. the big problem was about 6 months in i started having really horrible mood swings. I would have to lock myself in my room because i would spend the whole day crying on and off for no reason. It would happen on the same day every month. I talked to my doctor and she said the pill was to blame. I had the mirena inserted today. Fingers crossed that works out well!

Well i been on loestrin for about 5 months now, Ive tried 4 other contraceptives (that kept giving me nasty yeast infections, headaches and severe nausea! , but this is probably the only one my body tolerates..... as far as symptoms, in the beginning i would have massive migraines and nausea almost everyday it was horrible! but it got a lil better as time past....of coarse mood swings from here to there, and a low sex drive... it suxs my boyfriend thinks "im not into him" anymore, and im telling u its the pills... cuz i didnt have this problem before i got on em. but i guess i choose to be on the pills cuz i dont want any accidents....it helps my acne for the most part.....haven't had any migrans lately hopefully they wont come back.... but my next step will probably be the IUD...hopefully this wont give me no problems =/ if that dont work then i dont no what im gonna do...anything with tooo much estrogen gets me really sick.....

I work for an OBGYN and I was getting samples of Ortho Tri Cyclene Lo, and had been on it for 2 years due to my cysts rupturing. Well Ortho went generic and we no longer carried it in the office and i was recommended to just try Loestrin before going to pay for an RX of my ortho. Well im in my 2nd week, and grant it i KNOW they say wait 3 months before you decide to switch but i CAN NOT take this any longer. Ortho gave me no problems, maybe cramps a few times out of the year, and with those, some heavy periods, which is normal for any pre-menopausal woman. Other than that it was great! No loestrin is almost giving me the same problems as Yaz did... yet Yaz was far worst, i am now experiencing moodiness, manic and depressive mood swings, uneasiness, nervousness, constipation, tiredness, and it really does not help that i am also in full time college while experiencing all of these side effects. I think the 35 dollars a month for ortho may just be well worth the price.

I am at the end of my first packet and due to start the end cycle two days later. And to be honest i am utterly confused. I have been having late periods for the past few months and also suffered from mood swings. I was prescribed this Loestrin 24 mainly for some hormonal dis balance which was presumably causing these problem with menstruation. And now i have had more mood swings than ever, cried without reason felt depressed more often than ever. I have also had spotting at least 3 times over the month but not my regular period till date though it's been well over a month. to make it worse , i have eye pain and headache over the past few days. Sex has been rare this month!! dry vagina and almost no interest in sex , and I am just 28.
wasn't I better off with the small hormonal problem?
-P.

I'm 36 and I've been on Loestrin24 FE for almost two years. I used to have very heavy and painful periods. And thanks to Loestrin my periods are shorter, and very light. My concern now is that this is the third period I miss. There's no way I could be pregnant and my pregnancy test came out negative. I still feel a little anxious that I'm not having my period, and I would blame that to my current emotional state. I called the doctor's office and they said is normal to miss periods with this pill and have no periods at all. In my case I rather keep taking the pill, having painful periods was much worse. I didn't gain weight, I think is actually helping me keep a healthy weight, my mood swings were worse before, and my skin has improved (I used to have dark spots and they cleared after a few months of use) Loestrin has been a life saver for me. I still wish I get my period though.

I began taking this pill in August 2009, to prevent pregnancy. I am nineteen years old. In the first month, my sex drive increased, I had no "breakthrough bleeding" or spotting, no mood swings that I could tell...everything seemed fine. My doctor put me on this pill because I told her I wanted a pill that wouldn't make me go crazy. This is the first bc pill I've ever been on, and hopefully the last. Let me put it this way: before I got on Loestrin 24 Fe, I actually WANTED to have sex. I had a sex drive. I have absolutely NO SEX DRIVE now. Sex is a chore. What's the point of taking a pill that enables you to have sex without the risk of being pregnant, if you completely lose interest in having sex anyway? I'm extremely frustrated. Over the past two months (I'm now on my fourth pack) I have been extremely fatigued, depressed, and especially anxious. I also have a blistering headache 90% of the time, I kid you not. Additionally, my blood pressure has gone way down, which makes no sense, as I am a very active and healthy person. This pill is literally deteriorating my mental and physical health. I refuse to put these pills, or any bc pills, in my body any more. I would much rather deal with the terrible cramps and heavy periods that I had before. And I still experienced bad cramps while on the pill anyway. I'm sticking with condoms.

okay so i have been on Loestrin 24 fe since July and since i've started it i have not had a period, just light spotting. And in October i didn't even have any spotting. My acne is worse as it's ever been since taking this pill, i have mood swings, i've noticed that i find myself feeling depressed sometimes. And worst of all about two weeks ago while i was doing a routine breast exam on myself i noticed a lump. Since i've noticed it, the lump has gotten bigger, it's tender to the touch, and my boob has gotten bigger, but just the one. And i've never had any problems with lumps, or anything else. When i went to the gyno in july she gave me a breast exam and said everything was fine, this was the day she prescribed me loestrin 24fe. I also experience headaches, i feel sick to my stomach a lot, and i find myself blacking out. I'm not going to take this birth control anymore.

making the appointment for my lump tomorrow hopefully everything goes good.

I'm experiencing the same side effects. Within 10 days, my libido dropped and my weight increased practically by itself. It's a good thing I'm scheduled for a tubal ligation so I don't have to deal with hormone issues ever again. No wonder it's called birth control - if you gain weight, have mood swings, a lowered libido and other issues you don't exactly feel like having a lot of sex!

OMG i don't like this pill. Im 28 was given this pill cuz i spotted a lot on Ortho-Tri-Cyclen Lo for years. well this pill loestrin24 fe scares the daylights outta me. I just started to take it last month and i haven't gotten my period when i was supposed to! i freaked out took a HPT came out negative. Im still scared and think i am hearing some people have this im a lil ok. I didn't start my new pack cuz im waiting my period to come. I don't know how people can be ok on this pill when u don't get your monthly period. plus i started to break out with ance on my back ugh.i also get stomach pains, frequent urination, spotting, and mood swings. Basically i rather spot on my old pill then deal with this crazy pill

I am 20 years old.

I was put on Loestrin when I was 17 to prevent pregnancy. I had very light periods that lasted a day maybe every month. Until I completely stopped having a period altogether for about 8 months while being on it. I enjoyed it, but started to get a little concerned so I went to my gyno and they gave me a pregnancy test (standard procedure) which was negative (I knew my body and knew I wasn't pregnant and it was just the pill that made me not have a period but still wanted to check).

I was 18 at the time and they switched me to Yasmin. I started having a normal period again. But I had awful side effects with Yasmin..HORRIBLE depression and mood swings....soooo bad that I went back to the gyno and switched to Yaz...I don't remember much about Yaz but I didn't take it very long because I wanted to be back on Loestrin again.

My script ran out when I was 19, and I never went back to get another script...to give my body a break from BC.

I just turned 20 and recently went to the gyno and asked to be put back on Loestrin again. I have been on it for three weeks so far. I've have some mood swings and slight depression. I also have had some very light spotting, nausea/heartburn/acid reflux this time around....which i don't recall having when i was on it before... but i'm sure my body is just getting re-adjusted and I plan on waiting it out, considering I had a positive experience with it before (minus the nonexistent periods..which wasn't even a problem to me)

I also had mild acne before BC, but when I take Loestrin it completely clears up (Which is a huuuuuuge plus for me..obviously.) When I wasn't taking BC for a year, my acne came back! It was awful! (to me at least) Big difference! But it has once again diminished once I started taking Loestrin again.

I have tried Loestrin, Yasmin, and Yaz..and will swear by Loestrin over the other two....especially Yasmin (that was awful). For those of you who have only tried one brand of BC and hated it.. i suggest you switch to another one before completely saying goodbye to BC pills forever. Thankfully I did switch and try other brands..because I now know that Loestrin is right for me. But everyone is different. Good luck :)

Hi.. I am 31 and i have been on this pill for 3 months now. I did not know until now that these pills are developed for low periodic cycle. My main concern was the mood swings my previous pill was causing. May be i am the odd one out but i have had no side effects of this pill and that is the reason i have joined the 24$ program too. My previous birth control pills had me getting angry and upset without any reason and crazy headaches. But they have sincerely stopped since my doctor gave me free samples of this pill. Maybe its just that the pill affects different people in different way. So far my experience with this pill has been great.. i don't have my mood swings anymore and my periods are for 3 days only.

i've been on it or ONE WEEK as of yesterday.
ever since day two i've felt terrible. moody and cry all the time for no reason. my boyfriend keeps asking me what's wrong, and so do all my friends and that just makes me feel even worse for not feeling like anythings wrong, but making it appear like there is. after reading all these post about how terrible it is and how the mood swings don't go away but get worse, i'm quitting. i just wanted to post this to say THANK YOU to everyone who posted here prior to me!! im glad im quitting before it gets worse.

I am sooo glad i read everyone's comments on this horrible BC pill!
I hate it! I have gained over 15 lbs and look so completely different, my face, my body, my stomach. None of my clothes from last summer fit me this summer. I was a size 4 and now a 6 is pushing it. I look so fat and was retaining so much water, I took an EPT test because I thought I was pregnant. Anyway - I have been off it for some months now and I'm just wondering when and if all this FAT will go away. I feel so ugly and uncomfortable and this pill was nothing but a nightmare. Mood swings...forget about it! Scary b**h was me. And now I don't even get normal periods anymore. It was such a HORRIBLE experience I don't think I will EVER take a BC pill again...its not worth it! Im 40 yrs old and don't need the extra weight, drama and all the rest of this crap pill. It sucks!

I have been on Loestrin 24 for almost 3 years now and have virtually no side effects. Slight weight gain did occur however I also attribute that to starting college around the same time. My periods were slightly irregular during the beginning but have evened out substantially and now last a maximum of 3 days. Also any mood swings I encountered may have been due to the Loestrin but again I was under abnormal stress because of beginning college

I am 20 years old and get my birth control through my university health center (it's only 15 bucks a month). Im not having sex now and have not in QUITE some time as my boyfriend and I broke up almost a year ago. I have been on birth control for three years now and NEVER had any problems. Since i get my meds through the school they give me what they can get in. I had been prescribed solia when i first started taking it and it was perfect. I had shorter periods, NO cramping, barely any weight gain if any at all and it even helped with mood swings during my period. This past month, the center got in Loestrin 24 and that's what they gave me. I am VERY pissed about it. I started taking it and within days could tell a difference. I would cry for no reason and the slightest things upset me. I was cramping all the time. I missed my birth control ONE day and made up for it the next day, BUT i also got my period. That was two weeks ago. I have not missed another pill and i STILL have my period! I am cramping irritable and just a downright bitch, and that is NOWHERE near my normal self. Im the type of person to let most things roll of my back in time and just go with the flow. Im glad I got on here and found out im not the only one having problems.

I'm 21 years old, this is my 3rd brand of birth control pills. I've never had a problem with the pills I've had in the past, but I've moved frequently and my insurance changed. So my different doctors prescribed different pills. I started taking Loestrin 24 Fe two Sundays ago and since have had constant nausea and occasional vomiting. I've not only had mood swings but also extreme depression. I am usually a very upbeat and "happy-go-lucky" person but lately and very randomly do I find myself with thoughts of worthlessness and unprovoked guilt. I attend college and have even missed a couple of classes because I didn't feel worthy of going. I usually have clear skin with occasional small breakouts before I menstruate but currently found my face to be broken out all along my chin area and am not due for another period for another couple of weeks. My reasons for taking birth control have changed and I believe I am going to discontinue my use and notify my doctor.

Wow. I am not even close to being done reading everyone's comments on Loestrin, and I am already EXTREMELY P.O'ed and at the same time relieved, at the fact that I found this page. I am 18 years old, and I started on Tri-Cyclin Lo when I was 15. I loved it, and never had any problems with it what-so-ever. It even helped with my acne problems. But a few months ago, my insurance decided to stop covering birth control, so my OBGYN decided to put me on Loestrin 24 Fe, because with the card you only have to pay 24 tops a month. But anyway, I now realize that all of the hell that has been happening in the past 3-4 months is due to Loestrin Fe. And after reading all of your comments I am POSITIVE! My Boyfriend and me have been fighting all of the time, and I have just been getting upset for no reason. I thought that it was because things between my boyfriend and me just aren't the same, and that maybe we are just growing apart.. but after reading all of your comments, and taking some time to think about it... IT HAS TO BE THE B.C! Before I started this pill we got along all the time... And also, my sex drive has plummeted so fast and drastically, to the point where my sex drive is NON EXISTENT. It has been hurting our relationship on top of my mood swings, because our sex life is also NONEXISTENT.. and we live together! I used to want to have sex all of the time.. and I haven't honestly wanted to have sex (not even once!) for the past few months...since I started Loestrin!!! Additionally, my face has been breaking out before periods excruciatingly bad. It has seriously hurt my self esteem. I have always had some issues with acne, but it has gotten ridiculous. I even bought an expensive acne kit that is supposed to be number one in the country, and it still keeps getting worse! .. And lastly I have been putting on a lot of weight, even though I have been eating the same.. also hurting my self esteem. Today, my bf and I finally came to the conclusion that "hmmm.. it most definitely might be the birth control." ..so I decided to come online and check out the side effects. AND BOOM! I see tons and tons and tons of comments from Women of all ages with the same, horrifying side effects. I am going to stop this birth control immediately. If my insurance won't cover anything else, and I can't afford any others, I will just deal with my cramps and longer periods. I never thought I would say this in a million years, but I would RATHER deal with the horrible cramps and long periods, than have to deal with the bull s*** that Loestrin has put me through. If anyone has anymore insight, message me or reply! Thanks.

I am on my first pack of Loestrin 24 Fe. So far I am already having mood swings, some depression, crying for no apparent reason, and spotting. No headaches so far. But I have been on other BC's before and this is not the only one with side effects. Yasmin was the first BC I was on and it did the same thing to me for the first few months. Once my body got used to it, all of my symptoms went away. I am hoping the same will happen with Loestrin. But the important thing to remember is that everyone's body is different and if the BC your on isn't working for you, then talk to your doctor about trying something else. There is no one perfect answer for everyone. I have read many of these message boards about different BC's and this one is the same as the rest. Some do well on it and some don't. Talk to your doctor.

I am 18 years old and this is my first experience with BC. Loestrin FE 24 has ruined my entire view of BC. I have suffered many side effects of this pill, I am currently on my third pack of Loestrin. The side effect I have experienced are:
1. Moodiness/ Depression: I experienced this side effect during the first pack of Loestrin. Extreme depression was prominent at the beginning, I would randomly cry and I constantly down. Let alone my mood swings. My boyfriend would agree that I could be up and down within min.
2. Headaches: I have had horrible headaches daily with Loestrin. I started with my third pack of the pills. The headaches are terrible, it seems like I can only numb them with ibprofen but I can never fully get rid of it.
3. Spotting: How annoying is spotting? This side effect also started with my third pack of pills. I shouldn't even see any sort of menstruation for at least another 5-6 days. But yet here I am.
4. Massive acne before menstruation: I have always had really clear skin. Let it be before, during or after my period. But with Loestrin I am constantly breaking out. ESPECIALLY before my period.
5. Bloating/Constipation: I constantly feel bloated and feel like I am always constipated. I don't know what to do besides switch pills. I can't take it any longer.
P.S. This pill makes you feel that you are always pregnant. I see the signs but they are identical to the symptoms of the pill. So beware. I highly recommend NOT taking Loestrin FE 24

Wow, after reading everyone else's side effects, I feel a little bit more normal. I just started the pack last Sunday, and the past couple of days I have been very emotional, angry, and crying for no reason. Also, my boobs are so swollen and sore! It's incredibly painful. I couldn't sleep last night, but I don't know if this is due to the pill or not. The doctor just put my on it to regulate my period, do you guys have any suggestions for different birth control that won't destroy my body?!?!

I am 21 and have been on birth control since I was 10 to help keep my periods regular. I have to say that this is one is not so great, it's horrible. This is my fourth pack of this pills, at first I thought the emotional out burst and mood swings would go away. I thought wrong they got worse and I have even more. I have taken two pregnancy tests because I feel as if I am pregnant but nope just the pills. My breasts are sore, I am almost always sick to my stomach, head aches, my period is still irregular and they said it would get better, i am producing extra vaginal fluid, my boyfriend constantly asks "why do you seem weird" "what's wrong" well I feel weird I am an emotional mess. Now that I see a lot of other ladies out there have the same issues I do I can tell my boyfriend what is wrong are these pills they suck. This is one med. that is chalk full of side effects. And to be honest I didn't get on birth control to question if I am pregnant or not or to go and blow money on tests that aren't cheap. That's and good luck to every one

I have been on Loestrin for 1 year and 4 months. This is my last month because I am changing to Ortho-TriCyclen. At first, I thought my symptoms were common: nausea, headaches, cramping, spotting. After the first 3 months, nothing changed. I began to notice that I was having 2 periods a month and that continued till this month where I am waiting on my period to start (I am 2 days late). After reading this blog, I noticed that I was experiencing other side effects and I didn't associate it with the pill. I have gained 15 pounds over the year, hungry all the time. Moody doesn't begin to describe it. I have thoughts every period of divorcing my husband, I'm miserable. I just figured I was going through a low point. My husband has noticed that I am not the same person he married. I was once very outgoing and energetic but now I just want to sleep and be alone. I hope that my slight depression is due to the pill and that changing it will help be bounce back.

I am 27 and I started birth control at age 21. I always had an irregular period with terrible cramping. I also had a very high sex drive.

The first pill I tried was Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo and I stopped taking it after 2 months because I felt depressed and I totally lost my sex drive. I always had perfectly clear skin and about a week after I discontinued this pill I broke out on my face and my back. I had a rash on my forehead. I also noticed a few dark hairs on my chin.

The next birth control I tried was the NuvaRing. This also made me depressed and moody.

I have now been on Loestrin 24 Fe for more than 2 years and this is the one that has worked best for me. The first few months I had my period and spotting. The first year on Loestrin I got my period once every 3 months and the period maybe lasted a couple of days and was very light. I must have taken more than 5 pregnancy tests. I asked my doctor about it and he told me that there was nothing to worry about not having periods. The second year my periods got even further apart. I went 5 months without a period then almost a whole month having a period (very light and a lot of cramping).

Besides having my period coming and going as it pleases, I feel great. My sex drive is still alive and I haven't experienced any mood swings. I do still break out on my face, usually around the end of my pack. I have not had a problem with breaking out on my back with this pill. I have gained a little weight, but after I hit 25 my metabolism really slowed down, so I cannot completely blame weight gain on the pills. I believe you have to work twice as hard to maintain a healthy weight when you get older.

With that said, I wish everyone the best on their BC journey!

so i was on loestrin 24 fe for about about 2 years i wanna say.. and i just got off of them about 45 days ago due to my mood swings and ive been on birth control pills since i was 13 and am now 18. My boyfriend immediately noticed a difference in my mood. Im WAY happier now! But now the bad part I FINALLY got my period after 42 days.. and boy has this been a crappy period so far.. ive had to pee about a million times! and my period is sooo heavy ive never had one this heavy and im also getting acne on my back which i never had before.. and headaches! oh and i feel like i have absolutely no appetite and am soo bloated! has anyone else experienced this??

I came on here to see if anyone else was gaining weight as quickly as i did. i see way more side effects that i wasn't associating with loestrin 24.
ive been on the pill for 3 weeks and have gained 17lbs !!!!! This def makes anyone suicide lol ! Been working out twice a day and trying to fight the hunger with healthy foods... it just doesn't go away !! I have to get off this pill. My feet are swollen my face and body are huge, i thought i was pregnant. Back Aches, def attitude and mood swings. Wow is there a bc with Good, weight losss side effects !!!

I'm 23 and just started Loestrin 24. I noticed the negative side effects immediately- nausea, cramping, constant headache, breakthrough bleeding, and severe depression. In general, I feel sick and unwell; ironically, I feel like I'm in the first trimester of a pregnancy. My doctor told me it may take a few cycles for me to adjust to this pill but I don't think I want to commit to a pill that causes this many adverse health problems. I think a baby would be less hassle!

I am on day 5 of Loestrin 24, I do not read the "pamplets" that come with medicine simply because if I read it I will get it, power of suggestion is what my doc calls it. My boyfriend noticed almost immediately my mood swings, I thought I had the flu, I cry all the time and last night, after 4 days of no sleep I planned out my own suicide in my mind, even what I would write in the letter to my parents and my new niece. I layed beside my boyfriend and convinced myself he was cheating on me, he was seeing someone else and I got up, woke him up and started throwing his clothes in the backyard. I have full blown anxiety attacks and cry all the time. I am sick on my stomach but starving at the same time, my head is splitting wide open and I am waiting on a call rom my doctor right now. I called in to work "crazy" today, thank God my boss is very understanding and I will never take this pill again in my life. This is scary and as I sit here now I'm still not sure how long this feeling will last

Well, I am on my 2nd pack of this pill for the second time in my life. I started taking this pill about a year and a half ago and it was WONDERFUL. I was having the 2 days (sometimes less) periods which was great since my usual periods are about 14 days (yes you heard right) long and I have terrible cysts. I had mood swings and I was very lethargic and I had pregnancy type cravings for the first 2-3 months but after that, things were easy as pie :)
This 2nd time around I am not too pleased. While I am not having many really bad side effects (most of the same I had the first time)... I am having multiple periods! WHAT!!!! I am having at least 2 periods in a 30 day span. I didn't have this happen the first time around but it is getting a little ridiculous now. If the 14 day once a month periods weren't bad enough, I am now having 2 5-7 day periods which are more annoying than the long one-monther. Has anybody else had this problem? I liked the DRAW to this pill's claim to only have a 1-3 day period, but I am not having this luck this time around. HELP. Am I the only one??

I'm 20. This is my first time on bc. I've been on this pill for a month now and my fiance pointed out a lot of changes in me. The ones i have noticed is my sex drive is completely gone! Which worried me deeply since i started to think that i was falling out of love with my fiance. I feel depressed for no reason. Breast tenderness; sore to the touch! And Nausea, to the point where i lose my appetite. My fiance has noticed: Massive mood swings. (i get angry or cry on the spot for no reason), Depression, and headaches.

I haven't gotten that break through bleeding everyone talks about. And my acne and weight is fine. I'm just not sure if my body is reacting this way because this is my first time on bc, or because of the pill itself. All I know is that i am miserable.

Last Night was my 8th day on the Loestrin, and this morning I put 2 and 2 together. I am 21 years old, I don't drink or smoke and have been on BC for the past 3 or so years. My first BC was Ortho and never had any problems with it at all it actually helped with my periods. Since I lost my insurance coverage from my parents, I told my doctor that I would like to continue BC usage at my last annual 2 weeks ago since it was 3 months of no BC and there was no period until that week, which I must say I have had cysts in the past and this was the worst painful period so far. He told me to go on Loestrin since It's the cheapest effective BC so I decided that was fine as long as effective was above the price! which he assured me. Well since I have taken Loestrin I have not had a decent night sleep! I lay there for hours and it will be 3-5am and then I will fall asleep with waking up every so often after that constantly until the alarm goes off. The lack of sleep, fatigue from, and I have noticed some extreme dips into depression with mood swings. I am afraid to continue based on just the lack of sleep. I don't need any other negative symptoms and I cant handle this much more longer. after the second night I told myself to take some sleeping pills because I cannot get into a bad habit and they did nothing! I did always take Ortho at night (no problems) SO I will try a week of taking them of a morning to see if there are any differences before I call it quits on this one, but if I don't see better sleep/or see different symptoms I wont like then this one is just not for me.

I have been on this pill for 1 and a half months now. Shortly after I started taking the pill, I started my period! I'm not talking spotting, I'm talking full-blown period--severe cramping, cravings, mood swings, and all. The whole month (last month) I was on my period. Again, I WAS ON MY PERIOD FOR A WHOLE MONTH! I just got off of my period after I stopped taking the first month's placebo pills. Normally, when I'm not taking any birth control at all, I have VERY regular periods. The extreme side effects of the first month were incredibly shocking to me. I'm still having crazy mood swings; I really hope this gets better with time.

I have been on Loestrin for almost 2 weeks now. i am 23 and have two young children. This is the first bcp I've tried and so far it's been terrible!! I had a 10 day full blown period that just stopped yesterday with intense cramps. Today I'm feeling like I have the flu woth severe body aches/weakness and I am so light-headed that every time I stand up I almost black out. I have also had severe nausea, headaches, depression, thoughts of suicide, mood swings, insomnia and anxiety. I don't know if I'm going to be able to stick this out to see if it gets better.. I can hardly take care of my children! I'm starting to wonder if maybe I'm having some sort of allergic reaction. I'd think at this point I'd rather have my extremely painful 2 week periods back!!!

I'm no stranger to BCPs but Loestrin 24 has me quasi-suicidal. Yes, I've actually had thoughts of jumping out the window - I would never do it, but it scared the bejeebus out of me to actually have those thoughts.
I have two young kids and just went back on BCP's after finishing breast feeding my youngest. I have extremely heavy and awful periods so I was looking for a way to manage that. In the past I'd had only good experiences w/ BCPs so I didn't think twice about going back on them.
It's been three months since I started Loestrin and I've suffered from extreme fatigue, crazy mood swings, mental fogginess, forgetfulness, spotting (the least of my concerns), double vision, dry eyes, nausea, insomnia, no sex-drive, menstrual migraines that last up to 72 hours and lots of other fun stuff. Someone below mentioned they thought they had a brain tumor and I chuckled because I was pretty sure I had one too!
I forgot one measly pill this month and boy, did I pay for it.
Loestrin leaves me barely capable to take care of my children because of my fatigue and mental fogginess (it's the only way I can describe what my brain feels like on this drug) PLUS they have to deal w/ a very curt, impatient, unhappy and mean mommy - something I'm normally most definitely not!
When merging on the highway I ALWAYS do shoulder checks to make sure no one is in the way, but the other day I almost got in a wreck because even though I checked, I didn't see a car coming up behind me! I know this was because of my vision changes thanks to Loestrin.
I called my ob today for a new script. She gave me some generic. I hope to Zeus it's better than this stuff.
I think I'm more annoyed because I was never sensitive to meds before. I don't know if it's age (36), having had kids or what, but my body definitely doesn't handle the same as it used to. : (

I believe that the biggest key to success with loestrin 24 is to wait it out! you have to give it at the very least 3 months to get in your system and really regulate and for your body to adjust!! i say this only because i have been on it going on 9 months and i love it! the first 6 weeks were horrible! headaches, spotting, back aches, chest pains, swollen feet, acid reflex, my face broke out, dry skin, i even found more hair in the shower than normal for about the first 3 weeks, but you name it, and its a proven side effect, i had it! i have a fever for about 11 days of between 101-103!!! but my obygn just kept telling me this was the pill for me and i though the had lost his ****** mind!! but i did stick it out! all the side effects started to disappear around the beginning of the 3rd month. and so did all the spotting and my period completely!! wow! im 21 and no mood swings, no average side effects of a periods, nothing.. nadda!! its amazing! this is the only bcp i have been on! and i wouldn't change it for anything! but let me remind you, im not on the pill to prevent me from getting pregnant, i have endometriosis!! this is extremely common in white females!! my obgyn said i developed it between the age of 11-14 ( i started my periods when i was 10! and it went totally undetected for 11years! now, my mom always thought i was just a totally baby! but the pain and the blood clots i would pass when i was that young was so scary. but i never went to a obgyn til i was 20 and i had insurance, lived on my own and could afford to go. so now im so happy on the pill! there were times when i was younger that i would give anything to be punched in the lower back cause the pain was so bad! i couldn't stand, i would be walking and just fall to my knees cause the cramps would just take over. this happened at school a lot, but the day it happened at work i knew i had to do something! so they did a few months of blood test, 6 peps smears in about 2 months.. and a few other test and determined it had to be endometriosis!!! if you ever feel like your insides are tearing appart.. you need to ask your obgyn about testing you for endometriosis!!! *google it!!** anyways, back to the bcp, after the fifth month i was happy again, no pain, no more side effects, no moody-ness or random out breaks of tears!!! its amazing. i dating this one guy! and not having a cycle is sooooo wonderful. he loves that i don't have a cycle!! which means no "time of the month" crap to deal with!!! lol!!! i cant tell you how much i love being on this pill. OHHH i almost forget! you can now get your script with or with out insurance for just 24$ a month!!! no matter what! just to buy the pills like like 80 a month, with full coverage insurance ( which i have ) its still 60 a month. well i found this website and i called, answered a few questions and now i get it for just 24 a month!!! ask your obgyn for the info!!! amazing!!

I've been taking Loestrin 24 Fe for about 6 or 7 months. My period was very irregular before i started the pill. At first the pill made my period more regular.. but then I skipped a month, and it came late. And now, I got my period 2 weeks ago and have it again. I've been sexually active with the same person for the past 2 years. Is this normal?????

I've also experienced slight mood swings. My boyfriend has noticed a difference.. I seem to be more negative about things at times, but then other times I'm extremely happy and peppy. I don't know if it's from the pill or just stress..

I've been on loestrin 24 Fe for a week and a half now. From the start of it i've felt VERY bloated. Also whenever I eat I get heartburn afterwards... I'm not sure if that is a symptom or not, but that has never happened to me before I started taking the pill so I'm guessing it's connected. I haven't really experienced any cramping or mood swings yet, but I guess it's still early.

Will I am 28 yrs old and was prescribed loestrin 24fe two months ago. I'm on my second pack as as we speak things are not good. Previously, I took orthotricyclen low for a few years with no problems. About a year ago I changed doctors and was them prescribed femcon; only took that for 2 months so. My doctor now decided to prescribe me loestrin 24 and every experience has been horrible. I've read the post as well as spoken with several friends that was taking the bcp but stopped because of the mood swings and spotting in between periods. During the first month I experience severe mood swings and was spotting after the second week of the pills; this has never happened with any other bcp in the past. My cycle actually lasted more than 3 days and was still on when I started the second pack. I'm currently on the second row and started spotting and clotting 3 days ago. I'm also experiencing bad cramping. I'm trying to wait it out and see if the third month would be better but I might just have to stop. My next visit with my doctor is in October and I'm going to ask for something else.

I've been on Loestrin 24Fe for two months now and I DO LIKE it. I was taking Nuvaring before and in no way did I like it...I have had nausea and have a lot of cravings (lots of pregnant like symptoms, Im 100% sure Im not pregnant). I really like that I have no mood swings, I totally did with Nuvaring, I would snap out of nowhere. My sex drive is amazing! I'm really happy about that. I do get fatigue but I can keep clear headed and if I want to do something Ill do it. I do get heartburn, really bad heartburn but I do eat a lot of chili and hot/salsa food but it goes away with Tums. Oh has anyone been peeing A LOT?? I pee so much constantly and I checked for an infection and didn't have one so the pill might be causing it...also my sister is taking this pill and I asked how she liked it...she said that for the first two months she had mood swings but that after the third month it all went away and she said she liked it...(so she had mood swings for the first two months and I didn't) I seriously do not recommend NuvaRing at all...but so far I would recommend Loestrin 24Fe.

I would NOT recommend this pill to anyone. I was on Ortho for 15 yrs with no problems. I have been on Loestrin for a few weeks. I am typically very happy and upbeat, however since taking Loestrin I have had major mood swings and zero energy. I feel tired all of the time and I have headaches. I am going to stop taking this pill immediately.

I have been on Loestrin for about a month and a half...my side effects have been everything under the sun....like, to the point that i thought I was pregnant..Getting Nauseous after eating..food doesn't sound good at ALL..don't want alcohol or cigarettes (which im very thankful for..the only good side effect )...my chest is CONSTANTLY sore..to the touch..I have cramps and no bleeding..back aches and head aches...and about half the time i have terrible mood swings..i definitely would not recommend this pill to anyone!!!!

-T.

I have been on Loestrin 24 for about 3 weeks. I have experienced extreme mood swings. I am usually a very happy person and lately everything has been driving me crazy!! I have been spotting for the entire 3 weeks. I feel dizzy and lightheaded at times. My acne has increased. I have NO energy and NO sexual desire. I'm not sure to try to stick it out for another couple of months or try a new one. However, I have to be on some kind of birth control to help my endometriosis. Anybody else have these issues?

Loestrin 24 by the third month gave me..

EXTREME nightmares and waking up in the middle of the night feeling like i'm somewhere else, acne so bad proactiv isn't helping, bloating, EXTREME irregular bleeding, and mood swings

I'm 22 & have been on Loestrin24 for 3 weeks. I have bled for 2 weeks straight, which is the most irritating side effect. I also have shortness of breath, lack of energy, slight mood swings, & ZERO sex drive. I had been off birth control for almost 3 years, so I thought I was starting my period early because my body was reacting to the change. Now, reading that this could last up to 3 months before I "level out", I'm stopping this pill asap! I don't recommend it at all.

My girlfriend and I have been dating for over 3 tears. She just switched her birth control 3 weeks ago to this from Ortho (no problems at all with Ortho, just got to expensive). Ever since then she has been very irritable and upset. One day she was fine and then the next the smallest things set her off. I was wondering how long these symptoms are going to last and if her body will finally regulate it. Should she switch again?

Thanks.

I'm almost 16 years old. I'm almost done with my 3rd pack. With the first two packs I had my period off and on the whole time. My mood swings were crazy. I'm just happy I warned my boyfriend before taking the pill what my moods might be like.

When I started my third pack everything got normal. My breasts have got bigger, witch i'm not upset about. But they get very sensitive towards the end of my pack.

Sex after taking the pill is very different. I know I'm young. But my mother put my on Loestrin after my 4th time, maybe. I've only been with one boy, so its hard to compare before and after. But how I feel about having sex is different.

I plan on staying with Loestrin. Other than the mood swings, I have no problems.

I'm 21 and have been on Loestrin 24 for about 4 months now. I have been pretty lucky as far as my periods are concerned. I get my period the second day of the brown pill around 10 AM and it lasts for two or three days (very light bleeding). I haven't had any cramping (which was one of my main focuses for finding a pill) and I haven't had any really horrible mood swings like I had when I was on Microgestin (my boyfriend is pretty happy about that!). But my main concern on checking these boards is that in the past one or two months I've gained ten pounds! I haven't changed my diet in any way, I've been eating like I normally do. Ive even actually tried to start eating better, and using weight watchers to count my points but I haven't seen any weight loss whatsoever. I've also been having really bad headaches almost every day, but this may be because I need to have my eyes checked. I love the pill, except for this stupid weight, and I'm scared that I'll keep gaining :/ Anyone else have any weight gain from this pill?

I'm currently on my 3rd week with Loestrin 24 Fe and I'm experiencing many of the same symptoms that I have read most people feel. I'm constantly nauseated...usually after I eat, but I have an increased appetite which makes it worse! I never got acne before taking these pills, and now my face is breaking out! The worst thing about these pills is that I have the worst mood swings. I never used to be moody or angry. but one minute I'll be happy as a clam and then the next minute I hate the world! And today I started spotting, and I'm not suppose to start my period for another week! Not to mention, I've had terrible cramping. And I thought birth control was suppose to cure cramping! Like everyone else also, I have a decreased sex drive. Unfortunately I'm a very impatient person and I'm not willing to wait it out for the next few months. I'm getting off of these pills immediately. I would not recommend these to anyone!

hello ladies, i'd like to start off by thanking you all for your posts, i read before i started my first pack of loestrin 24 fe so i could see what i might be expecting with starting the pill. i went to the gyno for the first time back in june, i went due to other health problems. for my whole sophomore year i was sick, all of the time, i'm 16 years old, and school is a very important part of my life right now, but with being sick all the time, i was absent a lot. i was absent on each period, as well. my doctor knew something was up so he ordered a blood test, the test came back and my hemoglobin was very low, he had me take 2 iron pills a day for a month then sent me back for another blood test, after the second blood test my hemoglobin was back up, but my iron was still very low. he asked me questions about my menstrual cycle and i answered, they've always been very bad, really heavy bleeding and clotting for the 5-8 days i was on it, very bad cramping as well, and i was very tired, and dragged out while i was on my period, always ended up getting sick while i was on it as well, so he came to the conclusion that i was anemic because of my menstrual cycles, so he sent me to the gyno. mind you, this was my first time being there and i was terrified! haha, she gave me a pap & pelvic exam, then an ultra sound on my ovaries and uterus to make sure everything was normal before putting me on the pills, she put me on them because of the iron that they have in them and to slow my periods down. i'm starting my third week on my first pack of the pills tomorrow, and i for the last 2 weeks i've been very very irritable, the smallest things make me very angry at any time. and have had some crazy mood swings, one minute i'm laughing and happy, then the next i'm crying because i dropped something. i get bad headaches, and i always feel like i'm going to vomit. i don't have much of an appetite, and when i do try to eat, or after i eat i feel like i'm going to vomit. i've also had some cramping and a couple days of spotting, i've had some hot flashes as well, and my sex drive has slightly increased. i feel awkward saying that, haha. but, i'm not taking them for sexual reasons, just health reasons. and i hope that the pills end up working out for me and those health issues. & i hope they work out for all of you, too. :)

I am 18 years old and have been on Loestrin 24 Fe since July 1st. This is my first time on birth control. For the first week of taking it I was on my period and it lasted almost 7 days with 3 more days of spotting after. I have not noticed any of the horrible side effects that i have read here. But recently for the past 3 days I have been extremely irritable. I have crazy mood swings in a matter of seconds. I could be having a great happy day and suddenly I'm on a rampage or I feel like crying. I sometimes have weird vivid dreams but thats normal for me. I am normally a carefree happy person. My boyfriend has experienced most of my mood swings. He's just as concerned as I am. I feel really bad for f***ing out on him and everyone else. I hope this doesn't last long.

Seems like we're all in the same boat. I'm 43 and the Loestrin makes me breakout horribly, I scar very easily so now I get to deal with that. It happens in the first week of every month so I tried over the counter acne products, it helps keep it ay bay but the scars from it are just bad, now more money to spend to fix that. Mood swings?! Look out, I can't be around anything or anyone, I live in a neighborhood with a lot of kids and barking dogs and just want to duct tape their mouths shut, that's how aggravated I get, which starts at the mid to end of week 2 of the pills. My periods are pretty much non-existent but I've always had light periods so that doesn't bother me at all, yeah the loss of sex drive is bad too, plus being all bloated and huge now-AAHH!!!
I gained weight, could eat a house and not be satisfied, depression, etc. I'm trying Alesse, or the generic of that next, whatever is covered by the insurance, I told my doc I can't take it anymore, the loestrin she could give me a lot of sample packs for because my insurance won't cover that specific brand and $60 a month for them being unemployed now is really out of the question. I can only hope for the best on the Alesse.
Only advice I can give to anyone with the depression factor, try to work out, go for a long walk, it really helps too.
Good luck everyone and hang in there!!!