Loestrin 24 Fe and periods

I started taking Loestrin24 Fe in July...At this point I'm on my 4th package....The first 2 months, I missed my periods (even though I had some bleeding but not when I was taking the placebo pills). I would usually get some bleeding on the 2nd of week of active pills. My third month was normal, I was so happy. Unfortunately, now I am on my 4th pack and 15th day onto it, I have some really heavy bleeding with terrible cramps (cannot deal without taking pain killers). Today is my 3rd day of bleeding and really bad cramps which makes me really scared.....Don't know what to do...Any suggestions???

I'm 43 years old and had a baby 5 months ago. I decided to go back on the pill and have been doing a lot of research about the "right" pill. My gyno recommended Loestrin 24 FE because of the low hormones/less effects. I was scared to death to start this pill based on all of the horrible reviews I've been reading. So, I thought I'd report on my experience so far... It's been two weeks and so far so good. I haven't noticed anything dramatic so far. I will give it more time and see how it goes. Hopefully it continues working well. I have a feeling this pill is better for women in their 40's who are peri-menopausal. Maybe the estrogen is too low for the younger women, I don't know. I'll continue to post comments as I stay on the pill. I value these reviews, but remember, everyone's body is different. So far this is working for me but again, it's only 2 weeks. Hope you find thi helpful.

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 am 26 years old and finishing on my 2nd week of my 3rd pack of Loestrin. Reading these post is the only thing that makes me feel better. I switched to Loestrin from Yasmin because it made my blood pressure sky rocket. Before Yasmin I have never had high blood pressure. I am extremely active. I am a runner and have been for several years. I haven't had too bad side effects with Loestrin prior to this month. I have noticed a bit of moodiness but I knew that would occur when switching BC's. I am also a little less energetic. My daily runs are getting a little harder than they used to be. This week (3rd month 2nd week) I woke up with EXTREMELY tender breast and radiating back pain. My breasts have started to go back to normal sensitivity wise but are a little larger than they where. My lower back still hurts. Looking back I remember that the past 2 months I have had lower back pain prior to my period but never the tender breast. My skin did break out a little the 1st month but that is normal with every BC I have tried. Another negative that I have experienced is the anxiety and chest pain. I have constant anxiety that I am pregnant but thankfully its always wrong. I take adderall everyday and have been for the past 8 years so I thought that may be what was causing the anxiety but now after reading these posts I feel that its the BC. I also get frequent chest pain. It feels like someone is sitting on my chest. On a positive side my periods are much lighter than before. I suffer from horrific menstruation to the point where I can't move from bed. Im going to give this BC a little longer but if my symptoms keep getting worse I am going to have to switch. Thanks everyone for being honest about this BC. I thought I was going crazy.

I just started Loestrin 24 last mth n have been having excruciating back, stomach & side pains which caused me to go to the doctor. I haven't had a period, but I don't blame the pill, I was on the Implanon which caused me to have cysts on both ovaries and side pains. While on the Implanon I didn't have any periods, and now on the pill I still don't have a period. I have noticed that once it get to the end of the pill pack and I am suppose to have a period that's when all the pain starts. I am looking into other options.

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 just turned 21 this month and went to the gyno for the first time just before my birthday. she gave me a trial pack (one month) of loestrin. a few of my friends are on yaz and told me about the horrible side effects, so i figured this one would be better since it's the lowest hormone dose and my body is super sensitive. i started them last week and since then i've been even more moody than usual, go into these random bouts of hysterical crying for no reason, and the worst part is that two days ago my "breakthrough" bleeding started- only it's not just spotting, it's basically like a full-blown period. i got blood work done (almost a month ago) at the gyno's, and i called last night because i hadn't gotten a call since. waiting to hear back this morning because there was a slight abnormality with the pap smear.. needless to say i'm pretty pissed with this doctor for not following up, and for leaving me in anxious suspense about what's wrong with me. is this normal to bleed like this? i went on birth control to regulate my severe, debilitating periods, and now i feel sick and have been bleeding for the past two days pretty heavily. :( really disappointed & upset.

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.

At 32 years old, this is my first experience with birth control and I have to say that I'm completely miserable. I'm eleven days into my first pack of pills, have been bleeding (like my regular period, maybe even worse!) since Tuesday, and decided this morning that i'm DONE. I'm taking this pill for contraceptive reasons only - and if I keep taking them, I won't need them anyway because my boyfriend will surely have dumped me. I'm moody, I'm tired, I have headaches, I can't sleep, my cramps are horrible today (and I've never had cramps in my life), and this out of control blood loss is a little concerning. I called my doc's office yesterday to see if I can stop abruptly, and they told me to finish the whole pack and THEN stop - but I cannot take one more day of this nonsense. My biggest concern with stopping midway through my pack is that I'll be really screwing up my cycle, but something is definitely already screwed up, so how much worse can if really get? Does anyone have any experience with just stopping birth control abruptly, and if so, what should I expect? THANKS!

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'm 24 and I'm about to start my 3rd package of loestrin 24. I was on birth control several years earlier so it's been a while since I had taken the pill. I am having a lot of the same symptoms as everyone else.

Spotting, vomiting, severe migraines, my boobs are so sore that i almost cry when i touch them, moody, emotional, cry all the time for no reason, bitchy, i've gained 5lbs, i don't crave sex at all anymore, and at first my face was going crazy with break outs, but now it's evened out a little.

I also noticed that my hair is getting a little thinner, I can't sing as well (my throat feels more dry and hoarse), and I drank a few beers a couple of weeks ago and was completely out of it for like a week afterwards. By that i mean to the point that I was going to completely black out.

So here's the biggest question. If loestrin is chalked full of side-effects then what is the best pill to be on? I don't mind having full periods or a little pms. It's worth it to be on something that won't destroy my body. Besides I'm sure the less bitchy I am the more my boyfriend will appreciate the change lol.

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!

I started Loestrin in the summer and am now on my third pack. Before this pill I would have my period maybe once every few months, if at all (not a bad thing). Once on the pill I had an unusually long period, about a couple weeks long. On my first day back to college (September 23rd) I started again. It is now October 4th. That's right, I'm having what is now over a month long period. Besides that, I have been ridiculously moody. Little things would set me off and it got so bad that I felt bad hanging around with friends. Luckily, a close friend who I hang out with is also on Loestrin, so she understood what I was going through (she would cry for no reason). I don't know whether I should wait this out and see if my periods mellow out or if I should just stop. I feel like I've wasted my time if I just give up now, but if it's not working its not worth it.

I had just recently started Loestrin 24, and my doctor told me not to start it until my period started. I normally have 5 day periods, and they're very heavy with severe cramping (which is why i started BC to begin with). Since I've been on the pill.. it's like light bleeding, or spotting. I don't know how long this is going to last.. I hope not long. Before I started this pill I was on Nuvaring for two years, and it blowed. I was on no BC for a month and I lost weight, got my libido back and wasn't so emotional. I hope this low dose of BC helps it stay that way

I started on Yaz after having my first child last June. It was great, but now due to all the lawsuits I'm a little nervous about trying it again, plus it's pretty pricey even with health insurance. So, after I ran out of samples of that, I decided I wanted to take the shot. With the shot, I bled for almost 6 months and I decided I wasn't doing that either. It wasn't spotting, it was bleeding. So, the dr. gave me some loestrin samples to help regulate my period until the shot was up, it worked then. I don't know if the hormones aren't strong enough in this pill or what the deal is, but I spot constantly, I have periods before I'm supposed to, I cry ALL THE TIME, I honestly have no desire for life half the time. I work in a nursing home, and my residents are very needy on the unit i work, and there are times that I have to walk away from them for a few minutes just to gain my composure. I also have a 15 month old and its definitely affecting his and I's relationship. I'm getting ready to start my 3rd pack without the shot being a factor, and I honestly don't know if I will continue to take it. I would much rather risk getting pregnant or having an allergic reaction to the condoms!

I have been on this pill for 8 months, so I can speak out and tell you how it has been. I am a firm believer you give the pill time to get in your system,now I want it out my system as quickly as possible. I already placed a call to my doctor this morning after everything I have read. I am loosing my hair at an extreme rate, even my little girls have noticed my hair seems to be everywhere in the house not to mention I can't clip my hair up without it falling down 2 minutes later with the same clips I have used for years. Moody as all get out.. emotional at times that I have no explanation for. ACNE is BEYOND anything I have ever experienced. They are huge red and seem to be either on my cheeks or along my jaw line. I even switched to Clinique Acne Solutions and that stuff has a guarantee it will work or your money back. Well I am not going to ask for my money back knowing its this darn horrible pill I am on. I will go back to Ortho Trycyclen and have my periods a few extra days and heavier to gain my sanity, hair and tame my temper/moodiness and clear my face back up. I also have experienced dry eyes, major fatigue all I want to do is take a nap when I get home and I ache what seems like all the time.

I'm 32 years old, never taken bc or been pregnant in my life. My gyn recommended loestrin24 for my CONSTANT pelvic pain and very heavy, crampy, painful 7-8 days periods. I started taking it, i had some spotting during the first set of pills and some heavier bleeding on the last four pills of my pack. When i started the second set of pills my pelvic pain grown and i had an ultrasound showing a 2cm cyst and also a mildly fibroid uterus.The gyn said just stick to the pill and once it starts kicking in, i will feel a lot better. Well i'm not. I started and extremely heavy bleeding on the 16th day of my second set of pills, 4 days went by and still bleeding, crampy. I started reading this board cause i'm on the edge to finish taking this pill.

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??

Reading your comments has really put my mind at easy. I'm 23 and on day 4 of my third pack. My first month I got a regular period, but I didn't get a period during my second month on the pill (which means that I am a little over a week late right now). In the past I have been on Ortho Tri Cyclen and Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo, and my period has always been on time. And in the 10 years that I've been having a period, it occasionally been early, but never late, and I have never once missed a period.

I've spend the last couple days terrified that I was pregnant (even though I have consistently been taking my pill at the same time every day), but this forum makes me feel a lot better. I think that I will still go out and take a home pregnancy test to be on the safe side, but hopefully my missed period is just my body's reaction to Loestrin.

I will give my body a couple more months to adjust to the pill, but if irregular, late or missed periods continue I am definitely going to switch birth control pills. It is not worth the anxiety of thinking I might be pregnant.

On the bright side, I haven't experienced any of the other side effects that you guys are mentioning. This pill has helped with my cramps, and I haven't experienced any change at all in my moodiness, energy level, acne, or weight.

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 just finished my 2nd week of Loestrin24fe. I am a professional opera singer. I travel a lot and was very nervous to take birth control because of my work, however my work was being effected by how terrible my periods were. My periods lasted anywhere from 7 to 8 days and they were very heavy. I would vomit, faint, become very cold out of no where, and get liquid on my knees during my period. Finally, I visited the doctor and they found out I was terribly anemic and had fibroids. My doctor and family suggested birth control...So, now I am on birth control. I have read everyone's reviews and the reviews on other sites, so far no one has mentioned a dry throat. I was wondering if anyone has noticed a difference in their speaking voices... does anyone notice if your speaking voice is a little more "raspy" or "breathy" after taking the pill? I am just curious. I've noticed my throat is always dry and I need to drink a lot more water to make it feel normal. I do understand this is only week 3, so I hope after the first month I will feel a bit more comfortable. Any advice on what to look for would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ladies!

I've been on Losetrin 24 Fe for about a month and a week.
I've noticed some irritability, nausea, shortness of breath, bloating, and increase in acne. I had sex with my boyfriend after taking the pill for a little over two weeks, he didn't ejaculate inside of me, but I missed my period when it was supposed to come, and instead I just had about two days of really light spotting. I feel bloated constantly and get a little nauseous after eating. I've also had a serious lack of energy. No weight gain, or anything else. Bu the missed period thing freaks me out, and the ache just stresses me out more.

I got two sample packs of Loestrin from my OBGYN, so I thought I would give it a try. I have used Ortho Tri Cyclen for years, so I thought I would try something different.

I started the pills on a Wed., after my last period. After finishing my first pack I started my period like a normally would. It was really light and lasted well into the first week of active pills of my second pack.

After finishing the samples (two months) I have quit taking in and am awaiting a visit from "Aunt Flo." Nearly a week later I feel crampy, nauseated and have a headache but nothing has happened. I don't think I will be using the BC any longer. Waiting and feeling horrible is certainly not worth the "shortened" periods.

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 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!!!

after reading all of these posts it has made me feel ten times better. I have also had almost every symptom listed. I started taking this pill four months ago for the first time and for almost the entire first month I had spotting then when it was time for me to get my period it never came at all, although I did have cramping throughout. I have never been a very emotional person and since being on this pill I have cried almost every day and has had almost no patience for anything. Recently I have started having terrible nausea if I drink any alcohol at all. I have also had bloating and upper abdominal pain. My boyfriend has noticed a complete change in my personality since I have been on this pill. Although he is completely supportive and knows that it is just all the hormones I have realized that it is not worth feeling like this and I am going to have to change pills. I am constantly paranoid that I am pregnant because I never get my period and if I do it is so light I forget I even have it. If anyone has switched and has any recommendations for a better method please let me know.

i have been miserable taking these pills..first week of 2nd pack..couldn't figure out why my boobs were killing me in the first pack and then the debilitating fatigue (i am going to lose my job if this keeps up--i come home at lunch and can't do anything but sleep for an hour! in addition, as soon as i get home at 5 i have to rest again,.so not me and so NOT able to continue this way)..i also have had 2 weeks of major headaches with the first 2 characterized as the worst i can ever remember. I am not a person who has issues like this...I am 41 and never been on BC. I started because the older i get the worse the periods and pms are and longer...heavier, more intense moodiness and pain. I am convinced as of tonight that i think i rather have all that back. I can't do this. I left a message for my doctor after reading 2 days worth of blogs now i know its not a flu, pregnancy or the 'weather'. I was also having hard time breathing (felt like i couldn't get a deep breath so i had to really inhale and i looked like i was having an attack..i thought it was the humidity here in the NE...now i know thats from these damn pills). I also did not get my period the first brown pills till the Sunday i started my new pack and it lasted only a day.
If i didn't read this site, i was convinced something major was going on like a brain tumor or something. i need to get off these pills.

I am a 26 yr old mother of 2. I have been taking Loestrin 24 fe for a year now. I love it. Its been the best BCP for me so far. I have previously been on Ortho-tri-cycline, and the Nuvaring. On ortho I had extreme mood swings, and hated everyone and everything around me. I really thought my husband was going to leave me because of it. After that I tried the Nuvaring. I liked it at frost but after about 3 months I had a horrible heavy period that lasted nearly 3 weeks. Now I am on Loestrin, and I feel like myself again. My periods are light and short, my mood is great, and I've actually lost weight on this BCP (that has never happened to me before). It has been more expensive especially since my insurance does not pay for any type of BC ( I work for a catholic organization). But my doctor has been kind enough to provide me with samples when needed. He also just informed me about the 24 dollar program, which I plan to use as well.

This was the first BC I was given. I tried it for nearly 3 months.
My periods were lighter and cramping less, but thats where the benefits end.

I had MAJOR constipation. I didn't go to the bathroom for 7 days at one point. I even took laxatives. I went off the pill and the next day things were normal.

I was as emotionally upset as usual. Sad, confused, unhappy, withdrawn.

I was always nauseous. When I woke up, before bed, after I ate, in the car.

I lost my sex drive completely. I wanted to want sex, I just didn't. Sex began to hurt a lot. I went off the pill after 3 months but have not regained my sex drive. I'm unsure if trying another pill will remedy this or make things worse. I wish it would come and I wish I never tried the pill.

I just started loestrin 24 fe this week and I have never had so much anxiety in my life. I'm 18 and this is my first experience with birth control. I was put on it to get rid of the depression I get with my PMS. I'm pretty sure I just had my very first panic attack. My breathing got heavy, I thought I was going to throw up but never did. I felt impending doom and I didn't know what to do to stop feeling that way. My mind has been racing constantly for the past 5 days about things that normally don't bother me. I'm worried about everything. This has been the worst week of my life. 4 day periods are not worth this.

I have to say that I am quite disappointed with this medicine. I started this medicine in June and was excited when I had my period for only one day and it was for a few hours and then it was gone. In July I got my period right on the day when you're supposed to get it and it didn't end until the following Thursday which obvious is more than the three days that is promised. So my period finished last week like I said and then Monday of this week I got it again and I still have it. I annoyed that it is back again since I just had it last week. I am feeling depressed for the past 3 days now and I know it is the medicine because I have never been depressed before. I am also disappointed because it is ruining my sex drive in that I am not in the mood to have sex and I seem to be annoyed a lot more. The doctor wants me to wait and see if this period stops and then if it doesn't she wants to switch me again. I am getting so fed up with these birth control pills and break through bleeding. I thought birth control was supposed to help regulate your periods but so far I am not seeing that happen! UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hey am 19 years old i been on this pill 3 years at first it done good took my periods from heavy to light and down to 3 days now. for the last 7 months they have been heavy again and this month i been on my period 2 times the first period lasted 6 days and now am on it again and its already been six days and doesn't seem like it wants to stop any time soon . and oh i been having the worst cramps ever! worse then when i first got on them and ALSO.! MY period comes after the brown pills. it starts on the last brown pill and goes on the white pills has anyone ever had that ?

I'm 18 years old and I have sex quit often with my boyfriend.
everyday. and the first two months on loestrin 24 i had CRAZY periods! Like 15 days long.
the first week of the month would be nothing,
then BAM! I got my period 9 days straight , stop two days, and then on the brown pills for 5.

But what's weird now, is that i'm on my third month and nothing.
i've got four more days on my white pill until i get to the brown pill and i've been so constantly worried that i'm pregnant because the first two months were so strange and then NOTHING on the third month?
I'm just hoping i'm not pregnant and that the pill is just acting differently.
whatever it is it's scaring the shit out of me.

This is my second pack of Loestrin 24, and I am not sure if I like it..Last month was very light spotting, but not a TRUE period, and this month I didn't even get my period. I was on ortho low before, and my period was light as it is. My gyno recommended that I be put on Loestrin, as I was having a lot of stomach problems. NOW, I'm not even getting my period. Should I be worried? Reading everyones posts makes me feel a little better that we are sharing similar symptoms. I am cramping, and I feel like my period should be here, but it's not!

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 started Loestrin 24 Fe about 6 months ago. The first month was pretty rough. I was nauseous all the time, had headaches and even had cramping. My biggest concern however were my major mood swings. I consider myself to be a pretty easy going person and when I started taking Loestrin I became angry and irritable pretty much all day. My boyfriend was literally begging me to switch birth controls. Well, I decided to duke it out and try it out for at least 3 months to see how things would go. My moods swings went away by the second cycle, the nausea stopped, and the cramping only occurred during my periods. I believe my breast size increased a bit as well. Unfortunately Loestrin did absolutely nothing for my acne. Hope this helped! And if anybody knows of another low dose birth control that can help me with my acne I'd greatly appreciate it!

I have been taking LoEstrin 24FE for over a year now. I experience the spotting and normally have my period during the 2nd or 3rd week of taking the pills. I still have extremely bad cramping and I have constant back pain. My moods are crazy; and I mean crazy. I have attributed these symptoms to other things in my life, but after reading this blog, I am concerned that all of my symptoms are now related to this pill. I normally have a period for about 4 days, the 2nd day is quite heavy. I am a little nervous that I have been taking this pill for a year and never thought it could cause my issues that I have been having. I am scheduled to see my GYN in a few weeks. Suggestions?

I am 21 years old and I have been on Loestrin 24 since June 2nd. I'm about half-way through my second pack. I used to take Kariva which had a lot of negative side effects (headaches, weight gain, couldn't wear contacts, longer periods). Fortunately, I haven't had many of the bad side effects with Loestrin 24 that most women have been describing. My first period on Loestrin 24 came a little late but when it eventually came it was quite light and only lasted about 3 days. I also haven't experienced ANY spotting which is good. I have been a little nauseous and I threw up once which I can only assume was from the pill. I've had some trouble sleeping and some weird dreams but I usually do anyway so its not too bothersome. My only major issue is acne. It seems like in the last couple weeks it has gotten a lot worse, even worse than when I wasn't on any type of pill. I noticed a lot of women saying that their acne got worse. I was just wondering if it will eventually get better? I may have to talk to my doctor because it’s getting bad (I notice at least 1 new pimple a day). I've always struggled with acne so if it continues to get worse I'm totally going to stop taking this pill. Any suggestions or feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

I'm 25, almost 26, and have been on Loestrin 24 Fe since August of 2008. I really did not notice any side effects other than lighter periods for the first few months. I think I had a little bit of nausea the first few days, but figured if I ate before taking it (I take my pill in the morning) it didn't upset my stomach. I had a very heavy cycle in February and have not had one since. I have taken several pregnancy tests and called my Dr. and she said it was normal and I wouldn't have that many cycles. Well the last 2 months I have had the most severe mood swings. My husband is about to go nuts, poor guy. I started working out again to see if that would help, and it has for the most part, but I still get very defensive about the littlest things. I'm thinking of trying something different, but am going to try it for a bit more and see if exercise helps.

Oh my gosh!!!!! I thought I was going crazy until I started reading this site. I am on my first pack of Loestrin 24 I have two more pills until I get to the brown pills. I have been experiencing the same side effects as everybody else. Hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, aches you name it. I was going to weigh it out for a couple of months but now after reading what everyone says I am going to call my doctor asap and tell him to take me off of these pills. I was put on them because I have polysytic ovarian syndrome and my periods are abnormal. I have bleeding for almost three months non stop. THIS IS SOOO CRAZY!

I have been taking Loestrin 24 for over two years. The first year it took a couple months for my body to adjust with a period for over a couple weeks at a time, and then another period a couple weeks after instead of a month. Then i stopped the BC, became lazy. Well I became pregnant once I got off of it, then had a miscarriage 2 months into my pregnany and started up the Loestrin 24 again. I have been on it for 8 months or so straight and i have not had a period for 6 months straight. I love it!! B/c my periods normally last 8 days each month, and at first I thought may be I was pregnant for not having a period for so long, but I'm not. My doctor said that it's possible to not have a period for this long including other factors like stress and so on... SO, I would have to say I absolutely love this brand!! To keep in mind i have taken just about every other birth control brand and none of them worked. I have gotten the depo shot too, and to mention that I had a period for 8 months straight after the first shot and continuously even thought i didn't go back for my other 2 shots... So, it's really dependant upon your body and what works right for you!!

I have been taking Loestrin 24 for almost a year and a half now. At first the pill seemed like a godsend because it offered me shorter periods and more time in between period. However, I have recently become sexually active with my boyfriend and the pill seems to have turned on me completely. In May, I experienced an alarmingly light period with barely any bleeding and almost non-existent cramps. I attributed it to stress at first, but took a home pregnancy test just to be certain. Thankfully, the test came back negative so I put it out of my mine for awhile.

The following month I yet again experience a period that was barely the equivalent of spotting. Alarmed, I went to see my gyno. She told me that barely to no bleeding is completely normal with Loestrin 24, which is something that she failed to tell me of before I began it.

Tonight is my second night of iron pills in my pack and I have yet to bleed at all. On top of that, this entire month I have been experiencing night sweats, headaches, abnormal weight gain, and extreme irritability towards my loved ones. I can barely even stand to talk to my boyfriend on the phone regardless of the fact that I know I love him very much.

Should I stop taking them? Is there any suggestions for better pills?

I am 21 and am in the second week of the second pack of pills. I have to attend a low-income based women care and either these docs don't really care or are out of their minds. i have been having problems with cysts on ONE ovary (left) about a year and a half ago the cyst got 2 inches in diameter. It supposedly went away on its own. I ended up in the ER again a few months ago and found out there is another cyst on my left ovary (which i have reason to believe its the same damn cyst, just flaring up and down)
Anyway I have had horrible side effects on just about EVERY BC i've been on. depo and numerous diff pills. I even had a 2 month period while on the depo. but with Loestrin I have had countless side effects that incl:
hot flashes, anxiety, depression and mood swings, cold sweats, restlessness, sore and swollen breasts, constipation, heart burn, almost constant back pain and ovarian pain and worst pain when on my period. I had 2 periods my first month, missed ONE pill in the beginning of my second month and had a second period within 2 weeks with the most horrible pain. The only good side effects are an increased sex drive and a change in appetite.
I really don't know what to do. try a different bc pill or just stop altogether considering all the problems i've had.
i've thought about ortho-novum, girls my age seem to have less complaints about it....
this is so frustrating!!!

Okay. I have been on Yaz for the last year. I have been having horrible migraines. I have been told to switch from Yaz to something else. The doctor prescribed me Loestrin 24. Now, ever statement I read someone says they have had a lot of spotting. Is there anyone taking Loestrin and is not spotting? I am not sure if I should take this pill now?????? I also need to loose about 10 pounds from taking the Yaz. I am afraid that taking the Loestrin I will gain more........ I just don't know what to do.

I started the pill two days ago because I don't get periods but maybe 2-3 times a year, and my gyno is trying to take care of my cysts. I've tried Yaz, but I had an allergic reaction to it (a rash all over my body), and I've tried NuvaRing, which, after I removed, gave me the most painful period I've ever had. I'm currently being tested for polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, and probably ovarian cancer.

So far I haven't been able to sleep, I've been having crazy hot flashes, and my ovarian pain is more severe than ever (left side, I have a 2cm cyst). I've had headaches as well, but I'm not sure if they're because of this pill. I'm hoping that these symptoms will dissipate in a few months, but if they get worse, I'll probably stop taking it.

I am 20 years old and I was on Loestrin 2 years ago. It was my first time being on birth control and I was loving it. Shorter, lighter periods and no cramps. Then I hit the 3 month mark and I started becoming overly emotional at the slightest mis-hap. I became depressed and it got so bad that I was borderline suicidal and my parents considered taking me to the emergency room. I stopped taking the pill and after starting Zoloft I was finally back to feeling myself. It was such an awful experience that I haven't tried birth control pills ever since, even though I would like to. Anyone who has had a similar experience with Loestrin and depression find a new pill that worked out??

I am 20 years old i was on Loestrin 2 years ago. I was loving the shorter, lighter periods and my cramps were gone. When I got to the 3 month mark I started becoming over-emotional and crying uncontrollably at the slightest mis-hap. My extreme moods caused my boyfriend and I to break up and my depression got to the point where I was borderline suicidal and my parents almost took me to the hospital. I stopped taking the pill and had to start taking zoloft for anxiety/depression. It was an awful experience. Anyone who had a similar experience find a new pill that worked out? I am hesitant to try a new one because I am afraid the same thing will happen again.

I am 20 and I have been on Loestrin 24 Fe for almost 6 months now. Before that I was on Lybrel for almost a year. I started taking Lybrel because I had always had awful periods to the point where I would sometimes faint from the pain of the cramps and would pretty much couldn't function normally. Lybrel was fine for the first couple of months but I began to spot after 6 months and decided to try a different one. I was put on Loestrin and like other pills I have been on I had intense mood swings, felt more anxious, depressed, and had night sweats for the first 3 months. I had light periods, 2 or less days and then about 3 months ago, I stopped getting a period all together. I have had no spotting and recently I have started to have cramping around the time I should be getting my period, breast tenderness and bloating. These are all symptoms I have had on past BC too. I take my pill every day around the same time and have never missed a day. I like not getting my period but it does concern me a bit because my doctor didn't tell me that I would not get a period at all, he actually warned me that I probably have spotting for a while. Does anyone else not get their period on this pill?