Aviane and weight gain

I have experienced so many of the side effects mentioned in all these posts. I have another one to add.....3 or 4 days after starting a new pack, my urine develops the worst odor possible! It smells like the nastiest public toilet imaginable! At first I thought the toilet needed serious disinfecting, imagine my horror when I realized it was me! A day or 2 after starting the sugar pills, no more odor! What the heck??? Has anyone else had this awful side effect?

I was on Aviane for about 2 years. During this time, I had very severe cramps during my period. This included majoe hot flashes, to a point where I would sweat! Just about every time I ate, I would have to go to the restroom with severe diarreha. All I wanted to do was to lay in bed, curled up in a ball, so nauseated from the pain! I was so miserable!! Not to mention my horrible mood. I was mean to everybody and I was so depressed that I would just cry for no reason. It almost caused my boyfriend and I to break up a few times because he couldn't take me anymore! Once my period ended, the mood swings ended, but I had no sex drive what so ever! It kept getting worse every month, and I am only 25 years old! So, I recently switched to Yaz. It costs a lot more, but so far is worth it. My sex drive is back, no PMS or mood swings! Cramps are very light and I haven't felt depressed at all. I am in such a better mood all of the time every day. Something else I noticed is that my sudden feelings of anxiety have disappeared! I thought it was just me, but now I believe that it was caused by Aviane. Also, It has made by breasts grow a whole cup size
with no weight gain! One more thing is that I used to have so much hair loss in the shower, and I thought it was from straightning my curly hair! Since I switched, it has dramatically lessened! Ooh! And one more thing...I have smoked for about 8 years...not a lot, just a few a day. Since I have been on this I have not had any cravings cir a cigarette.... maybe occasionally while having a drink or coffee. So maybe it is from Yaz as well! I am so glad I found this forum, and wish I found it sooner! Good luck everyone :)

I just found this website tonight and I cannot even tell you how much relief I am feeling right now. I was on Alesse for over 2 years with zero side effects. A few months ago my pharmacist told me it switched to Aviane but that it was basically the same thing. Here is what I have been experiencing since I started taking Aviane: weight gain, COMPLETE loss of sex drive, headaches, brown blotches on my face, mood changes, changes in my sleep patterns and hair loss. I was seriously concerned something major was wrong with me, especially because I was on Alesse (the "same drug") for years with no problems.

Thank you to all the women who posted on here. You are definitely helping out so many women who aren't sure what's wrong with them.

My pills are now in the garbage and I am phoning every girl I know who was on Alesse to warn them about Aviane. I'm so angry that I was misinformed, and I honestly thought I was losing my mind, or severely ill.

Now that I've read all these postings, I feel like a million pound weight lifted off my chest. I am so excited about my mind and body returning to normal!

Hi Ladies- I promised I would post to let you know how I am doing WITHOUT Aviene. I posted the Sept. 10 comment entitled Thanks ladies because I felt your posts have helped me.

I stopped taking the Aviene on a Thursday and all side effects stopped and no new ones occurred. All is well, I enjoy life without being a freak show.

In a DAY AND A HALF WITHOUT AVIANE MY HEALTH RESTORED.

I mentioned the 20 pound weight gain within a few weeks, by the following Tuesday I lost 9 pounds and today is the 26th and I lost 15 pounds. No anxiety, no irritation, no face issues (in a week it cleared up), no mood or energy issues, no excessive thirst, burning of eyes, chills, fever, rashes, itchy -nothing. I was allergic to it and my body wasn't breaking down the coloring agents etc whatever the hell is in there b/c it's not like you get a box or product descriptions. This isn't personal comments, I spoke with pharmacists, doctors, doctor friends, nurses etc. I work at a hospital I have great resources to share with you.

Whatever your side effects are, let's do this. Let's listen to our bodies, listen to experiences and draw your own conclusions.

I know my body, I know myself, and I know my life changes, mood changes, physical changes were due to this pill.

Please consider when being worried about what will happen if you quickly go off it that the consequences of staying on it are more severe. For me, and for many of us, the side effects didn't stop but kept adding and if you are reading this and are just curious or feel something is off with you do not take it any further. I am sharing that I am not a sensitive person and do not experience side effects... and I completely broke down physically and mentally from the amount of side effects and had to self defend.

Many of your comments helped and let's face it if you read that some ladies lost their hair... come on... obviously something is wrong with this pill.

Take care ladies, my sincere hope is that my post will help you, as you have helped me.

So you know, I went back on Alesse and all is well. My drug company didn't cover Alesse but ALESSE HAS A PATIENT CARD FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE INSURANCE AND FOR THOSE WHO DO BUT THE COMPANY DOESN'T COVER ALESSE RATHER THE GENERIC AVIANE. Your patient Alesse card you get will cover the difference that your insurance company may not. I paid $ 2.89 for my monthly prescription which is less than if the insurance company covered it. Check with your pharmacy location site if they participate in the program and it is not hard to find one that does.

You may not like Alesse, I can only share my experience with Aviane that did make my life a living hell. Happy to be OFF it!

Please take care and self defend your situation and reach out to those around you.

I am 21 yrs old and I have been on Aviane for 1yr. now. This would be my third different BC. I was on the patch before taken Aviane I was having these side effects on the patch :dizziness, blurred vision and many more just to name a few. Since being on Aviane I have had a lot to side effect: depression moody, anger, (very bad) hair loss, slurred speech, loss train of thought, weight gain (about 15 lbs), decreased sex drive, headaches, severe cramping and other side effects. I wouldn't recommend this BC to anyone.

I have been on Aviane for 5 months now and love it. The first 2 months I had breast tenderness and intermittent bleeding. Once the 3rd month passed, I felt completely normal. It did reduce my sex drive though. I had no weight gain and it helped alleviate my mild depression.

I have been on aviane for 4 months and i hate it! I have all the side effects: headaches, nightmares, acne, fatigue, mood swings, depression, anger, long periods, weight gain, rage, etc.... I could list alot more! I am so glad I went on this page because now I know its the pill and I'm not going crazy. I have had such a horrible experience with this pill that I am stopping it today mid-cycle just to feel "normal" again. I cry for any reason, I'm mean to those I love and I feel like I should be going to therapy. I've never had acne before and now I get a pimple and its there for weeks! I have gained weight even though I work out 5 days a week and I am so lathargic that its a battle to stay up past 9pm. I think this pill should be taken off the market. I was on yaz before and stopped because I experience break through bleeding, but I want to get back on it. A liitle spotting every now and then is much better than feeling insane!

I've been on Aviane as my first BC for 3 months and haven't noticed any significant side effects. There's been no weight gain and I've been able to actually start and maintain a fitness program required for a summer job/career (we'll see where it leads!). My period was a bit off the first couple of times with spotting but I read in the pamphlet it should be expected and for about a month, I've been completely 'normal'. The only thing MAY have been the lower sex drive but it was good for mine to shift down a gear so that can't be classified as a problem, and that can probably be attributed to other events in my life. I suggest everyone here take a step back and see if weight gain, acne, sex drives, etc. may be a consequence of other life subjects that shouldn't be blamed on BC. We all go through these events for different reasons and it would be a shame to denounce a valid and proven pharmaceutical product on account of needing a scapecoat.

I was taking Aviane for 9 months - perhaps 9 months too long. I have experienced noticeable weight gain and TREMENDOUS HAIR LOSS. I USED TO have thick, curly hair. I have lost at least 25% of my hair since taking this pill. It is absolutely noticeable - even my hair dresser is shocked. I have checked the other misc prescriptions that I am on - allergies, acid reflux - and this bc pill seems to be the culprit. If you have not started this pill, think twice before doing so. I switched to another 'regular' pill a few weeks ago. I hope my hair grows back!

I have been on Aviane for almost 3 months now. I have already experienced depression and severe anger problems. I get mad over the littlest things now and I feel like breaking things... I feel enraged often and feel like hitting the people who make me angry. Also, I have never had any problems with my periods other than cramps. Before Aviane, my periods were only about 3-5 days long. After taking Aviane, I have experienced 2 periods of unreasonable lengths. The first one was a week and a half, the other a FULL TWO WEEK LONG PERIOD! This is insane! I am just starting my third week of my third month and am experiencing spotting which, like before with the other 2 months of Aviane, will turn into another period 1 1/2-2 weeks long! My cramps in addition became worse than before and I developed bad acne. I was previously on Trinessa and the only problem I had with that pill was acute depression causing me to not sleep as well. I told my doctor and he switched me over to Aviane. And in addition to everything, I have experienced significant weight gain and a URINARY TRACT INFECTION! I am a very clean person; I have never had a urinary tract infection before, and it does not run in my family. I believe Aviane is the reason why I have developed a UTI. I seriously advise everyone not to take this Birth Control. I have been on 3 different birth controls and I NEVER had problems with any of the others not nearly as severe as I have with Aviane. Under my personal experience with it, Aviane is the WORST BIRTH CONTROL EVER! I am getting off of it ASAP!

I started Aviane May 07 and just recently stopped this month of Mar 08. During this period, I have went from a size 5 to 9 and from 130 lbs to 151which now makes me overweight for my height 5'3. I gotten stretch marks on my breast and I constantly get yeast infections. I constantly feel depressed or like hitting someone and the weight gain didn't make that much easier. People have commented on the weight gain and even mom said I looked "puffy" which sent me to tears. I've never felt so insecure or moody and couldn't quite place my finger on what it was. Now that I have been off for about 3 weeks, I feel like another woman. The only good thing is that my skin cleared up and of course no babies.

I've used 3 different kinds of birth control, and my advice is--STICK WITH IT! :) Any hormonal birth control is going to give you some side effects, and they're going to be different for everyone. That's why there are so many different kinds we can try. But you have to give it time! Never switch types of hormonal birth control if you've been on it less than 3 or 4 months, unless of course you've got the dangerous side effects that are really rare (like heart attack, blood clots, severe depression, etc.). Hormones are really complicated, and it TAKES TIME for your body to get used to them.

Have you been on Aviane less than 3 months and you've got: breast tenderness, increase in acne, weight gain, decrease in sex drive, headaches, nausea, mild depression, mood swings, irritability, breakthrough bleeding, cramps, increased appetite, problems with your contacts, etc.? Welcome to the club. :) I PROMISE that most (if not all) of these will go away by the time you're on your third or fourth period, and you get so used to the ones that are left that they don't really even impact your life anymore. If after 3-4 months you've still got side effects that are really impacting your lifestyle, that's when you need to go to your doctor and talk about other options. It really is a trial and error kind of thing, but you have to be patient! Birth control isn't like popping a pill when you've got a headache--it's a commitment, something you have to really stick with if you want the benefits (like no babies!). Pay attention to what your body needs, of course, but if you're going to take hormonal birth control, you kind of have to pay a price for a few months first.

But hey, birth control really is great. It's so much easier than trying to worry about condoms or diaphragms or other kinds of barrier birth control (can you say "kills the moment?"). And there are good side effects, too--shorter, lighter, less painful periods (over time), etc.

Good luck! Stick with it!

I am on my third month of Aviane and I must say that I find it okay. It is the first oral contraceptive that I have ever taken. The first month I was on it was terrible at some points due to the break through bleeding (spotting a week before my period and my period lasted a week after that and was rather heavy), including cramps, occasional headaches, etc. However, I stuck with it and gave my body time to adjust to the medication. By the end of my second month on it most of my symptoms dissipated. I HAVE NOT experienced any unusual weight gain, however, I do find that I tend to be more moody and/or emotional sometimes. My skin has cleared up since I went on the pill, which is a plus, (except for the occasional pimple during my time of the month.) Also, I've gone up a cup size, but my breasts are also a bit tender. I haven't found that it 'dries' me out down there, and my sex drive is somewhat still the same.

To people who are new to the medicine and reading all these other people's symptoms and experiences, I advise them to stick with the pill for the recommended 3 months before changing brands, and also to consider how long most of these people writing have been on Aviane. Your body needs time to adjust to any type of hormonal medication and also, everyone's body chemistry is unique.

I started taking Aviane last week. Before that, I'd been on nothing for six months, and before that I was on NuvaRing for six months. I was prescribed birth control because I have really bad hormonal acne that nothing else fixes. I stopped taking the NuvaRing because it make me feel slightly brain dead lethargic?) and very depressed (but my skin looked great!). Anyway, Aviane. I feel really, really good. Normally, I'm sort of depressed and I have a lot of mood swings throughout the month, but all this week I have felt startlingly sane. I can think clearly, my emotions are totally under control. My husband has even noticed! I really hope this isn't just an early side effect! On the down side, I have constant mild nausea, some trouble sleeping, and it makes me feel kind of sleepy. I'm going to try taking it before bed and see if that helps. Also, I may be having trouble sleeping because I've been drinking more coffee than usual during the day. I have not experienced any weight gain yet, also a good sign, since I usually blow up within the first week or two.

After being diagnosed with PCOS, my doctor prescribed Aviane about 8 years ago for me after I had bad side effects from other BC pills (nausea, weight gain). Because of my fear of being nauseous, I began taking it after dinner. Now after 8 years, I have had no notable side effects, light periods, and some weight loss. This is great for me because with PCOS there can be weight gain, and BC pills help eliminate that.
Hope this helps some of you. I refuse to take anything else.

I've only been on Aviane for about a packet and a half, and I'm already not liking it. Hence why I am on this sight looking up info. I have experienced the anger out of no where, never feeling happy, and just feeling like i don't care. It's starting to affect the relationship with my finance. It's also decreasing my sex drive. I no longer want to be intimate or "huggy-kissy". Granted I am waiting till marriage, I'm on the pill to get used to it before I get married and to help my PMS. It does help the PMS symptoms (heavy bleeding, cramps, etc), but last time it was like 2 weeks early and I think it's about to be another week early. My boobs are ALWAYS sore...even when I'm off my period. And I sleep on my stomach which makes things hard sometimes. My face has cleared up though. No severe weight gain yet...just a little maybe. I may wait to see if the affects get better as I go through the next packet, but from the reactions of some of the others it wont. SO i'm probably switching Monday

i took aviane for a little over a month. the side effects were so severe i had to stop the pill. i experienced intense anger and mood swings,severe depression, appetite increase and weight gain,my whole body felt swollen, migraine headaches, shortness of breath, anxiety, stomach pains, I WAS MISERABLE. i stopped taking the pill 2 days ago which brought on my period along with intense pms symptoms. i'm hoping that once this period is over i will start to feel normal again. AVAINE IS THE WORST BC PILL EVER

I'm a 37 y/f that has had three children. I took bc way back when in my teen years but never needed it again till now. I've been on the pill 7 days. I was wondering how often anyone gets really bad nausea and vomiting with this pill? I've been sick everyday. I was advised to take the pill before I went to bed and to make sure I had some type of heavy protein to stick in my stomach while i was sleeping to calm the nausea... But that has not worked. within 4 hours of waking i'm feeling very nauseated... 90 percent and will get "ill" each night before I go to work. At first I thought it was a stomach bug... doc said I could expect some nausau but didn't want to switch me for the first month. Will this nausau feeling go away? It's very hard for me to do my job and be sick alot. Anyone have suggestions? I have nausau, vomitting, stomach pains and major acidity in my stomach. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks

I am 18 years old and finishing up my 3rd pack of Aviane this week. I have tried other brands of birth control and had to stop after only a month of taking them because I had severe depression. My mood swings were horrible the first month but now they are less frequent. I just started college and there is a change in my diet so all weight gain I know is from my pattern of eating and not the pill. Since I've been on this pill I have never gotten my period during the 7 "reminder" pills, I get it 7-14 days earlier and experience pms symptoms for about 5-7 days before that time. On top of that, my periods are lasting 7-10 days on this pill. I feel like I only have about a week where I am not pmsing or on my period. I have noticed a lot of hair loss as well, to the point it's starting to embarrass me. I also get randomly angry for no reason.

Despite these major down points, I am doing better on this pill than other pills. I am less depressed than on other brands, I have no problems with my sex drive, and my mood swings are less often compared to other brands. I can at least tolerate these side effects. But in all honesty, I'm frustrated. This is the third brand of pills I've tried and I don't know if I should switch because I feel like I'm always pmsing or on my period. I feel like I have to choose between emotional side effects or physical side effects with birth control. I do not know if I should consider trying another brand or just accept that this is the best experience I can possibly get while on the pill.

Can someone email me and tell me if this pill really makes you gain weight because honestly thatz what i want..

I took Alesse for a long time, until it became back-ordered. After that I took Lutera and had some weight-gain and mood swings, then my pharmacy said that was back-ordered. They had me switch to Aviane and I had immediate side effects. I've become very dizzy, especially in the morning when I wake up and when I lay down at night. I've had constant spotting and I've became very angry. I'm going to try Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo to see if this will work!

Im 29 y.o., i started taking aviane 28 about 4 months go, mainly to get rid of my pimples. although my skin improved - i have experienced some side effects that drive me crazy- weight gain, mood swings, feeling sick, headaches....I want to stop taking it but I'm affraid that if i do- my pimples will come back. Also -I'm not sure if i can just stop it anytime or have to wait until the end of the pack. Does anyone know?

I have been on Aviane for about six months and I too have experienced weight gain (after working very hard to get rid of it prior to going on Aviane...), mood swings, which are horrible just before and continue the first few days of my period, mild depression (probably a result of the weight gain), and similar pregnancy-type symptoms (swollen breasts, going to the bathroom more often, and cravings). This is the first month that I've put two and two together to recognize that the symptoms/side effects are probaby related to the birth control. I've been on so many different types of birth control, I really don't know what to switch to next. I know that I need a lo-dose of estrogen, because I frequently experience a lessened sex-drive on BC pills.

I've been on Aviane for over a month now, and I have recently experienced mood swings. I feel as if my self esteem has lowered, and am very sad lately. No weight gain, or irregular bleeding, or pregnancy symptoms. Only side effects I have experienced are the mood swings

I was previously on Trivora which has a high estrogen level. Unfortunately, it gave me headaches every night at the time it was to take my pill (give or take 30 minutes). So my gynecologist insisted on going to the bottom of the scale seeing that the estrogen was what was giving the problem. I was then perscribed Aviane 28. This pill has given me more problems than I could have ever imagined.

The list is as follows: weight gain (20 lbs.), mood swings, swelled/tender breasts around 8-9 days before period, alternation between increased and decreased appetite, spotting/breakthrough bleeding. Basically the pregnancy symptoms. It's actually very frustrating because the purpose of the pill is to REGULATE hormones and to prevent pregnancy.

I've been on this pill for about 7 months now and have just (in the past 2 months) noticed spotting. As furiating as it is, my periods became so light, it seemed like they were alomst not existing. This persists and becomes worse every month.

Throughout the past months, I have encountered no sexual intercourse which is why I found the symptoms quite odd. I researched many different side effects but none stated the amount of spotting that was occuring. Again, this month, I have had spotting.. beginning in a dark brown and now, a bright red thin texture(sometimes clotts). There are times that I'm thinking of it stopping but other times that I go back to the bathroom and only notice it when wiping. I'm not sure if I'm the only one experiencing this, but it would be nice to see that someone else has related problems.

Well my name is tramaine im 18/f i just started aviane and i really think it good for me well actually i wanna gain weight im so skinny

Aviane was my first BC pill I had ever taken so I really can't compare it. I was on it a year and was very very moody and always depressed. I gained a lot of weight, 30lbs so I decided to make a change. I was off the pill to see if I could lose weight but I only lost a few pounds. I'm now going to try a new pill Ovcon 35 but I've been reading up on it and I hear so much about breakthrough bleeding. On Aviane I never felt sick the only side effects I felt were weight gain, depression, and moodyness. With medicine now days how can dr.'s not be able to test a womans body and know what pill had the right hormones for here body. I'm due to try Ovcon this month but I'm kid of scard.

While on Aviane for a year I gained about 30 pounds. I decided to stop using it to see if it was really the pill since now it is being said that the pill no longer causes weight gain. After one week of non-use I have lost 3 pounds. I guess it just depends on the person. I also experienced frequent headaches and mood swings and my sex drive decreased. I believe that all of these were side effects from the pill.