Loestrin 24 Fe and breast tenderness

In desperate need for help! I started taking Loestrin24Fe 1mg/20mg and I didn't start taking it on the first day of my period,I took it before I got my period.My doctor recommended that I do that. I took one whole 24 pack and noticed I had server migraines,back pain and server nausea. I missed my period and haven't had it since Oct 27th,Today is Dec 16th.I started taking the birth control in November. I'm worried I may be pregnant but have no idea,I'm terribly worried and need advice. After the 24 pack,I stopped taking it. I've continued to have server migraines and now even painful chest pain. I feel like I'm always hungry and I'm always tired and moody. No breast tenderness but I do have really bad pain in my right breast area. If any one has advice on what I should do please contact me via email ******

I have no insurance and am scared!
Thanks a bunch,A.

ok so i have not noticed if the Loestrin has made me depressed or moody cuz I had that problem to begin with.I have been on the pill for almost 2 months. I started my period 2 weeks later and it was not that bad.Then i missed 2 pills and ever since i have had breast tenderness and even seems like i am lactating!not like producing milk but its there just the same its clear like it is in early pregnancy.I have been reading all these posts and everyone agrees on the tenderness but none has said anything about actually getting something out of their breasts. I have taken lots of preg. tests and all are neg.I assumed i would start my period last week but have not yet and I do not understand.My doc said my periods would be normal so why is everyone else saying their's are crazy?I am scared.Has anyone else had clear fluid from their breasts???

In December i had a cyst on my ovary rupture. i went to the hospital after waiting it out for 3 weeks and the doctor recommended i be put on birth control to regulate the cysts. i didn't have health insurance until July..so i made an appointment and went in to see the doctor. he recommended i be put on birth control due to heavy and very long periods, clotting, cystic ovaries, and horrific cramps. i started the pill and instantly became a crazy..i mean BEYOND moody. on top of the mood swings, i had morning sickness, nausea throughout the day, instant breast tenderness (they grew from a B to a C in a week!), and my entire body ached. i couldn't get out of bed in the morning for the first few days i was on it. i spotted every day for the entire pack. when it came time for the sugar pills, i didn't have a period. i waited 4 days and started a new pack.

with the second pack came depression, lack of personality, lack of sex drive, when i'd engage in intercourse it would hurt too much to do anything and afterwords i'd cramp like i was going to start my period..i became lazy and unmotivated. at the end of the second pack, i had yet to have a period although i spotted frequently. i talked to my friend about it and she said to wait it out. so i waited 2 weeks..had a very light period and decided i would start the 3rd pack. i started the pack and got 4 pills in..missed a day..and when i went to the bathroom yesterday morning i had 2 clots the size of a dime. i started cramping to the point of not being able to stand up straight. my appetite is nonexistent. two periods in one month..it's starting to make me wonder if i'm having a miscarriage. my lower back is killing me. i refuse to take anymore pills. i'm going to completely take myself off of birth control.

i know that birth control is supposed to make your body think you're pregnant to cease the possibility of conception. at this point i'd rather risk conception and have a child than go through what i have gone through with Lo24 again.

Negative Side effects:
1.increased facial hair ( yes I am female)
2.acne
3. no sex drive
For the first month I had no problems.
From the second month to the fifth month I had breast tenderness every day!. On the 6th month of the pill I had no breast tenderness.

Positive effects:
2-3 day light periods ( mine used to b 5-7 days)
No cramps ( I used to have terrible cramps)
No mood swings

If you are just starting BC,

YOU MUST GIVE IT AT LEAST THREE MONTHS TIME.

BC is a medication. It's a man-made drug. Of course you will have side-effects and probably bad ones while you are just starting it. I really can't say that enough.

When I started Loestrin 24 Fe, it was my first time on BC and I had all the terrible side effects previous posters have had, especially breast tenderness. I had to wear a sports bra at all times, it hurt that badly!

But after that three month mark, everything improved. I stopped retaining water, and actually LOST weight. This pill has helped to regulate my appetite. My acne that I'd had for 7 years disappeared. My periods stopped being weeks long and now last only 3 days at most.

So, until we can create a BC Pill/Injection for men (wouldn't that be more practical anyway to begin with? Get someone on this right away!), we ladies have to endure Short-term side effects associated with the Pill.

Well it is day 4 and all i have to report is some breast tenderness.. but I am a big girl up top so we will see. Also I have been having some bad lower back pain it is really bad after a good night sleep and upon waking in the morning. I have started to do stretching exercises to see it that will help. My appetite has seemed like it has decreased. But I usually have that happen when I get my period I actually don't crave. I have no horrible pinching like i usually have on my left side this time of month and not much bloating but I am drinking tons of water too. Very scared of weight gain...
Will keep ya posted

OK. I started taking this pill on the 3rd of June. I have missed about 4 pills (We dont' mind if we end up preggo, I am on the pills for a different reason.) and I have been on my period for 2 days now. I have had severe breast tenderness, and yesterday my breasts were "drawing" like they do when you need to nurse your baby. Lastnight I ended up squeezing on them a little just to see if anything was there, and little bubbles of Milk came out. I haven't read ANYTHING about this anywhere, and my doctor says that it is a side effect to the Loestrin. But my doctor is a sort of a quack in my opinion. Anyway, if anyone can give me some insight on this I would greatly appreciate it....Thanks.

Ok. I am in the 3rd week of the pills and I've missed about 4 pills total. Me and the Hubbs aren't really worried about getting pregnant or not getting pregnant because we're not on the pills for that reason. The past 5 days I've had severe breast tenderness and yesterday I started having "drawing" in my breast (if you've breast-fed before then you understand what I mean, you feel like you need to nurse your baby before your boobs explode). Last night I squeezed my breast a little and bubbles of "milk" came out. My doctor says that its the normal side effects of the pill but I have NEVER experienced anything like this before due to the pill; and I can't find ANYTHING that says this is normal. Can anyone give me some insight to this, please?

All of what you have said and then some. I have had depression that's unexplainable, very dry, peeling skin on my T-zone, eye twitching, headache, stomach problems, bloating, loss of sex drive (that's one form of birth control,) breast tenderness that is more severe and longer lasting than before and irritability. I have never felt this out of sorts before and my decisions and reactions to normal situations have been erratic and unreliable. I tried to rationalize my behavior and acknowledge that I would experience changes with the intake of hormones, but this pill makes everyday feel like a train wreck.

So I just finished my second month on loestrin24. And I have to say things went much better. once I started the white pills on the second month - I had no breakthrough bleeding (no spotting) the whole month. My period was pretty light (lighter than what they usually are for me) and cramps were much lighter too. My breast tenderness has gone away, but I still feel a little moody (i'm not sure if this is the pill or me!). My first month was god awful - 2 weeks of heavy bleeding, breast tenderness, mood swings. I originally took this OC to help with heavy bleeding from fibroids. I just hope it continues to run as smoothly as the second month did. Doctors should really let folks know what they might experience before starting this pill.

hi,
i have had many of the symptoms explained on here. I am 20 and getting married in August so I figured I needed to get on these soon because we do not want to get pregnant. These have been horrible so far! I have had EXTREME moodiness, headache, no sex drive, nausea, horrible breast tenderness, vomiting, dizziness, weird vision problems- I couldn't see out of the corner of my eye, leg pain, hair on my nipples?which ive never had before.(anyone have this?) I am also always bloated and tired. This is my second pack and I just started my period on time yesterday so should I stick it out or change pills? anyone have any good info or opinions??? Thanks!

I am taking my 4th month of Loestrin 24 and I am very unhappy with it. Like many other people I am experiencing breakthrough bleeding each month...I have NEVER had this problem before. I have increased one cup size, have breast tenderness for the majority of each month, I have sleepless nights and very weird dreams.I have become extremely moody and seem down a lot of the time. I am going to be comtacting my doctor tomorrow to discuss a new pill.

Hi, I know this section is for posting side effects but I was wondering if someone could please help me and provide me with some information. I am very athletic and active so any type of spotting/bleeding is NOT FOR ME. I am trying to eliminate my monthly period. I was on Depo Provera for several years and loved it. No periods everything fine except for a low sex drive. Then I ran into some problems and had to stop that. Plus my doctor said it causes osteoporosis.
Then I tried Seasonique which was awful as I had instant weight gain and breast tenderness like crazy. Was only on that for a few weeks!!!
Then I heard about Lybrel which is supposed to stop your periods after some time so I started that at the end of December last year (2007). I had spotting and some bleeding EVERY DAY and a few days ago had a lot of bleeding but I also played with the dosage per doctor's request. So I saw my doctor today and I said enough is enough what else can I try? So she gave me the Loestrin 24 Fe and I will start that Sunday. She said many people stop having periods after a few months of use. HOWEVER, after reading these posts, I am thinking NO BC is right for me now. If anyone can help me on my goal of eliminating the curse or convince me that this pill is OKAY after 3 months I would appreciate it. Please email me at escarle1@hotmail.com. Thank and I hope to hear back soon!

I am 34 and started taking loestrin 24 at the advice of my doctor cause I have really heavy periods and a lot of breakthrough bleeding mostly due to fibroids which has made me quite anemic. I was hoping this would help. I started Loestrin 24 about 16 days ago. On the ninth day I started breakthrough bleeding and it hasn't stopped! I feel like it's become a full fledged period! I just hope the bleeding stops soon. I have pretty bad cramps and backaches. I've been popping many advil. Also, my breasts are tender and they're definitely bigger (I liked my boobs the way they were!). As far as mood, the first week was fine, but I was pretty lethargic and depressed the second week. Starting the third week yesterday, my mood has been much better. It sounds like people have had success after the 3 month waiting. Me, I'm willing to duke it out for another month for the almost-nothing periods. But 2 more months of this I don't think I can handle. I'll let you know what happens

I have had increased frequency of migraines (MRIs, various medications, etc), missed periods, spotting for days and breast tenderness for about 2 weeks before my period. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one thinking I'm pregnant every month! I also get mild cramps randomly throughout the month. I'm going to talk to my doc, especially since it's not just me experiencing these things. I'm definitely going to switch to something else!!

Hi everybody, I just wanted to say that I am on the patch and it is the only birth control I've tried that gives me NO emotional side effects (mood swings, depression, anger, etc). I have tried Ortho TriCyclen, Yasmin, and the NuvaRing...all were terrible for me. I experience some breast tenderness and bloating around my period while on the patch, but the period is normal and always comes at the same time. If you have tried several pills and you find that you always end up turning into an emotional mess...I would try the patch out. It's a little annoying because it can get itchy, depending on where you put it...but it's still convenient. I would also only recommend it to women who are under 35, weigh under 198 lbs, and have low blood pressure. Hope this helps some people out. Again, it's worth a shot if you can't seem to find a pill that you like.

Hey everyone! My names Janelle and I'm 20 years old. I went on Loestrin about three months ago and am going to quite taking it. I have experienced just about every side effect mentioned above. From depression, breast tenderness, severe mood swings, increased fatigue, and increased weight gain. I am a very healthy eater and exercise almost six times a week. The exercise has helped with the mood swings a bit but has not helped with any of the other side effects. My plan is to stay away from birth control, exercise frequently and remain abstinent until marriage! I know this won't work for some of us so I would recommend taking another pill. I have also tried YAZ and that was MUCH WORSE. Probably the worst birth control pill out there!!!

Hey there ladies, I just started taking Loestrin 24. I am 41 yrs old. I have a history of endometriosis, with bleeding lasting for 10-12 days a month. I was at my wits end with the monthly pain. I was on the pill for many, many years. I went off it 6 years ago, I went through chemo for Hodgkins lymphoma, and wanted my body to run naturally no hormones no nothing. So here I am taking the pill again, and to my surprise, I have severe PMS!!! I never had it before, but the rage I have is just terrible. I know it is not me, but it scares me. I have breast tenderness, brown spotting too, sharp pains in my side, dull headache,acne, and yes the rage. My poor husband was chewing food next to me, I wanted to beat him,the noise errrrr. Cybil (lol)

I have been on Loestrin 24 for about a month and a half.. and I am not very satisfied with it. I have been experiencing horrible side effects. Ever since I started taking this pill I have had really bad breast tenderness, bloating, and nausea all of the time. I have also gained about 5 pounds, which I don't see how it could be possible considering I play college softball and work out about 3 hours every day, and I'm also a very healthy eater. All of these side effects match up to the early signs of pregnancy.. which can be impossible considering I haven't been sexually active for about 3 months now. Has anyone had these same side effects??? I'm just so confused and not sure what to do.. Any advice??

I have experienced a few days of nausea, however since this particular type of birth control has fewer severe side effects because of its low dose of estrogen I am confident that overall it is the best choice. I have also been battling a little bit of minor depression, have had mild breast tenderness, and a few more minor headaches than usual. I would also say that I have had a decreased appetite and have lost a moderate amount of weight.

I recently had a miscarriage and my doctor put me on Yaz BCP. I took Yaz for 1 month and had HORRIBLE side effects (nausea, weight gain, severe breast tenderness - worse than when i was pregnant.) So, during my next visit, he put me on Loestrin 24 FE because of the lower hormone dosage, and it's been two weeks into my first pack and i feel MUCH better - no symptoms AT ALL!

I started taking Loestrin (again) a couple of months ago. The first week or so was fine...just the usual breast tenderness etc. However, by the time I was in my second week I started to descend into depression...and badly. I felt like crying all the time and felt generally hopeless about life. I am generally a positive upbeat person so the difference was obvious. At first I thought it was the changing of the seasons or because my boyfriend and I live in different states, but then the more that I thought about it the more that I realized the bouts of depression I've had in the past have coincided with taking this pill. I didn't experience weight gain...but instead weight loss....however, this is a reflection of the depth of depression it caused me because when I'm depressed I have no appetite. I have also had unexplained/unjustified anxiety and have been paranoid about my boyfriend breaking up with me, cheating on me etc. It's been really ridiculous, but it's almost as thought my thoughts are uncontrollable. During the one week off, my mood and overall outlook on life improved significantly, but declined once again when I started my new pack. My boyfriend and I have decided that the side effects are just not worth it and I'm going to make an appointment with my gyno to be fitted for a diaphragm. I know it's not as easy to use as the pill, but I figure I may not have a boyfriend if my craziness continues!! Oh...lastly, I did also experience nausea as well....not super bad, but enough to notice.

I have been on Loestrin 24 Fe for a year and a half now, since I was 17. For at least the first few months I had breakthrough bleeding everyday, but then it seemed to be working great with my body. I have learned that if you do not take the pill at the EXACT same time every day you will have your period the entire month. Now I only have a light period for 3-4 days but experience increased mood swings, weight gain, breast tenderness and bad cramps which I never had before the pill.

I am 28 and this is my first time taking BC pills. Loestrin 24 FE has been okay for me. My side effects include slight nausea (which went away after the first few packs), bloating, occasional breast tenderness, and light headed/anxious at times. I also have had some breakthrough bleeding for a few days during the middle of the packs (which is to be expected for the first few months), but am going to try one more pack before switching to something else. Cramps have definitely been much less, and my periods have lasted for a mere 3 days. I take the pill at night before I go to bed, so perhaps that is why the nausea wasn't so bad.

For those people who don't like this pill -remember that not all pills work for everyone. (I tried Yaz once for 2 days and thought I was going to die!) We all have different body chemistry -so give this one a chance. If it doesn't work for you then try something else. My doctor gave me a sample of Femcon to try after my next pack of Loestrin. She thinks that Femcon will stop my breakthrough bleeding...guess I will find out soon...

Good Luck!

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

My gyn switched me to Loestrin FE from Mircette. I stuck it out for 1 pack but had to stop and will be switching back soon. The headaches on this pill were the worst I ever experienced. I was in the ER twice and lived on Vicodin for pain relief for the entire month. I had slight breast tenderness but nothing major and it took nearly 3 weeks for my period to restart.

I'm 37 and have been on OCPs for most of my adult life. I've never had side effects as bad as this before.

I started this pill in July for 2 months to regulate my period and just got off of it, because I hate being on bc and I got my cycle. I haven't been on bc since the age of 14. When starting this pill my boobs were verrrrry sore, so I called my dr. and he told me to get some vitamin E 400 I.U. 100 softgels and take one twice a day. That really helped, but when I missed a dose it hurt more. So I made sure I took my Vitamin E twice a day. I have also had some of the symptoms; i.e., bloating, gaining weight (130lbs-142lbs), breast tenderness, mood swings, hot flashes,peeing more than usual,depression, sleeping 12-14hrs a day and an increased appetite. I have been off the pill for a couple of weeks now and just started experiencing the headaches and a little acne(something I rarely have). The weight I gained, I lost and now I am back down to my comfortable weight of 130lbs (due to exercising every day) but I'm still sleeping later, moody and depressed. My Mother and sisters thought I was pregnant and with the symptoms I had, I thought I was pregnant too! I also thought it was just my fiancee getting on my nerves, but after reading some of these post I now know it HAS to be the pill. Well,I can't blame it completely on the pill, because he does get on my nerve, but I love him & that's another story. :) For all the women still on lo 24 fe try taking Vitamin E it should take the swelling and tenderness away, but consult your physician first.

I hate this pill. I have been on it for four months and have had two periods every month. I get my "first" period on my second week of pills and my "second" period at the normal time. My first period is pretty heavy with cramps...the works. The second is more normal and shorter. This pill is horrible. Also my breasts are swollen and I am tired all the time. I want to switch but am scared that I will just be swapping side effects with another pill.

I'm into my 8th pack of Loestrin 24 Fe and I'm ready to get off of them. Major issue is no sex drive and spotting right before period is supposed to start. So its like I have a really long period anyways. I've been on these pills for more than half of a year and there has been no change in my periods (no shorter periods or lighter periods) :-( And the website says "shorter periods less than 3 days by cycle 6". So its like I'm paying $50 for a "regular pill"anyways. Oh and my boobs hurt like all the time!!! I'm thru with it!!! Does anyone have a recommendation of a pill I can ask my doctor about next month??