Loestrin 24 Fe and cramps

I am 18 years old and have been on Loestrin 24 fe for over a year to regulate periods. I had not done much research before taking this and I wish I would've. At first everything was well besides the weight gain. My periods were short and I had no cramps. After a few months of being on this bc i was extremely moody and depressed. I was never like this before. I now find myself to be tired and exhausted even after a good nights rest. When I get to the brown pills in the end of the pack I get some type of period but not enough to call a flow or even to need a tampon. This is simply not the right bc for me. I'm glad i came across this site to see a lot of other people are experiencing the same side effects. I will be getting off of this nightmare in a pack just as soon as I get to an obgyn. Do the research before you start taking any type of bc.

Hello everyone.
I started taking this pill in September...for the first month I was a nut case. I had terrible mood swings, crying and getting mad for no reason at all and severe depression. Everyone around me hated me...I hated myself.I knew this was not me. My symptoms were so bad my boyfriend didn't want to be around me and eventually broke up with me because he couldn't handle what the pills were doing to me. 3 months later (now) I a feeling wonderful and back to who I know I am...feeling normal again. If anyone feels like these pills are making them crazy...stick it out if you can. Periods are short...sometimes even 2 days for me. My face is clearer than ever and hardly have any cramps before of during my period. But remember...everyones body is different and responds to new hormones differently. Things will get better if you are weary about it.

My OBGYN put me on this pill to regulate my period. I have had prolonged period lasting 2 to 2 1/2 weeks in the last four months which caused me to be anemic. I am 32 and this is the first time i have used a bc pills. I am on my first trial pack and on my second week of using the pills. So far, no extreme side effects for me. The only thing that concerned me is that I am experiencing breakthrough bleeding, which from reading some of the posts here, is quite normal. 2 days after taking the pill, my period did stop. Then on the 3rd or 4th day, I had light spotting and now i seem to have a light period. I did feel cramps as well but nothing too painful. What bugged me the most is the gassy, constipation feeling. But other than that, no extreme emotional symptoms. Other than the breakthrough bleeding, I still have to give my bc pills a chance to see if it really is working.

OH BOY... ok so i have been on Loestrin 24fe for a little over a year. haha. for the first 6 months.. everything was fabulous!! no mood swings.. no bloating .. weight LOSS... no acne.. it was the happy pill! also.. i had absolutely NO periods at all!! no spotting.. bleeding.. cramps. nothing! it was great. then.. just recently.. in the past 4-5 months.. i have been tired all of the time! it seems like no amount of sleep will satisfy!! i could sleep all day and still be tired! sex drive has definitely taken a nose dive.. and the bad part about that is my bf and i have a long distance relationship.. we only see each other every few months!! so when i am w/ him.. what do you think i wanna do?! but the sex drive just isn't there! recently.. i have started to have random spotty periods even on the white pills. and that makes me crazy paranoid that i am pregnant or something else is wrong.. even though i have taken my pill by alarm daily! mood swings.. OH man.. depression up and down. one day i seem fine and motivated to live.. the next.. i hate my life.. i am confused and all i want to do is lay alone in bed and eat chocolate. it sucks. i was so weird out and thought i was all alone in this.. but in reading this website.. i am so glad that i am NOT the only one in HELL with this whole birth control pill crap!

Wow this page has helped me so much! I really thought I had lost my mind! I started these pills 2 months ago. I'm not sexually active but have very severe periods due to an ovarian disease. My OBGYN thought birth control would be the best choice. At first everything was great the cramps(which lasted 3 weeks out of the month for me) were gone! my mood did change. I've always been a very happy person and all at once I was this mean crazed person! I couldn't think about anything without feeling mad or angry or just wanting to cry. Then last week I got my first period after taking the pill I was in shock because I didn't even know it was coming. 4 days long I was so happy. I was off my period Wednesday and awoke Thanksgiving morning with the worst pain I've ever felt in my entire life. I went to the ER and they thought it was my gallbladder I've been having tests done all week. Well Sunday I got my period again!!! It's so much more intense then I've ever had in my entire life! It's now day 5 of my second period in 2 weeks and I was talking with my grandmother when she suggested maybe the whole problem was my BC. I read the little info pack the pills come with and was in complete shock. I decided to look up side effects and am so glad I did. I'm calling my doctor first thing tomorrow so maybe finally something can be done. Since I started this pill I've lost my appetite and been tired and bitchy nonstop! But with not eating I've gained weight! It's horrible!! SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE! Good luck to everyone else whose coming off of the pill or just started it!

forget it! don't let it pass your lips! i am 38yrs old and going through a very stressful time in my life. my periods have always been regular and short. a couple of months ago i started experiencing 2 periods per month with the most recent one lasting 20 days. ugh! gross! my doc put me on this pill to regulate and stop the bleeding. started taking it right away and my period stopped almost immediately. a few days later i would start again with heavy bleeding that would last for about 6 hours and then be completely gone. a few days later, the same thing. this went on for 3 weeks. now i have started a full blown period and have another week and half until my brown pills. as mentioned i am going through a very stressful time in my life, but i am not a person to suffer from depression or be emotional. i always see the silver lining and can make the most of any situation. i eat healthy, i take care of myself. my sex drive has always been through the roof. i am in the prime of my life! now? i am tired. i am gloomy. i could care less about social engagements. i am negative. i have weird discomforts in my calves and abdominal area, i cry over spilt milk. sex? seriously? who cares about that?! if i could lay in bed all day, eat chips and dip, drink wine, cry and watch mindless tv ... life would be grand. this is not me! also, i get pimples in places i never thought possible -- my arms and legs! ew! my doctor wanted me to take this pill for 3 months. not a freaking chance. my other option is to get an ablation. i've known several people who have gotten this done and have never heard nor read anything negative about this procedure. bent over today with heavy (non due) bleeding and cramps, i just called my doc and said, "screw your pill, ablate me."

Hi everyone,
I started taking these pills about a month ago and am just about done with my first pack in a couple of days. Like many of you, I felt MISERABLE when I first started taking these. For the first 10-12 days, I had head aches everyday, along with mood swings, and really bad cramps. I almost stopped taking them. I even called my Doctor and she gave me the same old thing about my body needing time to adjust to them and that she wanted me to continue taking them for another 2 months. ( Total 3 months) before she considered switching me...
Well, after about the 12th day on the first pack I started feeling A LOT better! I was so relieved! Everything is back to "normal" for me and I have not had any more problems. I just hope that it STAYS! All I can say for everyone out there, is that I guess everyone is different. If you have only been on this for a few days/weeks and want to give up, just try to stick it out a little longer and maybe things will get better for you too! I know it is hard, but I am now glad that I did. I would have hated to get on another brand and have the same thing happen to me on that one!
I hope that if this is not the pill for you all, that you find something soon to relieve all your symptoms!
Good Luck!

Well I don't know where to begin, I have been on this pill for almost a full year now. Before I started the pill I have very regular periods and starting with the first month on it I had issues. I began the pill to help control my cramps that made me feel like I was going to die and to help control my mood swings. Well I don't have the cramps anymore and my mood swings are about 50 times worse than they ever were before. Since starting this pill I feel like I'm bipolar and if I'm not having extreme mood swings I feel like I'm a zombie, I don't really care about anything and I don't want to do anything. And as for the sex drive, it is no where to be seen. Most days I don't even want my boyfriend to touch me. Another thing about this pill is it makes me feel extremely paranoid. For the first few month I had two periods a month and now most the time I don't have one at all (both these are frustrating). I'm also loosing my hair which has always been THICK since I was young. If you are on this pill have start have these side effects don't wait for a year, like me, go ahead and stop taking it.

This is my first month on these pills. So far I think they are great. My cramps before were so bad I had a prescription for vicodin, now they have disappeared. I haven't had any break outs, and I use to be able to tell when my period would start because I would break out. My moods have been better than ever!! No swings or depression. I started these pills from microgestin to control my fibroid. I'll right back in 2 months, but this pill works for me.

I started Loestrin over one month and a half ago. I was put on Loestrin as a way to regulate my hormones and hopefully get rid of a cyst on my ovary. I hate these pills. I have two weeks left to go but have decided to stop the pills. My period was regular before I started the pills 6 weeks ago, but in 6 weeks I have had periodic bleeding at least once a week. My cycle was late and lasted 8 days compared to the 4 it usually lasts. Last week when I had an episode of bleeding (lasted one day) my back was spasming and cramping like crazy. I have never had back spasms or cramps in my back before these pills. I also have lymphedema in my lower legs and it has been acting up like crazy. I am having headaches that last for days. My emotions are also being affected. I will never take these pills again and I will think twice before taking any other pills. I am hoping that after a couple of weeks my body will return to normal.

This is my first month on this pill, and i started my period two weeks before i was suppose to start. I've had AWFUL mood swings, and there have been a couple of sleepless nights due to cramps. My periods usually last no more than a week, and I've been on it for close to two weeks, and might I add that it is VERY heavy. My face hardly ever breaks out ( knock on wood ) and now its broken out everywhere! Randomly throughout the day, I feel like i could just collapse at any given time. I got on the pill to regulate everything, not make it worse. Hopefully this is just my body getting use to it!

I just want to thank all of you on this blog and other blogs. I was going to start this pill for pms and pmdd. I feel like I have the flu when I have my period. I am so exhausted. Bleeding is not so bad, cramps could kill me but thank god for alive and Advil. I started to get headaches about 2 years ago during my period or a few days before and sometimes the aleve and Advil don't help it even though they help my cramps. I am a group fitness instructor and don't want to feel sick or be unable to teach my classes. But after reading the side affects that could happen forget it. About 20 years ago( i was 18 then) I was on pills and had severe panic attacks and was hospitalized for a week. They couldn't directly pin it on the pill but trying it a year later and having it happen again I never took them again. I was assured by my gyn that pills have changed and that I would be fine on loestrin24 but I just can't chance it. I would say to the people who have severe bleeding and prolonged bleeding, fibroids or other problems, find a pill that can maybe help you. But for those of you who just need it for birth control and are having these problems, find another method. It is not worth it if you loose you sex drive, have mood swings and depression or any other of the horrible things I read can happen. And if you are predisposed to panic and depression, I wouldn't take it after reading all these complaints. The bad is outweighing the good on all the blogs I have read. Thanks again and good luck ladies!!

I've been on Loestrin for almost 5 months now, but I'm still not so sure how I feel about it. Before I took the pill, I had 7 day long, heavy periods, headaches, cramps, vomiting- the whole nine yards. The first month I took the pill, I got my period as usual, but for about 5 days ( the 5 days I happened to be on vacation, fun). The next month, my period lasted about 4 days, the next month three days, and this past month I didn't get it at all. I have to admit, I was quite relieved when I read some of other comments with women also having missed periods, or no periods altogether, as I'm not ready for a mini-me quite yet. The only major problems I've had with this pill so far are severe mood swings, which my boyfriend doesn't appreciate very much, and the last few days I've had severe pain in my lower abdomen, which, if it persists, will force me to visit my gyno. Overall, I do like this pill, it's really toned down my migraines, which I've had for years, and seems to be quite effective at lessening my heavy blood flow and severe cramps.

I am 40 years old and November coming will make it one year since i am on this pill, I had to take it due to the fact that when I have my period I would lose a lot of blood and that made me very anemic where my doctor wanted to give me a blood transfusion, so my OBGYN thought that I should take birth control to minimize the flow of blood which it did, but the cramps are unbearable and i keep spotting I also have anxiety attacks and I am wondering if the pill has anything to do with it.

I have been on Loestrin for a month now. I had breakthrough bleeding the 2nd week in for four days, wasn't bad at all. Then i had three more white pills to go until I went to the iron and i started spotting so i am guessing i got my period? I went on Loestrin bc i still had bad cramps and my period for seven straight days and headaches. I have had a headache for the past three days straight and ive been crampy and have had back pain. I will give this pill some more time. it was nice having just spotting as a period. To make sure I took a pregnancy test and it was negative. But i hope my migraines stop :[

I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS PILL! This pill is the reason why I will never use birth control again! It altered my life completely, and changed ME for the worse. I had the WORSE ACNE on this pill! It is supposed to clear up minimal acne (which I barely ever had pimples) but it gave me so many! My face is still recovering from the acne, months of being off the pill! I suffered depression, migranes, cramps, bloating, feeling more hungry, and I was always MOODY. I could be in the best mood then start crying because of the stupidest, most little thing. My boyfriend could not tolerate me on this pill, it jepordized our relationship! I was so depressed and upset on this pill that I cried all the time! I'm normally a happy person 100% of the time, but this pill caused me to be a complete bitch! I only took two packs of this pill and it changed my life drastically. Never take this pill!!

Well, I definitely would not ever recommend this pill....even to my worst enemy!! Yesterday was my last pill!! I have had extreme mood swings (crying for no reason), cramps, nausea, spotting & anxiety! I have been spotting for the past 2 days with today having it turn into an actual full blown period. I have read so many negative side effects from taking this bcp and most of the ones I've been reading are so similar to my story! I hope this helps with your decision to either discontinue the use of this brand of bcp or to switch to a different brand. For me, I was on Estrostep when I was 15yrs old to regulate my periods and would definitely recommend it. I would have tried this one again, but I couldn't remember it until yesterday when I was researching my side effects. Anyways, good luck to all of you! As for me, I am totally staying away from the pill in general! I figure, my body can just do it's thing and hopefully my cycles will straighten out on it's own.

I took loestrin for 3 weeks and of all the pills i have ever been on this one is the worst. I have had acne, weight gain, headaches, cramps, no sex drive, anxiety, rapid heart rate, my breast were extremely sore, and depression. I didn't even finish the pack because I was severely paranoid that I was going to have a heart attack. Once I stopped I got my period within 2 days and all of those side effects went away. My only issue now is I haven't had my period since that time. It has only been a month and a pregnancy test came out negative adding to the fact that I don't feel like I did when I was pregnant. It is still frightening though.

I have been on Loestrin 24 Fe for about 2 months now and I haven't really had any problems per se. I had my first period after starting the pill for only 3-4 days and it was very light. I started taking it in the middle of the month since my ob/gyn told me not to wait until my next period since we didn't know when that would come considering I just had a baby in June. So far I've only had one day of spotting at an unusual time, no cramps at all, my face a cleared up considerably, no facial hair and just a tad bit of weight gain (like 5lbs.) which I don't think is from the pill. Although I am concerned considering I'm about 10 days late for my period and I've taken a pregnancy test and it was negative. I also have noticed an EXTREME decline in my sex drive. I guess I'll stick with it and hope it gets a little better.

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.

Ok so because I have to pay $65 bucks a month for my normal bcp (Loestrin24fe) was a cheap way for me to be safe when I say cheap I mean free. My sister takes this pill and she is now with child. She filled her prescript before she found out she was going to have a baby. I figure they should not go to the trash so can save some cash and get free pills right! wrong. This is the pill from helllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll run run run I took my last pill on Sunday at 5:00 this morning i woke up to the cramps from hell my period came i only had to change 2x when its normally like 6-7 when i went to change to the 3rd kotex i had a small clump of blood on this has never happened before last week i broke out in a rash all over my chest and neck my chest is tight and i feel like it is going to close in on me. I have pain in my legs and i feel like someone has beat me in the head with a bat. this will teach me to take the cheap way out

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

I have to say, I am not experiencing any horrific side effects like some of you. When I first started taking the pill about a month ago I did for a week or so wake up with nausea but only once did I actually vomit. As many people have mentioned, different bodies react differently, and I went on the pill not to avoid pregnancy but to decrease pain associated with my periods. The women in my family have terrible episodes at the onset of the periods, PARALYZING cramps, headaches, vomiting, weakness, even fainting. My last period was hardly a period, I had minimal cramps and only spotted a couple days... no bleeding at all. So for me this pill has done more good that bad. But again, it is a smart move to talk to your doctor if you are experiencing such awful side effects. One pill is not always right for every person. And hey, if many are really worried about getting pregnant but are going through this HELL experience due to birth control, explore other options; getting tubes tied or men 'snipped' might be in fact a better alternative. I wish you all well and better health!

I have been on Yaz since I was 18 and I'm 22 now and I had to switch to Loesterin 24 Fe because my cramps were getting bad, almost as bad as they were before I was on birth control. I switched about mid-July and ever since then I thought I was going CRAZY. I have been so depressed, my mood swings are insane, I am constantly nauseated, and I've been bleeding for about 2 weeks straight. I thought I was pregnant even though my take home test was negative so I went to my obgyn. She switched me off Loestrin 24 fe because she thinks that is what is making me so anxious and depressed and completely uninterested in having sex with my boyfriend My poor boyfriend has had to deal with me during this, I think I broke up with him twice and week and then cry and beg him to take me back, which he did, every time, while shaking his head and wonder where his old girlfriend went. So hopefully getting off Loestrin will fix this!

Well, I just started the pill tonight, I read through a bunch of the comments, and I sort of wished I would have looked this pill up before actually choosing this one. {Right now I'm just hot, and a bit drowsy but I highly doubt that is from the pill since I just started a couple of hours ago} However, I am prepared (semi-prepared) to stick it out and see how my body takes to it. When I was 18, 19 i took the Depo shot because my doctor thought with college starting that it would be my best bet. I miss 1-2 days/mth for my serious menstrual problems; throwing up, migraines, severe cramps where I either faint or am unable to walk, and of course fevers, etc..If i was not drugged up I probably would just cry for days and days and not sleep. However I didn't like the Depo shot much, besides getting pregnant was not the issue since I wasn't sexually active anyway. A couple years later, after missing tons of classes/month because of my period, and even getting 2 incomplete 1 semester, I decided to try another pill, Im not sure the name but it caused my appetite to change, I am only 4'11,100lbs. I have a huge appetite but fast metabolism so losing weight is not an option for me. I am praying that everything works out with this pill because now at age 24, I am sexually active and not trying to have children for at least 2 or 3 years..and even more, I am switching jobs and can not afford to finish my masters and have a job that doesn't really mind me missing time so often. So if anyone else has any side effects please post so I know what else may be normal or abnormal. Thanks in advance (and sorry for the life story lol)

This site really helped me out.. I think I'm stopping all of this nonsense. It might just be me, but I was on Tri-Sprintec for 2 months when I first started birth control all together, and it made everything worse. I bled way heavier and my cramps were something from hell, TRUST me.

Then my insurance company pretty much screwed me over and didn't give me my birth control for a month.. so my doctor told me that I should just switch since I'm off it anyways.

So.. I get this Loestrin24fe. I take it the first day of my period because my doctor told me that it was the safest way as to not get pregnant. And then I bleed for over 2 weeks... which is NOT NORMAL for me at all. My periods last normally a few days, not 2 weeks! So then I wake up one night throwing up, and I'm a complete bitch to everyone and I'm constantly moody and depressed and my boyfriend is a saint for putting up with me. Not to mention the fact that only a week after my period ended, I was spotting the nastiest brown blood all week. It was terrible and just UGH. And it hasn't stopped..

And then one day I was feeling extremely sick, my head felt like it was 10000 degrees and my stomach felt like something was punching it, and that was the night that my boyfriend said that he hoped I wasn't pregnant. So of course, being 18, I ran out, bought a pregnancy test, and it came out negative. Then I started the brown pills and the spotting I have been getting for almost 2 weeks now just got kinda heavier. No change in the weird brown color, just a bit heavier. And cramps from HELL again.

So coming onto this site made me feel better. I'm not the only person feeling like this is the worst idea of all time.

I have one more pack of this, and I'm going to the doctor soon. I don't want to give this bc a chance if this is whats going to happen to me the whole time. Not having a period? Are you kidding me? Some people put that, I would FREAK OUT!

Something better change in this new pack or me and Loestrin, we're so over.

Yes, I do agree that everyone reacts differently to bcp, and should decide for themselves once taken the pills, their own opinions. However, even though many women on this website have negative comments about Loestrin, believe it or not, it has helped me. The comments have not persuaded my decision to start or stop the pill, but has let me know that what I'm experiencing is NORMAL! I was freaking out and my doctor was of NO help! The extreme moodiness, pregnancy symptoms, back pain, fatigue, and worst of all(no one posted but makes sense now) was after intimacy I would immediately have severe cramps, leg pain, and back pain that lasted about 30min. I felt as if I was in labor, and I know that feeling. So yes, decide which pill is right for you, but Loestrin is NOT the pill for me!!! Thank you to all the comments posted because it made me realize I am not alone, and helped me figure out why I was experiencing these symptoms when my doctor couldn't.
Tahira, N.Y.

So i only just started taking this pill almost 2 weeks ago and i had never been on birth control before. I started taking it and was fine after about a couple days I found myself being very moody, bad head aches and easily depressed(which was driving my boyfriend crazy). Now lately all i wanna do is sleep and have no motivation for anything and worse of all anytime i am with my boyfriend there is bleeding during and ends shortly after every time and i don't know why it is doing that or if it is even normal. And i also thought this stuff was suppose to help you with your acne i never got it really bad but since i started i have been breaking out like crazy and i hate it. Also today i have been experiencing extreme cramps with not period but i only just ended it 2 weeks ago when i started this pack. these things are starting to worry me because i have no idea if they are normal and my doctor is of no help.

So far i've been on it for 2 months. I can't really say much on it. The first month i took it, i didn't have a period. Which can be a lil scary if that happens when you're switching pills. But I did brown a lil on the last day of the reminder pills. This month hasn't been too bad no weight gain at all, but the only thing is my period came 10 days early, but its not really heavy and the cramps are really light. I'm just happy there aren't crazy psycho lady mood swings like when i was on ortho-tri cyclen lo. Nonetheless i don't have anything bad too say about this pill.

I started taking Loestrin 24FE about three weeks ago to help me regulate my cycle. I have endometrial hyperplasia and PCOD (or so they tell me) and my periods are always unpredictable and very heavy. Well, my doctor put me on this pill to help me plus I didn't want to get pregnant before I finish my degree. Anyway, immediately I started getting horrible migraines I have not had in years, heart palpitations, dizziness, and feeling so tired all the time. My mood swings are terrible and it has made my anxiety worse all of a sudden. Now I can't eat! On Saturday I started vomitting every time I eat and the smell of food makes me sick. I know that I am not pregnant since I have not had sex since starting the pill. Now I also have a very very heavy period and the worst cramps I have ever had. So bad I almost went to the emergency room on Saturday. My husband is really worried about me so this morning I called my OB/GYN and he told me to stop taking the pill immediately that I was having a reaction to the pill that is not normal. He said that with any BCP you may have a couple small symptoms but what I was experiencing is not normal. Also my skin is starting to itch a lot. Several years ago I had to stop taking Loestrin FE28 because it was giving me horrible yeast infections before my period so this pill is new for me. I would advise stopping the pill and call your doctor. If that doctor doesn't listen find one that will. These symptoms are not normal by any means and can be dangerous. I wish you all good luck!! Oh and he said it would take several days to get out of my system.

First off, i think its important to remember that all bcp have these side-effects. its not that one pill is better or worse than another, its that everyone's body reacts differently and sometimes you will experience these side effects and sometimes you wont. all these horrible things women are listing about Loestrin, other women have said about other pills.

for example, when i first started taking a bcp, i was on ortho-lo. this one seemed fine at first (outside the three month adjustment time) then one breast started to swell and ache while the other was fine. it was just my body reacting to the combination of hormones in that particular pill. i know other women who have taken ortho-lo for years and have been fine with it. But i wasn't.

eventually i decided to try a new pill and a friend recommended i research Yasmin. i found many sights just like this one with women going on and on about how evil it was. for every good review, i read ten bad. but my doctor decided to try me on it anyway thinking i needed i higher level of hormones and the five months i was on it were horrible. severe weight gain, cramps (i never had them before), spotting, migraines, NO sex drive, etc. i went back to my doctor and she was surprised because both Yasmin and ortho-lo are supposed to be good drugs. bottom line is, they weren't good for me. she decided to switch me again, this time to a lower level of hormones, but with more active pills, trying to find the right balance for me.

now i read everyone saying horrible things about Loestrin but I have to tell you, i've been on it for a few months now and have never felt better. i didn't even have the months of 'adjusting' to a new pill. i think i may have finally found a combo pill that works for me.

all bcp pills have side effects and you can read horror stories everywhere about ALL kinds of pills. it DOESN'T mean the pill is horrible, or awful, or evil or the worst kind ever. it just means, that for whatever reason, its not right for you.

so if you are out there, reading comments like this on all these pills, please don't take all these comments to heart. read them, take heed, but don't dismiss a pill because it gets bad reviews. i've done my research and they ALL have bad reviews. You have to know that all pills have some side effects BUT each woman's body is different and just because some women experienced bad things on this pill, doesn't mean you will. we are all different after all. you can judge how you will react to something based on someone else's experience.

if you're looking to start taking bcp or looking to switch, be sure you know your own body, communicate with your doctor and know that somewhere you may be able to find a bcp that works for you. i'm lucky i found one in Loestrin.

Much Luck.

I am so incredibly nervous that I am pregnant. I recently lost a baby at 27 weeks and am not ready for another baby. I have been on Loestrin 24 Fe for six weeks. The first month I had a few side effects. The past week has been horrible. I have had cramps, spotting, discharge, and tender breasts. I took a pregnancy test a week ago and it came out negative. These symptoms started only three days after intercourse, so that is far too early to experience pregnancy symptoms, but I just don't want to worry about this. I am tired of not feeling well physically and emotionally and would like to sleep.

Okay, I am 16, have never taken any birth control,and I am in my 3rd week of Loestrin. My doctor told me that if i started the pill on the first day of my period (august 1) that i would not have to wait to have UNPROTECTED sex, but to be safe, my boyfriend and I waited until august 7th to have sex, we also had sex on the 12th. Around the 15th I had some light pink discharge that lasted for 2 days...this worried me a little but i did not think much of it. Soon after that I started having back pains, cramps, nausea, headaches, my breasts are swollen, VERY tender, nipples are larger/darker, you can see the blue veins in them also. I have been picky about foods,discharge has increased, and have had terrible heartburn and have been extremely emotional. I have also had pains in my knees and ankles, and smells make me very sick to my stomach. I am very worried that I am pregnant.....but I am not supposed to get my period until the 28th so I have to wait...if anyone has been pregnant or had these symptoms on Loestrin PLEASE let me know....Thanks!

i started Loestrin 24 about a month ago and so far everything has been fine...i had headaches the week before my period came and i have been moody but i think it was just normal PMS. i have not gained any weight and i didn't have cramps when my period came-thank god, because that's part of the reason i went on this pill. my period was really light as well. i hope this continues for the next few months. it sounds like people have had really bad experiences with this pill and i hope that i don't suddenly have problems with it.. my sex drive has been normal and everything.

I am so glad I found this site. I just switched to Loestrin from Ortho Tri Cylin which I thought was making me break out and have heavy cramps. I have been taking Loestrin for a little more than a month and thought I was pregnant because I am constantly tired, nausea, and moody. My hair coming out a lot more than usual, I am hungry all the time, and I have had severe headaches. I am going to stop taking this pill immediately.

I have also been scared that I'm pregnant with Loestrin 24. I have had headaches everyday, nausea, cramps, major mood swings, my sex drive has significantly decreased, my gums bleed a little when I brush my teeth and sometimes I wake up with dried blood on my teeth. My periods barely last a day, and I wouldn't even say I was bleeding. I took a pregnancy test and it came back negative. I'm thinking about calling my GYNO now and asking her to switch my birth control. I have never found a BC that is perfect for me, but these are the worst side effects I've ever had with one.

ok I posted a few months ago about my experience with this pill. Well Im now back to say it is starting not to work. My period started about 8 days ago and has not stopped but get this I am not taking the brown pills so I should not be getting a period @ all. Go figure. Also my breast which were large before I started this pill is HUGER now I take pictures from the neck up cuz I l look like Im swollen. I am now taking two pills a day to stop the bleeding so we will see but when this pack is gone im off these for good. I have had horrible cramps as if i was not on the pill. I can say the bleeding was considerably light considering I cannot leave out side my house when Im on my period usually. But the reason for me starting the pill was to not have periods at all!!!

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

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

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

In December of 2006 i was taken from school to the emergency room for sever menstrual contractions. It was the first time i had ever experienced that kind of pain during my period. Literally it felt like i was going to have a baby.
My doctor put me on Loestrin and it worked beautifully. My periods stopped completely after 2 months. I had no symptoms at all, no side effects either. Now that i have been on it for almost 2 years my periods are coming back (only lasting about 3 days), my cramps are returning, ive developed muscle and joint pain, my lower back stiffens up making it difficult to stand or walk for more than 15 minutes, i get dizzy easily, and now ive developed brown spots on my back near my shoulders. if any one else has these spots please let me know so don't think im crazy. My doctor says i have a fungal infection but iv had it for 6months now. IDK!!

I'm 25, and I have never used bc. I was given this from my gyno. because my bf kept taking off his thingy. So the first day, the very first day my hair started to come out. I gave it two weeks, and threw it in the garbage. I had hair falling out everywhere, I had EVERY side effect listed. My vision was also screwed up. I didn't know what the hell was going on with me. My bf broke up with me, my moods were crazy, my boobs hurt, i had cramps, heavy bleeding, nausea, all i wanted to do was eat food, stomach pains, depression, anxiety, a headache, I was dizzy to the point were I just wanted to start crying, I even had the shits...This pill is a joke. I can deal with minor things like spotting, and I realize it takes 3 months for your body to adjust, but I couldn't even take it for 2 weeks. I did notice that if you take vitamins, the side effects were better.. but still my heart hurt so much I thought, holy crap, I'm going to have a mini-stroke at the age of 25. I am so thankful to god that I found this site and I could read other people's stories. I really think the idea of bc is wonderful, but until they make a pill that my body will accept- I'll stick with condoms, they have worked so far, I would even go on to say, I rather never have sex again then to go through the toll of this pill. This should have never been put on the market.

I am 25 and had never taken BC before in my life. Due to my love/hate relationship with condoms, I decided to give it a shot. My doctor prescribed me Lo24 because of the low amounts of estrogen. I started taking the pills 8 days ago. The first few days weren't too bad other than constant cramps, nausea, and super sore boobs. The last four were unbelievably unbearable. I was an emotional wreck and I cried hysterically a handful of times for no apparent reason. I was also really b*tchy (which I never ever am) and almost broke up with my amazing boyfriend whom I absolutely adore over petty nonsense. Worst of all experienced flu-like symptoms (hot sweats and chills), I felt terrible. I just couldn't understand how such a tiny little pill could have such a huge impact over my physical and emotional well-being. I literally looked in the mirror and asked myself aloud, "Who are you?" I couldn't understand why I felt and acted the way I did, it was like I was a completely different person at times, and I seriously missed "me." I decided I would rather abstain from sex altogether than subject myself and my love ones to another day of my emotional and physical rollercoaster ride. I had one of the most trying weeks ever because of those pills. I realize that everyone reacts differently to medication. My body personally completely rejected the drug, and my overall opinion of BC is severely tainted now. I just hope that now that I stopped taking them (today) that everything will return to "normal" again. Good luck ladies, and listen to your bodies, if it feels wrong, it probably is.

I was put on Loestrin three weeks ago, and after being on it for 2 and half I've taken myself off of it. I've been on the pill for 7 years and was on Yasmin before I switched because I was having break through bleeding. With Loestrin I have been an emotional wreck, I can't go anywhere. I cry almost over anything and sometimes for no reason at all, and not a couple of little tears, sobbing hysterically. I had to stay home from an entire day of classes because I literally could not get out of bed the cramps and headaches were so bad (on the verge of a migraine which I never get). I've gained 7 pounds in these two and half weeks, I eat all the time. I am on adderall and usually have to make myself eat because I have no appetite, now it's all I do. It made me horribly anxious and depressed, and I didn't want to be social at all (not like I could because I would probably cry). This pill is awful. I also had spotting within the first week and bad spotting. I've been breaking out on my face more then I ever did before I was on the pill. I do not recommend this pill to anyone I much rather not have the positive side effects of birth control then take this.

ok so ive been on loestrin for about 6 months....it was fine until last month when i got my period for an entire week 3 weeks early. then i missed my period when i should have really had it, then spotted for a quick second at the beginning of the week and then another hot second at the end of that week i have been having cramps since i should have originally had my period in the beginning of july. i have symptoms like i did when i was pregnant with my son. Cramping, heartburn, feeling like ur gonna get your period everyday. this made me nervous so i took a test it said no. but still this is so odd because my doctor probably just like all of your doctors said that you should get your period very light for about 3 days...uhh what the hell is going on ..oh yeah and im moody getting sad a lot but i don't know if that has to do with other things in my life.. i am going to the dr tomorrow to try to get this worked out..i cant keep changing birth control!!!!!!!!

Hello... I am on my third pack of loestrin 24. Im 19 and have never been on BC. the first pack i spotted and did NOT get my period on my brown pills. the second pack i got my period about the second week and bled for 2 weeks straight. it went away for a week and i DID get my period on the brown pills.. i was excited, i thought i was regulating finally. i am currently on my third pack the second week and i got my period last night and have cramps. i don't not really want to switch and go through this again. i lost my appetite( i don't mind) my drive has increased and i lostt weight. my skin is great im happy not moddy. i am hoping since loestrin is 24 days of hormones not 21 maybe its taking longer to regulate. I hope i regulare im scared i wont. has this happened to anyone... has anyone been normal. my only problem is this constant crampy bleeding! please help.

i started taking Loestrin FE just under a month ago. i havnt gotten to the brown pills yet for my 1st period on it.
since i started taking it ive noticed that ive been pee'n 2 times as much as i normally do..
my gums bleed slightly when i brush my teeth and in the afternoons i get nauseas and light headed..i get really week and after a few minutes it goes away.
ive taken a pregnancy test and its came back negative (i took it today)
but idk

what do you guys think?
plz let me know

I have been taking Loestrin 24 for almost a year now. I am not sexually active but I had such a heavy period so my doctor put me on it. At first my period was really weird and I would get random spotting which was really annoying but now its pretty regular and light like a normal period should be like. Except one problem I have is that I get headaches for a few days and sometimes my headache is like a substitute for my period which I still need to tell my doctor. I feel a lot better taking the pills although sometimes I will get cramps but thats normal. The only problem I have is headaches.

I've been on this thing for about 3 days. I've been feeling nautious since the first day, but at first it would be mild & would go away within a few minutes. Tonight I'm lying in bed, dying with stomach pains, not cramps, intense stomach pains. Nausea...... stomach pains again. Nausea..... pain again. I ran to the bathroom like 5 or 6 times to puke and eventually gave up. I look like a freaking whale, too. I'm a little 110lb girl but I've gained easily a few pounds in the past few days and it shows. My dad slapped me on the stomach today & asked me if it was "a new addition to the family." My lower stomach area is all bloated. Just sitting here I can feel my stomach churning. Anyone else feeling my stomach pains? I mean really.

Well i have been on loestrin 24 for a yr and 1mnth now and when i 1st started i had the btb and then it went away and no other real problems with it...its work the way it should no real bad mood swings/acne/weight gain and lighter periods..but now all of a sudden i have btb again but so much worse..it last about 2 weeks and i get the worst cramps. i don't understand why now that its been a year ( & my body should be use to it) how i have this annoying btb. i just need to know if i should wait it out or just swith bc?? anyone feel my pain??

I'm a couple weeks into taking this Loestrin pill, after being on Seasonique for about 3 months, and I'm nervous about it. I'm in a monogamous relationship with my boyfriend, he uses condoms , and I'm on birth control , but I'm experiencing nausea in the morning, weird food cravings, unpleasant cramps, headaches, but still light blood spotting. I was absolutely terrified that I was pregnant, but after reading these other entries, it seems mildly common to 'be pregnant' for a month. To be safe I'm getting a pregnancy test, but I'm hoping that the chemicals in the Loestrin doesn't mess with the test. I don't think I dig these pills very much if this is going to happen every month.

I have been on Loestrin 24 for 4 months now and hadn't had any big problems with it until I get to the sugar pills for me to have my period. I have had the worst cramps that I have EVER had in my life. I've never been on birth control before I began taking Loestrin, so I'm not sure if this is normal. My periods are shorter, but the pain is unbearable. I started it this morning and I have been in bed all day long in excruciating pain. I almost drove to the hospital but decided to hang in there. Has anyone else had a similar problem? I haven't gained too much weight except I've gone up an entire cup size in my bra which I didn't mind too much except that my boobs hurt almost constantly now if I don't have a bra holding them up! My main concern is the abdominal pain. Any thoughts?