Dianette pill and thrush

I've given Dianette three stars, because there were a few positives while I used it, but ultimately it did more harm than good to my physical and mental well-being. I was first prescribed Dianette by my GP during my A Levels, because I needed regular contraception, and was told that this particular pill would help my hormonal acne. Happily, within the first three months, my skin was the clearest it had ever been since before puberty! And I hadn't got pregnant, so it certainly fulfilled its promises on that front. However, there were some undesirable side effects which eventually led me to come off the pill, and have made me quite wary of hormonal contraception altogether. I found that my appetite increased, to quite an alarming degree. I might have had a three course meal in a restaurant (for example), and then felt ravenous when I'd got home later that evening. Accompanied by this increased hunger was a sudden dip in my energy levels, and feeling "hangry". Coupled with this was some water weight, which made my body feel much bigger than it actually was, and I became very obsessed with exercise, diet, and body image, which meant I lost out on a lot of university-related fun and friendships. (N.B.: this might say more about my own issues around body image and self-esteem, but I feel it's something any women with E.D.s might want to be aware of.) I had some good life experiences while on this pill, but my persistent mood swings and depression ruined them. I had frequent irritability and angry outbursts, which affected ALL my relationships, and, I believe, contributed to my eventual dropping out of university. In spite of the negative effect on my mental health, I didn't find my libido to be adversely affected, but I did seem to be more prone than usual to Thrush. Which, as you can imagine, was something of a passion killer. It took me a long time to admit that maybe this pill wasn't great for me, because of the benefits to my skin and sex life (I was only 18, and having clear skin and being sexually active was still a novelty!). But on top of some existing issues I had, it ruined my life in a lot of ways.

Can't remember exact time frames but I took this for over a year, maybe 2 but I think less. I was on it for PCOS, specifically to see if it would help with hair loss. I didn't notice any change (also had anemia and taking supplements for that may have been what reduced the hair loss, rather than dianette). The first few months were quite rocky. I often had bad headaches and mood swings and quite soon after starting experienced vaginal discomfort. I went to the GP / pharmacy multiple times for thrush. My breasts also got bigger and felt tender. After the initial 3 months, I still found orgasms less intense (less sensitivity in general down there) and my sex drive lowered. The threat of another thrush outbreak seemed to always be there. The positives were I had clear skin, and the headaches stopped unless I had a breakthrough bleed, which would be when I'd get the really bad headaches again, cramps etc. again. It also helped stabilise my mood and I felt less irritable. It didn't have a dramatic effect on my body apart from the breasts (but even then only made them fuller, going up a cup size possibly). I came off it because of the vaginal discomfort, lowered sex drive and not enjoying the changes to my body (although now I think I'd be more accepting of the body changes, as they were really minor).

I cannot believe this is still being described when significant numbers have commented on its effects on mental health. I spent 3 years of my life on this pill with incessant mood swings and depression. When I switched to another pill all of that evaporated.