Side effects
Data is taken from self reported Lowdown user reviews
60% of Gedarel 30/150 pill reviewers reported tender breasts
56% of Gedarel 30/150 pill reviewers reported vaginal dryness
47% of Gedarel 30/150 pill reviewers reported breast enlargement
44% of Gedarel 30/150 pill reviewers reported period like cramps
40% of Gedarel 30/150 pill reviewers reported vaginal discharge
Data is taken from self reported Lowdown user reviews
3% of Gedarel 30/150 pill reviewers reported hair loss
3% of Gedarel 30/150 pill reviewers reported a latex allergy
2% of Gedarel 30/150 pill reviewers reported migraine with aura
Data is taken from self reported Lowdown user reviews
135 reviews
I was put on this pill for suspected endometriosis and I felt extremely dizzy 24/7 on it to the point where I couldn't go out. I was having multiple panic attacks a day because I'd never felt like this before. I had to stop it because it was affecting my ability to work and felt back to normal again 24 hours after taking the last pill. As the first pill brand I'd ever taken, it put me off hormonal contraception for life as it nearly lost me my job and the side effects were 100x worse than my endo symptoms. I haven't had a single panic attack since and it's been over a year since I stopped it.
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1 helpful
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It did control my periods making them regular each month. I was hoping it could control my heavy periods due to perimenopause and adenomyosis. I tried continuous pill taking with this and it does not work. After or nearly at finishing a blister pack, my body just starts bleeding like I'm on a period, so I have to give it a 4 day pill-free bleed. I'm happy that the periods are regular and 4 days long per month, but not happy that the periods are so very heavy still, in the first few days. I started feeling anemic even though I take iron supplements, so I was forced to take tranexamic acid during the 4 day bleed to reduce the bleeding. Tranexamic acid works but it always gives me a bad headache. So basically I feel unwell all through the 4 day bleed - either I'm bleeding profusely and low on iron, or I'm taking tranexamic acid and not bleeding profusely but have a bad headache all day while I'm taking tranexamic acid. So for that reason it's not an ideal pill though does improve things a bit. I'll also add, the first month I was on this, I felt unusually fatigued all day, falling asleep at my job, wanting to sleep 10 hrs at night, etc. I also had severe stomach cramps which could not be alleviated even if I took the pills just before bed - I'd just wake up middle of the night from the stomach cramps too. And it gave me bad flatulence, like IBS, for hours after I take a pill, farting all the time. And I had loss of sex drive and vaginal dryness too. I switched to Gedarel 20/150 for a lower estrogenic dosage to reduce all those side effects but then I started spotting pretty much a couple days after starting that, so this means the estrogen wasn't high enough to control bleeding. So I went back on to this Gedarel 30/150 and thankfully I seem to have regained myself and all the side effects were gone. So I stuck with the Gedarel 30/150 for 2 months already. My body got used to it, all side effects gone, no more vaginal dryness, low sex drive, stomach cramps. The heavy periods during the pill free days however, are not great as I described above... and also the fact this pill doesn't seem to work for continuous pill taking regime for me as my body always wants a bleed at the end of a pack... Not sure why.
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I take this continuously, running packets together with no break. I haven’t had a bleed in years and my acme has reduced. I don’t have a period and improves my skin. What’s not to love! No negatives!
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4 helpful
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This is the best pill I’ve been on (aside from Dianette) and it doesn’t adversely affect my mood as much as other pills I’ve been on.
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It did it's job as a contraceptive. I have been using a combined contraceptive since I was 17 to help with my periods and acne- I didn't even have a boyfriend at the time. I had been on it for over 10 years and last summer was the last straw. I developed an ectropian cervix which is where the cervix kind of swell I guess is the right term but basically the cells that are on the inside of the cervix come visible on the outside of the cervix. This caused lots of spotting and bleeding during sex which was obviously a huge red flag. I had been back and forth to the Dr's and felt dismissed most times, then jt came to my smear test. I was of course very apprehensive and bled during the procedure. I was referred to coloscopy 2 years ago and I am still waiting for that referral. My smear came back clear. However I was so worried and anxious and when I asked at the Dr's, I was told to still keep the referral. This then leads me onto my next major side effect. Since being on the pill I have been prescribed anti anxiety medication. 2 different brands for about 5 years. I experienced headaches and a complete loss of sex drive, which now coming off the pill has only just started to return a year later. I was miserable. I was a different person completely. But each time j felt completely dismissed by my GP bar one. I came off it last year after being very emotional and decided enough was enough. I had got married in the April and decided that getting pregnant was not a complete disaster so it no longer served its purpose. It has been the best thing I have ever done for my body. It has knmy been since coming off it, how much I have realised it effected me, both physically and mentally.
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at first it was alright, i was on it for about a year. realised after a couple of months that i had gained weight without changing my diet. mainly went on it for acne which if anything made it worse! wouldn’t recommend to a friend unfortunately
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This pill has made me very emotional, made me gain weight and general had a bad impact on my body and mental health
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I went on the pill to not get pregnant, and in that way it has worked. However i have had suspicions since the beginning that it wasn't right for me and 5 years later I am looking to change. I feel bloated really often, my moods are lower and I was given anti depressants while on this pill, only starting to realise it might be related. Gained weight. Recently been having regular UTIs and pain after sex, my GP couldn't figure it out but says it might be hormonal.
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I really enjoyed this contraception having switched from progesterone only to the combined pill, however I did develop migraines with aura which I have previously never had in my life before which is the only reason I was advised to not take this pill/ type of pill any more. This is a shame as I had increased sex drive and regular periods and it did not cause me to have mood swings like the progesterone only pill.
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This is my first combined pill I’ve been prescribed and has been a life saver for my PMDD, I wake up everyday feeling level now instead of caught in a horrible cycle of depression and anxiety. I get a pretty bad migraine on my break days but I was getting a lot more each month before so it still seems like an improvement. My breasts have grown and are quite tender but it doesn’t bother me that much, think it’s reduced my sex drive a little bit again not enough to bother me and outweigh the pros… I just hope it stays like this and I don’t get any new side effects!
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