Yasmin pill

My mood returned to normal quite quickly. My acne returned but the worst thing was my hair loss.

I felt I had to decide between having regular periods and my acne being slightly better or feeling depressed and constantly tearful and loosing clumps of my hair. The benefits did not outweigh the negatives so after 5 months I stopped taking it and for over a year later I still lost more and more of my hair but my negative mood went completely.

Yasmin pill-review-id-69557637-1b05-49e4-a4e4-f400febaf9e2

I first started using Yasmin when i was almost 17, and mainly did it to improve my skin a bit. Initially my skin got so so much worse and it took about 3-4 months to fully clear up. On it my skin was the main improvement ; it really worked wonders for my skin. My body hair decreased and maybe got a bit lighter, my skin wasn’t as oily and my boobs grew a tiny bit. However after about 4 months of using it i started getting horrible anxiety. I was constantly stressing and crying to the point where people around me thought I was delusional. I also started getting horrible panic attacks, that sometimes would happen every day. I really felt like i was at my lowest point on this pill. Normal things like getting on a train would stress me out to the point where i fully avoided taking trains. I really felt like i was going psycho and all my friends and family couldn’t recognise me anymore!! I really felt like id lost my personality. I know it works for others but the psychological side effects i got from this pill whilst on it were not worth the skin benefits that came with it. 

Yasmin pill-review-id-28efb46e-0421-4471-ab53-b22d20c459b6

I went on Yasmin to try and control my prolonged periods. I committed to giving it 3 months but could not tolerate it any longer. Although the prolonged periods stopped, I got breakthrough bleeding / spotting every month. I also had extremely bad head aches for weeks at a time and felt really low. I had a few major dizzy spells where I’d completely lose my balance too which I can’t say for sure was the pill, but the other side effects definitely were. I even at times had intense increased urination where I would need to go for a wee every ten minutes (no exaggeration). I really wanted this pill to work after hearing good things about it and if I could’ve given it longer to settle I would’ve but I couldn’t tolerate the side effects any more. 

Yasmin pill-review-id-bf163de5-bc26-4cf7-87d7-14232b2241cf

Rigevidon pill

Been on combined pill for 16 years with no breaks. Periods are now regular - previously irregular & not as frequent as they should be. Never fallen pregnant. Had pre-existing issues with depression/self esteem/anxiety, so cannot say whether my mental health has declined or not. I like the flexibility of taking packs back to back if I want to avoid having a period on a certain date, and I prefer being on a contraceptive where I have a bleed as a clear indicator that I’m unlikely to be pregnant each month. I started using a cup several years ago and have noticed my bleeds often contain large clots. Only get period pain on the first day of my period which I manage with ibuprofen and then it subsides. Have been HPV positive on my last two smears and recently had a colposcopy which confirmed I have no abnormal cells as of yet - Having done research, apparently being on the pill can elevate your risk of cervical cancer.

Rigevidon pill-review-id-9bc090f0-0517-4486-a37e-f4a179daa147

My emotional responses now feel a lot more rational and I feel joy that isn’t dependent on whether life is hard or great. I am crying a lot less and I am not having emotional outbursts (all of this would happen for no apparent reason). Looking back I would emotionally overreact on the smallest of things. I feel a lot more nervous about getting pregnant but these worries don’t outweigh the negative side effects I had on the pill. 

I wanted to go on the pill just for contraception. When I started taking  Rigevidon my skin got spotty to begin with but then completely calmed down and didn’t have any spots after the first 3 months. 
Each month I would have really bad migraines to the point I would be sick. They would happen when I’d have my pill break and it would stop me from doing anything till they stopped (could be the oestrogen was too high for me).
I found I was incredibly emotional, a lot more than usual, crying at least once a week. I genuinely felt depressed and my mood was so low. I would feel sad and cry but couldn’t explain why, there was no reason for it, which made me feel worse. In the end my partner told me to come off it because it was making me so unhappy. Now I’m off it I feel back to my normal self and I’m so pleased I did. I did think of trying another pill but reading reviews the side effects are all the same. I’m now using natural cycles and so far so good.  

Rigevidon pill-review-id-2a678949-c3f2-4f3c-828d-50a2b2f19c38

I came off the coil as I didn’t like not having periods and was put on this pill. 
I had the worst 3 weeks I have had in years on this pill, I cried every day and my usual happy personality was destroyed. My doctor thankfully swapped me over very quickly to a new pill (marvelon) and my mood is back to normal. 
Im sure it works for some, just 100% did not for me!

Rigevidon pill-review-id-71667fa7-a7c7-440a-a35a-4f5221ba5ad6

Microgynon 30 pill

Overall not that many side effects but I do get lots of really bad headaches and dizziness most days. The pill really increased my anxiety a lot and I regularly have low mood 

Microgynon 30 pill-review-id-484bb6ec-364a-4f17-bf1c-e7579aece8bc

I started taking Microgynon when I was 18 for 9 years so I don't have much of a baseline of my emotions, sex drive, skin, etc beforehand as I was still pretty young. My skin definitely improved but that could have just been getting out of puberty. My sex drive seemed slightly decreased. The reason I stopped taking it is because of the mood swings - I would just suddenly feel very grumpy or annoyed for no reason at all and it caused me to be mean/rude to people and shut myself off from everyone. I especially noticed my mood very bad just before taking a pill break. My periods were lighter and shorted on this pill.

Microgynon 30 pill-review-id-87fccf4d-ce5d-4666-850d-3cc9a07929d0

The mood swings I had on this pill were terrible. I was so highly stressed and emotional.

Microgynon 30 pill-review-id-8329b9fe-6acb-4655-b9dc-5fa3170c3e42

Cilique pill

I started out on the combined pill cilest about 7 - 8 years ago for acne. I was then changed during covid to cilique due to cilest no longer being available and was told it was exactly the same ingredients? I’ve been on the pill for my whole adolescence/ early adulthood so I don’t know what my sex drive was like prior to the pill and I struggle to remember what my mood was like prior. I have endometriosis and have been advised to have the coil or stay on the pill. This pill helps me limit the amount of periods I have a year I take 2 packets then a 4 day break continuously. My breakthrough bleeds and still heavy and very painful due to my endometriosis but I dread to think what they would be like without the pill. I do suffer with a lot of headaches, breast tenderness and random cramping pains (however this could be endometriosis). I do often experience episodes of extreme anxiety/ low mood when I am at the end of the second pill packet and it lasts around a week and happens at the same time each 2 monthly cycle. The pill has also improved my acne as this was terrible prior to the pill. Overall, I’m happy with this pill as it outweighs the effects of endometriosis without the pill however if I didn’t have endometriosis I would look at coming off contraception. 

Cilique pill-review-id-ac4c59dc-b936-45d7-b0fb-39c01cc27bb6

I tried this pill after taking Microgynon for 9 years. For the first few months my breasts were much bigger and more tender. I tried the tricycling method but found I was spotting a lot throughout the 3rd pill strip so switched to 2 strips back to back, but still experienced a bit of spotting in the week before the pill break. Every time I started taking it again after the 7 day break, I was very very nauseous. At the start this lasted for a few days but as time went on, the nauseousness lasted for longer and longer. My sex drive was really low on this pill and I was experiencing vaginal dryness too which definitely didn't help. My mood was TERRIBLE on this pill. I switched from Microgynon because of mood swings, but Cilique just left me with a permanently low mood. It started to feel like depression - I had no motivation to do anything, I didn't feel excitement for anything, I felt myself wishing I could just stop existing at times (not suicidal but just feeling like there was no point in sitting around being miserable). I have my wedding coming up in about a month and I just had to switch pills because I couldn't even look forward to it. After switching to a different pill the low mood immediately lifted thankfully. I didn't gain weight but I definitely didn't look as slim as I normally do - I suspect it was maybe water retention as I just looked a bit puffier.

Cilique pill-review-id-5745b2d3-7e57-4c3e-972f-37e1c2041384

I wrote a four star review for cilique a few months ago saying I had nausea when first started taking it in the morning but then it settled when I then started taking it at night
Since then, I’ve been getting more and more spotting and breakthrough bleeding, both when I take 2 packs back to back, and also if I only take one months worth :/ 
My boobs also went up from a FF to a H cup, my sex drive decreased, feel like I’ve gained weight (although weight gain could be due to other factors), and generally feeling a bit meh on it - especially very emotional/sad and anxious when on my ‘period’
I’ve come off cilique to try marvelon in the hope that a lower dose will reduce my side effects. 

Cilique pill-review-id-34b3b146-cc06-4088-9811-ffb1726330b4

Eloine pill

It messed my periods up for about two months after stopping but overall coming off of this pill was a huge relief. I would much rather recommend Sertraline for PMDD treatment over the combined pill.

This pill was prescribed to me to help with PMDD symptoms. After a week it caused me to begin having extremely severe panic attacks during which I couldn’t breathe and experienced worrying limb numbness. I didn’t sleep for a week and stopped taking it straight away. Worst experience of my life! 

Eloine pill-review-id-dfa93b47-20c5-4db0-8c74-ba97d3f51980

Dr Fran recommended this pill as an option to help me manage my pain levels without affecting my mental health.

I have suspected endometriosis and some significant mental health issues too. Prior to trying this pill, I was at my wits end. I was in severe pain every day with frequent flare ups leaving me stuck in bed or throwing up for hours on end. 

I’d tried a few GP prescribed pills which had been devastating for my mental and physical health. My appointment with Dr Fran was a last attempt to try hormonal methods of management. 

Overall the experience has been positive. Dr Fran recommended I take the pill continuously for as long as my body could tolerate to a maximum of three months. Half way through month two I had break through bleeding for a few days so took a 4 day pill break. 

I’m now trialling a two month continuous cycle with a 4 day break. 

I can definitely feel period like symptoms as my hormone levels change. And I can tell when my body needs a break - my endometriosis symptoms push back through but after a break they abate again. It’ll take some playing around with to get it right but I feel positive that this could be a long term solution to improve my quality of life. 

Side effects have occurred but nothing significant really. I’ve definitely had a slightly lower libido. Otherwise I’ve noted some vaginal dryness/soreness. This seems to be easing up now I’m into my 4th (ish) month of taking this pill. 

The only side effect that is proving to be quite a problem for me is hormonal mouth ulcers/mouth soreness. This has never been a problem for me until now so has most definitely been brought on by this pill. They seem to occur mid-way through each packet but do stick around for a good week or two so it feels like I have them a lot. They are rather painful and nothing really helps to get rid of them quickly or to relive the pain. I am hoping this will also abate once I settle into a routine with how I take this pill.

I plan on booking an appointment to discuss it and get some further advice. Compared to the pain I was in, this is minor but it is starting to get me down. 

My mental health has actually been more stable on this pill which was unexpected! 

I haven’t gained any weight despite having more of an appetite. I actually think I’ve lost a little weight. Regardless, I actually feel better about my body than I have in years. I’m recovered from anorexia and have avoided looking at myself for years. Since being on this pill I seem to see my body differently and have way more positive days than negative. I do get bloated still but not as often as I did. 

Planning to keep going with this pill - huge thank you to Dr Fran for validating my pain and making me feel like I was worth listening to. 

Eloine pill-review-id-d24dff74-0617-4730-aaac-be7f93258b1a

I’ve been taking Eloine for 5 months now after having bad experiences with the mini pill (non stop bleeding) and Rigevidon (made me miserable). Although I had some breakthrough bleeding the first few months, that has now stopped and I have noticed no other side effects. I mainly started taking the pill to help with painful periods, and have experienced nothing more than mild discomfort whilst on Eloine. 

Eloine pill-review-id-d1e570db-102e-4510-adf3-db75236e9f24

Loestrin 30 pill

Combined pill-Loestrin 30-review-id-12403

I liked this pill, it was very consistent and helped to deal with my symptoms of endometriosis very well. Unfortunately they have stopped manufacturing it, so I'm now moving to a different contraceptive pill.
In the last few months of using it, however, my periods became very irregular. Sometimes not coming at all, being very heavy, or just spotting. This was annoying. I also noticed that I began to have daily discharge which was unusual for me before this pill.

Loestrin 30 pill-review-id-614bc944-860b-4283-99f0-2439546dbce0

Combined pill-Loestrin 30-review-id-11048

Have never suffered any major side effects from this pill apart from the loss of my period. During my break I will get a very light spotting of blood at most or sometimes nothing at all.

Loestrin 30 pill-review-id-2feda818-9b4d-4d9a-b611-cdd708e4eb19

Great experience generally, some side effects but no mood changes which is great. Would definitely recommend.

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Loestrin 30 pill common side effects

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Vaginal dryness

Period like cramps

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