Gedarel 30/150 pill vs Levest pill

I was initially prescribed GEDAREL 30/150 to treat acne when I was 15. I have been diagnosed with clinical depression since age 14 which is managed with SSRIs. I can confidently say that GEDADAREL has not had any effect on my mood, but it should be noted that I have been on SSRIs for the entire time that I used it. It also drastically improved my acne which was an absolute miracle at that age. The only other side effect I noticed was larger and more tender breasts. I have always had light periods and I didn’t notice much of a change to my periods on the pill. I remained on it continuously until age 19. I took a break for around 9 months, during which time my acne returned. Went back on it age 20 when I got into a relationship and was on it continuously until the start of this year (age 23). I stopped using Gedarel because I am currently celibate and single and I haven’t had any severe issues with acne, so it feels unnecessary to pay for contraception. When I need contraception again I will definitely go back to Gedarel.

This pill has been amazing for me. I've been on and off for several years and can confidently say this pill completely clears my hormonal acne - where other treatments have not worked. No negative side effects either!

Only side effect I've noticed is increased acne

started this pill when i was 16 for heavy irregular periods. really helped regulate them + shortened them from 7 days to 5! tbh i think it made them a little more painful though came off it after 3 years because my skin randomly got a lot worse after being clear for the duration of using it - got really painful hormonal spots on my chin but all in all a great starter pill for me! i’m pretty sure it sorted out my mood swings too lol but not sure cos it was aaaaaages ago

Levest has done me good. I have gained weight since being on the pill however I am no longer going to the gym regularly so I cannot blame levest entirely. Would recommend

Very helpful for my acne and confidence, but my mood noticeably changed to feeling numb quite often. I’ve felt very physically and mentally tired over the last 13 months, but can’t remember a time before then. Great at stopping my periods for 4 months, before I breakthrough bleed and take a break. When I do bleed, it is extremely heavy, but it is less painful.

Took this for 3 months total and am now taking a break to see if there's any change in the side effects. Didn't notice major changes in mood or anything else, was very happy with it initially as I took it to have lighter and less painful periods, and it worked really well in this respect. However after a month or two I started to notice considerable vaginal dryness - it was uncomfortable, itchy and sensitive - in a bad way - day to day and made sex very painful even with lube. Don't really want to choose between painful periods and daily discomfort/painful sex but here I am.

I've never had mental health issues but this pill has made me almost suicidal and made me act out in ways I never thought id behave like kind of erratic. Also made me gain 2 stone when I didn't think that would happen to me, not a good experience over the 3 years.

The only good things I could say about this pill is it made my periods super light and my skin was spotless (quite literally). Then the negatives were SO negative. I experienced unbelievable anxiety, brain fog and my anger management around the time of my period was non existent to the point the final straw was when I hurled my poor bf’s breakfast across the room in a rage 😅 I’ve spent a month on no contraception and I’ve felt like a different person around this cycle. I’ve been prescribed a different pill but tbh I think I’d rather be sane and spotty rather than go back to being someone I don’t even recognise!

I was on the combined pill originally on Microgynon for a few years but then I was moved onto Levest and that is what I continued with for at least 2 years. I had no problems with the effectiveness of Levest for what it is intended to do. The only advantage of this pill for me was that my skin became very clear and my periods were very light which is nice. HOWEVER, I started to realise that I was starting to feel like a different person while on this pill. I would say that I became very numb most of the time which gave me quite a low mood and would often snap at people. The couple of days before my period I would be extremely low and would cry at anything and everything! Sometimes I would literally cry for no reason, if I was even just thinking of a sad situation...I would cry. It was my mum that eventually mentioned that it could be the pill effecting my mood so I decided to come off it to see what would happen. I'm so glad that I did! My mood has improved massively and I no longer have that low mood all the time. Of course, you get fluctuations in your natural cycle and mood changes with that but it is nothing compared to when I was on Levest, I have barely cried since being off it!

Prior to using this pill I was on Microgynon with no side-effects. The pharmacy decided to change the pill, like they were changing a brand of sweets. I've steadily gained a lot of weight over 8 months. I'm a very active person & so the weight makes me look bloated & thick, mainly settling on my stomach, boobs & backside. I've also had some major mood swings, particularly with anxiety, which I've only just attributed to this pill. Plus side is I've had no periods & no issues with my sex drive, like some people have mentioned. I will be coming off this pill & chatting with my nurse about alternatives.

Was looking for a pill to give me a regular period, as I did not get any due to having PCOS. During my 7 day break, I get a bleed, and the first 2 days or so of the break, my sex drive returns. The loss of libido has been the hardest part of changing from the mini pill to the combined pill.

For the first 2.5 years the pill was fine I got on with it well. It was only in the final 18 months of using the pill that I noticed my anxiety heightened, sex drive depleted, vaginal dryness and extremely low moods during the break.