Loestrin 30 pill vs Gedarel 30/150 pill

Although taking it on time was a bit of a chore. It was the best method I ever used. After a couple of years it stopped my periods entirely which was great and any bleeding I did have whilst on this pill was very minimal and over in 3 days or less. It cleared up my skin beautifully and I never had any issues with it which was a relief as I had to try many different pills to find this one. I stopped taking it for a bit because although it had no negative impact on my mood I did feel like it dulled the highs and lows of my emotions a bit and I wanted to see what I would feel like off it. Sadly, while I was on that break they discontinued this pill. I am so sad about it. Currently back on the hunt for an alternative and it's not going well. Really wish they'd bring it back!

Context: I was put on Loestrin in 2014 as an attempt at controlling my endometriosis. I'd had a tubal ligation a few months prior so wasn't using it for birth control. Within a month of starting it I wound up in the ER with severe abdominal pain. When I say severe I mean it felt like a cross between gallstone attack and labor pain. A CT scan showed that my small intestine was severely inflamed and the docs said it looked like Crohn's disease. I was given antibiotics, steroids, potassium, and pain meds and it started to get better. Two weeks later I was back in the ER again with the same symptoms and was asked if I had recently made any changes to my diet or taken anything new that could have caused it. I never even suspected it could be the pill until I realized that was the only change I'd recently made. I stopped taking it and started researching and found that there is a link between hormonal birth control pills and intestinal issues and Crohn's. My gyno said it was a very rare side effect and agreed I shouldn't take it anymore. Lo and behold, I don't have Crohn's and haven't had any issues since, nor have I bothered with trying to control my endometriosis with any kind of hormonal birth control after such a miserable experience. It's just not worth it.

Overall I thought this pill worked really well for me however for years didn’t realise that my dwindling sex drive was due to it. This actually caused ongoing difficulty between myself and my partner as we slowly mis-matched in drives which could be upsetting and confusing for both of us. I’ve been with my partner over 8 years and knew it wasn’t because I wasn’t attracted to him. Coming off the pill has confirmed that as I’m nearly a year off and am very nearly back to what I was like pre-pill which is amazing. I had to stop taking it because of supply issue and moved to Yasmin as after researching a lot it seemed most similar. I reacted so badly to that one though it finally gave me to push to stop using contraceptives (apart from condoms) and I’m so glad!

I originally went on the Gederal 30/150 combined pill because I had irregular periods and acne. This pill was recommended by my doctor to specifically help with acne. I really liked this pill, I didn’t feel like I experienced any side effects and it really helped clear up my skin. I still got the occasional spot but my skin was so much better. I also liked the ease of being able to chose if/when I got my period by continually taking the pill or having a 7 day break. My periods were super regular and would typically start 2 days after starting the 7 day break, and they would last 5 days with 1-2 heavier days in the middle but mostly very light. I didn’t notice any mood changes. Unfortunately, after about 7 years on this pill I had a few migraines with auras and was told by my GP that I had to stop taking this pill due to the risk of Stroke. I am now on the mini-pill which I am experiencing some negative side effects with.

I originally went on the pill to help ease period pains and I had already tried micrgogynon which made me feel nauseous. Getting used to the pill defo made me feel nauseous in the mornings a little but quickly went away. I have not had any serious side effects other than an increased emotional sensitivity and breast tenderness. My periods are a lot less heavy but thicker consistency? I'm not doubled over in pain anymore but I still take painkillers on my period. I would defo reccomend!!

My GP started me on this pill to help with perimenopausal symptoms (mainly insomnia and brain fog but to a lesser extent mood swings). For these, this pill has been a game changer and after only a couple of months, I feel like myself again. The only negative is that I've noticed a quite marked weight change and have gained around 3kg, most of which I think is water weight as I have gone puffy all over my body despite being an active person who spends a lot of time in the gym and has an active job. So I'm hoping this settles down after a couple more months, if it doesn't I think I'll try switching to another pill.

I used to be on this for years before having my two children and so I went back on but I’ve decided to come back off and try the copper coil instead of hormonal contraception. I remember when I came off I felt like I’d come back to life, as though I’d sort of been numbed when I was on it. I’d been on various types of hormonal contraception for over 20 years so I don’t think I’d noticed it happening to me over time until I came off. But having now had a few years off contraception altogether going back on I can really feel it this time. I had been losing my baby weight but that stopped when I started the pill again, I suspect it’s bloating and water rather than actual body fat. My sex drive has plummeted to basically nothing and I just don’t feel like me.

I was prescribed this pill after having no success with Rigevidon. I didn’t take it for contraception but for my PMDD. Gaslit myself into thinking that this pill made my moods more stable but in fact in made me way more emotional and often times hysterical. Caused me to have a migraine every week when I previously didn’t have any. Made me pile on weight. I wish I’d never taken it.

This pill helped me with physical aspects such as less acne, lighter and regular flow, decreased cramps etc however mentally it really didn’t work for me my brain felt so foggy I lost all motivation and had no attention span anymore, I became really restless and couldn’t focus on anything which was never something I struggled with in the past.

Used gedarel 30/150 for 3-4 years and never had any issues with it. I’ve never found a pill that can help my atrocious period cramps so can’t judge it based on that but everything else was great :)

I went on this a few years ago to stop my cycle because I suffer from severe PMS symptoms/PMDD. I remained on it for a year and experienced no side effects. I came off of it because I wanted to attempt to solve my problems naturally and holistically. Unfortunately my mental health became worse and I decided to go back on it. I have now been taking it for a week and am experiencing some mild side effects this time, but hopefully they will settle down.

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!