Kariva for Birth Control User Reviews (Page 3)

• BoatsM
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 1, 2016

"I have been extremely happy with this birth control. After about 3 years on this bc, I had to switch pharmacies and my new pharmacy switched me to Viorele, which led to my absolute worst experience with birth control. I had headaches, felt fatigued, experienced a heavier period with more cramping, and gained weight. Finally I realized that even though Kariva and Viorele should be the same, they in fact are not!! Once I switched to a new pharmacy that would specifically fill Kariva, I lost 10 pounds in about 2 months and all the other side effects from the Viorele disappeared. After a year consistently being on Kariva, my pharmacy just switched to Pimtrea, which really upsets me that they can't be consistent with Kariva."

• Alexa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 18, 2016

"This will be my 4th month using Kariva. The only thing it helped with (besides preventing pregnancy) was making my period shorter. I went from 8 long, heavy and painful days to only 2 very light, no pain days! Other than that, I've been miserable . It hasn't helped with acne at all, it actually started to cause body acne which I've never had. Also, a huge issue that I have, I'm VERY dry down there; causing it to hurt during my period when I want to insert a tampon AND painful sex. I can't even begin to describe how painful it is, it's like my insides are being torn apart & the pain doesnt go away for hours after trying to have sex. Its taking a huge toll on my relationship. I would not recomennd this pill. I will have to talk to my dr soon."

• Sahara
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 18, 2018

"Was on Kariva for 3 months, would have stayed on it if I wasn't for the negative side effects I got from this pill. PROS: Breast grew from a B cup to a C cup. No depression, feeling sad or moody. Shorter, light periods 4 days at the most. CONS: Extreme vagina dryness, so extreme I couldn't climax at ALL for the entire 3 months. I had acne that broke out on my forehead, chin, chest and back. I'm already really skinny and wanted to gain weight instead I lost about 8 lbs. Overall, just couldn't put up with the dryness down there it ruined sex for me, after 3 months of taking it had my doctor switch me to a new pill."

• jwall
• May 18, 2016

"I've been on Kariva for probably 3 years or less now, and it is my favorite bc. I have tried others with crazy emotional side effects and heavy bleeding. Kariva gets rid of my period about 99% of the time, and with that, it decreases sex drive. It got rid of my acne, and constant hot flashes. I didn't gain any weight on it. In fact, I just came off of Kariva a few weeks ago due to a severe yeast infection which I had no idea what was causing, and since then my hormones are insane from being off of it. I keep binge eating, have cramps, my vagina is almost tingling a lot, my face gets very flush and red and my skin is super dry. I gained 6 lbs in that time and hadn't changed my eating patterns. I am going back on Kariva due to this."

• Anonymous
• August 3, 2009

"I switched to this from Ortho Tri Lo almost a year ago. I have had crazy mood swings. Seriously, I can be the happiest person in the world one minute, the next I can be super angry or super depressed. My flow is real light but breakthrough bleeding in between periods have happened more often. "

• Nause...
• December 16, 2009

"I've been on Kariva for 1 month and have had several side effects. My moods swing more so than usual, going from happy and giggly to angry and screaming the next. My abdomen is bloated, I am gassy to the point of severe pain, and I have had bouts of diarrhea and nausea. The first day of my period, I felt so awful! The pain was less than when I was not on birth control pills, but I had horrible gas pains, diarrhea, and I threw up. I will give Kariva another 2 months to see if I adjust to it over time. If I don't, I'm definitely asking my Gynecologist to switch me."

• reneed
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 4, 2020

"Kariva did improve my acne but as far as anything else I wouldn’t really recommend. Really put a toll on my emotions and made me have either bad bursts of crying randomly or just being angry for no reason. Didn’t really mess with my weight though, but did lose all sex drive completely which was awful as well."

• Misskd
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 13, 2017

"When I first switched my birth control from the generic version of Ortho tri-cyclen lo to Kariva, it was an attempt to regulate my ph balance. Although the switch made no difference in that area, I noticed a significant change in my mood. In a GOOD way! I had been taking the other birth control for so long, I thought it was just me that had crazy mood swings every month. Once I switched, the moods were gone. My mind was blown. I have also noticed a decrease in acne which is always a plus. They've also just changed the bubble pack to release the pills more easily. I recommend."

• Anonymous
• January 7, 2012

"I started this pill back in August after being on Loestrin FE. I was happy with that pill but it turned out I was having a bunch of the side effects listed to call your doctor about! Anyways, every month for the past 6 months that I have been on Kariva I have gotten my period a week early and it has lasted through the whole 2 weeks. When I was on Loestrin I got my period on the 4th monday of the month and was finished that Friday. My period has been heavier and I am getting cramps again. The good part of this pill is I am not getting shooting pain in my breasts before my period now, the downside is getting my period for 2 weeks in a row every month. I am going to call my doc on Monday to try a new pill."

• sol
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 8, 2023

"I never leave reviews, but let me tell you, this birth control affected me severely. I had horrible mood swings, depression, and anxiety. I cried almost every day, experienced diarrhea, and lost more than 20lbs in 2 month going from 140lbs to 120lbs."

• Kano
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 11, 2019

"I started taking Kariva for irregular periods after being on another pill. At first, it was fine because my periods were lighter but after a few weeks I started getting terrible cramps, bloating and my acne got awful. It also completely changed my mood and my sex drive is absolutely non-existent. Will definitely be switching."

• Anon
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 25, 2019

"I switched to Kariva for about 1.5 years ago to help with breakthrough bleeding that I was experiencing with the prior birth control. The few months, my period was light and only 3 days long and was expected during the inactive week. I would say I did notice that this medication made me more depressed before my period was coming and I did gain around 8 lbs. After taking this medication for a longer time, I experienced breakthrough bleeding earlier and earlier to the point where I ended up having a heavy two week period as well as longer bouts of moodiness and cramping. I do experience a lot of bloating and gassiness. I have decided that I need to try another type of medication. This was a great for the months that it worked properly for getting my period on time but I could not imagine continuing this."

• Jaclyn...
• March 24, 2016

"Hello, I took this birth control for four years ( I started it 15 because I was diagnosed with PCOS). Overall, it really helped me. It cleared my acne, and gave me a predictable period. The fact that it cleared my acne was the most amazing thing for me. I went from layering on concealer to cover red, even purple zits on my face to being confident in my skin. One thing I suggest if you take this medication is to read over ALL of the side effects. A little known one is constipation. I suffered from it the entire time I took this medication. Despite that one problem, this medication worked extremely well. :). Also, at age 19 I use it in conjunction with condoms to prevent pregnancy. ( take it at the same time every day and you're golden."

• Coffe...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 24, 2018

"I was on Kariva for about 2 years. Up until the last 3 months, everything was great. It made my period lighter and regular, only had slight cramps on the first day, skin clearer, boobs even grew from a small b to a small c. I decided to change to a different pill recently because I was experiencing emotional side effects. I have always struggled with anxiety but I was very stressed out due to life circumstances but noticed heavy mood swings. I wanted to try switching my pill before I tried a psychiatric medicine. I would still recommend trying kariva to everyone, It’s worth a shot and I liked it for a long time!"

• Anonymous
• January 17, 2010

"I was on Kariva for about 2 years straight (almost never ever missed a pill) after being on various other pills for 3 years before that. Kariva solved my cramp problem and I did not experience any nausea OR depression/mood swings like I had on other pills. I recently switched OFF of Kariva after missing a week of pills - I didn't even realize until then how low my libido had been! My doctor just switched me to Microgestin Fe 1/20. Obviously, everyone's bodies are different and will have different reactions, but I AM happy to be off Kariva."

• Anonymous
• May 30, 2012

"I was on Kariva for 3months and then I decided to stop taking it all together. I'd experience dizziness to the point where I'd have to sit down and also had an increase in constant headaches. The day that I decided to stop taking it, I had an extreme mood swing/panic attack. Some days while taking the pill I didn't feel like myself emotionally. I originally got on the pill to help reduce my cramps because they were so painful. The pain of my cramps did lessen, but occasionally it was still as intense as it was before I was on the pill. I bled/spotted on the third week and had my actual period the fourth. So I ended up bleeding well over a week which is more than my normal. I did not gain any weight, but my appetite increased."

• Anonymous
• August 5, 2011

"I've been on Kariva for 7 years now and have loved it! I used to have the worst periods ever, going through tampons and pads every hours, but now my periods are light and less painful. Sure, I get moody once a month, but I am a person, right? But everyone is different, and this pill has always worked for me."

• Anonymous
• February 24, 2011

"I used Kariva for three months, and have been off it now for two weeks due to insurance problems. It did not cause me any weight gain. My periods, which were usually 7-8 days, were down to 4-5 days, and the bleeding was lighter. Also, much less cramping and feelings of nausea during my period. I didn't notice until after I stopped taking the pills, but they definitely lower your sex-drive. You will still enjoy sexual activity, but just not crave it as much as you usually would. Other than that, I haven't had any other problems with this pill. I used it as the only form of birth control and it prevented pregnancy even in the first month."

• qq33452
• October 15, 2017

"I switched to Kariva from Apri. I have been on Apri for 6 month, and I have noticed that my hair started to fall out. However, it might be connected to other reasons, my hair is usually sensitive to stress, and I had particularly bad times 3-6 months ago. Anyways, I switched because of this and water retention I have been experiencing. It definitely helped! I have lost approximately 5 pounds in first 2 weeks with Kariva, and I do not loose my hair anymore. However, I have noticed PMS with the first pack of Kariva. I had it all the time before I started BC, it stopped with Apri, and now it seems to be back again."

• Stacy...
• July 18, 2016

"Kariva definitely had its ups and downs for me, but the downs were so horrible I had to go off. Pros: I never got pregnant. I stopped getting cystic acne on my chin and my skin was way clearer than it had ever been before (other birth control had been ineffective in doing this). My sex drive was not decreased at all. Cons: My boobs went from a C to spilling out of a DD and tender. I gained 10 lbs and NONE of my clothes fit anymore. My feet and ankles got so swollen that some of my shoes stopped fitting. For the first three months I spotted like crazy. After that, my periods were regular and not too bad of flow, but other birth controls had made me have a 2 day "barely there" period or not get a period at all which was way better."

• Anonymous
• April 29, 2009

"I started this a few months ago and since then it has fixed my cycle to be every three to four weeks instead of a week and a half and for that I am incredibly thankful. But I have had terrible migraines with blurred vision and it has not lightened or shortened my period, which is why I was prescribed this. Like all medications things work differently for everyone, but this has been my experience so I thought I would share."

• Yuano
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 22, 2019

"I was switched to this from Azurette by CVS without any options, as they are suppose to be generics of each other. I gave it a shot and first 3 months seemed ok but then on month 4 I got massive migraines. On month 5 I got about 20 cysts in my breasts and had one so huge that on month 6 I had to get 3 of them drained for the first time in my 35 years on this planet. That was the last straw so I completely stopped taking it and threw away all my future dosages. After being off it for almost a week, I feel like I get better sleep, and my breast pain has gotten better - though still not 100%. Don't even get me started about sex drive, I forgot what that even feels like anymore."

• Alice
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 15, 2018

"I was on Kimidess for 2 years and it was great. When I moved and got new insurance, for whatever reason I kept getting Kariva and not Kimidess from my pharmacy. It has been awful for me. After little to no sex drive, hormonal acne and Perioral dermatitis appearing, I stopped taking the pill and am now hoping to go back to Kimidess. While all BCP work differently for different bodies, this one certainly did not work for me. Super disappointed I was even given this when my doctor never prescribed it! Ladies, be careful about generic BCPs. I personally do NOT trust them now."

• Anonymous
• November 17, 2009

"I've been on Kariva for 5 months now, and am looking to switch. I get my period the third week of pills for several days, and then again the fourth week as a full period. Both sets of periods I get come with cramps, bloating (and several pounds of weight gain, which disappears once my period is over), and moodiness. When I asked my doctor to switch initially, she suggested I wait several months, as sometimes these effects subside, but mine have not."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 3, 2015

"It's kept me to where I cannot have kids which is a good thing. Sex drive is still as usual. The weird part is I don't get periods anymore. Which has caused me to fear I was pregnant, but otherwise it's fine. I have symptoms of menapause, but I am an 18 year old girl so I can't have it just yet my guess is the side effects?"