Balcoltra for Birth Control User Reviews (Page 2)

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 12, 2022

"I started having heavier periods about a year ago, and they became very painful to the point where I would skip work or class. I was on ibuprofen to control the pain but got an ulcer from that, so then I was prescribed Balcoltra. I didn't even make it a week before I felt terrible. I felt tired all the time, and all I wanted to do was sleep, but I couldn't sleep. My doctor said to take the pill at night to sleep through the nauseousness, but regardless, I would wake up and vomit in the middle of the night. All of a sudden, I felt unmotivated, which was hard being in college. The worst part was I became very emotional and would just randomly cry. My brain felt foggy, and I knew this was the complete opposite of myself! I stopped after a week because I didn't want the side effects to get any worse."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 11, 2022

"DON’T use this! I’m 26. I’ve been on birth control (Ortho Tri-Cyclen) since I turned 20 with no major issues. I switched because of predisposition for heart conditions and blood clotting disorder, and Balcoltra is supposed to be lower in hormones. Gyno gave me 2 free packs. I don’t have insurance, and I quickly realized the pharmacy wanted to charge me $240 a month! I had already started taking them, so I figured I’d finish the free packs. Within maybe the first weeks, I had become extremely depressed and unmotivated. I’m usually a happy person, and I’ve never had issues with my body. I developed some sort of body dysmorphia. I lost my appetite and often skipped meals and somehow still managed to gain weight and had bloating. I started having severe acne, and I think I might be losing my hair too. I didn’t think it was the pill until the second month on it. I’m done with it now, but my recommendation is to save yourself the mental strain!"

• I...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 18, 2021

"I really don't know how to feel about this pill. My doctor prescribed it to me after being diagnosed with PCOS and to help regulate my periods. I had very long, heavy periods, and this was to regulate my cycles. The first month of taking it was fine. I didn't experience any adverse side effects, besides some breast tenderness and occasional cramps at random with no spotting. No weight gain, and my mood actually became better. However, during the placebo week, the cramps that came with my period put me in the ER. TERRIBLE CRAMPS while taking Balcoltra. They're more intense than I ever experience in my life."

• Cha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 18, 2021

"I’ve experienced the worst side effects possible with this drug. Doctors couldn’t tell if I was having a seizure or a migraine so severe it mimicked seizures. The headaches didn’t start until two weeks after I had taken the drug. The headaches completely crippled me, and Drs couldn’t tell me why or what was happening. Birth control was ruled out as not causing the problem because it had been two weeks since I’d taken it. It’s been a solid month in and out of hospitals and seeing new Drs. After my last trip to the ER, I stopped taking my birth control and my headaches stopped the following day. On the second day, I realized I had lost my memory of the entire month. Currently, I haven’t been off of it for even a week yet, and I’ve started my period way too early as I’ve already had my period once this month. I’m terrified and traumatized to the point where I never want to try another birth control pill so long as I live."

• Jan...
• July 22, 2019

"Balcoltra has caused my acne to go from mild to severe in a matter of 6 months. Previously, I was on Yaz for 7 years. My acne on Yaz was mostly mild. It also made me lose weight. But, over time, I started experiencing migraines and increased acne, so I talked to my gyno, and she switched me to Balcoltra. She explained that my body could have changed and the hormones in Yaz just weren't working the same. Boy, do I wish I never made that switch. I have always been the type to say birth control does not make you gain weight, but in 6 months, I've put on almost 10 lbs, and I really haven't made any changes in my diet. But the worst is the horrendous cystic acne that's now covering my jawline, cheeks, and chin. I tried not to believe that this was the culprit and that it's just because I've been under a lot of stress, but I can't hold out any longer. I'm coming off completely. For now, I'm just praying that my acne gets under control."

• juj...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 16, 2021

"I had a normal experience with this medication. I used it for my cramps, and it definitely helped, but I still would get cramps every once in a while. But it was NOTHING like before. I would still get my period on the placebo week, which is normal, but before I used to take a different BC, and I didn't get my period back for MONTHS, so it was nice not freaking out every month. Overall, I never had any symptoms or anything bad. It honestly didn't even feel like I was taking any medication, I felt completely fine."

• Wan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 8, 2021

"My doctor gave me the sample pack to start. First week, I have no side effects, but week two, I started to have heavy blood with clots. Week three started with a serious headache. Week four, serious cramps, and I feel like vomiting all the time, tinnitus. Don't try this brand. Very serious side effects."

• lex...
• November 16, 2020

"Balcoltra was my first form of birth control, and I just finished my third pack. For some reason, this birth control messed with my digestive system. After a couple of weeks, I noticed that I was really gassy, and my body looked like I was gaining weight. I realized it wasn't actually weight gain, but instead, I was having stomach issues. I had a lot of flatulence, bloating, and constipation that gradually got worse. I started taking expensive probiotics and being extra restrictive about what I was eating to make it go away. I tried cutting out food groups and only eating healthy, non-irritating foods, but nothing worked. This third month has been really bad, I'm constantly so bloated that I look pregnant, and it gives me stomach pain. It really messed with my body image, and being obsessive over what I eat consumes me. I'm really upset about this because other than that, Balcoltra has been perfect, maybe some mood swings, but that's it. Sadly, I have to switch to something else.:("

• Nik...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 23, 2023

"Not worth the stress. I’m in my second month of taking this birth control. I was put on this to help shrink an ovarian cyst. So far, I’ve had nonstop bleeding. I’ve been bleeding/spotting for a month straight, literally. I normally have a cycle of 4 to 6 days, so going from 4 to 6 days to a whole 30 days nonstop is insane. I’ve experienced abnormal mood swings, weight gain, increased anxiety, depression, random crying, and acne for no reason. I get off work, shower, and get right in the bed because I’m so depressed, and I have no reason to be. My life is great, I’m a mother, wife, and business owner, but taking this birth control just has me feeling depressed. Having acne as a side effect makes depression even worse. Now I’m depressed and feel ugly. Ughhhh."

• Ros...
• December 5, 2019

"I was on Balcoltra for a total of 4 horrible months. This was the first BC I’d ever been on-recommended by my OBGYN to treat ovarian cysts. Now, my cysts were painful, but nothing compared to this BC’s side effects. I was nauseous every single day. I woke up nauseous, I went about my day fighting the urge to vomit, and I’d go to bed sitting upright until I’d fall asleep and wake up at 3 a.m. with food coming up my throat. I’d also get frequent migraines, definitely gained some weight, have episodes of depression, and I’d developed acne that I hadn’t had since my teenage years. The only upside is that my period would last about 3 days when prior to it, it would last about 7-8 days. I know it was this BC doing all of this because I switched to Blisovi and have yet to have any side effects. My acne cleared up within days, I sleep through the night, and I’m losing some weight. I know every body is different, but this one was so intense I really wouldn’t recommend it to ANYONE."

• KCa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 1, 2019

"I was prescribed this birth control to help regulate my period and prevent pregnancy due to medication I was taking. After a few weeks (2-3), I started to get pains in my breasts and feeling some slight lumps. Once I got my period (and was only taking the blue pills), the pain went away. Once I started the yellow pills again, the pains came back. My doctor had to change my birth control."

• acn...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 11, 2019

"I switched to Balcoltra after Tri Lo Marzia when I began getting periods over 12 days long. 3 months in, my period is back to normal, and nothing else is. I am on birth control (BC) to help my acne, and I now have huge cystic breakouts when I've never had cystic acne before. Ever since starting the medication, I've had severe mood swings, which continued to get worse and spiraled into full-on depression. Like many other commenters, I tried very hard to believe it wasn't the birth control, but I have experienced nearly every side effect of this medication at this point. This was my fourth birth control I've tried, and I am officially done with BC altogether. Thanks for nothing!"

• cca...
• January 16, 2021

"I am coming up on the last pack of my 3-month supply. I would not recommend this brand to anyone. I got on birth control because my periods were incredibly irregular. Does it help regulate it? Yes. Balcoltra contains iron in it. Because of all that iron, you will feel bloated and have digestive issues. My acne was never bad, but after I started it, cystic acne started to show up. I thought birth control was supposed to reduce acne? After I’m done with this pack, I’ll be using a different brand."

• Kai...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 30, 2021

"I was put on Balcoltra by my OBGYN to see if it would help reduce an ovarian cyst. I started the pill on the first day of my period and took the 21 active pills in the packet, ignoring the 7 placebo pills. I ended up bleeding for about 30 days straight, starting from the first day of my period. It was the worst. It has now been 30 days since I took the last Balcoltra pill, and almost 3 weeks since I finally stopped bleeding, but I definitely don’t have my libido back. Not even close. I’m hoping in the next 2 months or so that will be back to normal. Also, I haven’t yet gotten to check if it even helped with the cyst. Never doing that again."

• ksp...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 20, 2021

"I started taking this Balcoltra pill around three months ago. I was switched to it because of breakthrough bleeding I was having on my other one. It worked for that part, but I have had terrible gastrointestinal problems. I didn't realize the birth control was causing this, so I went through multiple tests trying to see what was causing it. I had a colonoscopy, did the elimination diet, more exercise, and a food allergy test, and still no answer. After this, I was on the blue pills (which I skip most of the time)"

• Abc...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 9, 2021

"I’m coming back to this page to leave my own review, mainly because I feel like I read lots of horror stories here prior to starting on Balcoltra. I’ve been taking Balcoltra for 5 months and can’t seem to find any negative side effects. My period isn’t drastically different in any way, other than oftentimes being one day shorter than before. I’ve noticed no weight gain, bloating, or acne. I have experienced minor anxiety symptoms, but I was prone to this prior to taking Balcoltra. I also read in many reviews that this birth control was extravagantly expensive, but that hasn’t been my experience. I have what I consider rather poor insurance, but Balcoltra was free with my prescription coverage for a few months, and now costs about $30/month. As a side note, it seems this birth control is at least somewhat uncommon. None of the personnel at my local pharmacy had seen or heard of it, but it was able to be ordered without any problem. Overall, I would recommend Balcoltra."

• All...
• May 9, 2020

"Switched from Lo Lo to Balcoltra, and the first 3-4 months were great. Then I started to have horrible depression and anxiety. Went to a therapist, and it didn’t help, so she prescribed me an antidepressant. I’ve also gained lots of weight and lost weight on Lo Lo. Recently, I’ve started having the worst headaches and migraines. It’s almost every night. It seriously just prevented pregnancy. Do yourself a favor... don’t take this!!! Anyway, I’m switching to an IUD because they aren’t systemic. Wish me luck://"

• KLa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 1, 2020

"I experienced the worst anxiety/depression within days of starting this Balcoltra. I thought I was going insane, and thank goodness I put the pieces together at the end of the first pack and stopped taking it. The first day after stopping, I felt like myself again."

• Mel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 20, 2021

"I switched to this BC pill because I wasn't getting my period and was starting to have a low sex drive. I took this for 3 months, and I experienced the worst side effects ever. I started having cramps while on the pill, off the pill, and while being intimate with my boyfriend. I got headaches every time I was on my period, and I completely blew up like a balloon (went up 2 jean sizes). To top it off, I completely lost my sex drive (which was initially one of the reasons my doctor switched me to this BC pill). I also experienced my very first anxiety attack ever. I know everyone's body is different, but I had horrible side effects to this pill."

• Wor...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 6, 2021

"Loved it so much. First birth control I began taking, didn’t treat me well the first week I was on it. Gained a few pounds, nothing too serious. Cleared my skin and changed my attitude 100%. Unfortunately, had to change my birth control due to an insurance change, wish I could stay on Balcoltra forever."

• mar...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 19, 2022

"This is truly the worst possible birth control ever. I started this when I was 15, and I immediately noticed poor acne on my face that I never got before. It made me really depressed, anxious, and angry at small things. I had terrible period cramps on this pill, I even had an ovarian cyst, which was extremely painful. This pill was awful for me, and it's different for everyone, but it did not help me at all."

• Hap...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 12, 2022

"I am about to start on the third month on it. I was also scared because of reviews and all. It was my first type of birth control. But honestly, so far I have not seen any side effects. Also, I have not yet felt any bloating, stomach pain, or any type of difference in my body. My periods are now lighter and shorter, and my cramps are gone. So good! I am happy so far!"

• Mad...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 28, 2022

"I was put on Balcoltra to help regulate my menstrual cycle. It worked, but it caused me major depression and suicidal thoughts. I have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety a few years prior, but after therapy and being on Prozac I felt so much better. However, after the first few weeks of taking Balcoltra, the Prozac wasn't helping, and I fell back into depression. I had to quit it, and once I quit, I felt immediate relief from my depressive episode. Would not want anyone with a history of mental illness to be on this specific pill."

• Whi...
• February 4, 2022

"Went to the gyno about chronic yeast infections, and all I was told was to stop wearing tight pants and cut caffeine. The doctor then fixated on the fact that I’m married and not on BC. I had no insurance, and instead of prescribing me something affordable, she gives me a few sample boxes of Balcoltra. The nurse who retrieved these boxes had a look of concern on her face, and I should have walked away from the whole situation. I gave them a try instead. The first week was fine, but then spotting began, followed by six straight days of the worst period pain I’ve ever felt. This was also during COVID lockdown (the least stressed six weeks of my life). I was in the middle of writing a novel, and all of a sudden my brain was too foggy to think. The pain was excruciating, and all of a sudden I was depressed and borderline suicidal. Upon nearly crashing my car into the side of a bridge, I stopped taking them. And everything went right back to normal. These pills are not okay."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 7, 2022

"I have been on this pill for about two years after I had a ruptured cyst. This was the first birth control I’ve ever taken, and I have never changed it since. I have not gotten any more cramps. My period is much lighter, and I did not experience any spotting at all. I have not gained major weight, and most importantly, my cysts are under control. I've never really suffered from anxiety or depression, so the pill didn't have an effect on my mood at all. It actually balances them out. I feel so stable on the pill and so unstable when I'm off of it. Reading the reviews makes you realize how different everyone really is!"