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 the 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."

• Ann...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 10, 2022

"I needed to get on BC and this was my first ever prescription. Week 1 of the pills, I didn’t notice much just tiny little pimples. Week 2 was absolutely horrible. Nauseous, always bloated, no motivation to do anything, weight gain and the worst of all dizzy all day everyday, and bad chest pains. I stopped talking the pill due to these side effects. Do not get on this bc!"

• 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 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:("

• jus...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 10, 2020

"Terrible. Developed chronic oral thrush and yeast infections from Balcoltra that I was not experiencing before. Also noticed bloating and digestive issues as well. Definitely getting off as soon as possible."

• 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 day fighting the urge to vomit, and I’d go to bed sitting upright until I’d fall asleep and wake up at 3am with food coming up my throat. I’d also get frequent migraines, definitely gained some weight, depression episodes, 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 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 effect. 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."

• 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 3 started with a serious headache, week 4 serious cramp and feel like vomit all the time, tinnitus. Don't try this brand. Very serious side effects."

• 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."

• Bal...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 21, 2021

"I have lost count on how many birth controls I have been on at this point to manage my period pain. I will generally skip my blue pills and start a new pack to avoid my period symptoms, as recommended per doctor. This birth control how ever has cause SEVERE cramping and bleeding. I am on my third month of this pill and am currently up at 4 am writing this review since the pain woke me up. This has no where our a dent in my normal pain, if not made it way worse. I have taken multiple pills over the past ten years and this is one of the first times I’ve experienced this kind of pain so early since I am now only three months in to taking it. I have a consultation for endometriosis surgery in May, so ladies is you are having similar symptoms of endo I suggest staying away."

• 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 birthcontrol (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 spiralled 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 all together. Thanks for nothing!"

• 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 dr had to change my birth control."

• 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."

• 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."

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

"I started taking this Balcoltra pill around three months ago. I was switched it because of break through bleeding I was having on my other one. It worked for that part but I have had terrible gastrointestinal problems. It 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 often times 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:///"

• Hal...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 6, 2020

"I was put on balcoltra a little over a year ago after having trouble with a huge cyst wrapping itself around my ovary - yes it’s as painful as it sounds!!! It helped so much and also helped regulate my periods. I went from having awful cramps to barely any, and my flow was a lot lighter. About 8 months into taking it I realized my mood was always really depressing while I would PMS. I was so sad all the time. I got put on medication for that and it helped, but I’m not sure if they balcoltra was the problem. There have been some other women talking about their mood swings on it."

• 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 b/c 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) and 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 fist anxiety attack ever. I know everyones body is different but I had horrible side effects to this pill."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 8, 2021

"I started this pill because I was having issues with mood on other pills. LoLo made me depressed and Yaz made me feel no emotion. This one I felt happy on but after three packs I've had multiple yeast infections. I never had these issues with previous brands nor have I done anything different to cause them. A pill is not worth an infection. I give one star for my mood being better but so not worth the side effects"

• 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."

• 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 insurance change, wish I could stay on balcoltra forever."

• 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 non stop bleeding. I’ve been bleeding/spotting for a month straight, literally. I normally have a cycle 4 to 6 days so going from 4 - 6 days to a whole 30 days non stop 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 worst. Now I’m depressed and feel ugly. Ughhhh"

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

"I am about start on 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 affect. Also I have not yet felt no bloating, stomach pain, or any type of difference on 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 tears 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"