Portia User Reviews & Ratings

• Can...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 12, 2021

For Birth Control "I started this birth control because they were out of the Seasonique that I was on. It was only supposed to be temporary until they got that birth control back in stock, but I ended up staying on this one because I’ve had no side effects. The only side effects that I had on Seasonique were large blood clots while bleeding. On Portia, I have not experienced this. I’m surprised by all the negative reviews, but I guess everybody’s body reacts differently to different drugs. Portia is definitely a win for me, though."

• Anonymous
• February 6, 2020

For Birth Control "I don’t remember when Kaiser changed from Levora brand of birth control pills to Portia. But I know that since I started these pills, my life has sucked. Awful weight gain, I don’t eat bad at all and exercise 3-4 times a week. I have never had bad acne, now I get it on my forehead and chin all the time?? I feel depressed, not motivated to do anything, just want to sleep. I have really bad headaches, which is another thing I never really had prior to these pills. I am changing ASAP, and please, girl, for your sake, you should too!"

• Anonymous
• August 27, 2009

For Birth Control "Amazing... I was on YAZ, and it caused spotting and weight gain. After a year, they switched me to Portia, and I lost all the weight and haven't spotted since; also, my PMS is completely nonexistent now, and the killer mood swings I experienced on YAZ are gone too. I can't stop raving about how great Portia is; it made me feel like myself again."

• Ris...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 16, 2019

For Birth Control "I was on Levora. I struggled with weight gain, anxiety, and depression regularly, but I didn’t think to connect it to my birth control. Then I was switched to Portia due to Kaiser discontinuing Levora, and the first month seemed okay. I thought my body just needed time to adjust. Then at the second month, I started getting migraines, then it was the serious weight gain, and my anxiety and depression went through the roof. I was extremely suicidal and dangerous not only to myself but anyone close to me as well. I was unable to function as a person anymore, and I decided to stop taking it. Within the first week, I felt like a new person, and my weight dropped dramatically as every week passed. It honestly scared me, and I will never use hormonal birth control again. Never again."

• Gra...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 23, 2019

For Birth Control "I was switched to Portia after Levora was discontinued. TLDR: It was not a cute look. I experienced wild physical side effects that I had not experienced with Levora. 1) My skin broke out into more acne than it has in years, and my cheeks were constantly red. 2) I started Portia the same time I got back into my old cardio routine and clean diet that typically maintains my weight. THIS BIRTH CONTROL MADE ME GAIN 20 POUNDS in a month. And I'm 23, so it's not because my metabolism is slowing down. 3) I'm bloated ALL the time and hate how this medication gives me a perpetual food baby. 4) I'm constantly nauseous. 5) But I'm also constantly hungry. Now for the psychological symptoms: 6) I got depressed so easily and intensely, in a way that I had never been before and ended up being sent to the psychiatric ward for the first time."

• k19...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 23, 2018

For Birth Control "Started taking Portia about 2 months ago. Had to stop because I was not myself at all! Felt like a cloud was over my mind at all times. Caused extreme anxiety, depression, and mood swings. Lost friends and broke relationships. After 2 days of accidentally not taking it, I noticed I felt like myself again and refuse to go back on. Please watch your body and your mental response-don’t want anyone to have to go through this because of a silly pill!"

• AJa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 8, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve never been on birth control. I haven’t had a regular period since I was 20. I’m now 30. The first 4 days I would get nauseous for about an hour after taking it, not realizing they recommend you eat something 30 minutes before taking it...a meal or a snack like crackers and cheese...the last 3 days the nausea has faded. I did notice I was a little more emotional, but I am aware that my body is adjusting to this and learning how to act right after so long. As crazy as it sounds, I just want a normal cycle that makes me feel like an actual woman and not like something’s wrong anymore. I’ll update this if things change. Hoping it’s all smooth sailing because I have no problem stopping it cold turkey and just coping with PCOS and irregular periods."

• Ros...
• January 7, 2019

For Birth Control "This product should be banned! Everything that can go wrong will go wrong! Painful abdominal cramping all day, every day, breast tenderness and heavy pain in breasts, dramatic mood swings, intense depression, cramping during sex, yeast infections, dry skin and scalp itch, numbness in arms and legs, heart palpitations. It is taking STOP IMMEDIATELY and talk to your doctor. I was put on this without my consent!"

• Fed...
• November 3, 2018

For Birth Control "I have never experienced anything more awful. I was taking Levora, and I loved it, but then it got discontinued, and my insurance switched me to Portia. At first, I took two months of it and felt terrible. My breasts were so tender and hurting all the time, I had chest pains constantly and thought I had heart problems. I was incredibly moody and got sad or upset for no reason pretty often. I took a month break from it, but then felt like I had no choice to get back on since my insurance didn’t cover anything else, and things got worse. I have been getting panic attacks, feeling depressed and even suicidal, not acting like myself, shutting everyone out, and I finally realized that this drastic change is because of my birth control. It’s messing up my hormones and my mental health, and it’s just not worth it. I cry all the time and feel so empty inside, and I’ve never experienced this sort of helplessness before. Please don’t take this pill."

• Sof...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 29, 2018

For Birth Control "I switched from Levora to Portia about two months ago because Levora was discontinued. It is by far the worst two months. I have had a dramatic increase in acne. Levora really helped my acne, but with Portia, I am having constant breakouts everywhere. I have chronic headaches and feel very nauseous in the mornings. I feel an increase in my appetite. I tend to feel very down most of the time-sad for no reason. I am very unhappy being on this birth control."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 17, 2013

For Birth Control "I've been on a couple of birth control pills since I was 17. I'm 24 now, and I just started Portia. I've noticed bad bloating and weight gain. I work out a lot, and I've felt HUGE for over a week now. I've also had mood swings and BAD acne."

• Aua...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 9, 2018

For Birth Control "I had been on Levora for about ten years when my pharmacy switched to Portia. I was told it was the same thing (generic version), but my experience says otherwise. I took it for about two weeks when I started noticing I was VERY gloomy/sad/easily triggered. I wasn’t as resilient as I normally am. I also started bleeding during sex and was so disturbed by it I almost fainted (I never bleed during sex and basically got my period out of the blue). I would NOT advise anyone to take Portia - the gloominess/hopelessness feeling I got from taking it is enough to make me quit oral birth control altogether. I’m really struggling to find a solution."

• ILM...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 31, 2013

For Birth Control "Portia is good for preventing pregnancy. It also made my periods lighter and with hardly any cramps. The downside of this is the side effects I faced for 8 years. They included: Pain with intercourse, major migraines, neuropathy pain on the right side of my body, severe pain on my right side that made it extremely difficult to walk, episodes of expressive aphasia, which was extremely embarrassing when speaking to the doctors I worked with. Luckily, they blew it off with a joke. Dizziness, off balance, and blurred vision. Weight gain. I went to many doctors and had a lot of tests, and nobody could figure out what was wrong with me. When I stopped this pill last year so we could try to get pregnant, all my issues went away."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 29, 2012

For Birth Control "I have been on Portia for over a year. It has made me lose weight and caused me to have crazy mood swings. I got two benefits from the pill, which are weight loss and definitely did not get pregnant. This pill works really well for me, and I will continue using it until I'm ready to have a child in the future."

• And...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 2, 2019

For Birth Control "If I could give a -1 rating, I would. My pharmacy switched me to Portia in July (WITHOUT CONSULTING ME FIRST), so I have been on it for 7 months, and let me tell you, I have not been myself ever since. I was on Levora before, and with Levora, life was simple, now it's hell. My boobs are always sore, I have frequent acne, I am always annoyed and angry, I cry more often, and worst of all, I have no sex drive. This pill is horrible. Never again."

• Cfz...
• February 7, 2017

For Birth Control "Absolutely hate this pill. Was on Nuvaring, but co-pay was going up to 65 bucks a month, and I couldn't afford that! This pill makes me moody, and little things bother me that shouldn't. I have no sex drive, breasts are tender, and don't want to be touched. Unfortunately, I have to wait out the month before switching to another pill. Definitely not a fan of this birth control."

• DBa...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 9, 2019

For Birth Control "Within a year after my doctor switched me to this medication, I gained 15 pounds and developed an aggressive form of breast cancer (triple positive, invasive ductal carcinoma) at the age of 39. Fortunately, the cancer was only stage 1B at the time when I noticed the lump, but it has been an absolute nightmare and I am still going through chemo. I don’t know for sure that the pills caused my cancer, but I have absolutely zero family history of breast cancer, had none of the other risk factors, and I was unusually young to be diagnosed with cancer."

• Lel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 10, 2017

For Birth Control "I have been on this medication for one month. I was switched from Levora to this because the medication is supposedly the same. Not the same side effects for me! Levora was perfect, but this pill has given me 10 extra pounds... In one month!!! (My weight has never been this high.) Plus, my mood has been horrible, no sex drive. The only reason I am giving this 2 stars is because I am not pregnant."

• Dis...
• October 31, 2019

For Birth Control "I, like many others, was previously on Levora and was switched to Portia (without my consent) by Kaiser. Levora was my first experience with BC, and I took it for a little over a year. My only issue was prolonged spotting if I missed a dose. Once I was given Portia, I gained a little over 30 pounds in less than 4 months, I had frequent headaches, extreme fatigue (had to use my lunch break to nap daily), woke up nauseous every morning, and experienced the only 2 yeast infections I have ever had. Unfortunately, it took me about a year to realize Portia was the culprit. Since they told me it was the same when I switched, I never even suspected. I felt like a failure for gaining weight and not being able to get it off, I was frequently depressed, and my work suffered because I was often too tired to focus. Because of this thread, and my other research, I stopped taking Portia about a week ago and just opted to purchase Levora through an online BC provider NuRx."

• jen...
• January 28, 2014

For Birth Control "I switched to Portia 12 days ago when I started spotting from another birth control (Alesse). I just wanted to say I started taking Portia on Tuesday and have been crying for consecutive days from Friday to Tuesday out of nowhere. I have also found it very hard to get studying and it made me a much lazier person. I will be discontinuing this birth control today because my mood swings were affecting me too much."

• Mra...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 12, 2019

For Birth Control "I was reading a lot of these reviews and honestly can’t relate to most of them. Fortunately, I’ve had a fine experience using Portia except for one side effect. But I’ve been on Portia for about a year and a half and actually got randomly switched to another brand, in which I even requested to go back to Portia! I only get one day of cramps and a 3-day period, so it’s been nice. The one bad thing is the severe mood swings/depression I get the week before the placebo pills. At one point, I was starting to think I had bipolar disorder! (Before realizing this was due to the birth control). Thinking about switching to a new brand just because of that, but I may return to Portia in the future."

• Riv...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 9, 2017

For Birth Control "I don't have acne issues, my cycles are the same: painful and heavy. But my only issues that I can't deal with are the mood swings, bad dreams, and tiredness. I've been taking it for 2 months now, and my attitude SUCKS! I don't even want to do things I enjoy. And there is absolutely no sex drive! I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one having these issues. I was starting to think I was crazy."

• Anonymous
• October 16, 2017

For Birth Control "I was switched from Levora to Portia, and I hated it so much! I gained 7 lbs in 3 weeks even with my healthy diet and exercise. I am switching back immediately, and I don't even know why I was randomly switched in the first place. Also, my anxiety was super bad too right when starting this. Never again."

• My...
• May 20, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on Portia for about a month now, my period is extremely heavy, although that's normal for me. I noticed that it makes me very tired, which I really dislike because I'm a very active person. I'm constantly nauseous, and I mean constantly. I'm into fitness, and I gained 6 freaking pounds. I get headaches more than usual as well. I know these are normal side effects, but I am really not liking this birth control so far. I used Lavora until they discontinued it and put me on Portia, I never had problems with it like Portia."

• Aai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 10, 2020

For Birth Control "If you are considering Portia, please don't do it. I was switched from my previous BC by insurance and was given Portia. About 3 months in, I started gaining weight, my face started to break out and was constantly oily (which sucks for me because I've gone through 2 rounds of Accutane to get my skin clear), and I was a mean, moody grump all the time. After taking it for about 6 months, it finally dawned on me that maybe my issues were connected to the new BC pill. I immediately switched to Sprintec, which I love. I've only been on it a month, but I have already lost 8 lbs (no diet or exercise), my skin is clearing up and is less greasy, and my mood has greatly improved. I wish I had never ever tried Portia. It has by far been the worst pill I've ever taken."