Xulane and Depression: What Users Say (Page 2)

• JJa...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 10, 2019

For Birth Control "The Xulane patch unfortunately did not work for me. The first problem I had was the patch itself. Anytime you get in the pool or water, the top started to come off. Went and took another patch and had to pay $120 out of pocket. Very upset. The second problem I had was the side effects. I am naturally a very bubbly, outgoing person, but as I was taking this, I noticed extreme mood swings, depression, loss of sex drive, and awful anxiety. The third problem was two-week periods. I had many of these, and I didn’t appreciate it at all. The fourth problem was my periods were not worse, but also not any better. Don’t recommend this to anyone that swims or goes into the ocean. I'm switching to the Blisovi pill, and hopefully this works, but the patch definitely did not work for me."

• Mad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2019

For Birth Control "So I started this birth control, and at first, it wasn’t too bad. Read some bad reviews and didn’t get any side effects except a headache, but wasn’t sure if it was from the patch. Then, after a couple of days, I started feeling so sad and depressed, was crying over nothing, and just not myself at all. I wouldn’t recommend this birth control, especially since it has so much more estrogen, no wonder it had me so crazy. Also, got a headache for two days every time I changed it."

• Mad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2019

For Birth Control "So I started this birth control, and at first, it wasn’t too bad. Read some bad reviews and didn’t get any side effects except a headache, but wasn’t sure if it was from the patch. Then, after a couple of days, I started feeling so sad and depressed, was crying over nothing, and just not myself at all. I wouldn’t recommend this birth control, especially since it has so much more estrogen, no wonder it had me so crazy. Also, got a headache for two days every time I changed it."

• Goi...
• July 6, 2015

For Birth Control "I started Xulane after Implanon and the NuvaRing. I had severe weight gain and depression on Implanon and some moodiness and breakthrough bleeding on NuvaRing. I've been on Xulane for one month so far, and I absolutely love it! I alternate from my abdomen to my butt every month, and it doesn't even budge or begin to peel off - it sticks! The only bothersome thing about it is I began to break out a little more - I've always had acne problems, but these have been more cystic acne than usual. It seems to be calming down though. Also, I get a lot of fuzz stuck to the adhesive on the patch itself, so I just pick it off if it gets to be noticeable. Best of all - my period pain has been non-existent and my periods very light."

• Rea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 1, 2015

For Birth Control "I've only been on it for less than a week, and it has been horrific! Like truly a nightmare. I'm nauseous all the time. I haven't really eaten anything since I started it. I've suffered random headaches, extreme depression, and anxiety. I want to rip it off, but my period was short and pleasant, and I've only had it on for four agonizing, horrible days. I wonder if it gets better?"

• Mic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 26, 2018

For Birth Control "I lasted for about three weeks on Xulane. My depression, which had been well controlled for 5 years, reappeared with a vengeance. Every night since I started on it, I've woken up around 3 AM and stayed awake for at least an hour, which is strange even with my occasional trouble sleeping. Seriously though, my depression. I wish my doctor had warned me about how bad it could get, maybe I would've seen my state of mind deteriorating sooner and could've avoided some of this. I'm still suffering from brain fog and extreme apathy. I hope to get back to normal soon, I took off the patch last night."

• Mis...
• August 1, 2016

For Birth Control "I gave this patch a 3 because I want to be as honest as possible. I'm 26 years old and switched from oral BC to the patch 4 months ago. Only pros: not having to take a pill every day and that I'm not pregnant. The cons, however, are endless. I'm always tired. I'm normally an active person, but now all I want to do is stay in bed. Severe mood swings; my sister and boyfriend have pointed out that I'm always either depressed or behaving like an angry monster. I've put on 15 pounds, and my breasts have gone up a cup size (not good since I was already a DD). I never got cramps before the patch; now they're so bad I can barely move for the first 2 days of my period. I also have severe back pain even though I haven't had any injury whatsoever."

• Not...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 23, 2019

For Birth Control "In the past, I have tried contraceptive pills. The first one made me depressed, the second one made me really tired and nauseous. I went completely off birth control (BC) for several months after that, but after a pregnancy scare, my husband and I decided I should go back on BC. I wanted something that would be good for petite people and had heard the patch was great for small women. The first month was interesting, as I had nausea and I was extremely emotional. After a while, I wasn't bothered by the patch as much, and it helped my periods become lighter with less cramps, and I only have to change it once a week! The negatives would be that I feel fatigued most of the time and have had sudden weight gain. I still wish there were better birth control options out there, but this one has been the best for me so far."

• 25i...
• January 12, 2018

For Birth Control "This patch sucks!!!! I used it for one month and said screw it. My side effects just weren’t worth it. First and foremost, I’m 25 and have had to try several b.c. to see if my body would like it. The first negative side effect was the nausea. I put the first patch on, and that night I had vomiting, severe headache - not good. I pushed through the puking and finished my 3rd week with severe anxiety attacks, panic attacks, and depression. I knew this wasn’t me and that it wasn’t normal. It wasn’t my stress causing this, but I was so scared having these attacks of shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat. I went to the ER, my heart was fine. I had high blood pressure upon arrival. DON'T USE THIS PATCH!!!"

• Lia...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 12, 2022

For Birth Control "It was the most miserable experience I've ever had on birth control. I tried 6 different types of pills before switching to Xulane's patch. Almost immediately, I experienced many things I never had before: severe breast pain, anxiety, depression, constant daily nausea, not being able to eat or sleep."

• Kay...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 21, 2018

For Birth Control "Worked well at preventing pregnancy, but horrible side effects. I have been experiencing crippling depression, mood swings, and anxiety, as well as slight weight gain. Up until being on this birth control, I was the happiest and most positive person, I was motivated and loved life... I recently got off and quit using it because I am realizing what it is doing to my body. The good does not outweigh the bad, and I will be quitting birth control for good."

• Ran...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 13, 2018

For Birth Control "I used the depo shot before I changed to the patch due to the significant change in my sex drive. On the depo shot, I had no sex drive entirely. Then, the good side about the patch is that it's super convenient, and it got my sex drive back! However, I completely lost my appetite, and my mood swings were crazy. Also, as someone who had some depression history (even if it was just minor), this patch brought my depression back, which was horrifying! I was not able to sleep well and felt constantly sad, empty, and under a lot of self-hate. That's just not me! And it's been bothering my daily life and my work really, really badly. Today, I took the patch off and switched to the NuvaRing, as the doctor said the ring has less hormone. I hope the NuvaRing would make my depression stop..."

• Ran...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 13, 2018

For Birth Control "I used the depo shot before I changed to the patch due to the significant change in my sex drive. On the depo shot, I had no sex drive entirely. Then, the good side about the patch is that it's super convenient, and it got my sex drive back! However, I completely lost my appetite, and my mood swings were crazy. Also, as someone who had some depression history (even if it was just minor), this patch brought my depression back, which was horrifying! I was not able to sleep well and felt constantly sad, empty, and under a lot of self-hate. That's just not me! And it's been bothering my daily life and my work really, really badly. Today, I took the patch off and switched to the NuvaRing, as the doctor said the ring has less hormone. I hope the NuvaRing would make my depression stop..."

• I...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 30, 2016

For Birth Control "I started using the patch around 2 months ago. I loved it at first. I needed the hormones because I have hypothyroidism, and I needed more estrogen. I mainly took it because my health condition caused me to have acne all the time, 2 periods a month, and I started growing facial hair rapidly. I tried this, and at first it was pretty cool, my hair stopped growing so fast, my periods were predictable, my acne was gone, and my small boobs grew. But all of a sudden, after 2 weeks, I started getting crazy mood swings and feeling sad. I was snappy and had so much attitude. Then I started noticing that sleep was getting difficult. And I ended up gaining weight like crazy the last 3 weeks on it. Itchy everywhere. Took it off today, and I feel very nauseous. Not worth it."

• Bel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 7, 2017

For Birth Control "I tried Xulane for 2 months. I started getting headaches on the left side of my head, dizziness, and worst depression. Every day I felt depressed after 3 weeks of using it. I was in a bad mood most of the time. I finally took it off a week ago, and my headaches are less. I didn't get a normal period. I don't recommend this patch. I am no longer using birth control, all of them have some side effects, sadly."

• Bro...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 23, 2018

For Birth Control "I was on Ortho Evra for about a year, then on this for 3-4 years. In the beginning, it was fine, but slowly started losing hair, retaining water, experiencing chronic anxiety (could barely handle driving at times), chronic brain fog, and major depression with highs and lows. My general practitioner believes it's because of the excess hormones suppressing my liver production. I hate this patch so much for ruining my thick hair and decreasing my quality of life. Sex was disappointing, so I stopped having it and didn't even care. I will never use this again. My breasts swelled as if I was pregnant, and they always hurt. Remember, this is a high dose of synthetic hormones. In my opinion, use with extreme caution. I say run far away from this."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 7, 2018

For Birth Control "I really would not recommend for anyone with a history of depression or bipolar disorder. It’s been about a week since I had to take it off, the side effects are too much for me. I’m too scared to sleep due to heightened anxiety. I’m experiencing the same things I did when I was very depressed: detached and afraid."

• Pri...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 24, 2015

For Birth Control "I have been on this patch since February. I LOVE it! My periods start the Friday night/early Saturday morning of the week I am off my patch (I change them on Mondays), and I am off by Tuesday night. My periods used to be extremely heavy and very painful, but since starting the patch, they have been great! The weekend before I take it off for the week, I am more irritable and bitchy, but not horrible. I have started noticing, though, in the last 2-3 months that on the weeks I am off the patch, by Wednesday, I am starting to get really depressed and not feeling like myself, and this is lasting until Monday when I put the patch back on."

• Nic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 23, 2021

For Birth Control "The Xulane patch did its job for me in the sense that it protected against pregnancy and eased my endometriosis pain, however, I find it difficult to deal with the highs and lows. One minute I’m energized and feel almost manic, get a lot done, have high drive and eat very well. Then I suddenly have migraines, fatigue, depression, and anxiety the next moment, as well as no appetite. I haven’t stopped taking it because I’m scared of my pain coming back and already tried depo, pills and IUD were excluded for me. I'm tempted to go back to absolutely nothing, as the ups and downs of the patch can feel overwhelming. I never know what to expect."

• Tyl...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 17, 2022

For Birth Control "I was only able to be able to put up with at least one week with this patch. I thought it would be like other forms of birth control, previously, I was on the Depo shot, and it never gave me problems except for prolonged bleeding. With Xulane, I experienced serious nausea and a two-day headache, and they didn’t happen until the fourth day I put the patch on for the first time. The first three days, I felt completely normal, then the patch kicked in, and I had horrible headaches. I started skipping my meals and lost my appetite from day 3 till I took it off on day 6 because I had enough. I couldn’t eat, sleep, think properly, and wasn’t even interested in sexual activities because of the pain in my stomach from being nauseous and the migraines. I was also very depressed at random times after day 2 of having the patch on, and I couldn’t stop having breakdowns. I just took the patch off today, and it’s day 6, but I failed to even last seven full days with it. Don’t try this form of birth control."

• Luc...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 13, 2018

"Been on birth control to reduce the cramping and heavy periods following the birth of my 3rd child and tubal ligation. I’m 43, 5’3” and 130 lbs. Started with NuvaRing, which worked great years ago for me, but now I bled all the time with it. Switched to pills but couldn’t remember to take them each month. Doc recommended the patch. Been on it for about 6 weeks. Goes on easy and is foolproof. No issues with it sliding/coming off. However, I notice my breasts ache nearly all month. I have headaches and a lot of neck tension/pain. I’ve gained about 7 lbs and am retaining a lot of water/am bloated. My anxiety is awful-like a motor running in my chest and then intermittent episodes of depression; crying, tearfulness, and lethargy. Also, agitation. It’s just awful for me. I’m going off it and back on the pill."

• Kru...
• August 26, 2016

For Birth Control "I was only on the patch for a month. I thought it would be a miracle because I began to struggle to remember to take a daily pill. I came to this website, read reviews, and decided I'd still try it. Wish I hadn't. I had insane mood swings and did not feel like myself at all. I was extremely emotional and unreasonable. I felt angry and depressed all of the time. I'd been on the pill for 8 years with no problem, except remembering to take it due to a schedule change. The patch was a different story. I completed my 3 weeks of patch, 1 week for bleeding, and promptly got back on the pill. My concern now is I'm almost a week late starting, and I'm normally like clockwork. I've never been late in my life. Apparently this is common after the patch."

• Ode...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 17, 2016

For Birth Control "At first I loved the patch, but quickly I became unhappy. The patch falls off at least once a month. I follow the instructions and put it in a place with no hair and wash well with mild soap to remove any oil on my skin. This patch has caused my face to break out terribly along with my back. It has made my anxiety and depression worse! It will fall off because my skin is oily, and my insurance won't pay for extra patches. I started the patch to control when I get my period. I have my wedding coming up, and I don't want any surprises with my period or pregnancy. However, on my second or third patch change, I ALWAYS get my period. I literally take the old one off after I have put my new one on. I'm very unhappy."