Loestrin 21 1/20 for Birth Control User Reviews

• Pea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 25, 2020

"Chances are if you are reading this review, it is because you were like me. I was prescribed this pill and then obsessively looked up reviews on it before I started them. I sent myself into a panic over all the negative reviews before I even took my first pill. Let me just say, I am VERY sensitive to medications. I can't even take Motrin without feeling dizzy. I have been on this pill for 3 weeks now with NO negative side effects. I have maybe felt a bit more bloated during week one. I did feel a bit more hungry every now and then, but nothing that an apple or a quick healthy snack didn't cure... That's it! No weird moods, no crying spells, no nothing. I was scared to death before I took my first pill! But everything is fine! Please don't panic like I did because of all the negative reviews! Give it a chance. If it doesn't work out, you can always stop and switch."

• nat...
• April 9, 2018

"Started Loestrin 20 after 5 years of using no contraception. Here's my experience over the first packet. I take the pill at 9 PM every night. 1st night, within 7 hours of taking the pill, I had night sweats which lasted 15 minutes. It didn't happen again since. In the first week, I got thrush and a sore vagina, but it went away. My period was starting when I started the first pack of pills, which then stopped my period. I spotted lightly for 2 days instead, then occasionally over the 2nd week. Then my period came between the 3rd-4th week for 6 days, very light to medium, then all finished. No more bleeding. - Breast growth. My breasts are fuller after 4 weeks, A to B. I feel well mentally, other pills have caused me to feel low, depressed, or irritable. Loestrin doesn't affect my moods much more than I am normally throughout my cycle. My libido is normal to high and seems unaffected, although I find I sometimes have more vaginal dryness during intercourse."

• Loe...
• September 14, 2015

"After only taking this pill for 14 days, I made the decision to discontinue it. For me, this medication makes me miserable. The problems I experienced were: major anxiety, irritability and agitation; nausea; one episode of extreme dizziness and headache to the point I wondered if I was having a stroke; breast tenderness; fluid retention; fatigue; strange dryness around my gums; abdominal cramps; and a noticeable change in my bowel movements; an absolute loss of libido. It is hard to believe that a little BC pill can wreck your physical and emotional well-being in less than 14 days. I will never take this pill again!"

• Anonymous
• November 2, 2009

"Loved this! I took three weeks and then started a new pack, so I never had a period. Loved that! Since it is so low in estrogen, I was able to do that. Took for 10+ years but got off as I got close to 40 years old. Recommended it to all of my friends, and everyone who switched over loved it."

• Jaz...
• October 20, 2016

"I took this pill for a week. ONE week. In that time I began seriously contimplating my own suicide as well as found myself in the hospital for what I believe to be a full detachment from reality. Since then, I have had multiple seuizures and lost numerous days of memory. I have no definitive proof that the birth control cause all of these issues, but I believe so strongly that they are connected that I feel I must warn anyone considering trying this pill. I will also be keeping an eye out for those lawsuit commercials one day so I can be the first in line to state my very heated opinion."

• Gin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 30, 2018

"After trying several different combined pills, this one is by far the best. I suffer from moderate acne that would flare up every month to the point I felt so self-conscious I wouldn't want to leave the house. 3 months later and my skin is completely clear, not even so much as a tiny pimple. Along with the acne I had before, I also had very heavy and painful periods-also gone. I now have 3 days of light, pain- free bleeding every month and my mood is better than ever. I would definitely recommend this pill!"

• SCP...
• April 6, 2015

"I was on Loestrin 1/20 for about a year and a half, and on Loestrin 24 Fe before that. I loved both of the pills and would highly recommend them, for most people. However, I had to stop taking Loestrin 1/20 because my doctor and I believe that it is the reason behind me not having a period at all for 3 months. Up until that happened, the pill was fine. A little acne around the time of the period, but that happened before I was on birth control. No weight gain, no bloating, very few cramps, and no moodiness at all."

• Spo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 24, 2019

"I love this birth control Loestrin 21 1/20 compared to Yaz, Ortho-Tri-Cyclen, Mirena, Seasonique, Depo provera I do get mild headaches but no weight gain or acne. I was on it for Endometriosis and it was great"

• Jan...
• August 4, 2018

"This is a Fantastic Pill (Loestrin 21 1/20) I was originally on Microgynon and it gave me moodswings, headache and bloated feeling . Since I switched to loestrin 20 all that has gone and I now feel myself again. My periods are light had 2 days of very light hardly nothing spotting and took them back to back x2 packs no problems. Definitely found the right one for me. You all should go for it!!"

• Vic...
• April 25, 2019

"This Loestrin pill is terrible! The first week of taking it caused me to have unbelievable dizziness and nausea to a point where I thought I was going to collapse! I became snappy, irritated and depressed every single day and I would have the odd spot that was very sore on my chin, forehead and cheeks that took longer to heal than when I wasn’t on this pill. Strange pin prick spots that were very sore appeared on my fingers and toes after visiting the doctor twice they could only put it down to this pill. After another 6 months of taking this pill I suddenly had migraines which landed me in the doctors twice and a hospital visit as I thought I was having a stroke! I have now discontinued this pill due to this and I am now happy, head pain free and feel absolutely amazing! I should have stopped taking this pill a long time ago! Please be careful if your prescribed with this pill and stop immediately if you have any sickness or dizziness as that’s just the start of it all!"

• Rar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 28, 2015

"This is the first pill that I've tried which I've liked being on; I've had no acne, my periods are more manageable with mood swings GREATLY reduced (a blessing). My breasts also grew which I was pleased about as I'm usually a B cup. I had a little soreness from that but not huge amount. The only downside is weight gain. I've put on a couple of pounds and cannot seem to shift it, which is very unusual for me. I'm eating 1500 calories per day and have a varied, healthy diet but I still seem to be maintains or even gaining weight, which is a little depressing. I'm not sure I will give up on it just yet though as its great in all other respects."

• ksh...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 23, 2014

"I did not have a good experience on Loestrin. Breakouts got worse, had bad mood swings, and breakthrough bleeding. However, I was only on it for a month and a week, so this might not be a fair evaluation. Couldn't stand the side effects though, so had to get off of it."

• Anonymous
• January 11, 2010

"At first I loved this birth control. I used to have a heavy period, with loads of cramps. Then I got on this and had no cramps and very little bleeding. The only downfall of this was after a week or two on it my breakouts became very bad. I have really sensitive skin so this could be because of that. But also, I've read other reviews and acne was a side effect of this specific type."

• Syd...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 21, 2021

"Worst BC I’ve ever taken. I had previously been on tri-sprintec for years, so long I lost count. Started having breakthrough bleeding on that, so I was switched to this. About two weeks in, I started becoming irritable. Didn’t really click with me initially, but over the past two months I’ve continued to be on it, my mood has become unbearable. I’m usually a chill, happy person. This makes me feel psychotic. I am raging constantly. For absolutely no reason. The thought of sex annoys me. Everything does. It’s made my migraine headaches worse. I have one at least every other day. I’ve decided to come off of it and go back to my previous BC. I’d rather deal with the bleeding."

• ahh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 8, 2018

"absolutely disappointed with Loestrin 21 1/20. My nurse suggested this to me because my microgynon was making me feel sick. WORST MISTAKE EVER!! What is even in this pill. I have been sick all week. I had extreme heavy bleeding even when taking the pill. This is absolutely ridiculous. I am never, I repeat never taking any birth control pills again. My period felt so forced and fake like the blood is forced out and feels so sore all the time. No way am I having 3 periods a month. Usually I come on normally on my 7 day break 2-6th and then I come on heavy on the 16th and then heavy again on the 27th there is something definitely not right here!!"

• Ell...
• January 13, 2020

"The devil in disguise I never experienced anxiety problems before taking this joke of a pill and soon I found myself taking sick days because of extreme panic attacks. It caused very unpredictable mood swings. Made me very irritable and irrational. My boyfriend even compared my behaviour to the jokers-had the highest highs and the lowest lows. The way it made me act was scary to me and those around me. I felt possessed and I had no control over my emotions. I'm usually a chill person and this pill made me angry and upset at things which I wouldn't typically bat an eyelid at. The first month was actually ok and I thought it would stay that way. It got much worse after a month. Was lead to believe symptoms would improve after 3 months but they only continued to get more and more severe. Worst 4 months of my life taking this pill. Writing this to prevent another woman experiencing what I did- I wouldn't wish this experience on my worst enemy. AVOID AT ALL COSTS."

• lys...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 20, 2017

"I had been taking Gildess(generic for loestrin) for over 2 years(& never had an issue) up until the manufacturer discontinued it. It was at that time when I tried everything from Blissovi, Junel, Microgestin. I've never had an issue with acne unless it was my 'time of the month' with 1-2 'period pimples'. My skin became acne prone as soon as I stopped taking Gildess, to the point where I started getting cystic acne, even with upping my skincare routine & rarely wearing makeup. I stopped immediately & decided to give the loestrin fe 1/20 brand name a try. I'm on my 2nd pill & can already feel my face starting to break out again. Stay away from this birth control. It's not worth the emotional/physical discomfort :("

• Not...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 1, 2019

"I was on this birth control pill for about 4 month's and it was just not for me.. I had terrible mood swings which were affecting my relationship, started having dark thoughts and was sinking into depression, I lost my appetite completely. It may work for some but i guess just not for me.."

• Can...
• November 9, 2019

"I went on this pill after trying reclipsen/apri which made me unbelievably sad and had awful mood swings. This pill so far has been great except that I have breakthrough bleeding all the time. Even taking the pill on the DOT everyday. I believe it is just my body getting used to the low dose but it is awful. I have yet to notice any awful depression symptoms though!"

• Abc...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 14, 2019

"I've been on this pill for 5 years. I went on it for birth control. It's great for preventing pregnancy, and for setting your periods in a routine - you know when you're due to come on and can plan holidays, etc around it... But for the past year or so I've been experiencing really bad mood swings, dark thoughts, and it's causing relationship problems. I'm constantly up and down, I don't know when my mood will change... I've decided to stop taking the pill now and will consult my doctor. My periods are also a lot more painful now, even though the pill is supposed to prevent discomfort and pain during periods (That's how if was sold to me anyway). Overall, for the first few years this pill was perfect, but since I hit the 3-4 year mark... it has caused me nothing but problems. As I'm in the UK, this is prescribed for free on the NHS as it's for birth control."

• Gho...
• August 3, 2017

"Been on this birth control for about 6 months now. I had tried so many other pills and everything gave me side effects like extreme anxiety, weight gain, high blood pressure, and breakthrough bleeding. When I switched to this one the only side effect I had was weight gain but now on my sixth pack I'm starting to get really bad acne around my chin and forehead and my horrible menstrual cramps are back. Thinking about switching again. My poor skin has scars now:( It does however work to prevent pregnancy though."

• Daw...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 13, 2019

"I was prescribed this pill and was happy to try it as its a "lower dose" pill. Well after the second week of taking this it triggered my migraine associated vertigo, which resulted in me being dizzy for 4 days straight and being sick, so I came it off it straight away. I'm not really sure why this was prescribed to me in the first place if one of the side effects is dizziness!! Also after a few days I had breakthrough bleeding which I've never had before on any pill.. wouldn't recommend!"

• Den...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 2, 2019

"I switched off the patch to this pill because I was spotting frequently throughout my cycle. Within the first month I noticed some mild mood swings, second month I couldn’t believe I was battling with extremely dark thoughts. The third month my mood swings increased. I couldn’t recognize myself anymore. I can only attribute this to this pill. I’ve discontinued it."

• Chl...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 28, 2017

"I've been on this pill for a WEEK and I've had to stop taking it. I had to swap from Noriday to this as I was having irregular bleeding and very bad cramps. First day no side effects as expected. But from the second day onwards my period disappeared, I started to experience horrendous dizziness to the point I would class it as vertigo, and at one point I was sure I was having a heart attack because I had a very dull ache in my chest and my blood pressure was 172/151! Not to mention my moods are all over the place!"

• Lad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 25, 2023

"I am 38 years old and decided to get back on birth control. The doctor prescribed Loestrin as I wanted to try something new. In the past, I had taken ortho tri cyclen for a short period. Anyhow, I started this new BC and had an unpleasant experience immediately. On the second day, I was having cramps and dizziness. On the third day, I was getting a light headache which I figured would go away, and also felt dizzy and tired. On the fourth day still had a minor headache lingering and dizziness, and after I ate lunch I felt sick. On the fifth day, I took the pill again and my headache became a migraine later in the evening. Took some Tylenol and felt my heart race a little and took a warm shower to ease the migraine. Went to bed and woke up at 4 am with a migraine and had to shower again to ease it off. The next day decided to stop taking this birth control as I don’t feel I should have that many side effects with birth control. The only pros were that I felt my mood better but not worth the side effects."