Nortrel 1/35 and Mood Swings: What Users Say

• Ley...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 26, 2019

For Birth Control "Okay, so this is my experience with Nortrel 1/35. (Meaning my body reacts differently than yours on this birth control.) So I got on this BC because of the Depo. I was bleeding nonstop for 5 months. My gyno prescribed me this since it was a high dose and was sure my bleeding would stop. It definitely worked as it should. I stopped bleeding, and I get my period at the end of the month. My period now only lasts 3/4 days instead of 7/8 from before I took any type of birth control. Now the cons of this: my mood is horrible. I cry for any little thing, everything bothers me. It even affected my relationship. If you’re currently depressed and have anxiety, I do not recommend it. I have never felt so low about myself. It’s emotionally and mentally exhausting."

• bru...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 18, 2020

For Birth Control "Works fine. Not pregnant, so that's good. A little more emotional than usual, but nothing major! No overall weight gain, but my boobs got bigger. ;) It's important to remember everyone's experience will be different!"

• Anonymous
• February 9, 2011

For Birth Control "Nortrel is the third birth control I've tried. I have been taking it for 2 months now. I haven't experienced any breakthrough bleeding, which was my problem on the other two pills, but my periods on this pill have been unbearable. This pill has caused me to have extreme cramps, major mood swings, bloating, back pain, breast tenderness, and a very, very heavy period. It lasts about 5 days, but it's far heavier than my period has ever been. I thought that my body just needed to get used to it, but my second period on this pill seemed considerably worse than the first."

• Sue...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 13, 2019

For Birth Control "I took Necon in my 20s-30s. I am 40 now and have been on Nortrel (generic of Nortrel) for 3 months. My pros: regular, 3-4 day periods, light flow, no to little acne, intense sex drive in week 3 (no dryness here), no depression/anxiety, or lack of sleep (I take clonazepam), rare headaches, rare spotting. My cons: extreme bloating (Midol helps), weight gain/increased appetite, mood swings, irritability, fatigue, cramps, nausea (I take ondansetron), gas, backaches (I take 800 mg Ibuprofen). Besides weight gain, there are 2 cons that can be age vs the pill. I see cellulite on my legs and my hair is thinning. I noticed most reviews are from girls younger than me, so I can’t compare. I love the light, short, regular periods. I am able to live with the majority of my cons. I am looking at ways to diet & become more active. Take at your own risk, but note your symptoms. See what you can live with, medicate (if you are okay with it-it helps). For me, this is not the best, but it's not the worst either."

• Coo...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 11, 2019

For Birth Control "DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICATION. I started Nortrel 1/35 in Dec 2017. I became extremely anxious, depressed, extremely moody and would go from happy to sad or mad in a matter of seconds. I stopped taking this in January 2019, and all of the side effects subsided. Not realizing it was from the birth control, I started back up on it two weeks ago, and I have been breaking out so bad, my moods are all over the place, my anxiety is worse than ever. I decided to look up reviews because starting this pill again was the only recent change in my life, and now it all makes sense. I’ve also gained 5 lbs in the two weeks I’ve been back on it and started my period yesterday when I’m not supposed to have my period for another full week. This pill is awful!"

• Len...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 1, 2018

For Birth Control "I've been on this pill for about 4-5 months now, and it's been pretty good. I used to get HORRIBLE and CRIPPLING period cramps, but this pill has helped that so much and has regulated my period and made them shorter. But the downside of this pill is that it has made my emotions super out of whack! I cry for no reason sometimes, or I'll be mad for no reason, it's just super frustrating. And makes me super nauseous! But that was only when I was starting it the first 1-3 months, so now everything feels more regulated, and I don't feel like the emotional mess it used to make me (I still get nauseous every once in a while, but it happens)."

• hes...
• May 30, 2013

"I went on Nortrel 1/35 at the age of 21 to regulate my periods, make them more manageable, and less painful every month, and to clear up my skin. During the first week, I was extremely sad to the point where I was crying every day for no reason. I remained on the pill for a year, and even though the first week was the worst with mood swings, I remained emotionally sensitive throughout the whole duration of taking the pill. It helped clear up my skin within a few months and also made my periods more manageable as well as predictable. After a year, though, I broke out with erythema multiforme all over my body due to a sensitivity to progesterone (that's the current diagnosis). I am now in the process of considering another birth control to balance it out."

• hes...
• May 30, 2013

"I went on Nortrel 1/35 at the age of 21 to regulate my periods, make them more manageable, and less painful every month, and to clear up my skin. During the first week, I was extremely sad to the point where I was crying every day for no reason. I remained on the pill for a year, and even though the first week was the worst with mood swings, I remained emotionally sensitive throughout the whole duration of taking the pill. It helped clear up my skin within a few months and also made my periods more manageable as well as predictable. After a year, though, I broke out with erythema multiforme all over my body due to a sensitivity to progesterone (that's the current diagnosis). I am now in the process of considering another birth control to balance it out."

• Ell...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 12, 2021

For Birth Control "I love this birth control. I’ve been on the Depo-Provera shot, and it caused me to keep a period for over a year. I tried another pill to regulate it, but it didn’t. It gave me horrid mood swings. But with Nortrel, I don’t have mood swings, I have experienced no weight gain, my periods are regular again! I have been on it for nearly a year and will continue. I feel like I even feel happier, more upbeat, and less depressed."

• Anonymous
• August 26, 2017

For Birth Control "I am so glad to see I'm not the only one who had a bad experience with this! I was also switched from Neocon and made to feel crazy when I told the pharmacist this did not feel the same as the Neocon. I experienced a lot of nausea, sometimes waking me up in the middle of the night. Headaches, dizziness. Really painful period, weight fluctuation, terrible mood swings. Increased vaginal discharge. Neocon was certainly better. I just switched to Aviane, thankfully, a new doctor's office was able to help me do so. I've been on Aviane before, and it was worlds better."

• Kel...
• February 17, 2019

For Birth Control "Pros: no acne, no pregnancy, regular periods. Cons: weight gain. Water retention and bloating. Had migraines but went away, still get headaches a lot. Breast tenderness. Hair was thinning out. Dry skin, eyes, vagina. No sex drive, even if I did, the outcome would be dry. Mental cons: crazy mood swings. Anxiety, insomnia mixed with depression. Stopped the pill for a month. Felt like myself again. Slept sooo good, like my body felt like it was healing itself. My groin was feeling flutters like it was on relapse. I was so calm and felt like my outward attitude on everything was way more content, happy, and more clear. Not agitated so easily. Starting losing weight already for that month. Now I'm switching to another form of BC, but had to get back on the monster pill until I get that. To make sure I don't get pregnant (IUD). So I'm feeling like crap again. Good luck, ladies. Experiment, 'cause everyone is different until you find the best for you. This BC just didn't work out for me personally."

• Ave...
• October 7, 2017

For Birth Control "This birth control was awful for me. Like many others on here, I was switched from Necon 1/35, which I was on for a year and a half, and it was working wonderfully for me. The first few months I was taking this, I noticed my periods were incredibly heavy, and my cramps were debilitating. My mood swings became so severe, and every month I would have incredible nausea the week before and after my period, yet I managed to gain about 5 pounds despite not having an appetite. I decided to stay on it for a few months to see if the symptoms would straighten themselves out. Now, 6 months in, I'm experiencing massive hair loss. I'm talking 6-8 thick handfuls a day. I've lost about half of my hair thickness/volume. Switched to OrthotricyclenLo. Hoping this works."

• Sha...
• March 20, 2015

For Birth Control "I've been on this pill for 10 years now, all of my 20s and late teens. The first 3 months were hell, as the other reviews pointed out: heavy bleeding that lasted two weeks for me, super emotional, cramps. After about 3 months, things started to level out, and I have not had any problems since then. So far, the pill has proven effective in preventing unwanted pregnancy, helped control my acne slightly, and my periods have gotten lighter. One downer I have noticed is it feels like my sex drive has taken a dip after a year of being on the pill, but aside from that, no problems after 10 years."

• Tin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 11, 2019

For Birth Control "I started the Nortrel 1/35 birth control a week ago and have been nauseous ever since! I have no appetite, everything makes me nauseous. I have horrible mood swings and am starting to get cystic acne. I was on the depo shot in 2017 but got off after reading many horror stories. I decided on the pill because it was the safest form to me. Despite all the horror stories, I can say my experience on depo wasn’t nearly as bad as being on the pills and am definitely thinking about switching back!"

• 21f...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 9, 2019

For Birth Control "I took these pills for two weeks to regulate bleeding from my copper IUD, and it was a complete disaster. I didn’t experience any weight gain, but I was consistently nauseous, and my clear face turned into a pepperoni pizza. I also experienced intense mood swings during my last three days on Nortrel. I would not recommend this birth control to anyone. I would rather deal with heavy and irregular periods than put the rest of my body through the gauntlet."

• Sam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 8, 2018

For Birth Control "This birth control was awful. While it did its job in ensuring pregnancy prevention, I experienced the worst headaches and cystic acne of my life. Horrible mood swings and painful cramping. Do not take this medication if you have other options."

• Nor...
• September 13, 2021

For Birth Control "My doctor prescribed this birth control to help regulate my periods. I started taking this pill on the last day of my period (day 7). The first few days were fine. But on days 5 and 6, I bled heavily and had cramps like a normal period. After that, I spotted every day with cramps and backache. But the worst part is the mood swings and fatigue! I can go from happy and relaxed one minute to angry/irritated/anxious/sad/depressed the next. I just sit and cry. My poor husband gets the brunt of it, but he’s so sweet and understanding, which makes me cry even more. And I feel overwhelmingly tired to the point where my brain is constantly cloudy. My doctor said to give it more time, but I don’t know how much longer I can take this and subject my husband to the mood swings."

• LSa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 11, 2022

For Birth Control "Was on Necon 1/35 for years and never had a problem. Then I moved to a new state at the end of 2017, and Walgreens didn't carry that dosage, they never heard of that dosage... (mind blown)... they gave me Nortrel 1/35 and said it was the same thing. I had mood swings and crying episodes, severe anxiety, and now my son will be 4 years old in a couple of months here, yep, that's right! About one month after taking Nortrel 1/35, I got pregnant and didn't find out until the 3rd month in of taking that pill! Nortrel did not work for anything! We were lied to, y'all! Also! For everyone here... I heard Pirmella is the generic for Necon, and the generic can still be distributed?! Talk with your local pharmacy or doctor to see if that would be the case for you as I have not done much research on this yet!"

• Tor...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 19, 2019

For Birth Control "This medication served its purpose, no pregnancy or pregnancy scares. Yet, periods seem to be an extreme hormonal withdrawal and a terrible emotional state for me. My period was very regular and light, but the emotional instability I felt for days during my period was pretty rough. Other than that one issue, I’d recommend Nortrel 1/35. I’m switching to a copper IUD to hopefully steer clear of synthetic hormones to try and avoid the withdrawals. Being close to natural always feels best, ladies. Best of luck!"

• Liv...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 26, 2018

For Birth Control "It was an awful experience, mood swings, weight gain, and I had cystic acne, which developed within the first month of taking it. It ended up ruining the skin on my face. I have huge scars, the dermatologist is helping me remove them, but it scared me for life. Do not take."

• Amb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 3, 2018

For Birth Control "I have been on this pill for only 4 days, and I can't stress enough... DO NOT TAKE THIS PILL. I used to take Necon and had a really great experience. However, my insurance switched me to Nortrel, and I seriously wish I had read reviews before starting it. I am having constant stomach pain and mood swings. I already suffer from anxiety, and somehow this medication has made it SO much worse. I am going from nervous to happy to depressed within a matter of minutes. This stuff is horrible, and I am switching ASAP. Be warned, ladies."

• CCa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 27, 2019

For Birth Control "I'm very emotional and depressed. I feel low. All I want to do is lay down and eat. I've been sleeping longer. I have no energy. It's making my endo cramps worse. Just horrible. I haven't been on it long, but I'm feeling worse day by day. I switched to this birth control as the last birth control I was on gave me severe acne. And when I stopped, it started to clear up."

• Nis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 12, 2018

For Birth Control "Terrible anxiety, depression, mood swings with this brand of birth control. I've taken various forms of birth control for 16 years, this pill felt different. Felt awful on it, would not recommend."