DESOGEN Reviews (DESOGESTREL; ETHINYL ESTRADIOL)Average Rating: 2.6 (572 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare DESOGEN with similar:
Type: Brand name discontinued; available as generic
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Results are sorted by Age from youngest to oldest (reviews with no age reported listed first). Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 |
More on DESOGEN: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR DESOGEN | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 3 | prevent pregnancy | weight gain, increased appetite, depression, irritability, anxiety, a general feeling of carelessness/"nothingness" towards life | i've been on apri (generic of desogen) for 13 months. although it has worked effectively at preventing pregnancy, i have gained at least 15 pounds within the past year. i also feel depressed and lethargic, unmotivated, etc. i see no results when going to the gym which makes me even more unmotivated. i cannot even explain the ridiculous cravings i have for junk food ALL THE TIME. it is so hard to fight against this pill. i didn't even realize it was the leading cause for my depression until right now, 13 months later. i want to get off this and maybe off BC altogether. | F | 20 | 13 months | 12/26/2008 | 2 | birth control/regulate menstrul cyc | weight gain | I took the generic brand Apri for about two years, but then Walgreens switched to the generic brand Reclipsen. Though they are supposed to be the same hormonally, my body had a bad reaction to it. I've gained 6 lbs. in 2 weeks, which is especially daunting since I've been dieting and exercising to lose weight. I've switched pharmacies just to get back on Apri. The tricky thing about taking hormones is that it really just depends on your body chemistry. Don't be afraid to try different pills/patches/whatever until you find what you like. For me, Reclipsen significantly lowered my sex drive and caused me to gain weight, but with Apri there were no side effects. | F | 20 | 2 months | 5/2/2008 | 2 | bc | help im spotting so bad i think im bleeding to death DESOGEN YOU SUCK | my sex drive is even lower than it was on orthotricyclen. | F | 20 | 40 days | 3/24/2008 | 2 | birthcontrol | HORRIBLE mood swings, 10-12 lb. weight gain within first few months, HIGHLY DECREASED SEX DRIVE. | I've been taking this birthcontrol since I was 16. Despite the wonderful ability to know exactly what time my period is coming, and the cleared up complexion, there are some not so awesome side effects: nausea, mind-numbing headaches occasionally, terrible terrible mood swings, weight gain, and nearly nonexistant sex-drive. I will flip out about something, and 30 seconds later wonder why I'm so upset. Crying too. I'm planning on switching to an IUD soon, with fewer crazy hormones. | F | 20 | 4 years | 9/28/2008 | 2 | Birth Control | I started taking the pill 2 years ago and at first i got the normal side effects like nausea and i spotted the first month.I went up a bra size which is good and started to nitice weight gain , i went from 112 to 128 (that was bad). Now i have been very angry and moody all the time. I freak out over everything and cant control my anger. I was never like this before i started taking this birth control.Im with my husband its our first year being married and he cant stand to see me like this. Now i know why im acting this way and im def switching over to a different pill. | F | 20 | 2 years | 5/10/2009 | 2 | acne, birth control | increased hunger from the very first day! i became so starving all the time. I would eat something, and an hour later i would be starving again! In 3 days i gained 5 pounds. Have not had any other side effects yet but im not gonna wait for them to come. gonna stop taking the pill today. | F | 20 | 3 days | 1/13/2010 | 2 | BC, period regulation, acne | MOOD SWINGS, WEIGHT GAIN, ANXIETY, SLUGGISHNESS, INCREASED BREAST SIZE, NO SEX DRIVE | Works great to prevent pregnancy and clears up skin well, but the side effects are terrible. I can't wait to be done at the end of this pack. Mood swings are extreme, always tired, unmotivated, much bigger breasts, 30 pound weight gain in 1 year. No desire to have sex whatsoever. | F | 20 | 1 years | 3/30/2008 | 2 | birth control | complete loss of sex drive, mood swings, recurring yeast infections, nausea | switched to desogen after ortho-tricyclen lo. ortho was causing horrible depression and lack of libido. desogen is better at keeping me happier, but i have no desire for sexual activites, even making out sometimes repulses me. and i've gotten yeast infections in the past, only once or twice before birth control. only a couple times on ortho but on desogen it is a neverending cycle for me, again adding to my complete loss of libido. i'm going to switch as soon as i get back into town and speak to my doctor. | F | 20 | 4 months | 6/2/2007 | 2 | Birth Control | Where to begin?... CONS: severely depressed/mood swings, enlarged and very sore breasts, weight gain, long periods with cramps, many UTIs, charlie horses in the middle of the night PROS: never got pregnant, sex drive normal, cleared up acne | Before taking this pill I was a generally stable person emotionally. I was very happy, fun to be around and quite optimistic. Now, I really don't feel these things to be nearly as constant. At all. I'm rather sad all the time. I cry often, get irritable with the people I love, and I know now that I am not so fun to be around. I've just made the connection between this sudden depression and Desogen. Especially after reading all these reviews, it's severely evident. I'm not so sure this one is worth it, ladies. Be careful. | F | 20 | 3 days | 7/17/2007 | 2 | Birth Control | Breast Tenderness, Depression, Panic Attacks, Moodiness | This is the first birth control pill I've taken and it made me very depressed at first (which showed as me being mopey.)I went up half a cup size, which was cool - until I realize I had absolutely no sex drive (I guess it works in more way than one?)Ended up being very irritable, like 24/7 PMS. Overall NOT A GOOD EXPERIENCE | F | 20 | 2 months | 9/23/2005 | 2 | birth control | Weight gain, tiredness, depression, terrible acne, irritability, constant hunger | My doctor prescribed the generic version, Apri. As soon as I started taking it I was constantly hungry. My face was blemish free, now i have pimples everywhere on my face. I noticed a significant change in my body shape within a few days. | F | 20 | 9 days 1X day | 4/12/2010 | 2 | birth control | pulmonary embolism, weight gain, low sex drive | had a pulmonary embolism after taking pill for 3 yrs, scariest time of my life. Im 20 years old and was very close to dying. Found multiple blood clots in my left lung, now on lovenox (shots injected into my stomach) and coumadin (blood thinner). had to leave college since i was in the hospital and missed too much.. wish i never took the pill in the first place. | F | 20 | 3 years 1X day | 3/15/2010 | 1 | Prevent Pregnany | Weight gain, mood swings, zero sex drive, did nothing to shorten my week-long, heavy, extremely painful periods, possibly contributed to gall bladder disease! | 9/09 I had a gallbladder attack, most painful thing I've ever experienced! At that time I'd been taking the pill for over two years. I'm slightly overweight but I don't eat an excess of fatty foods (I'm a vegetarian and have been for 15 years) and the doctor said that the hormones were the only possible cause she could come up with. I was 19, usually the patients with that disease are 40+, obese, and have had children! I had surgery 12/09 to have my gallbladder removed. Sometime in late 2008 the doctor told me I could take start skipping the week of sugar pills to stop my period, and I jumped at the opportunity because they're so painful! However I've gained even more weight and my sex drive is basically nonexistent at this point, and a year later I had to have surgery for a disease I'm almost certain this pill caused. I'm going to my doctor on Monday to finally switch and escape this terrible pill. I'm glad I haven't gotten pregnant, and I think my acne's cleared up (though that could be from getting older, I've been taking this since I was 16) but I can't stand the other side effects any more. | F | 20 | 4 years 1X day | 1/29/2011 | 1 | pregnancy prevention | severe depression, nausea, weight loss, fatigue, mood swings | Don't go near it if you have a history of depression, even mild depression. My moods were always stable, I was always a happy person until I started Desogen. My depression got so severe on this that there were days where I physically could not get out of bed. My weight dropped to 110lbs (I'm almost 5'7"!), I looked so ill. The weight loss was a side effect of the chronic nausea Desogen caused... I took it as recommended. But I couldn't keep ANYTHING down, and would sometimes start gagging just from the smell of food. I stayed on it for a while because after 4 years of birth control, I just assumed that my depression was being caused by something else. Once I was desperate and ready to try anything to feel happier, my boyfriend suggested going off the pill. I did, and within days was feeling better... within weeks everything changed. I haven't had a depressed moment SINCE, and have gained all my weight back so I look healthy again. I'm done putting hormones in my body! This stuff is horrible. | F | 20 | 1 years 1X day | 3/1/2011 | 1 | birth control | I don't eat anything the first week of taking the pills. The next three I eat like I have never seen food in my life. I drink a crazy amount of water the week my period starts. I feel like I am insane all the time. The littlest things irritate me. I cry about everything and nothing at all. I have horrible migranes. I am always bloated. I gained weight. My skin breaks out all the time and I have never had an issue with it before. I get terrible lower back pain the week before my period. I get cramps that are so severe that my legs feel numb. I vomit from how bad my cramps are. I would never recommend this pill to anyone. I would rather pop out 5 children at once than feel insane and generally awful all the time. | it SUCKS! | F | 20 | 3 months 1X day | 10/3/2010 | 1 | period regulation bc | hair loss weight gain breast size increase depression, overall weepiness vaginal dryness and tearing. slaughtered libido. painful sex. acne. melasma. | on lutera now. lets hope it fixes everything. | F | 20 | 10 months 1X day | 9/10/2010 | 1 | Contraceptive | I gained so much weight it isn't even funny. (I went from 135-160 lbs in less than 5months, and my weight had been 135 for almost 2 years) Not really even an increased appetite either. Infact I worked out more and ate healthier :( also It caused me to become incredibly irrational, argumentative and an over all negative person. I am exhausted all the time and have no desire to do anything on my days off. My body aches and this makes me so sad. I used to be a small, pretty, and over all happy person. This pill makes me hate my life in general. I need to find another pill or just get off this one! | DO NOT TAKE THIS PILL! | F | 20 | 7 months 1X day | 9/13/2012 | 1 | Prevent pregnancy | EXTREME mood swings! I feel annoyed, sad and wanting to cry all the time for no reason. Also, the pill made me very anxious. When i stop taking it, everything goes away, so it's definitely what is causing all that! I'm still taking Desogen because i'm waiting for my doctors appointment to get a different one because i don't want to get pregnant, but i would NOT recommend this pill to anyone. | F | 20 | 1X day | 8/30/2011 | 1 | birth control | headaches, muscleache | this is the 1st bc i try and i was ok the first 3 days but then i started getting bad headahces, i feel like my eyes are heavy and tired, and also my right hand feels kinda numb. My legs, tired as I was working out. For now no mood swings but im going to stop taking it before it gets worse since i read s many negative comments about it. HOpefully im making the right decision | F | 20 | 7 days | 5/20/2007 | 1 | severe mood swings, lack of sex drive, breast tenderness | When I went to pick up my regular birth control pills, the lady informed me that they stopped providing that particular brand and handed me Desogen and said to switch to it. So far it has been 3 weeks and I'm a wreck. Usually, with my former birth control I was more balanced and rarely had mood swings, however in the past few weeks my mood swings have been pretty severe. I go from happy and euphoric to crazy and angry in a matter of moments. I can't stand feeling like this so I plan on throwing away the other packets I purchased and finding a doctor who actually consults with me before prescribing an entirely new birth control. | F | 20 | 3 weeks | 10/3/2008 |