There are 49 ratings for the drug: ORTHO-CEPT in the Askapatient database.

Key to ratings for ortho-cept: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine.

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Rating	Reason	Side Effects	Comments	Sex	Age	Time Taken and Dosage		Date Added
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2	birth control	severe mood swings, nausea	I have been on this birth control for three months because the last one I tried aggrivated my IBS. While my stomach isn't in stabbing pain anymore, I recently started feeling nauseous in the morning and I feel like crying all the time. I got back on birth control in the first place because my boyfriend has a son and we are both concerned about his verility. However, with my mood being as unstable I am getting upset with him, not dealing with stress at all and generally just feel miserable all the time.	F	27	3 months 1X D		7/7/2010
1	for pms symptons	mood swings..hopelessness..tired all the time..cant even do basic daily activities. Horrible, would not recommend to anyone. I took it for 3 months then stopped and decided to try it again. Was on ortho tri-cylen for 5 yrs and never had these isues..		F	35	30 days 1X D		6/10/2010
5	birth control	none	I have taken Ortho-cept or a generic equivalent (e.g. Apri-28, Reclispen) for 15 years. I have had no problems. although I will add that if you are looking for relief from PMS symptoms, I wouldn't recommend this particular pill; it hasn't done anything on that front, but my symptoms are very mild.	F	41	15 years 1X D		5/14/2010
2	Pregnancy	Acne: face, chest, back, arms. Major mood swings which you can call bipolar disorder. Insomnia - do not take this before you go to bed! always bloated. Huge increase in appetite. Breast tenderness. Very very bitchy! I hate everyone basicly. I'm always mad and pissed off.	This pill is literally a joke. This was the downfall of my life. After 2 months of being on ortho-cept I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder and bipolar disorder. If you feel like ruining your life; knock yourself out.	F	18	1X D		5/5/2010
5	birth control	painful cramps for the first month, some weight gain	I have been taking Ortho-Cept for a year now, and really have not had any major issues. The first two weeks I was on it I was tired and achey and bloated, but I woke up one day and all of that was gone. I have gained a few pounds, but have been able to control my weight by exercising and eating right. The thing is, everyone's bodies are different. From reading the reviews, you can tell that this clearly works for some, but not for others, which i definitely important to remember.	F	21	1 years 1X D		5/3/2010
2	Birth Control	Acne, weight gain, increased intensity of my migraines, increased appetite, period not shorter or lighter, cramping, bloating	I initially started taking BC to help with my migraines. I was on an awesome pill for over 10 years. Now I no longer have insurance so Ortho-Cept was what became available to me. I noticed side effects right away, but after reading some reviews that said it needs a few months to work, I decided to try. My periods never got lighter or shorter, I would break out (I have never had acne, not even as a teen) I gained 30 pounds (and I race bicycles and run marathons) so I was not sitting around. My appetite increased, and most of all, my migraines became worse. A week before and during the week of my period I had cramping, bloating, and migraines everyday. I don't know what I will take instead, but I quit taking this.	F	37	1 years 1X D		4/20/2010
2	regulate periods	acne, mood swings, overall feelings of depression	I was prescribed this bc pill to help regulate my periods and to help with some hormonal issues I was suffering with due to PCOS. It made it worse. I have gone from a bit of acne now and then to being broken out on my face, chest, and arms (very unusual for me) since the day after I started taking this pill. I find myself fine one minute, mad at my husband or kids for no real reason the next minute, and crying the minute after that. Over the last 2 weeks I've realized I feel very down and have to make myself do my regular activities like working out, gardening, etc. I just feel and look like crap right now and am asking my dr today to prescribe me something else.	F	28	28 days .03mg 1X D		4/14/2010
3	Period Irregularites	Tingling in my legs the first week, seemed to be whenever I drank caffiene but it has since stopped. Mild cramps, fatigue & an increase in acne.	Besides the irritating breakouts on my face, I haven't really had bad side effects with this pill. No decrease in sex drive, slight mood swings, but not as bad as before, and no weight gain. yet...I have an increased appetite so I should start eating more healthy haha. I am only 2 weeks into this so I have to see if it gets better or worse, or if I like it enough to stay on it.	F	27	16 days 1X D		4/7/2010 Email
5	birth control	Lighter periods	I've been using Ortho Cept for about 6 months and have not seen any negative side effects. My periods have always been regular, though much lighter and shorter than they were before starting birth control. This is the first birth control pill I've used and it has worked great so far. No mood swings or significant weight gain, or difference in skin/hair conditions. Plus I'm not pregnant so it's definitely working! I would definitely recommend this birth control to my friends.	F	20	6 months 10 1X D		2/24/2010
1	Pregnancy prevention	Severe cramps, 10-15 pounds weight gain, and severe mood swings	Hey girls I will have to day that this pill has honestly been both the best and worst thing that has happened to me, it has kept me from getting pregnant..but, in the process I have gained 10-15 pounds. And for me that alone is enough t be depressed from. I no longer fit in anyof my jeans. I work out at least 3 times a week now and I am still having difficultly loosing weight. The worst side effect for me overall are the mood swings, sometimes I think I could be legally insane from these pills. The difference from before taking these pills to now.... Is like nigh and dAy. One minute I'm angry and irratBle about nothing and the next I'm crying over a cute commercial. It has caused alot of hard times between my boyfriend and I of 2 years. Due to my drastic mood swings. I do not reccomend this pill to anyone. I recently have been perscrible to orthro tri cyclen low after telling my doctor my side effects. We hope that because the pill has half the dossage of ortho cept. It will better regualte my mood swings. Also the fact that the pills come in three dieefernt dossages has sonethings to do with how they should help. So talk to your doctor if u are experiencing anything like I have... It's not fun	F	22	1 years 1X D		2/21/2010
1		I hated this product from day one. HORRIBLE! I the first month I spotted for the entire month, then after that fell into a serious depression mode. I didnt enjoy anything as much as i use to and that includes sex.		F	19	4 months 1X D		2/16/2010
3	Birth Control	Anxiety, extreme moodiness, small increase in breast size, cramps last longer and are more painful, generally depressed, not interested in sex/vaginal dryness.	Want to go back to Ortho-tri cyclen Lo but my provider doesn't carry it :(	F	24	1 years 1X D		2/8/2010
2	Birth control/regulation	I just switched to Ortho-cept last month from Zovia. It's a little less than a week before my period and I'm already starting to experience fairly bad PMS symptoms. I was bloated and started retaining water. I began having cramps 5 days before my period (I've only ever had them the day before my period, with or without birth control). and I started having extreme mood swings. One minute I'm super irritable and any little thing pisses me off... 30 minutes later I'm crying my eyes out for absolutely no reason. I've never had any of these symptoms with my old birth control pills or even without any pills.		F	23	17 days		1/27/2010 Email
4	Birth Control	My face has been breaking out like crazy which didn't ever happen before I started taking it, boobs got a little bigger but not much, periods are a lot more manageable because they are shorter and way lighter, gained some weight (I don't know if it's from this though)	I pretty much like everything about it except that it's making me break out which is so disgusting. I wash my face and apply medication every morning and night and pimples still come out of nowhere which is EXTREMELY frustrating because as soon they start to go away and my skin starts looking decent, more appear.	F	19	3 months		12/18/2009
5	birth control	NONE	I Love it...! I take it daily and on time everyday. I haven't had any side effects and have a very great sex drive, my fiancee and I love it!	F	23	5 weeks		12/16/2009
1	Birth Control	fatigue, increased appetite, weight gain, bigger boobs, gallstones	Gained a lot of weight, gall bladder got gall stones, was in a lot of pain, had to get surgery to take out my gallstones. Worst birth control everrr >:|	F	19	30 days		11/17/2009
2	long periods	more irritable and blue, bloated, yeast infection (which I never get unless when I was pregnant), occ mild headache	I was switched to ortho-cept b/c my periods were still long after being on Kariva for 4 months. My Dr. determined this was too much estrogen for me after having a bad yeast infection (which I don't get unless pregnant) and switched me back to Kariva and I noticed my mood and bloating is much better.	F	29	30 days		10/29/2009
3	prevent pregnancy	my face is getting chunky, andddd my tummy. my head hurts really bad, im really tired all the time i just want to sleep because im so tired and so my head will stop hurting, my boobs hurt and they are fuller which isnt so bad.		F	19	10 days		10/10/2009
4	Endometriosis, contraception	Breast growth and tenderness, FAR less painful periods, lighter periods, clearer skin, nausea, low sex drive, nervousness.	I switched to Ortho Cept when my clinic stopped carrying Desogen. I like Ortho Cept well enough; it keeps my periods regular, light, and relatively painless. I haven't gotten pregnant even though I take my pills irregularly (take them late, stop taking for two weeks at a time, sometimes skip pills because I forget, etc). I've never had a problem with acne, I would just get the occasional pimple, but now even that's not an issue. My complaints are that my sex drive is very low while on Ortho Cept and I get a lot of light nausea. I'm naturally a rather nervous/anxious person but I feel that being on Ortho Cept makes my anxiety worse. Luckily I haven't had most of the common birth control side effects: I haven't gained even a single pound, I never have headaches, and I don't get mood swings, not even on my period. Overall Ortho Cept has been pretty good and I recommend it. HOWEVER, I recently stopped taking Ortho Cept (can't afford it anymore) and I did have some problems after stopping: pimples on my face, greasy hair, oily skin, slight scalp hair loss, and mood swings. None of it is a huge deal, but be prepared for some issues when you go off birth control.	F	20	7 months		9/19/2009
2	birth control	Anxiety, severe mood swings, cramps	I've taken birth control for a long time and recently made the switch due to loss of insurance (this was more affordable, and in the same family). I will be speaking to the NP next Monday about switching.	F	23	2 months		8/29/2009
2	Birth Control	I hate it. I'm really bitchy, I am not sexually active anymore.I don't want to do anymore physical work. I really am being lazy. When I was always so active at work. Major mood swings.		F	28	1 months		8/6/2009
1	prevent pregnancy	Depressed, anxious, felt nuts, gained 5 lbs in one summer	I guess I can't handle birth control. They all make me depressed.	F	27	4 months		7/27/2009
2	birth control	Hating even just the idea of sex, no motivation, depression, bloating, sick to my stomach every night, 15lbs-20lbs weight gain(it fluctuates for some reason which is really irritating when i think ive lost weight just to find it back up again the next week), irritable, not pregnant, huge boobs, overall not a good experience	Well i'm not pregnant. but i have to force myself to available sexually to my boyfriend of four years. before this pill i loved sex! im not ok with getting sick every night. i have also noticed that maybe one night a week i get so sick and worn out that i end up sleeping for 12 hours. most days my stomach is really bloated, and if i dont suck it in i look a few months pregnant. my boyfriend despises the weight i have gained because my body was absolutely perfect before these pills. i was 107lbs before starting the pill and now im 127lbs, which would be fine if i could tone my body, but i cant. love handles, muffin top, pooch, cellulite, im developing all of these things and its terrifying me. no amount of working out really works at all, i just bulk up like a man and if i try cardio i get too tired and want to quit right away. i used to run all the time but i just cant anymore. i realize it does not work the same for everyone but i just needed to vent. i wish it would work for me. im switching to lower dose Lutera this week, wish me luck!	F	20	2 years		7/23/2009
5	Birth Control	None	I am finally happy with a birth control pill! I have tried everything! I am 28 and my face started breaking out a couple of years ago. I tried soooo many things including different birth control pills. I was getting severe headaches on my last pill (Yaz) so my Dr switched me to Ortho Cept for headaches and acne, and I have basically gotten rid of my acne! I have not noticed any changes in my sex drive, I actually think it increased, and no mood swing problems. I am extremely happy with this. The only thing I have noticed is my periods are off. Last month it was 5 days early and barely there, and this month I have yet to get one and I already started my new pack.	F	28	4 months		6/17/2009
3	birth control	tender breasts, decreased sex drive, very irritable, weight gain	My period has never been regular and after taking the pill I never experienced any spotting and my period came when it was supposed to, which I liked. However the mood swings were horrible for me. I did not feel like myself and anything or anyone could set me off. I was also never in the mood to have sex.	F	20	3 months		3/25/2009
3	endometerisis	Sore and tender breasts, late and early periods, face broke out	This medicine did what it was supposed to- I guess. I had cramps, something that has not happened in forever. My period was 5 days late the one month and then a week early the next!!	F	25	4 months		1/6/2009
1		Very bad headaches, nasusa every morning, mood swings.	My docter put me on ortho cept to make my cramps not as bad. But instead of dealing with my pain around my period, I was dealing with vomiting every morning, horrible headaches, and fighting with my boyfriend becuase of the horrible mood swings I was getting. If you want to save your relationship and not get sick do not take this birth control.	F	19	3 months		11/28/2008
4	birth control	stable for long-time. recent decrease in sex drive and increase acne.	I've been on orth-cept (Apri tabs) for about 5 years. Recently moved and have been bounced around to other generic versions (Reclipsin from one pharmacy, degestrol (sp?) from another). I spoke with my doctor about switching and even though the estrogen is the same, I may be reacting to the other stuff which varies between brands. On the degertrol (sp?) now and my skin is very oily. Might switch back to reclipsin to see how that goes. I think the decrease in sex is due to the stress of moving and 8 years of marriage (ha ha).	F	34	5 years		5/3/2008
3	Prevent Pregnancy	This is only my 1st month on ortho cept but so far i have had a large amount of spotting it's almost like i had my period light for the past 3 weeks. My face has also started to break out which is weird since i have never had bad skin. I have some breast tenderness but i realize that is normal when on most types of birth control. I haven't experienced any mood changes or weight gain but i also work out at least 4 days a week. I may also have been having an increase in sex drive (according to my boyfriend) but i don't see a change maybe i'm just expressing it more?	I'm going to stay on it for another month and then see what happens, if i continue to have these problems i'm going to switch but i'll get back to ya	F	21	20 days		4/13/2008
5	birth control	none	Worked great. Want to go back on it and stop taking Lo/Ovral. Would have never gone off it but my clinic stopped carrying it.	F	34	10 years		1/30/2008 Email
1	Birth Control	my skin started to break out with these cyst-like things under my skin, that would last for weeks. I also started growing extra hair (peach fuzz) all over my face, which lasted even after i stopped taking the pill. My periods weren't the slightest bit lighter, and still lasted just as long. I've been on many other types of oral contraceptives, and have never been so unhappy as I was with OrthoCept!		F	25	6 months		1/15/2008
5	pregnancy prevention/cramps	Very few side effects.	Worked great for 5 years until this past summer. I tried Seasonale about a year ago and gained 20lbs so my dr put me back on Orthocept. I lost the weight that I has gained and then I began to have complications with the Ortho-cept, my period would NOT go away. I had it for almost 4 months. But my doctor claimed that it just my change in lifestyle, and I am currently on Yaz. I wish that Ortho-cept would still work for me b/c i really liked it.	F	20	5 years		12/5/2007
4	Preg. prevention/ cramps	Nothing major. A little nausea/ irritability in the begining.	I encountered no major issues with ORTHO-CEPT. I was 17 and later again at 23 when I was on ORTHO-CEPT. My periods were very light to non-existent, which caused panic and lots of unnessary pregnancy tests, my doctor assured me it was fine. I eventually stopped taking the pill for personal reasons. FYI: ORTHO-CEPT and DESOGEN (APRI is the generic name) are the SAME = SAME ACTIVE INGREDIENTS/SAME LEVEL of HORMONES	F	29	2 years		10/9/2007
5	birth control	occasional light spotting	If I take a pill more than an hour late in the last week, I'll spot starting 3 days later. If I'm very timely with my pills, this one is a dream. No mood swings or anything!	F	29	4 months		9/19/2007
1	contraceptive/regulation/cramps	Extreme bloating right before and during period; flow is disgustingly heavy, chunky, and stringy; after 4 months on this pill, I now have HUGE brown blotches/discolorations on my face that are hard to cover up--I've been taking various OC's for 14 years, and this is the FIRST pill I've been on that has done this.	After getting a good look in the mirror, I am calling my MD on Monday.	F	41	4 months		8/18/2007
3	Pregnancy Prevention	Negative mood, increased appetite, fatigue	Within 2-3 days, I lost all of my positive energy. I have become indifferent and even downright bitchy since starting. This is HIGHLY unusual for me, I am always happy and smiling and now I'm like "what's the point". That's a big down side for me, I almost stopped taking it, but I figured I'll wait and see if it goes away after some time. One night I even sat and cried for 10 minutes like a baby but for no reason! My appetite has surged and I want to eat again right after I finish a meal. And it's like I have NO willpower... I am usually very careful and consistent in my eating habits... also, I am quite fatigued and it takes a lot of pushing myself to get my butt to the gym. All of this is extremely out of character and out of my comfort zone. I'm worried that my sex drive has also dissipated... but I have been without sex for the last 4 months (deployed) and won't be with my man for another week... so maybe it's not related to the pill... but I think it is, as I usu	F	22	1 weeks		7/21/2007
5	Birth Control	A bit of cramping the first 5 days that I started the pills, breasts were incredibly sore for about the first three weeks, but I grew a whole cup size! I'm small so this was great for me! Has helped me to put on weight which is good for me since I have a high metabolism, but maybe not great for everyone.	My body adjusted quite well to the pill. My sex drive plummeted at first, but not it has gradually started to come back. It also came highly recommended from my Gyn.	F	20	2 months		5/23/2007 Email
3	To treat heavy bleeding / fibroids	No bloat or weight gain, but extreme mood swings. Around the first day of the second week of each 1 month packet I become depressed, tearful, having feelings of hopelessness and have even felt suicidal. I always tell myself that it will pass and it does, but when you are going through it, it is very tough. I eat well, exercise, and do not do any drugs. Hopefully this symptom will resolver itself at some point. Also, I sometimes have breakthrough spotting but nothing much.		F	37	2 months		4/10/2007
3	Birth control.	I have been on the pill (Desogen) for years and years (at least 10), and was switched to Ortho-cept which is evidently supposed to be the same thing. It might be just me (I just turned 30), but I have been having irregular periods for the past year. I thought it was because I was traveling a lot at the time, but my life for the past 8 months has been stable and normal. I'm not on any other medications, I don't diet, I excercise, etc. I was having a lot of breakthrough bleeding, and my doctors kept telling me that nothing was abnormal, and now this month I got my period over a week early and it is very heavy. I also have worse cramps than ever this whole past year. Perhaps my hormones have changed and it's not strong enough for me? I hate to put my body through switching brands because I have never had any other side effects!		F	30	1 years		4/9/2007
5	contraception	I did great on this medication until about a year and a half ago. I began experiencing very bad headaches and numbness in my toes. As time went on I began to get swollen feet,ankles and my legs began to get sharp pains.After all my blood work came back normal, I was advised to quit taking the pill for 6 months and see if my symptoms disappeared. I sure hope they do. This will be the last month I will be taking the pill. I hope my symptoms disappear.	I didn't know why I was having these problems. If you have any of these symptoms , call your Dr. right away. I waited too long.	F	43	16 years		3/9/2007
5	birth control	no side effects except slight breast tenderness, but that is fine since i think they are growing... Yippie!	I had to switch because of breakthrough bleeding from LoEstrin fe to Ortho-Cept. I'll get back to you if this works better. So far no nausea or anything like i had with LoEstrin (i was on that for 3 months) Was suffereing from yeast infection right before i went on Ortho-cept since then I have been very dry. I want to have sex with my husband, but i'm so dry it is uncomfortable and painful. So we tried vagisil lubricant. That has been helping. Hopefully the dryness goes away and I get back to my old self. I'm only 26 I shouldn't suffer from dryness.	F	26	11 days		2/1/2007 Email
2	Birth Control	No sex drive, Bad mood swings, Irritablity	I have been on Ortho Cept for approx. 3 yrs now, and hated everv minute of it. I was ok the 1st 3 mos. but then I slowly started losing my sex drive and started to become very irritable. My sudden & terrable mood swings have been threating my marrage for at least a year and a half now. I thought it was just me. Then this last month I ran out of pill packs and this freak ice storm had my Dr's office shut down for 5 days. We typically have sex only once a month. But, for those 5 days I was back to my old self. My hsbands dirty dishes & laundry didn't bother me, we cooked togethr, I felt sexy again, and we made love like when we were 1st dating.(safely) On that 6th day I rushed to get my pills and get back on trac. Now once again I am screaming at him for no reason and do not want to be bothered with sex. Needless to say I realize now that I need to be switched back to my old pills Ortho Tri Cyclyn Lo.	F	24	3 days		1/25/2007
5	Prevent Pregnancy	No Side Effects	I have been taking ortho-cept for 5 years now. I have not gotten pregnant once. It really is a good birth control pill you just need to give it some time.	F	21	5 days		1/23/2007
2	prevent pregnancy/regulate	NO sex drive at all, mood swings, nausia	I switched from ortho trycyclin to orthocept 3 months ago to have fewer periods. However, I almost fill it is pointless to take this birth control because I have absolutely no sex drive. My husband and I have only had sex once this month and I'm just glad he is so understanding. I will be going to the doctor soon to switch back before this birth control ruins my marriage. Of course noone gets pregnant while they're on it-you hardly have sex!	F	26	3 months		12/2/2006
2	birth control	none	i have been taking ortho cept for about a month and in sunday i started my green pills. usually i get my period on tuesday with my old pill (orton tri cyclyn 135) and here it is wednsday and no period. my feoncie and i dont want any more kids and i am freaking out. has this happen to anyone else?	F	28	24 days		11/15/2006
5	Birth control	Slight headaches at first.	I've been taking ortho cept for about 7 years now, and have nothing bad to say about it. Symtoms, if any (I had headaches, and slight abdominal pain), are worse in the first months.....If you don't have any major symtoms, then,give it TIME. It works great, and as the only control method I've used, I've not become pregnant yet, and have had no more symptoms. I will definantly stay on ortho cept.	F	22	7 years		11/11/2006
4	PREGNANCY	REDUCED SEX DRIVE - AND AFTER BEING ON ORTHOCEPT FOR APROX 10 YEARS I STARTED GETTING BAD HEAD ACHES	NO OTHER SIDE EFFECTS - I CHANGED TO SEASONALE TO GET RID OF HEADACHS AND LESS PERIODS BUT IN 9 MONTHS I HAVE GAINED 10 LBS AND I EXERCISE OVER 1 HOUR A DAY EVERY DAY (RUNNING AND SPINNING AND WEIGHT TRAINING) AND COULD NOT GET RID OF THE WEIGHT -- AND I TRIED DIETING TO UNDER 1300 CAL. PER DAY AND ONLY LOST 4 LBS ?? AND ON SEASONALE AM HAVING NIGHT SWEATS! DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO!	F	33	9 months		3/9/2006 Email
5	birth control/managing periods	no side effects	I have been taking this drug for several years now and I have had no problems with it. The rater before me only took it for a month and gave up. Side effects sometimes won't go away until after the 3rd month. So, she gave up way too soon on Ortho-Cept. And Desogen is the exact same drug, so she may encounter the same problems if she doesn't give it time. Anyway, I've been on several brands and never had too many problems, but I will definitely stay on Ortho-Cept.	F	26	2 years		6/8/2005
2	Contraception; acne control	Breast soreness, bad mood swings & almost total loss of libido	I went on Ortho Cept because I mistakenly thought that it was the pill I was taking happily last year. It definitely wasn't! Almost instantly, my breasts began to grow (great!) and become unbelievably sore and tender (not so great!). Then, I started noticing some pretty intense crankiness. I took a trip to see my long-distance boyfriend and realized that I had absolutely no sex drive. I didn't get pregnant while on this pill but if I would have stayed on it my mood swings and lack of sex drive would have ensured I would have no opportunity to. This was all after a month of taking Ortho-Cept--when I got back home I immediately went to my doc and got Ortho TriCyclen Lo. I started having breast soreness after the second week; unfortunately, but I researched pills on the internet and found the one I used to take that I was quite happy with (Desogen) and am going to switch back to that.	F	28	21 days		5/28/2005

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Average rating for drug: 3.0. This page is printer-friendly; use landscape print with background color turned on.

Key to ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine.

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