ORTHO-CEPT Reviews (DESOGESTREL; ETHINYL ESTRADIOL)Average Rating: 2.9 (108 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare ORTHO-CEPT 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.) |
More on ORTHO-CEPT: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ORTHO-CEPT | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 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 | 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 | 3 | prevent pregnancu | increased acne on my chest missed period migraines mood changes | F | 19 | 1 months 1X day | 3/4/2011 | 3 | Prevent pregnancy | I am now start my second year and I have very close periods before I am even spoused to even start. I can't sleep at night and I can barely get up in the morning. And all of this barely started when I got close to the end of my first year and now that I am starting my second year. I am uncomfortable more then I used to be during my periods and well I am considering going off the pill all together. | F | 19 | 1 years | 5/8/2013 | 2 | Prevent Pregnancy | Severe depression, mood swings, fatigue, weight gain, nausea, headaches, etc. This pill made my acid reflux worse. I was on the verge of tears all day every day for no reason, and had erratic moods. I got so bloated at one point that I was actually scared to death that I was pregnant. I'm petite at 5'2 at 110 pounds, and I gained 10. AND I'M A VEGETARIAN! I started getting frequent and severe headaches. I was so tired with absolutely no energy, and could fall asleep at any moment during the day. I felt narcoleptic.. I already have bad acne, and it became impossible to control since taking this. | I'm sure there's more side effects I experienced that I'm failing to mention here, or ones I could elaborate on, but all I know is, is that I'm not gonna try experimenting with other birth control pills. I feel weird messing with my body's natural hormones. I know most women and doctors would recommend trying other pills to find one that works for me, but I'm just not comfortable putting my body through that type of stress again. So as of today I officially quit taking this pill, and am researching non-hormonal contraceptive methods, including the diaphragm and cervical cap. I know the pill is most effective in preventing pregnancy, but for some of us at a high cost. The only pros for me was no babies, and regular periods. Well and my boyfriend kept telling me my boobs were getting bigger, which I didn't notice much, but he's a guy haha.. This pill may or may not be for you. Try at your own risk, (as with any birth control pill), and I wish you luck! | F | 19 | 8 months 1X day | 7/20/2012 | 2 | prevent pregnancy | Horrible mood swings and depression weight gain | F | 19 | 1 years | 3/1/2012 | 2 | Mood, Acne, Birth Control | Nausea, Painful Headaches, Numbness, Horrible Mood Swings, Acne, Sore/Enlarged Breasts, Insomnia, Light Spotting | I know that I have only been on this pill for a week, but that was enough for me to call it quits. My moods have become the worst it has ever been in my life. I have acne all over my back and chest now, something I never had to worry about before. I cannot sleep at night and have no need to be staying up because I have class in the mornings.I really wanted the pill to help me with my PMS syndromes and facial acne, but that really did not work out. I cannot risk being in bad moods every single day because of this pill. | F | 19 | 7 days 1X day | 2/28/2011 | 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 day | 2/16/2010 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 day | 2/24/2010 | 4 | Acne and Pregnancy prevention | Increased appetite for sure and possibly insomnia. I phrase it this way because I have had trouble sleeping before I started taking this, so I do not know if this is just a correlation or a side effect. | For all the people commenting about having horrible side effects from Ortho-Cept: Number 1- it says in the directions that side effects could last for the first three months and most physicians advise staying on the pill for at least 2 months for your body to get used to the new hormones. Number 2- it is not that Ortho-cept "sucks" but rather everybody's bodies have different hormone levels and some birth controls just work for some people and others don't. Number 3- this is a high hormone dose birth control so if you are having "extreme" side effects you should probably be on lower dose birth control. Number 4- this birth control is used to prevent acne and as with people who don't have A.D.D. taking Adderall, the effects are the opposite. For the people who did not have acne prior and then got it after taking this, that is most likely the reason. | F | 20 | 6 days 15 MG 1X day | 2/20/2012 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 2 | Prevent pregnancy | I just recently started taking this pill and I am not satisfied at all! I have never had acne but since I've been on this pill, I have had quite the break out. Noticed a bit increase in my breast size but not worth the acne and soreness in my breasts. Used to be on reclipsen and I will be switching back in no time! | F | 20 | 1 months | 5/2/2013 | 1 | Prevent pregnancy/Irregular periods | Acne, Terrible mood swings, weight gain, spotting the entire first month, severe pms symptoms, etc... | I was on Yaz for a couple years and then Loestrin 24 until I could no longer afford to see my gyno. So I was prescribed Ortho Cept through planned parenthood. First of all, you are not supposed to take this birth control if you've had a history of irregular menstrual bleeding or a history of migraine headaches. I have had severe problems with BOTH in the past, and I clearly told the doctor this and wrote it in my paperwork, yet she still prescribed me this. I didn't know until now, but I'm going to stop taking it as of today. Other then that, I was basically on my period for the entire first month I started taking it. Ever since the first week I've been gaining weight, probably due to my increased appetite as well, my acne has increased severely and I even get acne on my back now which I have NEVER had before, I'm always tired and can sleep for 15 hours if nothing else wakes me up, I'm extremely extremely extremely moody now and I have never been like that. The smallest things make me go CRAZY and it's affecting all of my personal relationships. During my period my boobs are extremely sore which has never happened to me before. I got the worst cramps which is also a new thing. I would NEVER recommend this pill to ANYONE. It will ruin your life basically. | F | 20 | 3 months 1X day | 8/29/2010 | 5 | Complications w/ Paragard | Increased sex drive & breast soreness | I switched to Ortho-cept after having complications with a Paragard (never had kids, got a nasty infection after 2 months). Before that I was on Depo for 5 years, had absolutely no sex-drive. I had weight gain on Depo but I've been on Ortho-cept for 2 weeks and so far no weight gain. I noticed my sex drive came back the day I had my Paragard removed. My breasts are growing which is nice because I'm a B cup, pretty sore though. No other side effects. Actually noticed my mood/irritability got better after switching from Depo/Paragard to Ortho-Cept. | F | 21 | 14 days MG 1X day | 9/14/2010 |