Reviewer: HateKariva!, 19-24 Female on Treatment for 1 to less than 2 years (Patient)

Comment:
Well, as a birth control it worked. I didn't get pregnant. But I had terrible side effects. I took Kariva for one year and throughout that time experienced: Terrible vaginal tearing, with and without intercourse. Doctors couldn't figure it out! Frequent bad headaches or migraines. Excessive hair loss. I used to have two thick braids. Now it's difficult to actually braid my hair, it's long ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
Well, as a birth control it worked. I didn't get pregnant. But I had terrible side effects. I took Kariva for one year and throughout that time experienced: Terrible vaginal tearing, with and without intercourse. Doctors couldn't figure it out! Frequent bad headaches or migraines. Excessive hair loss. I used to have two thick braids. Now it's difficult to actually braid my hair, it's long, but there isn't enough of it! Some internal pain with intercourse. Irregular period. It was never super heavy, but it was unpredictable. When I finally went off the drug, it took a while to clear my system. For about a month I experienced a libido of ZERO. That was terrible. Mild to powerful times of depression, consistent low energy. Rapid weight loss (25 pounds just gone during month 3 of use.) After careful dieting, I regained this weight over about 2.5 months. Overall, this birth control was catastrophic for my body, I didn't get pregnant, but I was so unhappy and sick all the time. Awful.
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Reviewer: klittle, 25-34 Female on Treatment for less than 1 month (Patient)

Comment:
I switched from Safyral to Kariva in early September with thoughts this medicine would help with mood swings, cramps, fatigue, etc., but... the exact's happened to me :( I 1) didn't now ariva shouldn't be taken by patients with thyroid disorders 2) would have a period every 4 days with worse cramps, and my eyes have been hazy.3)My hair has been halling out from itchy sca ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
I switched from Safyral to Kariva in early September with thoughts this medicine would help with mood swings, cramps, fatigue, etc., but... the exact's happened to me :( I 1) didn't now ariva shouldn't be taken by patients with thyroid disorders 2) would have a period every 4 days with worse cramps, and my eyes have been hazy.3)My hair has been halling out from itchy scalp, and I've had HIVES for almost 2 wees/supposed to start placebo blue/green ones in 1 day but am throwing them away. Basically, I have some ind of endometriosis going on, but I'm not taking Kariva ever again due to allergies, hives, mood changes and sharp pains. Everyone handles birth control differently, but from my mistake, I didn't read entire precautions list. Kariva or Vilora gives me hives (on zyrtec until the bc gets out of my system.) I hope others have better experiences with this birth control and am nervous about switching back to Safyral.
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Reviewer: 25-34 Female on Treatment for less than 1 month (Patient)

Comment:
I love kariva and have taken it for years with very little side effects compared to its generic version viorele which had terrible weight gain, mood swings and needed more sleep. No matter what your doctor or pharmasist says they are not the same drug and have very different results!!!

Comment:
I love kariva and have taken it for years with very little side effects compared to its generic version viorele which had terrible weight gain, mood swings and needed more sleep. No matter what your doctor or pharmasist says they are not the same drug and have very different results!!!
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Reviewer: NikkiJ, 19-24 Female on Treatment for 1 to 6 months (Patient)

Comment:
In even the first few days of taking this BC, I experienced drastic mood swings, weight gain, and extremely decreased libido. I hated it- I know the first month is supposed to be bad, but noticing these side effects in the first couple days is not a good sign. I would NOT recommend this birth control!

Comment:
In even the first few days of taking this BC, I experienced drastic mood swings, weight gain, and extremely decreased libido. I hated it- I know the first month is supposed to be bad, but noticing these side effects in the first couple days is not a good sign. I would NOT recommend this birth control!
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Reviewer: mariab, 25-34 Female on Treatment for 5 to less than 10 years (Patient)

Comment:
I have been on and off of Mircette/Kariva since I was 20 (now 29); most recently I took it for about 5 years without stopping). I found that it cleared up my skin and that it made it pretty easy for me to maintain a healthy weight. Periods were 3-4 days and usually light. In the past 3-5 years I have struggled more and more with anxiety and irritability, and somewhat low sex drive; this may hav ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
I have been on and off of Mircette/Kariva since I was 20 (now 29); most recently I took it for about 5 years without stopping). I found that it cleared up my skin and that it made it pretty easy for me to maintain a healthy weight. Periods were 3-4 days and usually light. In the past 3-5 years I have struggled more and more with anxiety and irritability, and somewhat low sex drive; this may have more to do with being in a PhD program among other stressors than anything else, but I've also wondered whether some of it had to do with the pill given that my levels of anxiety and irritability vary throughout the month. My NP suggested that I try a different pill for a couple of months, and so now I'm giving Lessina a try.
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