I was just prescribed estrostep, but haven't started taking it yet. I've been reading some of the posts, but not many are about estrostep. If any of you have gone on it please tell me what happened...side effects, weight gain, mood swings? Thanks

hi....i'm on my 2nd pack of estrostep. never been on birth control before. i started for a few reasons. i get super heavy periods w/terrible cramps. i also have acne & my skin is way too sensitive for the meds my derm was giving me so she suggested going on bc. i've been hearing good things about estrostep through this message board but i have been having some problems. i started the 1st day of my period (mine usually lasts 6 days). that period lasted 9 or 10 days & it got really heavy...stayed that way the whole time. then i think i had about 6 perfect days...felt great! then the breakthrough bleeding started...lasted the rest of the month! the 1st week of my 2nd pack went well...everything was great again! then on day 8 i started with the stupid breakthrough bleeding again...i'm on my last week of active pills right now & am still bleeding...though i have to admit that its not as bad as last month. i also had some cramping with the breakthrough bleeding though this week i feel better. i also have soreness in my breasts which is kind of annoying because i have not been able to run all week. as for mood swings & feeling not myself....i dont know if thats because of the pill itself or because i'm getting a little frustrated with the bleeding & sore boobs. hope i havent scared you...just wanted to let you know how its been going for me. i've been reading that a lot of people eventually get super short, lite periods with estrostep, so thats a plus! guess it just takes time. oh & also, i havent noticed any change in the condition of my skin...i'm thinking that takes time too. good luck to you...hope everything goes well! i'd like to hear how you do on it...

i was on estrostep 4 years ago, but only for 9 cycles. the first month i was moody, but i never had breakthrough bleeding with it.
sometimes right before my period on the highest-dose step, i would get a little light headed.
my periods always started on the same day (tuesday) and were always predictable :) though they were never "light". but they werent heavy either. very average.
In the 9th cycle i started getting panic attacks for no apparent reason (though i was in college, it could have just been stress? although things seemed fine). So i stopped mid-cycle, and i felt better after that.
but other than that, i thought it was great. i only relied on the pill at that time for birth control, and it was fine, i never had a scare or anything.

My partmner is on this one...

She's had no breakthru bleeding, but she does get a little headachy in the last highest step...

She's switching to Yasmin or either Desogen....

It's not all that, but it's not the worst pill either.

I have been on Estrostep for 3 months now. The first two months I had a tiny bit of nausea (just a couple of days) and my periods were lighter, but I had really bad cramps the first 2 days of my period both months (worse than when I wasn't taking bc pills). The 3rd month I had some spotting which worried me so I called my doctor and I was also experiencing a lot more nausea. I told her about the spotting and she didn't seem too worried about it, but since I was having terrible cramps she decided to switch me to Levlite, which I will begin taking on Sunday. Overall, it wasn't bad for me excpet the cramping, but its different for everyone. Good Luck!*