User Reviews for Portia 28 oral

I began using Portia after switching from Ortho Tri Cyclen. Ortho was causing breast tenderness. Since switching to Portia, I haven't experienced tenderness. I know exactly what day my period will start, and my periods are much lighter than they have ever been. I do experience more cramping with Portia, but I love having a very light period in exchange!

After several years on Levora (generic for Nordette), the pharmacist switched me to Portia (like many reviews here). Within a month of switching to Portia, I noticed weight gain. However, I attributed it to eating more on vacation, and worked hard to take it off. Let's be clear - I work out extremely hard! I CrossFit five days a week and added in some supplemental running days along with that. I managed over three months to lose only about 3 pounds, but it started coming back immediately when I stopped the supplemental running. (I was exhausted, and not getting results.) Also my breast size increased dramatically, as well as decrease in libido, and general malaise. I maintain a very strict "paleo/primal" diet that has served me well for years and kept me slim. I really was at a loss for what was going on. I started thinking "what has changed". The only change in my intake of anything (drugs or food) that has changed is the switch to Portia! So here I am a year later, and 12 pounds heavier, and figure it has to be Portia causing the problem. Yesterday I stopped taking Portia, and hope to see some better results in losing this excess weight. It has to be the answer...it is the only variable that has changed. Do NOT take this pill!! You'll be sorry! Read More Read Less

My doctor switched me to Portia and it is the order birth control I've ever had. I missed one pill and it causes me to have break through bleeding and spotting or a week. It gave me big mood swings too.

So glad I found these reviews yesterday. I was switched from Levora to Portia back in late January by a pharmacist who didn't carry Levora. Two weeks ago I saw a doctor for help with depression and abdominal cramping. I've gained about 15 lbs since switching, have no libido, and everything stresses me out! I informed her I was only on Portia (no other meds) but was told, "there are three major causes of stress, loss of a family member, moving, and getting married." I'd experienced 2 in the last year, and she put me on anti-depressants. I've never experienced these problems in my life, I'm 26 years old and happily married. I shouldn't have left it to my doctor to catch this. Stop taking Portia!Read More Read Less

I have only been taking Portia for a week, after having been off birth control for the last several years. I want to cry all the time, I go from depressed to fits of rage and back again in a matter of minutes, and my head aches and I'm nauseated. This is not normal. I know it's only been a week, so I don't know if some of this will resolve or what, but after reading previous reviews, I'm seriously considering stopping this pill immediately. I am miserable.

I feel so much better after reading these reviews. My doctor also switched me from Levora to Portia over a year ago. When I think back, I'm amazed I didn't see the correlation between my weight gain, mood swings and low libido until now. Right at the time of the switch, I moved in with my boyfriend and got a huge job promotion. My work and travel schedule were so hectic, I assumed the lack of interest in sex, my moodiness, lack of energy and the bloat were all due to work and relationship stressors. I'd been dating my boyfriend for 4 years before moving in with him. 2 months in.. our relationship just started to go down hill. I snapped at him all the time and got very easily irritated by his jokes when they used to make me laugh. I had no energy after work and lost a lot of interest in being an equal member in the relationship. Not to mention, we've been intimate maybe 20 times in the last 8-9 months. What started off as a very healthy, great, sexually compatible relationship.. turned into constant fights, mood swings and lack of participation in the relationship to the point where it almost ruined us and we started couple's therapy. After talking to a friend about her hormonal issues with medication.. it finally occurred to me the horrible year I'd been having might have been a big hormonal reaction to my birth control pills. I immediately stopped taking Portia and immediately felt a change in my mood, the weight I'd been struggling to lose (I was working out with a trainer) starting shedding quicker and I started feeling "sexy" again. I definitely would not recommend this product to anyone. I think of all the heartache and money I could have saved myself this past year if I'd taken more time earlier on to analyze what was happening to my body and do the research back then. Live and Learn Read More Read Less

This pill is HORRIFIC! Please avoid at all costs. I was put on Levora by my doctor but my pharmacist gave me Portia instead insisting it's the same and just the generic version of Levora. I've been on it for 4 months and it's been the worst 4 months of my life! Not only were my cramps so painful but my libido was gone and when I actually did have intercourse it was the most painful feeling internally that I would almost cry and we have to stop. I feel so depressed and some days suicidal like I don't care if I didn't wake up in the morning. My life is great and I don't have any crucial issues going on that would make me feel SO depressed, suicidal and negative. It's at a point that I cringe when my boyfriend goes to hug me because I am so irritable. I feel so awful and it's unfair to him and I'm surprised he hasn't left me! I can't help it though.. So between the painful cramps, irregular bleeding, awful mood swings, and oh forgot to mention that I've gained 9 POUNDS in that 4 months and I never gain weight. my belly is so bloated I look pregnant. This pill is the DEVIL and I would never advise a single soul to even think of trying Portia! STAY AWAY..and in fact run the other way! :(Read More Read Less

I have been on this pill for three months. Every single month, my period week gets worse and worse. I started out grumpy and now I am extremely depressed with suicidal thoughts when I have no reason to have any. I am going to get on a new pill as soon as possible.

I absolutely love this BC. I have been on three other types and had headaches, heavy periods, and awful cramps with all the others. I have loved Portia and haven't become pregnant for the three years I have been on it, in spite of forgetting to take it for 12 hours on a few days per cycle. I forgot to take it for 7 days (first 7) and didn't have any weird periods.

The very first day I was on this pill I woke up feeling like I was about to puke..I've only been taking it for a week and the side affects are horrible..avoid this pill it's terrible and I can't stand this nausea much longer..I have never experienced this many side affects on portia..even my boyfriend has noticed i've been very moody and easily annoyed. I am very unsatisfied.

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who was switched from Levora to Portia. I've only been on Portia for about 2 months, but this is the WORST pill I've been on. While on Levora, I didn't have any of the mood swings, yet I do with Portia. I also feel like I could rip someone's head off since I've been on this pill. My periods only lasted 3-4 days on Levora, and on Portia it's lasted an entire week! My libido is also next to nothing. Horrible, horrible experience with this pill. I'd rather abstain, and use natural methods of birth control than to have to take this pill for another day. Read More Read Less

I have only been on this Portia for a few months, but I am miserable. My pharmacist, like many of the other reviewers have said, switched me from Levora (no problems with that) claiming that it was the same thing. Within the first day I would say I had extreme nausea and I got extremely dizzy at night. My boyfriend has also noticed and commented on mood swings and on how I get irritated easily. I have breast tenderness and swelling which is extremely unpleasent. I would not recommend taking this and if your pharmacist says that it is the same as Levora tell them no. This is a horrible birth control and I have been on 3 others and have had no problems. I will be switching soon.Read More Read Less

Though this BC did its job and I did not get pregnant, I experienced many side effects including acne, moodiness, heavy periods, and cramps - none of which I had before taking this pill. I've switched to Junel Fe (the generic of Loestrin Fe) and after a week and a half, my acne is clearing up and my mood is back to normal.

I was on levora for 10 years when my pharmacy switched me to the generic, Portia, assuring me it was the same drug. As soon as I switched over, I started spotting between periods (which has never happened to me) and I broke out in acne (which Ive never had before now). I can't wait to switch back to levora!

sometimes my stomach oftens hurts and i get bad headeaches

Made me crazy and depressed.

In terms of preventing pregnancy, yes it works. However I usually have great skin, very rare that I ever have spots or blemishes. Since being on portia, now for 4months, my skin has become terrible with acne. Particularly on my chin and jawline, I know this type of acne can be due to hormonal changes. But the birth control caused it. Once I switched, my skin cleared up, I didn't appear to look as bloated and my sex drive also came back. I didn't realize what a difference this birth control was making till I came off it. If you feel weird on it, do ask for something else.Read More Read Less

I have been on BC for over a decade and Levora for over 5 years with no problems. The pharmacist substituted Portia for my prescription over the past three months, insisting it was the same. In the first month, I noticed more pain and bloating with my period. Over the next two months, I became depressive, full of rage and hysterical. Also, I lost my appetite, and even though I was eating less, I gained weight. And I got acne. While all of the other side effects were unpleasant, the side effects that affected my mental health were the most unbearable. I felt out of control and unable to cope with anything. (My husband noticed this too.) Four days ago, I switched to Syeda (a generic form of Yasmin) and I already feel more stable and my libido has improved. I would NEVER recommend this drug. It ruined my life for months and I was so fortunate that I made the connection and was able to switch off of it. For those of you struggling, don't despair! It was from reading this forum that I realized I was not alone. Other birth controls may work better for you. I found one!Read More Read Less

I used to have fibrocystic breasts, which is when the breasts painfully swell close to your period. The pain got so bad that I went to my doctor and she suggested that I start taking birth control to help with the premenstrual hormone issues that were causing it. She prescribed Portia for me, and it cured my fibrocystic breasts completely. Even now, several months after I'ved stopped taking birth control completely, I haven't had any painful chest issues at all and it's wonderful! I also never had any emotional side effects, cramping, or anything like that. The only thing I hated about it was the fact that it made my acne MUCH worse, especially around my chin and jawline. My acne had never been so bad as it was while I was on Portia. I went to my doctor and she switched me to something different and my acne is mush better now. But everyone's body chemistry is different so be brave and try it if you think it will work for you.Read More Read Less

Ive been on this for a month now, and ive experienced terrible headaches, stomach cramps, and my period was prolonged by 18 days. Not the pill for me.