Generic Seasonale

Monday, December 18, 2006

I keep forgetting to post this: Seasonale is now available as a generic (less expensive).

Both Barr Labs and Watson Pharmaceuticals have a generic version (once again I must ask, who comes up with these product names?):

Barr Labs.....Jolessa

Watson....... Quasense

Jolessa (via)

Quasense (via)

Labels: Birth Control, Jolessa, Pill, Quasense, Seasonale

237 Comments:

At 6:09 PM, Anonymous said...: Hi there -
FYI - I just found out that my Rx company (Medco) must be favoring Quasense. They will allow me to do mail order for this drug for $60, but Jolessa is only available thru the Pharmacy for $90. Strange.

I also love how Jolessa is made by the same people who actually make the brand name drug - trying to get $$ out of us anyway they can.

I'll be trying Quasense.

Thanks for your post. :-)
At 9:35 PM, Anonymous said...: I was going to start taking seasonale...but once i found out about this from my pharmacist that jolessa was $21 compared to the $30-something dollars with seasonale...I think I made the right choice!!
At 7:23 PM, Anonymous said...: I had much worse side effects with jolessa, awful morning sickness and problems with my contacts. i had no problem with seasonale so i switched back and stopped taking jolessa
At 2:51 PM, Anonymous said...: I would never switch to a generic after taking the brandname. I switched to jolessa after having been on seasonale for over a year and I have had my period for going on three weeks now with a lot of clotting which I had never experienced before. I harm your body just to save a few bucks!
At 8:48 PM, Anonymous said...: OK - I want to try one of the generic brands also, but how do you decide which generic of the two would be the better choice with less side effects?? any help?
At 2:33 PM, Anonymous said...: I am taking Jolessa and I love it. I have been taking it for a month now and I have had no side effects. The first few days I was a little dizzy, but that is all that I have experienced. I had some spotting when my period was supposed to come last week, but it only lasted a day and a half. And this is my first time being on any type of birth control. Of course, that is my body. But hopefully it will work the same for yours!
At 2:28 AM, Anonymous said...: About three months after switching from Seasonalle to Quansense, I suffered from breast enlargement and pain. My OB/GYN suggested switching back to Seasonalle.
At 3:51 AM, Anonymous said...: Okay, I tried switching to the new version of Seasonale called Seasonique - it reduces PMS and headaches. But the pharmacy tried switching me to the generic of Seasonale. Can you cay illegal. SEASONIQUE IS AWESOME!!!!!
At 4:12 AM, Anonymous said...: I work in a pharmacy. It isn't illegal to give you the generic name of anything. Everyone does it. It saves a lot of YOUR money. The only time it would be illegal to give you the generic name is if the MD had checked a little box saying DAW (dispense as written) on your script.
At 8:43 PM, Anonymous said...: I started out on Cyclessa, and then switched to Seasonale. I only ever had minimal spotting with either of those, and even then only if I missed a pill. With Jolessa, I've been carefully taking my pill at the same time every day, but for the past three weeks I've been spotting so bad it's almost like being on my period. I'm switching back to Seasonale!
At 1:26 AM, Anonymous said...: I was on seasonale for over a year and loved it. The last time I renewed my prescription they sent me Quasense. At first I didn't see any differnce but then I started breaking out and I have always had great skin. I don't mind paying the extra if it means no breakouts.
At 3:03 AM, Anonymous said...: I was on Seasonale for over a year, and just recently switched to the generic, Jolessa. At first it seemed fine, but after about 2 months I've been constantly spotting and having breakouts. I'm definately switching back to Seasonale, totally worth it.
At 1:15 AM, Anonymous said...: I was on Seasonale for 1 year and everything was good. Just 2 weeks ago I got the generic Quasense and have been having my period for 2 weeks. I want to go back. This is no fun!
At 2:30 PM, Anonymous said...: I was on Seasonale for a year and didn't have any problems. The last time the Seasonale was replaced with Quasense, I have been spotting for the past 2 months. I had my doctor write my perscprition for Seaonale and she marked the spot where it has to be filled as written. I will pay the extra not to be spotting for 2 months.
At 12:33 AM, Anonymous said...: i had been taking seasonale for about two years and then switched to jolessa because it was cheaper. i had no problems with seasonale but i had spotting for 2 months with jolessa. definitely switching back to seasonale.
At 11:07 PM, Anonymous said...: I had been been given samples of Seasonale by my OBGYN for over a year. (This was after taking Demulin previously for years from a county health unit.) I had NO side effects, never gained a pound and felt great! I unfortunately had to move to a small city and had to go to county health again and I asked for a prescription of Sesonale. I got to the pharmacy and found out it was $179 for the 3 month supply. Ouch - so I asked for generic. I was sold Quasense for $100. I have had every side effect mentioned by others, plus I gained 17 pounds in 2 months! I threw out the third pack! I made a 6 hour trip to see my original OBGYN this week and they gave me a sample 3 mo. pack of Seasonique. They said all their patients love it. So I'm now trying it. They completely advised against the generics. I called a pharmacy I trusted in the bigger city and they explained that generics do contain the same ingredients as the brand names, but can be up to 20% difference in the amount of the ingredients. I'm thinking twice about all generics now, not worth the cost savings at all in the long run.
At 5:51 PM, Anonymous said...: I asked for the birth control that sallows you to only have 4 periods a year. They gasve me the perscription for Seasonale but when I got to the phamacist they said it was over 130 dollars for seasonale and only 30 for quasense. So naturally I took quasense. I have been bleeding for over 2 weeks now and it is making me crazy. I started on my honeymoon and have had no hope of stopping. I dont wsant to stop these pills because I cannot get pregnant right now. I would never recommend this birth control.
At 5:26 PM, D said...: This comment has been removed by the author.
At 3:44 AM, Anonymous said...: I was getting samples of seasonal for free from my OBGYN for about a year and since I got the prescription, the pharmacy gave me Jolessa I never gained weight from seasonal and I have gained 15lbs since the fall, I don't know wither or not to blame the BC. I am on my 2nd pack of Jolessa and I had my period like usual the last pack and I started the placebo pills on sunday and on wed I started bleeding and it was very little only for that day, so its got me kind of worried that I'm pregnant and since its a Friday I have to wait to call my doctor on monday to see if this is ok, I could call a Pharmacist.
At 4:26 AM, Anonymous said...: I was on seasonale for one pack and it was awesome. Insurance switched me to quasense(still costs more than standard generic) for 1 1/3 packs and in 15+ years of periods this is the first time I've ever had spotting(on or off the pill). I'm calling my doctor's office soon, because it's been almost two weeks straight, plus some random days before that, and I'd rather have 3-4 days of normal periods than a constant one.
At 4:07 PM, Anonymous said...: Thanks for all the comments. I am taking my first pack of Jolessa - I am on week 10 now and have been bleeding for 4.5 weeks - really a bummer. My doctor said it might not work for me (I am not taking for birth control reasons, but to control heavy periods and cramping after having 4 children). Anyway, after reading all the previous comments, I might try to Seasonale or Seasonique. Anyone taking BC for this reason and had success with either of these two?
At 11:39 PM, Anonymous said...: I started taking birth control for heavy periods and severe pain...I was on a regular pill for a while before switching to Seasonale. It's fantastic. Hardly any side effects from the switch, and my periods were much shorter and almost painless. My insurance switched me to Quasense, which I had no trouble with, but then to Jolessa and I've been spotting for 3 weeks, no missed or late pills. Also gained 10 lbs in a week and been having severe anxiety problems. I'm glad to know it's related to the pill and I'm not going crazy...
At 7:46 PM, Anonymous said...: I have been on seasonale for over 2 years and have never spotted once. I do however have very severe pain during my usually short/light period. Due to prices and insurance, I am being forced to switch to generic, I am getting the sense that Quasense might be better? I don't have weight issues, some acne but I am only 22. Anyone out there like quasense?
At 4:07 PM, Anonymous said...: Thanks for this site and your comments...I was scared that something was seriously wrong with me. I took Seasonale for sometime and loved it!! I was just recently given the generic Jolessa....and I've been spotting and cramping for 5 days...Never in all of my years taking birth control pills has this ever happened to me!!I called my doctor who told me I have the right to ask for the brand name and by the way to the pharmacy worker.....If it isn't Illegal to mess with a person's body by giving out a generic drug...IT SHOULD BE!! It's not just about saving Money!!
At 12:21 AM, Anonymous said...: I took 'Seasonale' for a year with wonderful relief from menopause symptoms. When I went to renew recently I was given 'Seasonale' in the 'new packaging.' I thought nothing of it however a few days into the pack I became seriously ill but I didn't equate it to the 'new packaging.' I was so sick that I was unable to swallow my pill (Seasonale) and surprisingly my diarreah and vomiting stopped.
I reintroduced 'Seasonale' into my system after a couple of days and within 8 hours I became violently ill.
I thought it was a bad pack and purchased another from a different pharmacy...again in the 'new packaging' and again I became quite ill.
I questioned my OBGYN and also my pharmisists both who mimick the agressive sales of Barr Labs to no avail.
After a couple of months of research...and of my body completely rejecting a BCP that my body had for a year joyously accepted I discovered that 'Seaonale' had let their Patent run out, employed Croatia for 3 billion plus to begin making Seasonique.
When this all took place I haven't a clue because Barr Labs themselves will not return my calls but I am quite sure that the quailty of hte pill was compromised before the changing of the name. I have a years worth of Seasonale that I am unable to take or return to the pharmacy! I am aware now that 'Seaonique' is all the rage and 'Seasonale' is being phased out, replaced by a lesser product under the guise that it's cheaper for the consummer.
Here's the deal Ladies it's cheaper in every way shape and form and can obviously be dangerous.
I had a few pills left over from my original first pack from over a year ago, popped one and had no reaction at all...so the proof is in the pudding.
I have not heard of any one else with a bad reaction to the 'new packaging' of 'Seasonale' but would love to for it wasn't just the 'packaging' that changed it was the quality of the ingredients themselves.I am now on YAZ for my mood swings etc however I do not recieve the countless benefits I had from the original 'Seaonale.'

Any responses would be greatly Appreciated.
At 4:07 AM, Anonymous said...: i went for my yearly visit and i asked for the generic brand of seasonique and the lady gave a proscription for seasonale and told me that seasonale wasa the generic brand so i come home and later i went to go fill it and they want 138 dollars at cvs 142 dollars at walmart and 109 at walgreens im haveing a very hard time finding a reasonable price for this birth control my doctor didnt give me no samples and i would of loved some to try it out first before i went and bought it
At 3:40 AM, Anonymous said...: I was on Seasonale for 6 months, broke out the first 3 weeks but afterwards loved it! No spotting! When the generic quasense was released the price of seasonale skyrocketed, so I switched. I have been on Quasense for 3 months and have been spotting for several weeks straight and very often get period like cramps. I will finish my pack and switch back to Alesse! Normally I can't tell a difference between the generic. I will think twice next time.
At 11:08 PM, Anonymous said...: I was on Seasonale for a year and a half without a single problem. When I went to renew my prescription I found out the price had increased dramatically, and that my insurance did not cover the generic brand! After countless calls to my insurance company I finally found out a way to possibly get Seasonale for the cost of the generic (having my dr write a letter to my insurance stating that I needed to be on the Seasonale brand for health reasons), however when I went to refill my prescription I was told that my insurance now covered the generic! I was given Jolessa and was so happy to be saving money. I have been on it 2 months now and have had several side effects including weight gain, headaches, dizziness, and no sex drive. I was starting to think something was wrong with me, but after reading this I think it's the Jolessa. I guess I'll have to have my dr write that letter after all!
At 1:29 AM, Anonymous said...: Oh gosh I started my very first pack of Jolessa. I thought I was getting Seasonale. I've read the pack saying there is a high risk and all of spotting and I was hoping that because I never had a problem when I was on Ortho that maybe I wouldn't with Jolessa. But after reading all these comments I'm really freaking out! Bleeding for weeks?? Oh God I won't be able to handle it. I'm glad you guys are honest but now I'm really scared! Should I call my doctor and tell them I got Jolessa instead? My Ortho only costed 20 or 25 a month and the 3month pack of Jolessa was still only 20. Do you think the real brand would be a big price difference? After reading everyone's comments I'm extremley nervous and scared to see what's gonna happen to me.
At 12:12 AM, Anonymous said...: aren't there any good comments on jolessa? I've been taking cesia/ cyclessa for over a tear, and for the most part have been fine, but my periods are still weird so my dr write me a rx 2day 4 jolessa, and I c no good things about it! it has to work for somebody, right?
At 5:26 PM, Anonymous said...: I had been on Seasonale for a year and a half. When I went to refill a few months ago, my pharmacist told me it had gone up quite a bit in price and there was now a generic (jolessa) available. Well, first of all it wasn't much cheaper! I had spotting once with Seasonale after taking for a year. I have had no problems with Jolessa, no spotting, no break outs, no weight gain, however I did have some cramping when I started my period, but had the usual period. It has worked for me, I just wish it was considerably cheaper than it is for a generic.
At 3:15 AM, Anonymous said...: I started on Seasonale two years ago, and had spotting throughout my first 3 months. I stuck with it and was fine after that. I switched to Jolessa when my insurance coverage changed, and personally I had no problem with it at all.
At 7:55 PM, Anonymous said...: I went on Seasonale two years ago, and when quasense first became available, my mail order pharmacy sent it in replacement of Seasonale. I haven't had any issues. As a matter of fact, I lost about 7 lbs. I really have no beef with it - I love the price - $24.95 as opposed to $40. I am a stay-at-home mom, so every penny counts. By the way, I also have Generalized Anxiety Disorder which can be crippling at times, and haven't had any issues with that, either.
At 6:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I received a sample pack of Seasonique from my ob/gyn after switching from the shot after horrible weight gain. Seasonique was great!! When I found out there was a generic for Seasonale I jumped on it, $15 versus $110 any day. I am a pharmacy tech and always push generics but I've been spotting and cramping for 3 weeks and will definately be switching back to brand name.
At 2:18 PM, Anonymous said...: I had been taking Seasonale for over a year because my obgyn was giving me free samples. Once they ran out of samples, my obgyn gave me a prescription for it. When I went to the pharmacy they told me it was $160!! I asked if they had a generic, and told me about jolessa which only costs $10!!!! I have been taking Jolessa for 6 months and I love it. NOOO side effects, I'm shocked to hear so many bad things about it. Jolessa has worked great for me!! :)
At 11:15 PM, Lauren said...: I've only been on Jolessa for about a month and a half, but I've had almost NO problems with it yet. I did break out pretty badly (I still get breakouts, but this was worse than normal) about a week ago. Other than that, I haven't had any spotting, bleeding, cramps, or anything. Granted, I haven't been on it that long, but knock wood!
At 4:53 AM, Anonymous said...: I took Seasonale for two years. I loved it and recommended it to all of my friends. I spotted for the first two pill packs, but after that was fine. The $145/3 mo bill (after insurance) was a pain, but worth the reduced periods. Six months ago, my pharmacist told me about Quasense, only $35/3 mo supply. I eagerly jumped board. There have been no side effects, save the fact that I barely had a period the last time. I'm now on my placebo pills (does anyone really take those?) and again waiting my period. I always got my period on Tuesdays, but it's now Wednesday evening and still nothing. I was wondering if that was a side effect of the generic brand... Anyone else?>?
At 2:26 PM, Anonymous said...: I am just about to finish my eighth week on Jolessa. I broke out pretty badly the first few weeks and am just now starting to see my skin calm down. I also gained about 5 pounds really quickly which I can't seem to rid. No periods for three months is great, but the breaking out and weight gain I could live without. I will probably finish up my last month with Jolessa, but then will be switching back to Ortho Tri-cyclen.
At 10:37 PM, Anonymous said...: I was put on birth control back in the latter part of January to control my endometriosis. The first 3-month pack was Quasence. I then had to switch my pharmacy, and the new one gave me Jolessa. What a pain in the neck!! The day after taking the first Jolessa pill I began spotting. That was back in April. Over a month later I started a period. Was told by the doctor's office to stop taking the pills until the period ran it's course. Eight days later, the period stopped. I waited one more day, just to be sure I was finished before restarting the pills. And again the day after taking the first pill, I began spotting again. This has been going on for almost two months now. I don't see how this is helping to control the endometriosis. And I have gained 10 lbs. I think I will be asking the pharmacy for the Quasence instead. Those pills were wonderful for me.
At 5:07 PM, Anonymous said...: Wow...great site for comments.
I took Seasonale for a while then all of a sudden my doctor switched me to Jolessa...didn't know why up until now I find that the patent ran out on it.
Anyway didn't really have a problem with Jolessa at all. My only issue with it was the discharge I had daily. It was so thick and mucusy. Anyway, I quit taking it since my husband and I thought about having a baby and well the timing isn't really right for us so I'm going back to Jolessa.
My question to anyone out there is what makes a BCP generic? I've always worried about what a BCP can do to my body and wondered if it was harmful to me. Gotta admit 4 periods a year! Can't complain with that. But does anyone know why it's generic. Also if Seasonale isn't patent anymore then what is the Brand name if Jolessa is the generic. Is it Seasonique?
How can seasonale lose it's patent if it was such a good product and women loved it?
At 5:11 PM, Anonymous said...: Does anyone know what makes Jolessa generic?
If seasonale was such a good product then why did it's patent run out?

What is the brand name instead of jolessa is it Seasonique?
Thanks

p.s was on seasonale then got switched to jolessa. I liked both okay. HOwever I had lots of daily discharch. YUCK. Anyone else have that problem?
At 2:14 AM, Anonymous said...: I have been on Jolessa now almost 7 weeks and I LOVE it! I was feeling a little bluh the first week. But I have had no spotting, no cramps...nothing! It's been awesome. I just love it. I'm a little nervous to see how my first period will be though. But I didn't plan starting this pill well though because I'm supossed to start my period after three months in July-right in the middle of my two week vacation! So I plan to skip the white pills and start the next pack right away so I can continue to have a missed period. I can do that on Jolessa, right?
At 8:23 PM, Anonymous said...: Thank you all for the comments. I am in the beginning of the third month of my 1st pack of Jolessa. During the first month I did miss a couple of pills but followed the instructions on what to do. So I was not surprised to have a period, but after my regular five days I continued to spot for another 3 weeks. I quite spotting for about a week. I have currently been spotting again for 2 weeks this time around. I have also recently been having the mucous like disharge that others have had and my cramping has started up again. I am on birth control to help control ovarian cysts.
Again thank you for all of the comments it is nice to know that I am not alone with these issues and I will definetly see if I can't get Seasonique after I finish this pack. I was just ready to throw in the towel with birth control and just deal with the pain from the cysts prior to finding this site.
At 11:40 PM, Anonymous said...: I was on seasonal for about 1.5yrs... then out of no where they stopped covering it with my insurance... so they gave me Quansense... there wasn't one hickup during the switch, and everything is just the same as before... no spotting, weight gain, acne... anything... just 3 glorious months period free & pregnancy free!!

Seems to be just fine here!!
At 4:43 AM, Anonymous said...: My doctor gave me a prescription for seasonal but my insurance gave me quasense. After reading these comments i am a little nervous to start! I first began oral contraception for the benefit of break-out free skin. Ortho Tri cyclen worked great, but my periods were 3 or 4 days longer then usual and extra heavy. Now i am starting quasense and am wondering if i will gain weight? How does it work anyway i mean are we always hormonal because we never finish the cycle? Will i experience any benefits like breast enlargement?
At 11:43 PM, Anonymous said...: I was on Seaonale for 1.5 years and I had no problems at all. Then I was switched to the generic, quasense and it's horrible!
It gave me really bad mood swings where I would start crying for no reason, and acne! I have never had acne before in my whole life! I'm switching back asap!
At 8:47 AM, Anonymous said...: WOW check out all these comments. Okay. been really interested in seasonale. Im a pharmacy tech and am currently on my 3rd pack of quescense the generic. I spotted pretty heavey enough to wear a tampon for the WHOLE month is this normal for seasonale? or just because im on the generic? is it really worth the extre 70$ my insurance wont pay a dime. 179$ a month is crazy. but my cramps are horrible on this pill. is this normal?
At 6:29 AM, Anonymous said...: In general whenever you start a continous birth control there is a high chance of spotting throughout the first year, for most people it goes away after the first cycle, but it is normal for the first year to spot.

Also, Seasonique and Seasonale are two different types of birth control with differnt ingredients. Currently there is no generic for seasonique. In response to the question above the brand name for jolessa is Seasonale not Seasonique.
At 5:52 AM, Anonymous said...: I have been on seasonale since shortly after it was released. I had to switch to seasonique for insurance purposes and now to Jolessa. Of the three I have had the least problems with jolessa. I spotted in the beginning with seasonale and had migraines with seasonique during my period. I have so far had no side effects with jolessa other than slightly worse cramping if I miss a pill but I have endometriosis so that is life for me. Spotting is supposed to be normal with any bc switch, so girls that are experiencing spotting give it two packs (6 months) and see where it goes. For the one who asked cost question my insurance will not cover seasonale or seasonique but covers all generics. So Jolessa is ALOT cheaper.
At 8:30 PM, Anonymous said...: I'm 24 and have never been on bc before. I started on Jolessa 5 weeks ago, and I did not have any problems until last week. I began spotting (it's been 11 days...I'm ready for it to stop!), getting headaches, and have gained several pounds. My Doctor's response: take a pregnancy test. Problem with that is that I am a virgin, so unless God's performed another one of His miracles, I have no explaination for my body's response to Jolessa. I'm considering a switch to the patch.
In response to another comment, I work in a Psychiatrist's office, and we have drug reps visit everyday trying to get my Doc to write more scripts for their Brand Name drug. Drug Companies have to apply for a patent very early in the drug creative process, and the patents only last 16 years. The companies then have those years to develop the drug, test it, market and sell it. In most cases, it takes over half of those 16 years to develop and test the drug, so once they are actually able to release it to the pharmacies, there are only a few years left on the patent. It has nothing to do with how good the drug is, but you can be sure that generics are not of the same quality as the original.
At 1:38 AM, Anonymous said...: I commented about two months ago right when I was given Jolessa. I had no problems till the weekend I started my third month on the first pack. I started to spot and have been now for 2 weeks. It's drving me freaking nuts! I was expecting spotting or problems the first month not going into the third! Also because I didn't plan taking the first pill very well I'll have my first actual period right in the middle of my 2 week vacation next week, so I was thinking when I get to my last active pill on Sunday instead of starting the white pills skip them and start my new pack so hopefully it will skip my period again. Has anyone done this before?
At 2:55 PM, Anonymous said...: I was on Seasonale for the first cycle and I was bleeding for 3 weeks and gained 9 lbs. When I went for my refill I got Quasense and have not bled. I did notice slight cramping and bigger boobs but I can deal with that. I would reccommend Quasense to anyone!
At 2:42 AM, Anonymous said...: I just got my first pack of Seasonale. The pharmicist filled the order with generic, and I noticed when I went to pay for it. I asked for the name brand instead. (Just because generic birth-control? I'm not willing to gamble on that). The price diff was $30 for generic and $158 for the brand name Seasonale. the pharmicist asked me if I was sure I wanted to pay that much difference. My response was: "You've never charged enough for what these things are worth!"
At 11:31 AM, Anonymous said...: I was on Seasonale since Jan. of of 2004. I had no problems with it, no side effects, worked so great. A few months ago I was given quasene by my pharmacist, who said it was the generic and worked the same but was a lot cheaper, so I trusted her and took it. I'm almost done my second pack of quasene, 3 weeks to go, and I started to spot really bad, have cramps, and be realy moody. As I look back over the past few months, I realize that my skin has been worse, and my PMS has been a lot worse. My doctor suggested that it was the quasene, as generic brands are only required to deliver 80% of what brandnames deliver. For the past few days I've been scared that I was pregnant or even worse, had an ectopic pregnancy! Beware of generics, always do research before taking something just because its cheaper.
At 7:20 PM, Anonymous said...: I have read most of these posts because i was very concerned with this Jolessa pill i was taking. ive always used a generic brand, because before one of my sports practices i had cramps so bad i thought someone was stabbing me. The other birth controls werent working proporly, i was getting my period a week ahead of time so my doctor told me to try Jolessa. I started taking it over a months ago, and about 2 weeks after i started my first pack i started spotting bad, and have been ever since. im calling my dr. to possibly get it changed. who wants there period for over a month!?
At 3:29 AM, Anonymous said...: I'm 18 and this is actually the first time I've ever been on birth controll. I've been taking Jolessa for about a week. I wake up in the middle of the night and vomit till morning. I'm dizzy and have nausea throughout most of the day. I was just wondering if this is because this is the first time I've ever taken birth controll or if this has to do with Jolessa.
At 4:14 AM, Anonymous said...: Wow if you have been that sick you should probably call your doctor. If you have been throwing up for a week I'd call them and let them know so your doctor can best help with what to do next. Good Luck and I hope you feel better soon!
At 11:16 AM, Anonymous said...: I was on Seasonale for 2 years and never had any problems with spotting, mood swings, or cramps. Just this last time I was given Quasene instead. I have been on it for 4 weeks now and have had terrible cramps and horrible mood swings. I will definitely be switching back to Seasonale.
At 5:28 PM, Anonymous said...: I have been taking Quasense for 5 weeks and have not been impressed with the effects it has had on my body. I bled for the first 3 weeks, my skin has broke out and won't clear up, I have headaches that last for days, and I've gained 15 pounds since I started taking it. I spent $99.00 on a three month supply and when I called my doctor about the side effects he said that it was just my body's way of getting used to the hormones. I would not recommend this birth control to anyone at all, and if things do not clear up by the time I'm done with this packet...I won't ever take it again.
At 5:52 PM, Anonymous said...: I asked specifically for the 4 periods a year BC (seasonique) and my dr. wrote the script...however the pharmacy gave me Jolessa and it was much cheaper (so naturally I took it). My issue is that I got my period in the second month of the first pack of Jolessa and now my period has been going on for 3 weeks now (heavy)...it is driving me insane. I can't take it anymore. Is this even normal? I was thinking maybe my body just needs to get use to it but this is ridiculous...I had to go on vacation to the beach with my period...that sucked!! Should I continue to take it and give my body time to adjust or just move on to a new form of BC? Usually my period last for 7 days so I excited about the occasional spotting...not heavy bleeding for 3 weeks...its not fair!!! Do anyone have any suggestions?
At 5:58 PM, Anonymous said...: help i've been bleeding for 3 weeks with Jolessa and i'm only into the 2nd month of my 1st pack. what to do?
At 6:41 PM, ema said...: anon @ 5:52 and 5:58 PM,

Check with your Ob/Gyn, but usually stopping the pill for 3 days and then restarting it helps control the bleeding.
At 9:04 PM, Anonymous said...: I just started on Jolessa today and I was wondering if anyone else started taking their pills in the middle of a cycle. My dr told me that I could go ahead and start the pills today or wait until the first sunday after my period. I opted for sooner. I was just wondering if anyone else had done this and what the results were
At 7:22 PM, Anonymous said...: for 3 months I took quasense the whole time i HAD PMS AND WOULD BE IN A BAD MOOD. the next pack I went to get the pharmicist filled the order with Jolessa.I still feel blah and just want to cry and get mad over nothing.Plus to top it all off my hair is falling out. Really bad I have never had thin hair before.When I take a shower and look at my hand its somthing would see in a scary movie.I need a pill that works does not make you fat and does not give you pms 24/7.
At 12:44 AM, Anonymous said...: I was on Seasonale and had no problems, but I was changed to Jolessa about 6 months ago and I have had horrible acne, and spotting. I am going to the doctor for the real stuff just as soon as I can!! I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one!!
At 5:59 AM, Anonymous said...: I'm so glad I came across this blog. I was really worrying as to why I've been bleeding for the past week and now know it's probably because I've been taking Quasense for the past 6 months. Hadn't had a problem and was glad for the break in price but will gladly go back to Seasonale if this is the alternative. Thanks ladies!
At 6:41 PM, Anonymous said...: I just picked up my first pack of Jolessa. I was excited to save $35 on the Rx, but now I'm concerned what the outcome will be. I've been on Seasonale for 3+ years and have loved it. I've lost 60 pounds (thru diet & exercise) and had 1 period in that time. I don't know if I exericence these side effects if I'll want to keep taking it. I'm sure glad to read that there are some people who aren't having any side effects with Jolessa.
At 10:23 PM, Anonymous said...: i started taking Jolessa 5 months ago and have not liked it one bit. At first I thought some of the side effects would go away once my body got used to it. But I have had horrible breakouts, cramping and spotting throughout the entire 5 months. I have an appointment to get my prescription changed in a couple of weeks. Should I request that my prescrition be replaced with Seasonale? At this point my breakouts are so horrible that I will try anything, because I have always had beautiful skin. Please help!! :)
At 8:19 PM, Unknown said...: I just finished jolessa about a week ago and started my period..its been 6 days now and its still heavy period...how long will this last? before even taking jolessa my period would've been gone by now..its putting a damper on my sex life!!!!! i dont want it to last weeks!
At 1:49 AM, Anonymous said...: I am not usually into posting comments or even reading what i see online, but everyone's comments have made me feel a bit better. I started taking Jolessa and the 4th week came and i had very light spotting, which i was happy to see and expected but over the course of a week it got worse. It was like a period in reverse. I was scheduled to see my ob/gyn for my annual exam but we held off and that was on the 11th! I am scheduled to go back in this tuesday the 25th and I am still bleeding. Just when i think its going to quit it starts up again. My doctor told me to stop taking the pill and let my system get back to normal and take a pregnancy test. The test was not positive but of course now I am freaking out about everything that could be wrong!
At 2:22 AM, Anonymous said...: I've been on Quasense for a while now and it makes me have a different vaginal excretion. It smells bad and causes a lot of itching.
Also, a Pharmacy CAN ask if you want to change to a generic equal. It helps save you money, it's made out of the exact same active ingredients. I work in Pharmacy!
At 5:09 AM, Anonymous said...: to the previous pharmacy woker that stated that it was okay that they switched from a prescription of Seasonique to the a generic for Seasonale, you are wrong, there is no actual generic for Seasonique and Seasonale and Seasonique are not the same. Seasonique contains hormones in what would normally be inactive pills in Seasonale. Giving a customer a generic for a non-equivalent drug in NOT legal without a physicians authorization to switch the drugs, even oral contraceptives, and the customer has to be consulted. If a pharmacy tries to do this you should reprt them, take it up with manager and I would suggest finding a different pharmacy, if they don't know or follow the law then I certainly wouldn't trust them with my medications!
At 10:37 PM, Anonymous said...: I'm so glad I found this. This is the first time I've ever taken BC and my Dr. wrote out a script for Seasonale or generic if cost was prohibitive, and the pharmacy didn't even ask if I wanted the generic, they just gave it to me. It was cheap, but next time I will ask for the brand name. I've never had a major problem with cystic acne before (maybe one a month before I started BC), but ever since I started Quasense, I've been getting cysts and pimples that do not go away for weeks, even after using the clindamyacin and Differin that my Dr. prescribed. I'm starting to get embarassed because people probably think I never wash my face. I have also had cramping and bad discharge and have gained a few pounds and I'm only on my second month. I would gladly pay 3 times the amount of the generic for the real stuff.
At 1:20 AM, Anonymous said...: I started Jolessa in the spring. The first two months were awesome. No cramping no spotting. At the start of the third month I spotted the whole month and had a heavy period. It was horrible. I was in so much pain. Once it ened the spotting stopped and I decided to give Jolessa one more pack. So the first month of the second pack went by fine but about 2 weeks ago going into the second month I started spotting. I had to cancel my full physical. But I kept the appointment because I wanted to switch pills. I was having a lot of nausa and decided this pill wasn't worth it. I was telling my doctor and she said 'wait a minute so you spotted for a full month and had a heavy period and now you are spotting again?' and I said yes. She said 'oh honey this is not the pill for you!' I totally agreed. And she put my back on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo. Which I was on before. She said that the name brand may be better then Jolessa but she couln't gaurentee that. But she said I can take Ortho and skip the sugar pills and take the next pack right away and that will allow a miss period. So I'm going to try that and see if theres a difference. If not I'll take Ortho like normal and have a period once a month. It's not worth it to have no period for 6 weeks or so give or take and then spot for 4 weeks and have a preiod from hell!
At 12:13 AM, Anonymous said...: I've been on Seasonale for over a year. I experienced mid-cycle periods - 2 weeks! I seem to be very resistant to BC. So the doctor told me to skip the placebos and trick my body a bit. Still having the mid-cycle period, but will keep on trying.
As far as generics are concerned, stay away! I'm 8 weeks into a pack of Jolessa. It wasn't until today that I figured out why I've been so depressed - it has to be the switch to the generic! I have been feeling so unlike myself, I thought I was going crazy! I'm calling my doctor to talk it over with her, and will hopefully go back to Seasonale.
At 12:33 AM, Anonymous said...: My doctor prescribed Seasonale for me after about 3 years on the patch. (My cramps and symptoms had gotten extremely severe, so my doctor suggested shortening the number of periods that I have). When I got my prescription filled, they gave me Jolessa instead. Everything was great for the first 2 months, but about 2 weeks ago, I started spotting really badly. This week, I've been passing really large clots and the cramps have become increasingly severe. I thought I might be having a miscarriage or something. I've got one more week of active pills before I start my "real" period. I'm freaking out and never experienced anything like this before! Plus, I can't get in touch with my doctors to get something else. I wouldn't reccomend Jolessa.
At 6:06 PM, Unknown said...: First off, Seasonale and Seasonique are not exactly the same thing. While Seasonale has a week of sugar pills after 3 months of active pills, Seasonique employees a week of low-dose estrogen pills. So it would seem to me that it should be illegal to substitute Seasonale or one of the generics for Seasonique, as you're not getting the same medicine. That being said, I started on Seasonale in March of 2003 because of heavy periods and I loved it. When Jolessa came out of course my prescription was immediately filled with it instead. I found that I had much more spotting with Jolessa and often felt nausea. At my next appointment this past March I requested a script for Seasonique instead, and I haven't had any problems with it. The thing with generics is that while the active ingredient is the same, and nominally should be present in the same concentration as the brand name, process conditions may not be as tightly controlled in order to cut costs so there may be more pill to pill variation. In the case of a hormone, some people may be more affected by these variations than others. Additionally, non-active ingredients (binders, fillers, etc.) may not be the same or be present in the same amounts and in some cases this can affect absorption. While I have no problem with generics for the vast majority of OTC and prescription medicines I have taken, I will do anything I can to avoid generic BC.
At 2:11 AM, Anonymous said...: I have been taking jolessa for about three trails and i am still having random bleedings and spottings. Every trial i take it it sort of falls into a little better into the three month track of getting my period. This time it is about two months into my third trial and i have it. I was wondering if anyone knew if this random timing would get better by the third trial.
Also, throughout these three trails i have tried random things, the first trial i had my period for about two weeks and i got tired of it and stopped taking the pills and took the white ones, then it seemed to stop. The second trial i stopped taking my pills when i got my period and tried to start again. I need some helpful advice should i not do this, should i switch, or what?
At 1:15 AM, Anonymous said...: I was on seasonale for about 2 years with no problems (slight spotting at first but that went away within a few months). About a year ago my pharmacy switched me to Jolessa which gave me severe cystic acne, which I didn't realize was probably because of the BC switch. Last week I changed pharmacies, and the new one carries Quanase, not Jolessa. Because of the cost, I didn't think of switching back to brand name. For about the past week, I've been taking Quanase and have been severely dizzy and headache-y, I even vomitted once. I stopped taking the pill for two days, felt much better, took it again and am sick again. I can't believe I paid $105 for Quanaese, and it is making me sick. It's so bad that I'm going to have to go off birth control until I can see my doctor. I'm assuming my pharmacy won't let me buy a new three month pack of brand name a week after buying the generic?

I would not recommend Quanese to anyone.
At 7:43 PM, Unknown said...: I have been taking Jolessa for about a year now at least and Ive had no problems with the pill at all. No spottoing....blood clotting is normal for me anyhow as I have had it even before I was on this pill...the clots always come out when urinating(Not to be gross)My heatlh is good.
So I guess it just depends on what your body "wishes" to handle better
Everyone is different.
At 6:54 PM, Anonymous said...: I have always been weary of birth controls side effects, such as "death and stroke" (not cool!). But I finally decided to go on birth control due to nasty painful periods! and was prescribed seasonale. When i sent in my persription i insisted on the name brand, how ever when they told me it was $140 for a 3 month supply, and only $20 for Quasense, I surely took Quasense. I mean hello i can buy a really cute pair of BCBGs for that price! what a save! Everything was going just fine for the first 5 weeks, i did notice my skin broke out terribly! and i've always had perfect skin. And another change which i abosultely loved was my boobs grew a whole cup size!! I went from a B to a C in 3 weeks! Altho they are really hard and tender at times. But after my 5th week I've now been spotting for 2 weeks straight non stop! And i wanted birth control so now i have it for sure!! And i've already lost my sex drive. So pregnancy yeah right! One other horrible side affect i've had is that im a Royal Bitch. My boyfriend can't stand me! I'm just hoping my body is just adjusting and everything will get better. If not it's going in the Trash!!!!
At 3:47 AM, Anonymous said...: 11-6-07: Ive been taking BC pills for the past 14 yrs, using a 28 day pill. Periods were no big deal...typically 3-4 days and no cramps or PMS. I thought it would be great to try Seasonale & only have 4 periods a year. My Rx was the generic Jolessa. First 5 wks were great but I have been spotting for the last 5 weeks. Ive read that you need to finish the 3 mo pack and I only have 5 pills left to take. I would rather have 12 periods a yr than 5 weeks of spotting every day! Im going back to my old, reliable 28 day BC pill and looking forward to it!
At 10:23 PM, Anonymous said...: To those who are getting barely any period when they're supposed to: that happens sometimes. I was on Zovia and was taking it as if it were like Seasonelle (just a few periods a year) and they diminished to almost nothing. It took over 6 months of no pills at all to get back on track.

Also, just remember ladies, some of those side effects may be simply from the act of switching pills, not the specific brand of pills themselves. I was switched from generic to brand name once, and it messed me up something awful. Once your body's used to something, giving it something else can throw it for a loop.

That being said, I've now returned to The Pill after being off of it nearly 2 years. I was given Quasense, and it's been 2 days. Today, the 2nd day, I've gotten horrible nausea, but I hope it will pass.
At 10:49 PM, Anonymous said...: I was given a sample pack of Seasonale after having a miscarriage. I was seriously ill for 2 months, throwing up every single day. I still have no idea if it was a side effect from the pill or hormone flucuation from having a miscarriage. When I visited the doctor for a "followup" appointment to make sure everything was still ok with my body after the miscarriage, he gave me a sample of Seasonique. After taking that for 3 months, with no ill effects, I got my prescription filled with Jolessa. The only time I encountered spotting was when I forgot to take a pill in 3 days. I am really surprised how many people don't like it.
At 8:04 AM, Anonymous said...: The whole reason i started birth control was to control my acne and i basically didnt want to have a period, well my friend had been taking seasonael and she said not once did she have a problem with it so when i finally went to the doctor they told me that i could take seasonele and when to start it. well when i had finally recieved my perscription it was made out for jolessa, not seasonele. oh well i didnt care all i wanted was no period and to look a little bit better. but I've been on jolessa since may of 2007. i was fine when i first started taking it.. no side effects nothing. I did miss 2 days worth of it out of the entire 3 months and for the first 2 months of it i took it a few mintues early and a few mintues late and when my first 3 months were up, i was in maybe my third week of taking it and i started getting really mucousy discharge. it was absolutely discusting. and i had it until i finished out the rest of my pack. and now i'm just ending my third pack again but this time around i was much more careful to take it at the exact time every day. i havent missed a day and yet i still get this discusting discharge. I'm wondering if three months down the road from now i'll still get it? i am definetly not happy with the results jolessa has given me, i'm defintely thinking to going back to having a period once a month.
At 3:37 PM, Anonymous said...: I was prescribed seasonale by my dr, however the pharmacy gave me the generic Jolessa. I have been taking it for 5 months now and have had horrible acne, Weight gain and have been bleeding heavily for 4 weeks.This sucks I'm stopping! Thanks to all who wrote comments I thought I was going crazy!!!
At 5:55 AM, Anonymous said...: I was on seasonale for a while and then my doc recomended seasonique, to lessen the cramps and stuff during the week off the pill. I love it! I just tried to get my seasonique filled and they tried to give me Quasense! I had to explain to the pharmacists that quasense is the generic for seasonale, not seasonique.
At 9:30 PM, Anonymous said...: I was taking Seasonale for 2 years. I had periods every 4 months for 3 days very lightly. I never had PMS or pain and sweeling of any kind on it. I was switched by my Pharmacist to Jolessa and was told its identical to Seasonal. I have had my period for 5 weeks now nonstop with nasty headaches and cramps. I will never take Jolessa again. Why do they even sell that crap!
At 8:40 PM, Anonymous said...: OK. I just started Quasense - but here's the thing. My period is due in 2 weeks and I'm trying to avoid getting it because of a very important trip I'm taking. The nurse told me that if I start taking it today then the pills should override the period. After reading all of these horrible comments, I'm terrified that I'm going to bloat and break out and have some nasty discharge in the next 3 weeks. Can someone please put my mind at ease and give me some good news?!?!
At 2:24 AM, Anonymous said...: I've been on Jolessa for 3 months now. No problems with spotting, no break outs out of the ordinary, no bloating, or weight gain. I was nauseous for the first week but other than that it's been great. I just started the last week of pills, "the period week" so I'm hoping it will be short and light.
At 3:05 AM, Anonymous said...: I've been on Jolessa for over a year now. I'll admit that I've had some negative side-effects. I gained some weight and went up a whole cup size. Sounds great but not if you're a D-cup to begin with. And I never had cramps until I took it. But I've found the side-effects to be manageable and I haven't spotted at all.
At 3:23 PM, Anonymous said...: I was on Quasense a generic of Seasonal. When I first took it I was fine. About three weeks in to it, I was very moody, emotional, loss of appetite, I couldn't make a deccison, and my body ached. My second month on it was terrible. At the third month I was back to my normal self. It's working so far.
At 4:06 AM, Anonymous said...: I've been on Jolessa for 3 months now. This is the week i'm supposed to be getting my period, but it started over two weeks ago and hasn't let up AT ALL. It worked great for the first 2 and a half months but now I'm just miserable with cramping and bleeding EVERY day. From the sound of every one elses comments it might just be the generic brand. I'm definitely going to talk to my doctor about switching.
At 10:05 PM, Anonymous said...: I just started Jolessa this week after taking Quasense for several months and Seasonale before that. I haven't had any side effects since my first 3 months of Seasonale, but i'm really scared now that Jolessa is gonna make me gain the weight i just lost, or make me break out even more! Why can't they just keep it consistant? isn't the point of BC consistancy? take it everyday at the same time, don't switch too often, blah blah blah! I've tried to get them to take my insides out, cause i DO NOT want kids, but they won't, they say i'm too young. Well, cross your fingers for me.
At 8:34 PM, Suejester said...: I really wish I had looked for this forum before switching to a 4 month a year pill. It would have really helped me to make an informed decision. I had asked my doctor about taking a pill so I would get my period 4 times a year. It is not for BC reasons, just for wicked bad period, and am tired of the inconvience of a period. She prescribed Jolessa. The first 5-6 weeks were fine. No issue, then weeks 6-10 (currently on week 10) I have been having my period, so it has been going on 5 weeks with my period and no end in sight. I am only 1 1/2 weeks away from the placebo pills. I AM GOING OUT OF MY MIND WITH THIS CONSTANT HEAVY CLOTTING PERIOD!!!
It started out as brown discharge but had gotten worse as the weeks have gone by. When I contacted my doctor's office, they stated, I would just have to wait it out, and nothing can be done. I am not happy with this response...Then again who could be happy in general when their period has gone on for so long... I would not nor ever recommend Jolessa to anyone period...
At 2:51 AM, Anonymous said...: I wouldn't advise anyone to take Seasonale, Seasonique, or Quasense. I've taken all three and I've experienced spotting after 5 weeks, my weight changes constantly due to changes in my appetite(I'm either really hungry or not hungry at all).
I have to say that Quasense is the worst pill I've ever been on. It's a nightmare. I've gotten extreme nausea, frequent but minor headaches, loss of any appetite, extreme moodswings and irritability, and I still cramp nearly as bad as I used to. I'd rate my pain level as a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10. I'm switching pills today, I can't take it anymore!
At 4:10 AM, Anonymous said...: I finally got around to going on birth control because I got so sick and tired of never knowing when I was going to get my period. Before I could have my period anytime from 30 days to 90 days... too unpredictable with pretty much after the 2nd week of my period ending having breakthrough up until a few days before my period started again and a lot of vaginal discharge. I thought going on birth control would stop the breakthrough and put my period on a regular schedule. I'm almost through the 91 day pack and I've been having breakthrough periods since Thanksgiving... it sucks but at least I haven't had them the whole time. And I haven't had to deal with vaginal discharge... which is great because dress pants make it obvious at times when you don't know when its going to happen. Other than dealing with breakthrough for the last two weeks the Jolessa has been great... since its less than what it was before. I haven't had problems with eating habits which is great since I have a hard enough time eating. I'm hoping that my doctor might have an idea of how to lessen the breakthroughs because they are obnoxious to deal with.
At 4:58 AM, Anonymous said...: First, the comments here would be so much more believable if you tracked IPs (and eliminated duplicates) and required some sort of verification other than just a CAPTCHA image.

I have a REAL hard time believing that so many people have a problem with the generic version.. especially when they say it in almost the exact same way! Imagine that.

Also, as the one pharmacy tech stated, no one is trying to be sneaky with you, ALL PRESCRIPTIONS are filled GENERICALLY UNLESS the DR specifically indicates it is DAW.. Dispense as written.

If you are having doubts about the generic, ask your Dr. I did, and she told me not to be concerned. Some of the comments here are clearly being left by teens or very immature and ignorant people. Talk to your Dr. instead.. I mean, you MUST have one if you are getting an Rx.
At 12:46 PM, Anonymous said...: I agree with nonaymous. The person posting anti-generic drug stories sounds suspiciously like an troll for the brand Seasonale. The generics contain the identical or near-identical dosages.
At 8:39 AM, Anonymous said...: i've had been taking a regular birth control but was having problems when i missed of having a two week period os i switched to a 4 of year just to eliminate some problems my pharmacy gave me jolessa. i have had no problems the only slight was that i had a period, a very light one, in my second month of taking them but after 9 months of taking them they work just fine. i had more problems with my name brand from before that was just a regular. so hey everyone is different
At 6:49 PM, Anonymous said...: I started Quasene about a month ago. I haven't had any spotting, but I've had a lot of weight gain lately. I'm a little worried that I could be pregnant. How long is it supposed to take before I start spotting?
At 9:38 PM, Anonymous said...: I started taking Jolessa three months ago and at first everything was fine. But last month I started to bleed through and I'm finally at the end of the pack and I'm am hoping to finally stop having to worry about tampons and pantiliners. A month of bleeding really wasn't worth it. I might give it another three months to see if it stops when my body gets used to taking these pills, but I would love to find something better. I've been doing some research on other birth control pills, and it seems that there are always women who have problems with each type. I'm almost convinced that condoms are the way to go because I don't want to risk messing up my body in the long run.
At 10:59 AM, Anonymous said...: Hi everyone! I've been using Quasense for about a year and a quarter now. I asked my doctor for Seasonale but this is what Walgreens has been giving me... *sigh*. I wanted to have only four periods a year (duh). Well that didn't work out. I basically spotted the first three months that I took the Quasense and then "enjoyed" a really long period.

After that I gave up on the four periods a year and started taking the Quasense for a month and then taking a week off to have a period. At least I wasn't spotting anymore and with my insurance I could get 3 months of Quasense for about the same price as one month of regular birth control.

I was still breaking out but I always break out around my period so I didn't think much of it. As far as I could tell, there weren't any negative side effects and I'm a Ramen eating, penny pinching college kid which means I didn't want to have to pay to go see my Gyno again... or for the gas to drive home... or the extra money I would spend on a monthly pack for that matter.

Up until recently I have been happy as a clam on Quasense. No weird side effects or anything! Or so I thought (que foreboding music)... I recently noticed that I'm not quite fitting into old winter clothes as well. I live in TX and winter decided to take a vacation this year and it has been pretty warm out. I got on the scale and to my horror I realized that I have gained a total of 16lbs since I started taking Quasense!!! I'm no Freshman so I'm not supposed to gain that much weight in a year!!! The Quasense weight gain creeps up on you... slowly over time.

I also realized that I was breaking out way more than I used to and had been experiencing some depression and anxiety (which is unusual for me) over the past year.

I've called my doctor and made an appointment and I'm seriously looking into an IUD... I'm sick of my body being screwed with by hormones.

I guess if you look at it from another point of view, a birth control pill that gives you acne, depresses you (so you don't want to go out), and makes you fat could be very effective... because you know you won't get laid! (loljk)
At 8:07 PM, Anonymous said...: I've been on Seasonale for over 2 years now, and have had no complaints. One time my pharmacy gave me a prescription of Jolessa, the generic, and I started noticing that my hair was getting thinner and thinner. Obviously I went back on Seasonale. Unfortunately, when I got married I had to wait for my new insurance card to come in the mail so I was off of birth control for a few months. When my card came in the mail I went to the pharmacy for some more Seasonale and didn't realize until I got home that they gave me Quasene, which after reading all your comments, I will not be continuing. I've only been on it for 3 days, but I'll pay whatever I need to to Seasonale instead. Funny thing, I noticed I've been breaking out the past few days and I've always had clear skin....
At 6:23 PM, Anonymous said...: I've been using Quasense for about 4 months now (am on my 2nd pack). This is my first birth control... and I loved it at first. Until I was spotting for a week before my wedding. I freaked out, but it actually (amazingly, miraculously) stopped the day before my wedding! So I continued with Quasense. Well, I've been spotting now for more than 2 weeks!! I finally called my doctor to prescribe something else, where I will have a regular monthly period.
Like another blogger wrote, I'd rather have 3-5 days of a normal period, than spotting for an indefinite amount of time.
Obviously - the hubby isn't too thrilled either.
Additionally, I think this birth control has contributed significantly towards my increase in frequency and severity of migraines.
So between the migraines, and spotting... I'm moving on!
At 12:41 AM, Anonymous said...: I think what people don't understand here is that the side-effects of birth control pills, especially since they mess with hormones, are very dependent upon individual body chemistry. Please don't go around encouraging people to pay extra for brand-names without even giving the generic a try. Depending on the slight differences in pill ingredients, the generic could work much better than the brand-name for one person, and the opposite can be true for another person. The only way to find out what works for you is to actually try the pills out.
At 5:59 AM, Anonymous said...: I find it funny that there are women who have side effects different from Seasonale when they start taking the generic Jolessa. The fact that are are made by the same company means they are EXACTLY the same except that they might be a different color. I work in a Pharmacy and this is how it works. When the Brand name company looses it's patent after about 10 years (much shorter for Seasonale because it was already marketed for years in the 28 day form)they have the choice to market a generic themslves and still get some of the money or allow someone else to(someone else will make one either way) and get no money. The fact that Barr decided to market a generic means they probably changed the color of their product and used less packaging (cardboad instead of a nice plastic case) and they still get at least some of the money from the sales. I just thought women should know!
At 3:37 PM, Anonymous said...: My Dr. put me on Seasonale appox 6 mos ago and I loved it. Even the time for my body to adjust to the new med was easy. This last time at the Pharm they gave me the generic (Quasense) and I have been bleeding for the the last 2 out of 3 weeks. This is nuts, I thought someting was wrong with me. I just called my Doc and running out to pick up some Seasonale again. I agree with the rest, I don't care about the cost as long as my system gets back to normal.
At 6:10 AM, Anonymous said...: I actually have been on all four. I started out on Seasonale because my gyno had it handy for me to try. She gave me a prescription for seasonique so I began that after 3 months. I then went to pharmacy and they gave me Quansense because they didn't have seasonaique and after another 3 months the next pharmacy didn't have either so the gave me Jolessa. Not going to lie each time it pissed me off a bit. I was actually pretty okay until Jolessa, it has done horrible things to my skin, I've never had such bad acne before and I've been bleeding for a straight week now and I shouldn't be getting my period for another month. I'm going to the gyno and getting off of it immediately, dealing with pharmacy's who changed up the prescription this much made it not worth it. I don't recommend jolessa to anyone.
At 4:41 PM, Anonymous said...: I took Seasonale for a couple of years, and I too was shocked when my mail-order pharmacy sent me Quasense. I was very angry they just sent me this stuff without even asking or notifying me ahead of time. I decided to give it a try, and HATED it. I never had problems with Seasonale (or any other BC), but I had lots of bleeding issues with Quasense. I spoke to my doctor, who said it was probably due to switching pills, so she suggested I hang in there for a pack. This did not make sense to me. If a generic pill is supposed to be the same as the brand name, why any changes?! But, I hung in there and the bleeding issues vanished. I have been on the Quasense for awhile now without any problems. I thought about asking for Seasonique at my last gyn appointment, but my insurance made it even cheaper to get generic pills. I can get 3 months for $10. Since I have been problem free since the initial pack, I stayed with the Quasense. I think it was a good decision, but if I run into trouble again, I am running back to the brand name.
At 9:13 PM, Anonymous said...: I also work in a pharmacy and it is illegal to switch to a generic that is not equivalent to the prescribed product. Neither Quasense or Jolessa is equivalent to SEASONIQUE, they are only equivalent to seasonale
At 5:47 AM, Anonymous said...: I was on Seasonale with no problems. I went back to get the prescription & the pharmacies in my area no longer carry it they only carry generic. I am on my second pack of generic and still having bleeding issues. The phoarmacy said if I give them a few days notice they will order the Seasonale. What a pain though...makes you wonder whats in that generic brand.
At 3:11 AM, Anonymous said...: I have been on Seasonale for just over a year and absolutely loved it. When I went to fill my prescription this last refill, they gave me Quasense, at first I wasn't happy with the generic brand because I know they are not necessarily the same quality, but decided to try it with the price defference. I have been on Quasense for two months now and HATE IT!! They have been the moodiest two months for me. I did not have any spotting, but I have gained 10 lbs and have no sex drive at all. I have never had a problem gaining wait, being moody or depressed, and have suffered from all the aboce while on Quasense. I suggest sticking to what works for you, and not trying the generic brand if you don't usually. I hate Quasense, and all my side effects are listed online. I called today, and the pharmacy had my insurance override my prescription so I only get Seasonale from now on. Don't use Quasense! The worst ever!
At 7:48 PM, Anonymous said...: My doctor recently wrote me a prescription for birth control due to painful periods, and awful PMS. She told me I was getting Seasonale. I picked up my prescription and the pharmacy gave me Quansense. After reading all the posts, I am a little nervous about trying it, but i am aware that everyone will have a different experience depending on their body.

Is Quansense worth giving a try?
At 2:53 AM, Unknown said...: I was on Seasonale for a year or so and loved it, but still suffered from terible headaches when i did have my period. My Gyno suggested I try Librel (would result in NO periods ever)but Librel made me very fatigued. When I asked to be switched back she suggested I try Seasonique. I have been on Seasonique for 6 months and it has caused me acne, weight gain, and reduced energy. Needless to say im going back to Seasonale...ill take 4 headaches a year over perpetual acne and fat any day.
At 5:19 PM, Anonymous said...: I am so glad that I ran across this site. I have been experiencing the same side effects as many of you here. I am taking Jolessa and have been for a little over a month now. Heavy spotting, huge monster zits on my face and back, night sweats...ugh. This is my first time on any sort of BCP, (I am taking it to see if the horomones would help my excessive hair shedding.), but I am now thinking that this may not be the pill for me. Back to the drawing board. Thank you to all who have posted before me!!!! You've answered many of my questions!!
At 7:56 PM, Anonymous said...: I want to thank all you ladies for your comments. I was thinking about switching to generic since Seasonale is expensive (and of course my insurance doesn't provide much savings). I have tried another generic before (other than Quasense) and I too was bleeding alot - it was annoying. So I switched back to Seasonale. I am willing to pay the big bucks for a wonderful convenience.
At 9:46 PM, Anonymous said...: Hi! I've never really been on birth control before- tried ortho-tricyclen-lo for a month....hated it so much that i threw the rest away. anyhow, i decided a few years later (now) to give it another go. i asked for seasonale--but i knew fully well that i'd get whatever the generic is because that's how my ins works...so, i go to target, and they have JOLESSA. i'm now in the 5th week of JOLESSA and i have NO SIDE EFFECTS. havent gained a single pound, no mood swings, NO SPOTTING, no dizziness, nausea. i occasionally experience a mild cramping sensation, but like i said--very mild, and not really bothersome at all to be honest. but besides that, i love me that JOLESSA! keep in mind, i was not switching from something else....i was starting out clean on JOLESSA. Also, i was kind of nervous about spotting...because ugh....spotting right? well, this might be corny-but i just kept telling myself that i wouldnt spot and tried to maintain a positive attitude about the stuff...and maybe that has nothing to do with anything, but i think it helped. Good luck! :)
At 4:45 AM, Anonymous said...: Ok i am SO sick of people bitching about PHARMACY WORKERS...i know you have cramps and you're bloated and whatnot but its not the pharmacy's fault for giving you the generic. In 46 states it is STATE LAW for the pharmacy to dispense the FDA approved generic unless your doctor specifically indicates otherwise...so if you got Jolessa instead you should go bitch at your state legislator not at your pharmacy technician. I am a pharmacy technician, i have a uterus too and i know what cramps are like and im sorry you have them but we're just doing our job! We don't make the rules the goverment does and if it bothers you that much you can always go back to your pharmacy and ask for the brand name...you simply sign the back of your hard copy Rx stating "I request Brand Name" and voila...seasonale. Also if your insurance company mandates that you have generic you should call Medco, United Health, Blue Cross or whoever ur provider is and yell at them...not at the pharmacy worker !
At 2:31 PM, Anonymous said...: I was originally prescribed Seasonale and took it Brand Name until the generic became available. I then immediately switched to Jolessa. I have had no additional problems with Jolessa that I wasn't already having with Seasonale (10 pounds of weight gain; heavier and just a few days longer periods when I have them than I was used to). I think those side effects are well worth the benefits.

The Seasonique it EXACTLY like Seasonale except that during the last week where you would normally take no hormones you take very low dose of one of the hormones. This allows you to still have a period but still have some hormonal support.

For the person who was given the generic of Seasonale for the Seasonique prescription: that WAS illegal. The Seasonale generic would not have the hormonal support week that Seasonique has, so you were not getting a generic of Seasonique! That was a complete mistake by the pharmacist. They never should have done that.
At 1:17 AM, Anonymous said...: I was on Seasonale for over two years and loved it. I only had minor spotting during my first pack and since, have had no problems at all. Well about two weeks ago when I picked up my RX, the pharmacist told me that the manufacturer had changed, so the package would look different, but everything was the same. I am epileptic, and cannot be messing with any of my medications, so I believed that this was the same, and it turned out that it was the generic Jolessa. I have had serious headaches and spotting. My seizures are triggered by migranes and I have been seizure free for over a year now, and don't want that to change. I think that it was very irresponsible for the pharmacist, knowing full well that I am epileptic since I was picking up Lamictal (epilepsy medication) at the same time, not to tell me that this was a generic and letting me know about the side effects! I kept thinking maybe it was just allergy headaches, but now that I have read the side effects on Jolessas website, and this forum, I would have to say it's related to that! I'm sorry to hear you have all had these side effects as well! I'm hoping my insurance company won't freak out when I request Seasonale!
At 11:10 PM, Anonymous said...: I've been taking Quasense for about 6 months now. I've always taken generic birth control pills so the switch from a one month to a three month pack wasn't a big deal. I did get some cramps during the first two months and my first period after the first three months had a bit more clotting than usual, but i suppose my body was just adjusting to the time differences. Other than that, I cannot complain because now my body has adjusted to Quasense. No weight gain. No increase in acne. Also, my insurance gives it to me for only $15, so I'm happy.
At 3:26 AM, Angi said...: Ladies, you are not crazy and I don't think you're blogging to pump up sales of Season-whatever. I'm on week 10 of my Jolessa, also taken for convenience and alleviation of PMS... I've been bleeding for four weeks. HATE IT!!! I'm going off. This just sucks. I think I'll try Yaz... cheaper, name brand and same PMS-alleviation bennies. Good luck!
At 7:59 PM, Anonymous said...: I have been on Jolessa now for 6 weeks. Out of that 6 weeks I have been bleeding for 15 days. So irritating!!!Plus, I have been cramping really bad and my face has been breaking out more than normal. I called my OBGYN and they said it's normal. I hope this gets better!!
At 4:30 AM, Anonymous said...: I have just started taking Jolessa about a week ago. I'm just curious for those of you who have had spotting and break outs, about how long into taking the Jolessa did you start to see symptoms? Thanks in advance!
At 7:07 AM, Anonymous said...: I'm so glad I found this! I've been taking birth control (Ortho, Enpress) for years to deal with my PCOS and accompanying month-long periods. And I'm finally just starting to take birth control for the reason it's actually marketed for. I though switching to Seasonale for college would be pretty cool, and had my dr write call in a prescription. I get to Target and have it filled. They gave me Jolessa, which I was fine with because generics don't generally bother me. But the price for Jolessa was $150!!!! Christ, that is actually 10 months worth of my regular birth control. I walked out of the store without so I could do some research and find out what my other options are. So far I've realized that the price was completely gouged and that it may not even be worth it. I'd rather not bleed for a whole month ever again. Maybe I'll just stick with Enpresse. A period every month- but at least it works for me! And thats the way nature intended it anyways, I suppose.
At 6:24 AM, Anonymous said...: Hey all,

I am just starting my third week of Jolessa...and so far I have had very minimal side affects. I am taking it for BC and cause I get horrible cramps during my period. This is the first BC I have ever been on.

The first week or so i was really dizzy, and had those stand up/black out moments, but it was nothing a break in the action could not fix. I think I have probably put on 1-2 lbs of water weight, if that. My acne has stayed exactly the same, it may have even cleared up a bit. So far no spotting (knock on wood!). I am happy with my decision and I am glad I did not let all these downer comments influence my decision (I contemplated paying MUCH more for seasonale). I honestly think (as some other woman on here suggested) that seasonale reps are filling up this board.........my suggestion is TRY JOLESSA! You have no idea how YOUR body will react to something. Even if these "women" are real (which I am sure some are!) and have these problems, who is to say that you will!?

I give Jolessa a 9/10!

I love my new pill!
At 7:55 PM, Anonymous said...: I have been on jolessa for a month and a half, and previous was on it last year for maybe 5 months. I have had terrible spotting. It pretty much lasts from the beginning of the 2nd month to the end of the 91 day pills. Then same for the next pack. The same was for Quasense. Do you think that if I stick with taking the pills and get it in my system (normally I just give up and stop taking them for a week or so) or just get off it for good? Also, my old mail order presciptions were $30 for a month supply, at local pharmacy--$112! Annoying to say the least.
At 8:02 PM, Anonymous said...: I have been on the Jolessa for about 6 weeks and have cramped almost the whole time and have gotten a period worse than when I wasn't taking any birth control. I've seen that several other people have had the same problems. I hope my doctor switches me to something else. Jolessa doesn't seem worth the trouble.
At 11:43 PM, Anonymous said...: Generic drugs are the exact same ingredients as the name brands. So if you are having side effects that you didn't have on the name brand, I would look into other things that might have changed in your life. Such as new drugs, missed pills, changing pill times, etc. Had you stayed on the name brand you might have had the same side effects as you are having on generic b/c of other changes you having in your lives and bodies.

That being said, some people just can't take pills with out break through bleeding continuously. I had that problem in depo shots when they first came out, tried them for a year, never stopped bleeding. I was much younger then, and probably would have had that effect had seasonale been out. However my body has changed dramatically over the last 10 years or so, and now can take any pill with out any problems. I was on seasonale, but quit b/c of the price. I then switched to aviane and just skipped the placebos and took them for 3 months with out any problems. My insurance caught on and put a stop to that, so now I switched back to seasonale, thankfully there is now a generic. I'm going to love this, it comes out even cheaper than what I was doing with the aviane.
At 8:42 PM, Anonymous said...: I have been taking Jolessa for almost 3 months now, i had some heavy bleeding then spotting for a few days like 2-3 times, now im on week 13 and have a very mild period. Is that normal?
At 5:45 PM, Anonymous said...: Glad to hear other people are having the same problem as me. I am on my second 3 month pack of Quasense, and I can go about a month and a half with no period. The second month and a half I spot regularly. It will be gone for two days, then when I have sex there it is again. It is so depressing and frustrating that if this is the way this is going to work, I'd rather be back on the monthly pill. At least then I know it's a few days and then gone!

After my first pack, and 3 weeks of almost constant bleeding, I took the week off and just let it runs it's course. Then about 2 days after taking the first dose of the next pack, there I was spotting again. What a pain. I think I may try asking for the name brand next time and seeing if that helps, or else I'm going back to the monthly one.
At 4:02 AM, erika said...: I was on orth tricyclen for 6 years and was getting horrible migraines. I switched to Jolessa a year ago and have had no problems. No spotting, no weight gain, no breakouts, and only a period every 3 months.
At 11:02 AM, fruffykat said...: Honestly, I was lucky enough to get a sample pack of Seasonique. It was really great. I had no side effects for three months and absolutely no spotting. I decided to go with Jolessa when I filled me order. A month later, I'm now wondering why I can't fit my pants and I constantly have a painfully bloated stomach that sticks out always. I am not the type of person that just gains weight for the heck of it and I don't over eat. A few weeks ago i got numbness in my body and my vision blurred out. All I'm saying is that if you switch to Jolessa and all of a sudden you have wierd things happening-then it's the Jolessa. Seosonique had such a smooth natural feeling.
At 12:54 AM, Anonymous said...: I have been losing hair for the last 4 or 5 months and never realized that it might be linked to Jolessa. Hopefully if I go back to Seasonale my hair will stop coming out.
At 4:28 AM, Anonymous said...: I started Seasonique in February (it is now October) and took it through 2 packs. I had absolutely no side effects, except I noticed I gained about 5 pounds. My third time through my doctor switched me to Quasense because it was the generic and cheaper, so I thought it would be the same. Since I switched, and I'm only halfway through my first pack of Quasense, I have gained 10 pounds, from 120lbs to 135lbs in all the mere 8 months I've been on b.c! I have to get off of these somehow, I cannot just gain 15 pounds for nothing! I don't know what to do but I really love this 3-month between periods system.
My regular doctor says the weight gain is fluid made by your body every month (about 5 lbs) to get you ready for your periods, and then you don't have the periods (which normally is what gets rid of the weight) the water wight stays, which is 2 months of no periods per pack, meaning about 10 pounds per pack.
Does this mean I can never not gain weight unless I switch to a monthly b.c.?
What should I do?!?!
At 10:45 AM, Anonymous said...: I have been on jolessa for 2 weeks now and before this i took yaz 28,(that was 5 yrs ago) but i took this to regulate my period i got my period the day i started this first pack and have been on it now for 2 weeks....i cant deal with this ive never had it this long except after having my child. and the breaking out is aweful and i did notice a 5 lb weight gain already. switching back to brand name soon.
At 2:02 AM, Anonymous said...: I'm glad I have read all of the comments of how bad the generics are before I tried them out. I've been on Seasonique for a year now and was looking to switch to something cheaper. (I pay $176 every 3 months.) After reading the posts I will not. I would definitely advise anyone looking for a continuous pill to take Seasonique. After the low dose pills I do experience spotting for about two weeks, but for the other two and half months I have no problems. Within the year I have been on the pill, I have had no side effects. Seasonique is definitely worth the money.
At 1:24 PM, Anonymous said...: i'm 31 years old and have been on birth control pills for, jeeze, like 12 years now. i started seasonale about three years ago but switched to jolessa when it came out. i found no difference at all between them.

when i first requested the 4 times a year pill, my gyno said that it doesn't work for everyone, but i guess i must've been one of the lucky ones because i've had no side effects at all. during my first two packs i think i "spotted" during the week before my period was scheduled to come. but now, my periods come once every 3 months and last for about 1.5 day with only a very light flow. no spotting in between, no weight gain, no cramps- nothing! and no babies!

i asked my gyno if this was normal and she said i should be thankful for that and it's not a health concern.

i agree with the person who said that sometimes side effects come from the actual changing of pills and not the pill brand itself. sometimes you just have to let your body adjust to the new stuff you're putting in it.
At 1:52 AM, Anonymous said...: I just started taking Jolessa and I'm on week six and have been bleeding like a normal period for the past 8 days now.. It's so irritating. I was on Microgestin 120 for a year and a half before I decided to try Jolessa and what a bad choice! I called my doctor today and got my prescription switched back! Not only have I been bleeding on Jolessa, I also have bad cramps and major breakouts! I guess Microgestin is the best pill for me! Good luck to anyone trying Jolessa and you guys are lucky if it works for you! ( I take Microgestin continuously so I still have the convenience of only 4 periods a year, you can take any 28day pills this way.. talk to your doctor!)
At 1:31 AM, Anonymous said...: I've been on Quasense almost 4 weeks now and noticed my boobs got alot bigger- like a size! They are tender and knotty. I've had strange eating habits, lots of junk food cravings. I hope I don't gain alot of weight. I guess we will see how it goes. I just want to feel completly normal and prevent pregnancy, but I just don't think there's any pill out there like that. I've taken several through the years. Good luck to all who are trying to figure out the same thing.
At 9:31 PM, Anonymous said...: A note to the pharmacy tech. You are correct--pharmacies may substitute a generic when it is available, however I believe the previous poster was prescribed Seasonique, yet given a generic for Seasonale--bit of a mistake on the pharmacy's part, since they are different drugs.

As for generics, I have two points for general consideration:

1) While the active chemical ingredients must be BIOEQUIVALENT, generics can contain fillers or other inactive compounds that differ from the original brand product. There is a possibility that switching from a brand name to generic could result in allergic or other adverse reactions to these fillers. There are also some concerns when the "therapeutic window" is quite narrow. This means that the difference between the effective dose and the toxic dose of a particular drug is relatively small. This is particularly true in examples such as Coumadin, or warfarin. Some physicians are hesitant to prescribe generic warfarin--whether these fears are warranted or not are up for debate.

2) Brand name products are developed by research-based pharmaceutical companies. By purchasing brand name products, you are supporting further research and development in the pharmaceutical industry. Yes, the prices for these medications tend to be higher, and pharmaceutical companies do enjoy a period of market exclusivity. When patents expire and generic alternatives become available, popular media, likely driven by insurance companies, goverments and other payors forget to mention that generic companies do not have to invest the billions of dollars in R&D to develop a novel medicine. In essence, they copy the recipe and cut the price. Remember, pharma companies have many many drugs that they spend a fortune on during the R&D process, but they don't all come to market. They end up being lost leaders, and pharma companies need to make up these losses with their successful products. I'm not saying that we should all cry for the poor pharma companies-they make a reasonable profit, and so they should. They are a BUSINESS. I'm just saying that we should all consider whether or not we want to support research and development of new medicines. If we do, then we should try to purchase the brand or lobby our insurance companies to COVER the brand, whenever we can.

Just thought I'd send out those two thoughts to give a different perspective.
At 4:52 PM, Anonymous said...: Ok, I take the generic brand of seasonale. When I first started this new plan, I received a name brand sample from my Dr. and then my perscription will filled generic. Yes, I had a lot of spotting the first 3 months while on the generic Quasense, but after the second pack it stopped and my body regulated and begin to work as it was supposed to. The package says it might take 6-9 months for your body to regulate, and my doctor told me to wait until I completed the second cycle and if it was still an issue go back to name brand. I'm happy I listended. the name brand was $185 and the generic only $30. So, I wouldn't get discouraged by the generic causing the spotting because it will probably adjust.
At 1:54 AM, Anonymous said...: Im a student pharmacist. Jolessa is the exact same medication as seasonale. They are both made by barr laboratories. Do you think barr would spend the money to create a different formula for seasonale, when they already have one. If you look at the markings on a seasonale pill and a jolessa pill you can see that they are the exact same pill. They are just labeled different. This is very common with other medications as well. In many cases when you are buying a generic you are actually buying the exact same medication in different packaging for a lower cost. Look at the active and inactive ingredients if you dont believe me. And in addition, the FDA has to inspect each generic to make sure it is doing the exact same thing as the brand name and is not harmful. When a company creates a drug it has a patent for a certain number of years, after it runs out other companies are able to produce the same medication. Many companies will also package some of their medications as generics so they can compete with the other drug companies and still continue making money off the product. They would not waste the time to create a new product, when they are focusing on creating other drugs. There is so much unnecessary concern about generics today because people are uninformed about them. Hopefully this helps.
At 8:13 PM, Anonymous said...: To the student pharmacist. Yes, you are correct. Jolessa and Seasonale are both manufactured by Barr pharmaceuticals. This is an interesting case, because the launch of Jolessa was a response to the FDA approval of Watson's generic version of Seasonale. There was a patent dispute, so Barr was forced to try to reclaim their business. I imagine in this particular case, you are correct--the generic Jolessa is exactly the same as Seasonale. However, in the grand scheme of Brand vs Generic, this isn't typically the case. So here, we have a brand-name company promoting their product (Seasonale), facing market erosion from a generic (Watson's Quasense). To stop the generic from "eating their lunch" they launch their own generic version at generic prices in the effort of maintaining some of their overall sales. In this case, the Jolessa pill is likely to be exactly the same as the Seasonale pill. The contention is that Watson's generic Quasense has the flexibility to be "bioequivalent" which allows for some differences in the filler/inactive components of the drug. This is true for most generics, especially when manufactured by traditional generic companies. Jolessa is an exception to this typical rule.
At 5:04 PM, Anonymous said...: I started taking Jolessa 3 months ago and I am on the "period week" right now, so I'm waiting to see how that goes. So far, I love it. I was expecting some early spotting when I switched over from Orthotricyclen, but I have had none at all. I have breast tenderness all the time, but I have had that pretty much since I went on birth control in the first place. Jolessa has been great for me!
At 12:48 AM, Anonymous said...: I started out on Seasonale and when the generic version - Jolessa - came out I started using that. It's been quite some time since I started using it and I have never once had any problems - no spotting, no cramping, nothing. I love it.
At 4:34 PM, Anonymous said...: I recently switched to Jolessa after being on the 28 day pill for about 2 years. The first month and a half was great. Around the 3rd week of my second pack, I started spotting/heavy flow and have been for the past 3 weeks. I'm lucky I haven't had any acne problems but I do feel like I've gained weight (though I haven't stepped on a scale to confirm this.) I've had a few headaches the past couple of weeks and a day of really bad cramping (usually don't have a problem with this either.)

I don't think my insurance covers Seasonale and I can't afford paying some of the prices I've seen people pay in their comments.

I will probably go back to Ortho Tri-cyclen unless my doctor has another suggestion.
At 3:09 AM, Anonymous said...: I had previously been on Seasonale for a couple of years, then took time off from it (no need to have it at the time). I started having really bad breakouts and mood swings with my period, so I decided to go back on birth control pills. I asked for Seasonale. The pharmacy filled it with Jolessa, and I just assumed it was generic and would be fine. I have never had any reactions to any sort of birth control before, besides the patch (which made me violently ill the day after putting each patch on at the beginning of a new 3 week patch on cycle). Since starting Jolessa about 3 wks ago, I have been having severe headaches that no amount of painkillers will take care of, and I have been spotting for all 3 weeks now, ever since I took the 2nd or 3rd pill. And I have been gaining weight, about 7 pounds in 3 weeks, and I have even been eating better than I normally do (because I was afraid of gaining weight once starting the bc). I thought I was crazy with the spotting and the weight gain, but now I think I will just stop the pills before I have any further issues.
At 3:02 AM, Anonymous said...: Jolessa SUCKS! Do not take it if you are at all concerned with gaining weight. I understand there are some women that have not gained weight (kudos to you) However, me... I have been an athlete my entire life and 5'5 around 120lbs. After being on this damn pill for 5 months, I have gained over 20lbs without reason (I'm still working out as hard and eating the same). I stopped taking it because I do not want to keep gaining. I will probably return to Ortho low or something that does not cause weight gain. After three days of being off of this pill, I have lost 5 pounds, go figure. It's not worth it.
At 8:03 PM, Anonymous said...: Ok, I sure wish I had read this before starting to take the generic form of Seasonale. I too have taken now for 3 months Jolessa and have experienced over four weeks of bleeding, spotting and clotting which never had happened before. I was totally freaked out, called my doctor and the receptionist tried to tell me it was normal...I simply said so your telling me to bleed for over 4weeks in normal? Have the doctor call me and if she says it's normal then I will not worry about it. Well, when the doctor called she said to discontinue for 5 days then restart. After 5 days of course I thought it would be good but it wasn't. Once again I called the doctor and was told to double up for the remainder of the package which I did and it stopped but now I have started the Seasonique brand and hope that I do not have the same issues. If so, I will definitely ask the pharmacist to not substitute the generic brand. Thanks for all the insight.
At 4:03 AM, Anonymous said...: YOU HAVE TO READ!! I was put on Jolessa to straighten out my periods, for the first month it was great then I bled 3 weeks straight and I have been spotting ever since. I hate Jolessa, I worked really hard to lose weight and after taking it for 2 1/2 months I have gained 20 pounds and have been very irritable. Oh and the cramping and clotting is ridiculous I wouldn't recommend Jolessa to my worst enemy or maybe I would!!!!!
At 1:55 AM, Anonymous said...: I do find it funny that all of the women that seem to have the problem with break through bleeding all happen at about the same time from switching from Seasonale to Jolessa. People just need to realize that just because a pill works for someone that it is not for everyone. I have taken one 91 day pack of Jolessa with no problems, I even missed a pill or two and I don't necessarily take it at the same time each day and haven't had any spotting (knock on wood now). I am now on the third month of my second pack and things are still going great. For me there was no difference from switching from my previous 28 day pill (which I took for 3 months in a row anyway). Basically if you tried taking your normal 28 day pill for 3 months continuously and had problems with breakthrough bleeding, then chances are good you will still have that problem with any of the 91 day regiments. Some people's bodies can handle it but others don't. If you are bleeding continuously for weeks on end, talk to your doctor, you are more than likely on the WRONG pill.
At 8:09 AM, Anonymous said...: I just received an RX for seasonale today and was given jolessa. I will have to see how it goes but to all of you having a lot of breakthrough bleeding if you can withstand it might get better. When I was first on the Depo shot I bled almost every day for the first three months. My doctor talked me into trying once more. I bled pretty much continuously for another month and a half and I decided I was not going to get the next injection. Then all of the sudden I quit bleeding at all and was on it for 4 years with no problems!
At 7:49 PM, Anonymous said...: Is there a way to get CONSISTENT GENERICS from a single pharmacy. I started looking up "heavy breakthrough bleeding" because I'm having a horrible period and I'm only on month one of this pack and I didn't miss any. I didn't even think about the fact that I got Quasense this time (vs Jolessa last time). The time before the Jolessa pack it was Quasense. Is there a way to ensure you're getting the same generic each time? (like a certain pill that only has one generic version)
At 12:26 PM, Anonymous said...: Jolessa and Seasonale is exactly same medicine, just different brand names. It's full generic name is LEVONORGESTREL / ETHINYL ESTRADIOL, so should work same. You can see it in various medical sources like http://www.drugs-generic.info/index.php?prod=Seasonale.
At 4:43 AM, Anonymous said...: so this is starting to worry me because I just started this and now im about to be put on generic, but I think I am going to see what happens. If I break through bleed this would be a very bad thing for me. Thats the whole reason I got put on it in the first place. I am anemic and it takes me a long time to get over the tired feelings I get when I am on my period from the blood loss. Hopefully I will not have all the problems but I will talk to the pharmacy first before paying for something that might cause me more problems in the long run.
At 6:44 PM, Anonymous said...: Hi! I have been taking this 3 month pill for over a year now. I started out on Seasonale for the first 3-6 months, then was switched to Jolessa. Last month they gave me Quasense, and I started to notice strange things that had not occurred before. Headaches, dizziness, weight gain, severe mood changes, and my contacts just itched and were hard to get on my eyes in the morning! I had no clue where this was coming from. So just a couple of nights ago, I looked up the side effects of Quasense, and wow! I had most of them going on! I called the next day and today I am picking up the Jolessa again. I believe that the side effects listed for both are similiar, but somehow they only affected me with the Quasense. Strange.
At 1:42 AM, Anonymous said...: After getting the shot for a couple of years I went to birth control pills. I started out with free sample pack of seasonale from my obgyn, they were great. My insurance would only pay for the Jolessa or Quasense. I liked Jolessa alot, not major side effects that I notices, but when I filled the prescription at a different pharmacy I was given Quasense, which I didn't think anything of until of one side effect. This is a side effect that I haven't heard anyone here mention. It caused me to have alot of discharge, even after the first month. I talked to my doctor and he explained that different generics have different mixture. When I switched back to Jolessa everything went back to normal. Still birth control - generic or not is really expensive.
At 9:01 PM, Anonymous said...: My doctor started me on the generic Quasense and I had a lot of problems with spotting. The worst part was when at the end of the three months I got my period for nearly three weeks! It was horrible, but I decided to stick with it. The next two cycles were much better, but I still had occasional spotting. Then, I switched pharmacies and they only had Jolessa. I haven't had as much trouble with spotting, but my last period lasted about two weeks and was much heavier than usual. Once again, I'm taking the inactive pills, but so far I haven't gotten my period at all! I'm a little worried because I usually start it earlier than scheduled, but this time it's days late! I'm seriously considering finding a new type of pill.
At 6:39 PM, Anonymous said...: Well this makes me pretty nervous. I started Quasense and the first two months were awesome, but I lost the third month's pills while in Europe and had to go off of it for a month. When I got home, I waited for my period and then started taking Quasense again, but this time a month in I started getting my period. I have had it for two months now. After three weeks, I went to the doctor who told me it was probably because of going off and on again, but reading this stuff, I'm not so sure. I'm starting Jolessa today and was kinda hoping its effects would be different than Quasense's, but it looks like it's just as bad if not worse. If it lasts another two weeks I might switch back to a regular pill, because I need sex, damn it!
At 7:45 PM, Anonymous said...: I'm a 39 yo non-smoker who has taken Jolessa for about 8 months. I skip the inert pills entirely hoping to completely ablate my period. Some breakthrough bleeding occurs every three weeks or so. One time, but only once, had fairly inconvenient heavy bleeding for a few hours...and then it went away. The breakthrough bleeding is a little disconcerting and an annoyance. I'm appreciative of folks' comments about Seasonale, which appears to have fewer side effects. No weight gain, but then again I'm in the gym for 2 hours every day and try to stick to 1800 calories/day.
At 8:30 PM, Unknown said...: I've been on Seasonale, Seasonique, and Quasense. They've all pretty much worked the same for me. Every now and then, I do get spotting, but it's more annoying than anything else. Because I started taking it when I was 16 as a treatment for endimetriosis, I didn't need to worry about actually using it for birth control until I was 20.
It definitely works. Haven't tried Jolessa, but I'm actually about to lose insurance since I'm graduating from college. It really sucks because it's so painful even within the 3 months.
Any suggestions on where to look to get any of the three-month packs cheaper than $400 for a pack? I suppose I could find a clinic and just jump from monthly pack to monthly pack, but I'd rather stick to what I know works.
At 1:09 AM, ShannaBanana said...: My experience with Jolessa kind of sucked. I had started taking it 27 days ago, and was so excited when I got to the week where I usually get my period and had no bleeding. But it seems my body is used to getting the break from the medication every month (I had been on Kariva previously). I began having extreme nausea, dizziness, and horrible anxiety, usually in the morning. I couldn't keep food down for two days, so I went to my doctor and got put back on Kariva. I guess this stuff works well for some people, but not for me I guess. Too much money to pay to feel sick 24/7.
At 6:14 PM, Anonymous said...: i been taking the quasene for about a week now, and im on period but im really sick, i dont know if its the birth control or just a bad period? is anyone else getting sick from it, and does it eventually go away? and did anyone gain weight from this?
At 3:05 PM, Unknown said...: I've been on Quasense since March 2009. I had asked my GYN for a prescription for Seasonale but since he didnt check the box that said "DAW" the pharmacist gave me Quasense, generic verison of Seasonale. At first everything was ok but within a week or two my breast became very sore at times. Soon the soreness went away. Today is May 18th and I have been bleeding for 3 weeks straight. I havent even finished the pack yet. During my 2nd week of bleeding my GYN said my body just needs to adjust to the pill. I can't tell you how upset I am...the whole purpose of me being on the pill is so I won't get my period. I have decided to stop taking the pills, its not worth the trouble.
At 1:57 PM, Anonymous said...: I'm taking Quasense as a way to regulate my periods now that I'm approaching menopause. I had spotting problems with both Jolessa and Quasense. But then I thought "Hang on, why can't I taylor this for my own preferences?" I want predictability, more than anything. So I mark my packs so that I get a period every 5 weeks (my natural cycle when I was younger, lucky me) and I haven't had the spotting problems since, and it's pretty convenient. My big objection to Quasense is the enormous amount of plastic packaging--the kind that will sit in a landfill for a thousand years, so I'm trying to get Jolessa from my mail order pharmacy. I'm going to write to the Quasense manufacturer and complain.
At 2:39 AM, Anonymous said...: I've been taking Quaesense for about a month and 1 week. I have just started spotting (for about 5 days so far) and have had horrible cramps. I hope my body will get use to this medication, because I want to have sex again!
At 5:25 PM, Anonymous said...: I have been on Quasence for 3 months now, I haven't had any bad side effects, I spotted for 2 days on the first month, then haven't bled since. Just that during the time when I would normally get my period, I have cramps, headache and moodswings, but no bleeding, so its like having a period, but you dont. I am just off of my first 3 months of Quasence, waiting for my period, and it hasn't started yet, even though I have been on the placebos for 4 days now. Hmm. Maybe I just won't get a period? I just had a pregnancy test at my last Gyno exam, and I'm not pregnant, hopefully I won't finally get a huge period next month when I'm in Europe!

I like Quasence tho, it seems to work fine for me, no spotting, no acne, if anything, maybe about a 5 pound wait loss. :)
At 3:50 AM, Anonymous said...: I was switched to a generic version of seasonale and it was horrible! I was sick to my stomach had spotting and just didn't feel like myself! It was the worst thing I have ever experienced with a drug! Make sure your medication works for you and if you can switch to the generic try it but it may not be the best thing for you.
At 10:05 PM, Anonymous said...: Thanks for all the informative posts. Was on Trivora for about 2 years without severe issues. Have switched to Quasense for 10.5 weeks and have been bleeding 6 weeks and mild breakouts. Breakouts appear to be clearing up and have noticed increase in sex drive. I plan to stick it out with Quasense but I am wondering has anyone used Ibuprofen to stop the break through bleeding? If so did it work andwhat dosage?
At 2:38 PM, Anonymous said...: I have taken Jolessa successfully for 1 1/2 years, although I had to go 3 wks on 1 wk off because I would bleed constantly through the last month of the pack. I liked everything else about the Jolessa, and got a month free taking it this way. When I began my last pack, I started feeling terrible....moody, tired, acne, and really naseuous w/diarehha. It's as if I had completely switched pills! It never occurred to me that it could be the generic drug! After 3 months of feeling miserable, I am hoping for improvement as my doc gave me 6 months of Seasonique yesterday.
At 10:48 PM, Anonymous said...: i have been in jolessa for 2 months now and have neen spotting for 2 weeks and feel nauses all the time is this normal, feeling tired , moody, nauses all the time with this presciption?
At 9:01 PM, Anonymous said...: jolessa is horrrrible. i've gained like 10 lbs, i have acne and after a month i got my period. i wasn't supposed to get it until after 3 months. but i kept taking it thinking it was spotting and i thought it would go away but it hasn't. i stopped taking it last night and i'm done with generic birth controls. i haven't found one with out disgusting side effects
At 4:30 PM, Anonymous said...: I am on my second pack of jolessa and have had no weight gain but the only problem i had was mood swings and was in a bad mood almost everyday when i started but once i got into the second pack, i had less bad moods. but i love it so far. no weight gain, no bad acne. or anything. i did not start with the brand name either. This is my 3rd birth control pill. started with aviane and took it for a year and it stopped working, then went to a stronger, and then decided to do the 4 periods a year pill. i think it was a good decision.
At 1:46 AM, Nahum Nicholas said...: After years of happily taking Seasonique with no issues, my insurance changed and the price tripled. So I asked my Dr. for a cheaper version of Seasonique and received a pack of Jolessa. Big mistake. I just finished the 3 month pack. I bled every single day. Then after the pack was used, I had the heaviest period ever, complete with terrible cramps. But here is the worst of it all --- HORRIBLE ACNE!!! I look like a leper!! These cysts stay for weeks without drying up, no matter what I do. They cover most of my face. Unless you enjoy looking deformed, STAY AWAY FROM JOLESSA!
At 1:53 AM, Unknown said...: I am so glad I ran across this! At 40 and newly married, this is the first pill I have ever taken. First month ok...well except for the weight gain. Way more sex drive than on the nuva ring (Tried for 3 months at the beginning of my marriage and swithed to the pill six weeks ago.). But since the end of week four... I have been bleeding, ok heavy heavy spotting for almost two weeks now. I had no idea that finding birth control that doesn't suck somehow and cost lots of $$$ seems not possible.
At 4:36 AM, Anonymous said...: I had been taking Jolessa for over two years. The first year and half it was awesome. My periods were lighter I had no cramps, spotting was minimal. The last half a year I had horrible spotting, the periods got heavier, and cramps got awful! And I never had cramps without BC and had had no problem up until recently on Jolessa. I called my doctor and she switched me to Seasonique. I can't wait to try it!
At 2:02 AM, Unknown said...: I'm 18 and I started taking Jolessa 6 weeks ago, my first birth control. I bleed pretty much every single day, sometimes just some spotting, right now it's as if I'm having my period (is there a pregnancy risk there?)
Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it. I've also noticed some bad mood swings and general malaise. I got fatter too. After reading your comments I'm hoping that for my next course I can get seasonique instead.

What is the point of getting a pill to avoid your period if it makes you always have your period? Don't do it.
At 3:55 AM, Anonymous said...: I'm going into my 8th week of taking jolessa. The 1st week everything was fine no period, but for the past two weeks I've been spotting. My periods have never been heavy so for me this spotting is like being on a period for weeks....so annoying. I just want it to stop because I cant have sex like this....I havent had any since I've been bleeding so in a weird/annoying/crazy way its getting the job done of me not being pregnant
At 6:09 PM, Anonymous said...: I have been taking Quasense for over two years now and absolutely love it. Don't get me wrong though, during the first 6 months or so I thought this pill was the devil! But I stuck with it, mainly because that was the only brand I could get free with my insurance and I was so intrigued by 4 periods a year that I just had to try it! I had major breakthrough bleeding for almost 6 months after switching to this pill, but wasn't surprised, as my gyno had warned this would happen. It wasn't like a full on period, more like a brown discharge or sometimes even a light bleeding (Also-I had no regular period side effects like cramping or bloating- I couldn't even tell this bleeding was happening until seeing it in my undies). Also, the light bleeding usually occurred only when I had sex. I would see dark brown spotting in my underwear nearly every day, and panty-liners became my best friend! It was almost every day for the first 3 months, but lessened a lot as I took more and more of my second pack. The second 3 month cycle was when I really saw a change, and that is what made me stick with this brand. You will have less spotting and side effects as your body adjusts. Finally after completing my second pack, the bleeding and spotting was gone! After my first year with it I never saw any more spotting at all. (But rarely after the 6 month mark I would have a day where I had light breakthrough bleeding. This really occurred when I didn't take my pill AT THE SAME TIME EVERY DAY!!! **This is a key trick ladies!** Set an alarm for the same time every day on your cell and take it right then! For some reason if you don't, your body occasionally produces brown discharge, though not every time you're late with your pill (And it really only happens when you take it hours later than you normally would, don't worry.) After I started this and committed to taking it at exactly 10 am every day, I have not seen any blood except at the 3 month mark when I expect it!!! I never ever have this problem any more. I now have very regular periods every 3 months that last only 5-7 days! My period before this pill was hellishly painful and lasted about 10 days, made me have awful cramps and bloating, headaches, back pain, terribly painful breasts and nipples, & I would gain so much water weight. Now I only have almost painless cramps & only when I first start bleeding that last about an hour and I get occasional breast tenderness about 5 days before I start. The only other side effect was very swollen and tender breasts that enlarged almost a cup and a half! I'm 115 lbs and 5'2, so even when they hurt I was so happy about my new breasts. They no longer hurt, but are still the same size. I can literally feel that they are still swollen, just without pain, so I know it's from the pill. I absolutely love this pill and have no bad side effects at all from it. Just tough it out for the next few months and hopefully you will enjoy it and save money too!
At 10:46 AM, Anonymous said...: I've been on seasonale for 3 years now. The AF has decided to stop offering it to me for free through the pharmacy...and switched me to the generic version. I bled for weeks straight AND felt sad for no reason. Got off it after 2 weeks of bleeding, paid out of pocket for the name brand SEASONALE. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN THE FORMULAR!!!! I'll pay the price so that I don't screw my body up further. So much for the covered medical care PROMISED by the military.
At 6:12 PM, ema said...: Anon @ 10:46 AM,

That's just not right! Ask your Ob/Gyn to talk to the drug rep for Seasonale and ask for free samples.
At 10:26 PM, Anonymous said...: My situation was pretty much opposite of most of these, until very recently. I took seasonale for a while and spotted for almost two months and I switched to Jolessa and have been on it for about a year, and have never spotted until last month and just for a few days.
At 12:32 PM, Anonymous said...: OMG, I am so glad I found this. Explains alot. About a year ago, got sample of seasonique - worked great no problems, but too expensive. Went with seasonale as I could get a generic version, filled script and got quasense - had no problems, no spotting or anything, refilled twice. Then insurance says I have to fill script thru mail order, well they sent me jolessa instead of quasense. I have been on Jolessa almost 2 months and I have been bleeding for two weeks now, headaches, nausea, dizziness. After reading some comments I am stopping the pills immediately and making an appointment to be put on Seasonique, it may cost more but well worth it.
At 5:36 AM, Anonymous said...: I'm 18 yrs old & just started on BC pills. I have been taking jolessa goin on 3 weeks now. so far so good!no spotting or anything. anxious to see if i get any side effects from it, if so I will be on the look out for a different brand.
At 2:32 PM, Anonymous said...: I have been on Jolessa for a year, mid pack I get a little spotty, but my OBGYN said that could just be my body's reaction to the medication. Everyone will react differently. The reason they list possible side effects is because that is exactly what they are. Possible. You may not experience any, you may have quite a few. Just remember to read up on what you are taking. It is great to hear other's experiences, but keep in mind you are a different person, and will take to the drug differently. My OBGYN, who I visited yesterday said that exercise and diet just as important and timing with the pill. Take it the same time daily and lead a healthy lifestyle.
At 5:51 AM, Anonymous said...: Wow. I am glad i am not alone. So This is my 2nd pack of quasense. I am experiencing spotting and clotting in between. The first three month pack the same thing happened. I am taking this pill so that i only get my period every three months. However, I am almost going on 2.5 weeks of spotting. How can i make it stop? Should i stop taking this pill so that my normal period gets back on track? I've already made an appt. to see my doc but in two wks... This is terrible and i dont want a period for another 2 wks!

Any suggestions appreciated.
At 5:09 PM, Jess said...: So I am almost done with my first pack of Jolessa. Other then some acne I haven't had any problems with it. I haven't had any break through bleeding. I finish my first packet sat. I am hoping the acne will go away my body just has to get use to the pill I think. But I have really bad periods. Heavy bleeding horrible mood swings,nasuea,serve pains in my sides. So far Jolessa has help with all that. So far only problems I have with it is the acne.
At 4:33 AM, Anonymous said...: Seasonique is different than Seasonale, it has a little hormones in the last week that decreases your PMS symptoms and decreases your chance of pregnancy from missing a pill. There is no generic Seasonique, my doctor gave me a voucher for $75.00 savings along with the samples, way cheaper than generic and a better pill with less side effects. My pharmacy also had vouchers. If you do mail order pharmacy through your insurance company, they only charge 2 co pays, along with the vouchers it's almost free.
At 3:07 AM, Anonymous said...: My doctor put me on LoSeasonique at the end of August. I have loved the last three months! No breakthrough bleeding - nothing! I went on my period this week and with no headache (which are typical for me) but cramps were kind of bad and not too heavy of a period... I tried to get my prescription filled by insurance only covers $100 so it was going to cost me almost $200 to get it filled! I'm calling my doctor tomorrow to see if there is something similar that has a generic. I know my insurance will cover Jolessa and Quasense and I will only have to pay $30 I think. I don't know which one to get though - it seems a lot of people have had horrible weight gain with Jolessa which I'm trying to avouid since I gained 25 lbs in 4 months from Kariva (which I was on before the LoSeasonique).
At 5:08 PM, Anonymous said...: I started out several years ago taking Seasonale, then was switched over to Quasense. With Seasonale I had spotting in the beginning and also with Quasense. If you switch to another birth control, even if it is just the generic - you will still most likely have to deal with spotting. It should go away after the second cycle, if it does not then you should not be on it. Everyone's body is different and you have to remember that your body is used to having a period every month. Just make sure you talk to your doctor and figure out what suits your body best. Before birth control I had severe cramps that left me bedridden. I prefer dealing with light spotting and being able to do things than being bedridden. Just weigh your options.
At 7:48 PM, Anonymous said...: I have been on Jolessa for about a year and it has worked great for me. I use to get cramps without being on my period on Yaz but with Jolessa I never cramp. I do not even spot on this pill and my period last 3 days and not bad bleeding at all. Plus its $15 for me in 3 months which if you average it, it is 5 dollars a month this is of course with insurance if you dont have insurance its more.
At 2:28 AM, Anonymous said...: I absolutley love Jolessa it has worked great for me. I get my period at the end of the third month like im supposed to with out spotting. My periods aren't even that heavy so I love that part. I won't be changing birthcontrol anytime soon.
At 8:10 PM, Anonymous said...: Well I've been on all three, Seasonel, Jolessa, and Quasense. Spotted a little with the brand, basically had my period for like a month with Jolessa, but with Quasense I've really had no problem. Maybe a day or two and even then not real spotting but just sort of a slight discoloration that hints of blood. Bio-chemistry for everyone is different but if you've only had problems with Jolessa it doesn't necessarily mean the other generic won't be problem free.
At 5:53 AM, Adrienne Nelson said...: I was given a prescription for Jolessa after my Well Women exam (i'm sure you can figure out what that is). It's my first time being on birth control, and it's basically what I expected. The first few weeks were great, I had a slight cramp or two every day but no big deal really. I started spotting for a few days near the beginning of the second month, which started out as a weird discharge then turned into a more red color. That was to be expected, Im just glad it didn't last too long. My face broke out a bit but it's starting to clear up now, and I'm about 4 days away from the 3rd month. Oh and no babies so far :)

I want to say to everyone giving negative reviews or not recommending this type of birth control that NOT EVERYBODY HAS YOUR BODY. I've been working as a nurse aide for the past 3 years, and am currently in nursing school. I can tell you right now that everybody will respond differently to certain medications. If you don't like the way your body is acting, you are more than welcome to ask for a different brand. Jolessa is much cheaper than Seasonique, and I know many girls don't have tons of money to be throwing away on that.

Also, it does take your body time to adjust to the pill. I noticed I was having some PMS symptoms about the time I was supposed to get my period (such as breast tenderness, spotting, bloating, moodiness, same stuff I would get right before I started my period), but not a full blown period. I could only assume that that was my body's reaction to the pill, which is understandable.

If you don't like it, that's fine, switch. But if you keep switching birth control just because the first month or so isn't what you expected, that can really mess with your hormones. Give it time for your body to adjust.
At 3:07 AM, Anonymous said...: I've taken Seasonale for 7 wks and in the past two weeks have had heavy spotting, oily skin and horrible acne. I have always had porcelain skin. I plan to stop taking it immediately(before the end of the 91 day cyle)and go back on Yasmin which I took for 4 years with no adverse side effects. I'm wondering, do you need to wait between two types of bc? I'm not concerned with getting pregnant, I just cant let my skin get any worse and know it was perfecty fine when using Yasmin
At 4:00 AM, ema said...: Anon @ 3:07 AM,

No need to wait; just switch to Yasmin whenever you're ready.
At 1:05 PM, Anonymous said...: I have been on Jolessa for over a year. Though I have been pleased with many aspects, I did find I gained a little weight. I've also noticed something which I expected to see a lot more in these posts -- I'm far more EMOTIONAL! My boyfriend does not believe me that the birth control completely affects my moods. I cry FAR FAR more than I had before using the pill. Has any one else experienced this?

I told my obgyn that I was pleased with the pill because I did not want to switch pills at the time. I do enjoy the benefits of 4 periods a year, but my hormones are out of wake!
At 11:52 AM, Miranda said...: I have been taaking Jolessa for about 5 weeks now, and am just about to get my period again. I have noticed something that is rather strange, because this has never happened to me when I took Ortho tricylene or orthro tricylene low. I recently noticed that I am having a lot of discharge! It's begining to be a pain; I know I don't have a yeast infection, no STDs, or anything else that I could think of to make this happen. Also, I have always had kinda heavier periods, but the first time I got my period after not having one for 3 months, I was bleeding thru everything! That never happened on my other BC! Has anyone else came across these issues?

The Well-Timed Period

Monday, December 18, 2006

Generic Seasonale

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