Rigevidon vs Microgynon

Thank you for this! When I first starting taking the pill I took microgynon for 3 months, and then I was switched to levest because it is cheaper for the past roughly 2 years. Having recently moved house and changed doctors, I was changed to rigevidon, again because it is cheaper and the standard for the practise. I have only been taking it for 2 months, but for the entire two months I have been slowly falling apart, just heart palpitations, dizziness, mood swings etc. I just about convinced myself it wasn't just a bad couple of weeks and I might actually have anxiety, but then I saw all the threads about similar experiences after switching to Rigevidon. I never thought it could be the pill, because I thought they were the same thing just in different packaging, but I was starting to think it's maybe just something in the sugar coating or something and every time I tried to google it I could never find any papers or full ingredients lists, just website articles saying they are the same because of the two hormones. I just thought I was falling apart, and it was driving me crazy trying to figure out why, because before this I was so happy! I started a PhD in October, and in April I moved down to Oxford to join a new lab, where the science and expertise is amazing, and everything I try works first time,and everyone is friendly and helpful. It's also a beautiful area, and at the end of the summer my boyfriend of 3 years is going to move down and we'll get to move in together. Everything in my life is so perfect, and I was still falling apart and I couldn't figure out why. I know this is about Microgynon and not levest, but just knowing that there are differences between the brands makes me feel so much less crazy for suspecting it might be the pill. This also fits with my eyes have been more sore and dry lately, which I just put down to probably needing new glasses soon, but maybe it is this, and I can just switch back to Levest or something else and everything will be ok again, which is an amazing thought.

This is a great insight. I personally have been taking Microgynon for about 3.5 months and have had very very few side effects. Hopefully you have a better experience with that one - apparently a lot of women tolerate it well.

I am due to take my first Microgynon this evening. My mum was on it for her endometriosis years ago and she said it worked wonders for her I have suspected endometriosis so hoping it will do the same for me.

I heard that microgynon was going to stop being produced, which is why people are having to take alternatives. Not sure how true this is but I’ve read it in several places

Hi guys so I’ve been taking Microgynon for over 2 months at this point I was dreadful on Rigevidon. I have had none of these horrible symptoms at all on Microgynon. I went to my local walk in clinic to try and get it on the NHS she gave me the talk about them being indentical. I showed her different and she went silent then told me they don’t stock Microgynon anymore and can’t order it in specifically. Back to Lloyd’s Pharmacy to buy it then. Cheap and hassle free and guaranteed a pill that works.

I’ve been on Microgynon for so many years and no issues. Then had to switch to this stupid Rigevidon and everything started from there. Felt depressed and anxious, which for me was new! Went to docs and nothing was found. I knew something wasn’t right as I couldn’t switch the switch in my head. Took this *****y pill for 3 years now thinking i need help eventually and saw this link thanks to a tv programme and omg did that open my eyes. Stopped taking it and feel like myself again but somehow now after two months off i got some things going on as in burning mouth, dry/burning skin and eyes. Tongue is very read at the tip and taste is just weird. Went to GP and asked if it could be hormonal imbalance as I’ve stopped taking the pill. He isn’t sure, so wants bloods tested but I had them checked two months ago anyway🙄I reckon it could be my body adjusting. In the meantime I’m trying to get Microgynon prescribed again but don’t know how hard that will be. Can you really buy it over the counter at Lloyd’s?

Hi!
I thought I would make a post on here to reassure girls who came to the student room for advice before starting hormonal contraception!
Of course, like any hormonal treatments, everybody responds differently and this is my personal experience.
Firstly, I got the implant which is progesterone only. It sounded great since it covers you from pregnancy for 3 years, you don't have to worry about taking a pill and works for 1/3 women, however, I was one of the unfortunate women who this didn't work for. I had constant bleeding and crazy mood swings which I had been fortunate to never have before. After 3 months of being on the implant, which is the minimum amount of time which they recommend you try the implant, I decided that I need to get it out. I tried taking the combined pill simultaneously to stop the bleeding but this only made me feel very poorly. However, for having the implant in for such a short period of time, they put up a fight in taking it out. It took 4 different appointments and 2 different doctors. Finally, I had it out and my moods went back to normal and I felt like myself again! After this, I realized how depressed I felt whilst on the implant.
Anyway, I gave it a month and then went back to the doctors to ask for the pill. Of course, I said that I doubt the mini pill will work for me since it is progesterone only, like the implant. The lady prescribed me rigevidon. I hid some research once I got the pill and looked on many forums where all I could see were negative reviews which made me very worried. I was hesitant to begin the pill but I did so anyway. I have almost finished my first pack which is not a very long time to judge side effects from, but so far I can say it has been amazing! I used to suffer from a few spots which have mainly disappeared, my moods have been fine and I haven't felt moody or down, maybe a little too chilled out at times. Overall, I can say that Rigevidon has worked for me and my friend has had no issues on it either. I plan to keep on using it and it may be the one for me. I hope this has reassured anyone who has been hesitant to start taking the pill. Sometimes it takes trial and error until you find the one for you.

Hi! I totally agree with you in that everybody responds differently to different method and its great you have found a method that works for you. However I think you have misunderstood the purpose of this thread. It is a comparison between 2 specific pills. I personally was on Rigevidon for over 3 months with no issues so it took me a while to work out it was this pill making me extremely unwell. There have been numerous threads on forums about this pill and protests on Change.org people have died from it and on a recent tv show it was rated the most dangerous pill on the market.
Many women have been palmed off and healthcare professionals state it is the same as other pills out there (Microgynon) when in fact it is not. Which is what the OP has explained. I think the purpose of this thread is to help those who have been switched to Rigevidon and have had problems ever since. This thread isn't to put anybody off taking hormonal contraception it has helped me a lot it is to encourage women to not allow themselves to be palmed off if a method doesn't work for them. I hope you get on with Rigevidon when I read about all the people who have died from this specific pill I flushed all mine down the toilet. Not all pills are bad but this one is for thousands and thousands of women its generally poorly tolerated.

Ah yes I do understand. This was the first thread that came up when I searched rigevidon so I thought I would just post it here. I'll find another thread.
Yes, I have heard awful things come from this pill which is worrying yet I suppose all medication can have severe risks. As it is one of the most commonly used since the NHS prescribe it by default, more women may have tried the pill over others and therefore more have had bad side effects. If there is a serious issue which is life threatening to many then I hope research is put into this as dying from contraception is awful! I hope I don't come to regret this post!