* correction: I understand Gianvi ISN’T approved for PMDD or acne…

I took Yaz for a good year and a half and stopped taking it February. I am now about to go back on birth control and was expecting to get Yaz when I was given Gianvi. It seems that most of you were currently using Yaz when you made the switch, experiencing multiple issues with it. My body hasn’t been on birth control for a while, and unlike most of you I’m hoping that my body will adjust better to the generic medication because of it. I understand that both products contain the same molecular formula and that Gianvi is approved for PMDD or acne. Yaz was great for me. It made me less moody and did help clear up some mild acne. Does anyone have a similar situation to mine? Not having been on birth control for a while and starting fresh with Gianvi? If so, what has your symptoms been like?

I have PMDD and YAZ is my life saver. i was shocked when they gave me the genric. i called bayer and asked if they were going to pull YAZ off the market because i saw on tv an ad for the lawsuit oh wait you mean the people that SMOKE while on the pill which can increase the side effects! they told me that they stand behind their product and that YAZ would remain on the market.. i do not want to become the PMDD monster that i was before YAZ and its the drospirenone that kills the PMDD! Yaz is the only pill on the market with this hormone!

I will like to know if this pills Gianvi are causing the same efects as yaz, like stroke, sudden death, etc. Because I am worry, I’m taking this pills and read a report about bad sides efect of this pills yaz.

Legally, pharmacies must dispense the generic medication, if it is available, unless the prescriber has directly specified on the prescription that the brand name drug only may be dispensed.

I am so glad that other women are having problems with Gianvi. I was switched also, without my knowledge/consent, to Gianvi from Yaz. I have no problem with generic drugs in most cases, but when a person is on a medication that is working for them, I don’t think it makes ANY sense to switch them unless they consent. Meaning, I would have appreciated a mail or even email notice from my mail pharmacy saying: “Hey, there is now a generic available on that refill you requested. Would you like it???” Anyway, I am finishing my 2nd pack of Gianvi, and am waiting for an order of YAZ that I insisted on getting after I finished the 1st pack of GIANVI. My problems?? Same as all of you ladies: increased acne, MOODINESS, anxiety, depression, night sweats, bloating, gaining 10 pounds for no apparant reason (and I work out 4x per week!), spotting and BAD headaches. Hopefully Gianvi prevents pregnancy as well as YAZ, but I think we can all agree that it DOES NOT work as well for the other things. And if a drug’s side effects are really bad for a significant amount of people, then it should not be on the market! Now, I”m not sure how extensively Gianvi has been tested, but you can be sure that I am registering my complaint, and detailing my side effects, so that they can be counted. It’s not ok for a drug to go to market and have all these horrible things happen to people.

In response to the question about getting insurance to cover Yaz instead of just the generic…Some insurance companies will only cover generic prescriptions regardless of whether or not a generic form exists of the medication; however, if you have insurance that once covered Yaz and no longer does because the generic form is available you can file an appeal with your insurance carrier. You typically need a letter from your physician or prescriber that explains a medical need to be on the brand name; normally prescribers are very understanding and willing to do this. Medical need can be as simple as you don’t like the way you feel on Gianvi or that it makes you break out. Talk to your insurance company about what you need to do to get Yaz covered, it is normally a pretty simple process.

I just switched to Gianvi after being on Yaz since March. I originally began taking Yaz because the other BC pill I was taking caused oily skin, acne, etc. Yaz cleared it up, and so far Gianvi is doing the same. I’ve been on this new generic for about a week, and I haven’t experienced any uncommon mood swings, any recurrence of acne, or sickness. I would recommend a switch to Gianvi if you are looking for a little extra money in the bank. Going forward, I will save about $200 a year.

I am up late at night exploring the generic Yaz because since switching 2 weeks ago I have had nausea, low level abdominal discomfort and worsening depression and acne. I didn’t realize the “blues” could be due to the Yaz switch and only looked into this because of the nausea. I feel relieved to see others have had this mood change and will be going to the pharmacy in the morning to get my Yaz back. Thanks for all your comments.

I got the generic Yaz and felt weird too…a bit of weight gain and very moody. I take the pill for Endo. Yaz is $87 where the generic is $12 How do i get my insurance company to cover some of the expenses?

I just rec’d my generic form of Yaz – Gianvi, and the cost was only $14.00 total for a three month supply. That’s a little of $3.00 a month. You may want to check who you both yours from and why they are charging you so much.

I wasn’t given the option to switch to Gianvi. I went to pickup my refill and when I was asked to pay $10 instead of the $30 I knew something was up. That is when I was told that I was being given a generic brand, which I wasn’t too thrilled about because nobody asked me or gave me the option. It was almost like I was given an ulitmatum…Take Gianvi or don’t take anything, which I don’t think is right at all!! I decided to be optimistic and give it a try even though I love Yaz and have been taking it for over a year. I’ve been on the Gianvi for two months and hate it!! My face is breaking out again regardless if I’m on my period or not. I would never break out onYaz regardless if it was when I started or at any other time of the month and my skin was looking so good, now I can’t get my face clear to save my life. My mood swings are horrible, my headaches are more frequent and more painful, and my cramps are much worse as well. Also my period, which used to last only 3-4 days with Yaz is now lasting closer to a week, week and a half. I went to the doctor today and had them right me a new prescription for Yaz only and will be filling it as soon as I get off from work. I do not like Gianvi and the companies can say whatever they want, but it can’t be the same pill. I wouldn’t recommend this generic to anyone and if Yaz has been working for you then I wouldn’t suggest switching. I know it costs more, but to me it is well worth it. I hope this information helps…

Back on Yaz after the generic and I cannot wait to feel good again. The generics make me feel sick and I have high anxiety. It has been 7 days back on Yaz and I am afraid it may take at least a month to feel normal again. I never want to go through this again. I have returned to small doses of Prozac.

I have been on yaz for 3yrs. Each refill $80..in July i was told by the pharmacist of the generic brand costing $12 so of course i swithched.. Right away i noticed my mood swings were back, had feelings that i havent had in a very long time.Thinking of switching back to yaz.

All birth control pills have side effects and the side effects of Yaz have been reported to be significantly higher than other pills. Anyone asking, “Should I be on Yaz?” or “Should my daughter be on Yaz?” should have probably asked those questions before ever filling the prescription. Many prescribers have incentives for prescribing certain (especially new) medications, so you need to be your own advocate and ask as many questions as possible then truly weigh the risks and benefits. Every single drug will do some sort of harm to your body, but you have to ask yourself, is the cost of being on the drug less than being off? As for the cost: Most new drugs are released under patent laws so that generic forms cannot be released for a few years so the developers are able to charge more to cover their research and development costs. Then, generally, a few years later the generics start to roll out at a lower cost. Without insurance, the cost of Gianvi is only about $10 less than Yaz; one good thing though is that many insurance providers only cover generics and not brand names, even when a brand name is not available. Kimberly, your argument saying that there is no research needed for drugs that have been around in other countries for years, you need to do some homework. A great example of this is Fenfluramine (part of the Fen-Phen craze), it was FDA approved in the 70’s, then it wasn’t until the 90’s that researchers noticed a correlation between heart problems and people on Fenfluramine, roughly 30% of the patients had developed heart problems, and it was pulled from the market in 1997. It was research done 27 years after Fluramine received its FDA approval that saved who knows how many lives. This is true for many many medications! Research saves lives and creates new, better drugs. Seriously, what kind of allergies do you have that you would be needing a $100 allergy pill?! There are costs to everything, Europe may make a cheaper allergy pill, but I assure you that cost will be reflected in some other form. And “85% of your healthcare costs are for pharmaceutical costs,” where exactly did this statistic come from? Do you understand what all goes into healthcare? In my practice maybe 5% goes to pharmaceutical costs, and that is a pretty standard number. Healthcare in America is expensive, but that goes hand in hand with the fact that we have the best healthcare in the world. Everything has a price, and I don’t know about you, but I am not willing to skimp on my health.

I’ve been taking Yaz for over a year, I switched from my local pharmacy to Ride Aid because they have cheaper prices… i was paying almost $90 for my birth control… Ride Aid switched me to the generic brand, and so far it’s the exact same a s Yaz. i like so many other have heard about the side effects of taking Yaz, I still choose to take it because my doctor has been taking care of my family for at least three generations that I know of… so i trust him with my life. I stayed on and it did what a birth control should do, that and it helped with my acne… I have experienced no negative side effects while on Yaz… I’m still the same old me…

It’s called the American way people. The said truth is 85% of your healthcare costs are for pharmaceutical costs. Trust me, I know. There is no reason why prescriptions in the country should cost what they do other than the mere fact that someone is greedy and wants more money in their pocket. Why is research needed especially when certain drugs have been around and used for years in other countries. Just as an example, I went to Europe, got a month supply of an allergy medicine for $6. When I inquired about cost here…..$100 per pill. PER PILL.

I’ve been on the generic for about 3 months now , and in my personal experience, I have noticed frequent panic attacks and a new alarming symptom of hair loss. I was on yaz for about two years prior with absolutley no side effects.I don’t care of they Claim to have the same Ingredients or not, something clearly does not agree with my body

Ok – I have been on YAZ for 4 years now and two months ago I was switched over to the generic brand, Gianvi. I just wanted to post this and I NEVER EVER post on blogs but I have noticed a major change in myself this past month. The first month I took Gianvi I got my period on time and everything was pretty normal; my boyfriend said he had noticed a mood change in being really moody. Now, that I have been on it this second month…everything is screwed up. I started spotting 2 1/2 weeks before my period was suppsoed to come, and I am still spotting. I have been bloated after I eat certain things, and I have been getting major headaches. I started freaking out because I thought I was pregnant so I took 3 tests which are all negative. I have had never ever had any problems like this in my life until just now! Sometimes I feel nausea and most of this month I have had serious headaches. I called my doctor and she said she believes it is all because of this birth control. I just want to stop taking it, I have never felt this way in my life and would MUCH rather be put back on YAZ where I feel more of myself. I thought for sure I was going crazy until I started to read all of these posts and I was like maybe thats why I have felt this way for the past 2 months straight. So thank you to everyone who posted their experience!

i’ve been on yaz for about 3 years now, and have never had any problems with it. i actually was very happy i went on it. the reason i went on this website is because i just have been having sudden nausea and dizziness. at first i thought it was something else, then realized that i had just switched to gianvi. after reading through almost all of the comments, i realized this was me! everything you guys have been describing is how i’ve been feeling. nasues, dizzy, headachs. there is no way yaz and gianvi are the same. i am highly disappointed i was every switched onto gianvi and i am switching right back to yaz. take it from me, this is NOT the same! save yourself from feeling sick. thanks to all the helpful comments.

To Comment by Liz on 2 August 2010: You don’t realize this, but Gianvi is the reason why you are acting like a total idiot. It’s okay, we’re all irritated here. For me at least Gianvi is like a shot of angry Adderral. I swear anphetamines is in this stuff. Get off the Gianvi Lady!

OMG! I’ve never posted on a blog but I have to say I am 100% relieved that I’m not crazy! The same thing happened to me, I have taken YAZ for years and when I went to pick up my Rx in June they switched me to the generic Gianvi. I have been emotionally sliding downhill for 2 months and finally today I started researching counselers and physciatrists. I have just had mental breakdown after mental breakdown and I could not figure out what was wrong with me. I have never been a depressed person. I have always been happy and upbeat. But I started becoming paranoid, nervous and just blue. I couldn’t find my happy to save my life. I have getting terrible headaches, feeling nausea and dizzy almost every day. Finally, finally, finally I narrowed down the only that had changed in my life in the last 2 months and this was it. I started googling and found this….I called my Dr. and they said that YAZ and the generic use the same type of drugs to make it but use different fillers. I instantly felt a weight lift off my shoulders. THANK GOD I’M NOT CRAZY!!!! I was terrified that I was really losing it. I tossed the last pill that I had and will not be going back. Now I can’t wait to get this crap out of my system for good and get back to my old self again.

I’ve been on Yaz for about 1 year and a half. Didnt have any problems with the pill. Until two weeks ago when I picked up my prescriptions for a refill, the pharmacist have given me Gianvi instead of YAZ…Apparently I thought it would be the same. I have been taking Gianvi for two weeks, I have suffered from anxiety,stomach aches, nausea,vomiting and I also lost my appetite.I felt horrible. I didnt know what was going on with my body. This was not me at all. I stopped taking Gianvi and I’ll be seeing my doctor.

I was surprised when I was given generic 3 months ago. I was afraid to take it but it saved me some money. Can I just tell you that I have felt like crap this summer between nausea and vomiting to weight gain and a mess of pimples. Sadness like you wouldn’t believe! My dumbass thought I was pregnant – couldn’t imagine why else my stomach would be so unsettled… went to the doc to check for hyper thyroid, diabeties and everything else and he says I’m clear on all accounts. So I thought I was crazy until I decided to do some research. Thanks for making me realize I am not alone in this!

I have recently been switched to the Generic version and it made me completly sick. I cramped really bad, my legs started cramping. My legs never cramp and I hadn’t done anything for them to hurt. They hurt so bad I laid around all day and didn’t want to move. It freaked me out so bad I stopped taking to pill all together and now I’m having a hell of a time finding a new pill to take.

i have been on yaz for two years. it has worked out for me and helped my periods.. but i am thinking of switching because i have been seeing commercials on tv that yaz has serious health risks like blood clots and such. and i recently got Gianvi….without being asked… and i feel horrible! im spotting big time and i feel like i am still on my period! and also nauseated. i have never felt this way before. i am going to my doctor and asking to be put on something other than yaz, yasmin, or ocella. i want nothing more to do with this brand.

My mail-order prescription company (CAREMARK) mailed me Gianvi rather than Yaz this time, after filling Yaz for YEARS. They did not consult me or my physician, and REFUSE to change it back to the brand name because a generic is available. If the medications are so equivalent, will they pay for my abortion or for raising a child when I get pregnant due to the FDA-allowed 20% variation in efficacy allowed by law in ALL generic medications, including oral contraceptives? I doubt it. But the mail-order pharmacies will still be laughing all the way to the bank from their deals with these pharmaceutical companies, while more and more women become pregnant due to the “allowed” variations in generic OC’s that they were sent instead of their regular medication.

I was also given Gianvi by my pharmacy. I don’t use it as a birth control, but to regulate hormones and decrease muenstral pain and acne. I didn’t really care about using a generic, hell I only paid $5 on co-pay instead of $15. After the first day i felt sick to my stomach, I’ve been nervous and jittery since. It’s the only medication i’m on and I havent made any dietary changes nor have there been any other changes. I started it 3 days ago. I WONDER IF THE GENERIC IS THE EXACT SAME MEDICINE CAUSE I FEEL LIKE CRAP! Edit before submitting: I was about to submit this comment, but decided to look at other comments listed here. OMG! I’m so glad i did and now I know i’m not the only one experiecing changes.

I started taking Gianvi last month, on my second month with the pills I started having bad acne breakouts and mood swings. I also had some weird spotting. I also developed one of the most horriblest bacterial infections, and I am not sexually active right now. I have never had any of the above until I started taking Gianvi. Now I got my new pack and I have switched back to Yaz.

I’m so glad I came across this forum – I actually found it because i”m currently suffering from my third migraine in the past month, after just being switched from Yaz to Gianvi by my insurance company. I’ve never had regular migraines before, and these have been so bad that I get a loss of vision and vomiting. I also had nausea and extreme fluctuations of emotions, all of which I’ve never once experienced on a year of Yaz. I didn’t think it would be possible to get such symptoms from switching to the generic, because I assumed they were both exactly the same. I can’t wait to meet with my doctor because this is getting unbearable.

Like many other women, I went to pick up my prescription for YAZ and was told that since the generic form is available, my insurance would no longer pay for the brand name, EVEN THOUGH my presecription said “brand name only”. They told me that my doctor had to write a letter to the insurance company explaining the exact medical reason for the brand-name medicine. This is now my second month on Gianvi and I definitely do NOT feel the same. I have had clear skin for most of my life, I am 21. However I have been on YAZ for so long I don’t know whether or not to relate my clear skin to YAZ or not. BUT since starting on Gianvi I have MAJOR breakouts, that I have NEVER had before. Coincidence? I think not. Gianvi has treated the PMDD, but the pimples are not worth it. So the question remains, do I stop taking birth control all together? Or do I keep switiching and messing with my hormones to find something that will work. This country is being run by corporations that care only about money. It is disgusting.

my daughter has been on yaz for 2 years and has had no side effects except for acne gone and her bleeding has been alot less, then last month we go to the pharmacy and they give us Gianvi without even asking us. after taking it for a couple of weeks poof acne back and heavy bleeding back, we try to get the REAL yaz and pharmacy said you will have to pay full price or get a written letter from your dr to get the insurance to pay, so we had to make an appointment with her gyno and she told us. gianvi is not the generic for yaz its the generic for yasmin which is different and the pharmacy should not be giving people who r on yaz gianvi, she also told us that giavni is different it has different levels of hormones in it and that is why my daughter is getting acne and heavy bleeding, so she wrote a new perscription for yaz and included fill perscription as written if this dont work she will be fighting with the pharmacy and the insurance company for us, this is bs if u r given a script for something what gives the pharmacy or the insurance company the right to change it…

I too received the generic Gianvi in place of Yaz. I immediately started spotting and am bleeding heavily now. Not good considering I was put on Yaz to stop my periods because of low iron. I called the pharmacist and asked for Yaz. Wouldn’t you know my insurance company charged me $50 instead of the usual $15. I plan to talk to my doctor to see if she can rewrite the prescription for Yaz only. If my insurance still expects $50 then I certainly will get ahold of a prescription cards so I will only have to pay $25.

Thank Goodness!! I have been spotting and having problems with gianvi for three weeks now. It quite frankly SUCKS!!! I have been spotting and bleeding for three weeks and me PMDD is not being help with this CRAP Generic. This was put out to make money and no other reason. I cant wait to see this pulled from pharmacy’s. Women all over are having a terrible time with it. But I am relieved to here that other women are having the same problem as me.

I am stopping the generic immediately. i have occasional migraines that i can usually wait out. i have been on Gianvi for 2 1/2 weeks and have had 7 debillitating migraines in 5 days. Double auras and pain that stays for hours or in the case of this last one -2 days. not happening. I would rather pay the more expensive copay than lose a days pay because I can’t go to work.

Stacy, I have always been open to generic drugs. I feel i am educated enough to not go with ‘the flow” of complaints, etc. But on this one I have to agree with most women here. First, the price is very good and we are all looking to cut expenses here and there, especially now. Second, my symptoms started as soon as i took the generic version of yaz and did not put two and two together until a few days ago. Now, i am not someone that lives writing blogs or expressing opinions in any websites, newspapers, etc. but i started getting suspicious when I started with headaches, feeling depressed about things that usually have no effect, diarrhea, nasal pain, and feeling blue about everything. All these symptoms were not brought on by listening to others or reading posts, etc. My suspicion brought me to this page and has affirmed what i thought. Hysteria? possibly in many cases but as i mature I also find out that my gut feelings are to be paid attention and not ignored or dismiss as imaginary things. I am most confident that all the ladies here in this blog are intelligent women that do not make up things in order to gain attention, we have our personal relationships for that. I also know of women who never suffer PMDD, PMS, pain or anything like that, to those I say good for you and I hope you never have to experience any of that. I have to say that your assumptions are rather pretentious and ignorant by nature. But the ladies here are not suffering from hysteria…This type of stereotyping is damaging and serves no purpose to women whose symptoms need to be acknowledged and explored.

I took Gianvi for the month of June after taking Yaz for 3 years, then my insurance inexplicably changed my order back to Yaz…and now it’s just like I started Yaz for the very first time, with all the acne, bloating, irritability etc. that the body goes through when adjusting to an influx of hormones. So obviously, Gianvi IS NOT THE SAME AS YAZ. There IS a difference in the ingredients, and we have all been feeling it, apparently. To Liz who posted on Aug. 2, your comments were unnecessary..we aren’t whining for God’s sake, this is a real issue that is obviously affecting a lot of women, and frankly it really sucks. If that’s not the case for you, then great, but now you’ve pissed off a bunch of overly hormonal, severely irritated women. Way to go. Oh, and learn to spell. To everyone else, hopefully this shit will never happen to us again!

My Granddaughter aged 16 takes Yaz for acne control not birth control.She was switched to Gianvi without our knowledge. I can’t see where it is approved for moderate acne problems. Do any of you know the answer to this. thank you

“Is Yaz the ONLY birth control (pill or otherwise) that can help with the moodiness, fatigue, appetite, etc?” No. When a drug makes a claim that “sounds” like this to the consumer, what it really means is that they performed tests with their drugs for those symptoms and they showed effectiveness. In most cases the other drug manufacturers cannot make the same claim for a certain amount of time because the company who did the original testing has the patent. As for you ladies who think you are moody, breaking out, gaining weight, etc… on the generic, you are having pretend symptoms like a woman does for a hysterical pregnancy or anyone does with hysterical blindness. There will be a very, very, very small number of people allergic to the tiny difference in the binding ingredients, but that will be below .001%. Where the medication is manufactured has nothing to do with quality if it has been approved by the FDA. Besides, most medicine-making corporations are based here in the US, but get cheaper rend and cheaper, yet equally educated employees in other countries. It is cheaper for an educated American to live in Israel and work for an American-based company than it is for them to live here (believe me, I know….my husband works for a major one with branches in different parts of the world).

Do not take Gianvi. I have had every miserable side effect from this drug that has been listed and then some. How dare my government use me as a guinea pig fo a drug that IS NOT THE SAME AS YAZ and has not been tested on humans. Gianvi has for the time being ruined my life. I hope my body goes back to normal after I get back on YAZ. Now let’s go fight with the insurance companies to pay a fair price for the brand name because the so called generic is not anywhere near an equivalent. I hope Teva gets a huge lawsuit for their greed in rushing this horrible drug to market.

My daughter was switched to the generic form of Yaz this past month and it has been horrible for her. Her face breaks out constantly, she complains about having more headaches and in general is very miserable during her period. She also experiences more cyst pain from her ovary. I also have experienced her “mood swings” coming back. Gianvi may be cheaper, but it shows with my daughter. I’m getting her medicine refilled tomorrow and will only accept Yaz for the refill!

Wow!! I have been really upset the past couple of hours. Needless to say, I went to my local Walgreens Pharmacy and they gave me this Gianvi. I was shocked that no one informed me of the switch. They never asked me if I wanted generic. I called my local Family Planning and spoke with the doctor who writes out my scripts. She was really nice about the whole situation because she knew I was so upset. I still am!!! She was unaware that there was a generic form of Yaz. I’ve been on Yaz for five years and I love it. I have had no problems on it and I am extremely reluctant to take this generic crap. I used to take Orthotricyclen lo and I did not like it one bit!! I am afraid that I am going to have side effects and that is the very last thing I need to deal with. Much like to what has been stated here, the pharmacist said that my doctor would have to write “Brand name medically neccessary”. She’s certainly not going to write that because I have not taken the Gianvi as of yet and I would have to have a medical need to take Yaz and this is ridiculous. I told her that I’m not trying to overreact but I said I don’t want to have any bad reactions or side effects to this drug. I mean what constitues a generic drug? The plastic case on these generic pills reek!! I am on Medicaid, but I am extremely unhappy about this. I don’t have the option to take Yaz. I was fine until this garbage occurred today. I guess I have to play the wait and see game. This really sucks.

I have been on Yaz for about two years now and without my insurance telling me I got Gianvi instead, I had no idea there was a generic for Yaz and I’m kind of nervous about taking it.

I took Yaz for PMDD. When I got Gianvi at the pharmacy I warned my boyfriend that it might not work that same and that he should keep an eye on my mood to see if it does actually get worse during the month. I figured I could switch back to Yaz after that month if my PMDD was really bad. And it WAS REALLY BAD. I don’t just get moody, I get dangerously depressed but only for about 3 or 4 days out of the month. Yaz is the only thing that worked for it and it seems that the only other thing I can take for PMDD is an SSRI anti-depressant. Yaz is not covered AT ALL by my insurance and I can’t afford to pay $80 a month. The Gianvi did nothing for it but I don’t want to take an anti-depressant for this when I know that Yaz would work. I am going to see if I can try Ocella which I’ve heard helps with PMDD as well, but I am worried it won’t work. I don’t know what I will do if it doesn’t.

Grow up. I’ve never seem such a group of congragated complainers. It’s a generic form and they work the same. I’ve had depo provera shots before and those are hell. I’ve had my period for 6 months. Gianvi and Yaz are both wonderful forms of birth control and as for being worried about getting pregnant on gianvi it’s probably not going to happen. And if it does it’s because your not taking it right. But you could say it’s because it has less of an active ingrediant. You probably would say that you bunch of whiners. If a pharmacy sold birth control that didn’t work, they wouldn’t sell it. Or at least they wouldn’t call it birth control. So to all you haters put there….I LOVE GIANVI!

Gianvi is a horrible drug and should be removed from the market immediately. Just like everyone else I was switched without my knowledge or consent. I had been on Yaz for years with NO SIDE EFFECTS. I have been on Gianvi for 2 weeks and immediately noticed horrendous side effects including bleeding, bloating, decreased sex drive, excessive weight gain (124 lbs. up to 137 lbs. in 2 weeks) nausea, stomach ache, lethargy, etc. The “generics” are not the same. There is a 20% variance in the key ingredients and other ingredients may be left out all together like the diuretic component. I called my OBGYN and was told that they have had more complaints and that no one liked Gianvi and that they had to write No Substitutes for every patient for the past 2 months since it hit the market in Mass. Just what every woman wants…a 10+ pound weight gain in bathing suit season. Wish I could sue that damn Gianvi company. I HATE this drug.

I was on Gianvi for two and a half weeks. I was moody, broke out like crazy, and gained five pounds:( I have switched back to Yaz and things seem to be getting better. I am just pissed at the fact that when I asked my pharmacist if there would be any differences or side effects she said no. I know they are just chain pharmacists but they should know their facts. Do not take Gianvi!!!!

My doctor has told me that MOST generic medicines are the same. Two exceptions (that apply to me) are thyroid medicines (Synthroid vs. the generic Levothyroxine) and birth control pills. I mostly take birth control pills for depression (other than the obvious reasons!), and I have been on Yaz for years and years–and loved it. I got the generic–again, without being asked–and It has been about a month and a half and I am suffering from some bad depression. The only thing I can really associate it with is the change in bc pills, but I’m scared that now my insurance won’t pay for the Yaz now that a generic is out…

DO NOT TAKE ANY BIRTH CONTROL PILL if you have a family history of blood clotting disorders. There is a MUCH higher risk of forming a blood clot if you do.. My 21 year old niece just had a stroke because she did not know she had the heriditary disease. It takes a $400-800 antibody blood test to determine if you have the disorder.

I am on week three of Gianvi and I have experienced incredible fatigue, naseau and some spotting. I couldn’t figure it out except that I started taking Gianvi this month. After reading these comments, I’ve called my doctor to get him to switch my prescription to Yaz or something else, nut I am not taking this pill anymore.