"for the most part it&#039;s been good -- no nasty side effects. however, if you smoke, take caution. since i&#039;ve been taking this and have been trying to quit smoking (as birth control increases your risk for heart problems), i&#039;ve acquired an occasional fluttering heart beat that at times is a bit freaky -- not painful, but certainly something that if it happens often to tell your doctor about. 

also, coming up on a year of taking it, it loses its effectiveness. for the past three months i will take it regularly (at the same time every day), and by the third week, i&#039;ll get my period. for this reason i plan on switching to something with a little higher of a hormone dose. "