"i have been extremely happy with this birth control. after about 3 years on this bc, i had to switch pharmacies and my new pharmacy switched me to viorele, which led to my absolute worst experience with birth control. i had headaches, felt fatigued, experienced a heavier period with more cramping, and gained weight. finally i realized that even though kariva and viorele should be the same, they in fact are not!! once i switched to a new pharmacy that would specifically fill kariva, i lost 10 pounds in about 2 months and all the other side effects from the viorele disappeared. after a year consistently being on kariva, my pharmacy just switched to pimtrea, which really upsets me that they can&#039;t be consistent with kariva."