r/Nexplanon

I wanted to share my experience, maybe it could help someone.

I got my first nexplanon around 4 years ago.. everything seemed fine, aside from my stamina never improving no matter what I did. I got it replaced within the last year back in , June approx.. which is my second one.

Since then, I have had weight gain issues (I used to be extremely fit), excessive bloating, face was puffy no matter what I did (people would comment on it), I started getting acne on my upper shoulder blades and jaw line BAD, mental health was declining rapidly and im usually pretty happy. On top of all of this , I had EXTREME fatigue, it was life altering.

I researched every possible vitamin I could take, I napped 2<3 times a day depending, I napped on my breaks at work, I realized I couldnt go to the gym anymore because my stamina became worse and worse.. I went from deadlifting 170 lbs to becoming winded walking up the stairs.

The exhaustion.. was insane, I spoke to multiple drs whom said it wasnt the implant and that I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - which was not the case. Sleep was not rejuvenating my body.

I had to get it surgically removed due to it migrating further in my arm (not fun btw).

I got it out 3 days ago now, and the difference is quite insane..

Day one , mentally more clear, still tired...

Day two, brain fog definitely lifted, I needed a nap near the end of the day.

Day three, I woke up rested, not groggy, no nap required, I can get out on walks again I feel like I drank a bunch of energy drinks my full energy levels returned..

For those of you experiencing a decline in energy levels im telling you , try to remove it and see how you feel. This took away ALOT of my life. All I could do was sleep all day.

i’ve been on the implant for about a year and 7 months. i’ve had my period for whole time and it’s been pretty irregular. been dealing with some cramping, sore nipples, discharge, and some abdominal pain but no period for a while and was thinking… am i pregnant? been hearing about the “ghost period” but have never experienced it yet until now.

as a very anxious girl, i went to cvs and bought two pregnancy tests to get my mind at ease. andddd i’m not pregnant. this damn implant’s side effects are wild. i really have to learn how to trust this implant, anyone have tips? 😅

I just got my implant about a week ago, since then I’ve had dizzy spells and vertigo, this was common with my other birth control I took when I was younger but stopped because it led to fainting. I’m told it’s a rare side effect but it should stop after a few months, it’s manageable and other than that the implant has been fine so I don’t see a reason to take it out. However, I take propranolol for PTSD and I think it’s aggravated the dizzy spells and vertigo as it lowers my blood pressure (I believe that’s how it works)? Should I consult with my doctor?

So, I like many others had sudden and seemingly unstoppable weight gain on Nexplanon. Like I'm a very active person and I was just balooning no matter what I did. For awhile I thought I was just cursed with a terrible metabolism or second puberty was hitting me weird or idk. Then I found that a lot of other people had the same thing happen while on Nexplanon so I was like ok let's see if this is it and I took it out.

That was in early January, it's late april now and holy shit you guys. I lost so much weight already without changing anything about my diet or exercise. I FEEL so much better in general like I actually have full energy throughout the day and even though I'm still dealing with some mental health struggles the tools I have to get through are more effective. My libido is back and better than ever, and I think my sleeping habits are better too or something there like I feel more genuinely rested after sleeping.

Anyways, I know there's pros and cons to Nexplanon as birth control but I personally will never go back. I feel like myself after years

Hey all!! I’ve had nexplanon since 2021, got a new one in early 2024. However, in the end of 2024-early 2025, I had a near 20lb weight gain. I also get my period about 2x a month for the past two years.

I’ve spoken to my gyno about this and she’s been pretty dismissive, I am currently searching for a new one.

I have some other symptoms like hair on my chin and areolas which is new too, some on my stomach as well. I suspect that I may have PCOS. I don’t know if the nexplanon is the issue, but the extremely irregular periods are concerning. My gyno chalked it up to diet and exercise but I am very fit and workout several times a week, walk daily, and eat very healthy.

I started using a period tracker about a year ago because I couldn’t keep track and realized that it’s been consistent with biweekly periods for awhile now. They are heavy flows too.

Any advice here? Did other experience these symptoms? I didn’t have these issues with nexplanon the first time around. I was 21 when I got it and am now 26, I know my body is changing but am pretty much ready for it to be done. Have ya’ll lost weight when getting it out? Periods go back to normal? Any advice or commentary is helpful. Tyia!!

I’m currently on day 128 of my period. I got the Nexplanon implant on November 7th, and my period started on December 16th. Since then, I’ve been bleeding consistently for the last four months. I experienced a couple of days where it seemed to stop, but each time it only lasted about 12 hours before starting again.

This has been really tough on my mental and physical health. Prior to this I already dealt with chronic iron deficiency anemia. I’ve had blood infusions and I feel bleeding this much just barely keeps up and cancels it out. I’ve never gone through so many tampons in my life. The bleeding is mostly consistent, sometimes heavy, but it never truly stops!

My doctor told me my body should adjust in about three months, but here I am at four months, and I’m not sure how much longer I can take. This is my first form of birth control, and taking the pill every single day at the same time isn’t an option for me and I’ve heard horror stories about the IUD. Before the implant, my periods were light, lasted only a few days, and were like clockwork.

Ive also started breaking out on my forehead, jawline, and neck, which is new for me. I’ve always been fortunate to have good skin and I took that for granted. My sex life is obviously non existent and I am thankful for how caring and patient my partner is with me during this.

I just wanted to share my experience with the Nexplanon implant and how it's been affecting my life and curious to see what other people have experienced.

hiiiii! after trying different birth control pills the last few years, my doctor recommended nexplanon. my biggest issue with my birth control has been weight gain. on the pill, i’ve gained 20 pounds and no matter how hard i diet or exercise, it won’t go away. when i’ve taken breaks from the pill, the weight IMMEDIATELY drops away.

my question is did anyone who gained weight on the pill gain more after starting nexplanon? i’m so frustrated with the weight that im considering peptides at this point. i just want to not have a baby and also not gain weight, is that too much to ask??

i also have really irregular periods when im not on the pill (40 day cycles). if anyone had a similar experience, how did the implant change that/what was the bleeding like for you?

thank you so much!!!!

I have been on birth control since I was 13. Started with the Rigevidon pill for 5 years and then moved to the Nexplanon implant which I had for 4 and a half years.

Since I started the pill I had a lower abdominal pain on my left side, like a slight tugging which lingered most of the day. When I asked the doctor about it then I was told it was growing pains and that I would get used to it.

After that I just assumed it was part of puberty and that it would eventually go away?

Fast forward to a year ago, I had my Nexplanon implant changed as the four years was up, and I went to another doctor. The pain at this point was worse and was affecting my sleep at night, libido and appetite to the point where I could not keep a meal down without feeling horrendously nauseous. The bloating was insane, I gained 3 stone rapidly yet was not hungry.

The doctor was very patient, and ordered a bunch of different tests to try and find the source of the pain (blood, urine, stool etc) which all came back normal. I then had both an internal and external ultrasound (fun) which also came back completely clear. I have been put on a waiting list for a laparoscopy but that is a minimum 18 month wait. She doesn’t think it’s endometriosis, or PCOS or anything of that nature but put me on the list just in case.

6 months ago, I took out my second Nexplanon implant to see if that was causing problems and what do you know? I haven’t had a single pain, appetite issue or libido concern since. My bloating has gone down especially around my face and midriff, and I feel borderline normal again.

I started Rigevidon again for my peace of mind about 4 days ago, and the discomfort has already come back?!

Needless to say I will not be taking them anymore but I wondered if anyone else has experienced this on either of these contraception types and or knows what causes it? Am I going crazy?

After being on nexplanon for 8 years (replaced every three years, LOVED it) I always asked the doctors the same question when it came time for the removal and reinsertion: how do they get the hormones INSIDE the little stick? No one ever knew, so I finally, like literally just got off the phone with Organon, called them directly to ask. The representative was only able to read directly from the FDA prescribing information which, of course, did not have any info about how the little stick is made. It shares what the stick is made of, and that the hormones are in "serum" form, but how do they get it in there?? Is it injected into a little pocket in the stick or something?

If anyone happens to know any tidbits I would really appreciate it!

hello! i just got home from getting my nexplanon implant. the doctor warned me that irregular bleeding is common, which i am okay with because id much rather have peace of mind pregnancy wise. anyway, what has anyone else’s experience been for those who had pretty light (like, rarely filling a regular in 8 hours) flow, but AWFUL cramps?

did the implant stop your flow? how did it affect cramps?

i know the effects are different from person to person, but i just wanted to hear other people’s experiences from those in a similar situation!

for the people who have experienced mild to severe hair loss on nexplanon, how fast were u noticing? i’m getting worried that i am having this symptom i feel like my hair comes out really easily but its not clumps its just more than i usually would. ill put my hair in my buns for like 24 hours and take it out and there will be like 3 strands in my hair tie when normally that wouldnt happen and the bun is not tight at all, also when i shower i brush my hair to dry it after and feel like my brush is getting filled very quickly. i know all these things im doing is normal for hair to fall out but i just feel like its more than what im used to. im very scared one of my favorite parts about me in my hair!

Hi All, long time lurker on this subreddit first time posting.

I (24 F) got my contraceptive implant removed around 3 weeks ago now and just wanted to see if anyone else had experienced similar withdrawal side effects. For some context, this was my third implant ( I started on it at 17 and got this one taken out early due to wanting to regulate my cycle as I suspect I may have PCOS).

My main side effect has been quite severe bloating (and yes I'm sure I'm not pregnant!) The bloating has been really consistent since a few days post removal and is currently showing no signs of improving. I was just wondering if anyone else had experienced a high level of bloating after Nexplananon removal and if so what did you do to help?

Many thanks! :)

One week in - awful mood swings, hot flashes, and bouts of anxiety despite being on medication to treat the bloody thing. And the weirdest one yet... PTSD making a grand return.

My life is awesome and I generally have a good grip on things, it can't be a coincidence then that I'm suddenly losing the plot a wee bit. They did mention side effects at the appointment and told me it would take a while for your body to adjust, I just did not anticpiate it happening almost instantaneously and so wildly.

So I'm asking... please share your experiences. I'd love to hear if the emotional side effects went away for you, how long it took, and how you managed.

My thought process is that it's only been a week, and since I'm not ready to draft a suicide note or anything I'm willing to see it through. I know I will be okay; unpleasant as it is, it's nothing I can't handle - years of therapy and all that. But this will all depend on how long I have to deal with it being like this. If it's going to take a few months, fine - a year? two years? for the entire duration? I'm getting the bastard thing out.

I’m finally gonna get my implant out on Thursday and start trying soon! I called the obgyn office it had me on hold forever so eventually I stopped trying to reach out I had it in since I was 12 my mom had me get it even though I wasn’t sexually active. Whenever I touched it for the years after my whole arm became sensitive and weak but definitely did its job I’m not sure if it even still works but I’m excited I’m never going on birth control again though even thought it helped

Hi all,

I got my Nexplanon placed around December 29th of last year. On the day of posting, I am just shy of 5 months in (April 20th).

I have had the symptoms of:

A. irregular bleeding for 3 weeks at a time (I will have dark brown blood spotting or light period for 14 days, then randomly days of bright red blood for like 7 days). Right now is day 17 of non-stop bleeding either in the form of light periods or spotting.

B. Increased appetite (which has led me to gain 5-10 pounds). This symptom has decreased in the frequency it occurs but it still presents itself

C. Decreased Libido

D. Increased Acne breakouts

E. Hair loss that is leaving me with BALDING PATCHES which has begun within the last 4 weeks).

I had figured that side effects (A-D would get better as I got closer to the 6 month mark of having Nexplanon Inserted. But now that I’m losing hair for the first time in my life (especially with someone with naturally thick and full hair like I am), I’m concerned this thing is going to only continue to make me lose more hair long term.

I have gotten lab work done last week and I’m waiting on my doctor to interpret the results of those labs….

But did anyone else experience hair loss that onset months after getting nexplanon inserted (I noticed my hair loss about 4 months in)

Hey everyone, I recently had a traumatic removal of implanon (the person who inserted it put it too deep), and a new implanon put in (this time the doctor actually knew what they were doing).

During all of my first 6 years on the implanon I was underweight, though I was working on it and putting on muscle.

I got very very sick for a few months leading up to the replacement, and started putting on some weight (2kg), however since getting my most recent implanon in i have put on 5kg in about 4 months.

Is there any way of avoiding this weight gain? Is this likely to be the implanon even though I had no issues for years? I am happy I am no longer underweight but I am not feeling in control of my body and all and I am worried about hwta will happen if this trend continues.

so, on april 21 it will be 3 months since i had the nexplanon inserted. since then i’ve been constantly nauseous and having cramps or sharp pains in the lower part of my abdomen.

i keep trying to tell myself that i’m just experiencing the effects of getting the implant, but once a month i have strong pregnancy-like symptoms, and my mind just can’t process it, so every month i end up taking pregnancy tests, since my period has never come down again after i got the implant.

i saw in another post here that bmi can interfere a bit, that the hormone can get diluted, i ended up gaining a lot of weight, so i’m bigger than i used to be, is that really a problem?

should i be paying attention to any specific sign of pregnancy to actually be worried, which one?

i know nexplanon is like 1 case in 10,000 people, but i’m just really scared of having a child in my third world country. i’ve even said that i would kill myself if i ever got pregnant

I got my nexplanon removed a month ago and haven’t noticed my sex drive at all until maybe a few days ago it sky rocketed. I also been having really bad anxiety for the past few days as well, I already had bad anxiety on it now I feel like it’s worsen since the removal.

The high sex drive i feel is ruining my day to day life, I feel horny all the time at work, when I’m out, when I’m at restaurants, literally wherever it’s so annoying and so uncomfortable. It’s been messing with my anxiety as well I feel like I’m overthinking anything and everything around me.

Has this happened to anyone else?

Oh man. I thought I’d be a lucky one. Got it inserted day 1 of my period, period lasted 10 days and I haven’t bled in months. Started spotting on Monday (it’s Friday) and by Wednesday I was in hell. The blood is minimal, when I take my disc out after 6-8 hours there’s hardly anything in there.

But the cramps. These are the worse cramps I’ve had since I was in labor. They take my breath away. My usually hot bath/heating pad/midol routine isn’t even touching it. I feel awful.

Anyone else? What did you do to help the pain? I’ve never had a period this bad on birth control.