Diane 35 Reviews

Ive been on Diane35 for about 4 and a half years now. Its been great for my acne. I havent had to think about it at all for all this time. Im thinking of going off the pill now bcause of its side effects-my hair has started falling in clumps, my cholesterol level is REALLY high ( I exercise 6 days a week, and eat pretty healthy most of the time), and of couse I cant seem to shake off the 5-10 pounds Ive gained because of the pill.
Im really anxious-will keep u posted.

I have been on the birth control pill for 10 years and have tried almost every type out there. I was on Diane 35 for acne a few years ago and it worked well, so my dematologist decided to prescribe it to me again. After 3 weeks of use, I had to discontinue Diane 35 due to a possible pulmunary embolism ( I had mild chest pains, trouble breathing and shortness of breath, as well as a feeling like I could breathe but wasn't getting enough O2). I would suggest anyone who has these symptoms to get off the pill all together. In my opinion, the benefits of clearing up acne compared to the health risk just isn't worth it....

i've been on diane for about four years now. i went off of it for about a year, my acne came back and i was having crazy mood swings. once i went back on it, my skin cleared up and my moods regulated again.
i love diane. i think its great. except its a little expensive. but to think of what i would pay in creams and treatments for the acne that i would have, its really not that big of a cost.
i havent lost any hair or gained weight due to it. and i dont care if it f**ks with my reproductability, cuz i dont want to have kids anyway. perfect drug for me!

I was on it for I believe almost 2 years. I didnt notice how well it worked until I went off it. Now I have hair growing back on my chin etc stronger than ever and even my legs. I can't wait to get back on it again. I pluck the hair on my face daily now, before I could get away with one or two hairs here or there. If you are on it and notice a reduction do not go off it. I really regret that! My sex drive was next to nothing on it, it increased when I went off though. My husband noticed the difference. I'm nto sure if there are any other pills out there for hair growth, but I'm assuming any bcp will lower sex drive.

I was put on Diane35 after being diagnosed with PCOS. I stayed on it for a few years.

Overall, I'd say it worked very well for reducing hair growth, regulated periods, and clearing up my skin- this usually takes about 3 months to happen. I had no initial side effects whatsoever.

However, it did have its downside, which is why I stopped taking it.

It made me very depressed and worsened my anxiety.

It caused to me gain weight :( In the first month or two I noticed weight loss, but then it started to climb. My appetite increased, so I probably did eat more than before, but it made me crave sugar like crazy! I exercised and improved my diet (hard to do when your crave carbs 24/7!) but my weight never dropped until I stopped taking the pill.

I also stopped taking it because after a couple years I started getting AWFUL headaches each month before my period. Plus I was getting more varicose veins. That's really what made me stop taking it, as that is a warning sign for blood clots. (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/2005/2005_39_e.html)

I was on Diane 35 for about 4 years. Prior to this, I had tried a number of things for my severe acne (face & back). After taking Diane, my skin cleared up perfectly in about 7 months and remained clear the entire time that i was taking it. my libido suffered tremendously and i was no longer interested in sex. prior this this, my libido had always been high. i decided to stop taking it and see how my skin would do. it was okay for about 3 months and then the acne came back with a vengence. i had to start taking it again. (i should also mention that in the first few months in which i started taking it, my skin got worse before getting better, both times). The second time around, the diane did not work as well as the first. my skin is almost clear but i tend to always have one pimple on my face - usually a minor one that goes away quickly. that's my story. overall, diane 35 works but you have to decide if it's worth it for you. in my case, i would rather have a low libido than severe cystic acne, but it's a trade off.

It funny, I actually went on Diane-35 and had a totally different experience. I was on it for about 2 years (started at 16). I wish the doctor had explained side effects to me because I had no idea what I was getting into. I actually did not notice many side effects while I was using it. I got off the pills like the doctor told me and in about 8 months I had gained approximately 60 pounds. I have stretch marks on my thighs, my calves(just recently) and on my hips and breasts as well as cellulite. I have always eaten around 1000 calories a day and excercised which would cause a normal person to lose weight but not me. I could tell when I gained weight by looking at my new stretch marks. I cannot even belive how fast I have gained this weight. At first doctors thought I was hypothyroid which is not the case. They recently discovered that I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian disease). I am not a doctor however I have taken a fair share of biological and chemical courses and read plenty of scientific journals and I can with 99% certainty say that Diane -35 caused this. And you know whats even funnier? To cure this disease I need to get back onto the Diane -35 pills...interesting.

I took Diane-35 for a period of 4 years for acne. It cleared my acne just fine but the side-effects I could do without.

1) Depression and loss of libedo. Within 3 months of starting the new pill I felt very much out of sorts with normal. Persisted taking the pill on a Doctors advice (he though work troubles were causing the moods - I know differently now).
2) More, darker freakles.
3) Head hair loss. My hair noticably thinned over the four years I took the pill which was very distressing. It was most noticable in the final year.

I stopped taking this pill and returned to another which I had not troubles with. It's taken a year, but my hair's come back as it was and I'm emotionally back to my normal self.

As my acne was pretty mild to begin with and when it returned after stopping Diane-35 I've tried other means to get rid of it - in particular cutting back on dairy products which has worked pretty well.

My recommendation to anyone with mild acne that this is definitely not the pill for you - the side effects are definitely not worth it. Other pills might have a calming effect on your skin as well, don't be afraid to try a few with your doctors help to find one which works best for you.

We take this sort of pill because we care for our appearance, but I think happiness and being comfortable with yourself is more important.

I just want to put accross a few points here, only because I can speak from experience.

I am 17 now, but I have been on Diane since I turned 16 and not for regular acne related reasons. For some reason, at this age, keeps falling out. It's not PCOS, it's perhaps some genetic disorder that causes me to produce too much androgen, and while the rest of you teens have acne as a result of excess androgen, my hair falls out.

I just want to tell you guys not to worry, acne is so temporary, while what I have is just distressing. I am on Diane, not because i feel it's making heaps of difference, only because I am scared of what will happen when I go off it. And its scary, because doctors prescribe it with ridiculous ease, while countries like the US ban it entirely. Who's overreacting? Who's underreacting? I don't know, but for those of you with just acne, i wouldn't take the risk of infertility, thrombosis, or any of these other deadly things the FDA warn us of with Diane.

For those of you with acne, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE look into Zeno. It has only recently come out, it's a zit-zapping machine, as ridiculous as that sounds. At about $215, it is no gimmic, i can promise you that. It sends heat beams into the bacteria and zaps away the zit, guaranteed. I have had friends who have suffered from acne all through teenhood start using it, because "they dont want to go to college with pimples", and they are sooo incredibly happy. Acne people, pleaseeee don't use hormones to take ur bad skin away, dont tamper with your body, increase risk of breast cancer and whatnot, when you can cure ur low self esteem within hours, EXTERNALLY. i wish i had your option.

please please look into zeno at [link removed]

Ok so I started this again in April this year (took it for almost three years when I was 17) and was taking it until 2 weeks ago. I stopped because I began to lose my scalp hair which is the reason why I cam off it the first time. My skin cleared within 4 months but then my hair started falling out in clumps. This pill makes me look ultra feminine. Flawless skin and huge boobs tiny waist but after visiting a naturopath my eyes opened to the scary reality of the side effects. I have PCOS and taking this pill could possibly render me infertile. Im not willing to risk that. Im on natural estrogen and have cut out dairy from my diet. My skin has admittedly started to become oily but with the grace of God I hope I dont start getting the horrific cystic acne that was making my life miserable. Will update in 3 or four months.