Diane 35 Reviews

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.

hey,
ive just finished my first satchet of Diane 35 (dermatoligist made me buy 6) and ive got really painful ulcers in my mouth? did anyone else get this? i also had a dry upper lip but it subsided within a week. and very small nosebleeds, tho ive never had them before.
Reading your reviews (the positive ones) made me feel a lot better about taking Diane. Im 17 and really impatient, had acne all my life, and i was hoping it would go away in a month. My friends on Accutane and her skin cleared (like, really, really cleared) within 15 days.
So just wondering, does it normally take 2-3monthes, as in finishing 2-3 satchets? thanks a lot
and ps - for the post on where Diane 35 is available, its actually German made so, all over Europe, large parts of Asia as well (and no precription needed).

I've been on diane 35 for 5 years now. To me, it's a good solution for girls. Don't expect dramatic results from the begening, it takes some time to see some effects, but I can say after one year it really made a difference. I had mild acne on my face, which IS really upseting even if called 'mild', but the worst was on my back. It took a few months and my back was completly clear. After five years I still get zits occasionally, but I love the skin I'm in!
It's worth the try, really. It helps to regulate your period, it fights acne steadily and from the inside AND it's also an oral contraceptive.

I have been on Diane 35 for 2 1/2 years for acne. I started breaking out when I was in my early 20's and never had a problem before. I had taken Ortho tricylcen previous to this for 6 months and decided to stop taking it but as soon as I went off it I started breaking out. After trying every topical medication for acne possible without any success the doctor's finally put me on Diane 35.
Diane 35 has completely cured my acne but I have gained weight, I was the type of person who never gained a pound and could eat anything I weighed 125-130 and am 5'7 but since being on Diane I have gone up to 135-140 and at my worst 150.
I have also suffered from a lot of anxiety and depression and very very low libido.
I am thinking of switching to Yasmin and I was wondering if I switch if I'm going to start breaking out? I have never gone directly from one pill to another and I am worried about getting really bad acne again if I stop Diane 35.
Another thing I would mention to anyone on Diane 35 I have read that you shouldn't take it for longer than 2 years and that a doctor should never continue to prescribe it longer than that amount of time unless it is a very serious bout with acne. I get a little worried when I have seen 3 different doctor's in the past few years and they all prescribe it without hesitation.
I just made an appt. with the women's health clinic at the hospital and they will not prescribe diane 35 - I have a feeling that this is because it is not as safe as many doctor's say it is - many family doctor's here are getting major kick backs for prescribing Diane 35 and you have to wonder with all the warning's out there why a doctor would not have any hesitation in prescribing it. I also know that if you are on it you are supposed to have an exam every 6 months to make sure you are ok but no doctor's I have been to have ever recommended I do this they just prescribe it out right.

I have been off of Diane for a few years now, and I have to say that my life is MUCH better for it. When I started Diane for the first few months, my skin cleared up, I even lost a bit of weight and all of my PMS symptoms! I thought that it couldn't get better! I was on Diane for over 4 years and over time the symptoms accumulated. I gained weight (20lbs despite remaining active), I got more irritable during menstruation...and most importantly I WENT INSANE! I was ridiculously overly emotional and over sensitive to things that should have barely touched my radar. I could flash between sadness to the point of depression, and flares of anger/rage. I just thought it was me (and that I was crazy) until I went off birth control to just be natural for a few months and all of a sudden felt relaxed, calm and centred. That's when I understood that it was Diane, and I'll never go back. I am now on the Nuva Ring and LOVE it...it's so close to natural and my weight didn't fluctuate! I just use Proactiv for my breakouts and enjoy!