I first started taking this in December and it is now August, and my skin has improved by so much- I now get the occasional pimple during the first week of each pack but nothing drastic. I wish I had started this sooner! The only issue I would note is that (at least with me) the first pack caused me to break out on the sides of my face (next to my ears basically) and my jawline- not terribly, but I never had pimples here before, and they did leave pigmentation when they went away. It is not terrible and has faded over time, but is still something that I cover with makeup and may eventually have removed.Overall I would say that the benefits definitely outweigh the negatives, my skin is a lot smoother and just overall so much better than it had been in the past! Just be aware of the fact that you may have an initial breakout.

Its working greatly for me although some of my pros may be considered cons. Everyone is different I have a friend on the same pill and she is feeling complete opposite.

I am finishing up my second month of the pill and so far I have not seen any changes in my break outs. It always get pretty bad around my pms week and this month was no exception.

I would say contrary to what a lot of girls are say my appitite actually decreased the first month. I will notice how it affected it more when I get back to school because I tend to eat more when I am home.

The most noticable side effect in my case would be how sore my breasts have become. I have very little breasts (A cup) and I can definitely tell they are swollen. I could give or take having the larger breasts because I am only 5 foot tall and don't need them to be huge. I've been on several birth controls before this and have had swollen breast but I think they have gotten larger on this one out of all the others.

I am sticking with this pill for a little while longer because everyone has said it takes at least 3 months for the acne to clear up. I have hopes that next month my pms breakout won't be as severe.

On pack three of OTC after switching from Loestrin 24 fe. Loestrin wrecked my skin, I have nasty cystic scars and I'm dissapointed I haven't seen any improvements on OTC yet. Will give this pill another 5 months and will cry a lot and try another BC if nothing happens for my skin by then.

Based on some of the negative reviews, I was very skeptic of Ortho Tri-Cyclen at first. Just because you read a few bad reviews that doesn't necessarily mean those pros and cons will apply to you. Everyone's body is different, and if you decide to go on this pill then wait at least four months until you make the decision to change it.

I've been on Ortho Tri-Cyclen for about four months now (going on five), and at first I wanted to call it quits because of how terrible my acne got! Then little by little it began to disappear. Now the only time I break out (which is barely) is around the time I menstruate.

Your breast cup does increase by half a cup to a cup size gradually, however, I noticed that my breasts became very tender. Hopefully that will go away within a few more months? Not entirely sure, but if so I'd still stick with it. It helps protect you against pregnancy in the long run, so why not? In fact, it feels as if my libido has increased, Haha.

You gain very little to no weight, really. It goes away with diet and exercise, and that's all to it.

I got Ortho Tri-Cyclen at Planned Parenthood for free through my health insurance.

My doctor put me on this after I got an ovarian cyst because my periods were irregular. It immediately regulated my period & my skin got much better! Great for skin!

On the down side, i was so hungry but I was determined not to gain weight so I watched what I ate & I tried to exercise everyday. Even that didn't help because weight was just STICKING to me. I ended up gaining about 15lbs. No matter what I did the weight wouldn't come off. The only good thing that came out of that is that I went from an A cup to a C cup!

Whenever i skipped a few days on accident id have bad mood swings, increased appetite, & bad breakouts! After I went off it I had those same symptoms for a few months. It sucked! And I haven't had a period since I stopped taking it 5 months ago.

I originally went on Ortho Tri Cyclen to clear my moderate acne and turned it into moderately severe. It took a real toll on my self esteem. I took this pill for 2 months hoping to see improvement but it got so bad that I had to quite taking it. It's mainly the first 2 weeks of each package that did me in because of the higher amounts of estrogen in those weeks. I think my body is just really sensitive to excess amounts of estrogen. If you're like I am, I'd probably switch to Lo-estrin or ortho tri cyclen lo. I don't doubt it works it just didn't work for me.

Well, I was put on this pill after being on LoSeasonique (TERRIBLE PILL that made me breakout all over my legs and face). I had horrible cramps so I was put on it. Then I was put on OTCL for cramps AND acne. It had the side effects in the first two months, but I knew it would take some time.

Soon, my acne chilled out and my cramps were very little. My "flow" was very light as well and it is really nice knowing when your period is coming. Mine usually last for like 4 or 5ish days.

A downside I learned the hard was whenever I would take a pill late or miss one the next month (or pack) would cause me to breakout and retain water.

My breakout would last until the week before the placebo pills and I would start retaining water.

I am on month 7 and I am just now starting to see the results. Some bodies take longer than others to adjust. The initial breakout wasn't too bad but there were some months that were wore than others. My weight has remained the same. I read how some people try to work it off and can't, in my case I have lost weight while working out and eating right. My mood swings have subsided for the most part but they were never unbearable. I only experienced nausea the first month so that went away as well.

I recommend it but give it 6-7 months before you switch. I was on LoEstrin 21 for 4 months and it was consistently bad then OTC just came in and had to clean the mess so that may have attributed to it taking so long to show results.

Give it a try for sure if you think/know you have hormonal acne.

I completely recommend Ortho Tri-Cyclen to clear your acne.

Just a warning, the first three months were VERY difficult. I initially tried to take my pill right before bed to avoid the hunger I heard about, but it didn't prevent the hunger - it just woke me up in the middle of the night with a horrible feeling like extreme hunger. So, I started taking it at noon right before lunch and that fixed everything. I also felt my mood get very weird, like indescribable. I almost stopped, but when a girl I knew said it took her three months to get used to it, I decided to stick it out. It's not like it's impossible, so don't think your mood is going to get so bad you can't stay on it.

After about those three months, my mood was back to normal and my skin is SO much clearer. I can now take the pill right before bed and have no bad side effects - or any at all.

I also gained about 10 pounds, but I think it is preventable. I am 5'7" and before I started I was about 118 lbs - after being on it about 5 months I was about 128. However, I also had just started college and my diet was poor, and I also wasn't on the strict workout regimen I was before going on the pill. Altogether, I think I can lose the weight by getting back on my workout and diet regimen, it just won't be AS easy as without the pill. But it's not impossible!

Lastly, my boobs grew from a 32D to a 32DD... which I'm not happy about. It's annoying to have to buy new bras, but it's worth it for the great skin effects. I'm sure they'll shrink when I'm back off it anyway.

BOTTOM LINE: I completely recommend Ortho Tri-Cyclen, ESPECIALLY if you have tried other medicines that don't work. I've gone through one antibiotic pill that worked and then stopped after about a year, one that never worked, and then another that worked alright. Finally I asked my dermatologist for the pill, because I kind of knew mine was hormonal due to my breakout patterns. Now I only get a few little zits when