This is my 3rd month on this type of birth control and I can tell that my health is different overall. I used to eat very healthy and it was easy for me to go all day with just a salad. Now after taking this type of birth control it has increased my appetite tremendously. Overall I just need to give it more time to see if it is effective or not!

I LOVE THIS BIRTH CONTROL! I'm 21 years old and never had acne until about a year ago. It got so bad that I didn't want anyone to see me. I got big, red, cystic like acne all over my cheeks and jaw line. I tried so many different birth control pills, which actually isn't good for your body, and nothing worked. The first week after I started Ortho Try-Cyclen my face was so much clearer. I have noticed an increase in my appetite, so far that seems to be the only flaw to it. My insurance doesn't cover most name brand meds so I do have to pay $35.00 every month, but its so worth it. If you have severe acne like I HAD then I recommend you try it because its AWESOME! :)

My usual family docter prescribed Ortho Tri-cyclen to help control some of the symptoms that come along with having your period and to help with my moderate acne. Seeing as though I am a teenager, my breakouts are most likely being caused by hormonal imbalances. Although it has only been about a month since I was first prescribed this(gone through first pack), I would say my breakouts have actually gotten worse. I did rate this a 3 though because I have hope for the months to come. As for the symptoms during my period, cramps have been one less thing I have to worry about. Hopefully I'll be able to say the same for my acne in the near future.

Not really worth it the hassle. I turned into a different person (mood wise) and was constantly irritable and angry.

This is my second time on this birth control. First time I took it was bc I had broken out soo bad from coming off the depo shot... not knowing that my body went haywire due to the shot.. so my doctor agreed to put me back on bc but this time in orthotricylen for skin benefits. I didn't experience an initial breakout bc my acne was already severe from coming off the shot.. so into my 5th month is when I started seeing results.. I stopped the medication the begining if month 6 of last year 2011

Soo... my skin stayed clear for 2 months so I was thinking maybe I won't breakout anymore... I was soo wrong I started getting nodules on my jawline and pustules so I finally decided to get back on ortho and experience a bad initial breakout covering entire jawline and chin area, then moved up to my cheeks, at this point I was regretting stopping in the first place I couldn't even see my current bf at the time bc it was that bad! But I stuck it through bc I knew I would eventually clear up! It just takes time and patience.. now I have some sits but not like it use to be.. so if you are willing to give this bc a try give it 3-5 months.. i am on month 6 and I'm finally starting to feel confident again!! :)

GOOD LUCK GALS! :)

*I'm writing this after my first month so some people have a general idea of what could happen/what to expect*

I would actually give this two stars, but I gave it an extra because I have hope in the month to come. Based on reviews, the first month is the hardest because your body is adjusting to it. My acne got worse, I got moody,, my breasts were more tender and it was just generally not a great experience. I haven't had my period for two days, and I still feel some *slight* cramping, and it didn't help with cramps during my period. My back has also been achy this month, and I've had more headaches than usual.

I'm neutral about my breasts growing half a cup size, but I'm sure that's a pro for most. It was a bit hard at first to take it every day and I thought it would be a lot more inconvenient, but it's not. I have an alarm on my phone and my boyfriend has one on his, so between the two of us, I remember. It's not that bad anymore; it's become a part of my routine.

Another thing worth mentioning is that I used to have a 5-day period that was light the first day, very heavy the next two, medium, then light. I still have a 5-day period, but this made things more... even? I'm now light/medium, heavy, heavy/medium, medium, light. I guess that's good.

I'm not pregnant, which I'd say is a good thing. It's also nice to have a predictable period down to the exact day because before it was kinda a week-long window for me and I could get it any day.

I might be writing another review after I take it for a few more months to see if any of my cons go away and to (hopefully) add more pros to the list.

I'd still recommend it because it's worth a shot. Everyone's body reacts differently and it's just 3 months out of your life to get the full effect. If you don't end up liking it, switch. Simple as that. c:

Girls, dont give up on these pills just because it doesnt work right away! It took about 2-3 months for me to see the results. I used to have a lot of cystic acne all over my cheeks that left nasty scars :( im soo glad found Ortho Tri Cyclen.

I've been nauseas everyday since starting. I'm getting little bumps on my face. I've been getting terrible headaches. So far I strongly dislike this product. Im on my 3rd week taking it.

I just finished my third month on Ortho, and I am finally having more clear days a month than days with acne. I did get a pretty bad initial breakout the third week in during my first month, but after that cleared I haven't got a horrible breakout since. I do get a few pimples the week before my period, but my skin is usually breakout free the rest of the time. My boyfriend has been complimenting me on my skin lately, so I can tell it's working. Also, I've noticed that my skin is less oily throughout the day which is nice because I don't have to reapply powder as much.

I didn't have any side effects that the other girls on here seemed to have trouble with. No nausea, bad cramps, headaches, weight gain, etc...

I am a little disappointed my boobs didn't get bigger, but oh well, at least my skin is looking nice :)

I am going into my second month of taking Ortho Tri Cyclen. For the first few weeks, I started getting more acne than usual, but they were only small bumps. A few weeks later, the small bumps turned into huge, painful cysts all over my mouth, chin and cheeks. Because they were hormonal, no beauty skin treatment could fix it so I just had to hope that it would clear up soon. Now that I am going into my second month of taking OTC, I am getting very few breakouts and the cysts are now drying up and dying down. I do, however, now have gigantic, dark scars in the areas that broke out. I just have to hope that they clear up soon because I feel so hideous right now. I don't want to wear makeup because I am scared it will slow down the healing process. I took Ocella before and while it cleared my skin up right away with no initial breakouts, I gained almost 20 pounds and was always emotional and stressed out. I have decided to stick with OTC for a few more months and observe the results. I am pretty sure that the worst is over. Can't give my full opinion on it yet, because I haven't taken it long enough to get full results. It has prevented pregnancy and I haven't gained any weight or had constant, extreme PMSing.