i started taking otc when i was 15 for my acne problems. it cleared up for the most part. just last year i switched to otc-lo because the reg dosage gave me dramatic mood swings. since january i have been breaking out like crazy around my mouth and chin. i've never broken out in these areas before, not even when i had acne in high school! i don't know what else to do except go back to regular otc. hopefully i won't go crazy again!

not cool: i've been taking ortho tri-cyclen for only half a month now for birth control. i didnt need it for regulating my periods or fixing acne, just for protection.

so aside from the serious mood changes and nausea this stupid pill gave me, it's actually been making me breakout terribly all over my face, and i NEVER had skin problems like this

obviously everyone's body is different, but my body apparently hates this stuff :(

hey, Im takin trinessa pills for three months and i don't see any good affects on my face. My period is regular since I started takin them , but my face is getting worse. I have deep painful acne all over my face esp. on my forehead, nose and cheeks. I don't know if I should still wait or should I change different product. Do any one kno what I should do???

i am going to start taking the generic tri-sprintec next month after i get my period. i'm hoping that i will have good results. one thing that does concern me after reading these posts is the effect BC will have on my hormones after i stop taking it. i am in my late 20's and would like to have children in the next few years. i don't want to have great skin while on BC only to have my acne return 100 times worse once i go off of BC. this thought makes me very nervous, but i guess i'll cross that bridge when i come to it. Good luck and may God Bless us all.

I'm 24 years old and just started to get moderate acne problems about 7 months ago. I had NEVER had any problems as a teenager. From when I was 20-23, I was on DIANE 35 for birth control, and I didn't notice any problems with it except EXTREME bloating and weight gain, and my face was as clear as ever if not better. I went off DIANE 35 after I was finished university cause it was so expensive and began seeing pimples appearing every once in a while, until 7 months ago when it just got out of control. I went to the doctor and he prescribed OT-C instead. I'm in my 5th cycle of use but the blemishes don't seem to be going away. I have no other symptoms at all so I love it that way and for the birth control but honestly, clear my skin already! I'm almost tempted to, despite the health risks, go back to DIANE because I KNOW it will help my skin.

I have been on ortho tricyclen for two months now. the first month my skin was perfect! the second my skin was better than average, but not as good as the first month. i hope that the third month proves better because i have heard it takes three months for your body to get used to it. The first week is was sick to my stomach and wanted to vomit all the time, but that went away, and i think it was worth it. The only thing i dont like is that my sex drive is off the charts! i have never been so hormone driven in my life! seriously i could do it 24/7 right now, its kinda weird. Ive always been an incredibly shy person. i hope this goes away soon.

As a teenager I never had acne. In my later teens, I was on triphasil (similar to Ortho regular). Then, when I turned 22, I got worried about the high hormone levels and switched to Alesse. OMG - it was terrible. My doctor kept telling me that my acne was not hormonal. She prescribed topicals (which never worked). I have acne which is considered on my forehead; I was (kinda still am) a walking target. I felt uncomfortable in social situations and often would break down and cry upon seeing picture of myself or catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

So, now I'm 25. Finally, I put my foot down and asked for a different birth control. I even asked for Ortho regular as my best friend has had great results. She prescribed Diane 35 as she said that it worked better. However, when I got home and looked it up on the net; I realized that Health Canada had a warning on it. Needless to say; I swtiched doctors. I got a prescription for Ortho Regular. During the first two weeks, I broke out a little more than unusual, but since then, it has been improving. (Its been just over 1 month). My skin doesn't feel as oily as before. And my boobs are a lit bigger. The only downside is mood swing towards the beginning of the cycle. I'll keep you guys posted.

Thanks for your comments ladies; its a comfort that I'm not alone. While my mom has always taught me that beauty isn't everything,its hard to argue that acne shouldn't affect your self esteem. And isn't that what counts; self esteem?

Cheers to month 2!

I was on Ortho Tricyclen for 3 years and never had one problem...I never had breakouts, only the occasional small bump which would go away after a day or two.

I stopped taking it about 7 months ago, but started again last month. Within 2 weeks my forehead and chin were covered in small, itchy, painful bumps. Its been about a month now and they still have not cleared up. I expected that they would form whiteheads, but theres nothing, just deep, painful bumps!

I started taking it again last night (after my period), hopefully its just a reaction and will begin to clear up (???).

I wouldn't NOT recommend it, b/c it worked well for me for 3 years, but maybe my hormonal balance changed when I stopped and started again.

I started using Ortho Tri-Cyclen for the purpose of clearing up my acne and I have been pleased with the results. It took about three cycles to start working, but now I am mostly acne free.

I was on a lot of acne medications (retin-A, minocycline, accutane) before using orthotricycline. Accutane worked the best, but you can only usually do one or two treatments. And so after I did accutane, I decided to try this after seeing how nice it worked for a friend of mine with acne. I think it worked okay for the acne, although I did gain a little bit of weight (5-10lbs) which is normal. Other than that I really didn't have any bad side effects. But because my skin was doing well I decided to go off of it a few years ago. However, my acne is coming back a little bit and I'm thinking about going back on it (although I'm not excited about the possible weight gain). I don't know, I guess I would consider it a good option to try. Just keep in mind that different people will react differently to it- not everyone will gain weight and not everyone will get magically clear skin while using it- but I think I would say it's worth a try if your skin really bothers you.