dianette

diane-35 kept me clear for years. (I'm not sure if dianette is the same thing in the U.S.)

Hi - Diane-35 has a 4 times higher than average (compared to other birth control pills) risk of blood clots, about 1 in 1000. Blood clots can lead to stroke and even death. You should seriously consider whether you are willing to take this risk before you take this drug. Dianette is the UK version (Diane-35 is available in Canada) - the same drug. A recent large study came out comparing Diane to other BCPs and it definitely has an elevated risk. It may be worth it to you if your acne is moderate - severe, personally I found it made a huge difference in my acne, but I don't think it's worth the risk anymore, and I'm going to switch to Tri-cyclen which is also good.

Here is a link to the Health Canada advisory:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpb dgps/therapeut/zfiles/english/advisory/tpd/diane-35_e.html

I'm not trying to knock it if you want to try it, but most people don't know about this risk. Just a caveat.

This is a really good point Medellia. My doctor talked to me about this when the study came out (I was still on Diane-35 at the time) & we decided the risks were worth it - if you think about it, 160 in 100,000 (1 in 625, taking the numbers cited in the studies you quoted) is actually not that high. After all, pregnancy also brings a 60 in 100,000 chance of VTE, but we don't decide not to have kids based on that!

All this is not to say that it's not a risk, but as humans we tend to overestimate this kind of risk when we make decisions. It's the same sort of thing as everyone freaking out about West Nile virus, shark attacks, blood clots on planes etc. One thing that is REALLY important though is that you absolutely should not smoke when on this pill (or any other pill for that matter).

Anyway, thanks Medellia for posting this, I think it's great that there are people on this board who are bringing this sort of thing to people's attention. And people should definitely try to bring their acne under control in less risky ways before moving on to Diane-35, Accutane etc.

Ortho tri-cyclen has been proven to reduce mild to moderate acne.

Check out their website:

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I've been on it for almost 3 years. I only went on it because I was starting accutane so I can't say for sure if it helped with my skin, all I know it that it's supposed to.

Yasmin works for me. I still get one or two breakouts during TTOM 😕 I wish the marks would fade 😕

Yasmin made me depressed and did absolutely nothing for my skin.

I have ben on Diane 35 for 6 years and it worked miracle after years of frustration over other medications. But the thing is I think I am dependent on it now. I tried to stop a few times, it came back worse.

Are there others who experience the same problem? Are we supposed to be on this till our menopause? What if we want to get pregnant? I feel I've signed my life out to this pill. Is there anyway out of this?

The research I did was as follows...you need to look for a pill with moderate to low progestin & estrogen, with LOW androgen. If your acne is hormonal, this is what's making everything stick and gunk up. I've tried Ortho tri cyclen for over 6 months and it did nothing. Otho Novum 7/7/7 actually helped, I know thid now bcs I've come off it 2 months ago {erroneously thinking i needed a "break"} and my skin has erupted like Krakatoa. Online, the hype is over Diane-35/Dianette and Yasmin, both of which contain spironolactone {a duiretic if you can believe it!} which suppresses androgenic activity. However, Diane-35 isn't avail. in the US and has too much bad press over blood clots. The 4th generation progestins {norgestimate & desogestrel} have been noted to help with acne, having no androgenic activity rather supressing it. Orthocept, Desogen, and Ortho cyclen, and Ortho tricyclen contain this progestin. What really blows about this...like many things are different pill chemistry to different body chemistry, nothings gonna work for everyone. I've recently chosen to get on Otho cyclen. I liked the Ortho Novum and it's a monophasic which I require due to Bipolar Disorder. Triphasic birth control can "tip" the scales emotionally if you are bipolar, causing mania or depression. Ortho cyclen also has 4th generational progestin. I'll let y'all know how it works out. My best research was at fpnotebook.com --family phys.notebook. They go thru all the pills on the market, break down the chemistry and make suggestions for adverse reactions.

I was on Diane but changed to OTC because of the risks.

for those of you on yasmin, did u notice great weight gain????

for those of you on yasmin, did u notice great weight gain????

I have tried ortho tri cylin with hopes of it being a miracle for acne--and it did not make it better or worse-but when I stopped it ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE--i got ACNE--which I had never had severely before. Thankfully ive now, a year later, balanced things out with spironolactone--which is GREAT. Ladies with hormonal acne--spironolactone is much better, and you are not pumping your body full of hormones everyday--gettin off of bcp is a horrible experience (and you know you are not gonna be on them forever!)

for those of you on yasmin, did u notice great weight gain????

No...only that I was feeling depressed. How much weight did you gain if you dont mind me asking 😳

Hmmm, that's strange that you should inquire about weight gain on Yasmin -- I've heard that it is one of those few BCPs that actually doesn't cause weight gain and keeps you from retaining as much water as the others!

Regarding the spironolactone - have you noticed it causing irregular periods at all? I have read that could be a side effect of it. God knows I don't want that!

Thanks

I am 5'8 and weighed 110, now i am 122 so there u go

Hi guys-

I was put on ortho tri-cyclen Lo to help with pre-menstrual breakouts and it worked pretty well along with antibiotics, until I went off the pill, thinking oh, my face is clear, i don't need to take this pill anymore. Three months later after the pill was out of my system, I broke out again bad. I went back on it, along with antibiotics, and here I am a year later and my face still gets breakouts before my period. The ortho Lo is better than nothing, but it isn't what I need.

So, i went to the gyny, and she prescribed Desogen for me (i got the generic Apri) and I am hoping this will help. I'll keep you all updated (if anyone cares). Please pray for me

i was on diane 35 and it cleared me in 8 months..then i went off it and my skin looked horrible..im now on accutane and diane 35 again. the thing is, sometimes u have to stay on it because once u get off, it all just comes back again and your back to square 1..then u have ot wait another 3 to 6 or however long it takes for u to get clear again from the pill.

Online, the hype is over Diane-35/Dianette and Yasmin, both of which contain spironolactone {a duiretic if you can believe it!} which suppresses androgenic activity.

Minor clarification: Yasmin's progesterone is actually drospirenone, not spironolactone, but it is derived from it and has a similar effect.

Hi, I have been on "Estelle 35 ED" for nearing 1.5 years now and it has both cleared my moderate acne significantly (and did so within the first 3 months of using this pill). It has 0.035mg ethinyl estradiol and 2mg of cyproterone acetate (which is antiandrogenic)- the same active ingredients (and thus a generic version of) as Diane 35ED, Juliet and Brenda 35ED. I'm in Australia so I'm not sure if these are available where you are, or if they are different ingredient concentrations in different parts of the world, so just check that for your location.

I haven't experienced any weight gain or other side effects some people report whilst on birth control pills, but I do take a daily B-complex vitamin pill just because I was/am worried the pill might be depleting my body's supply of B vitamins.

Also, I found this webpage really helpful in regards to BC pills that help acne (and why!): http://www.skintherapyletter.com/fp/2007/3.4/3.html

AND if you scroll down the page here, http://www.wdxcyber.com/ncontr13.htm , it has a helpful table of the ingredients of some pills so you can decide the estrogen/progesterone contents for yourself (but check with your doctor of course) and some helpful suggestions which pills are better for what unwanted symptoms you want to treat

Goodluck

Just want to put this out there...

I was on the NuvaRing for two years and it completely cleared my skin (which wasn't that bad in the first place). But I started to feel the long terms effects because I'm probably more sensitive than the average person. After stopping the ring to give my body a break I experienced the worst skin of my life. It's been over a year now and I'm just barely starting to see improvements because I finally got my period back after not having it for a year. I'm definitely a worst case scenario situation, but seriously, I urge you to read the feed of women on here who have experienced acne after birth control use. Do your research and read about what birth control does to your body. Hormones are extremely delicate things, and tricking your body into thinking it's pregnant for an extended period of time is not natural.

I'm not saying everyone on here is wrong for being on birth control, but do your own research and consider what is best for your body. No one told me I might experience acne after stopping the pill! Not only that but it damages your digestive system and liver which are very important for having clear healthy skin. If you're experiencing hormonal acne now, when you decide to stop the pill you'll have it again. What's better, waiting it out and having it be gone forever---or having clear skin for a couple of years then getting acne worse than high school when you're in your twenties or thirties? I'm trying not to sound didactic, but I've been to hell and back with my hormones all for the convenience of that ring.

Birth control does not CURE acne. It changes your hormone levels, and with many women, if you get higher estrogen in your body your acne will clear. AS SOON AS YOU GO OFF BIRTH CONTROL and it exits your system, YOUR ACNE WILL RETURN.

High estrogen = more likely to clear your acne.

Low-dose pills (Alesse, Aviane, Levlite, Loestrin 1/20, Mircette)

Regular-dose pills (Brevicon, Demulen, Desogen, Levlen, Lo/Ovral, Modicon, Nordette, Levora, Loestrin, Low-Ogestrel, Necon 1/35, Norethin, Norinyl 1+35, Ortho-Cept, Ortho-Cyclen, Ortho-Novum 1/35, Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, Ovcon 35, Seasonale, Yasmin, Zovia)

Phasic pills (Ortho-Tri-Cyclen Lo, Cyclessa, Trivora, Triphasil, Tri-Levlen, Ortho-Novum 10/11, Jenest, Tri-Norinyl, Ortho-Novum 7/7/7, Ortho-Tri-Cyclen, Estrostep Fe)

High-dose pills (Ortho-Novum 1/50, Ovral, Ogestrel, Demulen 1/50, Ovcon 50)

Skin patch

20 mcg estrogen, plus progestin (Ortho Evra patch)

Vaginal ring

15 mcg estrogen, plus progestin (NuvaRing)

Birth control pills

Low-dose pills have 20 mcg of estrogen plus progestin.

Regular-dose pills have 3035 mcg estrogen plus progestin.

Phasic pills have changing levels of estrogen and progestin.

High-dose pills have about 50 mcg of estrogen plus progestin.

I started yaz 2 days ago and yesterday i noticed an overwhelming diziness and nausea! Thot iwas gonna be sick! Today i did this research and im scared, honestly! Besides weight gain is not wat am looing for, im already severely overweight! As forthe acne, i dunno if its hormonal, i went n got yaz on a 'hunch'. Im thinking of stopping it