Acne.org Products
So I went to visit the Doctor again today, having requested to go on Yasmin. She'd wanted to clear it with a couple of other Doctors first, as I'm on the NHS and they're still slightly leery about prescribing Yasmin long term. I expressed that I didn't want to go on Yasmin if it was only a short-term thing, as it wouldn't be a solution and I'd just see my acne come back after. I left the appointment feeling very confused, as I was told I could not go on Yasmin long term HOWEVER, they'd decided that they were cool with putting me on Dianette and allowing me to take that long term on the basis that my body coped okay with it.
Am I missing something? Yasmin and Dianette both have a bad reputation when it comes to blood clot scares and stuff, but I thought Dianette was the big one that you REALLY can't stay on for more than 6 months while Yasmin was the one you had to fight for a bit but could still be prescribed long term. I brought this up to my Doctor and she just shrugged and said 'there are a lot of politics and changing opinions at the moment about BCPs.'
I'm kind of worried that my Doctor(s) have somehow managed to mix up Dianette and Yasmin, because I really can't imagine that I'll be permitted to stay on the medication once I move back to my home town from university. All I've heard is that Diane/Dianette/etc are the big boss birth control pills that you only take short term. I currently have the generic, unbranded form sitting in my bag. I don't feel too confident about taking it.
Has anyone heard anything about this switch up? I'm living in the UK, and my GPs are NHS.
I've been on Dianette long term (over a year) in the past without any problems. If it makes any difference as to health dangers, etc., I was about 15 when I was on it, and a tny person (i.e. low weight, short), and I had no problems at all.
I do know that all bcps come with attendant blood clotting dangers. I'm not sure of all the science behind it, but I sometimes wonder if the complaints and scares about Diane/Yasmin are more because they're generally prescribed for acne rather than birth control... meaning to media and those who have health problems from taking them the fact that they've had health issues/died from taking a pill for acne makes it seems all the less fair. By that I mean... that a young woman would die from taking this pill for a few spots (mild acne) around her time of the month. I'm not sure, but I wonder at the actual danger of it in the long term.
Yeah. I'm not actually too worried about the dangers (we're also considering accutane), just how 'permanent' of a treatment they'll allow it to be. I can honestly see my next doctor immediately pulling me off of the pill because I see so many posts about that exact thing happening in the UK. It's kind of frustrating. I'm 22 and I've been on two different types of BCP so far. My first was the starter pill, Microgynon, and I was on that from 17 - 20. That's when I started getting spots, though I can't really say if it was the pill or just gonna happen anyway. On my second pill, Marvelon, the inflamed acne disappeared but I was left with weird raised bumps on my cheeks. These formed after three months of blissfully clear skin, and have been chilling on my cheeks ever since (over a year!). They're not hard like clogged pores, they're flesh coloured and soft and deep/numerous enough that my cheek shape has changed. My face looks puffy. Right now, I'm not on the pill.
EDIT: Editing in to say that the inflamed acne/cysts have come back, hence the new prescription. If it was still just flesh coloured puffy skin I'd be continuing my topical struggles. My acne is primarily on my cheeks and jawline, but I do get some on my temples. The cheek acne lasts the longest and looks the worst, and the jaw acne hurts the most.
Lots of people take Yasmin and Dianette long-term (e.g. 10 years...).
Seems your doctors should let you keep taking it if you really want to and since it's not a super dangerous drug. But I guess there are lots of legal issues in that. Best of luck with it! Well I hope you can continue taking it long term
Seems your doctors should let you keep taking it if you really want to and since it's not a super dangerous drug. But I guess there are lots of legal issues in that. Best of luck with it!
Thank you! My current doctor should be fine with it. Fingers crossed for any new ones I encounter, especially when I try to move to the states after uni.. >_<