Hey all!

I had been on Sronyx (Alesse) for the past 3-4 months, and my acne wasn't doing so well. I've also been on the Regimen for 5 weeks, but I want to try to battle my acne hormonally. I talked to my gyno, and he switched me over to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, which has fewer androgen levels (acne-aggravator).

I've been on this pill for about a week, and I've noticed my skin's changing a little bit. My forehead did break out, but it cleared quickly. I seem to have a few more bumps under my cheeks (problem area) than I usually do, but they're not painful or inflamed. Some of them turn into a small whitehead, others never form and go away.

Is this a normal "initial breakout" type of experience? I know I need to wait 3 months, but when will I know whether this birth control is helping or hurting? Will my skin get worse?

Just some curiosity. Thanks!

I usually recommend Ortho Cyclen, or at last Ortho Tri Cyclen regular, over the Lo version for acne. The Lo version has less estrogen, and females with acne tend to do better with pills with more estrogen. And I like Ortho Cyclen over Ortho Tri Cyclen, because Ortho Cyclen gives you a steady dose of hormones each month. Sometimes the fluctuations of the Tri version flare up acne.

Good for you for recognizing that Alesse is too androgenic for acne, though.

Hey all!

I had been on Sronyx (Alesse) for the past 3-4 months, and my acne wasn't doing so well. I've also been on the Regimen for 5 weeks, but I want to try to battle my acne hormonally. I talked to my gyno, and he switched me over to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, which has fewer androgen levels (acne-aggravator).

I've been on this pill for about a week, and I've noticed my skin's changing a little bit. My forehead did break out, but it cleared quickly. I seem to have a few more bumps under my cheeks (problem area) than I usually do, but they're not painful or inflamed. Some of them turn into a small whitehead, others never form and go away.

Is this a normal "initial breakout" type of experience? I know I need to wait 3 months, but when will I know whether this birth control is helping or hurting? Will my skin get worse?

Just some curiosity. Thanks!

I usually recommend Ortho Cyclen, or at last Ortho Tri Cyclen regular, over the Lo version for acne. The Lo version has less estrogen, and females with acne tend to do better with pills with more estrogen. And I like Ortho Cyclen over Ortho Tri Cyclen, because Ortho Cyclen gives you a steady dose of hormones each month. Sometimes the fluctuations of the Tri version flare up acne.

Good for you for recognizing that Alesse is too androgenic for acne, though.

Hmm, that makes sense. I'm not sure why my doctor recommended OTC Lo first. It's been 2 months and I have noticed an immense improvement from the generic Alesse, but I am still breaking out a little bit. I seem to break out the least after the highest level of hormones, right before the placebo pills. During the placebos, I don't break out. I guess I'll wait out the last month and see if I'm satisfied! I would be nervous about OTC or Ortho Cyclen because I've been a little emotional on this pill, and it's been a difficult adjustment trying to control mood swing symptoms. I feel like more estrogen could make this worse, or perhaps it's because OTC Lo is a triphasic pill?

Hey all!

I had been on Sronyx (Alesse) for the past 3-4 months, and my acne wasn't doing so well. I've also been on the Regimen for 5 weeks, but I want to try to battle my acne hormonally. I talked to my gyno, and he switched me over to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, which has fewer androgen levels (acne-aggravator).

I've been on this pill for about a week, and I've noticed my skin's changing a little bit. My forehead did break out, but it cleared quickly. I seem to have a few more bumps under my cheeks (problem area) than I usually do, but they're not painful or inflamed. Some of them turn into a small whitehead, others never form and go away.

Is this a normal "initial breakout" type of experience? I know I need to wait 3 months, but when will I know whether this birth control is helping or hurting? Will my skin get worse?

Just some curiosity. Thanks!

I usually recommend Ortho Cyclen, or at last Ortho Tri Cyclen regular, over the Lo version for acne. The Lo version has less estrogen, and females with acne tend to do better with pills with more estrogen. And I like Ortho Cyclen over Ortho Tri Cyclen, because Ortho Cyclen gives you a steady dose of hormones each month. Sometimes the fluctuations of the Tri version flare up acne.

Good for you for recognizing that Alesse is too androgenic for acne, though.

Hmm, that makes sense. I'm not sure why my doctor recommended OTC Lo first. It's been 2 months and I have noticed an immense improvement from the generic Alesse, but I am still breaking out a little bit. I seem to break out the least after the highest level of hormones, right before the placebo pills. During the placebos, I don't break out. I guess I'll wait out the last month and see if I'm satisfied! I would be nervous about OTC or Ortho Cyclen because I've been a little emotional on this pill, and it's been a difficult adjustment trying to control mood swing symptoms. I feel like more estrogen could make this worse, or perhaps it's because OTC Lo is a triphasic pill?

Usually triphasic and/or Lo pills give you mood swings more than mono normal estrogen pills. Ortho Cyclen is not really "high" estrogen but moderate estrogen. Estrogen at a more moderate dose actually has a calming effect. It is too high progesterone that can make you crazy (crazy pregnant ladies are real---because the body increases progesterone rapidly during pregnancy to keep the baby alive).

With a Lo pill, your proportion of hormones swings more toward progesterone. With a triphasic pill, it also does this at different times of the month. So needless to say, I think your skin and your moods will be a lot better on a mono regular estrogen pill like Ortho Cyclen.

Also, here are some quotes from ladies on estrogen:

The calming effect was within a week or so for me

Calming I would say yes, although after many years on it one doesn't really notice the effect anymore.

Certainly not calming in the tranquiliser manner but in a far more subtle way. More peaceful than knock out.

Yes, I find the calming effect to be very real. My calmness and patience has gone up 1000%.

I my case it had a dramatic calming effect. Within a week, relatives were making comments about the change. My only regret is that I waited so long in life to make the change

Hi! I'm on a new birth control, as well. I switched from the Mirena IUD to Beyaz.

Beyaz is monophasic and my personality has completely changed for the better since I've been on it. I would have full-on panic attacks on the Mirena IUD, but since being on Beyaz, I haven't had one. I'm also much more calm and can handle stress like a normal person. Unfortunately, it has caused my breasts to grow a full cup size, which I don't like because I'm a runner. However, I think I can deal with it.

I've been on OTC Lo before and it did nothing for my acne, but it did make me super sad and anxious all the time. I've been on Beyaz for almost a month now, and I feel amazing. First time ever that a birth control hasn't made me hate my life. My acne is also so much better, but it could be because of my new regimen. However, now that I think about it, I haven't had a crazy, out-of-control breakout this entire month!

I think a monophasic pill would be the best for you due to being prone to mood changes and acne. Does your doctor know about your mood changes/acne? Or did she just choose a different pill because you asked for one? My doctor didn't know about my acne until I told her that I had it bad (I wear makeup). Then she suggested a monophasic pill

EDIT: Also, I got a short initial breakout from switching. I got a cystic pimple on my forehead (I rarely breakout on my forehead), and some cheek acne. But they subsided within a week. I now have just one tiiiiny chin cyst (that's been here for about 2 weeks) which came to a head yesterday and I was able to extract it. So, I don't think your initial breakout should be too long. If it lasts super long, there may be an issue with the OTC lo

Thanks to both of you for the advice! I still have one more pack of OTC Lo, so I'm going to see how I feel. I also took a longer time to adjust emotionally to the Alesse, even though the hormone levels are super low and it's monophasic.

I can't believe more estrogen has a calming effect...that's incredible. If I'm not satisfied with OTC Lo, I'll ask my doctor for OTC or some Yaz-like pill, I suppose! I wonder if my insurance covers those better than OTC Lo.

I told my doctor about my acne but wasn't worried about mood until OTC Lo started making me super anxious and irritable...although these symptoms have decreased significantly. He said that he doesn't like prescribing higher-estrogen pills right away, and that many of his patients have had their acne cleared on OTC Lo. However, he's an OB/GYN, not a dermatologist.

Thanks to both of you for the advice! I still have one more pack of OTC Lo, so I'm going to see how I feel. I also took a longer time to adjust emotionally to the Alesse, even though the hormone levels are super low and it's monophasic.

I can't believe more estrogen has a calming effect...that's incredible. If I'm not satisfied with OTC Lo, I'll ask my doctor for OTC or some Yaz-like pill, I suppose! I wonder if my insurance covers those better than OTC Lo.

I told my doctor about my acne but wasn't worried about mood until OTC Lo started making me super anxious and irritable...although these symptoms have decreased significantly. He said that he doesn't like prescribing higher-estrogen pills right away, and that many of his patients have had their acne cleared on OTC Lo. However, he's an OB/GYN, not a dermatologist.

There is a generic of Yasmin now called Ocella that should be fairly cheap. Yasmin and Yaz are similar, but Yasmin has more estrogen.

Yaz/Yasmin is unique in the birth control world because it is the only birth control pill/implant that contains an ANTI-ANDROGENIC progestin. All the other birth controls, at best, contain a LOW androgenic progestin. I don't know how much reading on hormones you've done, but basically androgenic activity is bad news for acne. So if you can get a birth control that is actually anti-androgenic, you are really on your way to clearing your skin.

The drospirenone (the progestin in Yaz and Yasmin) is actually a derivative of spironolactone, which is the anti-androgen drug I take that keeps my skin clear.

I just started BeYaz yesterday, but have used Yasmin in the past. When I picked it up from the pharmacy, it cost me $0! Generic Yasmin (Zarah) cost me $10 when I used it. I have also used OTC in the past, but it did not work very well for my acne. I actually cleared up some when I stopped it, but I don't really know if there was a correlation because my skin goes through phases of breakouts (I'm 32 and have dealt with varying degrees of acne since I was 15).

I've been off bcps for about a month now, I was taking OTCLo. My period is due next week. Obviously my body is still adjusting to producing its own hormones now, but I'm starting to think about taking a bcp again in the future if things don't get normal again.

Prior to taking any bcp earlier this year, I had very bad emotion shifts, as well as deep cystic acne on my cheeks. I'd love to have this "estrogen calming effect" and a larger cup size wouldn't be so bad either, haha! So I might ask my doctor about ortho cyclen or Beyaz. Definitely nothing Triphasic or Lo because I know now that those types of pills give me severe depression and anxiety.

I've been off bcps for about a month now, I was taking OTCLo. My period is due next week. Obviously my body is still adjusting to producing its own hormones now, but I'm starting to think about taking a bcp again in the future if things don't get normal again.

Prior to taking any bcp earlier this year, I had very bad emotion shifts, as well as deep cystic acne on my cheeks. I'd love to have this "estrogen calming effect" and a larger cup size wouldn't be so bad either, haha! So I might ask my doctor about ortho cyclen or Beyaz. Definitely nothing Triphasic or Lo because I know now that those types of pills give me severe depression and anxiety.

Yeah it's been a tough adjustment but I'm waiting out this last month to see if I feel better. My boyfriend's noticed that my mood's been better during the 2nd month so that's good. I'm liking how my skin's doing on this pill, actually.

I've been off bcps for about a month now, I was taking OTCLo. My period is due next week. Obviously my body is still adjusting to producing its own hormones now, but I'm starting to think about taking a bcp again in the future if things don't get normal again.

Prior to taking any bcp earlier this year, I had very bad emotion shifts, as well as deep cystic acne on my cheeks. I'd love to have this "estrogen calming effect" and a larger cup size wouldn't be so bad either, haha! So I might ask my doctor about ortho cyclen or Beyaz. Definitely nothing Triphasic or Lo because I know now that those types of pills give me severe depression and anxiety.

Yeah it's been a tough adjustment but I'm waiting out this last month to see if I feel better. My boyfriend's noticed that my mood's been better during the 2nd month so that's good. I'm liking how my skin's doing on this pill, actually.

That's great! OTCLo was such an awesome pill for me back in high school. And the best part was that coming off it after a year or so on was totally painless.

I'm finding that today, my mood is way better than it has been. I'm not feeling that crushing anxiety and melancholy, and I actually held my head up and wasn't super self-conscious when I was out. It's a tough time getting all these hormones sorted, but I'm feeling more optimistic about being pill-free today.