Hi all,
I was wondering if I can get an opinion from you guys on what I should do. I am currently on the second week of the third pack and my skin has been getting worse. I have mild hormonal acne which tends to be in control majority of the time with any birth control pills I've previously taken. I have never had cystic acne prior to taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen and it's all over my cheeks, chin, and jawline. I rarely had acne in these areas before.
About two years ago I was on Yasmin and it was fine. It helped keep my acne at bay for the most part but regardless of what birth control pill I take, I always have a couple pop up monthly. I switched to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo after speaking with my Naturopath and it was great until I started spotting frequently. My GP switched me over to Marvelon which was decent but I found myself getting acne a little more frequently than before but no major breakouts. I guess I became greedy and wanted to become completely clear so I spoke with my GP and she switched me to Ortho Tri-Cyclen and it has been hell. I feel depressed and I don't want to leave the house. Even when I switched between different pills I never broke out to this extent.. Should I switch back to Yasmin? Is there any other pills you can recommend? Please help, I feel hopeless and I don't want to suffer any longer.. Thanks in advance.
I feel your pain. I was on ortho tri cyclen for five months when I first started taking birth control. My skin was completely ruined and I blame the pill for it. It's been three years and I'm still battling with the leftover marks from what ortho tri cyclen left me. I wish I had switched earlier but I thought it would get worse before it got better but I was so so wrong. You've only been on it for two weeks so I would stick it out for a pill pack or two to see how you feel? But if it's making you feel terrible as it did for me i would talk to your doc ASAP about switching. I'm currently on a generic BC called Trinessa and it cleared up my skin though I still break out during my period but I haven't had a cyst since. If you had clear skin on Yasmin maybe go back to that? Hope this helped in any way!
I'm currently about to start my 3rd pack of Ortho Tri Cyclen for cystic hormonal acne treatment. I was using Estrostep, but even though it greatly improved my skin, it gave me horrible migraines - several a month. I'm going to try one more month of the Ortho and then re-evaluate. It hasn't helped my skin that much, except for the fact that it has made my skin much less oily. Still have some acne going on though. I also feel slightly depressed and it has NOT helped with the libido at all, if you get my drift. I've been trying everything possiblefor the past few years as far as treatment goes: supplements, topicals, prescriptions, diets, etc. Birth control pills are the only thing that have helped, but they have side effects. After this next month, I may decide to just stop them and deal with whatever comes. I've learned to camouflage acne spots pretty well, but I sure don't like it. There are just some days I'd rather not wear makeup. Good luck with your battle!