Dianette : Oral Contraceptive

I started using dianette after years of trying to control my stubborn acne with antibiotics and topical medications. Eventually everything I tried stopped working and my acne got worse and worse. I was absolutley fed up and saw my only option as roaccutane which I felt was very drastic and carried too many side effects. The doctor recommended dianette and I was a bit worried about messing with hormones so I stalled the decision a bit. In the end we decided to give it a try and I've never looked back! Within 2-3 months my skin was completely clear (first time in years!) My periods were much lighter and shorter and I suffer much less from mood swings. I feel more positive and energetic (probably from having more confidence) I've read plenty of scare stories about this pill. and I am well aware of the risks of dianette. I have my blood pressure checked regularly and keep an eye on any warning symptoms. Takign dianette is not a decision anyone should take lightly and it should definately be discussed well with a doctor but in my experience there's no need be overly scared. I do wish I didn't have to resort to taking synthetic hormones but that's the way it is. I am very pleased with the results dianette has given me.At the end of the day, you do have to remember that it is a medication and like any medication there can be side effects. It may not be for everyone but it certainly has worked for me and I would recommend giving it a try at least.

I would say to anyone who is using this product to STICK WITH IT! I read alot of reviews that say this works after afew months but for me this took about 6 months but it is definitly worth the wait! Ive tried most of the other prescription pills & nothing else has worked as well as this. I now only get the occasional blackhead where as before i was getting new big spots everyday. You do gain weight on this pill as it makes you constantly hungry but its worth it as its alot easier to get rid of unwanted weight than it is unwanted acne! I would 100% recomend this!

I'm 24 years old and only started having issues with acne from the age of 20 onwards. I had been on other pills from the age of 16 and these did help my acne but I still had bad black heads and acne on my back and chin. After coming off the pill at about 21 in an attempt to solve the problem, my skin became the worst it had ever been and I started to really struggle with confidence. Although my skin was by no means the worst, I had hundreds of bumps under the skin on my face and these eventually turned to spots. I did research online and realised that there were several pills that helped with acne and went to my GP who prescribed Dianette. I noticed the change in my skin within 2 weeks and actually had far less side effects that Marvelon or other pills I had tried. My stomach was slightly bloated for a couple of days and this really was the only problem. After a month people started commenting how Wonderful my skin looked and I now need about half the makeup and concealer I used to use! At last i feel like I did when I was 16! I genuinely urge anyone who has not tried this pill to give it a try, I regret not going to the doctors years ago. Although the maximum prescription time is 18 months due to increased risk of blood clots, this is usually enough time for the skin to recover. One tip is that dianette is a very expensive pill and many GPs will not prescribe unless asked for, likewise most family planning clinics don't stock it.

I've had acne for about 7 years and NOTHING has worked. Got this from my GP. Just finished my first packet. Within the first few days I noticed I was getting slightly less spots than usual and about 3 weeks in I stopped getting any new spots. I couldn't swallow tablets before but I can swallow these no problem. Felt a bit sick and had minor headaches during the first few days but nothing major.

Having read most of the reviews of Dianette on the site (over 600!), I feel as though a lot of people are not writing an educated and impartial review. I see 3 main problems with some of the reviews. The first is people saying it doesn't work having only been on it for 3 months or less. Dianette takes 4-6 months to clear acne. Secondly is the scare stories about the risk of venous thrombosis. Whilst there is an increased risk and I do not want to take it lightly, it must be put into persepective. The risk of having venous thrombosis whilst not on any combined pill is approximately 10 in every 100000, 40 in 100000 whilst on a combined pill, and 60 in 100000 whilst on Dianette. This works out as a 0.06% chance of having a blood clot whilst you are on Dianette. Personally I know the risks and choose to accept them. My acne was so bad it was making me depressed and anti social. I see it as I can either have a 0.01% chance of a clot and be miserable, or have a 0.06% chance, clear my acne and be happy, a calculated risk I am more than willing to take as I do not smoke and live a healthy lifestyle. The third problem with the reviews is people saying that as soon as they stopped taking Dianette the symptoms returned. If your acne is hormonal and caused by an excess of testosterone, then Dianette helps because it works as an anti androgen, effectively blocking the symptoms associated with excess testosterone. There is no cure for Poly cycstic ovary syndrome, the usual cause of excess testosterone production, you can only manage the symptoms, so whilst Dianette is not a cure, it does controls the symptoms. Dianette was never marketed as a cure for a hormonal imbalance, there is NO cure for a hormonal imbalance, so it seems unfair to criticise it for not being effective when you stop taking it. To summarise I would say give Dianette a try, wait atleast 4-6 months before you judge its effectiveness, be aware of the risks and make an informed decision.

I suffered with acne from 8 years old until I was 18. I tried everything and nothing ever worked to cure it. It was on my face, chest, shoulders and back. When I went to the doctor to go on the pill, he suggested Dianette. Within months, my acne had completely gone and I felt confident about my appearance for the first time. I continued on Dianette for about 7 years until I changed doctors and my new one suggested I come off it. I wasn't happy so did some research and insisted that he switch me to Yasmin instead. He agreed and I stayed spot free for a further 5 years. Last June I came off the pill as I'm now ready to start a family. I reasoned that since I'm now 30 I couldn't possibly still have acne. Wrong! They're back though not as bad as when I was younger. I feel a bit ridiculous with them as I teach teenagers. Am looking forward to going back on the pill after having a baby as I know that nothing else works.

Great!

Throughout my teenage years I was constantly at the doctors trying to find a solution to try and clear up my very bad acne...tablets, gels, facewash...u name it I was on it!! And every time no improvement! Decided that nothing was going to work for me so went to the dermatologists and ended up on raccutane! This took no time to clear my skin! I was so chuffed with the results :) once my course of tablets was finished I stayed on dianette as a precaution to keep my skin clear and have been for years until recently! Dianette really helped keep my clear skin flawless! I went off them once for a few weeks and ended up having to go back onto raccutane again to control my spots! I gained weight on this pill but that's because I ate too many takeaways and drank too much booze once I went to Uni (it was worth it haha)...when I finished Uni the weight just dropped off! Lol this pill didn't affect my moods! To sum up...I was so pleased with Dianette! Am ragin my Doc has took me off it :(

I have been on dianette for 3 months now and my skin is looking better everyday, but this has only happened recently. The first few months were awfull. I was counting around 6 new spots a day and was on the verge of quiting. I am so glad i didn't. Give it a chance, it takes time but does work.

I've been using dianette on and off for 10 years. As a teenager i suffered from severe acne and tryed most thing out there that i could buy over the counter and could get off the doctor. After i had my eldest child now 10 i went to the doctor for my 6 week check up, while there the doctor noticed the acne on my back and adivsed me to go onto dianette instead of the pill i had been on. I noticed my acne clearing up within a few months of being on it. over the next 5 year i did put on weight about 1 stone but i also wasn't watching what i ate, when i did start to diet still taking dianette i lost 2 stone. I then came off it while i had another child. By now i had changed doctor and this doctor advised me to go on a different pill which i did and took it for about 2 years. I wasn't happy my acne came back so i asked my doctor to put me back on dianette which he has ive been on it for 2 months now and my acne is clearing up again plus i am watching what i eat again and have lost 4lb with week and my confidence is going again.