Diane-35 : Oral Contraceptive

I started taking this several years ago. It's been the only things to help my very severe cystic acne. I did not experience any of the negative side effects that others seem to (weight gain, depression), but I was getting concerned about taking a drug long term. I eventually stopped, and my acne immediately flared up worse than ever. My dermatologist gave me spironolactone to try instead, but after several months of seeing no improvement, he finally recommended I go back on the Diane 35, as he says it's the best for treating horomonal acne. I feel I have no other option but to continue taking it, although I am hoping to find another natural alternative at some point.

I have been on Diane 35 since I was 14, I'm currently 19, and have been genrally happy with the resuts. A couple years ago I was having stomach problems and thought it could be related to the Diane 35 so I went off it for 6 months, aside from the mood swings I didn't have any negative effects from going off the pill. My hair didn't fall out and my face didn't go crazy (some acne came back but I expected that). It never completely cleared my skin, but it has done a good job keeping the cysts under conrol. I have only had one or two since going on it and before I used to have them all over my face. As far as remembering to take it everyday, or taking it on an empty stomach I'm terrible at remembering and frequently miss a dose or take it late at night with no food in my tummy and have not noticed any negative effects as a result of this. As far as blood clots go after 5 yrs of more or less consistent use I recently was tested for them and was completely clear!! (Although I have low blood pressure and am very active so that might of helped!) As for the weight gain, aside from going up a cup size (could have been normal puberty though) I have gained about 10-15lb. since starting on it. So I'm not completely convinced it's as a result of the pilll and not just normal weight gain. Hope this helps!!

I've struggled with incredibly oily skin from about 14 years old. I'm currently 19 and I'm so happy I finally tried this. I have found nothing that had been able to control my oil as much as this has, and I'm only on my second month! So hopefully this means even more improvement to come! I had an initial breakout for the first couple weeks, but it was manageable and cleared up now. My only issue is bloating and I've gained a couple pounds due to really intense cravings, which I'm sure can be controlled with a bit of will power. Its also expensive if you don't have coverage, but honestly, it's a small price to pay for confidence.

I have been on Diane-35 for about 6 months now. It started clearing up my skin immediately within the first few weeks. However, 2-3 months into it, I had horrible food cravings and gained about 6 pounds. The weight doesnt go away, despite dieting. My boobs got bigger and more full. The symptoms of pms are greatly reduced. I only have a couple pimples show up a day or two before starting my period. My periods are VERY light and only last a couple days. Also, for some strange reason, if I have more than 1 alcoholic drink, I feel like I'm going to throw up. But, this may be just me since I have had this same side effect on other pills. Overall, I'm very happy with this pill!

I had beautifully clear skin until about 2.5 years ago when I first started getting pimples. My so-called 'acne' has been getting progressively worse ever since. I have been with my boyfriend for 3 years and I finally invested in an oral contraceptive to put both our minds at ease. My doctor recommended I use Diane35 to clear up the pimples and red spots on my face, especially around my T-Zone. I have only been using Diane35 for about 3 weeks but I have not experienced any of the severe and scary side effects that some of these reviews have pointed out. My skin hasn't started to clear up yet, but my doctor said I might have to wait up to 3 months until I see results. After reading a lot of theses reviews, I am kind of terrified of the day I decide to stop using Diane35 - severe hair thinning and hair loss, worse acne than prior to taking the pill are 2 things I do not want to happen! Although this contraceptive is one of the more expensive brands, I have faith and will keep using it. If it doesn't do anything for my skin, purely as an oral contraceptive.

I have been on diane for five, almost six months. my acne was severe, and came on suddenly when i was seventeen. it was all mostly on my cheeks. since i started taking diane, i have no more active acne. my libido has not changed, it has worked as BC and i have not noticed hair falling out. i have noticed weight gain, but that might not be the pills fault. i also have not noticed a change in my mood.Sometimes after the first day after the seven day break i vomit. it lasts one day and doesn't happen every time. all i have left is scars on my cheeks that unfortunately diane can't cure for me. i definitely reccomend diane to anyone looking to clear up acne. it takes a few months to really clear up your skin, but once it does you will be thankful.

I was on the pill for two years.. my skin cleared up straight away ..I was realy impressed. It makes me nausea real bad tho, and at christmas I went off it because it was making me vomit.. I was spot free (just one or two spots sometimes) for nearly 8 months when my acne started to return over a week ago.. I am now back on diane 35 about five days. The nausea is horrible,but is getting better and my skin is drying up a bit! so please let this work. I find it so tough as I am sure a lot of people who use this site do. I have acne scarring that regardless of acne returning or not gets me down so much. I find When you read reviews on pill,creams etc your always going to read 10 or so comments saying"wow amazing worked great for me" and another ten saying "it was awful caused me this problem etc etc.. so its so hard to know whats right for you and what realy is good. I freak myself out and convince myself the pill or this or that cream is bad when I read neagtive comments and when I read positive comments ... I become over confident with what I am using will work.. bottom line realy is if you find something good and don't suffer much negative effects etc than stick to it and stay away from readng too many negative reviews on a product or on diane 35 if you find it good. It will only stress you out and maybe bring on ill effects and more acne..............jez I wish I could take my own advise. sorry if I bored yee all

i read some of the reviews. all of diane 35 users have different experiences with it. so better consult your doctor first to be sure. :)

This product worked for me. I've been off and on it since I was 22yrs old (i'm now 33). The longest stretch I was on it was from 22yrs until I was 29 yrs b/c I wanted to get pregnant. My skin was consistantly clear the whole time I was on it except for the initial first 4-6 mo while it was getting my acne under control. I have suffered with acne since about the age of 12. I've been on Accutane 5 times! I've been on every topical Rx med, antibiotic and OTC treatment there is. I've tried Proactiv and Murad which did nothing for me. I was also on spiro as well which did work well for me. I've just had my 2nd child about 5 mo ago and slowly my skin is starting to get worse. And b/c I'm breastfeeding I'm limited to what I can take. FYI this pill is not approved for BC. It is for acne it even says so on the box "acne therapy" . Also, there is no cure for acne, so to those who said that when they went off of Diane they couldn't believe that their acne came back, I'm just wondering what you expected? When you were taking it, it was in your system and doing its job (lessening the androgen hormone in your system) so when you stop taking it don't you think its only logical that your acne would come back? Any way, it does work there are side effects as there are with all meds, you just have to figure out if the benefit outweighs the risk for you.

Diane 35 was recommended to me by a friend. I was specifically looking for a BC that would help my mild-sometimes moderate acne. I tried Yaz and Ortho before but Diane 35 worked the best to help clear up my skin. I used Diane 35 for 9 months and it really helped clear my skin, reduce oil production, and made my skin more smooth. I got lots of compliments on how nice my skin looked. I did not have any weight gain but I was already exercising 5x/week and eating healthy. I decided to go off BC because I really felt like the mood swings and decreased libdo were getting worse. I had read some reviews of women who had terrible side effects going off Diane 35. I had virtually none. My skin continued to stay clear for months after after I stopped using it and it is still better today than it was before I started BC. I still get a small pimple here and there but it's much more manageable. If my skin got a lot worse I would go back on Diane 35. I also recommend using organic unrefined cocconut oil at night. It helps reduce acne scares and helps prevent new zits because it has natural anti-bacterial and anti-inflamatory properties. I suggest using this 4-5 times per week only at night. Your skin will feel a little greasy but that should be expected. The bottom line is that everyone responds to BC differently. It took me a few times to find the right one. You need to give it at least 3 months to see if it works. Now I'm not on any but I believe that my skin is better now because I was on it. The experience also made me realize that my skin (and no one else's!) will never be perfect but it's the inside confidence is what makes you shine! People aren't looking at your pimples as much as you think they are! You are your own worst critic.