Diane-35 : Oral Contraceptive

I was first recommended Diane 35 when I was 15 as I was showing signs of PCOS: acne, excess body hair, severe cramps, oily, etc. I read reviews online and I didn't feel comfortable taking it yet. Once I turned 20, I decided I would give it a shot. My acne was moderate, but not severe, so I was hoping Diane 35 would clear it up while helping my cramps and body hair. It was great at first - I took it and a few months later my acne was completely gone. My cramps were under control and my body hair was about the same. After a year on the pill, I had seriously perfect skin. After about a year and a half on Diane 35, I started to develop sensitivity to light. I was getting migraines. I started to have horrible leg cramps and panic attacks. I ended up in the ER one night and the doctor said to get off Diane 35, so I did. Things were fine for three months. I noticed I started getting a bit of acne again and knew it was because I was off Diane. But then I got more. And more, and more. The acne was cystic and covered my entire face and chest, it was horrible. Like, when you google acne pictures and see the really severe ones. Way worse than anything I had before. I tried waiting it out for 6 months but after not having the confidence to leave the house, I went back to my doctor. I tried Alesse, but it did nothing. Ortho Tri-Cyclen, but it didn't help. Antibiotics, nope. Retin-A made things 10x worse. I finally broke down and said I needed to be back on Diane. Sure enough, a few months later and my acne had cleared, but I was left with severe scarring. Things were fine for about 6 months, and then I started to get the same symptoms that led me to get off Diane in the first place. My heart would beat way too fast, head hurts, couldn't be under any fluorescent lights, leg cramps, depression. Once again - back in the ER for DVT testing. I knew I couldn't stay on Diane but I felt like a prisoner to it. I did my own research and thought I would try transitioning off it by starting Spironolactone. I asked my doctor for 100g and took it immediately after stopping Diane. It worked, but spiro gave me crazy nausea. I would throw up every morning for 6 months. I'm now 24, I've been on spiro for two years, and my skin is manageable but not perfect like it was on Diane. My periods aren't regular on spiro though and now I'm experiencing a ton of hair loss, which has been another nightmare. If I could go back, I would have never started Diane 35. I wish I took all those reviews I read online to heart; that you become a slave to it. Without spiro, my acne flares up. If I ever want kids one day, I will have to get off the spiro. Especially if you are young, please try other methods before messing with your hormones. What I had wasn't bad but Diane 35 changed my life forever. Hopefully my story can prevent one girl from going through the same.

first of all I should say that it was the first time I went on the pill and I went off it after less then two months I tend to break out around ovulation and I also needed birth control so I got prescribed Diane-35 (actually it was Syndi-35 but that's literally the same thing). I was really excited about it but it kept making me feel gross: I started having blackheads (which I had never had before) and my acne got WAY worse. I felt so bad about myself because of my skin that I didn't even want to see my bf (my libido was extremely low too) a weird thing is that wounds just wouldn't heal, seemingly because of the pill (a very bad thing if you suffer from dermatillomania). also I got f*****g oral herpes for the first time in my life. and I kept having a cold. I really do think Diane-35 weakened my immune system. so now I just stopped taking the pill and I really do feel better mentally. my skin also feels nicer and everything is finally starting to heal. my biggest concerns now is whether my cycle will go back to normal (I really hope so) I don't particularly regretting trying it out but I really wouldn't recommend it as an acne treatment. it seems to work as BC for some people, but I don't think it's worth using it just for acne.

Hi, I just went off the diane 35 pill while on my 6th pack, therefore my during my 6th month of it because it did not work for me at all. I feel compelled to write this review as while on it i read on here it may take 3-4 months to start working (I am not saying this isnt true) which is what motivated me to be so patient with it to eventually see if it did start working! On the diane 35 pill i would noticed my skin would clear up and then breakout again, this was a vicious cycle that continued for the entirety of the pill, I believe this was because my body couldnt balance with the strong hormons from the pill. Nearing the end I was giving it final chances, ie if it didnt break out horribly again, which of course it did, I also noticed that my skin was actually extremely worse than when i started the pill. I've quit the pill for almost a month now and my skin's condition has increased increadibly, I am approaching my first period since quitting and have only developed 3-4 pimples. I am not on any medication currently the only changes I have made is using a niaminicide serum every morning and a retinoid every other day & I have reduced my diary intake significantly but I cannot comment on that effectiveness yet Backround about me: 2-3 years ago I was on doxycycline for 6 months + contraception pills and topical creams which didnt help much, so i was classified as having severe cystic acne. I then did a course of roacctuane which kept my skin pimple free for a bit over a year, when I started getting pimples again is when i went on diane (6 months ago). Acne runs in my family, my father and his brothers/sisters have had acne into their 30/40s so I am determined to seek a cure !! :)

Please don't take this pill. All hormonal birth control is bad, but this is the absolute worst. Thinned my hair to the point that you can see scalp, and 1 year after stopping, it is still falling out. Yes it made my skin mildly better...but if I could go back in time I would shake myself and scream 'clean up your diet, read The Period Repair Manual, practice good skincare and get off the pill!!' Having clear skin for a short period of time and then paying the consequences forever couldn't be less worth it. Besides my skin is better now than anytime I was on the pill. I just cut out dairy and sugar. Other Diane side effects included: insomnia, migraines, muscle cramps, anxiety, skin pigmentation, rosacea and depression. All of these went away when I stopped taking Diane. Unfortunately my hair is still dead. Please girls, don't do it.

Yes.. Diane35 gives you nice skin..never pimpels..shiny hair.. and it fights against unwanted hairgrowth.. but wait when you stop the pill for any reason. You will pay the price for it, beautiful stories doesnt last forever.. diane distroyed everything in my body after 2 years only of using it. I stopped in february since that day i suffered until now from oily and dead hair and acne.. yes its good for a while when u take it but it destroys completely your hormones. Be carefull with the birh control as it is an chemical hormonal.

I've been on different birth controls and pills for 15+ years, but I have NEVER had side effects like I had with this pill. I guess a high dosage pill (in this case estrogen) comes with the risk of more severe effects. I have never once before in my life had migraines or anything related to migraines. On Estelle 35 I had daily migraines that were so severe I could only lay in bed in the dark and cry from the pain. It started a few days after I started this pill, and they haven't come back since (over a year ago). I gave it a total of 3 weeks before deciding to stop torturing myself. On top of that, this pill has been linked to long term severe health issues - proven! It is banned in many other Western countries! Ladies there are so many less harmful effective birth control options, and smooth skin is not worth your life. Stop accepting this pill and the people who produce and prescribe it in spite of proven links to blood clots and other life threatening conditions.

My doctor just prescribed this medicine for me (Diane 35). I've never tried anything like this before. I have acne, extra hair on my chin area, and my period is irregular. I am only worried this will make me gain a lot of weight. Also, I'm worried it will affect my mood and sleeping. Please help me out with the symptoms.

I didn't have bad acne to begin with but as a 23 year old, I just got sick of still having pimples. My doctor prescribed me Diane 35 and from that moment is when life became hell, well for my skin anyway. The first three months broke me out so much - which seems to be the norm looking at other reviews. After the initial 3 months, my skin started clearing up however I was left with so many scars. Around the 5th month I stopped producing oil (I have oily sensitive skin normally) and my skin became so dry. 6th month and it was so irritated and flaky! I haven't gone off Diane 35 yet as I know that will break me out again. The struggles are real.