Oral Contraceptive
Efficacy
63%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Note: Improvement significantly increases after 24 weeks.
Oral Contraceptive
Acne.org’s Real World Take
All oral contraceptives appear to clear the skin about the same amount. Some people report cessation of acne symptoms and others see partial relief. However, messing with hormones is messing with hormones and it’s best to proceed with caution. But if you’re looking to take the birth control pill anyway, one of the benefits is clearer skin.
Oral Contraceptive
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist? Make an appointment to get this medication. Don't have a dermatologist? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find one.
Used Norgestimate (Ortho Tri-Cyclen®)? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
November 19, 2010
Cons:
Nausea
Ok so I am 22 and I have had moderately severe acne since I was 12. Ten Years ew sick!! I have tried everything proactiv, murad. every otc product, natural remedies, ocm, retin a, doxy, benzoyl, yaz. etc... my doc just put me on OTC a week ago along with minocycline 100mg twice a day (200mg total) and my skin is already better. BC usually gives you an intitial breakout but the antibiotics have stopped that. my face, chest and back are clearing up beautifully. my face was an oil slick an hour after i would wash and yes i use moisturizer. Since OTC i have normal skin. I havent experienced any weight gain, big boobs, or mood swings but the first couple pills made me really nauseas even if i ate them with food.
November 17, 2010
Pros:
Prevents pregnancy
Cons:
Increased acne
sore breasts
spotting
mood swings
I definitely noticed my acne fired up within the first week of using this. Also, I cry a lot more often for silly things. I have used so many different kinds of bc pills, mostly in my teen years and up until I was 21 (I'm 25 now) and I can't remember which helped with acne.
November 14, 2010
Pros:
* Cramps are much more tolerable and only last the first day of my period if I have any at all. When I was not on Ortho (BC), my cramps were debilitating (servere) for the first one to two days of my period.
* Cleared up my skin beautifully. With Ortho (BC), I have very rare, infrequent, and minor breakouts. Without Ortho (BC), my breakouts were moderate to moderately severe and continual. I had large, cystic, painful acne on a regular basis.
* Helps heal ovarian cysts.
* Lighter, regul
Cons:
* Tanks your sex drive. (Loss of frequent intamacy with my spouse)
* Can make you very nauseated when you take the first one to two pills with each new pack. Possibly b/c the hormone dosage is high.
* In my opinion, mood swings were much less off the pill.
I recommend this brand of BC. Especially if you have painful, moderate to severe acne, heavy, irregular periods, moderate to severe cramps, or frequent ovarian cysts. It should help tremendously. Do your research, and talk to a doctor. It does help prevent pregnancy, of course, but I would only recommend it for the other reasons, unless you are married, as I do not condone premarital sex.
November 11, 2010
Pros:
-never got pregnant
-acne cleared up amazingly
-less mood swings
Cons:
-a ton of weight gain (130-145 lbs in 2 years), already lost at least 5 since i went off it 2 months ago
-acne is coming back almost as bad and i'm 18
-worse cramps during + before periods than before
-period more irregular, and missed periods
i didn't get pregnant, but this might not have been the right BC for me. i'm off it for the first time in 2 years and i've already lost a fair amount of weight without changing ANY diet or exercising habits. also, the acne is terrible and it came right back. it was free through my local community clinic.
November 6, 2010
Pros:
clear skin, controlled periods, not pregnant
Cons:
moody a week before period
ive been on it for a year and i actually lost weight and it cleared my skin. me breasts didnt get bigger. i would have breast tenderness a week before my period but thats about it. i never had regular periods and this helped me alot! i ran out of my perscription and havent been on it in 2 months. i did get moody the first month but thats done. i did break out a bit and i havent had a period. im not pregnant so its because of the sudden withdrawal of hormones. so i would recomend this for teens with irregular periods =)
November 2, 2010
Pros:
larger breast, skin starting to clear, not as moody as compared to other bc ive tried, not pregnant.
Cons:
sick first week, always wanting to eat & once i eat i crave something sweet (maybe just goin threw a stage becuase i love to eat) weight goes from 113 to 118 but its worth not getting pregnant.
not a bad bc, its worth a try. ive had mirena, yaz, nuva ring now ortho lo & this has the least side effects so far. ive never had kids so mirena didnt work for me unfortunately.. severe cramping & i already have bad cramps. hope this helps.
November 2, 2010
Pros:
*Cleared up my acne 100%
*Oil on my face decreased significantly
*Regular Periods
*Prevents Pregnancy
Cons:
*Have to remember to take it everyday
*Expensive if you don't have a low co-pay
*You must remain on it forever or your acne WILL come back
*Causes me slight depression
I have suffered from moderate acne from the time I was 13 until in my mid-twenties (when I wasn't on ortho) This had caused me to have severe depression and very low self esteem. Once I got on Ortho, my acne cleared up completely within a few months or less. I recently made the mistake of trying to to come off of this because I am not sexually active at this time and also because I wanted to save a little money every month. The first few months were fine, in fact the first two months my skin was absolutely glowing and seemed more beautiful than ever, then by the third month all heck broke loose! I started breaking out everywhere and even getting large cysts on my jawline, neck and forehead. My face resembled the Gulf oil spill and I looked absolutely horrible and greasy all the time. I had forgotten what it was like to have such bad skin after having been on this for so many years. Not only that but my hair was falling out in clumps! Everyone kept telling me to stick it out, but being in my 30's now and suffering again from acne and oily skin even worse than when I was a teenager was just too much of an emotional toll on me. Not to mention my gorgeous hair falling out in clumps. I didn't even want to leave the house on some days because it was so bad. So after 4 months of suffering all the withdrawl side-effects I decided to just go back on it again and accept the fact that I may have to be on this for the rest of my life. I'm not kidding you when I say that within 2 days of taking the pill again, my face was COMPLETELY clear again. I would rather not be on birth control at all, but to me it's worth it if it helps my skin and my self esteem. One more bit of info..if you get the generic brands of Ortho (or Ortho-lo) they absolutely DO NOT work the same, (This was my experience anyway) I would break out just as bad on those generics. Make sure you ask for brand if you want the clear skin benefits.
October 29, 2010
Pros:
Did clear my skin.
Cons:
Takes several months to become effective, and acne will come back once your off it.
I have been on this for 11 years now. I had moderately severe acne when I was 18 and within 4-5 months being on ortho tri-cyclen my face was clear, with only the occasional pimple. I tried to get off of it once, and the same acne that I had when i was 18 came back! Once I got back on it, it went away again in another 4-5 months. Dissapointing, since I want to start trying for a baby, and I hate feeling like I am dependant on this stuff for the rest of my life.
October 26, 2010
Pros:
controlled break outs sometimes, regular periods
Cons:
Took for 9 months without missing a dose in addition to having PCOS, I am PREGNANT!
-Mood swings
-depression
-weight gain
-spotting
I would not use this medication alone to prevent pregnancy, also use condoms for 100% effectiveness. Was on this for 9 months without missing a dose, the first night my husband comes back from afghanistan we conceive a child. I'm switching to the patch. Be careful with this drug.
October 13, 2010
Pros:
No pregnancy, before i got my days mixed up...everything was great...i didn't even notice i was on the pill....but then it went downhill...so if you can remember everyday and only pull from the cartridge...don't take out ahead of time and get mixed up like me...things should work out for you..hopefully. Everyone is different though.
Cons:
weight gain, increase in breast size (c to large d), random period times, very moody, extreme moodiness..borderline depression almost.
I've been taking for several years now and once i messed up my monthly dosage by one week and started back up after getting it straight, things haven't been the same. I now have cramps which i didn't before the pill, random start times...my periods would start one week...then come back again 2 weeks later, I've had weight gain, headaches, severe mood swings and into depression even. Just a sudden switch from how it used to be. I've had to discontinue the use of these. Everything was fine until i got my days all mixed up.
Pros:
Clearer skin!!!
everything under the sun