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
December 14, 2010
Cons:
cramps before during and after period
mood swings
hunger
weight gain
decreased sex drive
nausea/vomitting
migraines
sore boobs
have a few pimples now
always tired.
ive never had pimples so this was def. NOT the reason to get b.c. got it so i wouldnt get pregnant again since my husband and i dont want more kids...its definetaly helping with that since i never want to have sex anymore!! if i didnt have to be on birthcontrol i would be! im constantly cramping, tired, crabby..
November 29, 2010
Pros:
Cleared up acne
Cons:
Vomiting
Behavioral changes
Severe mood swings
I was put on ortho when I was about 15 because I had severe cystic acne and nothing else had worked. It made me vomit so horrendously at night, that I would pull muscles in my back. I had constant terrible mood swings and other behavioral changes. It wasn't until after about 2 years another doctor put me on Yasmin. All birth control pills I have tried have cleared up acne, and when I told my (now) gyno that I had tried ortho and that it was terrible, he cringed and said that it was such a nasty drug. I would recommend Yasmin most of all, but it's really expensive so I switched and am having good results with Mononessa right now. I highly recommend birth control for hormonal acne, but NOT Ortho!!
November 24, 2010
Pros:
- Went up about half a cup size
- Light and precisely timed periods
Cons:
- Made my mild acne much worse!
- Made me extremely lethargic (feeling exhausted even after 10 hours of sleep)
I went on this as a potential treatment for PCOS and to regulate my incredibly painful periods, hoping it would help my mild acne too. I'm 19 and always had light to moderate acne on my forehead and occasionally my nose. After starting this, the acne spread to my cheeks and chin, where I've literally never had acne before, in addition to making my forehead slightly worse. I went from having skin that was 70% clear to pimples ALL over my face. I was told to give it a few months to "adjust", which I have - no improvement. This may work for some people but unfortunately didn't work for me. I will be switching to a new brand next month.
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.
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.
October 7, 2010
Pros:
Lighter/Predictable periods,Not pregnat bra size wemt up a cup.
Cons:
Crazy migrains after period and horrible back aches during period, cysts like pimples all around chin and cheeks,mood swings, light weight gain.
So far I'm on my 4thmonth on the OTCL the thing that bothers me the most is the acne cysts. Never had bad skin before the pills so its driving me nuts :( and I get a lot of fresh pimples while I'm on the white pills its the worst so my self esteem is really low since on the pills.
While on my period back aches and migrains are really bad so I have to take pain killers. Even if I do so so hard to bare at work.
I have mood swings worse then before the pills sucks for my Bf lol light weight gain made me go from a A32 to a B34 lol
Waiting to go on my 5th month and if the acne cysts still won't go away I will switch.
April 29, 2010
Pros:
Prevents pregnancy, regulates period
Cons:
Some people gain weight (I did!), helps with acne but NOT a cure
It is helpful and does its job by preventing pregnancy but should not be a cure for acne. Might help with acne but not cure it. Another side effect is weight gain, this is due to the fact that you are tricking your body into thinking you are pregnant so that you don't get pregnant in reality. When your body thinks it's pregnant it naturally begins building up a fat store on your abdominal region to prepare for the baby. Another thing many women don't consider when thinking about birth control is that fact that it can alter you psychologically. I switched to another birth control before and suddenly became very anxious, nervous, and depressed. I switched back and have been feeling much better, and back to my normal self. Not all birth control pills contain the same hormones and different hormones effect people differently, some having more chance of causing mental problems than others. While this can sound scary it shouldn't stop you from using birth control, just do your research and pay attention to how it effects you.
March 27, 2010
Pros:
No babies =)
Know when my period will be
Cons:
Acne is worse. I used to only have light acne and now it's like it's spreading all over my face...
I've considered just getting rid of Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo and using condoms just to get my skin back!
I was on the generic for 2 months and it worked great with no side effects.
At the Health Department I started getting the name brand and after a month, I started breaking out like crazy on my chin and felt absolutely HORRIBLE with mood swings and got depressed and ended up crying all the time. I'm on my 4th month of the regular Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo and I've started taking Zoloft and feel great, so the only side effect I can see is my ACNE!!!
I'm going to keep testing it I guess and maybe see if the regular Ortho Tri Cyclen and not the Lo will do a better job
March 5, 2010
Pros:
-Larger Breasts
Cons:
-Gained weight
-BAD acne, cysts
-Moody
-Depression
-Changed appetite
-When I got off my period was worse
I took this because at the time I had no health insurance and this pill is free from Planned Parenthood. Only stayed on it for little over a week because I did not like the side effects it gave me. One thing I did enjoy was my breasts got noticeably bigger, I'm tiny so it shows. However I gained some water weight and my acne was worse. I broke out in cystic acne all over. I noticed I was in a bad mood and more emotional. I felt depressed and withdrawn. I quickly got off this pill.
December 16, 2009
Pros:
No Babies. No when my period is going to start
Cons:
First month I was sleepy, and had headaches
Did not clear up my acne at all :(
I'm still taking it for the original purpose of blocking babies, but as far as it clearing up my acne nope not happening. I've been taking it for 7 months
Pros:
not pregnant so far..that i know of..
regulated period
light period