Oral Contraceptives
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Oral contraceptives, otherwise known as birth control pills, are also approved to treat acne. They work by regulating male hormones in the female...

Oral contraceptives, otherwise known as birth control pills, are also approved to treat acne. They work by regulating male hormones in the female body. Less male hormones normally lead to less acne. 

Oral contraceptives contain an estrogen component (ethinyl estradiol) that is combined with progestin hormones, such as drospirenone (Yasmin® or Yaz®), norgestimate (Ortho Tri-Cyclen®) or norethindrone (Estrostep®). 

Oral contraceptives are taken once a day with a meal. Make sure to take the pill at the same time every day.

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4
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3
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2
13.1%
1
8.8%

Used Oral Contraceptives? Rate It:

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August 24, 2011

Pros:

no loss of sex drive
no change in mood
no weight gain

Cons:

The only con that I can think of, is not being able to lubricate on the 2nd set of pills(the light blue ones).

I love this birth control. Im 20 years old, and I got it for free at my college clinic.
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August 20, 2011

Pros:

Pregnancy prevention
Lighter period

Cons:

Tender breasts first month
Food cravings

Started this after getting a free sample from planned parenthood (I wasn't sure which bc method I wanted). At the end of my first pack my breasts started hurting like crazy. And I started craving sweets, which I don't normally eat very often. However. It worked great at lightening my period. I'm always regular but my 3rd day id stop bleeding, then start again with a vengeance. This stuff helped me stop doing that. I haven't seen any weight loss or gain, but I work out lightly 3 times a week so that may help. I read that some womens boobs grew. I'm a 34B and am still waiting for that! Maybe after the 3rd pack?? Lol
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August 19, 2011

Pros:

no weight gain
no cramps
no loss in sex drive

Cons:

acne
dryness by mouth
emotional

If you're thinking about trying this birth control, I definitely wouldn't recommend it. The pros do not outweight the cons. I took this with the hope that it would help me not get pregnant, which is has succesfully done so far.. But I also took it because it was supposed to help with acne. For me it has not done that, it has increased my acne, especially near my chin area. I also got a dry patch near my lip a few days ago, it is very painful and red. This product has made my self esteem lower by the things it has done to my face and the mood swings I get now.
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August 18, 2011

Pros:

Cheap
Regular periods

Cons:

Emotional stress
Spotting

I'm on my 2nd month using this birth control and it is the first time I am using it. Never have I ever experienced emotional grief and sadness once I started using this. It works perfectly for regulating my periods, but after the first week of a pack is when I start getting severe mood swings and break downs.
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August 8, 2011

Pros:

-no weight gain
-minimized appearance of facial hair

Cons:

-Developed severe PMS
-Severe cramps
-although period always came in the fourth week, sometimes it would linger for an additional 2 weeks even after I had been on the pill for years
-No sex drive

I would not recommend this pill to anyone. It was prescribed to me because I had a hormone imbalance and at first this pill was very helpful. I just stopped taking this pill and had been taking it for 4 consecutive years. My PMS became so severe and I was very unhappy. I don't have any problems with acne but I had previously gone on acne meds anyways. Blood clots are associated with this pill because of the high amount of estrogen so I would recommend starting with a low dose pill. My friends and family were also hearing of the bad rep of this pill and that influenced me to stop taking it. I don't think having less acne is worth the risk of going on this pill. I have had other health issues but I'm not 100% sure if they are connected to this pill. But the more reviews I read, the more likely it seems the connection is there.
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August 4, 2011

Pros:

Keeps breakouts under control
Reduces oil production
Pretty cheap
Lighter periods

Cons:

Weight gain
Melasma (hyper-pigmentation)

I was on the pill for almost 10 years. My acne was under control and I loved that. But, I gained 50 pounds over this time and developed melasma which made my skin look old and crappy. Been off the pill for 2 months, my hormones are going crazy but I prefer to find a more natural way for the acne.
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August 4, 2011

Pros:

Cheap with insurance.

Cons:

Smelly periods, vaginal pain and large blood clots.

Yet another medication I did not want nor need prescribed for my acne. I took this long before Yaz and though it's nowhere near the severity of side effects, I still got some pretty bad ones. My periods smelled "normal" before the pill, but after taking it I developed a horrible smell. It smelt like something had died! After stopping the pill, I went back to having normal smelling periods and no extreme clotting.
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July 29, 2011

Pros:

Cleared my face completely!
Regular period

Cons:

Some nauseousness at the beginning of each packet
Have to remember to take it everyday

I have suffered from acne since the age of 11 and over the years it got worst and worst. A few years ago I finally began to clear up and back then I thought it was Proactive that had done it for me. I didn't realize that at the time I was also on birth control and didn't connect the two together. A couple of years ago I stopped taking it because I no longer needed since I didn't have to worry about getting pregnant anymore. SO within a year and half after I had stopped taking the birth control, I noticed I started getting a few pimples here and there and then it really got bad. So bad that my face literally hurt :( At that time I came across this website and tried Dan's regiment and with the high amounts of acne treatment it was making my face worst! I followed it to the T and it just didn't work. I had read before on other message boards about acne being a hormonal problem more than a skin issue. That's when I connected the two together. I have NEVER written a review about anything but I am so happy I finally figured the cause of acne and what worked for me that I want others to know and hope it also works for you. There was another message forum on another website that someone always keept posting how acne is a hormonal issue and kept insisting to see some sort of a specialized hormonal Dr to check for any irregularities. I always thought they were just trying to advertise their product. But they never did recommend any particular product. Now I am a proof of that theory. It took a good three months for my acne to start clearing up and now 5 months later I am completely acne free. I think I might have a little one trying to come out now but other than that I am clear. Now I just have to deal with all the ugly scaring of years of my severe acne :( I know a lot of people have really bad side effects but I would recommend you try different brands. I tried a couple before I felt comfortable with this one and I even just use their generic brand.
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July 19, 2011

Pros:

-Not Pregnant
-Helps Clear or regulate acne
-No weight gain or loss
-Always know when your periods will be

Cons:

-Breakouts at the start of use
-Slightly moody/emotional at the start of use
-

Dan's regimen is good, but I felt that especially around my time of the month all hell would break loose. I always wanted Birth Control to control my acne, but I was weary of side effects and had heard horror stories so I laid off and figured that eventually my acne would settle down. Finally, after a year of being with my boyfriend I decided I wanted Birth Control to prevent pregnancy as condoms had given us a few scares and Plan B was not something I was too keen on taking or paying for. I got an appointment at Planned Parenthood. Let me make this very clear ladies. Planned Parenthood is not a shady, back alley place that you should be ashamed for going to. Planned Parenthood is a respectable, amazing place that helps men and women alike on multiple levels. It was very clean, professional, and everyone was amazingly helpful and caring. I can buy Birth Control there for about $24 a pack, which is great because my family does not have insurance. At first it was pretty bad. I broke out horribly and as frustrating as it was I had read the reviews and had braced myself for the worst. The first month was difficult. Aside from Acne I began to experience emotional swings near the end of the month. Everything made me sad, angry etc. This is to be expected. I've been on Birth Control for almost a year now and I love it. I only see minor emotional swings now and then but it is very uncommon and only around my period which is not unlike normal PMS behavior. No weight gain or loss. No increase in appetite or anything of the sort. Everything is working out well and during the whole month before my period my face is clear as can be with the exception of a small spot here or there. While I still break out during my period, it is nothing compared to how it used to be. A small cyst an a couple spots sure beats a whole army of cystic acne come to parade around my face.
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July 14, 2011

Pros:

Cleared Acne

Cons:

Diarrhea
Mild Nausea
Vomiting

I went back on Ortho Lo because when I used it in college, it dramatically kept my skin clear. Of course, the first two weeks of taking the pill, my face exploded with huge, tender pimples. However, I am on week six and my skins looks flawless! I suffer from adult acne and heavy scarring but since I have not had a breakout in about a month, my skin is smooth and the old scars are fading. The issue now is that first - second week of every new pack leaves me feeling sick, experience rare vomiting and have diarrhea/stomach discomfort. So now, I have switched from taking the pill in the mornings to right before bed. That way, I skip all of the negative stuff. I will continue to take this pill based on the skin remedy alone.
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