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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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June 29, 2007

Pros:

No acne, no irregular periods

Cons:

weight gain, lower sex drive

I have been on Ortho Tri-cyclen Lo for 2 years and I began spotting so my doctor took me off of it. I have always been really small but after about 3 months on it i gained 10 lbs. I've never had an acne problem but I didn't gain any more pimples. Other than the weight gain I was happy with this pill until I started spotting.
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June 26, 2007

Pros:

I dont think I have been on it long enough to notice any improvement...only been on for about a month. I'm not pregant yet though which is good =)

Cons:

Nausea, break outs

I was a day late starting my first pack (I took two pills on Monday to make up for my Sunday start) and I was horribly sick to my stomach. I've never been pregnant but I'm guessing it was like having morning sickness. I take it at night to help the nausea but I sitll cannot eat breakfast in the morning without feeling sick. I have also been breaking out ALOT. However, I know it takes awhile for your body to get used to the hormone. I have been on BCP's for about 3 years straight but they were all Lo-dose hormones. I started the Regular Ortho because it is clinically proven to help your skin. Has everyone else experienced bad breakouts when you first start Ortho? And how long did it take for your skin to clear up? I am planning on sticking it out through the next couple months...hopefully my face will clear up...
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June 22, 2007

Pros:

No bad side effects.... Switched over to it from Diane which was good for my skin, but lowered my sex drive...was nice to have it returned to normal.

Cons:

Didn't work for the acne on my back and chest...gradually worsened over time until finally, i was getting so many painful cysts on my back i decided i had to go off it.

Personally, wouldn't bother with it again myself. Would rather go back on Diane and have lowered sex drive but not feel so rotten about my skin...that lowered my sex drive even more because i felt so self-conscious! Trying out Yasmin now, which is supposed to have similar results to Diane but fewer side effects, so hopefully, that'll work even better!
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June 21, 2007

Pros:

No nausea, pregnancy, etc.

Cons:

Weight gain (about 5lbs after 3 months), acne doesn't noticeably appear any better either.

I've only been on it about three months and I started solely to clear up my acne. I take it every morning and so far don't feel as if my skin is any better. I'm taking DifferinGel (sp?) in conjunction with the OTC-lo...not sure if I should continue using it or try another pill?
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May 24, 2007

Pros:

didn't get pregnant

Cons:

water retention (bloating), weight gain, HORRIBLE ACNE

horrible for your skin...!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it took forever for my skin to clear up from proactiv solution after using it for like 4 years... and now all of a suddent ortho tricyclen has made me break out ALL OVER my face a few cysts and mostly small bumps .. i cannot stress more over my entire face which hasn't happened in like 4 years.
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April 29, 2007

Pros:

No pros yet! I dont't think Ive been on it long enough.

Cons:

Weight gain, but it went away after the first month. Really depressed and bad break outs in the first week/row of the pills.

Ive been taking OTC lo for one month and a week now. I'm on it for moderate acne but it made my acne worse. I break out in the first week of the pack but supposedly it can take about 3 months before it starts working...gets worse before it gets better i guess!? I'm going to stick with it and after 3 months if my acne is still worse then I am going on accutane!
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March 25, 2007

Cons:

made my skin much much much worse. Well into month three my skin looks worse than it ever has in my life. No very pleased.

I used this for years and it worked great. My hormones changed after kids and now it's a nightmare for me.
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March 16, 2007

Pros:

It's great for cramps and it cleared my acne in the past.

Cons:

expensive for me ($43 month) and it's not working this time yet

I used this before having kids and it was fantastic! My skin was fine for years. Then I started Trinessa (worst drug ever made) and got sick, cramps, spotting, horrible acne, depression...I just went back on OTC brand for two months and my skin is just as bad if not worse. My derm said keep waiting b/c it might take another month or so. I'm praying it does work and if not does anyone have another recommendation for me in the pill?
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March 5, 2007

Pros:

I haven't experienced any kind of side effects.

Cons:

Hasn't done anything for my acne and hasn't helped to lighten or shorten my period and I still have cramps.

**ORTHOTRICYCLEN LO** Because of the low hormones, you don't get many side effects. It's perfect for preventing pregnancy, but if you're trying to clear up acne or improve your period, I'd use regular OTC.
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January 31, 2007

Pros:

comepletely cleared my face except for occasional breakout during period

Cons:

didnt clear my mild chest and back acne but taking tretinoin for that

well im taking trinessa which is the generic for ortho tri cyclen since my insurance wont cover the name brand. so far it has made my face clear and glowing. ive been taking it for about 3 months. i did start taking it even longer ago but i had stopped because i ran out of pills while out of town. but then i started again which f*ed me up for a while. im steadily gaining weight though, thats not a big issue with me since i need more meat on my bones anyway.its probably because its a generic. dont be fooled, there IS a difference. however it hasnt helped a whole lot on my body which i dont know why. but i just started taking tretinoin for that which is generic for retin a. my acne on my face was mild to moderate before taking this. it was that way thanks to oral antibiotics like tetracyclin and doxycyclen, which stopped working after a while and made it come back worse. remember u need a pill with less androgen and more estrogen.
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