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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5
22.3%
4
33.2%
3
21.1%
2
14%
1
9.5%

Used Oral Contraceptives? Rate It:

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December 6, 2006

Pros:

Cleared up my mild acne and I did not gain weight.

Cons:

Since it's low hormone, you have to take it at the exact same time every day or you will have break-through bleeding and mild cramping and the cost is high even with most insurance since there is no generic form as of yet.

THIS IS A RATING FOR ORTHO TRI-CYCLENE LO! I came here to try to find reviews for Tri-nessa and OTC regular but after reading the reviews I have decided to go back on OTC-lo immediately b/c I've been on Tri-Nessa (way cheaper) for only 10 days and acne is back and have gained 4 pounds. I wanted to give ADVICE TO ACNE SUFFERERS as well. I have had mild acne/severe break outs (however you want to look at it) since I was 15. I am now 24 years old and finally found a sure fix for it just within the last six months. 1) I use Clinique 3 step system. Excpet I subsitute the face soap with Clinique Acne Solutions Foaming Cleanser 2) I use Clinique Perfectly Real Powder Compact for a base foundation (with lots of the 3rd step lotion first since it can be drying). 3) OTC-lo I know it sounds like a Clinique endorsement but it's the ONLY thing that has worked for me. I even tried Pro-Activ to no avail. I found the foundation was the key (and my last miracle step) as it di
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July 17, 2015
Helpful, but not a cure
My derm put me on this med to help with my cystic acne. It helped, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't completely clear. It wasn't until I started taking it in conjunction with spironolactone that my acne was gone.
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Faithslp
August 2, 2015
Did you get breast enlargement from spiro?
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September 19, 2013
Too many people don't give this birth control a chance

Pros:

No acne
Less oily skin
Minor weight gain (> 3 pounds)

Cons:

Constipation
Minor bloating

I was really weary to try birth control at all because I thought I was going to gain a ton of weight from it, and reading reviews on here scared the poop out of me. I went ahead and started taking ortho anyways. The first month was God awful. I had horrible, horrible cystic acne everywhere. Even in places I never get acne. It hurt. It sucked. I was discouraged. I almost stopped taking the pills but my mother encouraged me to continue to take them for at least 3 months. By month 2 I did not get anymore acne, but still of course had scars from my past consistent acne and my severe bought in the first month. I'm on month 4 and still, no acne. My acne is clearing up and I'm just left with a few scars. I've been dealing with acute moderate acne for a year and now I can finally feel okay. I'm almost to the point where I don't have to hide myself behind layers of make up. I just want people to know that these pills definitely can work and have for me. The only downsides are the following: A) I get a little constipated on week 1 and week 2 and have to take a fiber supplement to keep things regular. B) During the second week I feel kind of bloated and gross, but it begins to go away by the middle of the third week and by the time the placebo week is over I feel normal again. This pill will make you insanely hungry Month 1 but after that month my appetite has been normal and maybe even lessened. I took these pills because I had a severe hormonal imbalance from a past eating disorder, these pills have managed and regulated my hormones and I am very happy. OH and also my insurance pays for this bc completely and so that's also a super plus!!!!
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July 3, 2012

Pros:

-cleared skin
-shorter lighter periods
-regulates period
-bigger boobs

Cons:

-weight gain
-lower sex drive
-bad symptoms when not taken daily

My doctor put me on this after I got an ovarian cyst because my periods were irregular. It immediately regulated my period & my skin got much better! Great for skin! On the down side, i was so hungry but I was determined not to gain weight so I watched what I ate & I tried to exercise everyday. Even that didn't help because weight was just STICKING to me. I ended up gaining about 15lbs. No matter what I did the weight wouldn't come off. The only good thing that came out of that is that I went from an A cup to a C cup! Whenever i skipped a few days on accident id have bad mood swings, increased appetite, & bad breakouts! After I went off it I had those same symptoms for a few months. It sucked! And I haven't had a period since I stopped taking it 5 months ago.
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May 28, 2012

Pros:

No cramps

Cons:

More breakouts
Bloating
Increased appetite

My usual family docter prescribed Ortho Tri-cyclen to help control some of the symptoms that come along with having your period and to help with my moderate acne. Seeing as though I am a teenager, my breakouts are most likely being caused by hormonal imbalances. Although it has only been about a month since I was first prescribed this(gone through first pack), I would say my breakouts have actually gotten worse. I did rate this a 3 though because I have hope for the months to come. As for the symptoms during my period, cramps have been one less thing I have to worry about. Hopefully I'll be able to say the same for my acne in the near future.
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March 20, 2012

Pros:

Not pregnant
Only slight weight gain
Appetite that bearly increased
Only occasional breakdowns
Increase in breast size

Cons:

Horrible, horrible cystic, initial breakouts
Horrible PMS when it happens
Taking it everyday at same time
Slightly nauseous at first

I am going into my second month of taking Ortho Tri Cyclen. For the first few weeks, I started getting more acne than usual, but they were only small bumps. A few weeks later, the small bumps turned into huge, painful cysts all over my mouth, chin and cheeks. Because they were hormonal, no beauty skin treatment could fix it so I just had to hope that it would clear up soon. Now that I am going into my second month of taking OTC, I am getting very few breakouts and the cysts are now drying up and dying down. I do, however, now have gigantic, dark scars in the areas that broke out. I just have to hope that they clear up soon because I feel so hideous right now. I don't want to wear makeup because I am scared it will slow down the healing process. I took Ocella before and while it cleared my skin up right away with no initial breakouts, I gained almost 20 pounds and was always emotional and stressed out. I have decided to stick with OTC for a few more months and observe the results. I am pretty sure that the worst is over. Can't give my full opinion on it yet, because I haven't taken it long enough to get full results. It has prevented pregnancy and I haven't gained any weight or had constant, extreme PMSing.
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March 13, 2012

Pros:

clearer skin no breakouts
increased sex drive

before using ortho tricyclen i had severe cysts..every other day i would wake up to a painful cyst that would eventually bleed and leave scaring on my face...using ortho tricyclen for the first week i noticed less cysts and the ones i had already decreased in size...its been 3 weeks now and i am completely cyst free... i have had no noticeable side affects so far..i love ortho and hope it doesnt stop working..
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December 1, 2011

Pros:

Lighter periods
Virtually no cramping
Clears acne
Decreases PMS symptoms
Regulates period

Cons:

Nausea
Initial cravings

If you get nausea with initial use and can tolerate it, this stuff works. I am trying to stick it out because my acne is clearing up so nicely, but the nausea and vomiting can be tough.
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November 3, 2011

Pros:

Pregnancy Prevention

Cons:

Break outs!
Pimples!
Break outs!
& More Pimples!!

So I've been on this pill for only 2 weeks, the first week was amazing, my skin cleared up. I had light acne to begin with. About 3 days ago I started noticing all these little bumps all over my face. I mean like alllll ovvvveerrr. I thought it might of been an allergic reaction to something I ate, but now it's just getting worse! I have never had so much acne in my life until now! I'm not even exaggerating its really bad my whole face is covered in acne. & there are days when all I want to do is lay in bed. Someone please tell me is this going to get better? Should I stay on it for a while longer? Does anyone else have the same problem? Help ;/
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June 16, 2011

Pros:

No acne, Regular periods, not getting pregnant(Duh! Lol)

Cons:

Very hard periods, cravings

I've been on this pill for about 5 months now. At first I got pretty bi cravings though I ate a lot more at first I didn't gain weight. I haven't noticed any more or less mood swings but come my time of the month, I get intense PMS. I didn't get my period at all when I didn't take the pill and if I did there would be no PMS at all. But since on the pill I get painful cramping and just over all sick feeling. I'm thinking of switching birth control method.
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