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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January 12, 2011

Pros:

lighter shorter periods ( first 2 days good flow, spotting after that), no cramps, acne gone, no spotting between periods

Cons:

severe migraines, nausea, my hair fell out a lot, depression, no sex drive, extreme mood swings, oily hair, and weight gain ( 10 lbs in 4 months)

I had to switch to something else, I could not stand the severe migraines with the sensitivity to light and sound. The depression was bad too, I would cry for no reason and always be sad. My sex drive disappeared. I gain so much weight. I wouldn't recommend these pills to any of my friends.
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January 11, 2011

Pros:

Clearing skin

Cons:

Not sure yet

I have been on ortho for a week. My skin was the worst it had been in my entire life. I've tried everything, antibiotics, prescription strength creams... The acne I had was mainly around my mouth and cheeks which is normally hormonal. The ortho has cleared me up. I feel so confident now. (I get it at Planned Parenthood by my University)
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January 11, 2011
The best thing I can say for Ortho Tricyclen (I went on the low dosage pill) is that it was extra protection against pregnancy when I was sexually active, and it was free because it was covered by my insurance. The worst thing I can say for this pill.... well quite frankly there's a lot of negatives. While taking the pill I broke out even more than usual, and that was in the first 3 weeks of taking it, when I was being super careful not to miss a day. The pimples would come up in areas I didn't usually experience acne- my cheeks, and it came up worse than ever on my T zone. When I started accidentally missing days, or taking the pill at different times, it got much worse. My period would restart and I'd have up to 3 periods in a month which obviously messed up my hormones- I started breaking out worse than I ever had. I know it was my fault, but I'm naturally a forgetful person & making sure I always took the pill at the EXACT same time every day was difficult for me. The worst part about this pill, however, was that it caused me to become absolutely lifeless. Honestly, it completely warped my personality/mental state to the point where I would try to do my favorite things and would feel absolutely no point in doing anything- it was like I could no longer experience happiness. I've been depressed before due to going through certain life experiences, but this depression was unnatural and pretty frightening. I couldn't stop it and it was getting so bad that I eventually I just weaned myself off of the medication. Point is: if you're the type of person who takes a long time to get used to a routine or regimen, this is not the medication for you... even on a low dosage. Be careful, and make sure to look out for symptoms of depression.
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January 2, 2011

Pros:

lighter period
less menstrual cramp pain

Cons:

serious health risks (I almost died)
spotting
expensive without health insurance

It had no visible effect on my acne, aside from the week of inactive pills, when I would get breakouts. Birth control pills carry serious but rare risks including: heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism (blood clot in lung), and deep vein thrombosis (blood clots) If you decide to use birth control primarily to control acne, please ask your family about any possible coagulative disorders in your family history. I took birth control for a little over a year and ended up in Intensive Care. And I was lucky to be there.
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December 31, 2010

Pros:

Clears up moderate acne
Breast enlargement
Lighter menstrual Cramps
Lighter flow

Cons:

Spotting the first few months you're on it
Does not clear up severe acne
May gain weight the first few months
Remembering to take the pill daily

It's pretty alright for moderate acne and lightening your menstrual cramps and flow. You gain weight to first few months you are on it, but it will eventually wear off once your hormones are balanced(after a few months time). YOU HAVE TO GIVE BIRTH CONTROL TIME TO WORK. It wont start to clear your acne the first pill. It will take a few months for it to take effect and get in your system. Would not recommend for severe acne.
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December 29, 2010

Pros:

Regulated Periods
Made skin significantly softer/smoother
Reduced oil production which somewhat controlled/reduced breakouts
Increased breast size

Cons:

Did gain four pounds in two months
Not a permanent solution to acne

I took this medication hoping it would give me perfect skin. It did help with my skin but I wish I had understood that it is not a permanent solution. I stopped taking it because of the weight gain and it was annoying to take the pill everyday. If you take this pill for a long time hoping for clear skin and eventually go off it, your skin will probably return to its original state. I am now going on accutane which is a more permanent solution. This pill is great if you need it for periods/preventing pregnancy but I wouldn't take any birth control just for your skin because it's not worth it in the end.
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December 24, 2010

Pros:

-cleared forehead acne
-boobs grew a little
-not pregnant
-regulates acne, so i know when ill be breaking out

Cons:

-increased chin acne

ive been on the pill for five months, still have breakouts on my chin and some on cheeks but my forehead is very clear. i started using BP and AHA and this is getting my hormonal acne under control. I also realized that I am breaking out at the same time each month and my skin is clearer at the same time each month.
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December 23, 2010

Pros:

I only felt nauseous the first week or so
No babies
No weight gain so far

Cons:

Tired
Made my acne worse!
Lessened my sex drive
Break-through bleeding

I got off Apri last January because I had gained 25lbs during the two years I was on it. I almost instantly lost the weight. However, I started breaking out for the first time in my life. I got back on birth control in November, hoping it will help with my acne. I've been on Ortho Tri-Cyclen for about a month now and have had the worst acne of my life. Literally a nightmare. I am hoping it will change in the next few months, and that I can hold out until it does! My mood seems fairly normal which is why I really want to give OTC a change before switching to something else.
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December 16, 2010

Pros:

clears up hormonal acne (cysts) and deeper pimples.

Cons:

takes a while to work.
might cause weight gain
makes you breakout at first

I started this in August, Tri-Cyclen, and it really took a while to see positive effects. It really does make you breakout somewhat bad at first, and usually around the mouth and chin because those are hormonal places to breakout. It took at least three months to really start to clear up, but now it's doing a great job! As for weight gain, I don't think it did that to me, and if so it wasn't anything more then maybe 2 pounds. Overall, it cleared up my acne when really nothing else worked. And it's only 10 bucks a month!
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December 14, 2010

Pros:

helps control acne breakouts
eases cramps
regulates period

Cons:

weight gain? Actually, I haven't gained weight, but I cannot seem to lose weight, either, even when dieting stringently.

I like the birth control alot (I'm on ortho cyclen). It really helps with my hormonal acne, but I've just learned -- unfortunately by trying it out-- that skipping a period by taking all active blue pills, can cause you to break out really badly. It sucks because I've been on this bc for about 7 months, and my skin was doing really, really well -- getting better every month. But then I skipped a period and all hell broke lose. I'm in the second month after skipping and its starting to calm down. I won't skip in the future, and hopefully my skin will be nice again :)
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