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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December 14, 2010

Pros:

not pregnant so far..that i know of..
regulated period
light period

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..
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December 8, 2010

Pros:

- Prevented pregnancy for 6-7 years.
- Reduced acne
- Period lightened
- Period lasted 3-5 days instead of 7 which I had before the BC.
- Less cramps

Cons:

- Weight gain (I also gained weight after I got off the pill two months ago; so after dieting I am back to my normal weight)
- Decreased sex drive

I would reccommend this brand of BC...If you are have acne, regular sex, and strong cramps - it works. My only worry is if it will prevent me from getting pregnant for much longer then BC with lower hormonal levels.
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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!!
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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.
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November 19, 2010

Pros:

prevents pregnancy
less bleeding during menstruation
less cramping

Cons:

worst breakout of my life

I had relatively clear skin for most of my life, but occasionally would still get a pimple or two, mostly near my period. For some stupid reason I was not satisfied and asked the clinician to prescribe me a pill that would help me with acne. She prescribed Ortho Tri-Cyclen and I used it for 2 months and now have the WORST ACNE of my life. Since I have never had an acne problem before, I have no idea how to handle this. The cystic acne I now have is physically and emotionally painful. When I go out and see someone I know, I will actually go out of my way to avoid them seeing me. I have to see old friends and family for the holidays and have no idea what I am going to do.
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November 19, 2010

Pros:

Clearer skin!!!
everything under the sun

Cons:

Nausea

Ok so I am 22 and I have had moderately severe acne since I was 12. Ten Years ew sick!! I have tried everything proactiv, murad. every otc product, natural remedies, ocm, retin a, doxy, benzoyl, yaz. etc... my doc just put me on OTC a week ago along with minocycline 100mg twice a day (200mg total) and my skin is already better. BC usually gives you an intitial breakout but the antibiotics have stopped that. my face, chest and back are clearing up beautifully. my face was an oil slick an hour after i would wash and yes i use moisturizer. Since OTC i have normal skin. I havent experienced any weight gain, big boobs, or mood swings but the first couple pills made me really nauseas even if i ate them with food.
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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.
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November 14, 2010

Pros:

* Cramps are much more tolerable and only last the first day of my period if I have any at all. When I was not on Ortho (BC), my cramps were debilitating (servere) for the first one to two days of my period.
* Cleared up my skin beautifully. With Ortho (BC), I have very rare, infrequent, and minor breakouts. Without Ortho (BC), my breakouts were moderate to moderately severe and continual. I had large, cystic, painful acne on a regular basis.
* Helps heal ovarian cysts.
* Lighter, regul

Cons:

* Tanks your sex drive. (Loss of frequent intamacy with my spouse)
* Can make you very nauseated when you take the first one to two pills with each new pack. Possibly b/c the hormone dosage is high.
* In my opinion, mood swings were much less off the pill.

I recommend this brand of BC. Especially if you have painful, moderate to severe acne, heavy, irregular periods, moderate to severe cramps, or frequent ovarian cysts. It should help tremendously. Do your research, and talk to a doctor. It does help prevent pregnancy, of course, but I would only recommend it for the other reasons, unless you are married, as I do not condone premarital sex.
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November 11, 2010

Pros:

-never got pregnant
-acne cleared up amazingly
-less mood swings

Cons:

-a ton of weight gain (130-145 lbs in 2 years), already lost at least 5 since i went off it 2 months ago
-acne is coming back almost as bad and i'm 18
-worse cramps during + before periods than before
-period more irregular, and missed periods

i didn't get pregnant, but this might not have been the right BC for me. i'm off it for the first time in 2 years and i've already lost a fair amount of weight without changing ANY diet or exercising habits. also, the acne is terrible and it came right back. it was free through my local community clinic.
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November 6, 2010

Pros:

clear skin, controlled periods, not pregnant

Cons:

moody a week before period

ive been on it for a year and i actually lost weight and it cleared my skin. me breasts didnt get bigger. i would have breast tenderness a week before my period but thats about it. i never had regular periods and this helped me alot! i ran out of my perscription and havent been on it in 2 months. i did get moody the first month but thats done. i did break out a bit and i havent had a period. im not pregnant so its because of the sudden withdrawal of hormones. so i would recomend this for teens with irregular periods =)
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