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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November 2, 2010

Pros:

larger breast, skin starting to clear, not as moody as compared to other bc ive tried, not pregnant.

Cons:

sick first week, always wanting to eat & once i eat i crave something sweet (maybe just goin threw a stage becuase i love to eat) weight goes from 113 to 118 but its worth not getting pregnant.

not a bad bc, its worth a try. ive had mirena, yaz, nuva ring now ortho lo & this has the least side effects so far. ive never had kids so mirena didnt work for me unfortunately.. severe cramping & i already have bad cramps. hope this helps.
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November 2, 2010

Pros:

*Cleared up my acne 100%
*Oil on my face decreased significantly
*Regular Periods
*Prevents Pregnancy

Cons:

*Have to remember to take it everyday
*Expensive if you don't have a low co-pay
*You must remain on it forever or your acne WILL come back
*Causes me slight depression

I have suffered from moderate acne from the time I was 13 until in my mid-twenties (when I wasn't on ortho) This had caused me to have severe depression and very low self esteem. Once I got on Ortho, my acne cleared up completely within a few months or less. I recently made the mistake of trying to to come off of this because I am not sexually active at this time and also because I wanted to save a little money every month. The first few months were fine, in fact the first two months my skin was absolutely glowing and seemed more beautiful than ever, then by the third month all heck broke loose! I started breaking out everywhere and even getting large cysts on my jawline, neck and forehead. My face resembled the Gulf oil spill and I looked absolutely horrible and greasy all the time. I had forgotten what it was like to have such bad skin after having been on this for so many years. Not only that but my hair was falling out in clumps! Everyone kept telling me to stick it out, but being in my 30's now and suffering again from acne and oily skin even worse than when I was a teenager was just too much of an emotional toll on me. Not to mention my gorgeous hair falling out in clumps. I didn't even want to leave the house on some days because it was so bad. So after 4 months of suffering all the withdrawl side-effects I decided to just go back on it again and accept the fact that I may have to be on this for the rest of my life. I'm not kidding you when I say that within 2 days of taking the pill again, my face was COMPLETELY clear again. I would rather not be on birth control at all, but to me it's worth it if it helps my skin and my self esteem. One more bit of info..if you get the generic brands of Ortho (or Ortho-lo) they absolutely DO NOT work the same, (This was my experience anyway) I would break out just as bad on those generics. Make sure you ask for brand if you want the clear skin benefits.
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October 29, 2010

Pros:

Did clear my skin.

Cons:

Takes several months to become effective, and acne will come back once your off it.

I have been on this for 11 years now. I had moderately severe acne when I was 18 and within 4-5 months being on ortho tri-cyclen my face was clear, with only the occasional pimple. I tried to get off of it once, and the same acne that I had when i was 18 came back! Once I got back on it, it went away again in another 4-5 months. Dissapointing, since I want to start trying for a baby, and I hate feeling like I am dependant on this stuff for the rest of my life.
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October 26, 2010

Pros:

controlled break outs sometimes, regular periods

Cons:

Took for 9 months without missing a dose in addition to having PCOS, I am PREGNANT!
-Mood swings
-depression
-weight gain
-spotting

I would not use this medication alone to prevent pregnancy, also use condoms for 100% effectiveness. Was on this for 9 months without missing a dose, the first night my husband comes back from afghanistan we conceive a child. I'm switching to the patch. Be careful with this drug.
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October 13, 2010

Pros:

No pregnancy, before i got my days mixed up...everything was great...i didn't even notice i was on the pill....but then it went downhill...so if you can remember everyday and only pull from the cartridge...don't take out ahead of time and get mixed up like me...things should work out for you..hopefully. Everyone is different though.

Cons:

weight gain, increase in breast size (c to large d), random period times, very moody, extreme moodiness..borderline depression almost.

I've been taking for several years now and once i messed up my monthly dosage by one week and started back up after getting it straight, things haven't been the same. I now have cramps which i didn't before the pill, random start times...my periods would start one week...then come back again 2 weeks later, I've had weight gain, headaches, severe mood swings and into depression even. Just a sudden switch from how it used to be. I've had to discontinue the use of these. Everything was fine until i got my days all mixed up.
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October 7, 2010

Pros:

-no babies!
-no decrease in sex drive
-no noticable weight gain
-no noticable change in breast size
-didn't cause acne
-no hair loss
-very cheap with benefits plan ($2.50 with and $15 without)

Cons:

-breakthrough bleeding

I was on the Tri-Cyclen Lo birth control pill for about 5 months. The first three months were awesome. I was on the 28 day pack which allows seven days of bleeding and my 'period' would usually be about 4-5 days all within the placebo pill week. It didn't lighten my period or change the length at all. The last two months of this pill were hell for me though and I have just changed my pill this week. I had my regular 'period' when I was supposed to, then stared my new pill pack and after having only 6 days without bleeding, I started bleeding again. I bled heavily and constantly for 12 days. When I say heavy, I mean bleeding through a super plus tampon in 1-3 hours. I had about another week without bleeding and then got my 'period' again like I was supposed to. This repeated itself for the next month. I was so emotionally drained by the end of those two months from crying at silly things and feeling practically bi-polar but I'm not sure if that was the hormones or if I just couldn't mentally deal with bleeding that often. I'm not sure if my hormones were just overriding the low dosage of this pill or what was going on, but I wasn't willing to deal with having my 'period' that often. I didn't experience any of the other horrible side effects that always scared me from taking birth control though. My body remained very regular, I was horny as ever and I didn't get pregnant! If it had stayed like the first three months, it would have been a pretty perfect pill. I don't know how it is for missing pills, as I was really consistent with remembering. I don't ever get zits at all and that remained the same throughout the whole time I was using it. My sister started at the same time as I did and she has not had a problem with it. She noticed that her breasts were extremely tender at the start of her second week every month for about 3 months but it is not bothering her now. Her breasts also grew in size about half a cup size if not a little mo
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October 7, 2010

Pros:

Lighter/Predictable periods,Not pregnat bra size wemt up a cup.

Cons:

Crazy migrains after period and horrible back aches during period, cysts like pimples all around chin and cheeks,mood swings, light weight gain.

So far I'm on my 4thmonth on the OTCL the thing that bothers me the most is the acne cysts. Never had bad skin before the pills so its driving me nuts :( and I get a lot of fresh pimples while I'm on the white pills its the worst so my self esteem is really low since on the pills. While on my period back aches and migrains are really bad so I have to take pain killers. Even if I do so so hard to bare at work. I have mood swings worse then before the pills sucks for my Bf lol light weight gain made me go from a A32 to a B34 lol Waiting to go on my 5th month and if the acne cysts still won't go away I will switch.
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October 4, 2010

Pros:

- very light periods. Lasts only 2 days and I barely fill up a pad
- associated with the lighter periods is no cramping. I had moderate cramping before I went on the pill
- weight loss. I can't say this is due to the pill but over the year I was taking OTC I lost 8-10lbs and have yet to gain it back
- no mood swings

Cons:

- the worst acne I've ever had in my life
- one bout of nausea in my second month

I believe my acne was caused by the fluctuating hormone levels in the pills. The pill I'm on now, Yasmin, has a steady concentration throughout the month and has cleared this problem right up.

This was my first pill and I think it's the one that doctor's recommend first if you have no major concerns because of it's relatively cheap price and low amount of estrogen. I really would have happy being on this pill as it mostly had great side effects; however, after a year of taking it I can now definitively say that OTC caused my consistent and tremendously painful hormonal acne. This was an extreme self-esteem killer, as the only reason I was on BC was to have safe sex with my bf. It seemed ironic that he's the only one that ever gets an HD view of my face yet he was indirectly the reason for my breakouts... I've always had a couple blemishes pop up around that time of the month but they were small and manageable with a little makeup. From the first month I started taking OTC, I started to get unsightly pimples on my chin area. I remember the first half of last year going by always having to deal with a pimple - it's like I never got a break from them. Once one pimple deflated another one sprung up somewhere else. Then, this summer I went on a 2-month vacation to Europe and completely went off birth control. Within a week, my skin had never looked better. I went everyday without makeup. Then, my bf met up with me on the trip and I started to take OTC again. The first couple of weeks went beautifully but as soon as I started the third week of pills, I had the WORST breakout I've ever had. I had 4 cystic acne pimples on my chin and even Retin A wouldn't calm them down. Retin A, btw, will not help with hormonal acne. The acne got much worse after that. They changed to cysts, which we all know take much longer to go away and are also very painful. It wasn't until I made the connection between OTC and my acne that I decided to switch to Yasmin, and within two weeks it has ALL cleared up. The Retin A works wonderfully to diminish the scarring and my skin is starting to look like it did on vacation!
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September 30, 2010

Pros:

not pregnant but main reason for taking this is to cure my acne.

Cons:

bloated, gained some weight.

I am starting my 3rd month. Those of you who had a positive reaction and skin cleared up...how long did it take? Should I start seeing results toward the end of my 3rd pack? I think I've seen results, but every time I think it gets better I get another pimple. I would like to hear from those who had positive reviews. Thank You so much. I have been fighting acne for years! and i am praying this helps!~
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September 30, 2010

Pros:

Cleared up acne A LOT
Shorter, lighter period

Cons:

Makes me feel a little nauseous. I threw up the first week I took it.
My breasts are sore. I thought that would last like, the first month only, but I still feel it and I'm halfway through the second month.

I had HORRIBLE acne. I wanted to cry every time I looked in the mirror. I never left the house without wearing make up, which made my face even oilier. I hated leaving the house. My acne got so bad, my mom set up an appointment with a dermatologist and he prescribed me Tri Sprintec, which is the generic version of Ortho Tri Cyclen. I didn't see results the first couple weeks, but I'm on the 2nd month and my skin is SO much clearer than ever. I still break out a little bit, but it's not nearly as bad. I also don't wear as much make up when i go out. I have a lot of scarring from previous acne and I doubt this will help it, but it's cleared up almost all of my existing acne. I would definitely recommend this product. It makes me feel kind of sick when I take it- I feel nauseated, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons.
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The right dermatologist can make a big difference to your patient experience and the success of your acne treatment plan. Here are the steps to find a dermatologist who is a good fit:

  1. Use the search feature on the American Academy of Dermatology website to look for board-certified dermatologists in your area, and filter the search results for doctors with a special interest in treating acne.
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