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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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April 1, 2008

Pros:

....

Cons:

horrible periods, cramps, and acne at the end

Everyone I know on this pill now has a child. The only reason I don't is because I didn't use it as birth control. It did control acne a little but after a while the acne was unbelievable.
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March 31, 2008

Pros:

It definatly cleared up my acne!! I started seeing a difference in probably the fourth month..i used to get huge huge acne and now i get one or two..so much better!

Cons:

none..

definatly worked for me..but it depends on what works best for you
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March 20, 2008

Pros:

Clears up acne, regular & lighter periods, no condoms & prevents pregnancy.

Cons:

Remembering to take it everyday on time (use your cell phone's daily alarm to help remind you).

At first I was hesitant to try OTC because I heard of its negative side effects (weight gain/bloating, mood swing & possible blood clots) & how it may not clear up acne. But I was getting tired of taking vitamin A supplements which didn't necessarily clear my acne (especially the painful pimples) & in the long run its bad for your liver. So I finally tried OTC & I love it! I've been taking it for about 6 months & my acne is gone! I usually get pimples when I'm stressed or if I don't get enough sleep & so far I've been stressed & sleep deprived & I'm still acne free! I occasionally get tiny pimples, but those go away on its own within two days. I don't even use those acne creams anymore, but I still use an acne face soap. The painful pimples that leave a scar - I haven't had one ever since I've been on OTC. Had I known this worked so well I should have tried this years ago. I surprisingly don't have any of those negative side effects either.
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March 18, 2008

Pros:

no pregnancy, no weight gain

Cons:

hard to remember

I like it. I mean, I don't know if it has cleared up my skin much (its more on and off) but overall, I have never been pregnant or gained weight, I had some nausea at first and a couple vomits but overall nice.
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March 6, 2008

Pros:

No period pimples, bigger boobs, no pregnancy

Cons:

After two years of taking it still experiences break through bleeding, nausea, weight gain

The first year on the pill was amazing I saw results in everything! But, all of a sudden, the second year on it towards teh end of the second year I was getting erally moody, crying a lot, getting more bloated than usual, getting mroe nauseous than usual. A little odd after two years? Your body is supposed to regulate but I guess mine did the opposite. They just switched me to the Lo version and I am pretty skeptical.
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March 4, 2008

Pros:

Cleared up acne, great as birth control, regulated period

Cons:

Expensive every month, hard to remember to take

I was on the pill for almost a year before I was forced to go off for a couple days. Now my period is a week late, and I don't think I'm pregnant...hoping it's just my system getting back to normal. LOVED being on the pill, it was GREAT at completely clearing up skin, regulating periods, and as birth control. It was hard to remember to take and did cause some weight gain, (though I've just recently gained more weight from being off it) Intend to go back on, even if I wasn't using as BC because its so great to use for clearing skin/regulating periods.
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February 28, 2008

Pros:

Prevents pregnancy, regular periods

Cons:

I haven't found any yet

I just started my 4th month today. When I started it my skin seemed to clear up and this past week has been just hell. I don't think it will help out with my acne too much (NOTHING has...and I've tried just about EVERYTHING!) but my period finally got regular with the pills and started exactly when it should have. I tried some other pills in the past and I didn't like how they made me feel, but I've had absolutely no side effects with Ortho Lo. I just hope one day my skin will be clear of acne and I will finally have the confidence of not wearing any makeup :( It's so embarassing.
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February 25, 2008

Pros:

Prevents pregancy and cramps less painful

Cons:

Spotting, dizziness and nausea

Causes me 2 break out my thrid week, nausea(a lot in the white and light blue pills) and dizziness(the whole pack except for the green pills)....loss of appetitie(lost weight)...despite all these problems I think ortho lo does its job......
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February 20, 2008

Pros:

not pregnant. predictable periods, no cramps during periods, clear skin, bigger boobz (yay!),no weight gain. no change in libido ;P

Cons:

NONE!!

im on my 4th pack and im starting to see results!! i used to break out A LOT so ive decided to take OTC, the first couple of months were hell!! i brokeout even more... but ive read some reviews on this site and some people said it will start out bad but it will get better around the 3rd pack. so i kept taking it and whola!! my face is 99% clear!! i also eat healthy food and drink only water, soy milk, and 100% juice. i use a mixture of baking soda and cetaphil to wash my face twice a day, and put my fav. Obagi C10 after... now my skin feels like a baby's butt!! anyways, the results will differ depending on the person so just give it a try!!!
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February 18, 2008

Pros:

regular period :)

Cons:

breakouts and tired...

I have been on ortho lo for about 6 weeks and my acne has gotten so much worse.. has anyone else experienced this? i was wondering if it will eventually get better? maybe i havent given it long enough to work... or maybe it starts off bad and then gets better? if anyone knows please help..
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