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

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September 21, 2011

Pros:

Pregnancy prevention, acne control

Cons:

Headaches, mood swings, irritability, breast tenderness, weight gain

HATE IT! Got a new prescription today! It worked for 3 months then it all went down hill from there. Terrible cramps and heavy bleeding did not stop, I have horrible headaches between the last hormone pill and the placebos and then again when starting the hormones at the end of my cycle. Ive gained weight and cannot get it off with diet and exercises. This is the worst pill I've ever been on.
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September 8, 2011

Pros:

No decrease in sex drive :)

Cons:

-Stomach aches
-Horrible nausea lasting the entire day
-Got new pimples every single day I've been on it
-Water retention
-Crazy food cravings
-Extreme fatigue
-Breast soreness
-Worse cramps than before
-Heavier period

As you can see by my list of cons, this pill definitely didn't work for me lol. First of all, I went on accutane over two years ago and ever since my skin has been great. A couple pimples here and there, or once in a while I'd experience clogged pores on my forehead and around my nose, but my skin care routine takes care of it within a week at most. My forehead and nose area are my "problem areas" if you could even call them that, but OTC just bombed my face with under-the-skin, painful pimples around my chin and my mouth like no other. I broke out in areas of my face where I never had before, even previously to my accutane treatment. And don't even get me started on the sickness this pill caused me. It was beyond your typical morning sickness. It lasted the entire day if I did not take pills for nausea and an upset stomach. And even when I did, I still felt uneasy for the remainder of the day, especially for the first two weeks. I felt bloated all the time, no matter what I ate or do. My diet hasnt changed, and I know full well of the types of foods which cause my stomach to be bloated all day long. My cramps are also worse than they were before, and I even had cramps while I was spotting! Now, my period is even heavier than it used to be, and it's also longer. Bottom line is, I know some people have been benefiting from OTC as it works with their bodies in a way it does not with mine. Although it has definitely not worked for me, perhaps it will work for you. Although I know sticking with a medication for three months is recommended, the amount of cons definitely outweighs any reason I have to stay on OTC for another two months. I hope it works for others though! Good luck =)
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August 29, 2011

Pros:

Lesser breakouts
Larger breasts

Cons:

Weight gain
Terrible mood swings
Depression
Acne is still here

I HATE this pill. My dr wants me to finish off the rest of my 2nd pack before starting me on a new birth control, however this has been a terrible experience I don't think i'll take the pill again. I've been on ortho 2 wks shy from 2 months and I've gained 7 lbs despite no change in diet. I noticed my negative side effects right away, but wanted to give this pill chance. I'm so done. I'm mainly stopping this pill bc the reduction in my acne is not that significant, I am steadily gaining more and more weight, and I often feel like I'm on an emotional rollercoaster. BOTTOM LINE: If you start this pill and think it sucks- follow your intuition.
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August 19, 2011

Pros:

no weight gain
no cramps
no loss in sex drive

Cons:

acne
dryness by mouth
emotional

If you're thinking about trying this birth control, I definitely wouldn't recommend it. The pros do not outweight the cons. I took this with the hope that it would help me not get pregnant, which is has succesfully done so far.. But I also took it because it was supposed to help with acne. For me it has not done that, it has increased my acne, especially near my chin area. I also got a dry patch near my lip a few days ago, it is very painful and red. This product has made my self esteem lower by the things it has done to my face and the mood swings I get now.
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March 29, 2011

Pros:

Regulating Periods

Cons:

Made Acne Worse

I've been on this BC for three weeks and I only started taking it to regulate my periods. So far, I can only tell that I haven't had a period yet as I'm still on the active pills. I did not start this BC for acne. Previously I just suffered from large pores, oily skin, and general splotchyness of the face with a couple of bumps every month during the week before and of my period. However, now that I have started taking it...I wake up every day with a new bump on my face. I'm only three weeks in so the jury isn't out yet, but I'm not sure that if this is a permanent thing, if I will want to continue taking it. This is disheartening because I actually became excited when I read that it was actually supposed to help acne. I also get brief, sharp abdominal cramps from time to time but I chock that up to the fact that I was told I could start taking it immediately and I would have been on my period around this time and that's how I would have felt. Kind of like my reproductive system is caught in a limbo as it regulates, which I hope is also the cause of my acne as well. I'll hold out for the three months but if it continues on like this, I don't know. I haven't suffered any of the other side effects others have spoken of though (like mood swings and loss of sexual drive).
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November 5, 2009

Pros:

Very light periods with no cramps,no noticable weight gain drastically improved acne condition, bigger breasts.

Cons:

very, very emotional for the first 3 or 4 months. possible loss of muscle tone.

I'm 18 years old and have been using tri-cyclen since I was 14 and havent thought of switching. It works great for me, i hardly noticed my period and it improved my acne for years. I'm not sure how it has affected my weight or muscle because I've been on it for so long. works great for acne!
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October 25, 2009

Pros:

i am at the end of my second month but i really havn't been sexually active so I'm not sure about how effective it is

Cons:

I was hoping for a bc that would help clear up my acne. It has made it much worse. I know it takes a while for the body to adjust but i am very unhappy with how bad my skin has been for two months

my skin freaked out, nausea, increased appitite, bad headaches (never got headache before)
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October 16, 2009

Pros:

No more babies, knowing when I'm going to start my period, No more spotting for a week before, boobs got bigger..

Cons:

Did not clear my acne up. I've been using it for 1-1/2 months so I'm hoping it will help. The first month I was super tired, and my boobs hurt like crazy. That went away after the first pack.

I'm still using it because I need a form of Birth control. But it did not help my acne at all :( Boo
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September 4, 2009

Pros:

Effective contraception

Cons:

Worsened acne and severe mood swings/depression

It may work wonderfully for others, but it was not worth it for me.
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August 23, 2009

Pros:

Helps regulate my periods.

Cons:

SEVERE ACNE!! Soo depressing, super moody, bitchy, irritable.

I was taking OTC Lo(yellow pk), but switched to OTC regular(blue pk) and oh boy did it make me break out like I never have before. Huge hard pimples, they're like stress pimples, not pimples w/ whiteheads that come on if you don't wash your face. These stubborn breakouts are continuous and takes about 2wks for them to go away and the scar will stay for over a month or somewhat remain dark blemishes. These large acne did not flare up and were not large like this when I was taking OTC Lo. I was taking OTC Lo for over 2years, and have been taking OTC regular for 4 ½ months now, so I'm giving up on giving it another chance/another month. Gained weight and made me irritable.
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