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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October 7, 2011

Pros:

Shorter Periods
Less Cramps

Cons:

Didn't clear my skin
Expensive
Caused yeast infection

At first my doctor (not a dermatologist) prescribed me with Ortho Tri-Cyclen LOW for my acne. I was on it for 6 to 7 months and it did not improve my acne at all. When I went back he gave me a higher dosage which was the regular Ortho Try-Cyclen. Again not much of an improvement in my skin, around my period time I'd still break out. Not as much as before but still very noticeable acne. After a while I started noticing itching after sex and a lot of clear orderless discharge. I panicked and went back to my doctor, apparently the pill had caused me to get a minor yeast infection which was not good at all. I stopped taking the pill right after and the yeast infection went away almost immediately. I also tried the generic brand which is a lot cheaper its called TriNessa as well did not work. For acne I absolutely do not recommend it especially the regular Ortho Tri-Cyclen since it cause an infection. But the Ortho Tri-Cyclen Low I recommend if you want shorter lighter periods without any cramps but again not for acne.
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September 25, 2011

Pros:

Not Pregnant

Cons:

Worst acne breakouts of my life
Constantly Nauseous
Very Emotional
Depressed
No sex drive

I gave this pill a 4 month run and the end result is that this pill is horrible! I've gone from the happiest, most outgoing person, to really sad and depressed. I finished a pack yesterday and will NEVER go on this pill again. I constantly felt sick, and the thought of alcohol was intolerable. My face went from a pimple every now and then to severely broken out and my sex drive was non-existent. DO NOT take this pill!!
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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 25, 2011

Pros:

Not getting pregnant, short period

Cons:

Heavy Breasts, low sex drive, mood swings, bloated stomach, feels sick all the time

HATE IT
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August 8, 2011

Pros:

-no weight gain
-minimized appearance of facial hair

Cons:

-Developed severe PMS
-Severe cramps
-although period always came in the fourth week, sometimes it would linger for an additional 2 weeks even after I had been on the pill for years
-No sex drive

I would not recommend this pill to anyone. It was prescribed to me because I had a hormone imbalance and at first this pill was very helpful. I just stopped taking this pill and had been taking it for 4 consecutive years. My PMS became so severe and I was very unhappy. I don't have any problems with acne but I had previously gone on acne meds anyways. Blood clots are associated with this pill because of the high amount of estrogen so I would recommend starting with a low dose pill. My friends and family were also hearing of the bad rep of this pill and that influenced me to stop taking it. I don't think having less acne is worth the risk of going on this pill. I have had other health issues but I'm not 100% sure if they are connected to this pill. But the more reviews I read, the more likely it seems the connection is there.
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August 4, 2011

Pros:

Cheap with insurance.

Cons:

Smelly periods, vaginal pain and large blood clots.

Yet another medication I did not want nor need prescribed for my acne. I took this long before Yaz and though it's nowhere near the severity of side effects, I still got some pretty bad ones. My periods smelled "normal" before the pill, but after taking it I developed a horrible smell. It smelt like something had died! After stopping the pill, I went back to having normal smelling periods and no extreme clotting.
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June 30, 2011

Pros:

None.

Cons:

So dizzy couldn't stand up
Extremely nauseous
loss of energy
sadness
no motivation
expensive

I could only take three of these pills before I had to stop completely. I realize that you can't judge birth control in 3 days but this pill really jacked me up. I had heard so many good things about it for acne that after months of debate I finally decided to give it a try. Well...it didn't work out as expected. It made me extremely nauseous even with doing everything the doctor recommended (such as taking it at night and with food). It also made me extremely moody, dizzy to the point of not being able to stand up, faint feeling, and I had a loss of energy and appetite. Not only that, but in the three days that I took it, my face got worse. I hope this works better for you than it did for me... oh and did I mention that it's $50.00??
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February 4, 2011

Pros:

None

Cons:

Daily headeaches
depression
acne
increased appetite
moodness
racy thoughts
water retention

Don't take it! I went to hell with this medication. I broke out even more than before. My acne got so bad that my face looked disgusting! The worse of all was the depression and anxiety, which also came with an ancontrolable appetite. I gained 20 pound within a month, and went to my University's doctor crying, because I felt like doodoo in every sense of the way. The doctor said that it was one of the worse birth control pills on the market, and that she had many patiences sufering from the same simptoms. So I am not alone.
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January 23, 2011

Pros:

Prevented pregnancy

Cons:

Caused me to break out in inflammed,cystic acne
Left horrible Acne marks

This review is for Ortho Tri-Cyclen LO. I used this for 2 months and in the 2 months I broke out horribly like I never had in my life. I've used BC before and have never had this problem before. After two months of usage, I couldn't deal with the wreckage on my face so I discontinued usage and my acne stopped but the red marks have stayed!
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