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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March 22, 2008

Pros:

NO CRAMPS!!, lighter periods, prevents pregnancy, no significant weight gain

Cons:

nausea and vomiting the first few days

I was a bit discouraged in the beginning because it was making me throw up, but I kept taking my pills like I was supposed to and after a few days I felt a lot better. at the end of my pack when I got my period I was AMAZED! first of all, we hadn't been using condoms so I thought it was magical that birth control actually works so well to prevent pregnancy. and in addition to the lack of babies, I had a complete lack of cramps which was fantastic to me because I used to get the most horrible cramps in the world. I will continue taking the pills and I hope to see an improvement on my acne in the next couple months as well. :)
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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 19, 2008

Pros:

No Side affects

Cons:

Remembering to take the pill

NO side effects works diffrent with every person.
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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 12, 2008

Pros:

not pregnant, regular light periods

Cons:

Have to take it every night

I'm pretty good about remembering to take the pill and otherwise I've had no adverse reaction to it. In the beginning I would get nausea after taking it but that wore off by the end of the first month. I've been on it for 2 years now, and nothing else seems better suited for me
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March 8, 2008

Pros:

not pregnant

Cons:

a had just got rid of my mild acne i started talking ortho try cyl lo and i got the worst pimples ever like two days to seven days later

dont take this it makes some people break out and i was going crazy crying at everything and its so unlike me bla
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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 29, 2008

Pros:

No condom, Regular period

Cons:

I never had pimples, now there everywhere!!! Overly sensitive and emotional, bacterial infection, Belly weight gain!!

Great at prevnting pregnancy. Worked when I was younger... now my b ody just isn't liking it very well.
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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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