Oral Contraceptives

Results

Side Effects

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.

[more]

3.5

Used Oral Contraceptives? Rate It:

Choose from 1 to 5 stars

Ryan Murphy

January 11, 2011

Pros:

Clearing skin

Cons:

Not sure yet

I have been on ortho for a week. My skin was the worst it had been in my entire life. I've tried everything, antibiotics, prescription strength creams... The acne I had was mainly around my mouth and cheeks which is normally hormonal. The ortho has cleared me up. I feel so confident now. (I get it at Planned Parenthood by my University)

This Was Helpful

15 user(s) found this helpful

Report

acnefan4

November 6, 2010

Pros:

clear skin, controlled periods, not pregnant

Cons:

moody a week before period

ive been on it for a year and i actually lost weight and it cleared my skin. me breasts didnt get bigger. i would have breast tenderness a week before my period but thats about it. i never had regular periods and this helped me alot! i ran out of my perscription and havent been on it in 2 months. i did get moody the first month but thats done. i did break out a bit and i havent had a period. im not pregnant so its because of the sudden withdrawal of hormones. so i would recomend this for teens with irregular periods =)

This Was Helpful

1 user(s) found this helpful

Report

Sabrina

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.

This Was Helpful

25 user(s) found this helpful

Report

tia

September 14, 2010

Pros:

Shorter periods
Predictable periods
No nausea
Very small pills
Not pregnant lol

Cons:

Moderate sore breasts
Slight headaches

It's a great form of birth control. It's available st planned parenthood. Most bcps make me nauseous and moody but this one doesn't. I love it!

This Was Helpful

16 user(s) found this helpful

Report

Tiana

September 8, 2010

Pros:

Hi, I've been using this as a form of hormone and acne control for the past three months now which is the recommended time you take it before you'll see results. I absolutely loved it. In the first month my skin started looking healthier, and I stopped getting huge amounts of pimples everyday. Right now I only get maybe one or two reasonably sized ones around my period which is amazingly better compared to what I had to deal with. I also lost all of my moodiness and don't feel tired.

Cons:

My period is pretty average only 3 days, but there is some spotting ahead of that so when I start take the sugar pills near the end of the pack I just wear protection pads.

It's an amazing product and I highly recommend it.

This Was Helpful

20 user(s) found this helpful

Report

btrswt

August 24, 2010

Pros:

- cleared moderate acne on arms and back
- balanced hormones
- eased cramps and period flow
- no loss in sex drive
- not pregnant! (best pro)
- no weight gain, nausea or headaches

Cons:

thankfully, no bad side effects I can detect so far
slight moodiness/sensitivity during first month when i started the 3rd week (with the highest dose of hormones)
some spotting during first 2 months

i've been taking OTC for about 6 months now and i'm so happy with it! my friend had a really REALLY bad experience with a different kind of pill before so i was anxious. i was also worried about breaking out or gaining weight but there were no issues. my acne on my arms and upper back went from moderate to very light. i noticed my appetite was a little less during the first month but that went back to normal. during the first couple months, my period came a week early and lasted several days but since then, it starts during the fourth week like it should. my period is a lot lighter than it used to be and shorter, 4 days instead of 7-8. my boobs didn't get larger noticably (i'm a d-cup already so i'm glad!). my sex drive is the same, i'm still jumping my boyfriend's bones every chance i get! i'm really happy with OTC and hopefully all continues well.

This Was Helpful

34 user(s) found this helpful

Report

luna

August 20, 2010

Pros:

--Completely fixed my skin
--Regulated my unpredictable period
--Made cramps less severe*
--Made period lighter
--Helped with mood swings and PMS

Cons:

--Bad initial breakout
--Initial side-effects for the first two weeks
--Forgetting the pill, even for a few hours, gives me a headache
--Although my cramps (which were horrendous for the first day or two) are greatly reduced -- a few ibuprofen almost knocks them out -- I tend to have this milder cramping for several days. It's almost like the bad day of cramps got spread out over three or four days.
--Food craving for the first month
--It takes several months to adjust

This review is for ORTHO-CYCLEN, which is a steady dose of hormones, unlike ortho tri-cyclen, which changes the hormone levels each week. I don't know if that makes a big difference or not... I had stubborn hormonal acne, which is why I eventually turned to birth control (along with other negative effects from hormonal imbalances). I would break out when I ovulated (about 2 weeks before my period) and then again a day or two before my period. Other than that, my skin was in good shape. I think this is the ONLY reason why my skin is so great now -- because hormones were my number one problem and now, with bcp, it's all under control. You may have a compound cause of acne, like monthly hormones plus stress, so your results will vary. Let me also say that I'm 25, and my reasons for taking birth control were not solely about my skin issues. I think, especially for young girls, you need to make sure that you're choosing to artificially alter your hormones for the right reasons -- that you understand that bcp have serious side effects and your health needs to be considered. I know the idea of nicer skin sometimes seems to trump everything else, but just make sure you've thought it al through and done your research :) As an aside, I take the generic brand, which only costs $9 a month without insurance. Don't believe a lot of the hype that generic isn't as effective -- by law, the meds in a generic pill is chemically identical to the brand name. It works just as effectively, only the fillers tend to be a bit different (if that). There's no reason to spend $30-60 a month (with insurance) if there's a cheaper generic available, unless you have an allergic reaction or sensitivity to certain fillers (like celiac disease or something).

This Was Helpful

7 user(s) found this helpful

Report

Joney

August 17, 2010

Pros:

~Predictable period
~No break through bleeding
~No sickness when starting pill
~Clears some acne

Cons:

~Cant skip periods
~Mild mood swings

I started on Alese for my first birth control pill, but taking it I got a lot of break through bleeding (almost as bad as a period!) So my doctor perscribed me this and 3 hours after taking the first pill my bleeding from the first pill stopped entirely! I have always had moderate acne, but I used to get these very sore pimples under the skin that took days to surface so I could get rid of them, but I havent had one since I started on this pill. Some people have said they got sick during the first few months of taking it, but it didnt even feel like I was on anything while starting out. Also, a few have said they had a decresed libido but I didnt find that with me, still horny as ever! Only bad part is a couple mild mood swings, but I tend to be like that anyway and I am probably only noticing these more because other people have said stuff about moodswings while on this. Sorry for the long rant, over all a great pill! :)

This Was Helpful

12 user(s) found this helpful

Report

Shanee'

August 10, 2010

Pros:

Lighter and much shorter period
More predictable periods
No spotting

Cons:

Loss of sex drive
Extreme mood swings
Nausea

The bottom line is I love this pill, I feel like it is the best thing that has happen to me minus the loss of sex drive! During my first month on this pill I felt down and depressed all the time and was sick to my stomach every day. When I started on the second month I couldn't have been better. Unlike when I was on Depo Provera and Seasonique I have no spotting or break through bleeding. My periods are way lighter and shorter than they have ever been in my life. I give this product an A+!

This Was Helpful

32 user(s) found this helpful

Report

Mike435

July 29, 2010

Pros:

Clear skin
Lighter periods
Predictable periods
No cramps
No nausea

Cons:

None

I have been fighting acne breakouts for several years, including breakouts on my back that were out of control. The dermatologist had me on several different treatments with no success. I was considering Accutane when my regular physician suggested I try Ortho Tri Cyclen. As far as I am concerned, this is a miracle pill! My face and back completely cleared up except for a minor pimple or two around my period. I am taking the generic of Ortho Tri Cyclen which is Trinessa.

This Was Helpful

18 user(s) found this helpful

Report

1 … 3 4 5 6 7 … 17

Used Oral Contraceptives? Rate It:

Pros:

Cons:

Pros:

Cons:

Pros:

Cons:

Pros:

Cons:

Pros:

Cons:

Pros:

Cons:

Pros:

Cons:

Pros:

Cons:

Pros:

Cons:

Pros:

Cons:

Relevant Article(s):

Finding a Doctor

Finding a Doctor

Be sure to:

Questions to ask a potential scar revision specialist:

Red flags:

New Report

Close