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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Compare To Other Treatments
5
22.3%
4
33.2%
3
21.1%
2
14%
1
9.5%

Used Oral Contraceptives? Rate It:

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October 7, 2006

Pros:

Cleared up my acne, didn't get any side effects, controlled my hormones.

Cons:

none

Absolutely wonderful! I started getting acne when I was 12, got on birth control when I was 16, and my face cleared up! I was on birth control for 2 and a half years, and i got off of it, and unfortunately the acne came back :( i sort of regret getting off it, but oh well!
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March 7, 2012

Pros:

No babies!
Breast slightly larger

Cons:

Severe acne breakouts
Light nausea

I just began taking this birth control. I have 4 pills left and then i will be done with the first month. My acne is now worse than it was before I began taking these. I'm hoping it gets better as I continue to take this birth control.
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January 4, 2012

Pros:

Skin cleared, Effective,

Cons:

Touchy,

I was on this pill for about a year. It's really effective for acne, I found my skin cleared after about a month and stayed that way. However, personally I found it to be very touchy. If I missed a day, I would start my period. Even if it wasn't time. Though a lot of my girlfriends are on the same one, and didn't get that. I'm now switching to Seasonale, here's hoping that's better!
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December 5, 2011

Pros:

Clearer Skin
Effective Contraceptive
No Weight Change

Cons:

Initial Breakouts
Expensive

I used this birth control from age 15-19. At this time, I was experiencing HORRIBLE breakouts. I can't remember how quickly it cleared up my skin, but it did a fantastic job. I remember the first month consisting of nausea, no appetite, and a crazy sex drive. I stopped taking it when it was no longer an issue to take a contraceptive. Unfortunately, I never correlated the pill with my skin condition. About 12 months later, I started to break out more frequently. It's been 2 years since I stopped taking the pill, and about 2-3 weeks since I restarted. So far, some nausea, appetite is the same, and no change to sex drive. My skin, on the otherhand, has broken out somewhat terrible. Usually I break out solely on my chin, but now it's EVERYWHERE. Forehead, cheeks, jawline (very unusual), chin. Cystic and otherwise. What's bad for me is that cystic acne always does serious damage to my skin (gets really dry and cracked around the area, causing a large scab). 3rd year university... don't need to look like I'm in high school... I'm hopeful that it'll clear up because the onset and peak time is 1 month when taken orally. Anyway, it's finals time for me and all I want to do is crawl into my bed and cry because I hate that I HAVE to leave my house looking like this. Overall, love this birth control, hate this insecurity until it takes effect...
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September 29, 2011

Pros:

Pregnancy prevention
Larger breasts
Predictable periods
Affordable/ Inexpensive

Cons:

No sex drive
Tender/ sore breasts
Extreme nausea
Severe Headaches
Depression/ crazy mood swings
Bloated stomach
No change to acne

I have been on these pills for exactly 1 month now and it has been absolutely terrible for me AND my spouse. Planned Parenthood first put me on Seasonique (which was amazing compared to this.) But, my sister suggested Ortho Tri-Cyclen since I wasn't comfortable with Seasonique only allowing me to have my period once every 4 months.. OTC has just been the worst decision ever. Within 1-2 hours of taking it.. CONSTANT Nausea, headaches, etc. Not to mention a couple days after taking it I began feeling very depressed... and let me tell you, my husband makes me a happy woman but dang.. these pills are ridiculous. My sex drive has completely diminished.. it just doesn't exist anymore. Everyone is different, I would suggest at least trying it, but if at ANY point you begin to feel severe symptoms such as myself, please stop taking them and switch brands. The main reason I chose this brand was because of my acne.. which hasn't changed a bit.
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March 5, 2010

Pros:

-Larger Breasts

Cons:

-Gained weight
-BAD acne, cysts
-Moody
-Depression
-Changed appetite
-When I got off my period was worse

I took this because at the time I had no health insurance and this pill is free from Planned Parenthood. Only stayed on it for little over a week because I did not like the side effects it gave me. One thing I did enjoy was my breasts got noticeably bigger, I'm tiny so it shows. However I gained some water weight and my acne was worse. I broke out in cystic acne all over. I noticed I was in a bad mood and more emotional. I felt depressed and withdrawn. I quickly got off this pill.
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August 27, 2009

Pros:

none

Cons:

tiny bumps everywhere...Literally!! Acne at its worse

Didnt help my acne, just made it worse then before. There's not one clear spot on my face.. Time to go to a Derm rather then listening to a GYN doc for acne!!! Ortho cyclen which is same as orth tri no good for me
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July 15, 2009

Pros:

Less oily skin, bigger boobs

Cons:

Did not work, weight gain

I use Yaz. I saw a big difference in how oily my skin was during the first week of use. However, my acne has not gotten any better and my skin is just as oily as it was before. In fact, I find myself breaking out a bit during the month and by the time the pack runs out and my period comes, I break out worse than I did before I was even on birth control. I haven't tried any other prescription acne medications but I am seeing a dermatologist soon and getting rid of birth control (however good it is for other reasons besides acne!). I just don't think it's worth it. However, everybody reacts differently to birth control... so these reviews must be all over the place.
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June 24, 2009

Pros:

clear skin, predictable and light period, no menstrual cramps

Cons:

Nothing for the first 4 years of use.

The bottom line is, OTC was a really good BCP for me for the first 4 years while I was on it. I did not suffer from any problems, my skin was free of pimples, and everything was just dandy. However, the pill seems to be losing its power to keep my skin under control. My skin is now breaking out and is REALLY oily (this never happened prior taking BCP), and I am also experiencing chronic yeast infection that keeps coming back every month. Furthermore, this pill also made me emotionally unstable. I was on OTC before, now I am currently taking OTC-Lo, in hopes that less hormone in my body will fix some of the problems.
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June 14, 2009

Pros:

Breast got bigger, and no babies.

Cons:

sever acne, mood swings, depression, weight gain

I am 20 years old and i have used this pill for 3 months now. I have never had a problem with acne before and now i have sever acne on my face, chest, and back. I feel embarrassed just to walk outside. I am very moody and i feel very depressed all the time. I have gained a little bit of weight but not more than my other birth control (loestrin fe) did. I started talking this pill because it was cheaper but i think i will pay the extra to make this acne go away!
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