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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February 27, 2007

Pros:

lighter period

Cons:

bad acne, expensive, and stomach pain

I have had moderate acne for years. I started taking otc for my acne and by month three my face was covered in pimples some people swears it clears them up. But it was the worst my acne has been ever!!!
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February 22, 2007

Pros:

Regulated my period, made is shorter and lighter.

Cons:

Terrible acne!!

I've always had pimples here and there... but once I started taking Ortho-Low I constantly have huge zits around my jaw line! I definitely need to find something new. Plus it's expensive!
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February 21, 2007

Pros:

Clears skin up almost perfectly, added benefit of birth control if you need it =)

Cons:

Tri-phasic pills like OTC MUST be taken at the same time everyday in order to work for acne, because for perfect skin hormones have to be perfect, and taking the pill sporatically at different times during the day can really mess with your hormones..

So i noticed with OTC, which i have been on for a couple months, that if I miss pills or don't take them at the same time every day, i break out like mad all over my chin and mouth. But, if i take them very diligently, my skin clears up and is perfect...just a tip. For some reason my skin is really sensitive to my birth control. I dont know though maybe this is just for some types of acne like the "hormonal" acne around the chin and mouth...but for other types of acne i would just eat lots of apples drink water tea and take flaxseed oil and your should be fine!!=)
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February 11, 2007

Pros:

very effective as birth control

Cons:

made my acne worse, weight gain, mood changes

When I started on OTC I had very mild acne and it immediately got much worse. I went to my doctor and she told me sometimes it can make acne worse before it gets better. Tried it for a few more months but my skin continued to get worse, so she switched me off of it. I also gained weight and had mood changes. So OTC didn't work for me at all. But that being said both my sisters and many of my friends are on it and love it. For most of them it cleared up there skin.
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February 8, 2007

Pros:

Work well. no mood swings no side effects

Cons:

has not done anything for my acne

Use it for birth control not for acne cure.
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February 2, 2007

Pros:

Keeps my skin relatively clear. I had cystic acne and now get minor breakouts.

Cons:

Killed my sex drive! Increased weight gain, may contribute to my moodiness/depression

It Killed my sex drive! I'm a single 23 yr old women and i have no desire for men. Just stopped taking it after 2 years of dealing with this. Enough is enough, I'm trying another BCP or accutane. But either way, i need my sex drive. It's not normal. I recommend trying it. It affects some people and others dont mind it at all.
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February 1, 2007

Pros:

It can clear acne.

Cons:

It can also cause stomach discomfort and mood swings.

I had been searching for years for something that would clear my acne. When I came across ortho tri-cyclen and its claims I decided to give it a try. It cleared up my skin within a month.The doctor then switched me to the Ortho-Lo (for what reasons I don't know) and my skin brokeout ridiculously.Then I switched back to the regular strength and it cleared up my skin within a month.I was also using Proactiv which I believed helped with the overall clarity of my skin but when using it without the ortho didn't stop breakouts. Well after having my baby ten months ago I decided to get back on the pill and I did not see ANY results. In fact my skin was even more inflammed! And on top of that, I had extreme stomach discomfort. I have decided to stick with it and after my fourth pack my skin has finally stopped breaking out as much. The bottom line is that I believe if you stop taking it and start back you could experience different results for a while but just stick with it and it should work!
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January 31, 2007

Pros:

comepletely cleared my face except for occasional breakout during period

Cons:

didnt clear my mild chest and back acne but taking tretinoin for that

well im taking trinessa which is the generic for ortho tri cyclen since my insurance wont cover the name brand. so far it has made my face clear and glowing. ive been taking it for about 3 months. i did start taking it even longer ago but i had stopped because i ran out of pills while out of town. but then i started again which f*ed me up for a while. im steadily gaining weight though, thats not a big issue with me since i need more meat on my bones anyway.its probably because its a generic. dont be fooled, there IS a difference. however it hasnt helped a whole lot on my body which i dont know why. but i just started taking tretinoin for that which is generic for retin a. my acne on my face was mild to moderate before taking this. it was that way thanks to oral antibiotics like tetracyclin and doxycyclen, which stopped working after a while and made it come back worse. remember u need a pill with less androgen and more estrogen.
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January 25, 2007

Pros:

So far is clearing up my skin, no nausea, lighter periods, much less cramping.

Cons:

I get moody like a crazy person.

I am thinking of switching to Ortho Lo to attempt to lessen the mood swings before my boyfriend kicks me to the curb. However, I am just starting my third month and am wondering if perhaps I should wait it out a little bit. Any suggestions? Does Ortho Lo work as well for acne?
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January 21, 2007

Pros:

I've only been taking it for 2 weeks (too soon to tell)

Cons:

spotting, but that doesn't bother me (so none really). my ance appears to be getting worse

SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME! I'm not sure if OTC is cauing worse ance. This is ,y 15th day on the pill and my ance seems to be getting worse. Is this normal and will it get better? (if so, how ong before it gets better?). Are there any other BC pills that help with your acne?
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