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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May 19, 2008

Pros:

lost weight, regular periods

Cons:

ACNE!! anxiety, moodines, yeast infections, low sex drive

I was on the Ortho LO for five months for problems with ovarian cysts. Until the pill, my acne was under control. However, on the pill, my skin broke out uncontrollably! nothing I put on my face made a difference! Also, I was an emotional mess!!!! crying, moody, anxious...I definitely would not recommend this pill to anyone. It made my life hell...and it took me awhile to figure out what was the cause of everything. I feel so much better off of this damn pill.
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April 7, 2008

Pros:

It keeps you from getting pregnant. I didn't even have a scare.

Cons:

MOOD SWINGS!!!

I'm normally a pretty carefree person and have a boyfriend for 2 and a half years that I love. I noticed just in 3 weeks that I seriously felt like I was taking crazy pills. I had never even considered breaking up with my boyfriend because he's amazing and then all of a sudden I'm flying into these rages because he was late from work, but he was only a little late. Normally that would be no big deal. Also, I go into these crying fits, in the last 2 years I have cried 2 times. In the last 3 weeks I've cried at least 5 times. I'm not normally an emotional, but this is rediculous. It wasn't just the boyfriend either, it was work, school...you name it.
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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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February 25, 2008

Pros:

kinda clears up your skin, super light periods!!, bigger boobs

Cons:

weight gain/bloating, you feel fat, it hardly works with acne

overall, i liked this cause it made my boobs bigger (i'm 16) but it also made me bloated. i've always been skinny but when i was on this it made me feel fat. i loved it cause of the boob growth (it only made me like half a cup size bigger but still i was happy) and the amazingly light periods! i went on it only cause of acne (i'm not sexually active) and it worked kind of. i guess it's a tiny bit better but i still have acne and major scars. you might want to try it but it hardly worked for me but it didn't make it worse but it gave me lots of scars. however, i still want to stay on it just cause of the light periods! now i'm going on accutane which will (hopefully) work, wish me luck! =) oh and i think the cost was fine but my parents paid for it so i don't know.
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February 25, 2008

Pros:

Prevents pregancy and cramps less painful

Cons:

Spotting, dizziness and nausea

Causes me 2 break out my thrid week, nausea(a lot in the white and light blue pills) and dizziness(the whole pack except for the green pills)....loss of appetitie(lost weight)...despite all these problems I think ortho lo does its job......
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February 23, 2008

Pros:

not pregnant. predictable periods. 98% clearer skin. doesnt make you feel sick.

Cons:

still 7day period. lowered sex drive. fatigue

ive been on tri-cyclen Lo for 2yrs now, its great.my periods are normal. my body handled it much better then some of the other pills ive tried. Instead of cramping for a week before, I now cramp 2-3 days before now. not complaining. Great for beginners.
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September 6, 2007

Pros:

birth control

Cons:

crazy breakouts

after starting the pill which i started mainly to help my skin, it broke me out like no tomorrow. I had on average 20 large whiteheads on my jawline (a place where i never used to get acne) and on my neck (also a place i never got acne). i stopped taking the pill after 2.5months, i know its supposed to be 3 months, but it just wasnt worth it. I became depressed and never left my apartment and its taken me a long time to recover. the scars that i am left with are horrendous.
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August 18, 2007

Pros:

NO PREGNANCY

Cons:

LOSS OF APPETITE(MIGHT BE A GOOD THING), MADE ME A LITTLE NAUSEOUS AFTER MY FIRST PILL. I FEEL MORE ANXIOUS.

I HAVE BEEN USING OTC FOR ABOUT A MONTH AND I TAKE IT AT NIGHT IT SEEMS TO HELP OUT THE NAUSEA. IT SEEMS TO MAKE ME SMOKE MORE THAN NORMAL. (I KNOW UR NOT SUPPOSED TO SMOKE). I STILL HAVE PIMPLES HERE AND THERE. BOTTOM LINE ITS PRETTY GOOD.
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July 24, 2007

Pros:

works for birth control

Cons:

weight gain, rash-like pimples on my forehead, morning sickness type symptoms

I used Ortho for years while I was in high school, then during college I switched around a bit, until I finally settled for Desogen. A few months ago, I had to switch back to Ortho because of insurance complications. It's amazing how quickly I went back to the "high-school" me (I'm 25). All the things I attributed to puberty back then - mood swings, irrational crankiness, nausea during the night, tiny pimples across my forehead, an unpredictable sex drive - started happening again. To top it off, I gained a good 10 pounds... Even though I work out and eat very healthy, I developed this fluffy baby fat everywhere (just like in high school!). Long story short, I am counting down the days I can go for my annual exam and ask for a new prescription for something else.
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July 15, 2007

Pros:

Regulated my period and made it last for a shorter time. No spotting or nausea.

Cons:

Horrible acne the first month (nodule acne).

I work in a gynocologist office and let me tell you almost everyone I have heard taking this pill gets the worse acne. It's not a few pimples but more like severe acne with scarring. If you are prone to breaking out this pill is not right for you. For those that aren't it is a pretty good pill. It regulated my period just fine and no spotting or nausea.
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