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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4
33.2%
3
21.1%
2
14%
1
9.5%

Used Oral Contraceptives? Rate It:

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April 6, 2008

Pros:

less cramping, lighter periods, clearer skin

Cons:

depression, mood swings, nausea, decreased sex drive

It worked fine for a while, then I stopped taking it for several months and when I started again I had terrible side effects. It did help clear my skin, but at the expense of physical/emotional health. After I stopped taking it for good my skin was worse than it had been before the pill.
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October 28, 2007

Pros:

predictable periods

Cons:

made acne much much worse!! made me more emotional. lower sex drive.

I personally would not recommend this to anyone. I've never had acne this bad in my life, I've never had such problems controlling my emotions and it's kind of a pain not having the same drive as i did before.
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August 17, 2007

Pros:

prevents pregnancy, clear skin, regulated cycle

Cons:

headaches are horrible, yeast infections,mood swings.

TCL was the second brand of pill my Dr. tried, it's effectiveness in regulating my cycle was good, It also cleared up a few nagging pimples on my face. It caused me yeast infections and headaches, especially taking the last week of pills before my period! I'm hoping to discontinue them soon.
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May 9, 2007

Pros:

clearer skin
no side effects

Cons:

N/A

OK- here's my story. I never had acne until my senior year of high school and sporactically throughout college (18yrs old and up- I'm now 23). I went to a dermatologist and tried alot of different cures. Not until I started OrthoTriCyclen-Lo and combined it with Praxion-the generic brand of a sulfur based face wash called Plexion- (only problem with the facewash is you can't get it close to your eyes bc it really, really irritates them-otherwise, mention it to your dermo and see if he'll presecribe it-its awesome!) did my face clear up. I loved the regularity of my periods and my clear skin. i could finally leave the house w/o makeup. anyway...recently (2 months ago) my face started breaking out again--i don't know if it is due to the BC just not working like it had for the past year, or because I had stopped buying that face wash and switched to over the counter stuff. Well, I called my Gyno and got them to switch me to regular OTC- I got Trinessa-and refilled my Praxion-hope it works
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March 27, 2007

Pros:

No babies, breasts increased one cup size, no mood swings

Cons:

Didn't affect my skin at all (I was hoping for improvement), I still get cramps and bloating as I did without the pill

I used to take OTC and now take OTC Lo. OTC helped my acne; OTC Lo doesn't, which is ok because I'm taking an Clindamycin/Adapalene combo for my face and my skin looks better than it ever did on OTC. I like OTC Lo because it has kept me from becoming pregnant without causing any of the really bad side effects (mood problems, decreased sex drive, headaches) that I've had with previous pills.
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October 16, 2006

Pros:

Not sure yet but should clear up my face cause it did before

Cons:

Really bad mood swings ...

Well I was just wondering if anyone knows how long it takes for the birth control pill to work. I started using orth tri cyclen lo and it wasnt working but i was only on it a month and then i went on tri cyclen and i notice it clearing up but when will i notice it working much more, i have only been using it 1/2 month. Thanks
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July 18, 2012

Pros:

regulate periods
no weight gain
boobs feel bigger
no sex drive decrease

Cons:

acne has not improved
breakouts infrequent after switching from loestrin
ugly packaging

On pack three of OTC after switching from Loestrin 24 fe. Loestrin wrecked my skin, I have nasty cystic scars and I'm dissapointed I haven't seen any improvements on OTC yet. Will give this pill another 5 months and will cry a lot and try another BC if nothing happens for my skin by then.
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February 7, 2012

Pros:

not pregnant

Cons:

nausea
headaches
mood swings
tender breasts

I've been taking Ortho Tri-Cyclen for about two weeks now, and I've been experiencing the worst nausea of my life. Last night, I puked in Wal-Mart and I puked when I got home. My nipples have also been extremely sore, and I've been getting headaches quite frequently. I was told it would take about a month for the side effects to clear up, so, unless I puke more today, I'm going to wait it out until my pack is done, and hopefully things get better.
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December 24, 2010

Pros:

Cleared Up Skin
Didn't seem to gain any weight

Cons:

Stomach Pains
Threw Up Often

I was on Mircette but couldn't continually afford it, then I went on Tri Sprintec (Generic for Ortho). It definitely helped with my chin and cheek acne! However, I would have times when I would have severe stomach pains and throw up. This would happen often. I went to the doctor, they couldn't figure out what the problem was, so my parents told me to get off the pill for awhile and see what happens. I haven't been sick since. I guess my body just didn't agree with it.
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April 23, 2009

Pros:

No pregnancy, no side effects

Cons:

my acne is light but has never gone all the way away

I have used Ortho-Tri-Cyclen and Ortho-Tri-Cyclen Lo for about 6 years and it is great at preventing pregnancy. It is not a magical cure for acne though. I have pretty much alway had some kind of acne and I even used Accutane. For birth control though it is low dose and I have light periods.
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