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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Priscillalala

September 30, 2010

Pros:

Cleared up acne A LOT
Shorter, lighter period

Cons:

Makes me feel a little nauseous. I threw up the first week I took it.
My breasts are sore. I thought that would last like, the first month only, but I still feel it and I'm halfway through the second month.

I had HORRIBLE acne. I wanted to cry every time I looked in the mirror. I never left the house without wearing make up, which made my face even oilier. I hated leaving the house. My acne got so bad, my mom set up an appointment with a dermatologist and he prescribed me Tri Sprintec, which is the generic version of Ortho Tri Cyclen. I didn't see results the first couple weeks, but I'm on the 2nd month and my skin is SO much clearer than ever. I still break out a little bit, but it's not nearly as bad. I also don't wear as much make up when i go out. I have a lot of scarring from previous acne and I doubt this will help it, but it's cleared up almost all of my existing acne. I would definitely recommend this product. It makes me feel kind of sick when I take it- I feel nauseated, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons.

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John18

September 19, 2010

Pros:

birth control, sorted out moodiness from my previous pills, weight loss (i think), decreased massive appetite & heartburn from previous pills, cleared up not being able to drink alcohol (sounds weird but i couldn't on Alesse, I got violently ill)

Cons:

a couple painful pimples so far, severe breast & nipple tenderness & huge amount of breast growth (went from B to D in 3 weeks... really rough)

I switched to Ortho Tri-Cyclen from Alesse 3 weeks ago, and i think so far it may be improving my issues I had with Alesse. I have some acne now, but it could still be from Alesse which gave me SEVERE extremely painful acne. The worst thing i have noticed is the effects on my breasts, I went up 2 full cup sizes in 3 weeks.. which unfortunately resulted in some stretch marks. I also am very sore from under my armpit around to my nipples, it actually hurts a bit to even move my arms, hopefully it goes away..

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Mason Clark4

September 9, 2010

Pros:

No pregnancy
No weight gain

Cons:

Bad breakout so far...on my 3rd week! :(
Slightly moody in 3rd week but not that bad

So far no weight gain whatsoever! I personally don't think the pill makes you gain visible weight, people just like to blame the pill for their laziness. I was terrified to start the pill because I thought I'd gain weight or go insane because that's what the reviews say, but that's so far from the truth...I think there's a bigger issue than the pill if you want to kill everyone in site. So far I've been on almost a month and would so far recommend to anyone. Can't wait for face to clear up though..

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MzShanon

August 23, 2010

Pros:

-Reduced acne significantly
-Did not get pregnant
-Breast increased by half a cup
- Reduce severity of cramps during periods
-Shorter periods

Cons:

-Mood swings
-Anxiety (when going from green pills to white pills)
-Fatigue
-Nausea

The pills made me feel uneasy when I was first started taking them. I was anxious, fatigued, and nauseated. It wasn't until the second pack that my body became used to the pills. It really does take a couple months for your body to adjust to the hormones. As for my acne, nothing else has helped my acne as much as the birth control has. I have tried numerous products to help with my acne with no great results, so I turned to birth control. This is probably the best decision I have made since I get so many compliments about my clear skin now. Although I still get one or two pimples during the time of the month. My old acne has disappeared and the irritation and redness that i once had on my cheeks have significantly subsided. Anyone suffering from acne should definitely give this a try! It's also free at planned parenthood.

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Meesha13

July 23, 2010

Pros:

No cramps ( Had horrible ones before )
Very light bleeding, and only for 2-3 days!

Cons:

Horrible acne. My skin isn't the best anyway, but since I started this pill two months ago, I get painful breakouts every day. It's very frustrating.
Felt sick for the first week, then fine afterwards.

I love this pill.. I love not having cramps and feeling like I'm in labour for three days a month.. I'm going to give it one more month. Hopefully my body will get used to it, because I refuse to walk around with welts on my face every day. *crossing fingers*

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Zoe Gonzalez4

July 7, 2010

Pros:

Clear skin. Shorter periods.

Cons:

I'm way moodier than usual.

The birth control has done its purpose and more. My only downfall with it is my mood swings. I can go from really happy to really aggravated in about 5 seconds. Some people have talked about a loss in sex drive. Not me. No changes. I still have a high sex drive.

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gigi

June 23, 2010

Pros:

breasts went from D to DD
Not pregnant
No spotting

Cons:

Made acne worse
First period on it was 2 weeks long!!!
Makes me tired

I was on Yaz for 3 years but started to get worried because of all the negative press on this. My doctor prescribed me OTC and I started it a month and a half ago. My first period on OTC was 2 weeks long!!!! I hope it's just my body getting used to the different doses of hormones. Same with acne. I get on avg 2 pimples a day, and some are cystic and painful. btw, the acne started when I got my period, which happened while I was on Yaz, but with Yaz it went away with my period. Anyway my take on OTC is wait and see for now. I'm gonna give it 2 more pill packs and if my acne doesn't get better, I'm going to ask for a different pill. I'd rather be on a pill that doesn't really help with the acne that I do get, not make it worse!

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setsuna

June 22, 2010

Pros:

No more breakouts! I use it together with Carley's Clear and smooth treatment.

Cons:

I gained about 3-5 lbs; Nausea sometimes; I have more body fat %. However, breast size stays the same :(

I've been loyal to Carley's Clear an Smooth Skin line. While their product is the best one out there I still got breakout occasionally, especially before having my cycle. When I started this BC pill I noticed the difference within a week that my breakout has stopped. It sucks to know that my breakouts are almost entirely due to hormonal imbalance, but at least this combination of pill and Carlry's work for me. I have no new breakouts, not even before my period. However, BC pills are not made the same and may not work with everybody. I am glad that this works for me.

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maddy88

May 10, 2010

Pros:

It made my boobs half cup larger. Regulated my period. Got it exactly the same time every month.

Cons:

It made my acne worse immediately. especially areound the lipline. my forehead was the worse affected

I would reccomend it if you dont have acne probelems. my boyfriend said i was easily irritated when starting this pill. overall, i like it. Free at planned parenthood

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nixie

May 3, 2010

Pros:

cleared up acne, regulated periods, reduced pms symptoms...

Cons:

I was on it for 5 years and the effectiveness of the prescription has been slowly wearing off over the past 6 months, my solution was to switch medications.

it was great for several years until my body adapted to it. i would say its worth your time to try it out!

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