My doctor won't give me the time of day when I go in to try and discuss switching pills. My huge huge huge concern is the acne. I would LOVE to hear experiences from you guys or even any knowledge you know of. I go into the office telling here I want to help my acne......She switches me from Alesse (which bascially was a waste of money!!) to Ortho Tricyclen.. I stayed on it for about a year, no big acne changes to take note of. I was still sick of it, so I went in and told her this. She switched me to Diane which i LOVES despite the weight gain and mood swings. Cleared my acne RIGHT up. But she only could prescribe me 6 months because apparently your blood clots way easier from it. So my 6 months were up and I needed a different kind. She told me ortho and diane were the ONLY ones proven for acne. I don;'t believe her!!! I'm on ortho again hoping and hoping it;'ll clear up.......But it just got wayw ay worse.......I'm sick of this.........Any suggestions or even just personal experiences of a pill that clears up acne .....at all even!! and doesnt make you gain crazy crazy weight?.......I need help here, and I'm trying to switch doctors!!

you should switch doctors. you should feel comfortable with your doctor.

my experiences. i've been on ortho tricyclen. the first time for about a year. the second time for about 2 years. it didn't help with my acne. i talked to my dermatologist and she recommended yasmin. i talked to my gyno and she gave me a three month sample. i love yasmin. no weight gain. i actually felt skinnier because it has a diuretic effect. keeps my skin clear. i wanted to try diane-35 because i heard so many stories about it. it is not available in the US so I ordered a six month supply online. i took it for one month. i was hysterical. i cried over stupid things. i felt sick. i switched back to yasmin. i just stopped taking it about a month ago because i didn't want to be on birth control anymore. i asked my dermatologist about a drug called spironolactone. it is supposed to be very similar to an ingredient in yasmin. he gave me a prescription for it. so far it hasn't been that great. i notice i have more pimples.

My doctor won't give me the time of day when I go in to try and discuss switching pills. My huge huge huge concern is the acne. I would LOVE to hear experiences from you guys or even any knowledge you know of. I go into the office telling here I want to help my acne......She switches me from Alesse (which bascially was a waste of money!!) to Ortho Tricyclen.. I stayed on it for about a year, no big acne changes to take note of. I was still sick of it, so I went in and told her this. She switched me to Diane which i LOVES despite the weight gain and mood swings. Cleared my acne RIGHT up. But she only could prescribe me 6 months because apparently your blood clots way easier from it. So my 6 months were up and I needed a different kind. She told me ortho and diane were the ONLY ones proven for acne. I don;'t believe her!!! I'm on ortho again hoping and hoping it;'ll clear up.......But it just got wayw ay worse.......I'm sick of this.........Any suggestions or even just personal experiences of a pill that clears up acne .....at all even!! and doesnt make you gain crazy crazy weight?.......I need help here, and I'm trying to switch doctors!!


First of all, Ortho Tri-Cyclen, Diane-35, and Estrostep ARE the ONLY pills APPROVED for the treatment of acne. However, other pills can be effective in treatment, but aren't approved for that use by the FDA.

Acne almost always gets worse before it gets better when using birth control. Stay on the OTC for a few months, then consider switching again.

Also, most professionals agree that hormones can't cause weight gain. Hormones can cause an increase in appetite, and if you give into those cravings without increasing your exercise, you'll gain weight. They say that any weight attributed to the pill is only water weight, and amounts for only 5 pounds or so. What does your diet and exercise program look like?

Your doctor is telling you the truth, however, like I said, other pills can work. It's a trial and error thing.