ladies my girlfriend has just switched to diane-35 and after reading all the talks of how bad it is on this board i'm not so sure she's made the right decision. now most of the posts about it are very brief, can someone please explain why it is so bad and if it is why doctors are still putting people on it?? i'm kinda worried about her.

Theres supposed to be an increased risk of blood clots, along with other things, but personally I wouldn't worry too much. If the doctor's changed it, it's probably for the best. If she has just changed herself-tell her it might be a good idea to see her docotr and make sure its the right pill for her.

Health Canada recently issued an advisory to doctors reminding them that the ONLY thing Diane-35 can be prescribed for is severe, scar-causing acne when oral antibiotics have been unsuccessful, and is NOT to be prescribed for birth control.

I don't think it can get much clearer than that. If you need to prove it to your friend, the Health Canada web site has the notice posted. Do a search for "health canada" and "diane-35". CBC news had a big thing about it in January.

Seems doctors were prescribing it because the manufacturer was promoting it as birth control, but Health Canada has never allowed this use and only recently realize how widespread it's use had become by women who were only using it for birth control, thus the advisory.

If you want to know the technical details of the increased health risk, the HC site will provide that info too. (Basically, the risk of blood clots increases 4 times.)

It must be remembered that Health Canada is the body which manages health funding, Canada has a "free" health system and Diane 35 is amongst the most expensive of the birth-control (Note: birth-control) pills.

If you can put two and two together, you can figure out the reason for their warning.

ok people i need a straight forward answer now, i get the blood clots, but is it or is it not a birth control pill like allesse? will it prevent pregnancy?

Yeah, but the point against what you're saying, Paul, is that there's other prescriptions that are super-expensive here in Canada that aren't approved in the states... so...

I'm suspecting there might actually be a problem.

Actually, now that I think about it, it dawned on me that Health Canada does not pay one cent towards prescriptions. They don't subsidize jack either, unless you're on welfare.

So.... .... boom.

Originally posted by paulb:
It must be remembered that Health Canada is the body which manages health funding, Canada has a "free" health system and Diane 35 is amongst the most expensive of the birth-control (Note: birth-control) pills.

If you can put two and two together, you can figure out the reason for their warning.

duh, you certainly have a distorted view of our health system here! Maybe if you were from Canada you would know that Health Canada does NOT fund our medical system. And prescriptions such as birth control are not covered by our "free" health care. Our health care is provincially managed (although partially subsidized federally) and it covers health services like doctor's visits and hospitalizations, it does NOT cover prescriptions, not a single one. Or at least not in my province. If I want birth control pills, I'm paying for it out of my own pocket.

You can only get free prescriptions if you're covered under an employments plan - or on welfare - just like in the U.S. The role of Health Canada is to develop health policy, enforce health regulations, monitor health and safety risks of drugs, food, pesticides, chemicals, etc etc. Nowhere in their mandate are they responsible for paying for our birth control (or any other scrip). It is not in HC's interest WHATOSEVER to promote or reject Diane-35 for its cost. They are however, responsible for making sure Canadians and their doctors are aware of the increased risks and that Canadian doctors are currently NOT allowed to prescribe it for any use other than treatment of severe acne.

In answer to rock'n'roll's question:"is it not a birth control pill like allesse? will it prevent pregnancy?"

Yes it will prevent pregnancy and is a suitable birth control pill.

Originally posted by Dramaqueen:
In answer to rock'n'roll's question:"is it not a birth control pill like allesse? will it prevent pregnancy?"

Yes it will prevent pregnancy and is a suitable birth control pill.

Well, since rock'n'roll is writng from Canada, I have to disagree. Health Canada states quite clearly that it is NOT suitable for birth control alone and doctors are not allowed to prescribe it for that reason. But since you're from New Zealand, go nuts. Each country is free to have it's own rules, and ours says no.

wow, this scares me because I have been taking it for 3 years, and we don't use condoms.

I think I am going to switch to a pill that doesn't leave me wondering.

This is some information I copied and pasted from the official Diane 35 website.


it stated:

When Diane-35 is administered in a cyclic manner it has the added effect of preventing ovulation and possible contraception. Diane-35 should not be prescribed solely for its contraceptive properties. However, when taken as recommended, Diane-35 will provide reliable contraception in patients treated for the above clinical conditions.

There you go. It's safe for birth control.

i read on the website that they say it's suitable birth control, so if anybody gets pregnant, just sue their asses off.

You're missing the point, yes it is effective as birth control. But why take the unnecessary risk if you aren't taking it for severe acne?

There are other birth control pills out there as effective in preventing pregnancy, but with a MUCH lower risk of blood clots. You should only be willing to take that extra risk if you NEED the acne cure. If you have a choice between two products that do the same thing, but one also does something else that you don't care about, and this added feature makes it much more dangerous, why on earth would you choose it?

Their claim that is it "safe for birth control" is misleading. Yes, it works, but Health Canada has found it is not as "safe" as other BC pills and should not be used for that purpose alone.

Rock'n'Roll in response to your blood clots issue, you're just talking about blood clots in your menstrual blood are you? I think the blood clots everyone else is talking about are ones that form in your legs or veins - am I right?

Well I've just gone off it since I will be trying for a child soon so I'm a bit glad now!

i dunno what the hell i'm talking about, i'm a guy so i don't get menstrul cycles. hell i'm not even sure i just spelled menstrul right. i'm just doing some research for my girlfriend because she's just started taking it.

Originally posted by chinchilla:
Rock'n'Roll in response to your blood clots issue, you're just talking about blood clots in your menstrual blood are you? I think the blood clots everyone else is talking about are ones that form in your legs or veins - am I right?

Well I've just gone off it since I will be trying for a child soon so I'm a bit glad now!

Yes, those are the kind I'm talking about, the kind that can kill you. Or have you on blood thinners the rest of your life. (Okay, sounds overly dramatic, but when the risk's 4 times higher with Diane-35, I'll stick to my brand, thank you http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif)