Apri and Acne: What Users Say

• All...
• November 21, 2016

For Birth Control "I was switched from Loestrin 21 to Apri a few months back because my periods were irregular and my doc thought Apri would be better for me. I like that there's placebo pills in Apri because I was awful at taking 21-day packs. The first couple of months were a little tough adjusting to the higher dose of hormones. I was super emotional! But that's normal. I'm on month 5 now, and things are fine. I'm still a little emotional, but only 'cry at something dumb' emotional. Nothing I can't handle. My periods are light, and I barely have any pain. Close to no acne. My boobs seemed to have grown a bit, so that's cool. My sex drive seems to be a tiny bit lower, but I never had a crazy-high sex drive in the first place. My husband and I still have a healthy sex life. I might have gained like 5 pounds or less, but that might be because of my lazy ass and not the birth control. :) Best of all, I haven't gotten pregnant! I recommend Apri. Give it a chance and let yourself adjust to the hormones."

• Ras...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 13, 2018

For Birth Control "I have to say the best birth control I've ever been on. I have high free testosterone and was diagnosed with PCOS. Still have sex drive and think Apri even increased it more. I haven't gotten any acne on it so far either. I'm not moody or anything that I noticed. Yet I've been on it for 5 days so far. If I notice anything different, I will repost."

• TLF...
• May 1, 2016

For Birth Control "I have been on Apri for almost nine months, and it works great for me. I was 135 pounds when I started taking it, and I am now down to only 117 pounds. Also, my period used to be heavy, and I ended up getting it twice a month, but once I started Apri, I now only have it for five days tops, and it is absolutely fine. I used to break out really bad, and my face would get really red, but thanks to Apri, I only get a pimple every now and then, and my face is no longer red. Apri works great for me, I love it."

• hka...
• April 26, 2016

For Birth Control "I really like this birth control. When I'm not on birth control, I have extremely painful menstrual cramps, very heavy periods, and crazy hormonal acne breakouts. It took about two and a half months to see any improvements, but my face is almost always completely clear, I have much lighter cramps, and a much lighter flow. I did feel a little nauseous for the first couple of days, but I had no weight gain and no other adverse health or psychological complaints. The only other complaint I could state would be that within a week of taking the pill, my sex drive was almost completely gone. The main reason I am staying on the birth control is for the acne treatment! It is something I have been struggling with for years, and I am so happy with the results."

• Rhi...
• January 29, 2016

For Birth Control "I love this pill, I've been using it for over 4 years now. I had some pretty bad acne, and my periods were heavy and long. Now my face is pretty clear, and my period is still a little heavy, but it's super short now (4 days tops). I haven't put on any weight since I started taking the pill. My significant other and I haven't used a condom in over 4 years, and I haven't gotten pregnant, so it works!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 26, 2013

For Birth Control "This pill is a dream! I was so worried to go on birth control, due to all the scary side effects I always hear about! After two months, I have had none. I had really bad periods that would leave me very sick for days. I only get very light cramping right before my period starts. I haven't gained any weight. I actually lost weight around my waist, and I am already very petite to begin with. My cup size went up to a C from a B, and my light acne has become almost non-existent. I was lucky to find a pill that worked for me right off of the bat!"

• Anonymous
• April 4, 2010

For Birth Control "I have been on Apri birth control for 3 years now. I give it a 3 for the fact that it in fact helped me to get and regulate my period, at the very late age of 22. And that I am not pregnant. But I have worse acne now than I did when I was 13. I have gained a lot of weight on my hips and stomach. I have the worst mood swings, and my sex drive is completely gone. It has caused a lot of problems in my relationship since I started taking it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 25, 2012

For Birth Control "I haven't had a single noticeable side effect while taking this pill. No acne, no significant weight gain, no mood changes, no loss of sex drive. Not to mention it works wonders for your cycle: mine's extremely consistent, my periods are lighter, and my once terrible cramps are distant memories. Oh, and you also won't get pregnant. This is a great pill, the side effects some people report are probably an expected reaction or an individual bad experience. Highly recommended."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 11, 2019

For Birth Control "I have been using Apri for 6 months now. The first 3 months were ideal, it cleared up my acne tremendously, and this is the first birth control pill which hasn't affected my mood. However, after 3 months, I started noticing the negatives. I have felt super depressed, nearly empty/numb every day, which is opposite to the person I am. I, like another user, blamed my stressful job, but I've come to realize it was my birth control. I have no sex drive at all, and I actually have cystic acne on my face now, which I never had before. I would not recommend this pill due to how horrible it has actually made me feel."

• jen...
• December 8, 2013

For Birth Control "Apri was prescribed to me as my first birth control pill to use... ever. I have been taking them for a month so far. Before Apri, I had been experiencing very tender breasts, breakouts, and constant food cravings before my period would start. My period was also very irregular. After taking Apri, my breasts no longer become painfully tender before my period (period flow is the same but shorter: 3-5 days when it used to be 5-8 days). I do not get moody, rather, it has not affected my mood at all. I've noticed my breasts getting bigger. No weight loss or gain so far. I have the same appetite, but I seem to become fuller sooner."

• Suf...
• March 5, 2021

For Birth Control "After years of suffering with PCOS symptoms, Apri has saved me! It has eliminated most of my acne. The first month was harsh, but I knew with how out of whack my hormones were, I was going to have side effects adjusting, so I bared down, and now I'm in the last week of my third pack! The first month, I had the worst morning sickness, I didn't know how I was going to handle it. Each month so far, I've thrown up at least once in the first week. I find the more often I eat, the less I feel the sickness. I've gained about 15 lbs. My appetite has started calming down this month. I went from an A cup to a C cup so far, so I stopped wearing a bra. Some nights, the pain is so bad I have to massage my breasts. I don't find I'm holding much water weight anywhere. I have experienced some headaches, but I try to sleep them off. My periods are already lighter, but still adjusting overall. The best thing from all of this is my depression and mood swings have depleted. I'm meeting with my doctor to renew my prescription!"

• Lau...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 22, 2018

For Birth Control "I’ve been on Apri for about 4 years now. For the first 3 months or so, the mood swings and agitation were almost too much for me to be around some people. I did feel as though I gained some water weight, and my boobs went from a B to a D over the course of that time. My acne got a little worse before it got better. Now, with being on it for so long, I think it’s great for me. My skin is incredibly clear, I have control over my weight (at least it seems), and I can skip my periods with no issue. I do have some lingering anxiety and get agitated a little easily sometimes, but it very well may be due to just me as a person in general. Once I go off it later in life, I'm interested to see how the anxiety does. Overall, I really really like this and will continue to stay on it for a while. It’s great once your body gets used to it, but everyone’s different."

• Anonymous
• June 23, 2019

For Birth Control "This pill sucks. I was always anxious, but this actually made me depressed. Also, I felt hungry every 5 minutes and nauseous for the rest of the day. I always woke up dizzy, I broke out with acne. And I was always lightheaded and fatigued. Advice to people that don’t want to feel like rubbish: never take this! I’m warning all of you."

• Kat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 27, 2019

For Birth Control "I've been on this pill for 3 months. My doctor told me to wait it out for a few months, and I should adjust. The first month wasn't awful, but it seems to be getting worse and worse the more I take it. The only time I feel okay (not nauseous and anxious) is when I'm on my period. I basically feel what I would compare to carsickness 24/7. I have no appetite, I've lost weight, which is nice, but not in a healthy way. I just don't eat due to constant nausea. My sex drive is nonexistent, which is awful for both my husband and me. I have panic attacks regularly, I cry about nothing, and the smell of anything cooking turns my stomach. My acne has cleared up, so that's good, I suppose, but that's the only positive about this pill. Overall, one of the worst I've ever been on. Discontinuing this month."

• Mel...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 17, 2019

For Birth Control "I went on Apri after taking Tri-Sprintec for 2.5 years. I have now been on Apri for about a year. Before taking Apri, I struggled with breakthrough bleeding and very irregular periods. Now my period is so consistent and short. My period went from 6 days to 2-3 with no spotting. It was a life changer. Every person is different, so do not take the super negative reviews seriously. Apri has changed my life!! If you struggle with breakthrough bleeding, super long periods, or irregular periods, I 100% recommend this option. I get no acne, and my mood swings are no worse than they were normally, LOL!! Good luck on your journey!"

• s0n...
• August 1, 2013

For Birth Control "I have been on this birth control for almost 10 years. It has cleared up my acne, made my periods lighter, and my breasts went from a size B to a size C. The only negative effect is that it may have made my eyes even drier than they already are. When I tried to stop using Apri, just to see how my body would react because I didn't want to be taking medicine for no reason, all my acne on my face came back, and I even had acne on my chest and my back, which I had never had before. I am kind of afraid to ever stop taking it for that reason."

• Cas...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 29, 2020

For Birth Control "My doctor switched me to Apri because the birth control pill I was using before is no longer available. I’ve only been taking it for a little over 1 month, but I’ve already had 2 migraines. I’ve never had a migraine before! Also, my face is covered in acne, and I’ve gained 5 pounds. My self-confidence has never been so low. I’m very unhappy with Apri :("

• Kat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 10, 2018

For Birth Control "I was switched from Junel to Apri because of breakthrough bleeding. While that has been fixed, Apri has some pretty serious negative side effects for me. My mood is completely unstable and swings terribly, and my anxiety is uncontrollable. Sex drive is basically nonexistent. Other than that, no weight gain, acne, lighter periods, and less painful cramping (my cramps were unbearable before)."

• Anonymous
• June 18, 2011

For Birth Control "My old birth control made me very mean, but when I switched to Apri, my mood has been very balanced. Not only that, the horrible acne on my back cleared up, and now my back is beautiful. My periods are like clockwork, and if you take birth control for mostly preventing pregnancy, take this. My husband and I don't use condoms, and I can't believe I'm not pregnant. (If you know what I mean) I trust this birth control."

• Anonymous
• March 8, 2019

For Birth Control "Since the time I have been taking Apri, I have been facing various problems like intense chest pain, problems in concentration, nausea, headaches, extreme mood swings, acne, dizziness, fluctuations in the quality of vision."

• Anonymous
• September 7, 2010

For Birth Control "Apri is the first birth control I have tried, and so far, I'm very impressed! I have only been taking Apri for 3 weeks, but I've had almost no side effects. I had some light spotting for the first 2 weeks, but it has completely stopped now. My breasts have gotten slightly larger, and my sex drive has increased. I randomly threw up once, but I think that was because of what I ate, not the pill. I've had no increase or decrease in my appetite or weight, hair seems almost thicker, and I had no acne breakout. So far, I LOVE THIS PILL!"

• ale...
• October 20, 2013

For Birth Control "I was on this birth control for a month and a half. I experienced terrible bloating. I've been thin my whole life, always very active and able to eat whatever I wanted. With this pill, I constantly felt tired and had to monitor what I ate so I didn't gain weight (I gained about 5 pounds, still working out, although not as intense as before due to being tired, BUT I was eating less!) Also, this pill affected my mood a lot - it was a subtle change, but then a month and a half later I realized I never had the energy to do anything. I was sad quite often. My acne didn't improve at all, if anything, it made it worse. Breasts were tender. But, no decrease in sex drive and did prevent pregnancy."

• Wou...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 29, 2014

For Birth Control "Although Apri was very effective in doing its main job, preventing pregnancy, the side effects were very bad. I had perfectly clear skin prior to going on Apri, and about a month after starting, I started having very severe breakouts. I had noticeable mood swings that were not present before going on Apri. After being on Apri for 5 months, I have now switched to Sprintec, which is a pill with a higher dose of estrogen. After being on Sprintec for a month, I have noticed my skin clearing slightly and no crying spells before my period. Works better for me and would recommend it over Apri!"

• Meg...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 15, 2015

For Birth Control "This pill put me in pretty deep depression. I was extremely emotional and cried about everything all the time. I didn't gain weight, but it didn't really help with acne, and it caused me to get my period about 2 times a month. I had to stop taking it because I was so sad all the time and couldn't stand it."

• Run...
• May 30, 2015

For Birth Control "At first, I had no problems on Apri. Then, about a month in, I gained over 10 pounds even though I didn't change my diet or exercise. I also noticed that I became very moody and had random crying spells around my period, which has never happened before. My breasts are also very tender and itchy, and my acne has gotten worse. I never had bad period cramps before I started taking this pill, and now they are extremely painful. Hopefully, my doctor switches me to a different pill."