Desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol and Acne: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Ari...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 21, 2013

For Birth Control "I've been taking Desogen for a year now after not being happy with Lutera. As birth control, it works well (i.e., not pregnant). I don't have any breast tenderness like I used to, and I have gone up a cup size. I had mild to moderate acne before taking the pill, and it has helped it clear up a lot! I only break out right before a period. And my periods are very predictable and only last 3 days (versus the usual 7 I had experienced before). However, when I first started taking it, I noticed a prolonged time of spotting, but it did eventually go away, and I am pleased overall with this pill!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 19, 2014

For Birth Control "Been on Kariva for 2 months, and it has its good and bad. BAD: I have never experienced such bad mood swings in my life. I have little patience, I get extremely mad and aggravated very easily. I can be happy one minute, then CRAZY another minute. So be aware of the horrible mood swings. Didn't do anything for my 7-day period. I break out a week before my period. GOOD: it does prevent you from getting pregnant, even in the first month."

• hea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 29, 2018

For Birth Control "I had seen the comments before I started taking this birth control, and I was instantly scared. The first week, I experienced random headaches, but nothing too crazy. My boobs did grow significantly, but no other crazy weight gain. Also, my face broke out slightly, not really noticeable."

• JSa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 28, 2020

For Birth Control "STAY AWAY! I’ve been on Enskyce for two months and have decided to call it quits. I have had three full periods while on active pills per my IVF doctor. Spotting if I’m not actively bleeding, migraines every day that I cannot get control of, and major mood swings, mostly the urge to cry. I’ve also experienced weight gain and cystic acne. I don’t know what I’ll be on next, but I’ll never take Enskyce again. It has controlled my everyday life."

• 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."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 9, 2014

For Birth Control "Been on this birth control for 3 weeks, and I've had acne on my chin like I haven't had in years, and I am constantly starving to the point of sickness, as well as extremely fatigued. This is terrible. Going to give it another month to see if it levels out, but I highly doubt it will."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• October 29, 2011

For Birth Control "My doctor suggested Kariva to me because I was previously on Ortho Tri-Cyclen (which made me extremely moody/emotional) and more recently Lo-Estrin (which gave me no sex drive whatsoever and made me completely emotionless). I was anxious to find a happy medium after going from one extreme to the other. I've been on Kariva for three months now. I've never been one to have any type of headaches of any kind, and after being on Kariva I experience headaches multiple times a day. I'm extremely tired all the time and I've gained weight in my breasts (I'm naturally a D and I've gone up to a large DD). No sex drive, extreme mood swings, acne, and increased appetite. I can't wait to get off this pill. Look for other options before taking Kariva."

• 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."

• Lan...
• April 15, 2014

For Birth Control "I have been on Reclipsen for 3 months for terrible periods (I'm 15), and my acne isn't any better than it was before. My periods are just as heavy as before, and I've gained 17 pounds. It caused severe mood swings, anxiety attacks, weight gain, more acne, strange cravings, always hungry, and didn't help with the amount of blood or my cramps. The pros are it shortens my period to 6 days rather than 12-16 days, but I still bleed abnormally heavy to the anemic point. The weight gain is the worst."

• Mni...
• July 26, 2017

For Birth Control "I'm going into my fourth month taking Viorele, and I'm surprised at how well my body has reacted to this BC. I was on Lo Loestrin Fe (for about 6 months) and Gildess Fe (about two years) prior to switching to Viorele. I haven't had any migraines, mood swings, or breakouts since starting the pill. I usually have all those symptoms when starting something new. Also, my period cramping, bloating, and pain have significantly decreased with the help of this pill. It also helped clear up my cystic acne, and my weight has remained stable. The only negative about Viorele for me was the extreme tenderness and soreness in my breasts. My breasts are the most painful upon waking up in the morning, but then the feeling somewhat subsides. I'm pretty happy."

• amb...
• March 12, 2020

"I had terrible cramps every month. I would be doubled over in pain for hours and oftentimes vomiting. I would be unable to work for 2-3 days every period. Isibloom was a complete game changer for me. In the beginning, I had acne and tender breasts, but after the first three weeks, it’s been smooth sailing. Just give your body maybe at least a month to adjust. I’m not using this drug to prevent pregnancy."

• eol...
• January 8, 2020

For Birth Control "I've been taking Isibloom from Pill Club for almost 3 or 4 months now. I was very nervous about taking it because it was my first time taking birth control. And oh boy, did I change. I was angry all the time, always mad at something, felt like I was going to throw up all the time, my weight changed, I've gained almost 30-40 pounds (maybe that's because I live with my boyfriend lol), my acne was doing okay, but the changes in my period were great! My flow isn't as heavy, the first day it's light, but the second day it's heavy! The cramps are the worst on the first day, but after that, no cramps! My period lasts up to roughly 2-4 days, depends if Mother Nature wants to be nice. ALSO, this is coming from a girl that has sex almost every day or every other day, AND I'm not pregnant. AND we don't use a condom either. I would say this birth control is effective, but it just depends on who you are. And we all are entitled to our opinions. And taking the pill is worth all the struggles! Xoxox"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 13, 2018

For Birth Control "The initial first couple of months weren't pleasant - it worsened my anxiety, I completely lost my sex drive, and I was breaking out like crazy. Being at college out of state, I didn't have time to switch, so I stayed on it. I've been on it for a full 3 months now and all my symptoms disappeared. I guess it just took that long for my body to get used to it because now my anxiety is back to normal, my sex drive is back, and my skin is clear. This medication must just take time."

• Ame...
• November 21, 2016

For Birth Control "My doc prescribed this for endometriosis. I've tried other BC pills, and right away they either made me depressed, nauseated, made my period last for weeks, gained weight, breasts ballooned up and were painful, cramps every day, acne, pretty much every awful side effect you can think of. But thankfully NOT on this pill. There have been zero side effects. Maybe for the first week I experienced mood swings at the same time at night when I took the pill, but it didn't last if that was related to it. I only gave it 9 out of 10 because I've just started the second month, and I'm keeping an open mind in case things were to change. But I'm so thrilled with it so far, and I hope it holds up!"

• Lel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 3, 2019

For Birth Control "(Not as bad as the reviews might lead you to believe. Usually, people who have bad experiences are, of course, going to post about it. Not to undermine any experience that anyone has on this BC.) Let me tell you, though. I’ve tried six different kinds of birth controls (from Nuvaring to other pills). All of them gave me the WORST mood swings. It was not healthy, and I had to get off all of them. With Isibloom, I think I finally found one that works for me. I still get mild mood swings, but I just have to remind myself I’m adjusting to the new medication. Other than that, there have literally been no other side effects. I have bad acne in general, and I’m hoping soon it’ll clear up too! Ladies, good luck finding the birth control for you! Everything is going to be different for everyone. So try until you find yours. -Xoxo"

• Dai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 13, 2020

For Birth Control "I honestly love the Isibloom birth control pill! I did not get any bad symptoms at all! I did get body acne for the first month, but then it completely went away! The only thing that I noticed was that my periods got very light and were only 3 days short!"

• Jes...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 28, 2019

For Birth Control "I have been on this Isibloom for 2 months. It has made my periods only 3 days long and my cramps more bearable. I have not gained any more weight. I have been getting acne below my nose though ever since I have been taking it. Sex drive is fine. I get irritated easier now though. Overall, I like it though, so don’t be afraid to try it!"

• 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."

• Dan...
• May 25, 2011

For Birth Control "This pill caused me to feel like I was PMSing all the time, 24/7. Even when things were going great, I was depressed ALL THE TIME. I didn't know why but finally figured out it was the medicine after about 2 weeks of taking it, the symptoms are just not worth it. Plus, it caused my acne to come back and get dry skin, no matter how much lotion I used and what I used."

• Gal...
• August 6, 2010

For Birth Control "This birth control pill has its advantages in the fact that it gives you a very predictable period, and that's it. The side effects outweigh the benefits. I started getting acne at 23 when I hadn't had it for years, my skin became oily, I started getting headaches that persisted all day, my appetite increased, my sleep was disrupted, and I became depressed. The depression is the worst part. I would wake up and be horribly angry or depressed, without cause. I'm switching back to my old birth control."

• 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)."

• Elm...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 10, 2015

For Birth Control "Switched from Ortho-Cyclen (Sprintec) because of decrease in libido. Have trialed twice, and both times have had weight gain (10-15 lbs), increased acne (I don't normally break out), and uncontrollable emotions. I literally would cry all month long, not just the week before my period. I have been super irritable and have unpredictable mood swings. After this month (the 3rd month of taking), I will be discontinuing and attempting a non-hormonal contraceptive, as I am prone to depression and this medication is junk."

• Anonymous
• December 26, 2011

For Birth Control "Pros: breasts got bigger (they're AA normally, so this was a big plus!), it worked (I didn't get pregnant), light periods, can skip periods by taking continuously. Cons: much more acne, dramatic mood swings (crying uncontrollably for no reason), nausea, weight gain. I only stayed on Mircette for three months due to the dramatic increase in side effects compared to Ortho Tri-Cyclen (which I'd been on for three years at that point)-especially crying easily and acne. I get mood changes with any birth control pill, but it was by far the worst on Mircette. Every other pill I've tried improves my acne, but Mircette made it worse. I did like the breast enlargement, but that wasn't worth being totally crazy with an acne-covered face!"

• Cas...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 8, 2019

For Birth Control "Started this pill 2 weeks ago (pharmacy switched me from the “same” pill, different brand). Since taking it, I have felt crippling anxiety at night. I also am suffering from a huge breakout (not sure if it’s because of the pill directly or a side effect of not getting enough sleep). Either way, I’m getting off this thing."