Zarah and Acne: What Users Say

• hap...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 4, 2014

For Birth Control "Zarah is officially my favorite birth control I've tried. Other pills and the NuvaRing gave me very bad side effects (acne, moodiness, weight gain), but I've been taking Zarah now for almost 3 months, and I've experienced no bad side effects. It has only enhanced my life! My periods are now much shorter (3-4 days long) and lighter, my skin has been clearer than usual, and since taking Zarah, I have had absolutely no period cramps, which I used to get very badly. This pill also doesn't affect my mood or weight. When I was on NuvaRing, my emotions immediately went crazy, and I felt paranoid about everything, so I am very glad to have found something that doesn't turn me into an emotional wreck! Love Zarah, can't say a bad thing about it."

• Kai...
• April 12, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on this birth control since I was 16 years old (I'm now 27). I have never had any problems with it. When I first started taking it, my boobs grew by 2 cup sizes in a short period of time, but that could have been coincidence. I very rarely have acne, and I haven't experienced any mood swings or loss in libido. I do occasionally have breakthrough bleeding, but that's to be expected with any kind of hormonal birth control."

• JO3...
• December 1, 2015

For Birth Control "I was on this birth control when I was a teenager and felt great. I had since been diagnosed with endometriosis and had to stop birth control for treatment. When I finished the 6-month treatment, I had to start birth control again. I tried a bunch of different birth control pills to try to minimize bleeding and pain. I had issues with acne, depression and anxiety, weight loss, breakthrough bleeding, severe cramping, painful sex, and a million other things. I asked to be put back on Zarah and should have done it years ago. My skin is completely clear, I have no depression and anxiety, it did not change my weight, there is no breakthrough bleeding, severe cramping, or painful sex. I feel 10 times better than being on no birth control. The best!!!"

• Che...
• July 2, 2013

For Birth Control "Zarah was the 4th and final stop for me. I tried 3 other pills and had horrible side effects. I had the worst breakout of my life and rashes. I even had to change gynecologists. My new gyno, the first and only one she has ever prescribed me, was Zarah. I immediately saw results. My skin cleared up, even though I will get minor blemishes around period time. No more rashes, and periods are WAY better, they are light and barely any cramps, and they last 3-4 days tops, come like clockwork for me now. I do feel more bloating, but it's a small price to pay when there is really nothing else wrong with the pill. I would definitely recommend this pill. Possibly lightweight gain, but I think it's manageable and not extreme. Expect discharge a lot."

• Lin...
• June 25, 2014

For Birth Control "My experience on Zarah was absolutely horrible. At first, things were good. I never carried water weight, and my periods lightened up. All of a sudden, in these last couple of months, my body has been going haywire on it. Everybody swears I could be pregnant, but I'm not. I have gained 20 lbs, even though I watch my diet and stay active. My acne has not cleared up, I spot 2-3 times a week, crave spicy foods a lot, sweets make me nauseous, and I stay with headaches and constant mood swings. My OB-GYN switched me back to Safyral because I was never bloated and, in fact, lost all my excess weight. The only side effect I had was that my periods were a bit heavy the first 2 days. So my OB-GYN tried me on Zarah. I would much rather deal with heavy periods."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 11, 2015

For Birth Control "I never write reviews, but had to share my terrible experience so that others don't make the same mistake that I've made. I had been on Yasmin for years, my doctor suggested I switch to a generic since it's free (as opposed to $50), so I gave it a shot for a month. I have one more day on Zarah, and here are the side effects I've experienced in that time: nausea, severe moodiness, dizziness, yeast infection, swollen tongue (?!), cystic acne, loss of appetite, yet weight gain. I'm a healthy, active 31-year-old woman without any other medical issues. Avoid this pill!!"

• Ot1...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 22, 2018

For Birth Control "I usually never write reviews, but I felt the need to share my experience for future users. I was on Ocella for a couple of years before my pharmacy switched me over to Zarah. Ocella was great, I had zero side effects from it, and it even cleared up my skin, so that was a plus. But when I switched to Zarah, the cons outweighed the pros. First off, my acne returned worse than it was before. I also had constant anxiety and moodiness. But the worst side effect seemed to be low sex drive and vaginal dryness. My sex life disappeared for nearly three months, and even if I wanted to have sex, there was zero lubrication to do so. The only thing this birth control did right was preventing me from getting pregnant, and that was basically only because I had no sex drive while on it. Once I got off of it, all my side effects regarding acne, anxiety, moodiness, sex drive, and dryness went away. If you can avoid taking this birth control, you should."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 6, 2015

For Birth Control "I never take time out of my day to write reviews on products, however, I felt it was necessary for this. Overall, I am extremely unhappy with Zarah. I am not sexually active, therefore, I took it more for my acne. Before Zarah, I was on Ocella, which I loved but had to switch due to location purposes. Ocella cleared my face up and did not give me any mood swings. However, once I started Zarah, I broke out so bad on my chin and forehead. It's been about three weeks since I stopped, and I am still suffering from acne. If you are taking this pill merely just for acne, do not do it. I also got awful mood swings. I do not advise."

• KAT...
• August 29, 2016

For Birth Control "I use Zarah for my acne because I have bad acne. I started 2 months ago and it cleared my acne up. It's just that now I have a few breakouts now and then and some scars from before. I think this product is really helpful for acne. It works on some people like me, and people are not the same, so it might or might not work for you."

• pep...
• August 1, 2017

For Birth Control "I love this birth control! I previously had the Implanon BC in my arm, and it caused really bad acne, and I always had really bad cramps even though I didn't have a period. I've been on Zarah for about 3 months now, and the only complaint is that I get weird cramps occasionally. Other than that, my skin is completely clear (and I've struggled with acne for a few years now), my sex drive has actually increased, and I haven't gained any weight. I've always been moody around my period, so I don't know if it's affected that much because it's always different. Overall, I definitely recommend!!"

• Lee...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 16, 2016

For Birth Control "I took this particular kind of birth control because it is supposed to be similar to Yasmin and my health providers covered it at no cost. I suffer from mild acne, and Zarah made it worse. The only time my skin would clear was during the off week I wasn't taking it. I also think Zarah may be the cause of gaining around 10 pounds. I tried Zarah for about 4 months and saw no improvements."

• net...
• March 7, 2015

For Birth Control "No history of any acne during my teens. Started BCP when I was 17, now at 26 I went off (Ortho Tri-Cyclen) to try the Mirena IUD. I went from having not one pimple a year to about 5-6 large cysts a week. I had the IUD in for about 5 months and started breaking out almost immediately after I got it. I got the IUD out about three weeks ago and started taking Zarah (generic for Yasmin). My insurance will not cover Yasmin, and I can't pay for it out of pocket. I'm finishing my first pack this week, I've seen no improvement. Will continue to take it until I get used to it, and I'll report back to you ladies. I hear month 3 is the charm. Wish me luck. I hate makeup and can't wait to go back to my clear skin again. This sucks!"

• Hil...
• August 8, 2015

For Birth Control "I usually never give reviews on any products, but this is something women need to know of before even going on this pill! I have been on a lot of different birth controls in the past, I have never in my life experienced such a horrid birth control in all my life. The pharmacy ended up giving me Zarrah 21 instead last time I filled my prescription, and for the first month, I thought 100% I was pregnant! I was getting 'morning sickness' and gained probably about 5-10 pounds just in the first month, and I am completely exhausted and lethargic almost 24/7 now. Honestly, I can deal with the sickness and the little weight gain, but the acne! I have never had acne in my life, but this is unreal... it's painful and horrible all over my face! Don't go on this pill!!"

• Ann...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 5, 2015

For Birth Control "I've been on this pill for over a year now, and so far, so good. When I first started it, I was pretty moody and had some acne, but after the first few months, my skin was always clear and there was way less moodiness. (Still some, but I think that's just how I am, lol) This was the first birth control I took, and I've taken it ever since!"

• Jes...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 30, 2015

For Birth Control "I've been on birth control pills for 10 years; Yasmin, Yaz, whatever came next, then Zarah. My acne decreased with the exception of the placebo pill week. My cramping was never as bad, and I never got pregnant, which is the main point! Now, I've been off the pill for 4 months, trying to conceive. I haven't had a single mouth ulcer. I NEVER went more than 2 weeks without one. I knew if I bit my lip, I'd have one within a few hours. If it was the week of my menstruation, I'd have at least one. Usually, I had at least 2 at any given time. Also, almost every time I'd go to the dentist, I'd have a new cavity. I've looked it up, and I believe that the hormones from the pill increased my mouth difficulties."

• NL8...
• June 4, 2014

For Birth Control "Overall, no major side effects, but I do think I've gained weight. I am very active - strength train 5 days/week & run 20 km per week and eat quite healthily, around 1500 calories/day, and cannot shed this extra 10 lbs. I think it's the Zarah. As far as acne goes, I have mild acne & have not noticed an improvement."