Ortho Evra and Acne: What Users Say

• Aon...
• April 19, 2011

For Birth Control "I absolutely adore Ortho Evra. Less pimples. I practically glow! My breasts got bigger by a full cup. I'm always happy my sex drive went up. This is the second time I've been on it, and I'm never going back! I used NuvaRing and Yaz and a couple of others that gave me yeast infections, acne, low sex drive, and angry mood swings. This is perfect for a forgetful artist like me. Once a week and it works well with my body chemically. I don't know why I stopped it the first time."

• liv...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 30, 2013

For Birth Control "No mood swings, no acne, no weight gain, controlled period, protects me from being pregnant, only changed once a week, same sex drive, and increased a cup size! I love it. The sticky part washes away and I rotate between shoulder blades, it doesn't fall off me, works great for me, and I recommend it to anyone who has had other forms of birth control issues, this just might work for you."

• dee...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 30, 2012

For Birth Control "I've never used any contraceptive before, but when my doctor told me I just needed to change the patch once a week, I knew it was the patch for me. I LOVE the side effects! My breasts increased in size, my butt did too, my weight is stable, and my sex drive is amazing! Some breakouts here and there, but not that bad."

• Jaz...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 12, 2014

For Birth Control "I loved this birth control. I suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome. On this birth control, I lost 60 pounds, and I probably would have continued losing the weight I gained from the syndrome if I didn't stop. Unfortunately, insurances don't like covering this, which is why I had to stop taking it, as I couldn't afford it. I hate the new pill I'm on and might switch up again. This patch didn't make me depressed (like the pill does), I lost acne quickly, and my hair lessened in growth. The only thing I hated is after you take off the patch, you have the square mark from it on you for a couple of weeks. I recommend 100%!"

• Elb...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 12, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on the patch for about 5 years now and love it. I never had many problems with it. I didn't gain weight, but I typically will get a pimple or two the week before my period is supposed to start. I do get a slight skin irritation where I put it on. Only a little itchy and no big deal. I wear mine on my stomach and switch sides to help irritation. I don't think it hurts that bad to take off, it's like pulling off a bandaid. I have only had one fall off, and I was swimming every day for a week when it happened. I do notice I am more emotional (and slightly bitchy) while I'm on my period, but I put the new one on and I'm fine. Definitely would recommend!"

• Anonymous
• April 24, 2014

For Birth Control "Best birth control I have ever been on. I was on Seasonique before the patch, and I had my period for a month straight. I have been on almost every birth control. This is by far the best birth control I have ever been on. It also helped with my acne. I only break out maybe two pimples before my period now. It also cleared up my acne I had before going on this birth control."

• oli...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 26, 2013

For Birth Control "My boyfriend and I were getting pretty serious, so I thought to ask my OB about birth control. I had read about the patch and thought, why not, so she prescribed it to me and I didn't even need to have an exam. This is my first time using birth control (I'm 16). So far, the patch is awesome. My acne cleared up, and my breasts have grown a bit. When I first started using it, I had some cramps, but that may just have been because of my period, although the cramps were worse where I had placed the patch. I felt nauseous for about a week, but it was intermittent and went away. After that, I felt completely fine. And I have discovered that the best place to put the patch is on your hip near your butt, that way, it doesn't wrinkle."

• HWD...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 6, 2013

For Birth Control "This is the best birth control I've ever been on! I was put on the pill when I was 14 because I bled for around 15 days a month. Not fun. The pill didn't really help, I always had a lot of breakthrough bleeding, acne, and migraines. After 9 years of trying different 'types' of birth control pills (monophasic, biphasic, triphasic, high dose, low dose, Yaz, you name it, I was on it!), Implanon, and Paragard, and no success, my doctor said that I could try the patch, but otherwise, she didn't know what to tell me. It worked! I have normal periods, no acne or headaches, and I'm so happy! My only complaint is sometimes the patch is kind of itchy, but it depends on where you put it. A great bet for people who've had problems with other kinds of birth control!"

• Evr...
• August 4, 2019

For Birth Control "I was on the patch in my teen years for six years, went off for about five, and have just stopped it again after another two years of use. There are many upsides to Evra. During my first experience with Evra, I went off of it because I was trying to deal with fatigue and depression. I will admit that it helped a lot! A few years later, I developed cystic acne on my chin and could not fix it naturally. I gathered my hormones were imbalanced and decided to go back on the patch. The first year was great, no side effects, and periods were healthy and quick. This year, I seem to have a lot of severe mood swings and anxiety episodes-often heart palpitations with chest pressure and shortness of breath. As there is no actual trigger for this and I'm happy in my life, it's come down to me once again wondering if the hormones are just too much again. I decided yesterday to quit the patch again and have high hopes of returning to my usual self!"

• Sun...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 15, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve been on the patch off and on for 5 years! I tried Mirena IUD, and this was 1000x better and easier on my body. Normally, without any birth control, I suffered from extreme hormonal acne, massive depressive mood (PPMD), along with all the typical side effects of the monthly cycle. I report on Ortho Evra everything got easier for me! The occasional headache or breakout, slight cramping from time to time. Overall, this patch saved my life. The only downfall is finding a spot that it stays for a week at a time, managing activities around patch placement, lol. One small note is I went off in hopes to conceive and ended up with an ectopic pregnancy, that I was very lucky to notice on day 5 before. So patch has slowed down my egg release for sure. I was 29 at the time, I am 31 now and continue to stay on the patch with no problems."

• Kay...
• February 17, 2016

For Birth Control "Since I've started the patch, I've had an increase in libido like all the time. I wasn't like that before... I'm not complaining. Lol. But downside, my skin broke out bad the first week of wearing the patch. And I gained a bad cough that won't stop. Other than that, I love the patch. Since I've worn it, I haven't had weight gain, but my boobs have gone up a whole cup size, so no more pretty bras. Lol."

• Sun...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 24, 2020

For Birth Control "I’ve been on Evra now for 4/5 years and originally started using it for terrible acne I had. I had been on two Oratane courses, and nothing worked, so I decided to go onto the Evra patch. The past 4/5 years have been really great! My skin cleared up, periods were very regulated, and period pains were kept to a minimum. I am now at a crossroad where I don’t know how my hormones work without birth control and have decided to stop using Evra and see how my skin reacts. Hopefully, my periods will be healthy, even though they might not be as regulated and pain-free anymore."

• Cat...
• January 4, 2020

For Birth Control "I started the patch about a year and a half ago, but have recently decided to come off it. I definitely experienced some positives; my periods were less painful and easy to predict, and occasionally I did put a 4th patch on to delay the patch-free week (not regularly recommended), which did work. I don’t think there’s been a significant difference in my skin; it tends to fluctuate, and I can often get hormonal acne, especially around week 3. I had started to find, though, that the longer I was on the patch, the more problems I was getting. My mood had just dropped; I felt drained, in an almost depressive way, and overly emotional, which I am not usually. I’d also started getting frequent migraines. I’m not sure 100% on the accuracy, but my friend was told that it’s the highest hormone concentration and that because she was short, her body couldn’t handle the hormones. I’m 5’10 and have started to experience the same negative side effects."

• cup...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 4, 2016

For Birth Control "I have been on the patch for over 4 years. No babies, so it has done its job on that matter. Never had any issues with skin irritation where the patch is applied. When I first started the patch, I had the worst acne of my life on my face for a couple of weeks. Boobs definitely got bigger and more sensitive. I have noticed (and those close to me have noticed) that I have been experiencing bad mood swings lately and have been super emotional for almost the last 6 months. The patch is the only thing I can narrow it down to. Has anyone else had reactions after being on it for so long?"

• Cai...
• July 2, 2017

For Birth Control "I've been on the patch for about 2 years now. I honestly love it. The only issue I have been noticing lately is acne. I have never had acne issues up until now, and I'm 21. Have any of you ladies had acne issues while on this patch? If so, what did you do? Any tips would help because this makes me sad. :( But other than that, it's easy going."

• the...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 26, 2016

For Birth Control "I loved the results! It is so easy to put on my butt cheek (alternating each week) and forget about for a week. I love how hassle-free it is, my insurance even covers it 100%, so I don't have a co-pay. I haven't had any issues with it coming loose, but that is one of my few complaints. When I pulled it off the first time, it felt like a waxing strip, but that's a price to pay for how convenient it is, now I use a little lotion to get it off. I am accustomed to having a few breakouts here and there, however, I've been getting huge cystic pimples. They have cleared up, and I haven't had any for the last week, though. My breasts have gone from D to pushing a DD and are extremely tender. I am somewhat moody as well."

• Nbb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 20, 2019

For Birth Control "Was put on Ortho Evra to treat my PCOS, just came off Diane. Wasn’t great at taking the pill, so I tried this patch, and OMG, only had it on a week, and I was absolutely crawling the walls. I did read all the side effects before using, but I have nausea, anxiety, depression, and I'm hungry all the time and no sleep. I also felt it was uncomfortable because my clothes kept catching on it. My acne is worse, and yes, all this in one week!!!! Never again."

• p20...
• April 18, 2021

For Birth Control "I have had a difficult relationship with contraceptives in the past - on both the implant and the pill, I had consistent bleeding, in one case every single day for four months. I have been on the patch for over a month now and have just missed a period (hopefully meaning it's stopped permanently), had no mood swings, no acne, my hair has stopped shedding so much, and I've gone up a full cup size from 32C to 32D. I'd honestly say my breasts looked so much bigger within the first week. I'm a very cynical person as well and I can't even deny any of these pros. Got this on the NHS in the UK where contraceptives are completely free."

• Pac...
• October 20, 2013

For Birth Control "Was 17 years old when switched from pill to patch. It gave me an amazing sex drive. I thought it was the love I have for my boyfriend that made it really amazing. Breast size slightly increased in as little as 2-3 months. Quickly gained 10 lbs in 3 months. The size of my butt became more plump with a little bit of glute workouts. The opposite of the reviews I read by others is I started breaking out and haven't experienced breaking out this badly. I'm trying to see how I am without the patch due to fatigue and mood swings. In as little as 4 days, my period became very heavy once I took it off. I had a bad migraine, which lasted for 3 days. And this is about my 2nd week off it, and my breast, hips, and butt shrunk."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 10, 2012

For Birth Control "I have been on the patches for about 5 years. I absolutely love them. I lose weight, no acne problems (I tried Mirena and had bad acne issues), and I'm not as moody. I recommend the patches to everyone."

• hap...
• June 9, 2011

For Birth Control "I've been on Ortho Evra for 2 months now. I love it. The first night I wore it, I had a panic attack. I ripped it off during the night, then started wearing a new patch the next day. Since then, no panic attacks, so I'm guessing it wasn't caused by the patch. My breasts were tender, but I got used to it, and I love how light my cramping and periods are. I get a pimple or two during the third week, and I am a lot more emotional, but that does not interfere with my personal life. It took some time getting used to wearing the patch, it fell off like three times. Overall, it's amazing."

• spr...
• July 9, 2013

For Birth Control "I'm just about to start my 5th month on the patch, and now that my body's gotten used to it, I can honestly say that I love it! I felt completely normal the first month. The second month, however, I experienced mild itching around the patch, extreme mood swings during the 'off period,' and heavy spotting for 4 weeks while wearing the patch. After the second month, I was back to normal. No itching, no baby, no huge detrimental side effects except that I increased a cup size, acne is mild/did not change on the patch, no more spotting in between periods, and no mood swings. Overall, I would recommend the patch. Easy to use, put it on my butt and forget about it for a week. LOVE it."

• Kfi...
• November 4, 2013

For Birth Control "Although I love that I only need to change my patch once a week instead of taking a pill every day, I HATE the patch. I've been on it for 3 months and took my last patch off for good today. I've gained more than 25 pounds! I'm constantly hungry no matter what or how often I eat (I normally have great self-control). Also, I have had ongoing cramping through my entire cycle. My periods are not any shorter, lighter, or less painful. My acne has gotten worse. I have sudden and fierce mood swings and am more emotional than I was when I was pregnant. The only good thing I can say about it is I haven't gotten pregnant, and even then, I haven't had sex since starting it, so that doesn't even count in my book. Hate it."

• Car...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 31, 2012

For Birth Control "I've been on the patch for 4 years. It was the first contraceptive I went on. I love it, my periods came almost the same time each month. I did not notice any changes, maybe just a pimple or two on my third patch. I'm very young, so I blame my 10 pounds of weight gain on my body changing over the years. I did have to switch birth controls because my parents did not approve. So I tried Depo-Provera so I could still be protected without my parents knowing. I rapidly gained almost 25 pounds and spotted the whole time! As soon as I could, I switched back to the patch, now I'm back to my normal weight and no more spotting. The patch never comes off, and it takes less than a minute to change. I highly recommend it."

• yia...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 8, 2017

For Birth Control "This is my second week using Evra. Boobs got bigger, which is good, but very tender. I never stopped bleeding since my period (spotting), and I hope it stops because I cannot have sex if I'm bleeding, it makes me very uncomfortable. Hopefully, it will stop once my period comes again. I still haven't used it without condoms, so who knows, but I really hope it works. The patch stops being sticky around the edges, but it stays on. Had a few pimples, which happens almost never to me. Nausea lasts for like 10 seconds, but hey, if it works, it's nice."