Ethinyl estradiol / norelgestromin and Acne: What Users Say (Page 2)

• 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."

• Jeu...
• April 7, 2016

For Birth Control "I really like this patch. It took about 4 months for my period to be normal because I would have spotting in between. Now I just have my regular period on the patch-free week. I noticed less cystic breakouts. No weight gain/loss or drop in sex drive. I definitely cry a lot more about random things. There is a sticky dark residue after you peel it off due to lint and stuff. Just peel it off before you shower and scrub the residue off. I prefer to place the patch on the left or right of my stomach just because I feel it's more secure and less likely to peek out. I never tried Ortho Evra because it is no longer offered, so I can't compare. Overall, this patch really works for me, and I recommend you give it a try for at least 6 months."

• 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."

• pug...
• February 28, 2017

For Birth Control "I have been on this almost 4 years, but I do not remember any side effects when I switched over from a pill. I have had acne since I was 12, but now I get maybe one pimple when I'm on my off week. I have not experienced weight gain that I attribute to the patch. My main complaint is my libido does not exist anymore, and sometimes I get moody, but I feel like that is normal for women. I personally have had a great experience with it and am thankful that it has been free for me! The application area is itchy sometimes, but it's not a huge inconvenience."

• 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."

• 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."

• Lil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 4, 2016

For Birth Control "I love this birth control. I got no acne on this, and it made my boobs grow a full cup size, no lie. The only thing I didn't like was I kept getting scared that it would fall off, but what I do is when I switch it, I put the new one on where the old one was, so it's extra sticky (don't do this if your skin gets irritated or red). But yeah, I'm switching back cause I miss it, and no pill I've tried made my skin as clear as Xulane does, lol!"

• Ies...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 17, 2016

For Birth Control "I love it, honestly, it's just that my skin is really irritated for the first couple of days. No matter where I put it, I'm constantly scratching. It really is better than birth control pills because I only have to worry about it once a week. It's a myth about the whole use-a-patch-on-your-patch-free-week if you don't want to get your period. I still ended up getting my period the next week, so it's not like you won't get your period at all. I must admit that it did shorten my period, and I don't really get cramps anymore. I still get acne during that time of month, but I've always been like that, so I don't blame the patch. Overall, it's great, I've been using it for over a year."

• Bel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 14, 2019

For Birth Control "I’m fairly new to trying Xulane, and so far, it’s not too bad. The only problems I’ve run into are TMJ, teeth grinding, and a significant increase in acne. I am still on it and will continue to stay on it for a while!"

• Meg...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 1, 2019

For Birth Control "I want this to work, but it's not. I feel emotionally messed up. Back pain, tender breasts, bloating! I'm also gaining weight and am very active. I've tried different diets and am doing even more exercise. But I know it's from the patch. I'm also constantly breaking out and feeling more stressed."

• 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."

• Sir...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 14, 2016

For Birth Control "Switched to this after Ortho Evra was discontinued; had just about every bad side effect there is. LOVED my Ortho Evra patch, expected this to be the same, but this Xulane mess is awful. First off, it won't stay stuck. Tried shaving the skin, swabbed with alcohol, let it dry, stuck and held in place 10 sec, etc. It just never stayed more than 3 days at best. My pharmacist even had to give me some weird tape to try to keep it on longer. So of course, with the patch not consistently in contact, there's breakthrough bleeding, irregular LONG periods, terrible mood swings. I thought my body might just need a period of adjustment; I stuck with it 3 months. I gained 14 pounds and looked so bloated and puffy. At age 30, I started having cystic acne for the first time in my life. Oh yeah, and NO sex drive. Yeah, my husband just loves that. I will never recommend this to anyone. Ever. Finding something else has been an ongoing nightmare."

• Sar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 10, 2015

For Birth Control "I switched to Xulane from Mirena. I am on my second week. I am so nauseous, and my face has broken out badly. I feel tired all day, I'm simply miserable. I'm constantly eating. I actually miss my Mirena. I'll try to stick it out a little longer."

• 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."

• the...
• August 11, 2016

For Birth Control "I have been on Xulane for 8 months. The first few months included cramping, nausea, and terrible migraines after removing the patch for my patch-free week. I gained a few pounds, and my body has become more womanly and curvy. My boobs have gotten larger and more perky, and my butt has gained weight. Acne is very minimal, if any shows up. Now, my period comes exactly 3 days after patch removal and around the same time of day, which is great! However, I get nauseous sometimes and a little crampy before my period. My period has not gotten any lighter or shorter. Occasionally, I get super bad migraines the day after patch removal. I've had a little spotting after my period. I absolutely love that I can just apply it to my skin! So convenient."

• Ash...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 19, 2021

For Birth Control "This is the worst birth control ever! I never suffered from anxiety or depression until this birth control was prescribed to me. I would literally feel out of place and disconnected from the world around me. I would sit in bed and bawl my eyes out with my husband. It was affecting my sleep because it caused chills while having it on the 1st week. By the 2nd and 3rd week, I'm drenched in my sweat at night. I'm sick and tired of washing my bed sheets every day during the 2nd and 3rd week. I never suffered from acne but now I'm on long-term medications to treat severe acne. This pain caused extreme sweating that caused severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa flare-ups, which cost me so much money with a dermatologist. I have severe scarring thanks to this stuff. It should be illegal. So you think that's all it does to some people? Try chronic thyroid complications that leave you feeling like you can't breathe or swallow because the gland is severely swollen. Weight gain double time. AVOID!"

• HJa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 15, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve always been a super outgoing and happy person, but when I took the birth control pill, I became depressed. So I decided to try the patch. It was okay for the first few months, but I slowly started feeling less and less like myself. I became super depressed, and my sex drive basically went away, and I gained quite a bit of weight while I was on this as well, and so I decided the negatives outweighed the benefits. On the bright side, I didn’t get pregnant, and I’ve always struggled with acne (even when on the pill), but it went away when I was on the patch. I’m considering going on it again, I just don’t want to be depressed."

• 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."

• idd...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 22, 2023

For Birth Control "My doctor recommended I try Xulane for 3 months to see how I like it after switching from the pill. This birth control was really good at first, but when I got to the third month of taking it, my skin started breaking out, my mental health was worse than normal, and my boobs were swollen and sore. I have struggled with seasonal depression previously, but now I feel numb and at the same time crazy. My mental health has never been like this before I switched, and I am almost 99% sure it's because of the patch. Xulane is good for people who forget to take the pill, but the side effects just aren't worth it. My close friend switched too and had the exact same side effects."

• 16a...
• January 27, 2014

For Birth Control "I am 16, and this was my first method of birth control. I wasn't good at taking pills, so I chose this. In the first couple of weeks, my breasts felt tender. I only felt nauseous one time. I've had some headaches, but nothing too bad. I also got more acne, but now that I'm at the end of 3 months, it seems like it's gone away. I also fear that it will make me gain weight because I have gained 2-4 pounds since then. But I think my breasts got bigger."

• Bou...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 27, 2016

For Birth Control "My first time taking birth control, and I chose the patch. I was prescribed Xulane. I hate it. I already had a slight acne problem, it didn't improve it. It made my breasts tender all the time. I was spotting for a whole week, which was expected. The main issue from being on this patch was my mood swings. I felt depressed, sad, I was crying for no reason, and then I would be happy again. My boyfriend hates it because of my mood swings. I've been on it for 3 months, but not anymore."

• Lan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 23, 2016

For Birth Control "I switched from NuvaRing, which made my vaginal area very dry, irritated, and caused non-stop light bleeding. I also developed gross acne. Two hours after I put this patch on, I stopped bleeding. My acne is clearing up, and my vaginal area stays very, very wet. I am noticing it's easier for me to cry, and I'm sleepy most days, but my sexual arousal has been spiked and hasn't dulled my ability to orgasm like my previous birth controls did. Overall, I'm happy. I'm hoping the sky-high estrogen content doesn't cause harm. I need the estrogen, though."

• Ell...
• September 6, 2015

For Birth Control "This is the first type of contraception I have ever used, I was debating for ages what I should go for. I didn't really want something that stopped my period as I just don't feel it's right for my body, and I am happy with that. I haven't noticed any major changes to my body, which is good, although I had a major breakout during my first month on the patch (my GP said that should calm down after a few months). My emotions and appetite are always on a high, so I can't say the patch has really brought that on at all or anymore."

• Anonymous
• December 16, 2011

For Birth Control "I've been on the patch now for four months. I've had minimal side effects. In fact, I love what the patch has done for me. My acne cleared up, it has helped me calm down emotionally, I sleep better, and while it puts my sex drive on overload for the first month, it all mellowed out by the second or third month. The first month was the most drastic. The only thing I really could complain about is the fact that for a day in month one, I was extremely depressed. Like, so depressed that I felt hopeless and didn't want to get out of bed. Now, I don't know if that was due to the fact that I had pulled a couple all-nighters (due to exams) or the patch, but it was awful. Other than that, things have been wonderful. I love the patch."