Etonogestrel and Acne: What Users Say (Page 2)

• nik...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 7, 2015

For Birth Control "I have been on for almost six years. I've had it replaced once. This upcoming October, I'll probably have it replaced again. For me, the first one, my periods were random. No period for 3 months, then spotting for one month. After having it replaced the second time, it's been less period all around, light spotting. Again, considering it again in October, just wanted to see the effects others have had. No weight gain or acne for me. I have a slight temper already, so wouldn't have noticed mood swings."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 28, 2015

For Birth Control "I've had Nexplanon since June 2013, and it's been great except for the first seven months. I had an almost nonstop period, but since then, no period-been almost a year and a half, no period. Pretty happy about that. No weight gain, actually lost weight. At first, it did affect my mood, but after a while, I got back to myself. Little to no acne. I plan on getting a new one when I get this one taken out. Best birth control!"

• Man...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 28, 2020

For Birth Control "I have endometriosis, so the Nexplanon for pain management was great. I only had 4 periods in the 3 years I had it. But it caused me to gain 50 pounds despite me being healthier than I’ve ever been. My acne got worse, my depression and anxiety were awful, and I got horrible migraines. I stuck with it because it was the only BC that didn’t make me violently ill every month, but I’m so happy I got it taken out."

• Mor...
• December 19, 2015

For Birth Control "Okay, so I got the implant for two reasons: I was terrible at remembering to take birth control, and my menstrual cycle every month used to be awful (heavy bleeding, terrible cramps, vomiting, and headaches). I absolutely love Implanon. My monthly symptoms stopped, and I only bled three times this past year for only a few days. I can't speak highly enough of this! It stopped my mood swings caused by hormones, and this past year has been amazing. I was so worried about getting it because there are some bad reviews of this. I was worried about weight gain, mood swings, and breakouts because I used to have severe acne. I did not experience any of those symptoms."

• Mor...
• December 19, 2015

For Birth Control "Okay, so I got the implant for two reasons: I was terrible at remembering to take birth control, and my menstrual cycle every month used to be awful (heavy bleeding, terrible cramps, vomiting, and headaches). I absolutely love Implanon. My monthly symptoms stopped, and I only bled three times this past year for only a few days. I can't speak highly enough of this! It stopped my mood swings caused by hormones, and this past year has been amazing. I was so worried about getting it because there are some bad reviews of this. I was worried about weight gain, mood swings, and breakouts because I used to have severe acne. I did not experience any of those symptoms."

• Mag...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 13, 2014

For Birth Control "So I've been on Nexplanon for 2 years this June (2014). Pros: it works, I don't have to worry about taking a pill every day, I don't feel it in my arm, I don't have a period but every 8 to 6 months, and it's super light. Only gained 5 pounds in 2 yrs. Cons: I had to deal with a little bit of acne, but after seeing a dermatologist, I have great skin. It made me moody, I would be moody around the same time every month, so it was like I had PMS but never a period to follow. I am tired a lot. I got headaches and nausea for the first 6 months. I developed irritable bowel syndrome, however, I fixed that issue by taking fiber regularly and probiotics, and I'm fine now. All in all, I've had a good experience, nothing major I've had to deal with."

• Hyd...
• November 15, 2013

For Birth Control "I got my Implanon in May 2011 after my son was born. I didn't have a period for a month after that like normal. Then the spontaneous bleeding began (like I expected, the doctor told me it would happen), but then 2 months passed, then 3, then 6! With almost constant bleeding, I called my doctor, and she said to give it 6 more months, and at the year mark, my periods would stop altogether. That day came and went, but the problem continued. Along with that, I have had a nonexistent sex drive, severe weight gain, acne, depression, anxiety, hormonal issues, and hair loss, getting it out in 2 hours!"

• Lun...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 12, 2015

For Birth Control "I got my Nexplanon inserted in June 2014. I got my period the month after but haven't gotten it ever since. I haven't gotten pregnant either. I'm very satisfied except for the fact that my face has been breaking out so much and gained so much weight."

• Mol...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 3, 2020

For Birth Control "Honestly, I feel like a lot of these reviews are unfair, but to be fair, it’s all about personal experience. During the time on this, I have had very limited periods - amazing due to the severe PMDD symptoms I would experience on any pill. Yes, during the last year of your implant, you will most likely experience hormonal fluctuations, weight gain, acne, and irregular periods due to the level of hormones tapering off and the nature of the drug. But the two years of pure hormonally regulated bliss is totally worth it. Also, once I started experiencing this, my gyno offered to replace it early, which has completely remedied any issue I have had with the medication. I have experienced stability in mood, weight, and hormonal acne, and I have not purchased feminine products in six years. Give it a shot and your body time to adjust, you won’t regret it."

• Mol...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 3, 2020

For Birth Control "Honestly, I feel like a lot of these reviews are unfair, but to be fair, it’s all about personal experience. During the time on this, I have had very limited periods - amazing due to the severe PMDD symptoms I would experience on any pill. Yes, during the last year of your implant, you will most likely experience hormonal fluctuations, weight gain, acne, and irregular periods due to the level of hormones tapering off and the nature of the drug. But the two years of pure hormonally regulated bliss is totally worth it. Also, once I started experiencing this, my gyno offered to replace it early, which has completely remedied any issue I have had with the medication. I have experienced stability in mood, weight, and hormonal acne, and I have not purchased feminine products in six years. Give it a shot and your body time to adjust, you won’t regret it."

• Tin...
• January 31, 2015

For Birth Control "I have been on the Implanon a little over a year now. I have not had any periods besides a little spotting the first couple of months. (Yay for not having to pay for tampons & chocolate!) I love the fact of not having a period and not getting pregnant right now, but there are a few downsides to it. My downsides: I never had acne previously, and I now have it really bad. I gained about 45 lbs, and I have horrible mood swings. It has its good and its bad to it, just be cautious of the side effects."

• Dan...
• November 4, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve had the Nexplanon for 4 years now. Here are the pros: 1. Can’t get pregnant 2. No weight gain 3. Don’t have to worry about taking a pill every day. Cons: 1. I get depressed out of NOWHERE, and I’ve never felt like this before I was on Nexplanon. I get major mood swings. I feel like I’m going crazy sometimes. 3. Long periods- I would have my period for 2-3 weeks at a time. Sometimes I would spot for 30 days. My normal cycle without Nexplanon lasts 3-5 days. 4. Bruised arm- when I got my new rod put in, my arm still looks bruised. 5. Acne- I eat clean, exercise, and drink lots of water, and still, my face breaks out. I get really big, painful pimples too. 6. Distorted thinking- I get so many negative thoughts out of nowhere, and I get into this really dark place. So, I am getting my implant taken out at the end of this month, thank goodness! I appreciate that it does prevent pregnancy, but it’s not worth costing me my mental health and relationships. I do not recommend this product."

• JSa...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 18, 2020

For Birth Control "Daily spotting started about 5 months after the procedure. Some mood swings, gained some weight (but working from home due to COVID-19), casual bad headache, and acne around my chin (never had acne since 2003)."

• Anonymous
• March 14, 2015

For Birth Control "It's been almost a year I've been on it. My boyfriend and I had sex a week or so later and it was fine. My first few months, I was on a constant period. Not really heavy, but enough to aggravate anyone. I was extremely sensitive, and now I'm having terrible, terrible acne. (sigh)"

• Mil...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 14, 2014

For Birth Control "I've had this in for 2 years now, and I love it. I guess everyone responds differently, but I haven't experienced any acne breakouts, moodiness, prolonged periods, etc. In fact, I haven't had a period in 2 years. Lots of sex, no babies. The one thing I will say, though, is that it made me gain 15 pounds within the first 3 months, but other than that, no further weight gain."

• ash...
• September 21, 2014

For Birth Control "I got the Nexplanon implant at the beginning of August, and in a couple of weeks, I will have had it for 2 months. I actually love this form of birth control because I can't get into the routine of a pill or Depo shot. There have been a few ups and downs, though. For about the first few weeks, I was spotting, and now I have nonexistent periods. My moods were wacky at first. I do have a little more acne than before, but nothing that doesn't disappear within a few days. I'm a lot more tired now. I've experienced loss of appetite. I weighed 127 lbs when I got it, and now I weigh 113 lbs. Other than the occasional crying, I'm completely okay with this implant. My sex drive is strong, and I'm not pregnant."

• Jaz...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 15, 2016

For Birth Control "I wanted to share my positive experience. I first had mine inserted in Aug 2013 at my university's nurse's office. The numbing shot really stung, but I didn't feel the incision or insertion at all. I had bruising on my arm for a few days. For a few weeks after, my arm would ache. I have a small, barely-there scar from the incision (looks like a beauty mark/mole). I consistently had periods every other month for 3-5 days. I've gained no weight, had no acne breakouts, and have not gotten pregnant. I was using b/c pills for over a year before switching to this method. I think it's a more hassle-free method; I don't have to worry about human error. I will be getting another one inserted in Aug since my 3 years is about to be up."

• Mad...
• September 18, 2017

For Birth Control "Rating this a 9 because I spotted for a month after insertion. I have my period every other month with the same flow as before. No weight gain, acne, or mood swings. Just had my first bar removed and another put in. Insertion and removal are easy. The area is numbed with local anesthesia. Every woman is different, and it may take some trial and error to find a birth control that works for you! I chose this BC because I was sick of having to worry about the pill. Plus, Nexplanon is practically 100% effective! Don't be scared of all the negative reviews. Most people only write reviews when they are displeased!"

• 608...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 2, 2020

For Birth Control "I’m 19, and I got the Nexplanon implant on 3/7/19. I have been bleeding NONSTOP since then. Whether it’s huge blood clots, brown discharge, or light pink watery discharge, it has been nonstop. I’m always tired, even when I get a good amount of sleep. My acne is worse than it’s ever been. I could deal with the fatigue and acne if I could actually have pleasurable sex where I didn’t have to worry about disappointing my partner or getting blood on the sheets (I’m in a serious relationship). So many pairs of underwear have been ruined, and so much money spent on tampons since I have had to use one EVERY DAY. I tried giving it a year to get my body used to it, but we don’t work well together. Never got pregnant, though! I recommend trying it out and seeing if it works for you, but it definitely does not work for me! Only giving it a 1 because I didn’t get pregnant!"

• Scr...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 28, 2023

For Birth Control "I gained 23 pounds in less than 3 or 4 months. I developed a complex ovarian cyst that burst and sent me to the ER. I am experiencing cystic acne galore, horrible mood swings, and loss of energy. Do not recommend."

• Civ...
• May 2, 2019

For Birth Control "I feel a civic duty to share my experience because this is really the 'Evil Stick.' It all started great! The insertion was easy, had some mild spasms in the arm, and I didn't have my period for 5 months, which is cool! 8 months later, random spotting and had some serious heavy periods lasting more than two weeks! *Warning, this part will be very graphic.* I found myself sitting in the bathtub, I was bleeding out. I sat there for about an hour, and huge blood clots streamed out of me. I was horrified, as I have never seen anything like this in my life! Basically, I had two weeks of heavy periods and two weeks with no period. The period was so heavy I was iron deficient. I gained 25 - 30 pounds and had acne on my face. After 2 years, I am HANGRY! I'm hungry, angry, moody, zero energy. SEX DRIVE IS NONEXISTENT, flooding periods, eruptions of acne, and 30 pounds later...decided to remove the 'Evil Stick' next week! Argh...I regret my life decision."

• Kay...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 30, 2023

For Birth Control "Sure, I didn’t get pregnant, but experienced absolutely horrendous side effects. I was on it for a year and a half. My face looked like a pepperoni pizza, and I had six-week-long heavy periods. I wish I was making this up. I had horrible cystic acne, so bad to the point one time the whole left side of my face swelled up. Beware!"

• Cha...
• June 16, 2015

For Birth Control "This birth control has had me bleeding since December 2014. It is now June 2015. I hate this so much. My doctor didn't even tell me this was going to happen. I went back, and she said if it doesn't stop in 6 months, then I need to get it out. It has been 6 months of nonstop bleeding, and now I have to get it removed. It would have been nice to have been aware of this before getting it put in. Some people bleed for a couple of weeks or maybe a month, and others for as long as it's in them. I do not like this birth control at all. It has made me break out, gain weight, eat so much more, and I've gone through about 7 jumbo boxes of tampons."

• Rld...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 27, 2014

For Birth Control "I love Implanon. I went to my doctor to complain about my birth control pills (different kinds for 6 years) that caused mood swings, breakouts, etc. She suggested Implanon, and in 20 minutes I walked out with it! It does not hurt. It looks intimidating, but they numb your arm and afterwards it feels like a normal bruise. I have had it for 6 months now. I have no period and no side effects! No mood swings, no breakthrough bleeding, no breakouts, it's amazing."

• Mis...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 6, 2020

For Birth Control "Really like Nexplanon! Especially because I am someone who can never remember to take pills! This was the first form of birth control I ever tried. A great option because an IUD is kind of scary for a teenager! The first month, I experienced some water retention and acne, but it went away super fast. Overall, recommend."