Ortho Micronor and Acne: What Users Say

• Neo...
• February 15, 2016

For Birth Control "I had a blood clot during my first pregnancy and this is the only thing they could prescribe. I have been taking it for 7 days and I'm moody, crampy, my face broke out (I have clear skin), no sex drive, spacy, I'm extremely tired and I'm so overly hungry. I'm very athletic so it's frustrating. Birth control is ridiculous. I have never found a good one. Even the IUD moved twice! Where the hell is male birth control?"

• ACa...
• May 1, 2020

For Birth Control "I have tried every type of birth control, from implants to IUDs to rings to 5 different types of combined BCPs, but Ortho Micronor is my favorite. I take generic Micronor and it has the least amount of side effects of any hormonal birth control method I have ever used. It’s the only pill that doesn’t cause me mood swings. I have not had any notable extra acne, no facial hair, no weight gain. All other combined pills made me emotional, weepy, agitated, and irritable. I have PMDD, and Yaz actually made it worse. I will take Norethindrone for as long as I can. It’s been the best yet for me. I know every body is different, but I wish I tried this sooner. I would have saved myself a lot of painful and emotional trial and error."

• Lov...
• January 31, 2013

For Birth Control "This birth control did prevent me from getting pregnant, which is the main concern. However, I have never bled so much in my life. I am someone who has always had perfect periods without birth control. I went from that to bleeding three weeks out of the month, and it never would stop. It wasn't necessarily heavy bleeding, but it is very aggravating to bleed constantly. This medicine also made me have acne, and I normally have very clear skin. It made me have mood swings that my husband noticed. He even asked me when his nice wife was coming back. I decided after giving this three months to go for a permanent birth control method."

• ama...
• May 11, 2015

For Birth Control "I was on a combo pill for years before Micronor, and it was the worst. I had terrible mood swings, weight gain, an increase in appetite, and low sex drive, and the headaches were TERRIBLE. Once I started getting aura migraines, my doctor made me switch. I thought Micronor would be just as bad or worse. Thankfully, however, everything has been good! I've only noticed around an 8 lb weight gain, and it pretty much all went to my chest, I went from barely a B to a full C. Can't complain about that, lol. My only real complaint is that my face, which has always been clear even throughout my teenage years, now breaks out every so often. No mood swings, decreased appetite, up sex drive, bigger boobs, regular periods, and no babies. Go Micronor!"

• Abl...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 27, 2015

For Endometriosis "First 4 months I had a period every 2 weeks, extreme bloating (15 lbs), very tender breasts, but those all went away. After this, my periods evened out to every 28 days. I had some mild acne, and my PMS and cramps were very, very mild. About a year in, I went off these pills because I was very depressed and suicidal. I had also developed severe insomnia, social anxiety, and was constantly freezing. Within days of being off these pills, my depression disappeared (I have never been depressed before), I'm warm at a temperature below 78 degrees, and I can sleep. I can't have estrogen, so these pills were a godsend for my severe PMS and cramps, but the mental side effects were horrible and developed slowly. Be careful."

• Emm...
• December 5, 2014

For Birth Control "I have been taking Micronor for almost a month now. I used to take Yaz for 2 years but had to stop due to migraines. I've honestly had 0 problems with Micronor, much to my surprise after reading so many negative reviews. I do not have spotting, weight gain, etc. It doesn't help my acne, but I don't think it's making it worse. I think people may be having issues with spotting and heavy bleeding because they are not taking the pill at the exact same time every day. I take it at exactly 6 and have had no problems!"

• Cam...
• June 8, 2016

For Birth Control "Before this, I tried one mini pill and had mood swings/breakouts. Then tried the combined pill (Lucette) and gained weight rapidly- even went up a cup size in a week. As a result, I felt depressed because of my weight gain. I then tried the IUD, intercourse felt like being stabbed internally, and I had bleeding every day for four months with flesh clots. Although my GP claimed this wasn't because of the IUD, they eventually removed it due to an ovarian cyst. Within days, all side effects stopped, but my GP put me on Cerelle, which made me have insane mood swings and depression. This is the first pill with no side effects other than light breakthrough bleeding every few months."

• Anonymous
• October 30, 2011

For Birth Control "Started taking this 10 days ago, and feel terrible! Headaches, acne (and I have amazing skin normally), urine smells funny, and emotionally very unsettled. Will be going back to see the doctor ASAP, and exploring other options! Do your research before taking this pill."

• fhw...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 9, 2016

For Birth Control "This was great for me, didn't get any periods, and I didn't gain any weight. Only thing is I had a little more acne than normal, but I had no pregnancy using this. It's good if you don't want to get pregnant."

• bri...
• May 1, 2015

For Birth Control "I have been on this birth control for approximately 7 months. I really like it (for one reason, no period!) This concerned me at first because a period shows you that you aren't pregnant, and also it is what our bodies naturally do. However, no cramps or anything like that is great! I changed to this pill because I was having some of the more severe side effects from Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo. I do like Micronor. However, since taking this pill, I have back acne like crazy!!! I am 21 and am blessed to say I have never had acne in the past. After 2 or 3 months of taking Micronor, I broke out on my back, and I'm talking 10 or more bumps at a time! It's awful. Lately though, it is less severe. Only complaint. Satisfied overall."

• Kat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 5, 2020

For Birth Control "I wish I had never even heard of this pill, Ortho Micronor. I switched to it because the combination pill started giving me migraines. The first month was great. And then I gained about 15 pounds overnight and broke out in cystic acne all along my jawline and chin. I’ve been off it now for two months. The weight came off as fast as I put it on, thank God. But my skin is ruined. It won’t stop breaking out. I’ve never had acne like this in my life, not even as a teenager. I wouldn’t recommend this pill to my worst enemy."

• Kat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 5, 2020

For Birth Control "I wish I had never even heard of this pill, Ortho Micronor. I switched to it because the combination pill started giving me migraines. The first month was great. And then I gained about 15 pounds overnight and broke out in cystic acne all along my jawline and chin. I’ve been off it now for two months. The weight came off as fast as I put it on, thank God. But my skin is ruined. It won’t stop breaking out. I’ve never had acne like this in my life, not even as a teenager. I wouldn’t recommend this pill to my worst enemy."

• Lyn...
• May 9, 2011

For Birth Control "I was switched to this from Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, and it was a horrible experience. My skin is so oily now, and I have breakouts constantly. I have gained about 10 pounds on this pill, and I had bad abdominal pain. The timing was an issue also, with other pills, it's not that big a deal if you are half an hour late, but with this pill, even as little as 30 minutes caused heavy spotting. I am switching back to Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo this week."

• Jul...
• March 7, 2018

For Birth Control "Pros: I never got periods or cramps. Cons: 1. Depression - Regardless of the new studies that came out stating progestin-only birth control isn't linked to depression, it still does mess up with your hormones. I've had the worst depression episode of my whole life. I didn't believe the people that blamed birth control for causing fights between their partners. But now I believe it. Once I switched back to estrogen-progestin birth control, I am now back to my normal mood. 2. Acne - I've had the worst acne in my life on this birth control. I had constant deep cystic acne. My skin cleared after I stopped taking this pill."

• Col...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 7, 2015

For Birth Control "I just started birth control again, and after a bad experience with the combo pill, my doctor recommended the mini or Micronor. While I have noticed a slight weight gain (5 lbs), my biggest concern is how tender my breasts are! Constantly tender to the touch, not just around the time I am going to start. I have no problem remembering to take the pill, my sex drive hasn't changed, and my periods are only two days long. I have experienced some acne, but besides the tender breasts and acne, I'm a happy camper. I'll most likely stay on this for a while!"

• Tir...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 4, 2016

For Birth Control "I got switched to this because I get auras with my migraines. It gave me menstrual migraines and periods every other week. My periods were heavier, longer, and a lot more painful. I don't really have PMS, but on this drug, I get mood swings, painful constipation, acne, and a sore genital tract. The menstrual migraines went away after three months, the first month, the period pain went away. Over the course of 18 months, my vaginal discharge disappeared. It made sex so painful that it's impossible. It also caused stress incontinence. I've been off it for six months, and the lack of discharge is still a problem because I'm apparently not allowed to have any type of estrogen."

• LTa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 15, 2020

For Endometriosis "HORRIBLE. I'm open-minded to trying meds IF a logical & necessary reason. I was desperate for SOMETHING to manage my endo, acne, & act as birth control. I was told this was safest. I was 26 then. Within 2 days, my face broke out with crazy cystic acne. But I kept taking it cuz I was told it could take '8-10 weeks for my body to regulate'. Each day got worse. Swollen, scarred, I lost my youthful tone & had low self-esteem. No support from gyno. After 10 wks, I went off Micronor, yet my body couldn't reregulate & kept producing painful acne for 1 yr. In that time, I found hope in Exposed Skincare products & PRP microneedling. Doctors are qualified, but still HUMAN. Trust your gut if it doesn't feel right. Don't wait like I did just because they tell you '8-10 weeks'."

• blu...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 15, 2021

For Birth Control "I've been on this for almost 4 years. My opinion is this: look, it gets the job done. I have a history of migraines with aura, so this is pretty much the only birth control pill I can take in Canada. I lightly spotted for like the first 4 months I was on this, especially during sex, but once you get past that time, you don't spot anymore and your periods become very light, a bit irregular, and sometimes you don't get them at all, but again this is my only option and abortion is free here, so I don't worry too much about that and trust that the birth control is doing its job. Didn't have any weight gain, acne, or other side effects. It's just reallllllllly annoying to have to take it within the same three hours every day, as it's very difficult for me to pick a time to be able to take it every day of the week indefinitely."

• Rai...
• October 14, 2009

For Birth Control "I've been on this for 2 months, and I have experienced cramping, acne breakout, low sex drive, and breast tenderness. Been switched to Alesse. We'll see what happens."