Vancouver Forum: Diane-35 birth control

I always had great skin as a teenager, but when I hit 21 , I had a relationship breakup, lost so much weight from that and my skin broke out, and it only got worse, I had full blown Acne all over my cheeks and jawline, I tried every herbal remedy that was out there and nothing worked, My acne got so bad I avoided leaving the house, I cried when I looked in the miror and my self esteem got to a real low, I cried myself to sleep while feeling the bumbs on my face praying that I would wake up with smooth skin. after 12 months of acne , I decided to go on the pill ( I was a very natural girl didn't like taking any antibiodocs or pills) but I just wanted my skin clear so I didn't care.
The doctor prescribed me Diane 35, after 3 months of being on it My acne was clearing, No more painful cysts under my skin, I had some red scarring that I treated with glycolic skin range, 12 months after NO ACNE NO SCARRING< I HAD PERFECT SKIN. I did not experience any mood changes, no more painful periods, my sex drive was not decreased . The only thing was my appitite was stronger, and I did put on about 3 kg, but I didn't care cause I would prefer to be a little curviur and have beautiful skin. I am now on Yasmin pill I have been on it for 2 months as I thought it would be good for my body to have a change to a lower dose. NOT GOOD, I have no sex drive being on Yasmin, and SO moody my boyfriend keeps telling me to go back on Dianne and I think that is what I am going to do.

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i used this and majorly gained weight from water retention. I used this to clear up acne when i was a teen but it didnt work for me, instead it made my acne 10 times worse, not a birth control for me

My next door neighbour was taking it for a while but she got pregnant and gave birth to a giant zit...

I got GIANT STRETCH MARKS using this for my zits. don't even try it. Soooo not worth it.

i got migranes from diane-35, and gained some weight.acne didnt clear then , but since then its cleared up, (I listened to my mother), "wash your face with regular soap, rince well with hot water, pat dry dont rub, and keep your hands away from your face. worked for me,

I tried Diane-35 couple years ago. It does not work for my acne at all. One side effect i noticed was gaining appetite.

I have been using diane 35 for a while now, I love it. The only draw back was an increase in my appetite, at first i was kind of getting mad at this because i was gaining weight, but if you start to work out and keep a good fitness schedule, the curves will look a loooot nicer, i guess it was a gain in appetite and a loss in physical activity, jus gotta work with it, and it is greeaat for clearing up skin:)

I am glad to see others have had similar results! Diane-35 did NOT clear up my skin and actually made it worse. But, after 4 years all of a sudden my skin has cleared. Not sure if it is because of Diane b/c for the previous 4yrs it didn't help. I am still on it b/c I am afraid if I change my pill my skin will break out again. Another side effect for sure is a decreased sex drive!!! It's apparent to me and my fiance and also makes sense since Diane decreases the amount of Testosterone your body produces, even the small amount that us females have. That is the main idea of this pill.
Good discussion, I hope to see more feedback.

Yes i agree, diane35 works in clearing my acne but then  the my real problem is i gain weight. after having baby i was only 49kg and now i weigh like 56-57 kg. its a big difference. Diane is pretty good in skin problems but  it will really increase your appetite so i  have to stop using it. Now im using yasmin i am hoping it will help me loss weight, but as of the moment it maintains my weight of 56kg.

Hi my name is 'kat' and I am 22 years old.I have been suffering from acne for the past 9 years!As you can believe I have tried absolutely EVERYTHING out there.From expensive skin care products to natural remedies,diets,acne creams and so much more!3 months ago my doctor put me on Diane...I can't tell you how much my skin as cleared.I am a different person.What a relief finding something that actually works after such a long time!!!I'm thrilled and would reccomend it to anyone with a acne problem.You won't regret it....At all.
Say goodbye to acne once and for all ladies.Just try it you won't look back...ever...*

I have been using Diane 35 for 10 months, I have gained 18 pounds !!! My skin looks a little bit better, but I have tons of strech marks, I guess it's beacuse I gained weigth, if you use it for not getting pregnant it's more effective than yasmin, my doctor told me it's even stronger thats why some may experience lots of headaches, I get sick the first week of the treatment but I has worked for me!!!

I have been using Diane -35 for about 8 months now.... i was told to use it for 3 months in order for it to start to have an effect on my "acne"... (which annoyed me when i was told by the nurse that i had "acne"- when it was just a few pimples. Yes, i was very upset about these pimples that were there for a few months and wouldnt clear up, but to say i had acne..anyways....) After about 2 months the pimples were completly gone and still have not come back. Since then, i have not had ANY pimples or other skin problems. I really believe that Diane is the cause of that and am so greatful for this pill!
Also, no weight gain, no other side effects.
I recommend this to other girls that want to clear up their skin as well as be on the "pill" for the usual reason!

i have been on diane-35 for 3 years now, and it started with going back on bc (i hated cyclen) and a bit of mild acne. i think it is so much better for birth control, and did help out with the acne, so i stayed on it.

when the health canada warning came out a couple of years ago i went straight to my doctor (at student health ubc) and they dismissed it saying that there is a risk taking any sort of birth control. so i continued...

just last week i went to see a different doctor for refills (i am no longer at ubc). he was ADAMENT about getting off diane asap.

this confuses me and of course as i google the topic i come across horror stories about adverse effects and worry about the series of headaches i've had over the past few months...

i actually came across this forum in my search and thought i'd share...

Okay I got prescribed Diane-35 on the 13th of this month, but I've been on Marvelon (21days) for like 7 months now, but I dont' have an acne problem or anything, but my mood swings went crazy- like I mean kicking my bf in the shin for no reason crazy (lol)

So if my skin is already fine (just always very dry) what will happen when I start Diane-35. I didn't know it was mainly for acne clear ups.

Weight gain I can handle, but my skin peeling off - don't think I can do so well with. LOL  icon/icon_smile_big.gif

btw, i had no increase in weight whatsoever... but never had this problem though i've tried different bc's. i've heard that weight gain from bc varies across individuals and i think if you are the type who gains weight after starting on bc, this will happen regardless (unfortunately).

also, the doctor recommended yasmin as an alternative for the same type of bc, and alesse for a bc that may also help with acne.

i'd really like to hear about peoples' experiences with yasmin and alesse...

I was on Alesse for only 1 month.

Actually it's a very scary story. I took it for 28 days, and then I got my period....catch is, it didn't stop. For like 4 weeks I was still have my cycle until my doctor gave me something to stop it and prescriped Marvelon instead.

Alesse is low dose, supposed to clear up skin (and even for good skin) It evened out my skin tone. Very little weight gain (like 2 lbs for me) and barely any mood swings etc.

I've never tried Yasmin

thanks MG... that really IS scary.

i'm actually surprised that you were prescribed diane-35 for bc, because i thought that it could only be subscribed primarily for severe acne.

http://www.hc-sc.gc..../2005_39_e.html

doctors are so inconsistent it drives me crazy

 I have been on juliet35 (diane35) for two and a half months and had no side effects except that my acne is alot worse.There is no sign of my skin clearing at all and my little  pimples have turned into large cystic pimples.Is this the normal process and that i have to be more patient?

how much weight is normally gained when using diane 35? 

I first started using Diane about 5 years ago due to a very distressing early 20's acne breakout. Apart from the occasional spot I'd never suffered badly from bad skin skin so this was very distressing. A course of antibiotics did nothing, but the effect of Diane was incredible.
I've been using diane for a quite a long but am scared to come off it because I do not want my acne to come back. Also I have definitely noticed weight gain (due to increased appetite) and a loss of sex drive. Have been trying to work out the reason for the latter so it's interesting to read your comments about this. I think that I'll come off it & try a low dose pill. Fingers crossed that my skin does not flare up again.

My mom let me go on Diane 35 when I turned 13. I screwed every guy in the neighbourhood. I'm now sleeping with my history teacher. What a great product!

it cleared my face 100% and it did not make me gain any weight it made me loose 2 pounds it was excelent

i have been on diane 35 for 8 months now and i just read so many horrible stories about coming off this pill! i really want to try getting off or switching to another birth control because i dont like the weight gain...i am very nervous about getting off because ever review i have read has said three months later acne comes back...thats all i need i dont know what i should do .....has anyone expeirenced bad flare ups after getting off this pill and if so how long did they last or did they ever go away ..........any suggestions with other birth controls? and if they help with ance?

"i am very nervous about getting off"

don't be nervous.  icon/icon_smile_big.gif

hello! i have my very first diane 35 pack now, but i don't know how to use it. someone told me to start taking it on the 5th day of my menstruation, but then i searched on the internet and it sez i should take it on the 1st day of menstruation. i guess i'm too late now...i will wait next month again so i can start taking it...one more thing, i'm a 35 yr. old mom and a smoker, with migraine...can anyone help me understand if i should take diane 35 or should i choose another brand...i need a contraceptive, i just thought that diane would be ok...HELP ME PLS!

pls email me  at crowdedhouse_0220@yahoo.com for your answers and suggestions...thank u so much

How much weight does one usually gain from Diane and does your breasts get extremely big????????

my boobs got a bit bigger

I have been on Diane for 3 weeks now after switching from marvelon (which made my skin worse) I breakout on my shoulders and a bit on my forehead, however my shoulders are worse. I am so frustrated with the acne struggle than i resorted to Diane 35. The first two weeks seemed to be going well however I broke out pretty bad in the third week before my period. How long will it take for this pill to work? Has anyone experienced their skin getting worse before getting better?

yes! when i first went on it my skin got extrememly bad for about a month but then after about the third month it had cleaned completely

ok, i'm glad i'm not the only one going through this...i'm going to stay on diane for a while and see if it clears it up...hopefully things will start to get better after this breakout subsides...thanks for your response!

thanks for the response

I have been on it for about 5 years (since shortly after it was launched...).  My friend worked for Berlex, the company who manufactures diane, so she reccommended it.  I had good skin before I started it and it got even better.  Weight gain has come with age, I don't believe it has anything to do with this pill and it's only about 10 pounds over five years so I would say that's fairly normal.  I would definitely reccommend this pill.  My friend doesn't work for Berlex anymore yet she still uses the pill even though she has to pay for it now :0)

how long did it take you and/or your friend to see results?

it cleared me up also but at the begining i broke out bad just on my cheeks!!! but i am clear now i am just reading a lot of bad stories and experiences on this pill.....i loveeeeeeeee my clear skin but what if i decide to get off this pill one day? i am going to get pimples all over again...i cant stay on this pill forever.....any expierences from people on what happens after they got off diane 35..?

hi  girls
I just finished my first course of Dian-35, but my skin just terribly pimple all over even worse than ever.  I don't know if dian would be my silverlining solusion.  I hope my face will get better.  please if you have experinced this condition respond me.  thank you