I'm about to start my 2nd pack tomorrow and for the last two weeks I've been breaking out a lot more than usual (my initial breakout maybe?)...I have alot of little reddish bumps all over my face (no cysts yet...thank god!!).I'm feeling pretty down today cause my face looks pretty bad....
So, who else is taking or has taken Diane? drop a line and tell me your experience; good or bad; the more detailed the better I know I've asked this many many times all over the board, but how long does this breakout last??? ARGGHHH....when does it get better??? Did Diane help with your acne or extra facial hair problems?
thanks...
*I just recently changed from Ortho to Diane because Ortho made my acne worse...
I was on Diane 35 threeyears ago for about 4 months. At this time I has switched from Marvelon to Diane to help with my skin. My acne was not bad but I wanted my skin very good. I was seeing a physician and she put me on this. Let me tell you, from the time I started the Diane (my roomate was taking it at the same time and we didn't know until afterwards) and within four months I put on weight so easily (I was about 22 at the time) about 10-15 pounds of weight and I was exercising and eating well. My roommate had the same experience putting on weight very quickly and easily (she was mid-20's). This drug did not help my skin greatly on the time I was on it and came off it and went back to good old Marvelon. It may help your skin, it may not, but watch for the weight gain, it can be insidious. My friend is taking it right now for about last 5 months and is also noticing skin is not great and has put on some abdominal weight. I don't mean to scare you, but just be on the lookout. Good luck!
I'm actually very worried about diane because of all the possible side effects and I definately don't want to gain THAT much weight. I heard from a lot of friends that they never get an initial breakout from starting BCPs but I got one when I started Ortho and now another one on Diane. On Ortho my skin just got worse and worse every month; maybe I just can't take BCPs???
How was your skin before you took Marvelon? Did your PCOS symptoms improve while on Marvelon? I don't mind taking BC because I am in a relationship but it seems like everything just gets worse...
Anyway thanks a lot for your reply... I really don't know if I should be taking Diane or not.... I'm kinda scared....but my doc tells me that it helps 8 out of 10 women...but she said I'll probably not get an initial breakout but I did....hmmm....
Well first off, I was just diagnosed with PCOS one month ago, so I never actually was able to see if Marvelon helped with my PCOS since I went off of it about one year ago before I was diagnosed. I am currently TTC so I am not going on BCP, but taking Metformin daily and have noticed this has helped my acne (I guess because it is helping regulate my hormones.) I found my skin was great well I was on the Marvelon though if it is any consolation, but I think for everyone each medication works differently. I am sorry that you are feeling so down, I know it feels horrible when you feel your face is not at it's best, but I am sure before long the Diane will start working if it is going to. Have you always had acne or is this something new? Has your physician talked to you about regulating your hormones/insulin in another way to maybe help your skin? It all depends if you need to use BCP or not. I am here if you need to ask more questions.
Good luck TTC...I'm sending some baby dust your way
I never use to have any problems until roughly a year ago; starting last September I started to get hot flashes, moody, depression, hair loss, acne, digestive problems and I was feeling weak and tired all the time, I also noticed some facial hair growth. I was staying in Toronto at that time (just moved back to Vancouver a month ago) and my doc there didn't really care much and put me on OrthoCyclen (this is the first BC I have ever been on) so I went to a MD that was into holisitic medicine. According to him, my DHEAs were high and I had insulin resistance but I don't know how accurate that is because I was already taking Ortho; he also put me on supplements which helped but only a little.
Anyway, I decided to move back to Vancouver because I really liked my doc here and she put me on Diane and I will be seeing an endocrinologist in 2 weeks; I will ask him about Met and to see whether I am really insulin resistant.
I have noticed that when I am taking BC I am clearest during the end of my off week and I am wondering whether maybe BC is making my skin worse but everyone I talk to (all my friends and docs) have told me that BC all helped their skin and they never suffered an initial breakout, so I don't know what to do.
Thank you so much for your encouragement and your help, you don't know how much I appreciate it. I am feeling really down right now because my fiance is in Toronto and I am all here by myself feeling scared...your messages have made me feel a little less lonely...
*My doc says I don't have PCOs because I don't have cysts and I don't have weight problems... but I suffer many of the same symptoms...
I have been on Diane 35 for my acne for about 4 months now. I have seen no improvment at all. It's actually gotten worse since i've been on it. But I keep taking it hoping it will help. I'm thinking maybe it gets worse before it gets better. I can only hope. I not only have acne on my face but also on my back. Which is almost impossible to apply any sort of acne treatment onto. Also I have formed a cyst in my chin since being on it also one below my right ear lobe. Which was quite painful. I found cortison(sp?) cream very helpful with the cyst under my ear. But nothing is helping the one in my chin.
I've been on Diane for 2 months with no improvements also... pretty much the same maybe slightly worse than before I started birth control but better than Ortho. I am going to quit Diane and take Spironolactone and Metformin on my endo's advice and see what happens. If the one on your chin is really bugging you, you can get a cortisone shot from a derm and it will go down within 2 days...
I just did a big huge reply on this but it wouldn't post. Let me try this again.
Thanx for the advice Sky77. I'm also thinking of going off Diane 35. But I have 2 more months of pills left. So maybe once those are gone if it hasn't gotten better I will. I liked my skin way better before I went on it. I mean it was getting bad but not as bad as it is now. I'm wondering if maybe my hormones are just out of wack because of the pcos. I haven't had my hormone levels tested. Doesn't Diane 35 only containe one type of hormones? I'm thinking maybe that's why it's worse. I'm getting to much of one horomone and not the other. I guess this is what I get for going to one doctor about my pcos and to my family doctor about my acne. Until I found this site I had no clue they were related at all or my pcos could be the cause of it.
I jut stated my 3rd pack today my doctor told me to try it for 3 months so it can kick in but it is makeing my face even worse. I havent been this bad in 2 years and i am very mad.
It is leavng marks so i just wanted to know if it gets worse before it gets better.
It did kind of make my cramps less intensive though because i usually get really really bad cramps for 2 days and they hve been a bit better.
I was on Diane 35 for ten years. I gained some weight (I think more to aging and bad eating habits than the pill though) and it took three months for it to clear up my face.
It really worked well for my acne, I never wore makeup whilst I was on it as my skin was great! Now that I am off it I am having to deal with steadily worsening acne, but I prefer to be off the pill than on right now.
I hope it goes ok for you. When I started I was a teenager so I couldn't tell you if I had an initial breakout. but I do know I was very frustrated it didn't work straight away. I would say give it six months to settle in your system :O)
Best of Luck!
__________________ DXD 1998
On Dianette 1998 - March 2008
Back on the Pill Sept 2009 but plan to come off it in November 2009
HW - 90kgs (size 18) CW - 66kgs (size 12) lost 4kgs and counting! Check out my weekly weight loss pictures in my personal folder!
GW - Back to 60kgs DS - (Dream Size) Proper size 10
Goals - to be back to full fitness by the time I go to Nepal December 2009
OMGosh!! where do I start?? My experience with Diane35ED/Estelle35ED
I been off Diane 35 (Estelle 35) for the last 2 mths because of serious blood clotting issues, anyway apart from the fact that it made me heller crazy and worst most the week before AF, lots of crying and over reacting for nothing. I had very little (to none) improvement while taking it.
Anyway im so sorry to say but my acne had never been so bad in my life. I wouldnt even want to go out of the house for the first 4mths without makeup my skin looked hidious, I developed cystic acne that I never had before, I tried to stick out 9mths worth of pills that I had but I stopped at 7mths my skin never got better while I was on Diane, after an initial '4mths' breakout my skin just calmed down to what it was before taking BCP but with ugly cystic acne. I still have scarring from that initial breakout on Diane. However this is just my experience I may not have been taking Diane long enough to see if my acne would have improved but its highly unlikely? if I wasnt going crazy on it I probably would have stuck it out basically didnt work for me.
__________________
DX: PCOS Dec 2007
Thin Cyster 5'9 - 148lbs
SX: Mild Alopecia, Mild Hirsutism, Mild Acne
TX: Dec07-June08 Diane/Estelle35 BCP
Stopped BCP After 7mths due to side effects
TTC#2 - O'ing every cycle
NO MEDS - Natural herbs/TCM/Acupuncture
Me 30 - Hubby 31
1 Child Age 12
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Last edited by funkydiva77; 08-25-2008 at 07:59 AM.
i was on and off Diane 35 for 8 years - it was the ONLY thing that cleared up my acne. totally and completely! i tried switching - everything else made me break out like crazy. I did not gain any weight, or have any major side effects. AF was very light, and very short. no cramping. and it stabilized my moods. I LOVED being on it. nothing has worked so well for me.
__________________ Don't let the devil steal your joy!
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I was on Diane 35 for 8 years and my skin was the best ever. It did take a couple of months but I noticed less oily skin and smaller pores within the first month. Soon after I never got any acne at all. I was also needing to apply chapstick several times a day because my lips were always dry. I also noticed the hair on my legs, armpits and bikini area was much softer and lighter. Now I've been off for 8 months and I'm oily, I have acne, my hair is much coarser, but I never need to use chapstick anymore.
We are trying to conceive, thats the only reason I'm off it.
__________________ Me: 34 Husband:32 Officially diagnosed PCOS 2008 May/2006 Baby #1 To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. DS TTC#2 since March/08 March/April 09 Clomid 50mg CD3-7 (O CD 34!) BFN. May/09 Clomid 50mg CD3-7 (O'd CD18) BFN. June/09 HSG (Clear!). June/09 Clomid 50mg CD3-7 (O CD 26) ( IUI) BFN. July/09 Clomid 50mg CD3-7 (O Cd23) (TI).
Anyone on Diane 35? 
I'm kinda scared....but my doc tells me that it helps 8 out of 10 women...but she said I'll probably not get an initial breakout but I did....hmmm....
