Re: contraceptive Diane 35 -side effects?

I've been on Diane 35 for over a year now. I had severe Acne which I was treating with Ortha-Tryclylene. It worked well, but made me feel quite sick for the first couple of months. I eventually went off the pill when I broke up with my x-boyfriend. Within a couple of months, my skin broke out much more severely than it had before. So my dermatolgist suggested I take Diane 35. Combined with an oral anti-biotic (which I took for four or five months) and Diane 35, it took over a year for my skin to heal (I still have scarring). I never felt sick from Diane 35. But to be honest, both Othra-Tyclene and Diane 35 worked the same for me, in terms of helping my acne. As for side effects, I gained weight (about 5 pounds) when I was on both pills. Again, it depends on your body. I did notice, however, I was much more effected by the Ortha-Tryclene (in terms of how it made me feel; I was much more emotional and felt less well...it's hard to explain). Again, everyone is different.

Today however, I read in the news the following:

The Province, Page A12, 15-Jan-2003
Drug misused as contraceptive poses high risks
TORONTO -- More than 800,000 prescriptions were written last year for the severe Acne treatment drug Diane-35, but some women were taking it for birth control even though it has not been approved for that use.
Many of these women were unaware the drug increases the risk of blood clots, CBC's news magazine Disclosure said in a report scheduled to broadcast last night.
When Health Canada approved Diane-35 for sale in September 1997, it included a statement saying the drug should not be prescribed solely for contraceptive purposes.
While Diane-35 does prevent pregnancy, a study published in the October 2002 issue of Current Problems in Pharmacovigilance, by the Medicines Control Agency in the United Kingdom, found it also increases the risk of blood clots by up to four times more than standard birth control pills.
"Diane-35 has never been approved as a contraceptive. Its approved use is for the treatment of women with severe Acne unresponsive to oral Antibiotics ," said Health Canada spokesman Ryan Baker from Ottawa.

It's your choice, but I warn you, once you go on the pill for acne, it is possible that once you stop taking it, your skin may flare up again. If you decide to go on Accutane, your skin will stay healed after you stop taking it, but it may take two successions (i.e. you may need Accutane again within a year). Also, the side effects of Accutane can be much more severe than taking a birth control pill (especially because you flare up worse for the first two months). Tweet