Loestrin Fe 1/20 and Acne: What Users Say

• tin...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 20, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on Loestrin (and the other generic brands like Junel) for about a year and a half, and I'm satisfied with it. I haven't tried any other birth control prior to Loestrin, so maybe that's why it's hard for me to give a comparative judgment. I can say that in terms of excessive weight gain, acne, or mood swings, Loestrin didn't cause me to experience any of these, contrary to some of the posts that I've read on here. Also, I take my pill every morning on an empty stomach and don't experience any nausea or anything like that. It has also regulated my hormones, so my PMS is not as extreme as it used to be before taking the pill. Only con is that I have experienced occasional breakthrough spotting before my cycle some months."

• Cle...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 8, 2015

For Birth Control "I had been on Beyaz for 4 years before this pill until my health insurance changed and could no longer cover it. The pros and cons are about half and half for me for Loestrin. I did gain weight on this... about 7 pounds, of course, all around the love handle/lower stomach/thigh area. My acne is WAY worse. However, aside from those 2 negatives, I like this pill more than Beyaz because I definitely have a better mood, more energy, and a higher sex drive/wetness. My periods are also lighter and shorter."

• Kdr...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 10, 2016

For Birth Control "I was on this for years for birth control and heavy periods. It worked great for me. Since I am going through another system, it's not available anymore to me. I used the generic form Junel FE 1-20 tablet. It lightened my flow and prevented pregnancy. My acne, I can't really say if it helped it."

• Fir...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 30, 2020

For Birth Control "Loestrin Fe 1/20 was my first experience with birth control at age 20. I initially wanted to start birth control to help my hormonal acne, as well as start contraception, and my doctor prescribed this one. My experience with Loestrin Fe 1/20 was okay. I didn't have any side effects that were too bad-no weight gain, no nausea or headaches, no bloating, no mood changes. However, my breasts were sore the entire time I was on this pill, and after three months it was not helping my acne. In fact, it may have made it slightly worse. I did not have a horrible experience with this pill, and it did its job of preventing pregnancy. A lot of doctors will prescribe this brand if it's your first time on BC, so it's worth trying it out for a few months before you decide if you want to switch or not. I ended up switching because of the acne issue. Apparently, norethindrone acetate is one type of progestin hormone that can cause acne, oops."

• Fig...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 3, 2019

For Birth Control "Despite being a low hormone birth control, I have found a similar amount of side effects compared with other higher hormonal BC pill methods. Yet, knowing that less synthetic hormones is generally healthier for the body, I am staying on the pill and giving it higher stars. On a side note, I have sadly gained 10 pounds in one month; I am hoping my increased breast size may account for this in part. My acne has improved, but it is far from gone. No negative effects on my mood thus far."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 25, 2012

For Acne "This pill is probably good for a lot of people, but it is not good for acne-prone people. I was constantly breaking out on this pill with horrible, painful cysts. The lower amount of estrogen in this pill is better for a lot of women, but it severely aggravated my acne. Right after I switched to a higher estrogen dose pill, my acne cleared up. The only thing I liked about this pill was it gave me very short and light periods."

• 28a...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 18, 2016

For Birth Control "Weight gain, severe depression during PMS, and intense itching. I was on Loestrin previously, and it was great for 2 months. I had no acne, my periods were better. As of the third month, I was itching uncontrollably and was told it was dry skin, but the itching coincided with the time I took the pill. I went off the pill for a year, then my doctor put me on LoLoestrin, trying to reduce the hormone. I'm not sure if weight gain was connected to that. I was having 2 periods a month. After 8 months of that, my doctor put me back on Loestrin. I hoped it was a bad reaction to one pack before. I had debilitating depression at least one day mid-month and one during PMS. During the second month, the itching came back. I always itched 20 minutes after."

• Bri...
• January 28, 2021

"This is the first birth control I have been on that has made me break out. I have always had very clear skin. I was very lucky and blessed with the skin I have! My entire life, I never had breakouts, never, ever broken out on my face, and absolutely NEVER broke out on my back, neck, and chest. Yet since I started taking this Loestrin Fe 1/20 birth control, I am breaking out everywhere!!! And it’s making me so depressed, it is also messing with me mentally. I barely get my period, which is extremely bad, as I feel you need to have your full cycle every month for many reasons. I used to have a heavy one for about 5 days, and it would actually make me feel better after, now I literally spot for a day and that’s it. I also now have the worst cramps. I need to get off of this one, but I’m scared to try another one because I don’t want to gain weight, that’s the main reason I went on this birth control, but it’s not worth it with how badly I’m breaking out. I know everyone is different, but I do NOT recommend this bc."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 2, 2021

For Birth Control "I started taking Loestrin 1/20 in the middle of November, and I did not experience any weight gain, my weight stayed the same. However, I did notice more acne on my back as well as a few on my face. They went away, however, I still noticed that my skin was breaking out more, which defeated the purpose of taking the pill since I mainly like taking it for acne control. The worst side effect was bleeding for more than 2 and a half weeks, almost 3 weeks, on this pill. In the middle of December, I started bleeding even though I take the pills at the same time every single day. This is annoying. I will be switching to a new pill once this pack is finished. Overall, I would say that it is a good pill despite the constant bleeding, which is annoying."

• 199...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 29, 2019

For Birth Control "I was on this birth control pill in 1999 when I was 18. I took it for 6 months before I decided to stop using it. I did not have any problems with acne or cramps during use, but a serious increase in both directly after stopping. The problem for me was extreme nausea, depression, weight gain, mid-cycle bleeding, and dryness. I now realize that taking hormonal birth control, especially before having children, causes many bad side effects long-term. I would not recommend any hormonal birth control pills for anyone and wish I had never taken any."