"i&#039;ve been using alesse since april of 2016. it works as a contraceptive and my skin is clear, my moods are in check, my periods are much lighter now and it is also the first contraceptive that i have used. however, i have noticed lately that i&#039;m hungry all the time. in fact, food is all that i think about some days which has caused me to gain almost 20lb in the past near-year i&#039;ve used it. i&#039;m not sure yet if this is due to the pills or if it is due to stress or something else, but otherwise alesse works."