Switching brands is just like starting a new pack of the same pills. It is the same reason you don't need to use backup during the first 7 pills of any other pack except that first original pack. To make you feel even more confident, even if you weren't on the pill those first few days after your period are not your "fertile" days, since you wouldn't have ovulated for at least another week. So the risk of pregnancy is low during this time anyways.

Ortho-McNeil is a company that makes a lot of different oral contraceptives including: Ortho-tricyclen, Ortho-tricyclen Lo, Ortho-Novum 7/7/7, ortho-novum 10/11, ortho-novum 1/35, ortho-novum 1/50, ortho-cyclen, and ortho-evra. Each of these are different drugs with different amounts of different hormones. Most Ortho-McNeil contraceptives were the original formulations that recieved FDA approval first.

I don't think ortho-cept is marketed anymore in the US or maybe the marketing rights were sold to organon as desogen. Desogen is usually considered the "brand-name" product.

Sorry this was long...just trying to give you lots of info!

I almost forgot to address the acne concern...I take Kariva (a Barr generic for Mircette) which has the same progestin (desogestrel) as Apri. My acne was significantly better on this pill than before I started taking it.