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Acne Medications, what are you using?
Hello, i'm new to this group and i'm just wandering if anyone has used any medications or other remedies for acne.
i have lots of facial acne, and my doctor prescribed me Minocycline -an antibiotic for skin infections. the directions were ridiculous, such as you can't eat 2-3 hours before or after taking the medication. twice a day. And cannot take it with calcium or magnesium!
then i was prescribed Dianne 35 a birth control, which i've been on for two month, no results yet.
what have you tried? what's working for you?
I tried all the cyclines, and was recently on Doxycycline(1 a day, no restrictions to diet, usual sun limitation) and had decent results, prior to that, after trying minocycline with minimal results, he put me on Isotretinoin(Acutane), which is a 20 week program, and that helped alot(no side effects for me, except hot ears one time), but the requirements are very stringent, especialy for women, as a side effect is known birth defects.
well, im 13, and so far ive tried acne-free which DIDNT work.
then i went to my dermatologist. she said to try retin-a. it worked. BUT it driend out my skin SOOOOO bad. so basically what im saying is what my dermatologist said to me::: dont do over the counter stuff. go to a dermatologist and they will help you alot.
I'm on birth control and Bactrim or Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim....I have good and bad weeks but I think it helps. I've also tried ProActice and Acne Free and neither one work very well for me.
Yasmin (well this month I got the generic..)
Bactrim
Differin
Just switched over to Differin & Bactrim.. I'll let you know how they work.
I'm really trying to avoid Accutane because of all the neg effects (I'd rather have acne than those) but my derma keeps trying to push it, ughhhh.
I have a topical medication from my doctor that's a little stronger than differin. It's called Tazorac. I've also started using Mary Kay products, which has been expensive, but totally worth it. Other than that, I've noticed that when I'm on my birth control my acne stays a little more under control than when I'm not on birth control.
I've used about everything under the sun. NO LIE! I've spent over thousands of dollars on acne medications and they have never worked. Proactiv (worked in the beginning, and then my skin got immuned to it), Neutragena (spelling?) Clear and Clean, just about everything from a store, and this doesn't include skin repairers. Ambi, Black Opal, Skin bleachers...just about everything here also.
However, one day, I was in a Bath and Body Works retail store, and I saw they carried a line of acne products. One of the representatives saw me, and told me that the product I was looking at really worked. It is Murad. It tried the 30 day kit, and I was amazed. I never had anything to work on my skin. So I'm using this. The skin lightener, really is working, it's a little on the expensive side, $58, but I spend that much about every 2 to 2-1/2 months. The cleaner, is $26, and I'm still using the exfoliating gel from the kit, so I don't know how much that cost by itself. But definitely look into the Murad products. I've been using it since October, and have been really pleased with it...There's a website: www.murad.com (general site) or http://www.murad.com/acne-products.jsp , for the acne part of the site. I really recommend. It's really fabulous!
Hey Trishy,
I had severe acne when I was in High School up until gr. 12. After High School I started on Diane birth control and decided to try another one because it was quite expensive for a student to be on, my skin was not to bad at that time. My Acne came back again when I was about 19-20 after I went off of the Diane 35. I became very upset! My friends didn't have trouble with their skin at all and here I was getting large cystic pimples under the skin that were very painful.
The doc was the only person I thought who could help me. So I went to the Doctor and was put on some antibiotic and a creme that thinned the skin. It worked wonderfully, However when I went off the stuff the Acne came back even worse! I didn't want to be on antibiotics for the rest of my life. I decided to go the natural way and go to a homeopath Doctor to see what I could do. Going to the Homeopathic Dr Helped me discover that my acne was related to my nutrition and that the antibiotics I was on where killing off all the good and bad bacteria in my system.
I changed my diet completely, getting rid or having in moderation dairy (major one), Wheat (major), fruit juice, sugar (major), peanut butter (major), pork, booze, refined white flour (major) and coffee. It was difficult and it took some time to find things to replace basically my whole diet however I was very loyal to it and it worked! Now I am able to introduce those things back into my diet (in moderation) and I can feel when I have had to much. Lots of veggies, fruits, nuts (except peanuts), Beans, lean meats, spelt flour or rice, plain yogart with lots of berries is basically what I eat.
I also invested in some excellent skin care which is a must!! I use the Aveda outer peace line which is great for all 4 types of acne. Very gentle on the skin. Avoiding picking was another thing that I learned not to do and has made a difference.
I hope that helps you out. I know how it is to have acne and it can be very upsetting, I truly think that everyone has beautiful skin and sometimes it takes time to find what works for you.
Peace,
Christina
thanks for the info guys, it helps to see what works, and what doesn't. i find too, that my birth control dianne 35 does control the acne. i've also found out, that some of my 'red spots' are acne scars, and WOW they're bad. anyone else got that problem, what works for those?
Christine, your info is awesome, i've always wondered if food has to do with it, i've been eating healthier lately, and i've noticed that my skin is much more controllable, and less 'red'.
livingall_4_god, thanks for your tip! i too have spent lotsa money on acne medication, i'm so thankful my health care and my parents insurance covers most of it. i've also tried store products ugh, those are hopeless! I will definite ly check out Murad, sounds promising!
thankyou guys!
I've had bad acne about since I hit puberty... I always thought it would go away when I got older (like it did for my mom), but I'm 20 and still got it. So I recently started seeing a dermatologist. I'm taking three different medications:
BenzaClin
Differin
Solodyn
And I saw "acne scars" and "red spots" mentioned above. My dermatologist told me the Differin would help with that. I've been using these medications for 3-4months now. I have definitely noticed less actual pimples. Down to almost none at all. But the acne scars have yet to go away or become less visible.
honestly, i could start a small black market selling all of my acne medicines i have in my cabinet and the thousand more prescriptions i have waiting to be filled. i've tried- finacea gel, clidamyacin, retin a, proactive (scam), clean& clear junk, clearasil BS, neutrgena crap, benzol peroxide gel, duac gel, differin, tretinoin gel, benzac ac, just gentle cleansers, amoxicillin pills... nothing works. i've been to multiple dermatologists, too. i faithfully tend to my face and give each prescription its time to work its magic but nothing. i've had acne since 7th grade (i'm now going into 12th) and have tried to treat it since then. i'm wondering when i'm going to grow out of it. sometimes it clears up, but then in a few weeks its all back. i have it basically all areas of my face, a little on my back (used to be muuuuch worse), some on my chest, and shoulders. it SUCKS. i also have noticed that i have small acne scars on my cheeks >:| i thought they were just large pores before. i would be willing to get total skin grafts to get rid of this acne, haha
I used proactiv. it was effective. I tried dianne 35 it worsen my acne . i had break-outs and it increased my appetite. i Google some info about the product and they say you have to use it forever for maintenance.
hiiiiii trishy
look u just cant tke advice 4m anybody i had a lots of acne and wid people advising me they only got worse. I would suggest u to just have faith in ur doctor because i think they know wats best for u, Because this is how i got my acne cured.
Hey Dudes,
Doxy works the best! Medically referred to as Apo-Doxy, or Doxycycline Hyclate. I noticed results after 3wks-1month!
well, Im on accutane. It helped my face acne, but my shoulders and back are still broken out, but they are better than before I first started!
I am 38 and I have had really bad acne since I was 14. I went to a dermatologist for about 15 years and tried everything! I was on antibiotics for years and then Accutane three times! I tried prescription topical things (including Retin-A) and everything over the counter too! In the end none of it ever eliminated my acne.
Recently I changed my diet and my acne ALL went away! I was absolutely stunned! I never thought it would go away, after having acne for over 20 years! When I changed my diet, all of the under the skin acne dried up too! I have never had an under-the-skin acne flare up since I changed my diet. I only get maybe one pimple every month or two now, I can actually count them, and usually I know it is because I veered from my new way of eating or it is during my PMS symptoms. But I can count them, and usually I have NO acne!
What do I eat now: lots of fruits, vegetables, dairy, fish, seafood, nuts, seeds, and olives. I eat less than 40g of sugar per day (on average). I also eat "in the Zone" at most meals. See the book "Enter the Zone" by Dr. Sears, it explains the science behind how food acts in your body. I still eat dark chocolate and iced tea (without sugar) every day! Still no acne! It has been three years without acne now!
I say keep searching, you will find what causes your acne!
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