let me know what you think?
also ive been experiencing insomnia

I've been on Bactrim for about two years now. Back when I started in '07, it seemed to clear me up and I remained clear for about the next year and a half (I was also using Differin during this time so that may have something to do with it). Now, two years later, I still take the Bactrim (I have since stopped the Differin), but I look the worst I have in the past two years (but not as bad as I was when I was first prescribed these medications). My derm tells me to keep taking it because he says there is no harm in taking it long term, but I'm wondering if I should even continue. How do I know it's even doing anything for me anymore?

Prescribed Jan 12 2009 for 3 months.

My skin - Mild Acne And pretty dry

Acne on Jawline neck cheeks chin... lol you get the story

Ill be updating every week...

Using - take 2 500 mg of tetracycline a day, Cetaphil face wash and neutrogena on the spot.



ALSO!! anyone else ever get prescribed tetracycline? howd it work out??

Started Saturday 6/6/09... 100MG 2X a day for the first 3 days... Benzaclin 2X a day... Moisturize when dry with acne.org moisturizer.



Sunday- started to feel dizzy and lightheaded... nauseous in the afternoon while at the gym. (had taken 2 mino that day)

Monday I felt dizzy but went to work as normal... (took 2 minocyclin)

Tuesday I felt really bad and called out of work (its pretty flexible anyways)... I made breakfast and was ready to go to work but just soon as i finished the dishes I ended up having to lay down due to the nausea and dizziness...

Today is now Wednesday... Face looks like its getting better... Zits are peeling (had a few huge ones) but now they are hard and still there but flatter... red marks/purple marks will be there when they are gone I am sure. Trying to get into work at a reasonable hour to get stuff done. LOL


My face is a mess and my head is all crazy feeling. UGH!


Hope to be feeling better tomorrow. Trying so hard to do my cardio today and feel balanced again... Not feeling to nauseous as I feel dizzy.... I am feeling more gassy...

*kind of unrelated but funny* My boyfriend filled my scripts and mixed my benzaclin... I watched him carefully mix it and make it nice and neat for me. LOL He is now also watching me carefully that I dont incorporate anymore acne meds into this regimen because I get so impatient.

So I am back again after a failed Tetralysal 300mg course. I ended that course in the beginning of February and today I was at a skin specialist (waiting time was around 2½ month) and we talked much about accutane. Since I have mild acne today there was a slight concern of either to perscribe it or not but he did not say 100% no. The problem was I need to do a antibiotic course with a local treatment in order to leagaly be able to get accutane. My last antibiotic course with Tetralysal 300mg had no local treatment, I just used water.

I told 'em that I did not want to use BenzoylPeroxide or any other cream for that matter because I did not want to compromise with less outbreaks vs red skin. Anyway since there was a dead end to accutane before I try this there was not much I could do or say. The only positive side is, if this do not help it seems I will be getting accutane (which is comforting).

I just don't know if I am going to use Epiduo or Differin, I got both perscription so I can pick whatever I feel like. I am slightly leaning towards Epiduo since I have already tried Differin once before but at the same time I want to stay away from BensoylPeroxide. In any case I will start the antibiotics today and on Friday night I will try some cream.
Update:
I will use Epiduo.

Male, 21 years old (22 later this year)

• Cleansing will be only water for now. I am cleansing with Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser and using Ole Henriksen moisturizer. Cleansing again with only water + Olay Complete SPF 15 Sensitive Skin (A.M. and P.M.)
• I use Jojoba oil as a shaving cream/oil when I am shaving (usually every third day). I use Gillette Series Shave Gel, Pure & Sensitive now instead. I feel I get a even better shave then with Jojoba oil, and I can pick it up locally without the need of ordering it online.
• Ery-Max 250 mg (Erythromycin) :: Two pills twice a day.
• Using Epiduo before bed time every day.
• Taking ABCDE and Zink suppliment every day.

Starting date antiboitic: April 22, 2009
Starting date local treatment: April 22, 2009
Estimated time: 3 month

Quick link
Day 3, Day 7, Day 8, Day 16, Day 19, 1 Month, 1 Month 2 Weeks

Day 1

Well after all the Roacutane treatments (5 times) and my acne is still returning which is normal for me, because I dont think I remember the last time I was cleared without any medication. Its time for a new blog!!!

Anyways, I went to my Derm. today and she put me on Minocycline, she said that I just done a course of Roacutane last year and she dont want me on it so soon... oh well rather be safe then sorry right? same old routine, 2 tablets a day during meals.

I been on Minocycline ages ago, as far as i remembered it didnt work as well as Roacutane, obviously, but I got some hope this time!!! in 3 weeks time I should see the difference if it work or got worser.

Note: left side of face is the worst at the moment, alot of red marks from last 2 weeks of breakouts. Chemical peel done today.

Ok wish me good luck!!!

My acne got really severe in march after I quit pro active since my skin got immune to it and I broke out into severe stage 3 acne.. all thanks to pro active. But that made me go to the doctor finally on april 4th. My doctor prescribed me 100mg doxy twice daily, benzaclin in the morning and retin a micro at night. After he prescribed these he referred me to a dermatologist since it was that bad. Well 2 weeks after I went to the doctor I had a derm appoit april 16th and she wanted to put me on accutane I agreed to it but I've been thinking.. Should I start it? I go back in june to start Accutane, and she told me it will get a lot worse before it gets better. I am scared to start it cus I dont want it to get worse again
I am still taking 100mg twice daily, I'll post some more pictures soon in a week. I wash my face with Dove soap sensitive skin beauty bar twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.


April 4th pictures (day one)


May 8th pictures (Taken just a few minutes ago) I have no active pimples, I only have red marks left over from my sever breakout. Thats why my derm wants me on Accutane for they will go away.


Doxy gives you a nice tan too since it makes your skin more sensitive to sunlight

Sorry about the dates on the camera they got all messed up for some reason.

Hey guys, I'm a 16 y.o. asian living in Singapore (a very hot and humid place). I have very oily skin and have been fighting with persistent mild acne for more than 2 years.

Approximately 3 months ago, I had a very bad breakout (no idea what triggered it), and now my acne is moderate-severe with red pimples all over my nose, forehead and cheeks. All of my OTC products couldn't control it and my friends were all shocked with my "pizza face". Desperate and frustrated, I went to a dermatologist who prescribed me differin + doxycycline. Currently, my regimen is:

Morning:
Wash face with cold water
1x doxy 100mg

Night:
Oxy Acne Cleanser
1x doxy 100mg
Differin 0.1%

Supplements
Zinc (2*50mg)
Fish Oil (6*1000mg)
Cod Liver Oil (3 tablespoons)

Exercise
Swim daily

I've been taking doxy + differin for over 2 weeks now but I've only just started on the supplements (less than a week). I'm also planning to purchase some green tea. I haven't seen much improvement but I know these things take time.

Anyway, a few questions for others with similar prescriptions,

1. When will there be visible results? (from doxy, differin, supplements, whatever)
2. Will zinc affect the absorption of doxy? I usually make sure to take them 2 hours apart.
3. Should I use a facial cleanser, or just stick with plain water? My derm insists that cleansers are not necessary and might even do more harm than good

Many thanks! Oh, and hopefully I'll be adding some pics soon.

So 2 weeks ago, I started Tetracycline and Retin-A Micro at night, as prescribed from my Derm.

I have a feeling this wont work, since my acne is bad, and never responds to anything!!

I have tried everything out there over the counter to clear my life up...

so This start is delayed, since I had not planned on making one of these, but ill post pics in order.



Day 2

Morning:
Cetaphil wash
Toner
Differin (Derm told me to use up remaining)
Tetracycline 500mg

Night:
Cetaphil wash
Toner
Retin-A Micro .04
Tetracycline 500mg

My skin got better really fast, and the redness around the pimples is gone.


Day 3

Morning:
Cetaphil wash
Toner
Differin (Derm told me to use up remaining)
Tetracycline 500mg

Night:
Cetaphil wash
Toner
Retin-A Micro .04
Tetracycline 500mg

My face got worse, i noticed a bunch of whiteheads all over that i never saw before.



Day 5

Morning:
Cetaphil wash
Toner
Differin (Derm told me to use up remaining)
Tetracycline 500mg

Night:
Cetaphil wash
Toner
Retin-A Micro .04
Tetracycline 500mg

Spent the night at a friends house, but brought my stuff with me..

Everyhtin is gettting a lot worse.. its painful, and im breaking out everywhere this sucks

Day 6

Morning:
Cetaphil wash
Toner
Differin (Derm told me to use up remaining)
Tetracycline 500mg

Night:
Cetaphil wash
Toner
Retin-A Micro .04
Tetracycline 500mg

Still breaking out all over, and its birght red, as you can see in the pictures.

Day 7

Morning:
Cetaphil wash
Toner
Differin (Derm told me to use up remaining)
Tetracycline 500mg

Night:
Cetaphil wash
Toner
Retin-A Micro .04
Tetracycline 500mg

I'm running out of Differin

Same as day before. im really depressed that its not working AT ALL, its making things a lot worse.

I've just started taking doxycycline. It's been two weeks already. Well, let me give you a brief history of my acne.

I've had mild acne ever since i was 12. It was still within control, maybe one or two small pimples around my nose and chin area every week. It was quite frustrating already. All my friends had perfectly flawless skin and some of them even labelled me "pimple face", which is quite devastating...

When i hit 14 (around august period), my acne became pretty bad. It was like an outbreak. I started having cystic acne. Usually my affected areas are my forehead, nose, chin. It seemed like my acne had spread to my cheek area. I started taking herbal pills.. it did help and my acne condition improved but only after taking for two months. The effect lasted for only one month or so.. after that my acne started resurfacing.

Now i'm 15. In the beginning of the year, my acne was the worse. (around march period) There were many red bumps around my cheek area and many small (not red) lumps on my forehead. I started going for facials in june. The facials did help to clear the cystic acne... but there were still many small pimples/lumps all clustered together at the side of my cheek and a lot of them at my jaw area. (both sides of face sadly )

The facials helped to clear acne on my forehead and nose area. Now it's pretty much cleared just that there are a few blackheads and whiteheads. However, there are still many small lumps so i went to see a doctor two weeks back.

He prescribed me doxycycline and differin to apply on my face every night. He said that i had moderately severe acne. (grade 4-5)

So i'm on my second week of doxycycline ( I take 100mg, twice daily) and differin but not much improvement yet.

The first week of doxycycline- my acne remained pretty much the same.. The number of outbreaks and everything..

At around day five, i noticed that at my jaw area had many new pimples and most of them had pus.. I did not dare to press them as it would be really painful...

At around day seven, i realised that my skin is flaking (around jaw area) and it the flaking condition has continued to persist even until now..

My skin is also very raw around my jaw area (most affected area now) and there is a huge red patch there.

Some people said it takes about two to three weeks to see minimal effects of doxycycline.. but i'm really scared because i'm into my third week of doxycycline and my condition has not improved. Still very lumpy and i think it has become a lot more redish around my jaw area.

Skin feels very dry too after applying make up ( I use clinque) and it is very flakey around my jaw area and around my nose area.

Just hoping that next week, i would be able to see slight improvement so that i'll be assured that the doxycycline is working.

Christmas is coming and i don't want acne! >:[ I wonder why all my friends don't have acne and even if they do.. they only have one small pimple in like a few months?

Will update about my third week into doxycycline soon. As for now, just a brief description on the condition of my face...

Forehead and nose is completely cleared from facials. Cheek area is starting to clear up ( i noticed) but only a little bit... Jawline is very bad.. very red and lots of pus. many small pimples all clustered together. from far it looks like a huge birthmark (both sides of face) Chin area is starting to clear up too. Before that, lots of cystic acne.. not only one left.. which is a good thing.. hope none will resurface.

Very troubled about cheek are+ jawline though. Complexion there is super uneven. Oh well.

Need some encouragement/ success stories anyone? Advise?

Hi All

I just switched from mino to ampicillin 2X500/day. I also started taking fish oil in the hopes that will help.. I've never used ampicillin before-I have used tetracycline and mino-the tretra also worked better, but of course lost its effectiveness. The pharmacist pointed out some good points. He pointed out that if you're using these antibiotics to also eat yogurt and take acidophilus "live bacteria in pill form" I stopped the mino because of all the GI problems "It was awful". I feel a million times better off it. I was on it for almost 5 months, so the side effects do go away within several days.

Ok so my acne had been improved dramatically through the combination of minocyline and topicals. A couple weeks ago I developed a couple small cysts which I now attribute to stress from finals or possibly some moderate doses of adderall(amphetamine) that I take every once in awhile for setting personal records with my lifts in the gym as well as overall productivity on busy days. These small breakouts plus a scar I got from an accident a few weeks ago prompted me to visit the derm. There wasnt much she could do about the scar, just have to let it fade over time. She said I could start accutane at 40mg if i consented. I did and after the third day, I woke up and could barely open my eyes from this crusty shit in them. Once I got them open, I looked like a demon all day from the bloodshot eyes. I decided to stop the accutane. However I am supposed to wait awhile before I go back on the mino so all the isotretionoin clears. Doctor said a month!! wtf?! I only took three doses. My eyes stopped becoming dry the day after cessation. I have an extremely fast metabolism, its been a week and I feel as though it is certainly gone by now. My neck and jaw have flared up terribly with cysts. The doc was gonna put me on some expensive cream shit (which she would be gettting a kick back from the pharm company for pushing) I politely told her I wanted some fucking antibiotics. I suggested cephalexin. She agreed and so I have been on that for 24hrs and the pain has already subsided from the cysts. I went ahead and bought the cream called duac... for 50 dollars! Im beginning to honestly doubt if my derm has the best intentions for me to have a recovery in her heart. I think she wants me to be a patient forever! If she cures me, she loses a patient=losing money! Sorry to fume. Anyway I have complete access to 3 months worth of mino and am considering going back on it in a day or so. Is this safe in conjunction with the cephalexin? I plan to stop the ceph here in a couple weeks to get rid of this post accutane horror. I'm also trying to get to the root of the problem and think possibly my heavy consumption of peanut butter could be a factor in my acne. I am cutting it out of my diet completely. What do you all think? Thank you and sorry this is so long!

Hey guys, i thought i would just post a summary of my experience with mynocycline. I was on the antibiotic for a total of 5 months and i have stopped taking it about 2 and a half months ago. As a side effect i developed fairly large and black bags under my eyes which look just terrible. But they are slowly going away. I know a lot of people here generally state that after you stop taking antibiotics your skin will start going back to normal. For me my acne did come back somewhat, but it is certainly waaaay better than it used to be. I have much less inflamation and in general do not have as many zits. Overall i would say it was worth it. Now i do have a mild case of roscae, so perhaps it works better for those with the disorder (i don't know) But i thought i was just post a case where it did help after the treatment.

Most people do not check out "ALL" of the side effects"! And they do not check out what the outer shell is made of.
1)Propylene Glycol-systematic name propane clear liquid used in antifreeze & deicing solutions
2)Strong Ammonia Solution-explosive compounds that are sensitive to pressure
3)Black Iron Oxide-used in make-up and ceramic glazing
4)Titanium Dioxide-used in make-up very fine particles, are dangerous. Warning it may be dangerous for our bodies, also used in paint, food, drugs & cosmetics. Ultrafine or nano particles dangerous
5)FD&C Red #3 food coloring-symthetic preservation& artigical coloring agents as aggravation ADD & ADHD symptons. Test shows when taken off this product academic & disciptionary problems decrease
6)Sodium Lauryl Sulfate-poison-cleaner
7)Gelation-collagen inside animals & bones with dilute acid, also extracted from fish skins
8)Red Iron Oxide-ore of iron used also in ceramic materials
9)Shellac-is a resin secreted by the female lac bug to form a cocoon on trees in the forest of India & Thailand. Processed & sold as dry
10)Dehydrated Alcohol-ethanol for pharmaceutical use
11)Isopropyl Alcohol-is produced by combing water & propane
12)Butyl Alcohol-solvent for paints, resins & other coatings it is a compont of hydraulic brake fluids
13)D&C Red #33-alba fushsined
14)FD&C #6-Sunset yellow-is a colourant that is added to food, can give a allergic reaction. It is a synthetic coal tar & AZO yellow dye. Can cause gastric upset, vomiting, nettle rash (urticaria) & swelling of the skin (angioedema) also has been linked to hyperactivity in young children. Repeated calls for the total withdrawal of Sunset Yellow from food use.
Expect to be taken off shelves by 2008-2010 products containing FD&C yellow #6

Now if you still want to take Minocycline be warned. The information was taken from the Official web site FDA. Minocycline 100mg rx#696

Mom On A Mission

Well my regime is this; 1 100mg Minocin in the morning, Duac at night(sudocrem if i get a sore one).

Now that makes out like i've barely any acne and only the typical pimples we all get, I assure you it's not the case. I had sever and aggressive cystic acne at 13 but controlled it until about last november when it flared up again. I then decided to go back on medications and none of the tetras worked so i visted a dermo and went on Minocin, i'm now about 90% clear and just waiting for those annoying small red marks to fully fade(luckily i've avoided any scarring). The thing is i've never really gone all out against my acne, i mean some peoples logs here is half a page long and contain a mixture of very powerful chemicals and retnoids(BP+Duac+Differin+Sayl wash+ etc etc). I personally can't see how those level of medicating can help, your skin is alive and like any organ it functions on basic principles. If you remove the need for the body to produce certain enzymes and the skins natural ability to fight infection (your t-cell) and like many people here suddenly stop their regime without a period of slow reduction, than how much more damage are you doing?

I know it sucks waiting for it to clear up by itself or by waiting for prescribed medicatrion to work but in the end by adding these other products, and layering them on top of eachother you can do serious harm. Your epidermis layer of skin can become extremely thin due to the use of these products in the amounts i'm seeing people use them and i'm certain it will result in problems later in life. I just hope that if your new to fighting acne you give each item a chance to succeed, or fail instead of grabbing everything and throwing it all at it. Speaking from experience it's not nice, try walking around like a tomatoe for a week:P If you have any questions feel free to ask, sadly I've experienced all but tane as i refuse to ever touch it. I'm 90% clear without regrets and i'd like to help others achieve the same, for advice or even moral support i'm willing to lend some help:D.

ok so im starting my treatment from my dermatologist on monday.....

i will have pics up on monday as well for the before and after pics.....notice its pretty bad....its all the way up my back and on my chest and down my arms and covered my face and neck.
accutane was an option but he said this might work so imma see.

anyways im taking

minocyclin X2 a day.
Benziol peroxide 10% nite day
Retin-A at night
lift weights / run every day

Duration is 3 months untill my next check up.

I Have severe nodule acne.

so Stay with me through my log and read up on how im doing ill put a description of my skin every week and a half up in the log.

bactrim/septra

comments, experiences?
lets hear em!

im hopeless
but ive been told this stuff really does work!

let me know your thought, and experiences!
it would really help me sleep better

Day 7 of treatment and OMFG has it been nasty!
Ive not been brave enough to take pics until now, waiting for them to be 'OKd' to my gallery.

The first day was soooo painful, my skin felt like it was on fire, then it dried out to all hell and started falling off... THEN it broke out in loads of tiny whiteheads which I was able to attack gently with tissue.
Today is the first day Ive woken up and not hated my reflection! I changed my skincare brand and regimen a coupla days ago too, no reactions, just soft skin for a change lol

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk204/i...eh/leftside.jpg

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk204/i...h/rightside.jpg

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk204/i...nneh/mehehe.jpg

Hi all! I am a 26 year old female who has been struggling with acne since I was about 15 or so. I've been to countless dermatologists and tried countless medications, antibiotics, creams, gels, etc. Nothing helped. When I turned 22 I started to get acne mainly on my chin and jawline. It wasn't the normal acne I was used to, it hurt and felt hard and deep. I think they are cysts. I still get them and decided today to go (again) to a new dermatologist and get medicated.

I was given Doryx once a day and Ziana to use at night time, every other day for the first two weeks. After two weeks I need to use the Ziana every night. I'm really hoping this combo will help, but if it doesn't I have discussed the possibility of going on Spiro with my doctor. I have scarring from the cysts but I don't mind tackling that once I get the acne under control. As far as other medications I am on, I am going to be starting the Nuva Ring at my next cycle.

I am going to try to post pictures here often so I can compare how my skin looks while on the treatment.

[attachment=16346:Photo_39.jpg][attachment=16345:Photo_38.jpg][attachment=16344:
Photo_37.jpg]

Hi all,

Here is my case. I had what I thought to be mild acne. It worsened a lot and I started to have a lot of bloody red spots on beard.

My dermatologist said I had infected folliculitis and acne.

Here is my regiment :

CLEANSING : Hyfac Fragrance and Paraben Free Acne Skin Cleanser
1 time a week : Hyfac Express Exfoliant

SHAVING : NoBacter anti bacterial shaving gel + 3 blades Wilkinson

TREATMENT :

FIrst 2 weeks : fight folliculitis
- Mupiderm (topical antibiotic against folliculitis)
- Pyostacine (general strong antibiotic against folliculitis)

Then :

- Tetracycline (300 mg a day - 2 pills a day at evening)
- Dalacin T TOpical (Topical Clindamycin)
- Benzoyl Peroxyd ECLARAN 5 (5 % peroxyd benzoyl)

If this doesn't work after 2 months, then I go for ACCUTANE.

After a first day. Nothing to notice. Shaving made my skin redder and bloodier tonight and I prefer not to look in the mirror...