no im stopping jsut for the reasons you jsut said, so that i dont develop immunities 9or that the bacteria don't, i should say)
and also i gotta go on another antibiotic for something else so i dont wanna be on two
but ill probably taper off the doxy gradually
and also the retin-a is jsut for my face
what i'm most worried about with coming off of the doxy is my chest and back

btw, thank you so much for all of your support and advice mr.2

p.s. skin is a little flaky right now
zit under lip is now filled with ooey gooey, as are the 2 strange zits on the cheek
other pimples seem to be healing a bit
small white head under nose
back and chest pretty fair, minus some new zits here and there

So I've been applying retin-a daily lately, and it's showing. Some major flaking, controllable more by light scrubbing than by moisturizer.

Derm. appointment today- gonna talk about swtiching form doxy to bcp- YAY! been sorta bad bout my morning doxys lately, have missed 2 in the past few weeks, so nothing big but still.


new zits on neck and under chin, though i wasn't gonna get any more of those as that area has been pretty calm lately
oh well
other zits healing nicely
one under lip is taking a while though


HAPPY ROSH HASHANAH EVERYONE!!! happy new year!

just an update from my derm. appointment:
she thinks i'm clearing nicely from this regimen, and thinks i should persist with it unless it starts to get worse again or doesn't get any better

i asked her about bcps and antibiotics making you worse after you come off of them and she said that usually they would've gotten worse anyways except for specific cases, i'm skeptical but overall i trust her

i think maybe i'll try this for another month, then see how i feel bout starting bcps!


EDIT: a few hours later-
DAMNIT DAMNIT DAMNIT
a few hours ago i was feeling just fine about all of this and now im all upset!
i was reading some posts form various users where doxycycline during their teenage years made the bacteria stronger in the long run and they wish theyd never taken it
so now im scared out of my mind
except then i read some stuff on taking bcps and they seem to not clear people up 100% and sometimes this makes acne worse too!

i mean, i've read this all before, of course, but now im REALLY FREAKING OUT i dont know what to do please help me... advice, anything, please guys, someone!!! i'm paralyzed with fear right now!

Don't listen to everything you hear online. I am not saying its true/false about the bacteria becoming resilient, but I asked my doctor about that and he said only in some cases. So... this doesn't happen to everyone.

I really can't advise on BCPs, sorry. I haven't heard that it makes acne worse though. I would just follow what your derm says (if you trust her) and follow through with the current regimen, which your making progress on. If your making progress, even if it is slow... it is a good thing.

Hang in there jokerj.

It is true that sometimes bcps can make you break out. This usually happens within the first three months while your body adjusts to the hormones (however, this breakout is NOTHING compared to the retin-a breakout... no worries). However, since bcps are supposed to control your hormones, it does get rid of a lot of hormonal acne once you get regulated to it. The problem with bcps is that different pills contain different hormones, and the only way to know which one is right for you is to try them out. Some cause weight gain, others do not, and it really just depends on your body, not the pill, unfortunately. I have been on bcps for about three and a half years. Luckily, the first one I tried worked alright for me. I didn't break out from it at all. Don't worry about the bcps. I recommend them, especially since most girls choose to get on them later anyway. It is annoying trying to find the right one, but after the first three months, you'll know if your first one is working (if not earlier!) and after that you don't really have to worry about readjusting to the hormones as much as you did the first time if you decide to switch. I'm thinking about switching, as I've recently been experiencing spotting (TMI...sorry, lol).

Don't be afraid... i'm a huge advocate for sexual protection anyway (women studies major), which is a benefit aside from controlling acne. Whether you're active or not, I'd say do it. However, you can't be missing pills as you have been with doxy. The only thing about bcp is that you have to take a pill everyday, otherwise it can mess up your body, since it's hormones.

I hope you've been doing alright! Don't stress! (and if you do, just know that I'm over here stressing, too... you're not alone

okay, i'll stick with it for now. thanks for your advice! and i'm really trying to hang in there, i just hate all of this sooo much! luckily, it's probably one of the biggest if not the biggest stressor in my life right now, so i'm lucky!



i guess it's just all the horror stories on here that scare me so much, not to mention my bad reactions to past acne medications! i don't know, i just wish i had no body acne, cause if it was jsut facial acne, i'd be fine with my current regimen. my body is so freaking annoying!!!!!!! and yes the possibility of missing pills worries me so much. i think i'd have to set a timer for everyday!


thank you so much for all of your help and support! i really appreciate it!


btw, what percent of your acne do oyu think went away with bcps? jw
thanks again!

DAY TEN

okay so, i'm not doing so great today. thanks for all of the support from soapybubbles and mistertwo, it's been great!

it was blisteringly hot today. i have this strange splotchy rash on my chest, hoping it's form the heat!!!! i had one on my hand today which went away when i cooled down a bit, so hopefully! it did look a bit different, though... but this seems to be going down a bit, too, so keeping my fingers crossed

chin is pretty dry today, though not too flaky, which is great
clumps of tiny active zits on cheeks- so strange! i dunno when i even started getting cheek zits. they seem to always be right underneath the apples

as i've said, i've been applyign retin-a daily latley, but ithink i'll be going back to once every other day
have some benzaclin on my face right now to take care of those cheeks buggers and a few small guys either left over or forming
overall, though, lately by complexions looking pretty good! knock on wood

my back and chest are pretty good, a few zits
this sorta confuses me, cause i dunno if its the doxy or the medicated washes i'm using
once i get more regular on the doxy (missed a dose today again!!!) i'm gonna try coming off of the washes and see what happens (theyre just sacylic acid scrubs and bp washes)


i also have some clogged pores on my cheeks, nose,m and forehead, that have appeared only since the retin-a, but those aren't so bad at all
if i had only a few clogged pores and no acne, i think i'd be jsut fine

you know, my derm says that all these medications are just to get me through until i'm done with puberty and my skin grows out of acne
i dunno if it's cause of this site or what, but i'm deathly afraid that i WON'T be growing out of my acne (have absolutely ntohing to back this thought up, btw)
i jsut feel like plenty of adults have acne, so why wouldntt i be one of them?
it all just worries me soo much

i wish it would all just go away now!!!!!

EDIT:
so i've decided to try to sort my fears into possible realities to see how bad it really is

reasons im scared to go on bcp:
thrombosis
clots
weight gain
hair falling out
melasma
acne getting worse
stretch marks
dizziness
messing with hormones
acne getting worse once i came off of it
mood swings
depression

if i think of any more i'll let you guys know
i bolded those two because those are the ones tht, if i got them, id be so angry just because itd be SOO counterproductive!!!


btw, i hear that antibiotics make your teeth yellow after a long period of time
is this true?

DAY ELEVEN

dangit dangit dangit dangit

so i wake up this morning, thinking my skin is looking great! i popped a doxy and was on my way. just a new zit on my chin and some new clogged pores and the rest of my blemishes were healing nicely- great!

fast forward to when i got home tonight. the new zit was huge an inflamed. my cheek and neck zits also seemed to be more inflamed than this morning. against my better judgement, i popped the zit and the larger of my clogged pores. the popped zit on my chin is still oozing and the clogged pore is now a strange gapping hole????? hmm
i slathred bp all over my face. im gonna let it dry and shower it off in an hour or two then apply retin-a tonight.

UGH UGH UGH PLEASE BE CLEAR SOON!

but i guess in the grand scheme of things it hasnt been very long. almost 4 months since starting doxy, though...

so the other day i didn't hav enough of my morning breakfast and threw up my doxy
ugh, that hasnt happened in a while

but otherwise my skin is looking great

the strange cluster of tiny zits on my chin, btw, which i barely mention anymore cause they're just so constant-
well the other night i though, "what the hell", and put some of my staff infection medicine on them
two nights of that so far and they've gone down significantly!
i think that might just be because it's an incredibly strong antibiotic, not meant to be used long term, but maybe that little cluster was really just part of my infection the whole time. strange! tell me what you guys think about that.

EDIT: btw, i was thinking about something
so i know oracea is such a low dose of doxy it's only used for it's anti-inflammatory purposes (my little step-sister is on it, she has mild, hormonal acne)
but i was wondering if, when i was cleared and wanted to taper down on the doxy a bit, if oracea in the morning and doxy at night would work. do you think the switch between time released 40 mg and sudden 100 mg would just confuse my body? do you think it'd even be enough to keep me clear? do you think my doctor would even prescribe me two different types of medication like that?
input would be greatly appreciated.


i feel like i go back and forth every hour about thinking my body is finer and then thinking that the doxy is hurting it very badly. but im putting on a positive face!!! :]?

on a more personal note, just thought i'd share-
sighhhhhhhhhhhh, my boyfriend and my one month tomorrow. i know it's only a short time, and it feels even shorter, but that's still a huge step for the both of us! (relationship-phobic as we are, hahahaha)

DAY FOURTEEN

ok so a bunch of clogged pores, some new zits, and a bit of flaky/plastic-y dryness, but overall complexion actually does seem to be brightening


only a few teeny teeny tiny zits on chest

some whiteheads, papules, postules, and a cyst or so on my back, though, ughhh

my routine lately has been more like retin-a for 2 nights in a row then benzaclin for a night (tonight) rather than switching off every night.





btw, does anyone still read this? lol

hahaha ahhh welll... gonna go sigh some more over the flowers my bf got me today and his sweet card hahahahahahahahaha guess there are plenty of things in life wayyy more important than acne, but its way easier to appreciate them when you are progressing out of your previous, not so great condition! here's to progress, health, happiness, and appreciation when times are good and when they're hardest, my friends!!!

xoxoxo

Hey jokerj, yea I still read this. Been really busy lately though. I know one of the hardest thing is waiting for progress to happen, but time is something we can't change. Congrats on the one month with the bf, it's always good to have support when dealing with something like this. All I can say is hang in there and hope for the best. Surround yourself with positive people and try not to think about it much.

For me, the hardest part of dealing with it is the emotional side of it. Over the past few months, I have become much less self-conscious and it really has made me enjoy life much more than before. I say, why dwell on the flaws and not focus on good attributes? Ultimately, it is how we project ourselves that makes people attracted to us.

Anyways, I hope good things are coming for you. It is too early to see changing results. I am starting to finally see results and I am in the middle of the fourth week. Hang in there!

yes i definatley have positive and loving people surrounding me, for whom i thank goodness for, but maybe not often enough! i guess its just hard, because i have been on the doxy for almsot 4 months now, and I just feeling like it should be doing more. oh well. hope your skin continues to improve!!! may you have confidence and success and, most importantly, happiness in the world mistertwo!





btw, for all (or anyone but mistertwo who reads this...??? hahaha) i bought fish oil and acidophillus pills today. gonna get b-complex and immune-boosting supplements maybe next week or the week after. hopefully these will boost up my body and make it even happier and healthier overall!!!

jsut over two weeks and really been wondering lately what all of these chemicals and products are doing to my body... hm...

freaking even more about this, though on the plus side my skin is looking pretty great lately, at least it seems to be healing...


...but many good-seeming things may be devils in disguise...

Hey jokerj,

I just got prescribed to an antibiotic. Since you were on doxy before you started the retinoid... how long would you say it took to see results?

you know, i slacked off a bit on it after about 3 weeks, but now, about 3 months after that, i am REALLY starting to see some improvement, especially on my body (!!! )

of course, i broke out quite a bit this week, but i beleive it was hormonal/stress related
...yay... hahahahaha

mmmm.... breakoutss... urghhh
eklfhklgrhiseuir

and the strange bumps on my legs are back

current status:
very often flushed lately
stingy, flaky skin
mild/moderate break outs everywhere, especially my neck (ggrrr)

i'd say it was an ib if it was just my face but its not so i don't think it is
uggghrrr

hey guys i have a questyion here so pleeease respond!
i'm wondering about tapering the doxy down a bit (since my dosage is sooo high)
but i dunno when to do it
i guess i should wait til i'm clear, but i may very well never be totally clear
hope i do get quite a bit clearer though
so is six months too long to taper down to 75 mg twice a day?
input please