If you want or need an acne prescription, see a doctor and get it legally. If you get prescriptions illegally online you could easily hurt yourself or waste your money.

- Independent studies have been performed on the sale of Internet-bought prescriptions. Often the prescription contains no active ingredient, little active ingredient, or in a worst case scenario toxic amounts of active ingredient.

- Drugs bought without a prescription can actually be a completely different compound from what the buyer intends.

Acne.org prohibits the illegal trade of any form of drug or prescription drug. If you see a post from someone selling a prescription, please report it immediately. Thanks.

hey guys, well I'm starting my 7th week of Minocycline 100 Mg once a day with 00.25 Tretenoin applied at nighttime. The redness from my acne has dissappeared a lot and my acne no longer is sunken into my skin. My skin no longer has the bumpy look to it but instead, my acne is more pronounced. Its like acne dots here and there on my face. Before my acne had kind of a blended in look to it, definately noticeable, but it was like I said, sunken into my face. Now it's out and about, dotted around my face with not much redness anymore. Does that mean the medication is bringing all my hidden acne out and this is the last stretch? or does it mean it's just getting worse? please any answers would be appreciated!!!!


thanks!

Been browsing around in the forums here for a long while, and read a lot of experiences on all kinds of products & medicines.

And what strikes me is that, the only thing that really seem to work out for people is Accutane.
BP, topical retinoids etc. seems to work so-so, and are products that you need to use continuously to maintain any result.

Am I wrong.. but is Accutane The only "Real" effective treatment out there which really cures acne?

i'm goin to my doc, and i need some suggestions on wut i should get i wanted a cream and pills, i've heard good things about Benzaclin, but wut kinda of pill should i ask for? i have mild/moderate acne but it's been pretty shitty latley and it's out of control at the moment. i would appreciate your help thanks!

Hi, I am a 25-year old female. For the past 7 years I've tried a variety of antibiotics, topical creams/gels/washes, and birth control to treat acne. I want share my acne history with other girls/women, so you can decide what to take or not take to treat acne.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

1) age 16-19, had mild acne, no medications to treat it at this time. Used a variety of cleansers, wore makeup to cover blemishes.

2) age 19-23, started using Duac Topical Gel twice a day, and 100 mg of Adoxa (doxycycline) once a day (both prescribed by my dermatologist), and Cetaphil face wash. Within a month or two my face was completely clear.

3) age 23, my family physician told me to stop taking the Adoxa medication. She came to this conclusion after reviewing by blood tests. I had a low white blood cell count, and she said the doxycycline could have been the cause, also because this medication was not supposed to be used over a long period of time. I still continued using the duac topical gel.

4) age 23, a month or two after stopping the Adoxa, some acne returned. Skin wasn't pimple free, but still mild.

5) age 24, I started getting some cystic acne along my jawline. I sought advice from a different dermatologist, and at first she had me try various washes (Clenia, Brevoxyl, Benziq) and creams/gels (Klaron, Differin, Tretin-X, Duac). Her intention was to try fighting acne topically, before prescribing antibiotics.

6) age 24, my dermatologist saw that my skin was not clearing, so decided to have me try taking Adoxa again. She prescribed a higher dosage (150mg), that Adoxa had recently come out with. After a couple of months on Adoxa, Duac Topical gel, and Tretin-X, the acne did not dissipate.

7)age 24, She said that doxycycline tends to work better on teenagers, but now that I was in my mid-20's it was very likely my acne was hormone-related. She then recommended I try Yaz birth control. She preferred Yaz, because it was a BC especially known for clearing acne, and less water retention (weight gain).

8) age 25, I stopped taking the Adoxa, and started taking Yaz birth control, Benziq cleanser and duac topical gel. My skin was flawless 6 weeks later. I also got facials twice a month which dramatically improved the texture of my skin and had a healthy glow. I was able to use an organic oil blend to hydrate my face with no problems whatsoever. However, I did gain about 7 or 8 lbs., felt more anxious, and was always hungry because of the BC.

9) age 25, A little over three months after starting Yaz, breakouts starting coming back. Not a lot, the worst was a cluster of five blemishes on the side of my face. The little bit of acne I had on my back was clear. I wasn't sure if it was stress causing the breakouts, or that my body had adjusted to the Yaz, and it wasn't working as powerfully anymore.

10) age 25, Started seeing a lot of health warnings on television regarding Yaz. This concerned me, because the main reason I started taking birth control was for the acne only, not to prevent pregnancy. Since Yaz is advised to ONLY be taken to prevent pregnancy, and because of the weight gain, anxiety and feelings of constant hunger, I decided to stop taking the birth control.

11) age 25, two weeks after stopping birth control, my acne broke out worse than ever before (only on my face). I was totally shocked and embarrassed to be seen in public. Literally every pore on my face was covered with acne: whiteheads, red bumps and blackheads. Each day it was getting worse and worse. I was mad at myself for not reading more about the adverse effects after stopping birth control. Acne is a very common adverse effect, when women stop taking BC (9 out of 10 cases), and comes back worse than it was before taking it. Also, I have not had my period since stopping the pill. I talked with a nurse over the phone affiliated with Yaz, and he told me it takes some women 3-6 months to get their period back after stopping BC.

12) age 25, current: It has been 3 1/2 months since being off of Yaz. I contemplated going back on the BC to clear my skin, but I figured I was only prolonging the inevitable--that if I ever wanted to have a baby, I'd have to stop taking the pill and my acne would come back, and I was concerned the longer I take the BC, the more difficult it would be to re-balance my hormones.

I still have not gotten my period back, but my acne is getting A LOT better. I started doing the Regimen on Oct. 2, 2009. I am now at the beginning of week 4. I am so relieved that it is working. My results have followed the "what to expect" sheet exactly so far. I just started taking 80 mg of zinc, and fish oil daily.

13) age 25, I finally got my period! I am so relieved. This indicates my body is becoming more balanced again. I was almost at 4 months of not having a menstrual cycle.

...to be continued!

I have mild to maybe slightly moderate acne, but very persistent acne, especially on my forehead.

I have made it even worse by picking at it. For the most part, I've done less picking lately and my forehead isn't filled with marks as much as before. How bad was my picking? Well, the right side of my face is jumbled with hyperpigmentation, and I haven't had a pimple there in over a year! That's right, the healing process has been going on for over a year, and I'm suffering from these dark spots. It has made my skin look far worse, than it really is.

About 2.5 months ago, my regular doctor prescribed tazorac, and honestly, I have seen some minimal improvement, but I just want all the acne to finally end. She also gave me a referral to a dermatologist in case I needed it. So, I'm thinking that if I don't see more improvements with tazorac, around Decemeber, I'm going to make an appointment.

My point is, what kinda medicine can I expect to be prescribed? I know no one here is a dermatologist, and my the best answer would be from the doc himself/herself. But, a lot of you have visited the derm, so I'm sure you can make a logical guess. Remember, I have mild-moderate persistent acne.

Hey guys I've got a quick question. I've been using the combination of Duac Topical Gel (clindamycin 1% benzoyl peroxide 5%) and the included wash which is SFC Lotion Gentle soap-free cleanser. They work great for me. When ever I don't forget to follow my regimen or run out of the product my skin is great. The thing about it is that they come as a package and I usually run out of the face wash before the Duac so I have to use something else in the mean time.

I was wondering if anyone could recommend a over the counter face wash to use in substitution of the SFC Lotion during the time I have ran out of it. I've been using Clean and Clear blackhead clearing scrub which I'm not too sure about. If you guys have opinions on replacing that product that would be great too. It would help me out A LOT, thanks.

I've been using Differin for the last couple of months, and my acne has been pretty much non-existent, aside from maybe one small pimple from time to time. The downside though is that my skin has become very thin, to the point that I scar and get red way too easily.

After speaking with my derm, I've decided to give my skin a break and go off the Differin for a while, if not forever. Because my skin is super gentle right now, she decided to put me on Klaron lotion instead. I seem to read nothing but great things about it, and many people with mild acne seem to love it.

After stopping the Differin and using Klaron for about 3 days I developed a small cyst on my right cheek. This concerned me because I never get these types of pimples. After a couple of days, that one went away completely, but then I got another one on my chin. Still very small, but out of the ordinary. Overall my skin is still clear, but the sudden appearance of small cysts is upsetting even if they went away quickly.

When looking at reviews of Klaron, I can't find anyone talking about an IB with it. So I'm wondering whether or not I'm getting an IB due to Klaron, or some kind of backlash from stopping the Differin that my skin was becoming dependent on. Either way, I plan on sticking with it for a while and seeing how it does in the long run. I don't really want to mess with oral medications or topical retinoids again, so this is one of my last options.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

Thanks,
Jonathan

Ive been taking Solodyn 115mg for about a month and want to take zinc because i heard it helps with harmonal balance and i think thats the reason for my acne because i just got it when i turned 18.

Hi, I am 19 years old I about a week ago I was put on solodyn. I was told by my dermatalogist that I had cystic acne. Ever since I have been on it, I have been feeling somewhat dizzy, like its hard to balance, and I have these wierd headaches. I mean if fills like my head is about to explode, or Im about to have an anyserum. Has anyone else experienced any of these symptoms? Also does solodyn work? I haven't seen any results but I know it takes up to two months, but is it worth all this trouble?

I am continuing to use Cetaphil and Epiduo. I use Epiduo all over at night and just a little bit in problem areas in the AM. Honestly, it works great, is so easy and convenient, but you have to stick with it, I have extremely oily skin and leave in MIAMI, so i don't have the dry skin problem. However if I was to use too frequent I do get dry. Thats when I use every night only or skip one day. but let me tell you, for me it works. HOwever I do get some pimples on my upper mustache and outside cornes of the eye, I know its ridiculous, I don't know what it is, but I suspect that this is bc of the washer, I am looking into another washer like Eucalyptus but am not sure, I am pretty busy so I don't bother and the acne is not bad at all, but embarrassing... any body got suggestions for a Cleanser with EPiduo...?????? thanks..

Sorry, I wasn't sure where to post this.

Anyway, I was prescribed and started Duac last Friday and stopped using it a day ago because I was to use it on my oily t-zone, but now the area I used it on feels weird and dry.. should I try using it once every two days or continue using it once every night?

Or should I apply a good moisturiser after 20 mins or so when it dries in? If so, which one? (UK residence, normal-oily fair asian skin)

Thank you!

Big PS: Two days ago my skin out of nowhere became so incredibly itchy! It was around my jawline, neck, behind my ears, my eyebrows and a little bit on my forehead. I didn't use anything new so I had no idea what caused it. I suspected the Duac but I did only apply it on my t-zone area...

But now my skin where I scratched profusely is very dry and flaky.. what should I do for it?

Hi everyone,

About six months ago I ended my treatment of accutane and my acne came back a little bit. My derm gave me this medicine called epiduo and I can honestly say its made my acne even worse. I was starting to get numerous white heads here and there, but since I started using this my acne has become SO much worse. I know that they say you get an initial break out and all of that other BS, but I think this medicine is ridiculous. Ive used some other products with adapalene (differin) and the same thing happened. Does anybody use this shit? And does it work? Ive never had much success with galderma products and im starting to wonder if its even worth staying with it.

Thanks

Hey everybody

I finally decided to try Epiduo..

pros- after about one month of using my acne's improved about 10%

cons- I still have terribly flakey skin some days and sometimes redness and a slight burning feeling when I go to bed. and you can't consume IRON or DAIRY while your taking this medication!!! most of my diet consists of iron or dairy how will I live?!?! haha. I made a list of most common foods with iron in them and a list of other foods besides milk containing sources of calcium. but no milk or dairy? seriously?

Usually other things that I've tried (Pro Activ, Muraid, Clear Skin, Oxy Clean) to name a few.. show results for the first month or so then.. skin gets used to it and goes back to normal Does this happen with you?

So some peeps encouraged me to go to a dermatologist, I finally did. Dr. Kathy Meyers wrote me up a prescription of Epiduo. Fingers crossed.. so I was wondering..

How's it working out for you?

Pharmaceutical corporations are not your friends, they are a multibillion dollar industry motivated only by profit. They literally make money by keeping you sick. Why do you think pharmaceuticals have so many side effects? Because they're highly toxic. They do not seek to cure the underlying causes of diseases, such as nutritional deficiencies and accumulation of toxins in the body. Instead, pharmaceutical drugs temporarily mask symptoms, and further poison your body. I urge you to take a more holistic approach to curing acne as I did. I've made great strides in clearing my skin, and I'm on the last limb of my long detoxification journey. I'll be making a post of my before and after results in the nutrition forum when I've completed my cleanses.

If anyone would like to argue these statements, I encourage it.

Ive had acne for the past 3 horrible years and decided to start taking RoAccutane when I arrived in Korea. Its easily obtained by a prescription. The first 2 month I was taking 40-60mg of the 10mg pills a day. Most the time 4. I was reading how its based on my weight which is 82kg. The only side effects I have so far is dry skin and lips which isnt that bad.

Lots of people on this forum are taking 60-80mg a day.

The Korean doctor told me that it is way too much that he gives most his patients 10, 20 at max.

My question is should I continue taking 40 a day or go down to 20? Thanks in advance

I'm looking to start Accutane about 46 days before my wedding, and I'm conducting a not-very-accurate poll on how long/how common IBs on Accutane generally are.

Any input you can give me will be very helpful, not only to me but also to other people looking to begin a course of Accutane.

ALSO: please include any information on topicals or antibiotics you may have been on before or during Accutane that may have impacted the IB (ex: Retin-A, Tazorac, steroids, Minocycline).

Thanks!

So first off, I've tried several over the counter BP products, from the regimen to 10% bp and salatic (sp?) stuff and tea tree oil. It was all so-so for the longest time. Some days it didn't look bad, others it looked like I popped all my pimples when I didn't. So I went first to the doctor. He put me on some pill, teccyline or something like that and epiduo. Worked the best but I still had some so he recommended a derm. A bit of confusion led my mom not to make the appointment that quickly - she thought they would or something. So 2 months later (Damn long wait >.>) I was a derm. He's been confusing to be honest. He took me off that pill, guess I didnt need it or something, gave me a cream for the morning (its in some yellow striped container, i can find the name if you care) and kept me on epiduo. he gave me some other thing for my back - pretty much says '3% bp cleanser'. works good. again, pretty mild results when i went back. i told him i didnt like creams and how they took a bit to put on. he pretty much laughed at me and said something like 'you have to work for it' or something. pissed me off but i didnt want to look like a jerk so i just said 'ha ok'. now that was in july. its nearly november and my mom made another appointment back in early october. sometime at the end of november i go back. so for the big question (if you read this far...):

What should i say? my skins back to where i started before even seeing any doctor. some days it worst. seems like my skin doesnt like bp anymore, hasnt liked it sense i stopped that pill. im not sure what to tell my derm though. should i ask for accutane? is that too extreme? what should i ask for - some more topical things or a pill... he seems to only belive in creams so i may be stuck on another one. i just want some form of a pill really, take it and theres no guess work as to how much your skin likes or how much it doesnt... but i dunno. :\

oh and my skins moderate mostly. it isnt mild as its all over, plus some on my neck/shoulders and back. it isnt severe though as there just normal pimples. some hurt when if i touch them though - should i bring that up?

and if you read this far, woo hoo. if you didnt, then simple question: what should i tell my derm on my 3RD visit to him, probably 5th in total of acne related doctor visits.

hi, i'm new here and decided to join after lurking here for ages because this forum is the best source i've found on the net. you're all absolutely amazing with how candid you are about treatments and the support everyone gives to other acne sufferers, it is brilliant.
okay, sorry for going a bit off topic there lol but i just felt a need to say that.
where to start? well the begining i guess. i've had acne since i was eleven but before then i'd get the odd spot as a child, nothing major, but as soon as i hit eleven then that was it. my skin had surrendered to this...thing, really. its really inflamed and sore acne, i suppose what you would call nodules, cystic acne ect. and i just cannot get rid of it. the best treatment i've had was erythromycin - i think that's the spelling, apologies if it is wrong - but it only cleared up my face slightly and did nothing for my shoulders, back, chest and severe facial acne. it only managed to treat the not-so-aggressive type. i tried tetracycline but that made me break oput on my legs which has left me with lots of scars.before that i had no leg acne so it was rather odd. i can't remember the names of other treatments but they either made me break out or didn't tackle the severe painful acne that needed to be treated. the doctor suggested roaccutane but she didn't seem very supportive of this. she told me that if i saw a dermatologist this is the only medication they would suggest, so she told me not to bother trying to see one.
to be honest, i feel like i've tried every acne treatment the doctor throws at me but i've been so reluctant and scared to take roaccutane because judging by the list of side affects the doctor gave me (birth defects, liver problems, ect.) the message put across was 'you'll have all of these problems.... but at least your acne will be cured!'. i was wondering if these is such a thing as a medical alternative to roaccutane? i've also heard accupuncture works for acne, can acne sufferers get this on the nhs? i've heard accupuncture can be available on the nhs now. i just don't want to cause extreme harm to my body by takin roaccutane. the fact that it said if you get pregnant whilst taking it then the child could have birth defects was scary to read.
thank you,
the con
xxx

Hi, I wanted to share something of what at this point I'm going to call a freak accident. Last week Friday I had a back injury and went to the ER where I was given Methylprednisolone 4mg Pak, Valume, Tylenol with codine, and naproxen. Now let me just say that I had severe and I mean severe Acne and I'm almost 30, I got white heads, black heads, nodules, huge huge huge blood and puss filled pimples all over my back, neck and face. I mean I wish I had more than just words to describe how bad my Acne was and I tried EVERYTHING!!! You name it I tried it all the way from the A's to the Z's when it came to over the counter or prescribed an all Dr's would tell me is well you'll just grow out of it.

Then I got hurt and went through taking this Methylprednisolone 4mg Pak, and in the span of exactly one week which is the time it took to finish the dose my face, neck, check, and back are 100 percent crystal clear... Now the the reason I believe its the Methylprednisolone 4mg Pak is because of what it helps with, swelling and inflammation in the body and tissue... Now I'm probably cursing myself and I wake up just waiting to see my first huge pimple again but for now I'm one happy person!!!

I just wanted to share this with everyone and see if anyone has any incite into this or again if this was just a fluke... like I said I am waiting for it to come back but god do I pray for it to stay the way things are going!

hey whatup everyone. i bet lots of ya guys have this problem too. i have fine and good skin now, but i used to use retinoids and i totally abused them on my skin. im hoping the damage isn't permanent, heres the problem... parts of my face look super alien-like shiny from afar, even standing right next to me, yet when you go to touch the skin its super dry. it looks like plastic skin
i wont go into how damaging this problem is for me socially, because we all have our crap to deal with.
so yea do any of you guys have this problem too? like your skin looks so so shiny and people are like asking you why is your face so greasy, yet its not shiny as in oil shiny its a very scary alien-like shiny, like people who use retinoids only have it, yet texturewise its very dry and rough.

so, guys i have tried all sorts of crazy moisturizers including pure fat, yet nothing helps and im hoping this wont be permanent. so get back to me hope you all enjoy the night
pEEce--

guys I would like to add i haven't used retinoids in over a year now, so thats why this is becoming a major problem.. hope you guys can give me suggestions on some moisturizers that go ALL THE WAY DEEP down and heal. thanks

Basically, I went to this "great" derm. He was TERRIBLE. He walked in the room and prescribed me medicines. He did not even look at my face. Now, I am going to another dermatologist but she prescribes Accutane . My other one did not. Hopefully I can convince her to give it to me because I have tried so many different crap products to no avail. It might be a little hard since I have light acne though :/ but whatever, wish me luck please and could you give me some tips on how to persuade her to give me Accutane? Thanks!

Although I have used erythromycin topical liquid successfully for decades , the last year it seems to be much less effective. I think the bacteria may be becoming adapted to it. I am thinking of asking for clindamycin to try. Would the gel form be more effective or better tolerated? Does the gel come in generic. Thanks for any advice.

I've ordered Diane 35 from planetdrugsdirect.com for years. New Zealand sourced product. Very reputable site

I've been looking for info on the results people have had with Aczone. Havent had much luck so far. So, has anyone tried this? I know my derm. said it was kind of new. Would love to hear of anyones experiences with it, I am desperate for it to work! Wish me luck.

can you use clindamycin lotion as a moisturizer?

My doctor prescribed me Doxycycline 100mg to take orally twice a day. She also prescribed Clindamycin. She also told me to continue using my Clean & Clear Persa Gel (10% benzoyl peroxide).

Has anyone noticed any success with any of these?

How long have you been using them?

ok sooo....

im 20 and have pretty much horrible acne

ive been having acne since about 12....

ive tried every cream every antibiotic every kit...everything ok

when i was about 16 i started taking accutane

everything was great for the first month...i was sooo happy with my skin it was looking better everyday...but then i started going crzyyy!! the medicine made me loony...not suicidal just out of it.so i had to get off of it...then the acne came back....as a last result i tried it again...same thing happened!!

ughhh....

i just dealt with it bc it wasnt too/too baddd

but lately thats a different story its sooo horribel

i was on solodyn for about six months and i wasnt getting results like i wanted

soooo...like a dummy i decided to try round 3 of accutane

biggg mistake!!! i only took three doses and starting feeling sad and just out of it..so i quit taking it

its a lose/lose situation....i was sad and depressed bc the accutane made me feel that way...but now im sad and depressed bc of this acne im just so ashamed....im at my wits end...

im trying b5 1000mg a day (6 250mg capsules) 2 at a time. i am also taking zinc and b complex..ive been doing this for about three days...

BUT ANYWAYS....MY QUESTION IS??????

i know you have to wait a certain amount of time between taking accutane and solodyn...but how long before the accutane is out my system so i can start back on the solodyn????