hey! this is my first post, but I have been reading posts and reviews on this site for months. i'm from LA and went to a high school where just about everyone was beautiful with beautiful skin. my friends included. i took birth control (yasmin) at 14 and it kept me pretty clear up until 9 months ago (i'm almost 20 now). i have hardly left the house in the last 2 months and have crying spells regarding my acne constantly. i went to my derm. a couple days ago and told her i wanted accutane.

she told me i had to wait 5 weeks until i could start accutane and gave me doryx in the meantime. i also have a perscription of mino. from a previous doctor, but i decided not to take it at that time. is it worth taking either one of these for a month? it's been 5 days since starting doryx and my acne is worse than i think i have ever seen it... even worse than when i was 14. i feel like the more i cry about acne the worse it gets. i just don't know what to do anymore. i refuse to leave the house and my friends are getting sick and tired of my "i'm too tired to go out" or "i don't feel well" excuses.

i really dont want to waste my entire summer hiding. should i just wait until accutane? or should i take mino or doryx first. please just tell me your experiences. i know there have been so many posts like this, but i needed to vent about my horrible acne filled life. :[

p.s. my face has gotten MUCH oilier since i started doryx in addition to the horrific breakouts. i know antibiotics makes birth control less effective. does that also mean it can unbalance the hormones that the birth control is trying to balance?

It shouldn't be. It is an antibiotic, not a hormone affecter.

What concerns me the most is that you are letting acne keep you from your life. As hard as it is to admit, you let acne do that. It is difficult but possible to live life regardless of it. Maybe try baby steps. A small outing with family, then maybe with a trusted friend. Build up your comfort level, but most importantly, as cheesy as it sounds, don't give up on the fun things in life.

Ask your dermatologist about Duac or Epiduo. I use that with my doryx. Seems to be working good.

i switched to mino and it's working pretty well. how long have you been using epiduo/ how well is it working for you? i have it, but i'm scared to use it because i have such sensitive skin and bp (which i use daily) dries my skin out so much already.

hey, don't let acne get to you. I know you heard this many times before but don't let it control your life. I have struggled with acne for most of my life and I had so many things i missed out on. Try to look at things positively(i know its hard) but hey look at it this way you are starting accutane soon so just think to yourself I'm going to have clear skin!!