212 replies to this topic

[Andreangel]

you should avoid taking aleve if you are on yaz,yasmin,or spironolactone. my doctor told me to avoid them because the combination of the bc or spiro and aleve will increase potassium levels in your body which can cause heart failure or liver problems. just a heads up!

Oh no! I tried Aleve and this works during PMS. But I am also on Spirolactone and I have found that if I do not take it, I get oily much faster. Darn...

Oh well I guess PMS is only 1/4 week a month so hopefully, taking Aleve wont pose permanent risk. I haven't been able to find anything else that works as well or simple during PMS.

[BlueDove]

Just an FYI - Aspirin, Ibuprofen(Advil/Motrin), and Naproxen Sodium(Aleve) are all NSAIDs: Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs.

Acetaminophen(Tylenol) is NOT! (Do not take for acne!)

If you are concerned about a drug interaction, ask your doctor or pharmacist about the safety of taking these NSAIDs along with your regular medication.

And Finally:
If taking NSAIDs irritate your stomach, you may be sensitive towards them and thus MORE LIKELY to develop gastrointestinal problems. Please discuss your symptoms with your doctor or pharmacist before continuing to take them.

[Kriszti]

Just an FYI - Aspirin, Ibuprofen(Advil/Motrin), and Naproxen Sodium(Aleve) are all NSAIDs: Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs.

Acetaminophen(Tylenol) is NOT! (Do not take for acne!)

If you are concerned about a drug interaction, ask your doctor or pharmacist about the safety of taking these NSAIDs along with your regular medication.

And Finally:
If taking NSAIDs irritate your stomach, you may be sensitive towards them and thus MORE LIKELY to develop gastrointestinal problems. Please discuss your symptoms with your doctor or pharmacist before continuing to take them.

And don't use treatment if you're trying to get pregnant. It interferes with ovulation.

[I'mHeather]

Hmmm, this sounds interesting. Guess it's worth a try at least for a month or two- can't hurt anything.
I am going to the grocery store tonight so I will have to get this.

I am starting to notice that I too tend to really breakout during ovulation, as a a few of you have had issues with. I never really thought of it before, just that I broke out around my period. Well, I paid attention this month and looked at an ovulation calendar and low and behold...my gross breakout (worse than normal this month) started about 9 days before my period- which was during my ovulaiton time. So...I will just have to pay attention to the timing next month andd give it a try.

[goshdarnitalltoheck]

EDIT:
I haven't been taking more than 1 or 2 every 7-10 days. I've decided it isn't worth risking an ulcer. I already take ibuprofen once a month. After about 2 months of this I've felt a dull pain in my stomach for 8 days now and now I'm worried. So forget drugs.

[halon2]

I finally decided to join the board after reading about this trick and trying it. Something happened this past fall that made me break out horribly, mainly on my chin, with a variety of whiteheads and pustules. They've ended up on top of each other, and have been really red and painful. The first time it happened was during ovulation (I've always had hormonal breakouts) but normally it goes away the week of menstruation. It didn't this fall. My chin has been red and broken out for about 5 months, and after the stress went away (it was a horrible semester) and the acne didn't subside, I figured I needed to try something new.

I'd not changed my products, same makeup, cleanser and moisturizer I've been using since April, so I didn't figure that was it. So I wanted to see if this would work and what would happen with just one aleve, so I've been doing that for about the past week and a half. 1 aleve with water right before bed (NEVER on an empty stomach. That's an Aleve no no!) The red spots I had from old acne did go down a bit, but I still got more. The big difference I noticed was that the pustules came to a head MUCH quicker. Like, they started one day, protruded the next, and the 3rd there was a whitehead. Normally that process takes at least week. And they weren't stubborn either, but popped easily using the recommended method from here. After being popped, they have been going away faster too. (And I know I shouldn't pop, but I've never scarred from acne, and have been popping and picking for 14 years. Bad habits die hard.)

So, using 1 aleve a day made a significant difference in the length of the acne cycle, and I'm going to try 2 a day, one morning one night, next cycle.

Some good news!

[UKLady]

Oh, this sounds great!

I get my worst spots usually during and just after my period - so this could be really good, if it helps. I googled it and it's called Feminax Ultra here in the UK and was only approved for OTC in 2008 over here.

It's interesting, because it did occur to me (before I started reading on here) to take a couple of Ibuprofen the other night when 2 pustules I had were really inflamed and the next morning, they had gone right down and were no longer red and angry. So if Feminax/Aleve works even better as an anti-inflammatory, it should really help, I'll def be buying some, as period time is the worst for my skin.

[CKF]

Do you have any idea if it safe to take with 40mg of Accutane? I have only been on for 11days.

[halon2]

Whatever answers you get here, you should really, REALLY ask your doctor before mixing over the counter and prescription meds of any kind.

[LionQueen]

I suggest you check with your pharmacist.

[serendi]

This is interesting! For the first time in my life I am looking forward to "that" time of the month, thanks for the advice!

[rbv1999]

I just wanted to chime in and say that I tried Aleve for the first time this month, and it really made a difference in my mid-cycle breakout! I took 2 Aleve on days 13 and 14 in my cycle, then 1 pill on days 15 and 16. I got NONE of the inflamed acne that I usually see at this time, though I did get a smattering of smaller closed comedones -- which I can deal with.

I can't wait to try this again next month!! Thanks for the tip!

[TitchyB]

This is really interesting to read!
My periods are a little all over the place but I ALWAYS have really nasty breakouts mid-cycle (ish) if I were to try this, should I start to take it as soon as I get the ovulation pain/bloat/bad temperedness (hehe) and continue to take it until my period starts or should I just take it for a few days and start again when the elusive period shows up?
Also, we dont get Aleve here but we do get Feminax which is Naproxen based... should work the same though eh?

[LionQueen]

Yes, naproxen sodium is the thing to look for. And it would be better to only take it for a few days at a time.

[angel07]

This really works!

I'm using the regimen, and although it helps wonderfully, I still get one or two pimples during my period. So after reading this, I decided to give Aleve a try. I took two pills today with plenty of water. My face looks so much better! A pimple was forming on my forehead (one of those painful under-the-skin ones) and the redness and inflammation has gone down tremendously! Wow! I'm also using lots of benzoyl peroxide and glycolic acid throughout the day as a spot treatment. I'll try again next month and see how it goes!

[sfclear]

I am SO interested to try this! I didn't know that getting breakouts around ovulation was so common. I used to get them around my period but as I've gotten older that has changed and now my skin is just AWFUL after my period around the time of ovulation. It breaks out for at least a week then takes another week to heal. I have good skin maybe two weeksout of the month and I dread my cyclical breakouts.

One thing that has worked somewhat is vitex to normalize my hormones but I HAVE to be consistent and take it 1-2 times per day for 2-3 months. I stopped taking it a month ago and the acne came back big and bad! So I hope this works while I get back on the vitex. Thanks for sharing this everyone!

[angel07]

sfclear - you should totally try this! I am amazed with the results! I just got done with my period yesterday and I haven't gotten a single pimple! That is a first. Haha yeah, I will have clear skin for like two weeks, but then a few days before and during my period I have to hide from my boyfriend so he won't see me. I would always plan important events during the two first weeks of the month when I didn't have my period. But not anymore! I took two Aleve a day for two days before my period and one a day two days after. Kinda a lot, so next month I'm not going to take so much and see if I get the same results. And remember to drink lots of water!

Good luck!

[sfclear]

Thanks Angel! I'm glad it is working for you and that you don't have to hide out anymore, that's wonderful!

I will probably start with the lower dose since I have a petite body type and I'm usually sensitive to EVERYTHING

I'll let you all know how it goes! I am tired of putting all of these chemicals on my face so I really hope this works for me!

[ALLC]

I'll have to try this!

[sfclear]

I had high hopes for this but I can't say that I noticed any difference. However, since I stopped using BP and have been using only natural topicals my skin is pretty much breaking out all month long so I didn't want to take it more than a few days. I took one tablet per day for about 5 days around ovulation. Maybe this month I will take two Aleve instead. I'll let you know!