1150 replies to this topic

[lamarr1986]

Hey soul,

The dose Dr Chu starts you on is 15mg, if you cannot tolerate the side effects at 15 mg he will raise the dose to 30mg. After 30 mg if you can't tollerate the sedative side effects then it probably isn't going to be the drug for you... As you will of read though the sedative nature of the drug normally wears off after 3-4 weeks at the most.

My only real concern is weight gain but i mean i workout quite a bit still and i know how to diet properly, i have never been overweight though so hopefully i will be ok when i start and if not you can just disscontinue the drug and you will lose the weight rapidly. So it is basically just another shot at fighting the flushing, if i can tolerate the sides then i am very confident it will help, same goes for yourself.

[soul78]

Hey soul,

The dose Dr Chu starts you on is 15mg, if you cannot tolerate the side effects at 15 mg he will raise the dose to 30mg. After 30 mg if you can't tollerate the sedative side effects then it probably isn't going to be the drug for you... As you will of read though the sedative nature of the drug normally wears off after 3-4 weeks at the most.

My only real concern is weight gain but i mean i workout quite a bit still and i know how to diet properly, i have never been overweight though so hopefully i will be ok when i start and if not you can just disscontinue the drug and you will lose the weight rapidly. So it is basically just another shot at fighting the flushing, if i can tolerate the sides then i am very confident it will help, same goes for yourself.

Cool. Lamarr this is a very interesting link I came across, you may have read it but if not take a look: http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/sadhelp/mirtazapine.htm

Also, this info implies something about Clonidine not being used with Remeron (Mirtazapine), did your docotor say anything about that or was he planning to keep you on both at first?

Thanks

[lamarr1986]

Hey soul,

The dose Dr Chu starts you on is 15mg, if you cannot tolerate the side effects at 15 mg he will raise the dose to 30mg. After 30 mg if you can't tollerate the sedative side effects then it probably isn't going to be the drug for you... As you will of read though the sedative nature of the drug normally wears off after 3-4 weeks at the most.

My only real concern is weight gain but i mean i workout quite a bit still and i know how to diet properly, i have never been overweight though so hopefully i will be ok when i start and if not you can just disscontinue the drug and you will lose the weight rapidly. So it is basically just another shot at fighting the flushing, if i can tolerate the sides then i am very confident it will help, same goes for yourself.

Cool. Lamarr this is a very interesting link I came across, you may have read it but if not take a look: http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/sadhelp/mirtazapine.htm

Also, this info implies something about Clonidine not being used with Remeron (Mirtazapine), did your docotor say anything about that or was he planning to keep you on both at first?

Thanks

Hey soul,

Yeah i have read that one before, it looks like a perfect candidate for us. Chu has told me they are fine to take together, i am not sure if this is because of the dose we take for flushing compared to higher doses used for the management of blood pressure etc, that is my likely guess. He has been prescribing the combo for over a decade though so i trust him!!

[lamarr1986]

Took my first dose about 24 hrs ago, if i continue to get the same effects i am getting today i will be very very happy. I know it is way to early though and for some reason my body sometimes seems to get used to treatments for flushing so i just hope it continues to work like this, it definenetly isn't a placebo effect either because when i woke up my cheeks weren't red where i had been laying like they normally would be. My face hasnt been this calm in many many months, despite having that upset with the ipl 10 days ago... definitely the martizapine helping though.

If i don't gain much weight on this i will be a very happy man indeed, no doubt i will have some side effect or somthing pop up though!!

[soul78]

Took my first dose about 24 hrs ago, if i continue to get the same effects i am getting today i will be very very happy. I know it is way to early though and for some reason my body sometimes seems to get used to treatments for flushing so i just hope it continues to work like this, it definenetly isn't a placebo effect either because when i woke up my cheeks weren't red where i had been laying like they normally would be. My face hasnt been this calm in many many months, despite having that upset with the ipl 10 days ago... definitely the martizapine helping though.

If i don't gain much weight on this i will be a very happy man indeed, no doubt i will have some side effect or somthing pop up though!!

Hey Lamarr, good to hear. I hope things get better and better for you (us - everyone). I also have just received the prescription and will take my first dose tonight. How far are you spacing your Clonidine and Remeron out at night time?

Let's hope this is our answer. Be well.

[lamarr1986]

Clonidine every 7 hours, and i will be taking the remeron about 45 mins before bed whenever i choose it to be. So there is only about an hour or two between the last clonidine dose and the remeron...

What dose are you on soul? i am going to try my best to stick with the 15mg as i think this is what we need in terms of the anti histamine effects.... We shall see though, the girl i am in contact with who used this said it took a month to stop her flushing (tane induced).

We sha'll see i will keep my fingers crossed for us both,

Good luck man.

[soul78]

Clonidine every 7 hours, and i will be taking the remeron about 45 mins before bed whenever i choose it to be. So there is only about an hour or two between the last clonidine dose and the remeron...

What dose are you on soul? i am going to try my best to stick with the 15mg as i think this is what we need in terms of the anti histamine effects.... We shall see though, the girl i am in contact with who used this said it took a month to stop her flushing (tane induced).

We sha'll see i will keep my fingers crossed for us both,

Good luck man.

I am also starting on 15mg tonight. My Dr. said it will make me quite sleepy for the first few days so to be prepared. He also said that the lower the dose the more tired it makes you. If this works for the flushing and also helps my anxiety, it would be a god send (I just hope no sides that are too difficult to tolerate). Well, good luck to you friend and let's keep eachother posted on our progress.

Cheers

[lamarr1986]

Yeah i have read and been told the same but i have managed to cut the grass, go into town and workout so i am handling it pretty well. I have just been having plenty of fresh green tea for caffine....The green tea is supposedly good for rosacea aswell sooo np with that. I really really am hopefull on this i just worked out and i got NO where near as hot as usual.... I hope you notice the same effects!!

My cheeks arent even slightly flushed after a workout... I know people will think placebo effect etc etc but i have tried a few drugs for flushing which have had no effect like this...


I really need to stop getting excited though because i will probably develope sides of some sort, although most people say the first dose is actually the worst. If that is the case i am in heaven!!

I hope you get the same effects as i am having atm!!


Best of luck

[soul78]

Yeah i have read and been told the same but i have managed to cut the grass, go into town and workout so i am handling it pretty well. I have just been having plenty of fresh green tea for caffine....The green tea is supposedly good for rosacea aswell sooo np with that. I really really am hopefull on this i just worked out and i got NO where near as hot as usual.... I hope you notice the same effects!!

My cheeks arent even slightly flushed after a workout... I know people will think placebo effect etc etc but i have tried a few drugs for flushing which have had no effect like this...


I really need to stop getting excited though because i will probably develope sides of some sort, although most people say the first dose is actually the worst. If that is the case i am in heaven!!

I hope you get the same effects as i am having atm!!


Best of luck

Do you find your anxiety less, as in are you worrying about the flushing situation less?...you sound almost as if a weight has been lifted off of your shoulders which is great, hope it keeps up. I will be in touch.

[lamarr1986]

Think it is to early for reduction in anxiety, but i will keep a look out.

My eyes (ocular rosacea) are without a doubt improved... I am wondering if the milk thistle i take is causing my 15mg dose to act more like a 30mg dose because i am not THAT sedated (google milk thistle and anti depressants)... Might try dropping it for a few days but either way 30mg dose is ok aswell...

[soul78]

Think it is to early for reduction in anxiety, but i will keep a look out.

My eyes (ocular rosacea) are without a doubt improved... I am wondering if the milk thistle i take is causing my 15mg dose to act more like a 30mg dose because i am not THAT sedated (google milk thistle and anti depressants)... Might try dropping it for a few days but either way 30mg dose is ok aswell...

I had the weirdest dream after my first pill...it was surreal, as if I was outside my body and half way between dreaming and being awake. Didn't like it too much, hopefully I will adjust after a few days.

My Doctor said the lower the dose the more sedative and the more side effects, which is strange isn't it? He said if the sides are troublesome we can consider upping the dose in a few weeks. I see him back next week. No change in flushing but hasn't even been 24 hours yet so I am assuming it will take a week or two to see any signs of initial improvement.

Cheers

[lamarr1986]

I got the dream thing with clonidine when i upped my dose to three times daily. My body adjusted after about 5 days. But for a few nights i didn't look foward to going to bed...

Yeah the few people i have spoken to said that 30mg actually worked best for them in the end. At the moment tho i am having no problems with 15mg *touch wood*, i did sleep for about 12 hours last night though lol. Sticking to 15 is best if you can cope with the sides.... if not you will probably have the same if not very similar results from 30mg, i just want to keep hold of the anti histamine side effect because it is really helping my ocular rosacea...

[lamarr1986]

A reply from a long term remeron user who takes it for flushing, she also seems the same derm as i do...


"That definitely is a coincidence! I have an appointment on 15:30 I belief, perhaps we will see each others faces..
I also strated on 15 mg and I saw improvement in my flushing quite soon, I think after a week, perhaps 2. The side-effects were mild for me as well, but only after some time I noticed I had increased appetite and some weight gain. It is quite well manageable though if you are careful not to overeat in my opinion.

Please keep me updated. Are you from the UK? Do you have to travel far to see Tony or are you living close? I am from Holland but am at the moment in the south of France and will stay here till the 20th of June and then travel my way up to Calais and take the ferry there with my car and then drive to London. I can stay 2 nights in the visiters lodge next to the hospital for a small amoumt of money and will leave again on the **th of June to go back to Holland.

Best wishes, Natalja"


Anxiety is normally relieved after a week or two also so i think two weeks is when we should start seeing real results!!

[NTK8989]

Just to let u guys know im having some positive progress from health diet. i started 4 weeks ago with totally healthy diet(Low GI, no Sugar, 70%fruit & veggie) and i also stop all the chemical products that i use to put on my skin.

My skin use to be red on the cheek and have little bumps, which made my face look like its ful of pimples. Now most my bumps are gone and my skin has not felt so good for months. No more itchiness and dryness!! My cheeks are less red n less sensitive now.. but still far from perfect... maybe in 4 weeks it will be...i hope* xd

i only wash twice a day, morning with water and night with cetaphil cleanser. then after a little bit of cetaphil cream.

For health diet to work, it takes time n needs to be patient!!!
the easiest way i find to consume my fruit and veggie diet is to make smoothnes out of them. Drink them throught out the day. You will be surprise of how much fruit & veggie u have actually drunk!!! Check out the nutiention section of this forum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All the best for u guys..
il keep u informed. :D:D

[soul78]

Hey all, here is my 1 week update on Remeron...

I am knocking LOUDLY on wood as I type this because I have already seen some improvement.

Pros
- less intense flushing (I do not get that deep burning, heat flushing as much, only had it once this past week where as prior to the meds I had it almost daily)
- no flushing or burning at all at night
- sleeping almost like a baby. waking up once every 3-4 hours so maybe twice or 3 times a night which is almost back to normal, prior I was waking every 1 to 2 hours, which was around 5-6 times per night.

Cons
- Do feel heavy footed throughout the day, more tired but I am able to push through it and carry on with all normal activities but when it is time for bed I feel like a just finished a marathon some nights, which is actually probably good thing.
- Not really a con, but still getting some flushing, but the severity, frequency, duration (length it takes to go back to normal) have all changed for the better.
- Kind of a weird con, but now that I no longer get the burning or heating sensation, like your blood is boiling under your skin in your face, I never really know when I am flushing these days. If I am in a situation where I used to flush I will glance into a mirror and be a little red, but more of a pink or a look as if I was in the sun for the afternoon, which is still not back to normal but MUCH better then the "Whoa, your face is red" I used to get because I looked as if I had fallen asleep on a beach or in a tanning bed, I would call the former lobster red, where as now more like a pinkish or slightly red glow.
- I am sooooooo hungry all the time, but lost weight since I stopped working out a few months back due to the flushing, yeah lost weight, I have a high metablolism. I am just eating smaller more frequent meals and healthy snacks, like apples, bannanas, seeds and dried fruit etc. So not really a biggie for me now.

Anyways, my doctor says things will get better with time and that the full effects are not reached until around week 4-6. At that point we will gadge my anxiety/flushing and sides and then decide on bumping up to 30mg or not.

Keep in mind I am also taking Clonidine and Ativan (occasionaly) but did not start seeing some decent improvement until adding the Remeron a week ago, so it could be a combo of all 3 working together.

I will keep everyone posted and report back in a couple more weeks.

Best of luck to eveyone. Keep the faith and stay positive friends.

[Seattle JT]

Hey soul I am glad to hear that you are having some success with remeron, I hope you continue to see improvement. I am curious to know what you mean about sometimes not knowing that you are flushed. I am in a very similar situation. I have been off accutane for pretty much exactly one year now. Minocycline was making my flushing much worse, which I stopped taking like 3 months ago. When I was on minocycline and flushed my face would be burning and feel like it was suffocating. After I stopped taking it the biggest improvement I saw was the intensity of the flushing like you are talking about. I was still putting Klaron lotion on at night up until like two weeks ago. Currently I still can get somewhat flushed on a daily basis, all depending on the heat/stress situations that I am put in, but the majority of my flushing I can hardly feel. I am hoping that this is an improvement and a step on the way to not flushing at all, what do you think? Also, do you constantly have redness on your cheeks even when you are not flushed? Not anything near the severity of the redness when flushed, but still noticeable. I seem to have constant redness on my cheeks and up to the temples, I guess it is more pink now than red, but still a noticeable difference than my normal skin tone.

[lamarr1986]

Hey all, here is my 1 week update on Remeron...

I am knocking LOUDLY on wood as I type this because I have already seen some improvement.

Pros
- less intense flushing (I do not get that deep burning, heat flushing as much, only had it once this past week where as prior to the meds I had it almost daily)
- no flushing or burning at all at night
- sleeping almost like a baby. waking up once every 3-4 hours so maybe twice or 3 times a night which is almost back to normal, prior I was waking every 1 to 2 hours, which was around 5-6 times per night.

Cons
- Do feel heavy footed throughout the day, more tired but I am able to push through it and carry on with all normal activities but when it is time for bed I feel like a just finished a marathon some nights, which is actually probably good thing.
- Not really a con, but still getting some flushing, but the severity, frequency, duration (length it takes to go back to normal) have all changed for the better.
- Kind of a weird con, but now that I no longer get the burning or heating sensation, like your blood is boiling under your skin in your face, I never really know when I am flushing these days. If I am in a situation where I used to flush I will glance into a mirror and be a little red, but more of a pink or a look as if I was in the sun for the afternoon, which is still not back to normal but MUCH better then the "Whoa, your face is red" I used to get because I looked as if I had fallen asleep on a beach or in a tanning bed, I would call the former lobster red, where as now more like a pinkish or slightly red glow.
- I am sooooooo hungry all the time, but lost weight since I stopped working out a few months back due to the flushing, yeah lost weight, I have a high metablolism. I am just eating smaller more frequent meals and healthy snacks, like apples, bannanas, seeds and dried fruit etc. So not really a biggie for me now.

Anyways, my doctor says things will get better with time and that the full effects are not reached until around week 4-6. At that point we will gadge my anxiety/flushing and sides and then decide on bumping up to 30mg or not.

Keep in mind I am also taking Clonidine and Ativan (occasionaly) but did not start seeing some decent improvement until adding the Remeron a week ago, so it could be a combo of all 3 working together.

I will keep everyone posted and report back in a couple more weeks.

Best of luck to eveyone. Keep the faith and stay positive friends.

That is great to hear man, i can also report i am definenetly seeing improvement.... I seem to be really lucky in that i have no sides other than the jumpy thing that i told you about. Even the sleepyness has kinda worn off. I am not sleepy during the day atall...
I had a couple of days where i seemed to be more hungry than normal but i workout with weights (have always stuck to aprox a 3.5k calroies diet) so i can handle the extra calroies ok *touch wood*. 15 mg is actually the best for flushing in general, you probably read natajlas posts on a rosacea forum, she mainly takes 30 because the sides at 15 are to high. She also sees Dr Chu... I think the only way i will go up to 30 mg is if i start seeing my weight increase, but after a week i havent seen much in the way of that!!

Chu seems to think there is an effect seen when combining the clonidine and remeron, that you wouldn't definenetly get with the remeron by itself...

I am glad you are seeing improvement and the good news is you should see some more over the next ffew weeks.

Best of luck

[soul78]

Hey soul I am glad to hear that you are having some success with remeron, I hope you continue to see improvement. I am curious to know what you mean about sometimes not knowing that you are flushed. I am in a very similar situation. I have been off accutane for pretty much exactly one year now. Minocycline was making my flushing much worse, which I stopped taking like 3 months ago. When I was on minocycline and flushed my face would be burning and feel like it was suffocating. After I stopped taking it the biggest improvement I saw was the intensity of the flushing like you are talking about. I was still putting Klaron lotion on at night up until like two weeks ago. Currently I still can get somewhat flushed on a daily basis, all depending on the heat/stress situations that I am put in, but the majority of my flushing I can hardly feel. I am hoping that this is an improvement and a step on the way to not flushing at all, what do you think? Also, do you constantly have redness on your cheeks even when you are not flushed? Not anything near the severity of the redness when flushed, but still noticeable. I seem to have constant redness on my cheeks and up to the temples, I guess it is more pink now than red, but still a noticeable difference than my normal skin tone.

Hey, I am the same, still flushing on a daily basis, but it's more of the situations I put myself in. ie. A month or two ago, I would sit in my room and flush by just reading a magazine or book, now I no longer flush in that type of situation, but if I am in the sun even for 10 minutes, I will flush, or if I am in a store in the mall that has the central heat on, I will flush, or if I get anxious, stressed out, angry, upset etc. I will flush. I also flush after exercise too. So these days it is more about the situations I put myself in but I am still ultra sensitive to many situations, but at least I am not waking up flushing badly or flushing by just sitting and watching TV etc. (I was before).

Also, as I stated previously, I no longer get those burning, painful type of flushes that tightens your face and leaves you with that sticky feeling, only very rarely, as in once over the last week has that happened. Now it is almost as if my face feels slightly warm then I look in a mirror and it is pretty flushed, where as before I could feel it everytime it was pretty flush. I don't what to think about that, but it does seem like improvement. Also, what is your recovery time like now? Before when I had that deep painful flushes that you could feel, it would take 45 mins of eating ice and sitting 10inches from a fan to cool it down. Now it seems to dissipate more rapidly, maybe 20 mins and that is just by sitting and relaxing.

I am thinking that these are positive signs. I am 3 months and 1 week post Accutane, so if I can continue to make progress as I have in the past 3 months, then I will hopefully be in pretty good shape at the 6 month point.

Anyways, hope this helped and let me know about your recovery and if you are also ultra sensitive to sun? as in it causing flushes.

[okayz]

I was on accutane for six months about a year ago and after getting off I was put on minocycline which I took from then on until about six weeks ago. Last November I started to get facial redness/flushing on the sides of my face and nowhere else. The main trigger that causes my redness/flushing is heat and my face seems to be extremely sensitive to any heat and I can even flush in temperatures of 65F. At first I thought it was just due to dry skin, but my skin hasn't been dry for months and I still suffer from this problem. My dermatologist had no idea what was wrong with me and she had me stop taking minocycline to see if that helped. I noticed a marked improvement once I stopped taking the minocycline, but I still have facial redness/flushing six weeks later. The minocycline was definitely making things worse, but the biggest change I have seen since stopping it is in the intensity of flushing I get. When I was on the minocycline my face felt like it was on fire and now, even though I still flush, it isn't to the same intensity as before. When my face starts to feel hot my cheeks feel sticky even though my skin still feels smooth to the touch so I guess it is like an internal problem. I am not sure what that means, but I think that maybe my skin doesn't produce enough oil after accutane or something? I used to have pretty oily skin and now I don't have oily skin at all. The only product I am using right now is klaron, but I don't think that it has any connection with flushing and it has been really effective in keeping me acne free. I was hoping to get some advice if anyone had any?

Honestly man, the accutane is keeping you acne free, not the klaron. I had the same problem as you, and it took about a year for the flushing to go away, and another year for the perm redness to go away. I would recommend using sunscreen, looking into some vbeam, and just chilling

[chaseryder]

I dunno what to say here guys...I am not entirely sure if the remeron is gonna be your answer, but hey all you can do is give it a go, so I am eager to hear of your progress. Personally, I had been on Celexa, and it did nothing for anxiety or flushing...I dunno, maybe Remeron is different? But I dont see how it could since they are all basically the same...but anyway, if it helps, please let me know.

PERSONALLY, I dont really flush anymore...I have a few periods where I will flush a bit, but thats ONLY when I am pushing heavy weights in the gym. I don't flush to drinking, randomly...it is usually triggered by an overheating of the body. Once in a while, I will get the warm heated sensation, but that does not happen all that much.

Personally, the flushing just doesn't bother me anymore. I managed to get a good grip on it, but still battle with Seb dermatitis, which is tough...My skin is still a bit pinkish/normal tone, mainly where i have broken blood vessels, and a little red from the SD. But I believe I am getting to the point in my life, where it no longer is an obsession. It is unhealthy. Most of us aim to be perfectionists, whether it be with skin or anything in life. Life is too short to be caught up in bs like this. Yes, its important to be able to get your life on track, and not have these things bother you, but another trigger to this I BELIEVE is STRESS. Its tough to eliminate it when your face is on fire and red all the time, but you need to begin focusing on other positive aspects of life and just realize that you will and can get this in control.

Anyway, I am interested to hear about your progress, so I will be around.

SHOUT OUT TO LAMARR---WHAT UP HOMIE!!!