33 replies to this topic

[spacetravler]

STATUS: ABORTED
I talked to my doctor after three month of usage and we agreed to cancel this. If I am lucky I will get accutane instead. Thanks for the comments in this threads.

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Starting acne status:
Mild to almost moderate

Age:
21

History:
Benzoyl Peroxide 5% and 10% (3 month)
Differin (3 month)
Tretinoin 0.05% (7 month)
Vitamin B5 (6 month)
Zinc (2 month)

^The only thing that improved my skin was Tretinoin, but it could just as well been the Vitamin B5 since I was using it the same time, but it never cured it completely.

Today I am pleased to try something completely new, and by new I mean something that is not a cream but a pill. I am not sure of what to expect, if it was accutane I would know better of what to expect and how well it works.

I have stopped using my cleanser and moisturizer and going out "clean" by just using water in the morning and night. I will use moisturizer if I really need to. I will take Tetralysal twice a day, starting tonight!

[spacetravler]

A picture of me will be put up if I get completley cleared up and satisfied. But no love letters please!

[spacetravler]

~2 days
Nothing really changed yet, I have not noticed any side effect which is good because I am actually allergic to another antibiotic so the first hope I had was that I could take it without getting an allergic reaction.

Not sure how fast this process will take but I have read somewhere around a month so I guess I will probably see after a week if its going the right way.

[spacetravler]

~5 days
Well it looks better then it did when I started but I am still sceptical because of the slow process of developing a zit. I mean if it gets worse again as I had when I started, it can't be working, right? I hope you understand what I mean.

[spacetravler]

~8 days
I usually get these white filled "pustules" in the T-zone. Right now, I don't have any, no big chock because it happened before that I don't have any active pustules at once, very rare but it has happened this year when I was on the Tretinoin cream. My nose is red, nothing really red but its noticeable and I don't think "its only me" that sees it. I had a bit of a red nose now since the beginning of October after some big zits. I had one rather recently so it might be something that is still there for a month or two.

I got some blackheads also on the nose, nothing major but I would not mind loosing them. I also wounder if that could have something to do with the redness in the nose. From what I see, the antibiotic will not 'cure' the blackheads as it will with the pustules. Also I am not in the mood yet to try some cream or exfoliate against it... I want to stay just on the pills for now so I don't make the same mistake I did last and started to many things at once and could not tell what was working and what was not working.

[spacetravler]

~18 days
Thread is a bit lonley. Nothing good to report today, my face is a mess again. I am not sure why it did a turn back like this, I am trying to remember if I have done something that would cause it but can't recall anything. Maybe a soda to much? No idea, my guess is that the antibiotic is doing something because it almost looks like a reaction because I am really red now and some break outs... man I am so sad today, I thought this was working. Not much to do then keep going and see what happends, 18 days is not that much.

Perhaps it actually is working and pushing all crap out from my face... if it gets worse I will consult with the doctor again and get a more clear answere.

[fletch1978]

hey space...sorry that youre feeling down. i know its hard waiting for a treatment to start working. with an antibiotic, i think its wise to give it at least 2 months before you see whether or not its working for you. also, i was wondering why you stopped using any topical creams? oral antibiotics can be great, but i think theyre consistently shown to work better when used along with a topical medication, like the ones you listed above. but i understand not wanting to do to much and not know whats doing what, so if you feel you just want to stick to the antibiotic, i can understand that.
anyhow, keep us posted on your progress, and check out the other posts to get more of an objective view about what to expect from treatment, and also see what others are doing in addition to their antibiotics, to see if maybe they can be of help!

[spacetravler]

Thank you for writing in my thread fletch1978.

I think you are right, I will give it more time of course. The doctor did not suggest me to continue with Tretinoin but said something along theese lines "Well, you tried that, now lets try this". There is another reason I am trying to stay away from all the creams and to touch my face as little as possible - My job. I am in contact with a lot of dirt, oils and other chemicals with my hands and working night shift, so the last thing I do when I come home before I started with Tetralysal was to smear Tretinoin in my face with thoose hands. Believe me, it's impossible to get them clean before I do this. You can wash em for 5 min, 15 min, they wount get clean. I sometime thought I was doing more harm to my skin then good when smearing in the Tretinoin. I even tried using special gloves for this but it was just too much of a hassle.

The first time I visited the doctor for acne trouble I got a doctor I did not have any trust in and was not doing a good job. Now my mother which is also working inside the hospital walls (she is a shrink) recommended me to go see this doctor that she usually visit. He had a longer waiting time then everybody else but I booked a time. I thought he was much better. He seemed to know what he was talking about but he keept constantly saying "you got mild acne", like I should not bother being there searching for help. I tried to explain to him that one zit is enough to ruin a whole week for me, a zit right on the nose is devistating. I am not sure if he knew what I meant, probably never had a zit in his whole life. After he explain there is people that has something even worse (he was refering to people with cysts acne) and that there is something much stronger medication for that and I said "accutane?", "correct" he said. I am most certain that he will never write out accutane for me neither how it goes with this Tetralysal which kinda get my hopes up a bit higher.

I will give a recap around December 4th, when 1 month has passed.

[spacetravler]

~1 month
The rollercoaster ride continues. In my latest reply I wrote that my face was a mess again, now it has turned and gone to the better... again. Even though I went "all out" on my nose, trying to squeeze out everything that were not suppose to be there.. perhaps not a very bright move but I think I just lost it. The biggest concern is afterall the nose, its still rather red, nothing extreme but to a point where I find it to be very bothering to go outside. Let's imagin the redness was gone, if it was, then I think I am kinda OK with my face. Such a shame that everything must take so long time, I am not very patient. I'm not sure but my face looks kinda.. not wet but kinda oily.. I am not good to judge what type I have, if its dry, sensitive or oily but my guess is that it is oily.

My hopes now is that everything will look OK to a point where I can go out and feel comfortable around christmas, best day on the year here at least to go out and party. Nothing I have done now for 6 month because of my acne and work. If not... I guess I always have my trusty computer to play on.

[ferzinha]

Hey!

I was wondering how is it going now? Any changes? Still good?

I started taking Tetralysal yesterday. My acne is mild to moderate. I actually tried it before (for about 1 or 2 weeks, I can't remember exactly) but saw no improvement and got desperate. I stopped taking it and took Tetrex but it gave me gastritis. I stopped Tetrex and instead a friend of mine started giving me facials and it improved but now I haven't been able to see her and I started breaking out again so my derm said to take it again (300mg a day) and to be patient and give a longer chance this time around. I'm so anxious!

[Truman Gerdfunge]

Wow i cant believe i missed this thread. I really should check the logs a lot more often.

I am on the same stuff you are and i'm doing the same thing as you by not using any topicals other than moisturiser. I just lightly wash with water in the morning and put some moisturiser on, i don't do anything else. I even started my prescription at roughly the same time as you did!!

Anyway i know what you are going through, i have had new spots form myself but on the whole its been good.

My advice would be to not have anything with caffeine in it and not eat much sugar, if you can cut sugar out entirely then that would be great, but the key to it is to simply regulate how much you are having. Also don't touch your acne. I rub off some of the dead skin sometimes since i'm not using anything to exfoliate, but the good thing is that any blocked pores just go away after a short while and if you don't touch it then it is much harder for the acne to become inflamed, which is what you don't want.

i will check back to this log in the future, keep going and good luck.

[spacetravler]

~1 month and 7 days
Fun to see some new replies in my thread. It was on December the 6th (Saturday afternoon) when I woke up, it looked really good. The nose was not as red as before and no active pustules. Today though my nose has gone up in redness (I really hate that nose, it started to get red about at the end of September, not sure why but it has stucked since. Before that my nose was not red at all). My nose is also really itching and feels iritated. I have got some new but tiny pustules again, most around my nose which I guess is my biggest trouble area. I drank some caffine though, around 1.5L this week but I will avoid it like the plague now. I had to go "all out" on the nose again, stupid misstake I guess but the itching was really getting out of hand and since I got much mess out from the nose last time I thought it was time again but this time I could not get anything out. Silly I know... the itching really has to go. I can have my fingers away from the face with no problem but it is itcing to really push my patience. I will never go "all out" on the nose again... I hope. Other things that keeps me need to touch my face is like when you get a running nose and I get 'em a lot. Since it is so cold here (a bit below 0 C) its enough to get my nose running by just going outside a couple of minutes. Also, I am not using any moisturiser at all, I am going really "clean" out this time. But I am thinking of starting to use one.

Some questions to you two:
How long are you suppose to take Tetrasyal? What did your derm say.
Also, how long did your derm say it was going to take before you saw improvements?

My box of Tetrasyal is starting to get empty soon, I got one more perscription for another box. After that, I really hope something has happend. Feels like my last hope... :/

[ferzinha]

She said to take 300mg a day for 15 days and the 150mg as follow up. I think that's the standard for mild to moderate acne.

As for how long? She just said to be patient this time.

I don't need a prescription for Tetralysal in Mexico. So I guess if by the time the 15 days are up, I don't see any improvement, I'll call her up and see if she recommends taking 300mg for more days. I'll keep you posted.

So far, everything looks the same. I'm on my third day of Tetralysal. In the morning I use Cetaphil to wash my face and then a moisturizer. At night, I wash with Cetaphil, and then I use a gentel deep pore cleanser by Esthederm. I finish by moisturizing around my eyes and I a gel with 15% Glicolic Acid (sp?).

Current Mood: Still anxious, but hopefull.

[Truman Gerdfunge]

My doctor gave me a prescription for 6 months and said that it will need that long to have any long lasting effect. However i saw results after little more than a fortnight. I have much less active acne than what i had before.

I know it is difficult to stop touching your face, its cold here too (i know my location says Palau, but i'm actually in England where its -5'C right now) which doesn't help. Just wiping your nose is ok i think, but it's when you pick at the spots and irritate the skin which is the problem.

Keep the faith, it is good stuff this

[spacetravler]

Oh I see, my doctor told me to take two 300mg a day, not just one. If I remember correct he told me to take two a day for one month then go down to only one a day. I have keept going with two though. 6 month huh.. I guess I will go through my other package before I do anything then.

[Truman Gerdfunge]

yeah i am only one 1 a day.

just swallow it with water in the morning, i think it works best when you have some food at about the same time as well.

[spacetravler]

Says 1-3 Month for good effect using Tetralysal. I read this on the official medication site for Sweden. Also, ironpills - kalcium and zink will reduce the effect of Tetralysal so keep a 3h break if you use it with Tetralysal. That is what is says.

[Truman Gerdfunge]

yeah i'm not having much milk and dairy products because i hear that has a negative effect with acne.

[spacetravler]

Damn this nose! Some education at work today, we went from building A to B for the course, its cold outside as I mentioned. When I arrive I take a quick look in the mirror... wow... nose was so red it was insane. I just went back out and home and called in sick... why oh why do I have to have acne and all this other bullcrap... uuuuuuugh.. But, you all know the feeling.

[Truman Gerdfunge]

yeah i have called in sick because of embarrassment as well.

Why is your nose red? it can't be the lymecycline. Is it just cold or are you getting inflamed acne?