154 replies to this topic

[jblondie813]

1st of all thank u for this post! And all of the info.

I'm currently on Doryx right now & seeing absoulutely NO results!! My face has actually got worse and I'm breaking out on my chest & shoulders right now.

My aunt is a homeophathic chiropractor so she knows all about nutrition. Unfortunately she lives in CA and I live in GA so she can't really diagnose or prescribe for my problem over the phone!

I asked her about the niacin and she says that doesnt get to the route of the problem tho...

She wants me to take 5 different supplements...which will probably run me $100 easily!!! I don't have that kind of $$$!!

I want to give Niacin a shot! So should I stop taking my Doryx & start the Niacin?? PLEASE help! I'm in dire need. I'm sick of the antibiotics & medicines! My face hurts & its worse than ever!

Edited by jblondie813, 31 October 2009 - 10:52 AM.

[fm7228]

To be honest, there's no harm in trying at this point. If Doryx is making your acne worse over the long term, there are no benefits for continuous use. Niacin seems like a cheaper option compared to the health supplements that you described.

I'm currently taking 500mg of non-flush niacin after dinner and have seen results within the past two weeks. I'm not getting as many cysts and my redness and oil production has decreased dramatically. Don't get me wrong, I still have blackheads and clogged pores. But within the 2 weeks of taking this, I have seen improvements. I also noticed that my metabolism is a lot quicker and always hungry (not sure if it is linked or not). I also mixed the niacin with aloe gel to create a 4% solution. I apply this gel at night to help alleviate my surface acne.

Give it a shot, you have nothing to lose at this point.

Best of Luck!

1st of all thank u for this post! And all of the info.

I'm currently on Doryx right now & seeing absoulutely NO results!! My face has actually got worse and I'm breaking out on my chest & shoulders right now.

My aunt is a homeophathic chiropractor so she knows all about nutrition. Unfortunately she lives in CA and I live in GA so she can't really diagnose or prescribe for my problem over the phone!

I asked her about the niacin and she says that doesnt get to the route of the problem tho...

She wants me to take 5 different supplements...which will probably run me $100 easily!!! I don't have that kind of $$$!!

I want to give Niacin a shot! So should I stop taking my Doryx & start the Niacin?? PLEASE help! I'm in dire need. I'm sick of the antibiotics & medicines! My face hurts & its worse than ever!

[asn6]

Wow, it's been awhile. For anyone who hasn't visited this thread in awhile, I have tweaked my regimen a bit.

After taking Niacin daily for 60 days, I slowly started taking it every other day, then every 3 days, then once a week. Now I do not take it daily. My acne is still under control so long as I stay away from putting harsh soaps or cleansers on my face, and I stick to a healthy diet. I did have a mild/moderate break out after having to use hotel soap (don't ask haha) to take off my makeup. I probably should have just tried to wash it off with water!

I only take Niacin if I'm stressed and haven't been sleeping and eating well, or if I feel a break out coming on. It helps to heal acne quite fast for me. I also use it as a spot treatment sometimes, but I mix it with castor oil instead of aloe vera. I sometimes take Niacin a few days before a special event -- it seems to really make my skin smooth and glowing, even if I'm not actively breaking out. I still take a B complex and a multivitamin.

I have added Peter Thomas Roth's glycolic acid (10%) moisturizer with a few drops of castor oil nightly. They give my skin a glow and help with any red marks, small whiteheads, or unevenness. Neither of these products break me out, but everyone's different so be careful if you try them. Add them one at a time and slowly or in small doses. I might even try the acne.org's AHA + jojoba to see if those might work even better for me.

jblondie: if you think it's making you worse, then stop taking it for awhile and see if that helps. after you're sure it's the medicine that's making things worse, then try a gentle cleanser + niacin. I also suggest general good health - enough sleep, enough water, some exercise, healthy foods.

fm7228: I noticed an increase in metabolism too. I have lost close to 10 lbs since starting the whole Niacin regimen. I believe the B vitamins are important in metabolism, so that may have something to do with it. I'm not sure if it's the Niacin or watching my diet a lot more and exercising a ton though, either.

Niacin does seem to reduce cystic acne. If I break out, which isn't very often lately but I'm still human, and still have the lovely "acne genes", haha, there are no longer cysts and nodules, just normal to small sized papules or whiteheads that heal without redness or scarring. I am so grateful just to have found something to get rid of painful and disfiguring cysts. Some days I get angry because one very small pimple sprouted up along my hairline, but then I try to remind myself that it used to be SO MUCH WORSE.


Anyway, here's a recent picture. I was at a wedding and had too much wine, so please excuse the fact that I cropped people out and am making a stupid face, haha

http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad298/a...7474_4182-2.jpg

[Shells82]

I cannot believe how good your skin looks. I just started taking Spiro for my acne, and man have I had some nasty ass breakouts.. I'm buying this tomorrow Your blog convinced me.. I mean seriously though what do I have to lose though right!! I don't care what cures my acne.. as long as it is cured...!!!!

Thanks for keeping this up to date.. I hope you continue to even though you are clear.. You could really help a lot of people out there looking!!

Shells

[asn6]

I haven't posted in awhile, but I'm going to give everyone an updated regimen!

The Niacin Treatment:
1 x 500 mg Niacin after a meal, preferably at night because it made me sort of sleepy.
1 x Super B-Complex (to keep the Niacin balanced with the other B-vitamins)

I went through two 60-capsule bottles of Niacin. That was 120 days of the Inositol Hexa. form of Niacin. It stopped my cystic acne. I get a "larger" pustule here and there if I'm stressed, but I haven't gotten that deep, aggressive form of nodular and cystic acne since before I started taking it. It seems to do a poor man's "detox" or something. This is good news to everyone who was worried about taking that dosage of Niacin for long periods of time. I used Spring Valley brand, 500 mg. I later read the label and found out it is only 400 mg of Niacin and 100 mg of just plain old Inositol.

Other stuff I used on my face:
Likas Papaya Soap
Benzoyl Peroxide (just for a short time until the cysts went down in size and the painfulness subsided) After that, I just used the Papaya soap.

Diet:
Basically, balanced. I watched my intake of fatty foods like dairy (except yogurt) and red meat. I avoided trans fats and processed foods as much as possible. Sugary foods (and foods with high fructose corn syrup) with no nutritional value were also limited. I did not completely exclude any food except obvious junk food, though. This means I'd have a bit of cheese or butter or steak here and there, but I wouldn't eat chips or candy or soda. And yes, unlike a lot of the people who have cleared by diet, I ate tons of whole grains and fruits. I still stick to this as closely as possible, and really, it's not so hard. Oh, and drink water. Lots of it. I know everyone knows that, but it's especially important when you're taking a bunch of extra supplements. I wasn't drinking as much as I thought I was, and my skin did improve when I upped the water intake, so it's worth mentioning.

Exercise:
6 x per week x 1-2 hours per session
I believe this helps dramatically with whatever the Niacin is doing. Drinking tons of water, taking Niacin, and sweating a lot seemed to really, really help. I still work out, but I've cut down lately.

Sleep:
Try to get 8 hours if possible. I tried to get 9 while my face was still healing. I found having a routine and getting up and going to sleep at the same time everyday, even on weekends, helped my formerly bad sleep patterns quite a bit.

After the 120 days is over:
Now that the cystic acne is gone, I have been taking measures to get rid of red marks and what maybe looks like slight scarring. I also get tiny bumps that make my skin a little rough, so I need to contend with them also.

I still use the papaya soap in the morning, followed by Peter Thomas Roth's AHA/BHA clearing gel. I use either Acne.org moisturizer or Neutrogena Healthy Skin moisturizer (if it's sunny out) for day.

In the evening, I prefer to use something stronger to make sure all of my makeup is off. I use Peter Thomas Roth's 2% BHA cleanser, followed by the AHA/BHA gel again (it's 10% I think), and then rub castor oil all over my face. The castor oil seems to work very well at reducing redness, red marks, and scarring, and the BHA/AHA smooths any bumpy patches.

When I do get a breakout now (which are nothing compared to what I used to get)



Anyway, I hope this helps a bit.

[Jamie Balitmore]

Phew, this website is intense reading

Hi I don't have cystic acne fortunately. I'd say my acne is moderate. I'm using a cetaphil cleanser and tea tree oil right now, but the results are limited at best.. To the point could i aska s a 17 year old guy, do you think there could any risks to me taking niacin, and do you think exercise would help me out?

[madelineee]

Hey guys. I really shouldnt be on the adult acne board considering I am only 16 years old. The thing is..this thread has really inspired me! Do you think this treatment will work on a teenager??

MY SKIN:
mild acne...
occasional pimple on chin or forehead.
mainly pimples on nose.
used to have blackheads but then used clinique acne solution toner and they r gone...

still, obviously acne pisses me off.
i'm wondering if i buy this do you think it would help my acne?
is it worth a shot...any side effects???
also, where can i buy it?
btw asn6, your skin looks freakin amazing!!

please help a girl out!

[asn6]

madelinee - I would suggest finding something that works topically on your mild acne, but also try to eat healthily and get some movement in during the day. Niacin may or may not help, as I've had it make a difference in my cystic acne but I'm not sure about milder acne. You could try it, just don't take a huge (over 500 mg) dose. Make sure you take a B-complex too, because they all work together to make a difference.

jamie baltimore - I never noticed any side effects, but I'm not a doctor. My doctor said my dosage was fine. Give yours a call if you're worried, and they'll tell you whether it's ok or not. Niacin is cheap and worth a try!

[priceless]

asn6, after reading your thread (and the thread from the original poster with the Niacin recommendation) I was inspired to run to my nearest drug store and buy a bottle. My boyfriend took me to Walgreens last night and bought me a bottle of 120 capsules for about 13 bucks. I took my first capsule last night and am keeping my fingers crossed.

I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to post here and share your story in such detail. I know how debilitating acne can be on one's self-esteem so I especially commend you for posting before and after photos. I am so encouraged by your progress!

I'll post again with my results. I am also looking into purchasing the Likas soap you have recommended. Like you, I seem to only aggravate my face more when I use any cleanser that is medicated. Salicylic acid cleansers make my face red and scaly. I have been using Johnson & Johnson's PURPOSE cleanser for years. It is very gentle and while it doesn't actually help heal my skin, it certainly does seem to help it from getting worse. I have been too afraid to try anything new for years... but I will give the Likas soap a whirl. I read good things about it online. If a non-chemical cleanser can actually HELP my skin I am all for it!

Happy New Year to you... may your skin continue to look amazing... and I hope you passed the bar!

[spectacled_owl]

Just stumbled on this blog and it has sparked my interest. Congrats on your progress, your skin looks great!

I might have to look into this somemore

skylyre

[jlef]

nu_wht: Most B-Complexes have a small amount of Niacinamide. I use a 500 mg dose of the inositol version of flush-free niacin.

It's been about a month! I'm still clear. I seem to be having less and less breakouts due to diet, which is great. I feel like a normal person again, rather than being accused of being anorexic due to my ridiculous eating habits. Trying to explain that I was trying to reduce breakouts by avoiding food was like telling people there's going to be a zombie apocalypse or something.

Other effects I've noticed are that I've been having a MUCH easier time falling asleep and staying asleep. I've had bad insomnia my whole life, but that seems to have gone away. My hair and nails are growing really, really fast. My hair grows fast to begin with, but I'm already getting noticeable roots, and I just got my hair cut and colored. I had more digestive problems before as well. All of these effects are pretty good side effects, so I guess there's no issues.

Your skin looks great. Might seem like a weird thing to say, but thank you for posting. I was one of those people that initially believed diet has nothing to do with acne and went on antibiotics that really screwed me up. My health is just getting better now. I noticed that diet definitely makes a difference. It's important that a lot of people post about this stuff because so many are disillusioned into thinking that lifestyle and diet has nothing to do with our image an acne. Most doctors believe its all genetics and the answer to all of our acne problems comes from taking antibiotics and harsh creams.

I do admit i am doing glycolic peels right now, but i think what is helping the most in my case is diet and healthier living. The problem is i think when you have been living unhealthy for so long it takes so time to notice difference by changing your lifestyle. Not enough people realize that. They think that by eating well for a week all of their acne will disappear and they will feel like superman. It takes a long time to fix health.

I wanted to ask you one question though. I already asked some people about this, but most stated no. Did you have any other problems with antibiotics? I was on mynocicline for 5 months and i definitely think it did some damage to my liver. The bags under my eyes got five times as big and got really dark, almost black. Only now are they getting better and i have been off the antibiotic for 5 months already.

I went to the doctors and they told me it might be allergies or just naturally sensitive eyes, but i can definitely tell the difference between the colour and that they got a lot worse when i was on mynocicline. I'm still debating whether i should wait more and hope they go back to normal or get bleaching under my eyes. If you had a similar problem maybe you can give me advice, if thats not a problem.

Hey Kenzo,

Did anyone suggest to you that you might have candida after being on antibiotics that long? I have had it for 15 years (only figured it out 3 years ago) and I know it's from several courses of antibiotics I took. The drugs kill the friendly bacteria which keeps candida yeast in check. Without the friendly bacteria, candida can grow rampant and even become systemic. I'm still looking for the right candida cure (tried most everything out there including the strict diet). I just discovered Kolorex (horopito oil) which might be helping. If that doesn't work I am going to try Dr. Whiting's Liquid Oxy Aloe Flush. I always had porcelain clear beautiful skin until about age 32 and that coincides with surgery I had where they pumped me full of antibiotics. Now I have had cystic acnes for 13 years. It's miserable but I do know that with a few of the candida remedies that worked for a short time, my skin cleared so I know my acne is from candida. Candida produces tons of toxins that swirl around in your blood stream and clog the liver. I am going to try niacin too while I find ways to kill off the candida. My advice to you is, don't wait years like I did to figure out you have systemic candida. You might be lucky and it might still just be in your digestive system which is easier to clear with Kolorex.

Good luck!

[LATOO]

do you take the b complex in the evening with the niacin?

[tnajamie]

I'm sorry if you've mentioned this, I'm too depressed to read... but do you continue to take this once you are clear? *hopefully it works to begin with*

[RockingRedhead]

I'm going to try this...hopefully it works
bought the non flush niacin blah blah blah and super b complex at target. crossing my fingers this will work for me as well as did for you!

one question: did this clear up small non inflamed bumps too or only inflamed stuff? even if it doesn't thats fine with me, as I have ways of dealing with the small non inflamed stuff.

[RockingRedhead]

it's been a little over a week (feels like it's been forever!!!) and I haven't seen any improvement yet. to be honest though, my diet has been up and down like crazy and I haven't been exercising reguarly. the only thing I've been good about is getting enough sleep!!

I'm going to try to shape up my diet/exercise and see how it goes

for the record, I haven't been using any cleansers or topicals, I just use water and at night rub some fresh aloe vera on my trouble spots.