14 replies to this topic

[KGSMH2]

PICTURES BELOW- ive had more cysts read up before you judge....

I have been given a month to think about taking accutane. just got referred to a dermatologist which gave me a sheet of side affects and said cause i have nodular and cystic acne it would be very responsive.

at the start of the month i thought "its a damn cancer drug im taking for acne" screw this shit. but throughout the month my thoughts changed to " if i take a course of this shit then i wont have to deal with acne for the rest of my life"
also that regimes and antibiotics may work for normal acne but they wont work for these deep cysts.(is this true... ? )

Now with a couple of days remaining until i start the accutane im having second thoughts.
reading up on the drug . The bottom line is that its a chemotherapy drug.. one which of the company producing it has had many lawsuits..
and even though they bringing in billions a year.. and are more than capable of finding out for the past 30 years they say the exact mechanism of action for the drug is unknown.
through the years it has become obvious to many scientists that it works along the principle of other chemo drugs and essentially decreases cell development(division) , in skin , mucous membranes and even the brain.

My Question -
should i try taking another course of antibiotics? (yes ive done 1 or 2 courses before) or go for the accutane
While ive been typing i don't think i will take accutane. Q. are antibiotics effective to cysts?>

Background on my acne- ive had it for around 4 years. usually becomes worse then better and follows that pattern.
tried erythromicin . tetralysal and flucloxxilin
i cant recall but i think through use of one of these antibiotics and panoxyl i was clear for abit.

ive had cysts the size of marbles ... some areas- behind both of my ear lobes. on my forehead (- sorry- they look like a dead mans balls) thats the best i cant describe them to.
and also nodular acne on my temples either side.

also have a dark patch of skin where i think a cyst was underneath my skin and once popped leaved a sort of hollowed out "cavern" lol

i will attach a recent cyst/ node picture .. its gone down now its a node .

oh and.. does bp cause cysts? i dont think i had cysts before i started using panoxyl.... gives me the sense of bp removing the small spots but if the pus cannot escape it just collects in cysts... i dunno just an idea

##Please can i get quick responses.. i need to make a decision on what to do ... although im most likley not going to take accutane and regret it , will antibiotics do much for cysts?##

Edited by KGSMH2, 21 January 2012 - 09:07 AM.

[Lydia Saldivar]

I know how you feel. My last resort was Accutane and I tried everything in my power to find something before I had to make a decision on Accutane. Here's my story: http://www.acne.org/...gruesome-years/

My skin was almost similar to yours, big nodules, and cysts all over my face. This is my personal opinion, only because I wouldn't want anyone to take accutane, but there have been a lot of success stories with that drug. And that's great, but if you would really like something that's less "harmful" I guess that's the word I should be using?
Maybe you can ask your dermatologist about Deoxycycline, it's a very strong antibiotic. Also, how are your eating habits? And do you cleanse? drink a lot of water? My regimen is in my story and it consists of something topical + lots of water, probiotics, fiber, and cleansing (once a week).

Lydia Saldivar, MT (ASCP)

Edited by Lydia Saldivar, 15 January 2012 - 10:22 AM.

[KGSMH2]

Thanks im gunna be visiting the dermatologist in a few days ill ask about it ,
he did offer the antibiotic route and i think im just gunna do that instead of poisoning my body

[KGSMH2]

Update -just drained a fairly small cyst enough blood pus and blood clots to fill half a cup -
should i just take accutane.....? help guys
or will antibiotics help cysts.?
not long until i have to make the decision.....

[SkyLynn]

Ouch that looks painful. Those are pretty deep there buddy. I would suggest accutane. I have taken several antibiotics in my life time and one time I got a UTI because they messed up my ph balance. I wish I would of not been scared and just taken accutane from the beginning, because deep inside I knew antibiotics wouldn't do nothing for me. I finally started accutane and its not a big deal at all. I don't feel nothing, my lips aren't even that dry, skin isnt that dry either, I don't feel nothing physically or mentally. Its just working! Lol..... And it starts working immediately! But if you want to TRY other "safer" alternatives then do so. I even had a bad experience with "natural" products (tea tree oil). Now that I no longer use acne products my skin is starting to heal. I never realized how much harm and damage I was doing using products. Even all the products you use to treat acne externally absorb into your body and can cause cancer. There are many things that can cause cancer if exposed. I can see if cancer is a genetic concern already for you. Good luck with your decision and treatment!

[Jrevor]

Yeah, you should. Otherwise you'll regret it the rest of your life. My face was like that, and I didn't do roaccutane. Now, it's pretty much a battlefield, similar to Edward James Olmos face. Girls reject me because of my scars, you know? I dont want that to happen to you

Go and do roaccutante

[AbyBar]

You can ask for Bactrim DS it's a very strong antibiotic. I suffered from cystic acne as well but I've been on bactrim for 2 months and noticed significant results in an instant. You can also do a research on bactrim it really does help with cystic acne. It's recommended for severe acne. I took doxicycline for 2 months last year and throughout those two months my acne worsen.

[KGSMH2]

Well im gunna take a blood test 2moro... and in 3 days ive gotta make up my mind......
dont know what to do keep posting guys...

[SkyLynn]

Regardless of what anyone says or what you tell us, you have already mentally made your decision. So really, what have you decided?

Oh and that Bactrim works, I didn't take it for acne. But when I got the UTI I was given Bactrim to treat it. But after all that mess with antibiotics I never wanted to put my body through that again. My poor insides lol

[KGSMH2]

slept on it... 70-30 in favour of taking accutane... guna do the blood test anyway
ive got 3 days left to think about it im thinking get it out of the way and im done with acne.

[KGSMH2]

F*** That the blood test alone made up my mind. im not doing that 5 times while im on this shit ...
f****
biotics it is then im gunna go through it with my dermatologist
thanks everyone who helped.

[Lydia Saldivar]

Well there is an infection going on. Antibiotics would be recommended first, then once your skin has calmed down you can choose to go accutane route or topical/health/diet change.
Good luck! and don't worry, I had no hope too. IT WILL GET BETTER!

[Alexis Little]

I have the same problem on my face now. I get cysts that have been up to the size of half dollars. I tried all the antibiotics and the only one that worked for the infection was the Bactrim. All the other ones made it so much worse. Bactrim worked great on the infection and that helped the pain from them a lot. But they never went completely away and as soon as I got off of them (two weeks ago) I have another extremely large cyst on my cheek. Starting Accutane next month. I suggest maybe take some antibiotics like Bactrim and then get on Accutane. Blood tests aren't a big deal. Just one poke and they get all the blood they need for each test

[Ice_princess83]

I had very very bad cysts when i was in my teenage years...i've tried courses of antibiotics. It always came back. When i was around 23, i worked up the nerve to try accutane. (with everyone telling a scary story or two in here). For me, it was the best decision ever. I tried everything up till then, nothing worked more beautifully. In the first couple of weeks, my active acne was gone, my skin started to get less and less oily. I didnt even have to blot. I took 10mg for 3months, then cranked it up to 20mg for another 2 months or so..then i stopped completely. (I didnt even have to increase the dosage) The only side effect i experience was dryness in the lips but dabbing on vaseline solved that.

I'm 28 now. After accutane, my skin has cleared up. Apart from occasional pimples like anyone else (which i treat easily with TTO), i never had another breakout. And its been 5 years. My acne is more or less gone. I'm not saying everyone is going to have the same results as i did, but it could be the best decision you could ever make. So, think about it and dont just consider one side of the coin. There are another group of people who have greatly benefitted from accutane

[Lindsey1989]

I'm in the same boat! Cystic acne very bad cystic acne I've been seeing a derm for about 4 yrs I've tried EVERY antibiotic they have given me I've done creams and have even had several injected! I hate myself I hate looking in the mirror I'm very depressed and discouraged my drem has recommended accutane before but I've been to nervous to try it.... But I may, I'm truly desperate!