1982 replies to this topic

[Panto]

I have noticed a large amount of posts pertaining to vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), with usually the same questions asked over and over agian. Therefore I have decided to make a thread with hopefully all the information someone would need to go on the supplement.

Dosage
First off, the thing that irks most people is the very high dosage that is needed of B5. In Dr. Lit-Hung Leung's study the dosage that was mainly used is 10 grams. This is ideally how much you should take to get the best results. However, do not begin taking 10 grams right away. Your body needs to get used to the high intake of B5.

Since you will be taking 10 grams a day, it is best to buy Vitamin B5 in capsules that are 500mg each. 1000mg (milligrams) is equal to 1g (gram). Therefore, 2 pills is 1 gram.

-For the first 3 days, you will want to take a dosage of 5 grams a day. This is a total of 10 pills a day. It is good to have it spread out throughout the day, so it might be good to take 5 pills in the morning, and 5 pills at night.
-When the 3 days are up, you will be moving up the full 10 gram dosage. This will mean 20 pills a day. Again, you will want to have a steady supply of B5 throughout the day, so taking it in intervals is important. You will be taking 5 pills, 4 times a day. It is very key to be as consistent as you can.
-Keep taking the vitamin B5 for 3 months. I saw results after the 1st week, some people see first results after 2 weeks. After 3 months you should hopefully have clear skin. Make sure you take the b5 consistenly and EVERY DAY for 3 months. (Note: Some people have an initial breakout. This can be caused from pre-existing pimples that are just pushing through. But keep with it, it WILL help you.)
-After your acne has finally cleared up, you will still want to continue taking B5, but not in such high doses. Maybe drop down to 5 grams a day. If you get more acne, increase your dosage immediately, and then adjust to a dosage where you do not break out. Overtime you can keep decreasing.
-Another point I would like to mention is to make sure you take vitamin B complex vitamins. Taking this much vitamin b5 might cause a deficiency in the other b vitamins. I just take 1 pill of the complex twice a day.

Possible Side Effects
The good thing about B5 is that it doesn't really have many side effects. Here is what most people have reported:

-Stomach irritation
-Mild or severe diarrhea
-Frequent bathroom visits
-Hairloss (rare) Some cases on message boards have reported hair loss but it isn't something I would worry about, and it definetly shouldn't keep you from taking B5.
-Increased appetite (I seem to always be hungry, I am eating lots more than I ever have before)
-Chapped lips

Personally, I had some stomach grumbling for the first few days. I went poop frequently, and farted a lot. But this pretty much went away after 5 days. It is VERY GOOD to take your B5 with food. This will minimize diarrhea or stomach troubles.

B5 is water-soluble, so it is impossible to overdose on it. It is very, very safe. I read that it might not be the best idea to take it while pregnant or breast feeding.

How it works
Basically what the high doses of B5 do is create high amounts of Coenzyme-A. People with acne are lacking in the metabolism of fats. This is because they do not have enough Coenzyme-A in the body. The fats do not break down, but get deposited in your sebaceous (oil) glands and get secreted as sebum (oil). The p.acne bacteria feeds off of this sebum, and creates acne.

With all of this extra Coenzyme-A, all these fats can be broken down, and you do not have oily skin. Since you have a minimal amount of oil on your skin, no acne is produced (Hurray). Accutane also minimizes oil production, but it does so by shrinking your oil glands. The pantothenic acid doesn't need to shrink your oil glands, because it causes there to not be oil there in the first place. An extra bonus from pantothenic acid (B5) is that is makes your pores smaller. This results in making your skin smooth and good looking.

Where to get it
This is a department that some people have trouble in. You probably won't find it in super markets, or stores like CVS. You will need to find it in shops that are specialized in drugs or vitamins. This means stores like GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, etc. I personally get it from a local Vitamin Shoppe. Many times it will not be under the name B5, but Pantothenic Acid. Here is a Vitamin Shoppe link of what their brand looks like. You can order it on their site if you want too. Note how it has 500mg capsules, and there are 300 of them. Make sure you buy a lot because they get used up quickly. Many people do not like the price, but it's worth it to get rid of your acne. So KEEP AT IT, clear skin is just around the corner.

I will probably update/edit this post where I see fit, or if I get asked to. Feel free to add any/all useful info.

Useful Links
http://www.clearskin...opic.php?t=1907
http://members.bella...ze3f978/B5.html
http://b5foracne.vze.com/
http://www.freewebs.com/krg/b5.html
http://www.b5supplem...ne-Prevent.html
http://gmuntz.tripod.com/b5.html

[wondergirl]

Thanks for the info Panto.... cant wait to start B5popping!!!! Ugh! :^o

[Wally]

http://www.clearskin...opic.php?t=1907

http://members.bella...ze3f978/B5.html

http://b5foracne.vze.com/

[Azur]

I'm on minocycline and zineryt(erytromycine) right now and the zineryt cleared me up actually after a week but I'm on my second week right now and got a outbreak again. I heard the mino kicks in somewhere after the third week. Anyway, I was wondering if it's OK to take B5 with mino and zineryt?

[Panto]

I read that B5 doesn't interfere with other medications. So I think it would be ok.

[Piso]

How dangerous are these levels of B5?

[Azur]

I read that B5 doesn't interfere with other medications. So I think it would be ok.

I will be getting my B5 package tomorrow, so I am hoping for the best!
Just one more thing, I guess that the high dosage of B5 affects the whole body, so it should prevent body acne as well, right?

[Krg]

B5 Links, price/ingredient comparison, Dutch FAQ, Vitamin deficiency:
http://www.freewebs.com/krg/b5.html

[Panto]

Yes your back won't be as moist/oily and the acne should subside. Mine is gone, I just have some of these dark spots leftover that I have to wait to fade.

Piso these levels of B5 are not dangerous at all. It is water-soluble so you can't overdose on it. You actually pee out a large percentage of it anyway.

[Circle]

How come doctors dont recommend this then if its safe ? :S

I never heard of it being recommended by a doctor?

:-k

[Krg]

Check http://www.b5supplem.../Acne-Links.htm Under:
"Problems in the medical industry."

I don't know if it's safe or not. If correct, there are not much good long trial studies. More info under "Vitamin B5 is safe in large quantities."

[fred]

what about using just the daily dosage your body needs, this would regulate the hormones and could help, no?

[Krg]

If I have read it correctly, than according to Dr. Leung, 100% RDA is not enough for some or a lot of people.

[Panto]

How come doctors dont recommend this then if its safe ? :S

I never heard of it being recommended by a doctor?

:-k

Where has a doctor said its not safe? It's a lot safer than accutane, and almost as effective. It's your acne, and your choice to take B5 and cure/improve it or not.

I think doctors don't recommend it because they don't really know much about it. Therefore they wouldn't want to advise someone to take it because of some *chance* that something bad might happen. Also, when do doctors not like handing out prescriptions?

[fred]

the vitamin shoppe charges 21$ in shipping to Canada for a single bottle, is there any other place online where you could order good B5 ?

[unhappycamper]

In the middle of the page, you can enter your zip and it will give you coupons for the Vitamin Shoppe:

http://www.goodbazaa...oupon_code=7665

[fred]

I don't know but I wouldn't order through this link. make sure you order through https://vitaminshoppe

[Nodulis]

Or here.
http://search.store....om/nsearch.html

And I heard taking more than one B-complex a day would just flush out everything else taken that day, along with additional B-complex.

[Krg]

And I heard taking more than one B-complex a day would just flush out everything else taken that day, along with additional B-complex.

Vitamin B's must be balanced, because they work together.

Were did you hear that one B-complex will flush out everything else? Was this a B25-, B50- or B100-complex? Do you have an url?

[unhappycamper]

If you log in through this link, the 300ct bottle is $14.98 instead of $17.97:

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/vip614