1159 replies to this topic

[Seattle JT]

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?

[NTK8989]

i Have exactly the same flushing cheek as you, i too had accutane for a few months ..and then minocycline. im off minocycline for two months now, and i can see some improvements with my red face. now it is almostly pink. i believe is the side effects of accutane or some checmial cream or something that triggered it. i have stop using all my drugs and chemcial face products, and going natural home remedy. i think this is the best solution for us.


Cheerss

[soul78]

Whoa! I was forced to stop Accutane 7 weeks ago due to intense flushing and then I was put on minocycline which I am still on now. I get severe, burning, flushing on the sides of my cheeks, and no where else really (no nose, chin, forehead etc.). I am also extremely heat sensitive, to the point where I cannot even sit in a room above 65 for more then 20 mins without flushing at some point.

It is ridiculous. So maybe I should stop the minocycline? I will star by reducing down to 100mg daily instead of 200mg and see if that helps.

You should also try clonidine, I am taking that and it helps a little not a lot but I do notice a difference.

I thought the minocycline might help because it is suppose to have strong anti inflammatory properties, but sounds like it may be doing the opposite.

So your flushing did not start until a year after you were done Accutane?

[Seattle JT]

Umm I think the flushing/redness slowly started to come on a couple of months after I got off Accutane. Honestly it sounds like you and I have the same problem. In my experience the minocycline was making the intensity much worse and I would completely stop taking it if I were you. I am a little over seven weeks removed from taking minocycline and I noticed a marked improvement in the intensity of my flushing within a week of being off it. Both Accutane and Minocycline have been known to help people that suffer from rosacea and other redness/flushing conditions, but clearly it caused our problems.

I think it is best for us to not use any more drugs since they clearly have done something to our skin that neither of us desire. I don't know much about what is wrong with us, but I have some theories. Did your skin use to be pretty oily before the Accutane? Is it dry now? When your face gets hot and begins to start flushing do your cheeks feel sticky, as if there is something on your face, but underneath the surface? Let me know the answers to those questions before I give you advice on what I am currently doing since we may not have the same exact problem...

[soul78]

Umm I think the flushing/redness slowly started to come on a couple of months after I got off Accutane. Honestly it sounds like you and I have the same problem. In my experience the minocycline was making the intensity much worse and I would completely stop taking it if I were you. I am a little over seven weeks removed from taking minocycline and I noticed a marked improvement in the intensity of my flushing within a week of being off it. Both Accutane and Minocycline have been known to help people that suffer from rosacea and other redness/flushing conditions, but clearly it caused our problems.

I think it is best for us to not use any more drugs since they clearly have done something to our skin that neither of us desire. I don't know much about what is wrong with us, but I have some theories. Did your skin use to be pretty oily before the Accutane? Is it dry now? When your face gets hot and begins to start flushing do your cheeks feel sticky, as if there is something on your face, but underneath the surface? Let me know the answers to those questions before I give you advice on what I am currently doing since we may not have the same exact problem...

My skin was quite oily prior to starting and is not oily now but I would not say overly dry either on my face anyways...still some dryness though and dry lips as well.

Not really sticky, not sure what you mean exactly but it is extremely heat sensitive as in if I am near a vent or stove or even a computer unit for 20 mins, the one side of my face flushes pretty badly due to the heat and it feels almost like someone is holding a flame to my skin or under my skin. Then it passes in about 20 mins to maybe an hour at most and slowly goes back to normal.

Then the flush will also sometimes be on the other side but rarely both sides at the same time, but sometimes both sides will flush if it is a bad flush or prolonged exposure to heat. The nose, forehead, chin, jaw etc. are not involved.

I am almost 8 weeks post Accutane btw.

[Seattle JT]

When I flush it is always on both sides so I am not sure about why only one side of your face flushes at a time? About the feeling sticky, I can't really describe it, but it kind of feels like my face is tight or can't breathe.

I think the reason why I flush is due, in some part, to my body not producing oil. I think that the oil helped regulate my body temperature in heat as pre-accutane I could wipe the oil off my forehead when I was under pressure and now I never produce any oil. What I have been doing for the last week that I think has been helping is adding a fish oil supplement 1200mg daily. My skin is not dry either, but it definitely doesn't produce oil. I don't know if that would work for you since we appear to be flushing differently, but its worth a shot considering you can buy them for like $10. Please keep me updated if you find something that works for you.

UPDATE: Currently I still have flushing problems in heat and the majority of the redness is at my cheeks up to my temples on both sides. An interesting thing that I have noticed is that when I used to flush I used to feel extremely hot and now when I flush, under the same circumstances, I don't feel very hot at all. Does anyone have any reasons for why that is? Any ideas would be helpful since I find it rather frustrating that I don't feel as hot anymore, but still get just as bad flushing...

James

[Hoofy]

I've been off accutane for 8 months and had terrible flushing...I flushed at least once everyday but it has calmed down starting at about 6 months off to where I am at now flushing about once a week and a lottttt less severe, I never thought it would go away, hopefully I'm not jinxing myself by saying that i'm just trying to give you guys a boost because I know it felt like shit...
Heres a pic of when I used to flush in case you think i'm bluffing...
http://img519.images...cture223mq1.jpg

I used eucerin's redness releif face wash and moisturizer at the start and was pretty happy with that, then i started mixing in emo oil overnight and was even happier.
Drink tons of ice cold water, suck on ice cubes if you are somewhere hot or are about to flush....
Ice cold showers...sleep on your back, don't let the side of your face rub your pillow while you sleep...asprins really help once your flushing but you shouldn't be too dependent on them because they aren't all that safe to be popping regularly
Grape seed extract strengthens your blood vessels so you can avoid having broken blood vessels....
Horse Chesnut extract helps blood flow better through them..
I took biotin, billberry, and flaxseed oil for my eyes that got messed up because of acctuane not sure if they helped my flushing at all
I'll write more as I think of it but I used to be on this site 8 hours a day mad at the world because of my flushing from accutane
hang in there

[lamarr1986]

To the Original poster, your case sounds just like mine. However no anti biotics were involved. My flushing was pretty much non existant whilst on accutane. Then for a month or two following it got much much worse probably being excerberated by going to las vegas in 130 degree weather, it stayed the same for a long time and is now getting worse again...

ANyway the accutane flushing is down to Inflammation of the cappilaries and/or an altered autonomic nervous system. I have been on clonidine for a while now and it does help some, i will in the next few days be upping my dose of clonidine and taking an anti depressant (martizapine) for it's anti flushing properties. I will let any of you know how i get on with this as i have read it has really helped some with tane flushing.

Hand in there guys most people are fine in the end if this is their only side effect.

[BabyAlligators]

I think I experience a very similar condition.

I've been off accutane for almost 5 months now, but I still blush rather badly. I always feel the pulse and the heat in my face, which only makes it get worse.

I think it's even led to a certian amount of Social Anxiety Disorder or however you want to call it.

Similarly to you, I used to have oily skin that tanned rather easily, now my skin is paler and dry, and is prone to redness.

Hoofy's advice sounds excellent, but after seeing this picture he posted, I realized my conditions are MUCH worse.

My face burns BRIGHT RED whenever I get my adrenline pumping, nervous, sexual, etc.

[Hoofy]

really you don't think mine was bright red lol?
after sex mine was at it's worst also...

[keelers]

Another casualty of friendly fire in the war against acne. I too have developed facial flushing....pretty damn severe flushing after tane. Things have calmed down a little, but i still flush in hot temps or if i drink anything. Whats more it has left me with visible blood vessels and an overall red complexion even when im not flushed.

Hoofy that photo is pretty good, but i think i could have it beaten easily. Ive got some photos where my face is so red it will make you blush

Depends on just how bad you have your flushing to whether or not you will ever recover completely, but thing will improve with time.....(a long time)

[BabyAlligators]

Haha, sorry Hoofy, I didn't mean to undermine your problem or anything.

Anyway, I think we should all keep this alive and try to generate more advice / solutions.

I think Hoofy's advice about sleeping on your back may be really useful, because I realized I pretty much sleep with the right side of my face jammed against a pillow, and my blushing is usually more intense on the right side of my face.

[Hoofy]

It's cool I mainly posted because I used to read post about people who flushed from tane on here and another forum and then they'd never post again...so I think just about everyone recovers from it,
Sleeping on your back is gold though, it also prevents wrinkles

[soul78]

Good thread.

The good news I am hearing is that from all who have gone through this horrific side effect (and yes I mean horrific), all have said that it has gotten much better with time, some 12 months it took but most eventually get to a point where it is tolerable which is such good news even if it takes a year (knock on wood).

I have some broken caps from bad flushes - do these eventually fade or go away? I think I remember reading they eventually get reabsorbed by the body etc...?

Hoofy, I look just like that, except my forehead and chin, nose never flush, just my cheeks, but it is a searing burning type of pain. I usually flush like Hoofy in that pic twice a day. After showers in the am and also in the night sometimes and that is even when walking on egg shells avoiding all triggers, exercise, heat vents, kitchen/stove tops etc. etc.

Can you please tell me more about this grape seed extract? Where can I buy this, what dose did you take?


I pray everyday this will eventually simmer down to once a week or just after sex etc.

Best and thanks for the advice and experiences all. Keep the faith. Word.

[soul78]

Regarding tips, here a few more

- Isolating Fans while sleeping

- I find that light exercise can also help ie. if I feel a flush coming on and then I get up and walk down the street the flush usually goes away - nothing to over the top though or it will have the opposite effect.

- I am working on diet and have read and found that avoiding acidic foods (oranges/lemons etc.), avoiding red meat/eggs (substitute chicken and fish instead) and avoiding the obvious hot soups/teas or spicey foods can also help. Eating a lot of rice (try basmati) is also beneficial as it is known to be "cooling".

- Flax seed oil (1 table spoon twice daily).

[NTK8989]

i had similiar problems with u guys... i had it for 6 months now .. on and off...
n it defintily get worse when dry... so i apply cream few times a day.
Also i only wash face twice a day with cetaphil cleanser and moisture with cetaphil cream.
Im trying to let skin repair it self... or strongthen itself. ..

[soul78]

Also, where can I read up more on martizapine and its anti flushing properties?

Thanks

[Seattle JT]

Wow thanks for all the replies. I really apreciate it. I think that since the accutane side effects are still lingering that our bodies are not responding to things correctly. I had blood work done last week to see if there was anything actually wrong with me (luckily there wasn't) but for the test I had to stop taking all herbal supplements. I had been taking a vitamin c supplement daily and I stopped taking it three days before the test. By the day of the test I noticed a marked improvement in my flushing and I haven't taken vitamin c since then with good results. I can't be positive that there is a correlation since I could just be getting better naturally, but I did a little research on vitamin c and when taken in high doses it can cause facial flushing. I had not been taking it in high doses, but I guess that the accutane has changed how I react to drugs/vitamins. I still have a lot of redness, especially in heat, but I haven't had a bad flush since stopping vitamin c. I don't know if any of you are taking vitamin c or a multivitamin, but if you are, you should consider stopping for a week and see if you have any improvement.

I am going to a dermatologist on Thursday that has a reputation of being very meticulous so hopefully I can get some more help then. I'll report anything I find out...

[lamarr1986]

Also, where can I read up more on martizapine and its anti flushing properties?

Thanks

It isn't the most commonly used anti flushing drug. My derm uses it pretty often though and i read about it on a rosacea forum.

My bumped up dose of clonidine is definenetly helping, i take it three times a day at 75 mcg, keeps my skin much calmer than the two daily doses. The trouble for me is i HAVE to avoid flushing, i gain permanenet hypotrophic (indented) scarring. Not many people believe me on that but it is the truth, so i have to avoid flushing at all costs.

I begin the martizapine over the next few days...Bit worried about the weight gain side effect but i workout and know how to diet properly so i should hopefully be able to control it.

The tips in this thread i use them all, except i cannot sleep on my back, i just can't, but yeah the side of my face i tend to sleep on gets red overnight and is always significently warmer than the other side. It doesn't flush as such though.

It is so strange we all flush during sex, it has NOTHING to do with anxiety in that situation for me, it just happens for no apparent reason. I don't know if any of you have noticed increased sweating after accutane? but i did, the clonidine seems to control this aswell, they are all related problems in that an overactive or missfunctioning autonomic nervous system plays a role.

[soul78]

Thanks for the info.

I am currently taking 1 and a half clonidine tabs twice per day, perhaps I should try breaking it up into 3 doses of .75 instead of 2 doses. Did you try 2 doses initially and if so, do you feel that 3 times a day works more effectively?

I also take vitamin C twice per day, so maybe I will cut that out and see if it makes a difference.

Here is a link I came across that has some further info and medications regarding flushing:

http://www.cleveland...ng/flushing.htm

I had another one but cannot find it. It had a chart of medications for facial flushing and their effectiveness in percents. I will do some digging over the next few days to try and find it again.

Please keep me posted on the Remeron and how much it helps.