108 replies to this topic

[Ms18]

Im 18 years old suffering from severe acne right now with has been extremly inflammed the past week. My acne is at its all time worse, its bad to the point where i cant sleep at night my face hurts so bad. Even the touch of a blanket hurts my face i cant even turn my head because i also have acne under my jaw onto my neck and it hurts pretty bad. Im currently on an antibiotic called Augmentin which i have been on for about 1 1/2 weeks then i will go to Doxycycline for 2 months and i have been on Epiduo for 6 weeks i wash my face morning and night with cetaphil and moisturize with Cerave when i do both i barley touch my skin. Yesterday my derm basically told me theres nothing more she can really do. I was on a 6 day dose of prendisone which helped tremendously i had maybe only 3 pimples by the 4th day and now that im off it my acne is back. The only relief i get is when i take advil and it just takes the pain away for a few hours. This is seriosuly the worst and most anoying pain ive had in my life does anyone have any tips or suggestions? To give you an idea of how bad my life sucks right now here are some pics

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[James9]

have you asked about accutane? I would do that immediately..

[AbyBar]

I'm sorry to hear that acne has made your life miserable to the point where you can't even sleep without being in pain.
The only thing I can suggest to help with inflammation is to take loads of antioxidants, take a supplement called Alpha liphoic Acid, it's not expensive maybe $5 at a trader joes or organic store and it helps with inflammation. I still get painful cysts but it's a lot better than before because I eat lots of healthy organic fruits and vegetables and I stay away from spicy refined food. One spice that can also help with inflammation is Turmeric. It's very powerful as an anti inflammatory agent. That can be purchased at a store as well, Ralph's etc . You can mix a teaspoon of it in a glass of water and take it twice a day . Am and Pm . It really did help me in the beginning of the year but it totally skipped my mind once I ran out of it.
I have cysts as well on my cheeks that don't allow me to sleep either when there at The beginning of there long dreadful journey . I will keep you in my prayers .

[CWR24]

I would get on Accutane. I bet that would clear you right up!

[Ms18]

Thanks for all the replies. My mom and I have done tons of research on accutane and we both agreed that im not going to try the drug the side effects are to risky.
As for the prendisone i couldnt even finish the six day course on the fourth day i was at work and had a terrible panic attack ( i have a long history or Anxiety and Depression ) and the prendisone triggered that again so my derm said to stop taking it, this is also why i will not be trying accutane. So basically im fucked either way im so misserable and dont want to deal with this any longer i haven't done a single thing this summer but hide inside. Ive even considered quiting my job because its so embarrsing working at a resturant and having to talk to people. Everyone around me has beautiful clear skin all my friends, co-workers, and family why not me?!!

[Binga]

Yeah u need accutane asap.

[James9]

Get on Accutane. Your anxiety is keeping you from accutane and that sucks. I have empathy for you, I really do. I have really bad anxiety, also but you have to look at the light at the end of the tunnel. The ratio of success stories on Accutane to bad stories on Accutane is probably 500:2. (Estimate based on my own research and talking to my derm.)

Praying for you also

Edited by James9, 21 August 2012 - 11:20 PM.

[Ms18]

My derm said she couldn't put me on accutane yet either because in order to put me on it i have to fail more options basically try more anitbiotics if they don't work then i could. But i really don't want to even try accutane i have had a really bad past with anxiety and depression like i said before i don't think the drug is for me. I just really need a quick fix right now just for the pain i havent been able to sleep in 5 days. I really don't want to think with the mentality that Accutane is "the only fix" like everyone on this site keeps saying to me.

I'm sorry to hear that acne has made your life miserable to the point where you can't even sleep without being in pain.
The only thing I can suggest to help with inflammation is to take loads of antioxidants, take a supplement called Alpha liphoic Acid, it's not expensive maybe $5 at a trader joes or organic store and it helps with inflammation. I still get painful cysts but it's a lot better than before because I eat lots of healthy organic fruits and vegetables and I stay away from spicy refined food. One spice that can also help with inflammation is Turmeric. It's very powerful as an anti inflammatory agent. That can be purchased at a store as well, Ralph's etc . You can mix a teaspoon of it in a glass of water and take it twice a day . Am and Pm . It really did help me in the beginning of the year but it totally skipped my mind once I ran out of it.
I have cysts as well on my cheeks that don't allow me to sleep either when there at The beginning of there long dreadful journey . I will keep you in my prayers .

Thanks for the advice im going to look into the supplement and the Turmeric

[James9]

I absolutely hate the bad rap Accutane gets. There are a couple horror stories and that's all anybody ever hears about. It is a great great drug with absolue great intentions and a long term solution for a long term problem. I don't know how the derms are where anybody else lives, but here in Scottsdale, AZ the DR's prescribe the stuff ALL the time and hardly any problems. I think my derm said he has seen two problem patients on accutane out of about 2000. It's your life and your body but I think your paranoia and anxiety is getting the best of you and that is sad for me to see. I really wish you would just take a leap of faith with this drug. Hope you get better though

Edited by James9, 21 August 2012 - 11:45 PM.

[allrighty]

Thanks for sharing ur story... big hug man!!! Hang in there ok.

[Murph89]

It really brings tears to my eyes to see pictures like this. To know someone completely innocent has to go through this is fucking horrible. My heart goes out to you man. I truely with all my heart hope you can get this cleared up. No one deserves this. I'm praying for you.

[James9]

To be honest, there was a girl my senior year of highschool that had acne almost identical to yours and I just saw her 2 weeks ago (2.5 years later) and pretty much all her acne was gone. Barely any scars. She looked like she had ever hardly had acne in her life. Idk what she used or what medicine she was on (I assumed Accutane) but she cleared up great.

[Lilly75]

Even for severe acne I still think accutane should be used as a last option - after you have tried some other things like your derm said. This is just my opinion though. I completely understand why some would get onto accutane straight away. Even if you do decide to use accutane, make sure you are well informed and have done your own research into it and are comfortable with your decision.

Have you looked into diet changes at all? Some people see good changes in their skin with adjusting their diets, others might not see any change. It may be worth researching and trying out for a while (in conjunction with your meds/topicals).

You may even want to see a new derm, if it's affordable for you, even if it is just to get another opinion on your options.

I really hope what you're doing now works for you and you start to see improvements in your skin soon!! No one should have to go through that physical and mental pain that acne causes, especially that of the more severe cases.
Hang in there

[tim12]

If you don't feel comfortable taking accutane, don't do it. Being prone to anxiety and depression, you're already at a higher risk for the mental side effects. Yes, it helps the majority to clear their skin, but if you end up in the minority with bad side effects, then it sucks. It's something to consider between you and your derm, and your input matters most.

Sadly, there aren't any quick fixes - all treatments take time. I'm worried that your psychological stress is the greatest impedance to your overall health, and possibly your acne. Sleep is vitally important to so many factors of health. Are you seeing a therapist/psychologist about the stress issues? Any CBT?

As for treatments to look into that you might not have already, curcumin is a pretty effective anti-inflammatory, and is one of the better natural supplements out there. Incorporating anti-inflammatory foods like wild salmon could help as well. If you're willing, diet and lifestyle changes have helped many people here, and there's growing research to indicate that they're very legitimate factors in skin health. If you are, I'd pay a visit to the nutrition section of the board!

[Ms18]

Even for severe acne I still think accutane should be used as a last option - after you have tried some other things like your derm said. This is just my opinion though. I completely understand why some would get onto accutane straight away. Even if you do decide to use accutane, make sure you are well informed and have done your own research into it and are comfortable with your decision.

Have you looked into diet changes at all? Some people see good changes in their skin with adjusting their diets, others might not see any change. It may be worth researching and trying out for a while (in conjunction with your meds/topicals).

You may even want to see a new derm, if it's affordable for you, even if it is just to get another opinion on your options.

I really hope what you're doing now works for you and you start to see improvements in your skin soon!! No one should have to go through that physical and mental pain that acne causes, especially that of the more severe cases.
Hang in there

Im going to continue on my anitbiotics and pray for results. I have read about Diet changes but i don't even know where to start, I stopped drinking soda about 2 weeks ago and ive been trying to stay away from sugars. I also just started eating alot of fruit and im making a fruit smoothie everyday now.
Could anyone give me like some guidelines of what to stay away from and what is classified as what? Thanks for all the support

If you don't feel comfortable taking accutane, don't do it. Being prone to anxiety and depression, you're already at a higher risk for the mental side effects. Yes, it helps the majority to clear their skin, but if you end up in the minority with bad side effects, then it sucks. It's something to consider between you and your derm, and your input matters most.

Sadly, there aren't any quick fixes - all treatments take time. I'm worried that your psychological stress is the greatest impedance to your overall health, and possibly your acne. Sleep is vitally important to so many factors of health. Are you seeing a therapist/psychologist about the stress issues? Any CBT?

As for treatments to look into that you might not have already, curcumin is a pretty effective anti-inflammatory, and is one of the better natural supplements out there. Incorporating anti-inflammatory foods like wild salmon could help as well. If you're willing, diet and lifestyle changes have helped many people here, and there's growing research to indicate that they're very legitimate factors in skin health. If you are, I'd pay a visit to the nutrition section of the board!

I don't feel comfortable taking accutane at all so im not going to put myself through that. Im going to be seeing a threapist soon for my anxiety and depression.
Im willing to try any and all diet/lifestyle changes, i will try anything that will potentially lead me to clear skin. Im going to check out the Nutrition board aswell. Thanks

[Lilly75]

Im going to continue on my anitbiotics and pray for results. I have read about Diet changes but i don't even know where to start, I stopped drinking soda about 2 weeks ago and ive been trying to stay away from sugars. I also just started eating alot of fruit and im making a fruit smoothie everyday now.
Could anyone give me like some guidelines of what to stay away from and what is classified as what? Thanks for all the support

Sounds like a good start to me - cutting soda and junk food in general. Increase water intake and add more green veggies (especially leafy green ones - maybe try out green smoothies) is another thing I'd suggest. As far as I know, eating too much fruit may not be the best because of the sugar. The there's different things about avoiding some grains or eating gluten free - I'm not exactly sure -The diet things really confuse me. There seems to be a lot of conflicting things in what I've come across. But check out the nutrition board - I'm sure you'll get more help and better help regarding diet there

[billz7]

I'm sorry you have to go through this too it's just not fair is it !

But honestly I really recommend accutane ...

I don't think antibiotics or topicals are strong enough for you and accutane is a necessity when a person is in physical pain from there skin as well as psychological pain !

I would talk to your mum again and book an emergency appointment with your derm

[viasidd]

My acne is similar to yours and to calm it down I've been doing apirin masks and been replacing benzoyl peroxide with tea tree oil. Also stay away from sugars and possibly dairy if you can. I would start off with getting rid of cows milk and replacing it with almond milk or soy milk and see how your skin reacts.
That may not be the solution, but it won't hurt to try for 2 weeks.

[carp351]

Shoot that must suck and I feel your pain.
I have horrible acne scarring which equals to no hope but u sutil have hope.