41 replies to this topic

[Green Gables]

There isn't a ton of talk here about progesterone for acne, and being curious, have decided to use myself as a guinea pig. The caveat is that my skin is already clear, and at this time I will continue spiro treatment, so my "success" with progesterone will be based on resolution of my other symptoms. If I find complete resolution of other symptoms through progesterone, I may attempt to replace spiro with progesterone entirely.

Low progesterone symptoms I have been experiencing for a number of years:

• low basal body temperatures
• allergy symptoms
• muscle cramps
• spotting in the days before your period begins
• blood clots during menstruation
• cold hands and feet
• brittle nails
• cracked heels
• decreased sex drive
• insomnia
• fatigue

I will be using Progesterelle (natural progesterone oil) for days 12-26 of my cycle. The Progesterelle booklet recommends 2-3 dropperfulls (10-20mg) a day for premenopausal women. Because I want to see the effects gradually, this first month I will only be using 1/2 dropperfull a day.

Edited by Green Gables, 30 September 2012 - 11:19 AM.

[hearts]

Good luck! I hope it helps you with all of those symptoms and you stay clear!

I bought some progesterone cream yesterday and started using it today. I would love to be able to replace spiro with it too! *crosses fingers*

[Green Gables]

Wow. It has only been 3 days but my tiny dose of Progesterelle is having AMAZING effects.

Pros:
1. Slept through the night last 3 nights, fell asleep within an hour of applying progesterone. (Usually I lay in bed for 3 hours before I fall asleep).
2. A ton of tension and cramping in my back and legs is gone. My flexibility increased 3-4 inches in 3 days.

Cons:
1. Yesterday I was really fatigued from 2pm-8pm.
2. Appetite went up slightly.

Edited by Green Gables, 01 October 2012 - 12:16 PM.

[Green Gables]

Noticed this evening that my hands and feet are no longer cold.

[Green Gables]

Well this is a pretty boring log so far, but really only positive results so far. This stuff works. I am really glad to be sleeping normally. I will probably keep taking it for that reason alone.

Edited by Green Gables, 04 October 2012 - 12:28 PM.

[hearts]

Not boring at all! I really appreciate the updates, especially because I just started using it too. Very helpful information because you are also on spiro.

I am only experiencing positive results as well. I have been sleeping better and my libido has increased. My skin hasn't changed but I am quite certain it will once my cycles return and after some more time.

I'm still taking 75mg spiro and I'm using 1/4 a flat dime (maybe 1/8 teaspoon?) of cream in the PM (if I use it early in the day I get really tired.) I don't know if that is enough or not but I thought I'd start slow.

Anyway, I hope you don't mind that I replied in your thread!

[Green Gables]

Not boring at all! I really appreciate the updates, especially because I just started using it too. Very helpful information because you are also on spiro.

I am only experiencing positive results as well. I have been sleeping better and my libido has increased. My skin hasn't changed but I am quite certain it will once my cycles return and after some more time.

I'm still taking 75mg spiro and I'm using 1/4 a flat dime (maybe 1/8 teaspoon?) of cream in the PM (if I use it early in the day I get really tired.) I don't know if that is enough or not but I thought I'd start slow.

Anyway, I hope you don't mind that I replied in your thread!

Not at all please respond any time you want, I don't really want this to be a log of my own, I'd love to hear how others are doing with progesterone!

Yeah my Progesterelle booklet says to take it only at night, it does make you sleepy.

Edited by Green Gables, 04 October 2012 - 01:15 PM.

[LoveGreenSmoothies]

You guys aren't taking it all month are you? If so you'll completely shut down your cycle.

[hearts]

In the instructions it says to use it 3 weeks and then take a week off. Repeat. It also says to just start it for the first time if you are late. Then if it begins, take your week off then.

Edited by iheartpaul, 04 October 2012 - 03:53 PM.

[LoveGreenSmoothies]

I remember it being day 12 to when you are supposed to have your period (day26) unless you're in menopause. You better be careful because if your progesterone gets too high the side effects sound really bad. Err on the cautious side so everything doesn't get totally thrown off. The idea behind progesterone supplementation is to mimic the natural cycle. Your p is up the 2nd half of the cycle.

I'm not trying to put a damper on everyone, but I researched the hell out of this a few yrs. ago bc I was going to do it and was dissauded bc of all the reviews by ppl who used it.

Of course my naturopath said she refused to use it too bc of all the potential problems, so I'd be very careful and stop at the 1st sign of side effects.

Another problem is that progesterone is stored for a long time in the body so if it gets too high it takes awhile to go back to normal.

You can check out askpatient for reviews of ppl who used it.

Edited by LoveGreenSmoothies, 04 October 2012 - 05:23 PM.

[Green Gables]

I said in the first post that I'm taking it days 12-26, the recommendation for pre-menopausal women.

[hearts]

I remember it being day 12 to when you are supposed to have your period (day26) unless you're in menopause. You better be careful because if your progesterone gets too high the side effects sound really bad. Err on the cautious side so everything doesn't get totally thrown off. The idea behind progesterone supplementation is to mimic the natural cycle. Your p is up the 2nd half of the cycle.

I'm not trying to put a damper on everyone, but I researched the hell out of this a few yrs. ago bc I was going to do it and was dissauded bc of all the reviews by ppl who used it.

Of course my naturopath said she refused to use it too bc of all the potential problems, so I'd be very careful and stop at the 1st sign of side effects.

Another problem is that progesterone is stored for a long time in the body so if it gets too high it takes awhile to go back to normal.

You can check out askpatient for reviews of ppl who used it.

You are correct about day 12... however, for me though I'm not sure of a "day 12" because my cycle is completely absent for the past couple months.

Thanks for your warning, but I'm not worried about this. Although I'm sure it's not for every person, I'm putting things together here.... All of my symptoms (most of what's on GG's list in the first post of this thread, plus absent/irregular period and severe constipation) all popped up about 4-6 months after stopping BC. It's also when I started breaking out, after 5 years of being completely clear from accutane. I'm positive now that it's a hormonal imbalance.

EDIT: I just looked at the Ask A Patient reviews... it seems like a lot of the reviewers are confused and don't know the difference between the synthetic progestin, birth control, and natural progesterone cream. Also a lot of these reviewers didn't use progesterone for an extended period of time. I didn't find these reviews very accurate or helpful.

Edited by iheartpaul, 04 October 2012 - 08:08 PM.

[LoveGreenSmoothies]

You should probably try to mimic your cycle and do it day 12-26 then stop so you have flow. You'll never get a period if you don't do that and you'll end up overloaded with progesterone.

Its mostly the NPC...a bit confused here.I've read the same stuff on other sites too and it was all NP, beacuse i was researching it a few yrs ago, but I'll leave you both alone, bc I can tell I'm annoying you both. good luck.

A lot of people w/o periods get them back on vitex. Maybe you can try that if this doesn't work.

Edited by LoveGreenSmoothies, 04 October 2012 - 09:39 PM.

[Green Gables]

You should probably try to mimic your cycle and do it day 12-26 then stop so you have flow. You'll never get a period if you don't do that and you'll end up overloaded with progesterone.

Its mostly the NPC...a bit confused here.I've read the same stuff on other sites too and it was all NP, beacuse i was researching it a few yrs ago, but I'll leave you both alone, bc I can tell I'm annoying you both. good luck.

A lot of people w/o periods get them back on vitex. Maybe you can try that if this doesn't work.

You're not annoying me, but I can sense that that the way you feel about progesterone is the way I feel about Accutane. I researched so much about Accutane and decided not to take it even though I had severe acne. Sometimes I wonder if I would have had severe cystic acne for a decade of my life if I had just bitten the Accutane bullet. But I will still tell anyone who will listen that Accutane is too risky, even though I don't have any personal experience to base that off of.

But with progesterone I just don't feel that same risk, so I'm willing to give it a shot

If it starts to look like my progesterone gets too high, I will definitely taper down my dose or go off it necessary. Since I'm getting good results from such a small dose, I probably will never go any higher anyway.

It seems you've had good experience with vitex, could you tell me a little more about it? Is it a phytoestrogen? I was thinking of taking DIM or something similar as well, just because of the protective effects.

Edited by Green Gables, 04 October 2012 - 11:17 PM.

[LoveGreenSmoothies]

I'm glad I'm not annoying you!

No, I didn't. I researched the hell outta it and that plus what my naturopath said about it makes me leery. I'll keep an eye on what happens with you two and If I get flare ups again, I'll think about it, but I'd probably use vitex first.

Edited by LoveGreenSmoothies, 04 October 2012 - 11:12 PM.

[Green Gables]

I'm glad I'm not annoying you!

No, I didn't. I researched the hell outta it and that plus what my naturopath said about it makes me leery. I'll keep an eye on what happens with you two and If I get flare ups again, I'll think about it, but I'd probably use vitex first.

I edited my reply after you replied, but I added that I was curious about vitex, I don't know a ton about it. What does it do? Is it a phytoestrogen?

[LoveGreenSmoothies]

My naturopath said it balances the ratio of estrogen and progesterone naturally. It has no drug interactions. Many people on soul casters use it. Some along with spiro.

She was the first person to diagnose me with PCOS ( I didn't believe her) and had me take that for my acne etc. but I was waiting for an appt to go on tane when I went to her. I did not think the vitex would work at all and didn't try it for a week or so. Then, I got a cyst and I was so desperate so I took it thinking, this is pointless.

It made my cyst smaller after the first day and my cysts would last at least two weeks. I was stunned the same way I was stunned when smoothies helped my skin bc I thought that was ridiculous when people said it.

But I decided to go on tane bc that's what I has planned and I knew it worked for me before.

Some people don't get clear on vitex, some do, just like everything else, it almost always brings on periods in ppl who haven't had one in a very long time. Always. See that all the time on soul cysters. People also start ovulating again on it. Again, almost always. So it is effective for messed up hormones.

I was only on it a month, so I can't attest to its longevity. And it was yrs ago, so who knows if it would work if Tried again, but it helped me for that month.

Hth.

[LoveGreenSmoothies]

I just read your edited post.

I was the same way with tane. I refused to go in it for many years which I regret, bc it cleared me up with no side effects. I was clear until I had an ovarian cyst removed, then my acne came back. (5yrs later after tane). Interestingly, my acne was non existent with the cyst. I know my estrogen was high because I was carrying weight in my butt and thighs -- I never usually do. No acne. None. That part was great. It was related to the cyst bc I had no acne while I had it , but as soon as it was removed it came back. But they thought it was cancer so I had to get it out. It wasn't cancer. It also made me so tired and I had a lot of pain from it.

Now I can tell I don't have high estrogen bc I'm not carrying weight there. I Can tell my androgens are high by how I look.

Anyway, I get where your coming from. I had a gut feeling I should be on tane and it worked well for me, so go with your gut. Maybe the others are using too much..?

I've heard dim is good but that it stops working.

Edited by LoveGreenSmoothies, 05 October 2012 - 01:17 AM.

[Green Gables]

Well, progesterone still working for secondary symptoms...

I do notice that I only get the sleepy effect that tells me it's working if I apply on my inner arms and inner thighs. My Progestelle booklet says you can apply it pretty much anywhere you have fat, but I don't feel it working anywhere else. This may make things trickier down the road as I don't have that much fat in the first place.

[hearts]

I was super worried a couple days ago because I was really moody, but to my surprise, today I have AF!

So happy!! I wanted the Progesterone to bring it back. So I'm counting today as my new "Day 1" and taking 7 days off and starting the cycle again.