19 replies to this topic

[paigems]

Hey guys,

Since puberty I've had hormonal issues, specifically problems with excess androgens. I have tried so many different hormonal treatments to help with my acne and oily skin, and I thought it might be helpful to share my experiences.

Yasmin & Yaz- Both cleared up my acne and got rid of my oily skin in 6 months. Unfortunately, they also gave me side effects like excessive hair loss, tiredness, and dry mouth so I had to stop them. Stopping them seemed to have some sort of rebound affect which gave me worse acne than I had ever had in my life.

Mircette- No side effects, but only helped my skin slightly.

Loestrin- Made my skin worse!

Othro Tri Cyclen- Made my skin worse and also caused my whole body to become more oily.

Apri (Desogen)- Had the same effect as the Ortho Tri Cyclen.

Zovia (Demulen)- This is my absolute favorite bcp. It clears up my skin more than any other pill (though not completely) and after being on it for a few months I notice it helps to slow my oil production a bit. Also, it seems to help my hair grow in thicker too.

Spironolactone and Aldactone- I've tried both of these and I really did notice a difference when taking the brand name aldactone as opposed to spironolatone. The aldactone seemed to work better and more quickly. Both caused initial breakouts and took close to 6 months to clear me completely (aldactone took slightly less). Out of all the hormonal treatments I've tried spiro and aldactone were the only things that completely cleared my skin. Unfortunately I got the same unbearable side effects I did from yaz and yasmin and had to stop taking spiro. The hair loss was especially bad. I'd say I lost about 1/3 to 1/2 of my hair. My dose of spiro and aldactone was 25mg.

Saw Palmetto- I took this for a while and honestly noticed no difference at all. At some point I would like to try it again though.

Spearmint tea- This is great for oily skin and other symptoms of excess androgens. I only drink one cup a day and it makes my acne and oily skin slightly better. I'm sure if I drank more it would be even more helpful, but I haven't tried.

Metformin- After I got off spiro my skin was having a lot of issues. My doctor prescribed me metformin, and so far it is helping decently, but no where near the level spiro ever did. It takes my skin from uncomfortably oily to manageably oily. It also helps decrease the amount of acne I get by quite a bit. I'm afraid that this too might be causing me hair loss, but I'm going to wait it out and see if it's just my body adjusting to a hormonal change. My dose of metformin is 1000mg.

Flutamide- Haven't tried this yet, but this might be my next option if the metformin doesn't work out.

So, like I said, I've tried a lot. I hope my experiences aren't too depressing since the majority of them have been unsuccessful in treating my acne. I definitely envy those of you that can take spiro with little to no side effects. Anyway, I hope this was helpful, and if you guys have any questions about any of the things I've tried feel free to ask me. Also, if you have any suggestions for me since I'm still not free of acne, I would love to hear

[LoveGreenSmoothies]

My endo said brand name is much more effective than generic.

Flutamide has side effects. Everyone I know who took it was EXTREMELY tired. One girl literally couldn't get up off her floor. I've posted my side effects somewhere on here a few times. It's paragraphs long and I seriously can't recall all of them off the top of my head, but it got bad. I'd recommend spiro over flutamide., and I had side effects on spiro too. Worrying about liver failure is a big deal.

Can you do the demulen again?

Have tou tried topicals? Topicals work even for ppl with pcos - I'm proof of that.

Also, do you low carb it? Exercise? Eat enough vegetables? all of these things help with the excess androgens a good deal.

Edited by LoveGreenSmoothies, 16 December 2012 - 04:30 PM.

[acnelove]

Your experiences sound a lot like mine. Loestrin is the worst! And Spironolactone lowered my blood pressure so much I could barely stand up. I'm on generic Ortho Tricyclen currently, and while it doesn't break me out like Loestrin did It hasn't done much for my acne either. Thanks for posting this, I am going to check out Zovia (Demulen) now.

[paigems]

My endo said brand name is much more effective than generic.

Flutamide has side effects. Everyone I know who took it was EXTREMELY tired. One girl literally couldn't get up off her floor. I've posted my side effects somewhere on here a few times. It's paragraphs long and I seriously can't recall all of them off the top of my head, but it got bad. I'd recommend spiro over flutamide., and I had side effects on spiro too. Worrying about liver failure is a big deal.

Can you do the demulen again?

Have tou tried topicals? Topicals work even for ppl with pcos - I'm proof of that.

Also, do you low carb it? Exercise? Eat enough vegetables? all of these things help with the excess androgens a good deal.

Aw, I'm not happy to hear about the flutamide. There's a lot of positive experiences about it on the pcos soulcysters forum so I was hoping it might work for me....

I'm currently taking the zovia (demulen), and while it keeps me from getting cysts, I still have noninflamed acne and uncomfortably oily skin. Really the oily skin is what is the most troublesome. I've also tried most topical, and they all seem to just make my skin oilyer and irritated And, I can't exactly do low carb right now since I'm living in a dorm and have a meal plan. Writing all this stuff out just makes me wish even more that spiro didn't make me lose my hair, otherwise I would still be taking it.

Your experiences sound a lot like mine. Loestrin is the worst! And Spironolactone lowered my blood pressure so much I could barely stand up. I'm on generic Ortho Tricyclen currently, and while it doesn't break me out like Loestrin did It hasn't done much for my acne either. Thanks for posting this, I am going to check out Zovia (Demulen) now.

I'm glad you found it helpful! Zovia is great, but it takes a bit of time to work, at least 3 months to see improvements, and 6 months to see the full effects. That's how it is in my case anyway.

[LoveGreenSmoothies]

Are the positive experiences recent? I haven't been on there in awhile but when I was there was only one positive one. Everyone else quietly went back to spiro. One lady, kat, had a good experience but she only stayed on it for a year and during that time changed her diet and exercise which helps her to go off of it.

Edited by LoveGreenSmoothies, 17 December 2012 - 04:35 PM.

[paigems]

Are the positive experiences recent? I haven't been on there in awhile but when I was there was only one positive one. Everyone else quietly went back to spiro. One lady, kat, had a good experience but she only stayed on it for a year and during that time changed her diet and exercise which helps her to go off of it.

I actually didn't pay attention to when they were from, but I know there was more than one. I found them by searching "flutamide" and then reading every topic on the forum about it. Are you still taking spiro? I know one person on here said they got rid of their hair loss on it by taking iron supplements, but the shedding was so dramatic that I had to come off of it quickly.

[LoveGreenSmoothies]

No, I'm not taking any drugs. I'm controlling my acne with Bp and eating a low GI diet. I wish I would've done this and just forgone the drugs.

The flutamide stopped working for me after awhile and I believe it gave me a secondary hormonal imbalance which is why I think stopped working. I think my estrogen was really low or my progesterone, both? I really don't know. I really hope I never have to take any anti androgens ever again, but it if i do have to, it won't be flutamide. I'd take spiro. I think flutamide is way too dangerous for long term use. But-- all anti androgens give me reflux ( I'm not the only one) and I don't even know if I could take spiro if my skin went nutso, so I do hope it stays calm.

I'm pretty sure those posts are years old, I remember when I was researching flutamide I saw them and everyone had stopped taking it and gone back to spiro.

Edited by LoveGreenSmoothies, 17 December 2012 - 09:57 PM.

[LoveGreenSmoothies]

You can try the flutamide, maybe it will be great for you.

It's a shame that topicals don't work for you because it sounds like you're almost clear with the bcp. It's also a shame you can't eat a good diet because it does help. Sometimes diet is the icing on the cake if you're almost clear but not quite.

[Green Gables]

Have you had your vitamin D levels checked? Many, many people now are vitamin D deficient and don't realize it. We simply don't get enough sun on a regular basis. Did you know that you won't get the same level of vitamin D stimulation behind glass? So even if you sit in an office by a sunny window, or you drive in the car a lot, you may get sunburned but you won't get adequate vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to hair loss and lots of other things. The difference between people who get bad hair loss on spiro and those who don't may simply be vitamin D.

I tested deficient some years ago. I had to take high doses of vitamin D for months to get my serum level back up, and I still have to maintain with OTC supplements of 5,000 IU a day. My lifestyle + where I live means I would have to radically change my work and everything I do to get the D "naturally."

The FDA regulations are way behind on the vitamin D research. Their recommendation is 800 IU a day, which just enough D so that you don't get rickets. You really should be taking D in the thousands range.

Anyway my vitamin D was in a good range long before I started taking spiro. It took me a year of high doses (10,000 IU of D3 a day) to be normal, and now maintenance with 5,000 IU. I use Vitamin D-3 GOLD brand.

Edited by Green Gables, 21 December 2012 - 05:04 PM.

[paigems]

Have you had your vitamin D levels checked? Many, many people now are vitamin D deficient and don't realize it. We simply don't get enough sun on a regular basis. Did you know that you won't get the same level of vitamin D stimulation behind glass? So even if you sit in an office by a sunny window, or you drive in the car a lot, you may get sunburned but you won't get adequate vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to hair loss and lots of other things. The difference between people who get bad hair loss on spiro and those who don't may simply be vitamin D.

I tested deficient some years ago. I had to take high doses of vitamin D for months to get my serum level back up, and I still have to maintain with OTC supplements of 5,000 IU a day. My lifestyle + where I live means I would have to radically change my work and everything I do to get the D "naturally."

The FDA regulations are way behind on the vitamin D research. Their recommendation is 800 IU a day, which just enough D so that you don't get rickets. You really should be taking D in the thousands range.

Anyway my vitamin D was in a good range long before I started taking spiro. It took me a year of high doses (10,000 IU of D3 a day) to be normal, and now maintenance with 5,000 IU. I use Vitamin D-3 GOLD brand.

Thanks for the response Green Gables. I am deficient in vitamin D according to my doctor. About 2 years ago I was taking an extremely high dose of vitamin D that he gave me to take because my levels were so low. Since then, however, I haven't taken any more vitamin D. I guess I'll have to start taking it again and see what happens. Out of curiosity, did you have any hair loss while on spiro before you realized that your vitamin D levels were low?

[LoveGreenSmoothies]

Green Gables:

Are you back!!??

Have you had your vitamin D levels checked? Many, many people now are vitamin D deficient and don't realize it. We simply don't get enough sun on a regular basis. Did you know that you won't get the same level of vitamin D stimulation behind glass? So even if you sit in an office by a sunny window, or you drive in the car a lot, you may get sunburned but you won't get adequate vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to hair loss and lots of other things. The difference between people who get bad hair loss on spiro and those who don't may simply be vitamin D.

I tested deficient some years ago. I had to take high doses of vitamin D for months to get my serum level back up, and I still have to maintain with OTC supplements of 5,000 IU a day. My lifestyle + where I live means I would have to radically change my work and everything I do to get the D "naturally."

The FDA regulations are way behind on the vitamin D research. Their recommendation is 800 IU a day, which just enough D so that you don't get rickets. You really should be taking D in the thousands range.

Anyway my vitamin D was in a good range long before I started taking spiro. It took me a year of high doses (10,000 IU of D3 a day) to be normal, and now maintenance with 5,000 IU. I use Vitamin D-3 GOLD brand.

[Green Gables]

Have you had your vitamin D levels checked? Many, many people now are vitamin D deficient and don't realize it. We simply don't get enough sun on a regular basis. Did you know that you won't get the same level of vitamin D stimulation behind glass? So even if you sit in an office by a sunny window, or you drive in the car a lot, you may get sunburned but you won't get adequate vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to hair loss and lots of other things. The difference between people who get bad hair loss on spiro and those who don't may simply be vitamin D.

I tested deficient some years ago. I had to take high doses of vitamin D for months to get my serum level back up, and I still have to maintain with OTC supplements of 5,000 IU a day. My lifestyle + where I live means I would have to radically change my work and everything I do to get the D "naturally."

The FDA regulations are way behind on the vitamin D research. Their recommendation is 800 IU a day, which just enough D so that you don't get rickets. You really should be taking D in the thousands range.

Anyway my vitamin D was in a good range long before I started taking spiro. It took me a year of high doses (10,000 IU of D3 a day) to be normal, and now maintenance with 5,000 IU. I use Vitamin D-3 GOLD brand.

Thanks for the response Green Gables. I am deficient in vitamin D according to my doctor. About 2 years ago I was taking an extremely high dose of vitamin D that he gave me to take because my levels were so low. Since then, however, I haven't taken any more vitamin D. I guess I'll have to start taking it again and see what happens. Out of curiosity, did you have any hair loss while on spiro before you realized that your vitamin D levels were low?

I didn't have hair loss on Spiro, but I got my vitamin D serum levels up way before I started Spiro.

I'm not 100% sure if vitamin D helped my hair get thicker or not, because no one ever told me "your hair is thinning" so I didn't track my hair. But my scalp definitely improved after my vitamin D levels went up. The D did fix my recurring dandruff and scalp seborrhea...which was awesome, because I was scrubbing my head with prescription shampoos twice a day. TMI, TMI...

I'm just speculating the connection between D and Spiro hair loss, based on the research I've done. Vitamin D deficiency is almost an epidemic in developed countries now. And yeah, like you the doctor gave me high doses of vitamin D but didn't tell me I had to maintain it. I researched on my own and found out that I would go back to square one if I didn't take high doses regularly.

Vitamin D Council is a good resource. Obviously they're a bit biased, but they reference a lot of sound research.

Vitamin D is often used OTC to help treat hair loss anyway. There are a lot of posts about vitamin D on the male hair loss forums if you want to venture there Vitamin D is one of the more powerful vitamins...it actually acts as a hormone in the body.

Green Gables:

Are you back!!??

At least for the weekend. Merry Christmas

Edited by Green Gables, 22 December 2012 - 07:27 PM.

[LoveGreenSmoothies]

Merry Christmas!!

And I hope you stay!

Vitamin D supplements cause acne for me, but I'm an anomaly, always an anomaly lol. I do know a few others who had the same reaction to it, but most get clearer. I don't know why, but I'm guessing because it acts like a hormone. I'd love to take it.

Edited by LoveGreenSmoothies, 22 December 2012 - 10:07 PM.

[Norris2]

Hey Guys i think that Hormonal changes are common in people as we age. The shifts in these changes are so small.But sometimes significant substance instability can happen. In these situations, patients will experience remarkable changes in his or her body, generating signs that are at once unpleasant and devastating, something even resulting in threats to a person's psychological and health.Thanks a lot!!

[michi31]

Hey there - Thanks for sharing your experiences, it is really helpful. If you don't mind my asking, did you have your hormones tested and if so what did it show? Also, I'm wondering if you were on the Demulin 1/35 or 1/50? I am torn between going on that and ortho tri cyclen. I was just reading a clinical trial where Norgestimate, the progestin in Orth tri cyclin was found most effective at inhibiting 5 alpha reductase...so I thought that sounds perfect. But it seems everyone has a bad experience with it, or at least an initial outbreak. I don't know what to do.

Hey guys,

Since puberty I've had hormonal issues, specifically problems with excess androgens. I have tried so many different hormonal treatments to help with my acne and oily skin, and I thought it might be helpful to share my experiences.

Yasmin & Yaz- Both cleared up my acne and got rid of my oily skin in 6 months. Unfortunately, they also gave me side effects like excessive hair loss, tiredness, and dry mouth so I had to stop them. Stopping them seemed to have some sort of rebound affect which gave me worse acne than I had ever had in my life.

Mircette- No side effects, but only helped my skin slightly.

Loestrin- Made my skin worse!

Othro Tri Cyclen- Made my skin worse and also caused my whole body to become more oily.

Apri (Desogen)- Had the same effect as the Ortho Tri Cyclen.

Zovia (Demulen)- This is my absolute favorite bcp. It clears up my skin more than any other pill (though not completely) and after being on it for a few months I notice it helps to slow my oil production a bit. Also, it seems to help my hair grow in thicker too.

Spironolactone and Aldactone- I've tried both of these and I really did notice a difference when taking the brand name aldactone as opposed to spironolatone. The aldactone seemed to work better and more quickly. Both caused initial breakouts and took close to 6 months to clear me completely (aldactone took slightly less). Out of all the hormonal treatments I've tried spiro and aldactone were the only things that completely cleared my skin. Unfortunately I got the same unbearable side effects I did from yaz and yasmin and had to stop taking spiro. The hair loss was especially bad. I'd say I lost about 1/3 to 1/2 of my hair. My dose of spiro and aldactone was 25mg.

Saw Palmetto- I took this for a while and honestly noticed no difference at all. At some point I would like to try it again though.

Spearmint tea- This is great for oily skin and other symptoms of excess androgens. I only drink one cup a day and it makes my acne and oily skin slightly better. I'm sure if I drank more it would be even more helpful, but I haven't tried.

Metformin- After I got off spiro my skin was having a lot of issues. My doctor prescribed me metformin, and so far it is helping decently, but no where near the level spiro ever did. It takes my skin from uncomfortably oily to manageably oily. It also helps decrease the amount of acne I get by quite a bit. I'm afraid that this too might be causing me hair loss, but I'm going to wait it out and see if it's just my body adjusting to a hormonal change. My dose of metformin is 1000mg.

Flutamide- Haven't tried this yet, but this might be my next option if the metformin doesn't work out.

So, like I said, I've tried a lot. I hope my experiences aren't too depressing since the majority of them have been unsuccessful in treating my acne. I definitely envy those of you that can take spiro with little to no side effects. Anyway, I hope this was helpful, and if you guys have any questions about any of the things I've tried feel free to ask me. Also, if you have any suggestions for me since I'm still not free of acne, I would love to hear

[paigems]

Hey there - Thanks for sharing your experiences, it is really helpful. If you don't mind my asking, did you have your hormones tested and if so what did it show? Also, I'm wondering if you were on the Demulin 1/35 or 1/50? I am torn between going on that and ortho tri cyclen. I was just reading a clinical trial where Norgestimate, the progestin in Orth tri cyclin was found most effective at inhibiting 5 alpha reductase...so I thought that sounds perfect. But it seems everyone has a bad experience with it, or at least an initial outbreak. I don't know what to do.

Hey guys,

Since puberty I've had hormonal issues, specifically problems with excess androgens. I have tried so many different hormonal treatments to help with my acne and oily skin, and I thought it might be helpful to share my experiences.

Yasmin & Yaz- Both cleared up my acne and got rid of my oily skin in 6 months. Unfortunately, they also gave me side effects like excessive hair loss, tiredness, and dry mouth so I had to stop them. Stopping them seemed to have some sort of rebound affect which gave me worse acne than I had ever had in my life.

Mircette- No side effects, but only helped my skin slightly.

Loestrin- Made my skin worse!

Othro Tri Cyclen- Made my skin worse and also caused my whole body to become more oily.

Apri (Desogen)- Had the same effect as the Ortho Tri Cyclen.

Zovia (Demulen)- This is my absolute favorite bcp. It clears up my skin more than any other pill (though not completely) and after being on it for a few months I notice it helps to slow my oil production a bit. Also, it seems to help my hair grow in thicker too.

Spironolactone and Aldactone- I've tried both of these and I really did notice a difference when taking the brand name aldactone as opposed to spironolatone. The aldactone seemed to work better and more quickly. Both caused initial breakouts and took close to 6 months to clear me completely (aldactone took slightly less). Out of all the hormonal treatments I've tried spiro and aldactone were the only things that completely cleared my skin. Unfortunately I got the same unbearable side effects I did from yaz and yasmin and had to stop taking spiro. The hair loss was especially bad. I'd say I lost about 1/3 to 1/2 of my hair. My dose of spiro and aldactone was 25mg.

Saw Palmetto- I took this for a while and honestly noticed no difference at all. At some point I would like to try it again though.

Spearmint tea- This is great for oily skin and other symptoms of excess androgens. I only drink one cup a day and it makes my acne and oily skin slightly better. I'm sure if I drank more it would be even more helpful, but I haven't tried.

Metformin- After I got off spiro my skin was having a lot of issues. My doctor prescribed me metformin, and so far it is helping decently, but no where near the level spiro ever did. It takes my skin from uncomfortably oily to manageably oily. It also helps decrease the amount of acne I get by quite a bit. I'm afraid that this too might be causing me hair loss, but I'm going to wait it out and see if it's just my body adjusting to a hormonal change. My dose of metformin is 1000mg.

Flutamide- Haven't tried this yet, but this might be my next option if the metformin doesn't work out.

So, like I said, I've tried a lot. I hope my experiences aren't too depressing since the majority of them have been unsuccessful in treating my acne. I definitely envy those of you that can take spiro with little to no side effects. Anyway, I hope this was helpful, and if you guys have any questions about any of the things I've tried feel free to ask me. Also, if you have any suggestions for me since I'm still not free of acne, I would love to hear

I did have my hormones tested and it showed high testosterone and high DHEA. Right now I'm taking metformin and my testosterone is down to normal levels but my skin still isn't perfect so I'm not sure how useful the blood tests even are.

I'm also taking the Demulen 1/35. My doctor told me 1/50 was only usually for people that experience a lot of spotting.

Andd, about ortho tri cyclen, I really don't know why it made my skin worse, but it did. Maybe it was the cyclic part because I have heard that Ortho cyclen is good for people with PCOS which is what I have. I'm a little afraid to experiment with new pills right now though so I don't think I'll try that anytime soon.

[michi31]

Yeah no matter how hard I try to figure it out, I can't make sense of why some things work and some don't for certain people. Like Ortho is supposed to be less androgenic than Demulin, which actually has one of the older progestins...so why would it work better. The estogen is the same. So, so confusing.

Hey there - Thanks for sharing your experiences, it is really helpful. If you don't mind my asking, did you have your hormones tested and if so what did it show? Also, I'm wondering if you were on the Demulin 1/35 or 1/50? I am torn between going on that and ortho tri cyclen. I was just reading a clinical trial where Norgestimate, the progestin in Orth tri cyclin was found most effective at inhibiting 5 alpha reductase...so I thought that sounds perfect. But it seems everyone has a bad experience with it, or at least an initial outbreak. I don't know what to do.

Hey guys,

Since puberty I've had hormonal issues, specifically problems with excess androgens. I have tried so many different hormonal treatments to help with my acne and oily skin, and I thought it might be helpful to share my experiences.

Yasmin & Yaz- Both cleared up my acne and got rid of my oily skin in 6 months. Unfortunately, they also gave me side effects like excessive hair loss, tiredness, and dry mouth so I had to stop them. Stopping them seemed to have some sort of rebound affect which gave me worse acne than I had ever had in my life.

Mircette- No side effects, but only helped my skin slightly.

Loestrin- Made my skin worse!

Othro Tri Cyclen- Made my skin worse and also caused my whole body to become more oily.

Apri (Desogen)- Had the same effect as the Ortho Tri Cyclen.

Zovia (Demulen)- This is my absolute favorite bcp. It clears up my skin more than any other pill (though not completely) and after being on it for a few months I notice it helps to slow my oil production a bit. Also, it seems to help my hair grow in thicker too.

Spironolactone and Aldactone- I've tried both of these and I really did notice a difference when taking the brand name aldactone as opposed to spironolatone. The aldactone seemed to work better and more quickly. Both caused initial breakouts and took close to 6 months to clear me completely (aldactone took slightly less). Out of all the hormonal treatments I've tried spiro and aldactone were the only things that completely cleared my skin. Unfortunately I got the same unbearable side effects I did from yaz and yasmin and had to stop taking spiro. The hair loss was especially bad. I'd say I lost about 1/3 to 1/2 of my hair. My dose of spiro and aldactone was 25mg.

Saw Palmetto- I took this for a while and honestly noticed no difference at all. At some point I would like to try it again though.

Spearmint tea- This is great for oily skin and other symptoms of excess androgens. I only drink one cup a day and it makes my acne and oily skin slightly better. I'm sure if I drank more it would be even more helpful, but I haven't tried.

Metformin- After I got off spiro my skin was having a lot of issues. My doctor prescribed me metformin, and so far it is helping decently, but no where near the level spiro ever did. It takes my skin from uncomfortably oily to manageably oily. It also helps decrease the amount of acne I get by quite a bit. I'm afraid that this too might be causing me hair loss, but I'm going to wait it out and see if it's just my body adjusting to a hormonal change. My dose of metformin is 1000mg.

Flutamide- Haven't tried this yet, but this might be my next option if the metformin doesn't work out.

So, like I said, I've tried a lot. I hope my experiences aren't too depressing since the majority of them have been unsuccessful in treating my acne. I definitely envy those of you that can take spiro with little to no side effects. Anyway, I hope this was helpful, and if you guys have any questions about any of the things I've tried feel free to ask me. Also, if you have any suggestions for me since I'm still not free of acne, I would love to hear

I did have my hormones tested and it showed high testosterone and high DHEA. Right now I'm taking metformin and my testosterone is down to normal levels but my skin still isn't perfect so I'm not sure how useful the blood tests even are.

I'm also taking the Demulen 1/35. My doctor told me 1/50 was only usually for people that experience a lot of spotting.

Andd, about ortho tri cyclen, I really don't know why it made my skin worse, but it did. Maybe it was the cyclic part because I have heard that Ortho cyclen is good for people with PCOS which is what I have. I'm a little afraid to experiment with new pills right now though so I don't think I'll try that anytime soon.

[Flaxen]

Hi, thank you so much for posting your experiences with hormonal treatments! Exactly what I was looking for! I've been on dianette for 3 months but I think I need something more... Like you oiliness is a particular problem for me (or it is sometimes anyway, do you go through phases? It was ok for the past few months after having been TERRIBLE and now it is bad again...)

I really wish I could try spiro but my Dr wouldn't give it to me because I'm also taking lithium so it could make me toxic. I'm going to try and persuade him... or at least ask if I could try metformin. I was very interested to read that that had helped you because my Dr wouldn't give me that because I have normal bmi and fasting glucose but I read a paper that showed improvement in acne and hyperandrogenism in PCOS patients regardless of their weight... Do you have to take it three times a day? I'd rather just take something once a day then forget about it...

Interested to read the discussion about flutamide too because I'd been thinking about that too. (Is it wrong that I'm more concerned about extreme fatigue than I am about liver failure?!) I think I need to do some more research about that one. Would be very interested to hear how it goes for you if you do try it!

Thanks again for the helpful post

[LillyRose7]

hey !

I think BCP's help with issues like excess hair and acne etc, and for hormonal balance. The thing is, when you go off them, your body has to readjust and the endocrine system has a very delicate balance and when its thrown off like that, things can actually get worse. With bcp's, it's not good to go on and off them. The reason you have the problems like breakouts is because of the constant switching. Not all pills are made the same, some can actually worsen acne. I know YAZ/yasmin is supposed to be good, but i have heard of a few friends and family members who said they had some problems with it.

Diets do help as well. eating Low GI, and a healthy plant based diet really helps with hormonal balance. The thing is, when you decide to treat something like acne, you have to also have a plan that works towards preventing acne from forming. I really think women should try BCP's before going onto stronger things.

there is a new pill they sell in some countries, i have taken it in the past and am thinking of taking it again. Because i cleared fast the first time i took it, but the second i broke out (but i dont relate this to the pill, i think it was my topicals and how i was treating my skin). It's called Belara, apparently the progestin in it is a natural one and its anti androgenic. Apprently its better than Yaz for acne.

[Clank120]

 

Have you had your vitamin D levels checked? Many, many people now are vitamin D deficient and don't realize it. We simply don't get enough sun on a regular basis. Did you know that you won't get the same level of vitamin D stimulation behind glass? So even if you sit in an office by a sunny window, or you drive in the car a lot, you may get sunburned but you won't get adequate vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to hair loss and lots of other things. The difference between people who get bad hair loss on spiro and those who don't may simply be vitamin D.

I tested deficient some years ago. I had to take high doses of vitamin D for months to get my serum level back up, and I still have to maintain with OTC supplements of 5,000 IU a day. My lifestyle + where I live means I would have to radically change my work and everything I do to get the D "naturally."

The FDA regulations are way behind on the vitamin D research. Their recommendation is 800 IU a day, which just enough D so that you don't get rickets. You really should be taking D in the thousands range.

Anyway my vitamin D was in a good range long before I started taking spiro. It took me a year of high doses (10,000 IU of D3 a day) to be normal, and now maintenance with 5,000 IU. I use Vitamin D-3 GOLD brand.

Thanks for the response Green Gables. I am deficient in vitamin D according to my doctor. About 2 years ago I was taking an extremely high dose of vitamin D that he gave me to take because my levels were so low. Since then, however, I haven't taken any more vitamin D. I guess I'll have to start taking it again and see what happens. Out of curiosity, did you have any hair loss while on spiro before you realized that your vitamin D levels were low?

 

I didn't have hair loss on Spiro, but I got my vitamin D serum levels up way before I started Spiro.

I'm not 100% sure if vitamin D helped my hair get thicker or not, because no one ever told me "your hair is thinning" so I didn't track my hair. But my scalp definitely improved after my vitamin D levels went up. The D did fix my recurring dandruff and scalp seborrhea...which was awesome, because I was scrubbing my head with prescription shampoos twice a day. TMI, TMI...

I'm just speculating the connection between D and Spiro hair loss, based on the research I've done. Vitamin D deficiency is almost an epidemic in developed countries now. And yeah, like you the doctor gave me high doses of vitamin D but didn't tell me I had to maintain it. I researched on my own and found out that I would go back to square one if I didn't take high doses regularly.

Vitamin D Council is a good resource. Obviously they're a bit biased, but they reference a lot of sound research.

Vitamin D is often used OTC to help treat hair loss anyway. There are a lot of posts about vitamin D on the male hair loss forums if you want to venture there Vitamin D is one of the more powerful vitamins...it actually acts as a hormone in the body.

 

Hi Green Gables, 

 

I was wondering if you could share a little bit more on your experience with Vitamin D affecting your scalp Seborrhea. I am having the same issue and my doctor told me that I was Vitamin D deficient in the fall. Can you describe how bad your scalp was and how long it took for the Vitamin D to correct it? Also, are you sure it was the Vitamin D? I'm not trying to question you, just trying to figure some things out. Your advice would be hugely helpful to me. Thanks.

 

Clank