9 replies to this topic

[EmitaWolff]

Hi there!

 

I am a 21 year old woman, and I just started using acne.org.

I'm from Denmark, so my english is not flawless

 

 

I've always had unclear skin, starting in my teens, but it has been ok, I could keep it at bay with topicals and murad skincare.

 

But then I got really sick with anorexia, and as I slowly gained weight again in recovery, my acne exploded. Never had bad cystic acne, but really really bad whitehead (inflamed) acne especially on my lower cheeks. It made me absolutely miserable .. I could not leave the house, I was crying all the time.

 

My doc. put me on dianette and skinoren, I also tried tetracycline. Nothing helped, and after 5 monts I was desperate, and finally got to see a skindoctor. She put me on accutane ! YES, finally, I thought.

 

I am on 20 mg a day (I am only 47 kg.) She wanted to start me on a low dose and keep going for a long time. I've been taking it for almost 5 months, and my acne has almost cleared up. One active zit every other week, and it is small.

 

I also take evening primrose oil, vit. C, D, E, Niacin and silica.

I Dont eat wheat, sugar or diary but plenty of fresh veggies, fruit, protein and healthy fats.

 

I have OCD and anxiety, and i think it affects my skin more, when I am stressed and anxious, of cause.

 

But I am afraid to go back on medication (zoloft) because when my acne went crazy, I also just started zoloft again. I dont know if it was the eating disorder or the medication that kickstarted the acne.

 

So I stopped the medication slowly, but my doc says it had nothing to do with zoloft.. but what if it had?? I am so afraid that my skin will get bad again .. but I know that anxiety makes my skin worse (never real bad cause of the tane), but will the medication make it even worser?

 

 

Any experience on this ??

Any advice??

 

Thank you.

[LillyRose7]

Hi Emita!

 

hope you are well . Your diet sounds great and its good that you cut out dairy/sugar etc because they can cause inflammation which can also have an effect on our skin and acne. You say that the accutane has worked for you - thats great. I think stress and anxiety does have a direct effect on skin and our emotions can have a direct link to breakouts. I know when i am more stressed/depressed or have negative emotions, it does result in more spots for me... so yes i do believe there is a link. I have never heard of acne being affected by zoloft or anti depressants (except lithium which i have heard increases acne).

 

I know you felt like you had to take accutane for your skin, but i have heard accutane can increase anxiety and depression etc. So just watch out for that. Acne on the lower region of the face is almost always hormonal if its in females (jaw line acne). have you ever had your hormones checked?

 

it is really strange though that you mention zoloft and acne, because one of my friends also suffered from anorexia (also recovered) and she took zoloft. She developed acne as well, on her back and stuff but she says it was severe. I would have never put the two and two together but now you mention it, it might be something to think of, but i have my doubts.  But surely it could result in less spots because its helping the anxiety ?

 

Hope this helps

btw if you are reluctant to take the zoloft and are worried its affecting your skin, there are many natural antidepressants you can try, such as st johns wort, GABA, etc.

[EmitaWolff]

Hi Emita!

 

hope you are well . Your diet sounds great and its good that you cut out dairy/sugar etc because they can cause inflammation which can also have an effect on our skin and acne. You say that the accutane has worked for you - thats great. I think stress and anxiety does have a direct effect on skin and our emotions can have a direct link to breakouts. I know when i am more stressed/depressed or have negative emotions, it does result in more spots for me... so yes i do believe there is a link. I have never heard of acne being affected by zoloft or anti depressants (except lithium which i have heard increases acne).

 

I know you felt like you had to take accutane for your skin, but i have heard accutane can increase anxiety and depression etc. So just watch out for that. Acne on the lower region of the face is almost always hormonal if its in females (jaw line acne). have you ever had your hormones checked?

 

it is really strange though that you mention zoloft and acne, because one of my friends also suffered from anorexia (also recovered) and she took zoloft. She developed acne as well, on her back and stuff but she says it was severe. I would have never put the two and two together but now you mention it, it might be something to think of, but i have my doubts.  But surely it could result in less spots because its helping the anxiety ?

 

Hope this helps

btw if you are reluctant to take the zoloft and are worried its affecting your skin, there are many natural antidepressants you can try, such as st johns wort, GABA, etc.

 

 

Hi Lily ! Thank you so much for your reply.

It sounds very reasonable, what you are pointing out. But no, I have never have my hormones checked, can you do that at a doctors office? ..

 

Your friend, who also had anorexia, did she develope acne as she gained weight, or was it after she began takin zoloft?

I think it can be very hard to detect what is the cause .. because sure, it is good for your body to get the right nutrition again, but that also creates hormone-activity, I guess you could almost say that you are going trough puberty again, building up your body and, for example, getting your period back. Bur I've heard that some people reportes more acne and oily skin after they started anti-depressants.

 

But, I think I am going to start antidepressants, since, as you pointed out, anxiety increases acne ... or maybe try some natural ones .. hmm .. Thanks again for the input

[dumdedum]

I thought you was not allowed to take antidepressants while on Accutane? Same with stuff like st Johns Wort etc 

Is your acne due to genetics or hormonal? Do you get a increase of acne near your period etc? 

I don't believe antidepressants cause acne but I know that antidepressants cannot be taken with Accutane

Have they ever tried to make you have CBT because I know that antidepressants can make anxiety worse not better and I think to be safe on Accutane CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) may be a better option well as you shouldn't take antidepressants with Accutane

Have you ever had CBT? 

Edited by dumdedum, 19 March 2013 - 08:42 AM.

[EmitaWolff]

I thought you was not allowed to take antidepressants while on Accutane? Same with stuff like st Johns Wort etc 

Is your acne due to genetics or hormonal? Do you get a increase of acne near your period etc? 

I don't believe antidepressants cause acne but I know that antidepressants cannot be taken with Accutane

Have they ever tried to make you have CBT because I know that antidepressants can make anxiety worse not better and I think to be safe on Accutane CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) may be a better option well as you shouldn't take antidepressants with Accutane

Have you ever had CBT? 

 

 

Well I actually just asked my dermatologist about it, and she said it would be safe and fine to take antidep. along with the accutane .. her husband is even a psychiatrist, so ... but it wrorried me too, cause I've also heard that it¨s not a good combination.

 

I'm currently in CBT, but I have a LOT of OCD/anxiety going on, so it is going to take a while before I get some results there, I guess .. Currently I sometimes takes oxapax (quick-anxiety-releaf) to sleep better - one or two times a week ..

 

I'm actually not sure what kind of acne I have .. It might be worsened during that time of the month, but my sister and my mother (when she was younger) had it to, just not that severe ..

dumdedum, how can you find out for sure if your acne is hormonal?

[dumdedum]

My derm asked if anyone else in my family had acne etc how long they had it and when they got it etc if I knew whether it got worse when my period was etc

He came to the conclusion I had genetic acne

[LillyRose7]

if you get acne around the second half of your menstrual cycle, it could be hormonally related. your doctor would be able to do a hormonal panel for you to see what your imbalances are. I was curious about your post on zoloft and found this -

http://pmhealth.blog...sant-drugs.html

 

it might be helpful for you. I am not sure when she started getting the acne, but i am certain it was after the zoloft but her diet is nowhere near as healthy as yours, and i mean its really not healthy at all lol.  A lot of anxiety and stuff and acne could be down to hormones, i know that even when you go to a derm here they ask you go have your hormones tested if your a female before thinking of going on accutane because for females you can control acne. Especially you are saying its on your jaw or lower half of your face that is hormonally related. you will have success with accutane no doubt but theres no way to tell if it will come back, i hope it doesn't .

[KatNewby]

Just wanted to chime in. I'm also 21 and I'm at the end of my first month of treatment. To be honest, this drugs has been so much more emotionally taxing than I expected. It's been superrr expensive, it's a kind of last resort method and that is scary in-and-of itself (what if it recurs, what if it doesn't work etc..!?), and I continually live in fear of my diet, which other medications I can take, fear of possible side effects, and general unease.

 

My point here is that accutane can be a rough journey even for those who are not suffering from diagnosed anxiety and/or depressive symptoms. I'm a psychology student and I have also previously suffered from anxiety and severe depression, so I understand the uphill battle it can be to even get out of bed in the morning. So if you ARE depressed and anxious while taking accutane, there is nothing that I can think of that would benefit your skin more than to help treat this stress, as stress is highly correlated the elevated acne outbursts.

 

My guess is that when you were regaining the weight you were both psychologically stressed (it must have been quite scary to lose the control of weight restriction), and undergoing serious physiological changes. You are correct in that, in some ways, your body was re-experiencing signs of puberty. When your body gets to a certain BMI, you begin to menstrate again, and your hormones change dramatically. The acne that you experienced was very very unlikely due to your meds, and much more likely due to the massive changes your body was experiencing.

Edited by KatNewby, 19 March 2013 - 04:57 PM.

[kelseylee]

Hi, greetings from the US! Just wanted to chime in that I never had acne UNTIL I went off an antidepressant (prozac/lexapro) that I had been on for 8 years. The anxiety that i experienced after going off contributed to my breakouts significantly. I've now gone back on, and in combination with going back on birth control pills my skin is almost completely clear. If anything, I think the antidepressant would help your acne and mood. Going on and off that kind of medication does apply stress to your system which can frequently result in things like skin problems if you're prone.

 

While your medication may not be "directly" linked to acne, as your doctor states, I do fundamentally disagree. i'm reading an excellent book right now by an MD discussing the underlying effects of stress on our systems and how mental/emotional events create real biophysical problems (such as acne). It's called When the Body Says No: exploring the stress-disease connection. Anyway, best of luck to you, follow your intuition and heart. 

Edited by kelseylee, 05 April 2013 - 08:32 PM.

[BaRayRayAllDayDay]

I too, clearly have anxiety, but the thought that my antidepressant could make the situation worse makes me even more anxious...ugh. Anyone's skin get better or stay the same on zoloft or any other SSRI.