Ok, this B5 thing is really interesting - I have ordered and will be trying, so I will let you know. Dan's regimen has helped a lot, but my skin is major oily so if this B5 helps control oil I will be lovin life.

And if it helps control weight (which makes sense if it helps with fat metabolism) I will be dancing around my computer. /

I am just a bad pill popper - too many doctors - too much nonsense, so I will have to stick to this one - encourage me.

thanks.

winnie

b5 kills oil like crazy, im off of it for the most part cuz my face is so damn dry.

b5 kills oil like crazy, im off of it for the most part cuz my face is so damn dry.

It seems like with this product.. http://shop.store.yahoo.com/vitacures/vitb5clear.html (which has been mentioned before on this board) You don't have to pop pills all day. The powdered form just requires you to take 3 teaspoons of it a day.

This sounds so tempting to me that I'm thinking of going off the anti-andgrogens. But of course the anti-androgens are cheaper for me at the moment and I'm poor-ass right now

But three teaspoons... that's not bad.

you must not realize how bad it tastes

would it be best to take a timed release b complex?

Several questions:

Is B5 available in a gelcap form? Or are they bunches of nasty tasting tablets you have to take all day? Do you have to take it with food to keep from getting sick? Also, is it okay to take it along with a Vitamin A supplement?

How low a dose should you start on and how quickly should you work up to 10g?

How long does it take to notice a difference in oil production and is the difference only notable once you're taking 10g a day?

Several questions:

Is B5 available in a gelcap form? Or are they bunches of nasty tasting tablets you have to take all day? Do you have to take it with food to keep from getting sick? Also, is it okay to take it along with a Vitamin A supplement?

How low a dose should you start on and how quickly should you work up to 10g?

How long does it take to notice a difference in oil production and is the difference only notable once you're taking 10g a day?

Thanks for your answers...

Another question - has anyone tried the brand advertised at www.b5supplements.com? The website offers a money back guarantee and even a $10 gift certificate just for filling out a survey with your results. Is this too good to be true?

YOU DONT HAVE TO TAKE IT WITH FOOD.

i was on 5g for a week and saw slight clearing, and ive since moved up to 10gs, but i also jsut started botchla's so my skin isnt lookin to good right now, in about a week it should be looking awesome.

I have noticed a large amount of posts pertaining to vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), with usually the same questions asked over and over agian. Therefore I have decided to make a thread with hopefully all the information someone would need to go on the supplement.

 

Dosage

First off, the thing that irks most people is the very high dosage that is needed of B5. In Dr. Lit-Hung Leung's study the dosage that was mainly used is 10 grams. This is ideally how much you should take to get the best results. However, do not begin taking 10 grams right away. Your body needs to get used to the high intake of B5.

 

Since you will be taking 10 grams a day, it is best to buy Vitamin B5 in capsules that are 500mg each. 1000mg (milligrams) is equal to 1g (gram). Therefore, 2 pills is 1 gram.

 

-For the first 3 days, you will want to take a dosage of 5 grams a day. This is a total of 10 pills a day. It is good to have it spread out throughout the day, so it might be good to take 5 pills in the morning, and 5 pills at night.

-When the 3 days are up, you will be moving up the full 10 gram dosage. This will mean 20 pills a day. Again, you will want to have a steady supply of B5 throughout the day, so taking it in intervals is important. You will be taking 5 pills, 4 times a day. It is very key to be as consistent as you can.

-Keep taking the vitamin B5 for 3 months. I saw results after the 1st week, some people see first results after 2 weeks. After 3 months you should hopefully have clear skin. Make sure you take the b5 consistenly and EVERY DAY for 3 months. (Note: Some people have an initial breakout. This can be caused from pre-existing pimples that are just pushing through. But keep with it, it WILL help you.)

-After your acne has finally cleared up, you will still want to continue taking B5, but not in such high doses. Maybe drop down to 5 grams a day. If you get more acne, increase your dosage immediately, and then adjust to a dosage where you do not break out. Overtime you can keep decreasing.

-Another point I would like to mention is to make sure you take vitamin B complex vitamins. Taking this much vitamin b5 might cause a deficiency in the other b vitamins. I just take 1 pill of the complex twice a day.

 

Possible Side Effects

The good thing about B5 is that it doesn't really have many side effects. Here is what most people have reported:

 

-Stomach irritation

-Mild or severe diarrhea

-Frequent bathroom visits

-Hairloss (rare) Some cases on message boards have reported hair loss but it isn't something I would worry about, and it definetly shouldn't keep you from taking B5.

-Increased appetite (I seem to always be hungry, I am eating lots more than I ever have before)

-Chapped lips

 

Personally, I had some stomach grumbling for the first few days. I went poop frequently, and farted a lot. But this pretty much went away after 5 days. It is VERY GOOD to take your B5 with food. This will minimize diarrhea or stomach troubles.

 

B5 is water-soluble, so it is impossible to overdose on it. It is very, very safe. I read that it might not be the best idea to take it while pregnant or breast feeding.

 

How it works

Basically what the high doses of B5 do is create high amounts of Coenzyme-A. People with acne are lacking in the metabolism of fats. This is because they do not have enough Coenzyme-A in the body. The fats do not break down, but get deposited in your sebaceous (oil) glands and get secreted as sebum (oil). The p.acne bacteria feeds off of this sebum, and creates acne.

 

With all of this extra Coenzyme-A, all these fats can be broken down, and you do not have oily skin. Since you have a minimal amount of oil on your skin, no acne is produced (Hurray). Accutane also minimizes oil production, but it does so by shrinking your oil glands. The pantothenic acid doesn't need to shrink your oil glands, because it causes there to not be oil there in the first place. An extra bonus from pantothenic acid (B5) is that is makes your pores smaller. This results in making your skin smooth and good looking.

 

Where to get it

This is a department that some people have trouble in. You probably won't find it in super markets, or stores like CVS. You will need to find it in shops that are specialized in drugs or vitamins. This means stores like GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, etc. I personally get it from a local Vitamin Shoppe. Many times it will not be under the name B5, but Pantothenic Acid. Here is a Vitamin Shoppe link of what their brand looks like. You can order it on their site if you want too. Note how it has 500mg capsules, and there are 300 of them. Make sure you buy a lot because they get used up quickly. Many people do not like the price, but it's worth it to get rid of your acne. So KEEP AT IT, clear skin is just around the corner.

 

I will probably update/edit this post where I see fit, or if I get asked to. Feel free to add any/all useful info.

 

Useful Links

http://www.clearskin.net/viewtopic.php?t=1907

http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3f978/B5.html

http://b5foracne.vze.com/

http://www.freewebs.com/krg/b5.html

http://www.b5supplements.com/General-B5-Qu...ne-Prevent.html http://gmuntz.tripod.com/b5.html

A normal multivitamin and B-complex have a low dose of B5 compared to a B5 regimen for Acne, so it's unlikely that that will cause an overdose.

Yea the B complexes have very little B5 in them, so don't worry you wont overdose.

Ptownguy: you can still put on quality size while taking B5, I'm living proof. You're just gonna have too eat alot more, (especially protein 1g to 1.5g for ever lb you weigh) cut out nearly all or all of your running, and lift heavy 4-8 reps per set on squats, deadlift, bench press and other compoud lifts. Do that and you will still put on muscle but without the annoying fat you would get if you WEREN'T taking B5. The key is eating good food, and lots of veggies.

if i stop the b5 regimen will my skin start to oil up again? or will i be cured?

if i stop the b5 regimen will my skin start to oil up again? or will i be cured?

I started the B5 treatment a week and a half ago, and have seen absolutely no results. Not even mild clearing of my acne, nor has the oil in my skin gone down. Has this happened to anyone else? Did it improve in time or should i just give up now. This is kind of a pricey treatment (not as bad as accutane at least) so i don't want to be paying for it if it's not going to be helping me.

Also, i haven't used a B-complex yet. Could that have anything to do with it? And when I start using B-Complex, which should i use, there's so many to choose from.

Anyways, thanks for the help.

its only been like two weeks, you have to give it a month minimum to see some results.

Ptownguy: you can still put on quality size while taking B5, I'm living proof. You're just gonna have too eat alot more, (especially protein 1g to 1.5g for ever lb you weigh) cut out nearly all or all of your running, and lift heavy 4-8 reps per set on squats, deadlift, bench press and other compoud lifts. Do that and you will still put on muscle but without the annoying fat you would get if you WEREN'T taking B5. The key is eating good food, and lots of veggies.

@Angelo,

1 week is too early to tell wether its effective or not.

The type of B-complex you should take depends on the dose of B5 you are taking. Usually people use a B50-complex.

But extra biotin of probably also recommended.

Alright, thanks for the help. Guess I'll just keep at it and try being a little more patient. I'll be picking up some of that B-Complex today, thank God I get paid on Fridays. Thanks again for the help.

Alright, thanks for the help. Guess I'll just keep at it and try being a little more patient. I'll be picking up some of that B-Complex today, thank God I get paid on Fridays. Thanks again for the help.

Is it okay to use a multivitamin supplement when you're on B5? I'm currently using one from Solaray.

Has anyone tried B5 from www.b5supplements.co.uk/? Are they any good?

Is it necessary to use a B-complex in addition to the B5 capsules if they already contain other B-vitamins too (like the B5 supplement from Evolution-X)?

Can I take essential fatty acids together with B5?

Hi sigurd, I ordered from b5supplements a good week and a bit ago and I still havnt received my order, I emailed them and they did apoligise and said it would be here in a few days, that was a few days ago!