Michi -

2 weeks ago I went from 100 mg to 50mg for a little over a week. I had been feeling less oily but my Derm was concerned cause my period seemed to have completely disappeared. Pretty soon after I felt that my face was getting oily again and a few new clogged pores were appearing so my Derm upped me to 75 mg. Have been on that for a week and it seems the oil has mostly dissipated again and I kinda sorta got the lightest period ever. I've now been on Spiro for almost 6 weeks in total. My Derm did caution me that the increase in oil could have just been due to normal hormone fluctuations or the fact that I've only been on Spiro for 6 weeks which isn't long enough for full effect so I think in the future I might try going back down to 50 cause I would like to be on as little as possible and the whole period thing is somewhat concerning. However 75 could be what I have to take. Have you considered upping your dose? I know for some 125 or 150 make more of a difference especially if you are one to get cysts.

Something I have noticed in the past week - I've been getting a few more bruises than normal for no reason. Not sure if this is Spiro related at all but has anyone else experienced this as side effect?

MissSac - I'm so happy for you that you are feeling good about your decision to stop the Spiro. It would have been a lot of time wasted on a drug that wasn't working for you.

 

As for my update - I am over 4 months on Spiro 100mg. The mino is still keeping me clear, but as for the Spiro I won't really know until I come off the Mino. Thing is, I am still oily so my guess is that it's not working yet. How is everyone else doing?

Michi -

2 weeks ago I went from 100 mg to 50mg for a little over a week. I had been feeling less oily but my Derm was concerned cause my period seemed to have completely disappeared. Pretty soon after I felt that my face was getting oily again and a few new clogged pores were appearing so my Derm upped me to 75 mg. Have been on that for a week and it seems the oil has mostly dissipated again and I kinda sorta got the lightest period ever. I've now been on Spiro for almost 6 weeks in total. My Derm did caution me that the increase in oil could have just been due to normal hormone fluctuations or the fact that I've only been on Spiro for 6 weeks which isn't long enough for full effect so I think in the future I might try going back down to 50 cause I would like to be on as little as possible and the whole period thing is somewhat concerning. However 75 could be what I have to take. Have you considered upping your dose? I know for some 125 or 150 make more of a difference especially if you are one to get cysts.

Something I have noticed in the past week - I've been getting a few more bruises than normal for no reason. Not sure if this is Spiro related at all but has anyone else experienced this as side effect?

MissSac - I'm so happy for you that you are feeling good about your decision to stop the Spiro. It would have been a lot of time wasted on a drug that wasn't working for you.

As for my update - I am over 4 months on Spiro 100mg. The mino is still keeping me clear, but as for the Spiro I won't really know until I come off the Mino. Thing is, I am still oily so my guess is that it's not working yet. How is everyone else doing?

Hey there. I have thought about bumping up my dose. My endo says it takes 6-9 months to work so I will most likely stick out my current dose for that time frame. He also says it doesn't work for everyone ( I will be devastated if I'm one of those people after waiting all those months). But he says that when it does work it works very well. I have not had a period either. My periods weren't regular before Spiro either - It is because my estrogen is so low I'm not ovulating - which is a whole other set of issues, but probably related to acne.

Interesting about the bruises. I did notice I had increased bruising. However I wasn't sure if I just happened to be paying closer attention to my legs for some reason. I thought it might be due to the minocycline, but who knows...have you heard this could be a side effect?

I'm not sure..I found this saying it shouldn't - http://www.realself.com/question/spironolactone-restalyne-injections-blood-clotting-implications-procedure

But if you read on side effects its listed in some places as a rarer one. I also read that estrogen dominance could cause it.

That's interesting your endo said it takes 6-9 months...my Derm said effects on acne should be seen in 6 weeks to 2 months and peaked results at 4 months and beyond.

 

 

Michi -

 

2 weeks ago I went from 100 mg to 50mg for a little over a week. I had been feeling less oily but my Derm was concerned cause my period seemed to have completely disappeared. Pretty soon after I felt that my face was getting oily again and a few new clogged pores were appearing so my Derm upped me to 75 mg. Have been on that for a week and it seems the oil has mostly dissipated again and I kinda sorta got the lightest period ever. I've now been on Spiro for almost 6 weeks in total. My Derm did caution me that the increase in oil could have just been due to normal hormone fluctuations or the fact that I've only been on Spiro for 6 weeks which isn't long enough for full effect so I think in the future I might try going back down to 50 cause I would like to be on as little as possible and the whole period thing is somewhat concerning. However 75 could be what I have to take. Have you considered upping your dose? I know for some 125 or 150 make more of a difference especially if you are one to get cysts.

 

Something I have noticed in the past week - I've been getting a few more bruises than normal for no reason. Not sure if this is Spiro related at all but has anyone else experienced this as side effect?

 

 

MissSac - I'm so happy for you that you are feeling good about your decision to stop the Spiro. It would have been a lot of time wasted on a drug that wasn't working for you.

 

As for my update - I am over 4 months on Spiro 100mg. The mino is still keeping me clear, but as for the Spiro I won't really know until I come off the Mino. Thing is, I am still oily so my guess is that it's not working yet. How is everyone else doing?

I'm not sure..I found this saying it shouldn't - http://www.realself.com/question/spironolactone-restalyne-injections-blood-clotting-implications-procedure

But if you read on side effects its listed in some places as a rarer one. I also read that estrogen dominance could cause it.

That's interesting your endo said it takes 6-9 months...my Derm said effects on acne should be seen in 6 weeks to 2 months and peaked results at 4 months and beyond.

Michi -

2 weeks ago I went from 100 mg to 50mg for a little over a week. I had been feeling less oily but my Derm was concerned cause my period seemed to have completely disappeared. Pretty soon after I felt that my face was getting oily again and a few new clogged pores were appearing so my Derm upped me to 75 mg. Have been on that for a week and it seems the oil has mostly dissipated again and I kinda sorta got the lightest period ever. I've now been on Spiro for almost 6 weeks in total. My Derm did caution me that the increase in oil could have just been due to normal hormone fluctuations or the fact that I've only been on Spiro for 6 weeks which isn't long enough for full effect so I think in the future I might try going back down to 50 cause I would like to be on as little as possible and the whole period thing is somewhat concerning. However 75 could be what I have to take. Have you considered upping your dose? I know for some 125 or 150 make more of a difference especially if you are one to get cysts.

Something I have noticed in the past week - I've been getting a few more bruises than normal for no reason. Not sure if this is Spiro related at all but has anyone else experienced this as side effect?

MissSac - I'm so happy for you that you are feeling good about your decision to stop the Spiro. It would have been a lot of time wasted on a drug that wasn't working for you.

As for my update - I am over 4 months on Spiro 100mg. The mino is still keeping me clear, but as for the Spiro I won't really know until I come off the Mino. Thing is, I am still oily so my guess is that it's not working yet. How is everyone else doing?

Hey there. I have thought about bumping up my dose. My endo says it takes 6-9 months to work so I will most likely stick out my current dose for that time frame. He also says it doesn't work for everyone ( I will be devastated if I'm one of those people after waiting all those months). But he says that when it does work it works very well. I have not had a period either. My periods weren't regular before Spiro either - It is because my estrogen is so low I'm not ovulating - which is a whole other set of issues, but probably related to acne.

Interesting about the bruises. I did notice I had increased bruising. However I wasn't sure if I just happened to be paying closer attention to my legs for some reason. I thought it might be due to the minocycline, but who knows...have you heard this could be a side effect?

The time periods for effectiveness seem to be all over the board. 3-4 months seems pretty common on here, I have seen several say it took 6 months. I think the longest I ever saw was 10 months. There is supposedly a gradual suppression of the conversation of testosterone to DHT, so my hypothesis is that where this is the problem for people Spiro takes a long time to work, rather than those who benefit because Spiro binds with the testosterone. No one really knows what is happening in the skin though. That is an interesting link on bruising - thanks!

This does say contact your doc if you notice annormal bleeding or bruising so I really don't know if its too early for me to be concerned. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a682627.html

 

 

I'm not sure..I found this saying it shouldn't - http://www.realself.com/question/spironolactone-restalyne-injections-blood-clotting-implications-procedure

 

But if you read on side effects its listed in some places as a rarer one. I also read that estrogen dominance could cause it.

 

That's interesting your endo said it takes 6-9 months...my Derm said effects on acne should be seen in 6 weeks to 2 months and peaked results at 4 months and beyond.

 

 

 

Michi -

 

2 weeks ago I went from 100 mg to 50mg for a little over a week. I had been feeling less oily but my Derm was concerned cause my period seemed to have completely disappeared. Pretty soon after I felt that my face was getting oily again and a few new clogged pores were appearing so my Derm upped me to 75 mg. Have been on that for a week and it seems the oil has mostly dissipated again and I kinda sorta got the lightest period ever. I've now been on Spiro for almost 6 weeks in total. My Derm did caution me that the increase in oil could have just been due to normal hormone fluctuations or the fact that I've only been on Spiro for 6 weeks which isn't long enough for full effect so I think in the future I might try going back down to 50 cause I would like to be on as little as possible and the whole period thing is somewhat concerning. However 75 could be what I have to take. Have you considered upping your dose? I know for some 125 or 150 make more of a difference especially if you are one to get cysts.

 

Something I have noticed in the past week - I've been getting a few more bruises than normal for no reason. Not sure if this is Spiro related at all but has anyone else experienced this as side effect?

 

 

 

MissSac - I'm so happy for you that you are feeling good about your decision to stop the Spiro. It would have been a lot of time wasted on a drug that wasn't working for you.

 

As for my update - I am over 4 months on Spiro 100mg. The mino is still keeping me clear, but as for the Spiro I won't really know until I come off the Mino. Thing is, I am still oily so my guess is that it's not working yet. How is everyone else doing?

Hey there. I have thought about bumping up my dose. My endo says it takes 6-9 months to work so I will most likely stick out my current dose for that time frame. He also says it doesn't work for everyone ( I will be devastated if I'm one of those people after waiting all those months). But he says that when it does work it works very well. I have not had a period either. My periods weren't regular before Spiro either - It is because my estrogen is so low I'm not ovulating - which is a whole other set of issues, but probably related to acne.

Interesting about the bruises. I did notice I had increased bruising. However I wasn't sure if I just happened to be paying closer attention to my legs for some reason. I thought it might be due to the minocycline, but who knows...have you heard this could be a side effect?

MissSact -

That's good that you are feeling much better! Taking Spiro makes me nervous cause I have always been so anti medicine but I have been on it for 6 weeks with no side effects except a late and very light period. That does concern me but my Derm says maybe it'll adjust out. How long did you take Spiro? That's strange about the stomachs issues...I've never heard that. It has decreased my oil a lot though.

It seems since summer hit everyone has disappeared, hopefully doing funner things than worrying about pimples! The past three days on memorial break have been the best days I've had in a long time. Face is much improved.

Hi lifeinfaith Im really glad for you that you aren't experiencing alot of side effects with the Spiro. For me though I was, I was on it for just under 3 months and had progressed from 25mg to 50mg. It was the best decision to make though, for that I am sure.

I did have decreased oil aswell, especially my hair..after the first couple weeks I actually noticed I never had to wash my hair as much.

I do hope the Spiro is the solution for you!

Hi Stacey,

I am so grateful to you for starting this spiro log and sharing your story - the ups and downs of it. I've been absent from the forum for a few weeks so I missed the spiro drama, but it sounds like it was really doing a number on you. Really happy you had the foresight to quit while you were ahead.

Medicine is...well...tricky. There will always be a side effect, big or small. I still have faith that you will find your answer. Now that you have a clean slate, you can flush your body out and really nourish yourself (mind, body and spirit).

My only suggestion is that you don't give up trying to figure out exactly why the symptom of acne is showing up. What is out of balance in your body? Honestly, it may take both time and money to get to the bottom of this very big question, and those are two things I know most of us have very little of. But, finding the root cause is key so you aren't continuing to shoot in the dark and getting frustrated in the process.

I am really proud of you for you courage in sharing your story, and I do hope you continue to blog and update us on your journey. You may not realize it, but there are so many people (myself included) who have been deeply impacted by reading about your journey. This forum honestly helped me keep my sanity

I'll post my own update soon. Tomorrow marks 21 weeks (the beginning of month 6) on spiro. Things are continuing to look up for me. My week 20 photos will be up soon

xo

Sierra

Hellooo Sierra, so glad to hear from you

I am really glad to that I had the "foresight" to quit, since I know that it would have been a disaster for me. How have you been keeping anyway??

I definately am not giving up trying to find out why this acne appeared, I mean of course I figured it was hormonal since after my period re-formed last year it came back..but clearly Spiro was making it worse it seemed, so perhaps it isn't a testosterone/androgen thing. I am still pretty into reading up about hormones and stuff, and it seems it may be some sort of progesterone/estrogen imbalance.

Although, my skin doesn't look totally like acne as such (the usual kind anyway) since I do have alot of tiny spots, ones that come and go..whitheads that appear within a few hours and stay for a day or two, bumps under the skin; big and small. You know? I have alot of weird skin things that I guess ALL come under the term acne. It could very well be a friggin' food intolerance thing.

Currently though, my periods are still REAAALLY irregular (its 3 weeks late currently) and my digestive system is NOT the best right now, I am actually really wanting to have a colonic irrigation done but am a bit nervous...its £65 for 130 minutes (45 minutes is the procedure itself) so it is a bit expensive. I have heard many people reap benefits of this and it even helps people's acne...on the other hand it could go all horribly wrong lol. Afterwards though I am going to look into a good pro-biotic.

Your post made me smile

well done you for making it to 21weeks!! I will look out for your photos Sierra.

Keep on keeping on

Hey guys how you's all doing?

Thought I'd update a little.

So my routine currently is honestly working wonders. Although I am having a few down days but overall my skin has been doing quite good. What I am basically doing is exactly what is in my SIGNATURE thingy - using TTO diluted in the morning all over face, and maybe a couple undiluted dabs on full blown pimples, sometimes I will put suncream on if the sun is actuallllly out (it is Scotland we're talking about here ) and thats it for the morning. Then at night I wash my face with water and wait for it to dry and apply a BHA every second day and then my Azelaic Acid, which I have been using for 2 months now.

Things I have noticed since Stopping Spiro:

My face is getting a bit more oily when I get home from whatever Im doing that day, infact especially in stressful situations, ie work or even walking about for longer periods of time (maybe a bit of sweat there too) or if I have just had a long day, I do get more of an oily dewy skin mainly around the T-zone area. I believe I have combination skin though and when on Spiro I basically become MUCH more dry.

I have also noticed a decrease in water retention, which I seriously enjoy, I am not plagued by feeling bloated all the time, this is a really big plus for me because I do have unresolved weight issues which I have had for a long time and the Spiro really did make me feel bigger.

Strangely Ive noticed a little increase in my hair, like side burn area. And ALSO I have noticed a few more spots appearing on my chest/back and BEHIND MY FRIGGING EARS! I think its a hairline thing? I dunno, but its a bit annoying.

Also thankfully, pain which I had alot on my chest has significantly decreased alot, the only major thing thats still lingering is the pain in my stomach and urination issues. But I have the doctor on Wed so I will let her know everything. Thats about a good month now I have been off the Spiro .

I do still have spots, infact my period came a week and a bit ago (1st June) and it was 3 weeks late and I noticed increased spots around corners of my mouth area, its safe to say that only ONE of them is persistant right now but the rest have honestly vanished but left an unsightly pinkish mark. So I can now tell that I get more spots on the lead up to my period say like a week and a half before it and half a week or so after. But it sucks because I have SUCH a long cycle.

Anyway hope you guys are having a really greeaaat summer!

x

Hey everyone!! I hope you don't mind if I hijack this thread... You all seem so nice and helpful!

I've been on spiro 50mg twice a day for almost 5 weeks. I had been on Yaz/Yasmin for 10 years and had pretty ok skin (I also use aczone) but I didn't have a period from July 2012-December 2012. My hormones were "normal" and my doctor didn't seem concerned (wth!?!?) so I decided to stop bc on my own. I stopped the second week of December and had a period before New Years.

My skin started getting closed comedones in March, then in April I developed cysts. My derm gave me doxy, which took care of the cysts. However, I started getting closed comedones ALL OVER the bottom part of my face (basically where a guy would have a beard). They often become inflamed and stuck, for lack of a better word. Anywho, these last 5 weeks have been a roller coaster. My skin looked much better last week, but this week I'm shocked at all of the comedones on my cheeks. It looks like my skin is just flesh colored bumps! There's also hyper pigmentation everywhere.. (Although with my olive skin, everything leaves red marks anyway).

I'm getting married in September and I'm so scared that my face won't look normal again by then. I don't want to add anything else because I'm afraid of delaying results due to an IB or even more purging. Those of you that suffer(ed) from comedones, did yours get worse at first with spiro? How long did they take to clear up? Thank you so much for this thread!!!

the same thing happened to me and it got really bad at first with spiro. after 2 months i was put on keflex which stopped my cysts and then i added proactiv glycolic acid toner to my regimen and it works really well at clearing out my pores. i think you need to add in either glycolic or salicylic acid or either retin-a or something like that to clear those out. what else do you use in your regimen?

dont worry about the hyperpigmenation if it doesnt go away in a few months you can get a couple IPL's once you are clear to get rid of those.

Thank you Tracy! My regimen is as follows:

AM and PM

-wash with neutragena naturals pore cleanser with willowbark

-aczone

-oil free cucumber moisturizer with salicylic acid

-spiro and doxy with food

I have found over the years that with my giant pores and oily skin, mild exfoliating everyday is a must. If I use anything else to wash my face (cerave, cetaphil, OTC acne products, just water) I end up with clogged pores everywhere. The neutragena naturals is great because it exfoliates just enough but leaves my skin feeling and looking soft and pretty.

I went to another derm in February 2012 because I didn't like my clogged pores and she gave me the aczone and atralin. That's what had my face looking pretty good until this started a couple of months ago. I've put atralin on a couple of times in the last week to try to help pull everything out. So your comedones are better now? That's awesome!! How long did that take? I'm an acupuncturist so I hate to be on all these meds but natural methods did nothing for me.

your regimen looks pretty good but do you use a toner? i always thought i didnt need one until i saw an aesthetician who told me the toner does the job of getting rid of the rest of your makeup as well as any dead skin. you would be amazed at what comes off the cotton ball after washing its crazy. once i started using that glycolic acid toner things cleared up pretty quick. glycolic acid is a double bonus in that it helps the red marks too! also i used to use olay regenerist cream cleanser with those scrubby things and it worked well for a while but i think it was too harsh on my skin so now i dont exfoliate with any type of scrub or anything i just use the proactive toner with glycolic acid and that exfoliates for me. i only use it in the evening though after i wash my face because it dries out my face too much if i use it twice a day. for the morning i use thayers non-alcohol witch hazel toner. i love that stuff its so gentle and doesnt dry out my face at all. i tried aczone a while ago and it did nothing for my skin so i went back to my benzaclin. its the only thing that works but i dont use it as much now as i used to since i use that toner.

i hear ya i dont like using chemicals myself but nothing else works unfortunately it sucks! i tried it all too with the diet and then i stopped drinking caffeine and alcohol and switched to all natural products and upped my exercise and tried tons of vitamins but none of that crap worked. you are really pretty by the way! just a note your face will get better the longer you take the spiro. even with the keflex my face wasnt totally clear till at least 3-4 months in so just be patient with it. i almost quit the spiro many times and went on accutane but i forced myself to wait it out.

I actually have some proactiv toner so I gave it a try tonight. I've always been a fan of the white towel test- if I don't see any makeup on my white towel after drying my face, I know my face wash worked (or so I thought). Tonight, I used the toner after drying... OH.MY.GOD. There was brown stuff all over the cotton ball! And mainly from my jawline, where my problem is. I shiver to think I've been leaving that on my face every day/night. Thank you so much for the tip!! I'm going to start using it nightly and see if that makes a difference. I'm developing neuropathy from the doxy so I cut my dose down to once a day. Fingers crossed I don't end up covered in cysts!

I actually have some proactiv toner so I gave it a try tonight. I've always been a fan of the white towel test- if I don't see any makeup on my white towel after drying my face, I know my face wash worked (or so I thought). Tonight, I used the toner after drying... OH.MY.GOD. There was brown stuff all over the cotton ball! And mainly from my jawline, where my problem is. I shiver to think I've been leaving that on my face every day/night. Thank you so much for the tip!! I'm going to start using it nightly and see if that makes a difference. I'm developing neuropathy from the doxy so I cut my dose down to once a day. Fingers crossed I don't end up covered in cysts!

you are very welcome and you know i always thought the same exact thing with the towel until i started using the toner and then when i saw what was left behind on the cotton ball i couldnt believe it. i didnt realize that all these years my face wasnt really getting clean ya know? what i do after i use the proactiv toner is i rinse my face with water because sometimes it can be too drying so if you notice that you can always do that. i think its the glycolic acid in there that can do that but i try to let it sit on my skin at least for a few minutes before rinsing! dont worry you should be ok with the doxy once a day. keep me updated on the progress of your skin!!

hey pinkpugsy i had a similar experience to u. have you tried retin A??? thats what the doctor gave me and although i was hugely skeptical at first (i wanted antibiotics) i am so freaking glad. it brings down large zits within one or two days into a tiny scab. u do purge but its worth it for me.

So glad you have this log as I just started spiro . I am 34 and have had severe oily skin and acne since I was 13. I have been on accutane 3 times and every time it worked and a few months later it all comes back the severely clogged skin and oily skin. I don't get a ton of actual pimples they all stay under neath the skin so I have severely clogged pores and discoloration all over my skin. My derm gave me minocyline to prevent initial break out and he told me it takes up to 6 months to work. He kept calling this the magic bullet that works, but I don't know how many times I have been told that by a derm about retina and accutane. I keep getting retina prescribed by every derm I see after telling them it has never worked for me. Any one have suggestions of how to apply maybe I am not applying it right as too much and too frequent possibly? I am scared to try the retina again because all it did was make me red and cause break outs and I gave it try each time for at least 6 months. I feel like at 34 I should be worried about wrinkles and not acne and severely oily skin! At first I kinda gave up and felt like I had to accept my skin. However, it does get me down and decided to see a derm as I have moved to another state thinking maybe they could help. i don't expect perfection, but seeing how clear I was on accutane its frustrating to know my skin can get clear and not oily. False hope for 6 months each time I was on it. I am curious to keep reading your log to see your progress.

Also forgot to mention since staring spire and minocycline I have lost my apetite completely and find it hard to eat as I have to force myself to eat due to the mincocyline its a mandotory to eat right before or it causes vomitting and nausea. I don't know if its the spiro or the minocycline thats causing my lack of appetite.

Kelsey, I saw my derm a week and a half ago and he started me on Differin to help with the clogged pores. Since I hadn't had any big zits and was having a reaction to the doxy, he had me stop it. It's been 11 days or so and I have five giant zits on my cheeks (near sideburns). However, the rest of my face is looking pretty darn good. I thought I was done with these cysts/pseudo cysts/giant bumps!! I figure it is part of going off the doxy and part of the purging from the Differin.... Unfortunately, I am a notorious picker. These are like a clog right under the surface and I'm having trouble not going at them, which of course makes them purple. Ugh. I'm going to give it another week and if I keep getting more big ones I'm going to ask to go back on a lower dose of the doxy.

Ninergirl, I've had the same change with appetite and I'm just on spiro. Most of the time I forget to eat but I'm always thirsty (I drink tons of water). I also have cravings for protein... I ate very little animal product before and now I crave eggs and fish. And Mexican. But I'm usually not hungry enough to eat much of it

Thanks pinkpugsy . Nice to know its probably the spiro . I wonder if that means that my hormones were really out of balance. Any way I really hope it works. I have only been on it a week and am actually surprised I would get any effects like loss of appetite so quickly when the derm told me I won't see improvements until around 6 months.

Thanks pinkpugsy . Nice to know its probably the spiro . I wonder if that means that my hormones were really out of balance. Any way I really hope it works. I have only been on it a week and am actually surprised I would get any effects like loss of appetite so quickly when the derm told me I won't see improvements until around 6 months.

It seems like there is a lot of disagreement among derms about spiro. Mine told me I should see good results within 3 months. He wanted me to watch out for side effects within the first couple of weeks (dizziness, LBP, etc.), so it didn't surprise me when I noticed the thirst right away. The appetite changes only really came for me big time around week 4, though. On a positive note, they had to take in the waist of my wedding dress! haha

So glad you have this log as I just started spiro . I am 34 and have had severe oily skin and acne since I was 13. I have been on accutane 3 times and every time it worked and a few months later it all comes back the severely clogged skin and oily skin. I don't get a ton of actual pimples they all stay under neath the skin so I have severely clogged pores and discoloration all over my skin. My derm gave me minocyline to prevent initial break out and he told me it takes up to 6 months to work. He kept calling this the magic bullet that works, but I don't know how many times I have been told that by a derm about retina and accutane. I keep getting retina prescribed by every derm I see after telling them it has never worked for me. Any one have suggestions of how to apply maybe I am not applying it right as too much and too frequent possibly? I am scared to try the retina again because all it did was make me red and cause break outs and I gave it try each time for at least 6 months. I feel like at 34 I should be worried about wrinkles and not acne and severely oily skin! At first I kinda gave up and felt like I had to accept my skin. However, it does get me down and decided to see a derm as I have moved to another state thinking maybe they could help. i don't expect perfection, but seeing how clear I was on accutane its frustrating to know my skin can get clear and not oily. False hope for 6 months each time I was on it. I am curious to keep reading your log to see your progress.

 

Also forgot to mention since staring spire and minocycline I have lost my apetite completely and find it hard to eat as I have to force myself to eat due to the mincocyline its a mandotory to eat right before or it causes vomitting and nausea. I don't know if its the spiro or the minocycline thats causing my lack of appetite.

Ninergirl, have you experienced any long-term side effects from your three courses on Roaccutane? I've only been on it once, and my skin was clear for a couple of years afterwards. I only had one or two spots every now and then, which was nothing. Anyway, now it's all coming back because I came off BCP six months ago. I've tried antibiotics and creams in the past few months, but I've had to stop the antibiotics because they were causing digestive issues and nausea. Anyway, I'm just contemplating whether I should go for another course of Roaccutane (which may just get rid of my spots completely), or going for Spiro, as my issue may be hormonal. I would go for the Roaccutane as it's short-lived and I wouldn't have to be on medication for a long time, but I'm worried that it will harm my joints. I had painful joints during my first course, but this may have been caused by not drinking enough water. I am reading horrid stories all over the net about people developing arthritis after taking several courses of Roaccutane.

Hey Bluemoon,

No I have not experienced any long term side effects. I would say the only difficulty I had is the 2nd and third time I took accutane I was clear by the second month and I had a hard time when my dose was upped. I felt extremely tired like I was on tylenol pm and I love working out and I had really bad joint pain, but it all went away each time I was off of accutane. Arthritis runs in my family. I had knee surgery at 16 and was told I would have arthritis. I recently went to see my dr about it since my knees and fingers were hurting, but I have been working out alot more and harder. She said I was totally fine and almost everyone gets some for arthritis with age and did not think accutane would have anything to do with it if anything my genes and my knee surgery. I think everybody has a different reaction, but I can definitely say I have had no long term side effects. I just started spiro and Minocycline and hoping they work especially the spiro, but have noticed no changes other than having no appetite, but I know it will take a while for it to work. I always thought it was more hormonal, but all my derms disagreed. I don't have any complaints from accutane other than it being a tease and disappointing since I was so clear and oil free, but it never lasted and once I stopped taking it my skin went right back to how it was.

Blue moon forgot to mention ...Let me know what you end up deciding. Maybe you can ask your derm which is better

Update.. it's been about 11 1/2 weeks on Spiro (50mg twice a day) and 5 1/2 weeks on Differin at night. I'm kind of scared to say this BUT MY FACE IS CLEAR! No little bumps, no cysts, nothing. It's been 5 or so days since I had a pimple, and even that was very small and came to a head in 24 hours. I still have red marks, but they aren't noticeable with just a little bit of foundation. I'm not even wearing concealer.

Side effects: HORRIBLE breakout right at Day 21 of Differin. Lots of large, deep pustules on both cheeks and jawline. Lasted about 9 days, then I cleared up completely. Slightly dry skin (better than being an oil slick like I was before). Still no appetite from the Spiro- I have to be careful and remember to eat if I'm alone. If I don't eat and stay hydrated, I can tell my blood pressure drops and I feel sick.

I wanted to quit so many times but promised my derm I'd see out 3 months on Spiro and 8 weeks on Differin. I'm so glad I did! I know I may still have some ups and downs, but my face has not looked this good since I developed bad acne this spring. Fingers crossed it looks this good for the wedding in 34 days!

Hey Bluemoon,

No I have not experienced any long term side effects. I would say the only difficulty I had is the 2nd and third time I took accutane I was clear by the second month and I had a hard time when my dose was upped. I felt extremely tired like I was on tylenol pm and I love working out and I had really bad joint pain, but it all went away each time I was off of accutane. Arthritis runs in my family. I had knee surgery at 16 and was told I would have arthritis. I recently went to see my dr about it since my knees and fingers were hurting, but I have been working out alot more and harder. She said I was totally fine and almost everyone gets some for arthritis with age and did not think accutane would have anything to do with it if anything my genes and my knee surgery. I think everybody has a different reaction, but I can definitely say I have had no long term side effects. I just started spiro and Minocycline and hoping they work especially the spiro, but have noticed no changes other than having no appetite, but I know it will take a while for it to work. I always thought it was more hormonal, but all my derms disagreed. I don't have any complaints from accutane other than it being a tease and disappointing since I was so clear and oil free, but it never lasted and once I stopped taking it my skin went right back to how it was.

 

Blue moon forgot to mention ...Let me know what you end up deciding. Maybe you can ask your derm which is better

Hey, thanks for your reply! I hadn't noticed until I checked back at this thread.

I agree, it can be a real tease, as it doesn't feel fair gaining temporary clear skin and then experiencing acne again. Were you on Accutane before you turned 16? I've only been on it once and it hurt my joints so much, especially my back. I'm so desperate for a cure but I'm awaiting blood test results to rule out any possible underlying causes for my acne. I must admit, I'm more tempted to take Accutane again rather than a longterm treatment like Spiro, as I'd rather just be done with acne...But that's quite a lot to wish for! I need to be very patient before I take the leap though, as Accutane won't be successful again if there's an underlying issue. I heard that not drinking enough water whilst on Accutane is what causes the painful joints, and I made that mistake. Perhaps if I keep really hydrated during a second course I won't have the same problem. I did suffer from a lot of digestive issues for a couple of years after it too, which is also why I'm having a hard time trying to come to a decision, as I can't go through that again. The fact that Isotretonoin works on cell-division in the digestive tract as well as the skin, really makes this decision a tough one. I haven't been to see a derm yet, and apparently the waiting list here can take longer than three months!

hey skindeepstory, thanks for sharing about the spiro. i am so glad you are having such good success with it. your skin looks really good - so nice and clear!! question for you regarding the melasma what is the treatment that you are getting for it? i have had a microlaser peel and 2 ipl's on the area but it does nothing for the melasma patch on my cheek. i was thinking of trying v-beam but wasnt sure if it would work.