24/f. Since early adulthood I've suffered from the kind of acne which is just a couple of spots on my chin around the time of the month which go once I've finished menstruating, and occasionally I would suffer some random spontaneous breakout which would last a few months and then go. I've been suffering from mild acne consistently for about a year now, which is the longest I've ever had it for any length of time, but I kind of think that I gave it to myself: I picked my spots (spots that were barely there), I used drying products not even meant for your face and I coated my face in makeup and some nights didn't really take it off properly. However, my mum is convinced that genetics are to blame, as she suffered from severe cystic acne until she started having kids.
Anyway, my problem was mostly blocked pores on my cheeks, and my skin had a very rough bumpy texture, so my doctor prescribed me Epiduo. However, he didn't really tell me anything about it or even how to use it. His exact words were, "There's this new stuff. Do you want it?" He told me to use it for 4-6 weeks. It's been 3 and a half weeks now and it's been hell.
Days 1-2
Nothing. No change.
Day 3
The worst pain my face has ever experienced. It looked like I'd been sunbathing... on the sun. By the morning it had calmed down a lot, but still stung a bit.
Days 4-10
Some stinging and itching and a lot of peeling. Some spots came to a head and some disappeared. My skin had a much nicer texture and most of the little bumps on my cheeks and jaw were gone.
Days 11-14
I started to think that it was working. I got a couple of new cysts on my cheeks, but I was experiencing a lot of peeling and flaking, even using a moisturiser in the morning (Simple light hydrating moisturiser).
Days 15-18 (today)
A sudden outbreak of cystic acne. I got incredibly frustrated this morning and ended up popping a cyst which had a yellow head on top, but for some reason it didn't want to pop properly and I ended up with blood everywhere. I'm convinced I've spread it. I have a giant splattering of cysts on my right cheek, although my left cheek is mostly old marks and dry skin, and my skin is red and raw and peeling like crazy. I'm meant to be going out for my sister's birthday this evening but I don't feel like I can face (haha) the world.
I have no idea where to go from here. My mum says it looks like it's working because it got rid of all the tiny bumps, but my boyfriend thinks it's made it worse and I didn't even need an acne cream to begin with.
I probably used too much of it to begin with, but now I'm only using a tiny amount and if anything it's getting worse. I have no idea whether to continue with it or give up. A few years ago I used Duac, which wasn't amazing, but managed to get my acne under enough control that eventually it went away on its own. So I'm tempted to go back to that.
I used epiduo back in March and I went through the same thing as you...except my breakout lasted the entire 3 months I was using it 
I started breaking out REALLY bad about 2 weeks into it but I read everywhere that it's normal and just the initial break out. Well, I kept with it but was still broken out horribly in big painful cycts all over my cheeks for months 1 and 2. I also read everywhere that it can take epiduo up to 3 months/12 weeks to start noticing a difference so I kept applying it...By the time 3 months came around, I was still breaking out horribly so I just gave up on it.
That being said, I read a lot of positive reviews about epiduo and just because it didn't work for me, doesn't mean it won't work for you! I too applied it all over my face..maybe if I had just used it as a spot treatment I would have had better results. I'm not sure. But I can tell you that my face got progressively worse while taking epiduo and I didn't see any end in sight...maybe if I stuck it out another month it would have improved...who knows. Also, my skin got incredibly greasy while I was using epiduo so I was tired of that too.
I think that's the problem with these strong harsh chemicals. People tell you it gets worse before it gets better, so you have to take a gamble and either keep going in the hope that it eventually gets better, or risk damaging your skin even more. I worry that these pharmaceutical companies are just desperate to push anything on us. Honestly, the best my skin has ever been (as an adult) is when I splashed it with water once a day and used gentle makeup remover wipes in the evenings.
I agree 100%! I stuck it out for the full 12 weeks because everything I read said it gets worse before it gets better, which it never did for me. It's so frustrating.....I felt like a slave to the epiduo too, I would get anxiety over spending a night out and not being able to put it on/missing a night..waking up every morning and going straight to the mirror to see if there were any changes, it was a relief to stop it.
I am sorry that things are not going as you had hoped. I have not used this product, but I am using Differin. Epiduo is basically Differin (a Retinoid) with BP added in. It is unfortunate that your Doctor didn't give you better direction and advice on what to expect. The Retinoid component (that is also in Differin) can cause an initial breakout period and My Dr. advice was to use it for a full 3 months for the full benefit. Once the initial breakout period is over, you should see some stead improvement. If after 3 months nothing has changed then I would seek an alternative. But this is longer term treatment and doesn't work quickly. I am in my 5 week and am finally really seeing improvement I have not had a new breakout in over a week so I am feeling optimistic 
I am also taking an antibiotic, which I think is helping, so perhaps you might want to add something else to your treatment until th epiduo has a chance to work? I would suggest hanging in there if you can!