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Ive had like five people in the last week ask what happened to my skin. Its like they dont know what pimples are because they give me this blank stare. Either they dont know its acne or they are incredibly shocked I have acne. I know they are just concerned but seriously its none of their business and I am already suffering. Its not my fault I have this horrible skin disease. Two of my uncles had severe acne and to this day have scarring because of it. One of my uncles is in his early fifties now and the other is in his late fifties. I just wish people knew how what they say affects me ( I knwo they dont mean any harm in it but they are so oblivious) I dont like feeling uneasy. I dont want to fucking talk about it at work and I dont like people scanning my face. That is so humiliating!
I hate when people are insensitve about things like this. I get so mad at people who think "well if you just wash your face then you wouldn't have that problem." It starts early in middle school, or sometimes even elementary school, kids teasing other kids. But then you see the kids with their parents and the parents do it!!
I remember when I first started breaking out, my nephew who was probably 6 or 7 at the time called me "pizza face." I locked myself in my room and cried all night. My sister sat him down and explained everything to him, and from then on, even when my face was horrible he would tell me "you look beautiful today."
Molly, as weird as it seems if you address the acne with your coworkers head-on, then you may not get any of the insensitive comments anymore. I would gather your coworkers together and tell them straight up that you have a disease, you are seeing a dermatologist to figure out a treatment, and the comments really hurt you (you could do this individually, but you'd only have to say it once if you are able to gather them all together). Tell them you are really sensitive about the issue and you hope they can appreciate that and not bring it up anymore. There's not much you can do about random people on the street. Stare back at them bug-eyed. Stick your tongue out at them. Most of all--Tell yourself, they are looking at me because I am HOT 
How is your face today?
I hate when people are insensitve about things like this. I get so mad at people who think "well if you just wash your face then you wouldn't have that problem." It starts early in middle school, or sometimes even elementary school, kids teasing other kids. But then you see the kids with their parents and the parents do it!!I remember when I first started breaking out, my nephew who was probably 6 or 7 at the time called me "pizza face." I locked myself in my room and cried all night. My sister sat him down and explained everything to him, and from then on, even when my face was horrible he would tell me "you look beautiful today."
Molly, as weird as it seems if you address the acne with your coworkers head-on, then you may not get any of the insensitive comments anymore. I would gather your coworkers together and tell them straight up that you have a disease, you are seeing a dermatologist to figure out a treatment, and the comments really hurt you (you could do this individually, but you'd only have to say it once if you are able to gather them all together). Tell them you are really sensitive about the issue and you hope they can appreciate that and not bring it up anymore. There's not much you can do about random people on the street. Stare back at them bug-eyed. Stick your tongue out at them. Most of all--Tell yourself, they are looking at me because I am HOT 🙂
How is your face today?
Yes, people mimick their parents. I wish teachers actually stood up for the kids who are being teased. They just sit there and watch it and the kids get away with it. Thats what happened to me in school when I was teased about stuff.
Your nephew said that to you! OMG I cannot believe he would say that to you 😯 I wouldve slapped him
Unfortunately, its not just my co workers who say it. Its patients and patients relatives too. I dont exactly know what to say to them so that they NEVER ever bring it up again. I mean the only person we can control is ourselves. Maybe I could say, "You know what, I have had this skin disease for twelve years and Ive been seeing a derm. I am already upset I have acne. It is not your business and this is not to be a topic of discussion ever again"
My face is slowly improving. I have only been washing my face with my cleanser at night. My face feels less dry. It still itches but not as horrible as before.Some of my zits are drying up! I still have aweful redmarks though. I just took another picture. Its first thing in the morning. I just got out of bed lol I will post the pic here in a minute
Edit: this pic I will pm you
I am stressed which is probably part of what is making my acne worse. Im thinking of asking my dr if I can taper off Celexa. I hate it! I never go to sleep when I say I will, I am a total insomniac, I cannot lose weight because I am ALWAYS hungry! I think this medicine is making it so my Wellbutrin xl isnt working as affectively. I dont see why I need two anitdepressants. I really want to go to bed because I am physically ill, but my brain just refuses to let me go to bed. I have never had a sleeping problem until I started this stupid medication four years ago.
Hi Molly! 
I signed on and went straight to your log to check on your progress young lady!!! I knew you would be on day 3 or 4 of your new regimen and was thinking you might be noticing some changes by now because sulfur is pretty quick to do its thing. I see it's good news that your existing blemishes are beginning to dry up. Since you said your skin was feeling dry, I'm sure it's the sulfur doing its job.
I would definitely talk to your doctor about the fact you can't sleep well. If you noticed it when you began the Celexa, it might be that, or a combination of the drugs you're taking. Will you be seeing him soon enough so you can discuss this possibility? You really need your rest and that's also contributing to your stress. One can't handle things the best of their ability when they are functioning on no sleep - that's a proven fact! The stress is then probably adding to your breakouts. Remember, you just got off Spiro, so I'm sure there's that whole hormonal issue playing into the equation. So you're doing the right thing by seeking advice from your doctor and using the products your derm gave you. Just try as best you can to relax because figuring all this out takes time... give yourself time.
Reading everyone's suggestions is just wonderful as they are giving such great ideas to try. If you're overwhelmed by all the terrific ideas, just choose one or two of the new ones and incorporate them into your daily or weekly routine. Then add and delete ideas as you either find you like them or absolutely hate them! 
While I was reading Lana's comments, she was making me hungry thinking of all those delicious smoothies. Then I got to YOUR comments and you started talking about cookies and ice cream and OMG I wanted to RAID the grocery store lol. It was kind of like watching tv at night when I'm sort of hungry, then all these FOOD commercials come on!!!
You said in one of your comments, "...I dont know if I can mix vegetables like spinish and celery with berries. That doesnt sound appetising at all..." I have to tell you that I used to totally agree with you until I actually did it one day. It was amazing that when you blend up all those vegies how deliciously fresh they taste. The reason for the berries or fruit is it sweetens up the mixture fabulously! I also have a juicer, which of course just extracts the juices from the fruits and vegies, but I enjoy that too sometimes. What I learned through experimentation and reading online recipes, is light-tasting vegies like cucumbers and celery and ones you like, they actually end up tasting really good when you add the sweetness of your favorite berries or even grapes or apples! I love juicing carrots, celery, then a small bunch of grapes for sweetness or an apple or strawberries, and cinnamon! So even though you were like me and thought no way that celery, cucumber, vegie mix would taste good with fruit..... it actually makes the vegetables taste better!
There is just no reason for people saying anything to you about your skin, and it's disheartening knowing you have to face all these people on a daily basis who have the nerve to stare and say something to you. I also agree, I would want them to know I am doing everything in my power to fix the problem as best as I can, so they understand the fact that acne is not an easy skin disease to fix by eliminating chocolate or proper washing. Education is so lacking in the area of acne because those that don't have it either don't know much about it because it never affected them, or they just continue to think old thoughts. Certainly I'm not advocating going up to everyone who stares and begin explaining your situation; but when someone brings it up to you, I would love if you could use that as your opportunity to explain in a simple manner that you're seeing a derm, and you are doing the very best you can to control this hereditary problem. Add anything else you like, but this might make them more sympathetic to your problems and back off from staring and questions. The ones who stare on the street, I seriously don't understand why people stare at anything! I remember when I was little my mom would ALWAYS talk to me about never staring because it makes people uncomfortable no matter what their problem is! That's just being plain rude!
OK I better close now lol I think I put you to sleep! Take care and continue to post. With all the posters on your log, you have your chance to think about new things to consider, vent your feelings and frustrations, and I am totally 100% confident your doctor (and us of course 
) will have your skin looking gorgeous!
ciao ciao!
Don't you have a prescription for Ativan? That can be used for calming and assisting in sleep.Thast too much. Im on Wellbutrin which is supposed to help with sleep. I just dont want this Celexa anymore. I just want one medication to help with my depression and anxiety
It is not too much. Talk to your doctor. Some things can't be fixed with just one medication.
Don't you have a prescription for Ativan? That can be used for calming and assisting in sleep.Thast too much. Im on Wellbutrin which is supposed to help with sleep. I just dont want this Celexa anymore. I just want one medication to help with my depression and anxiety
It is not too much. Talk to your doctor. Some things can't be fixed with just one medication.
Wynne antidepressants dont cure life problems. They just boost me in the right direction. I dont want to have to rely on medications the rest of my life. In my opinion, one antidepressant which works well will work for me. Wellbutrin xl is one of the best antidepressants on the market
Hi Molly! :wavey:I signed on and went straight to your log to check on your progress young lady!!! I knew you would be on day 3 or 4 of your new regimen and was thinking you might be noticing some changes by now because sulfur is pretty quick to do its thing. I see it's good news that your existing blemishes are beginning to dry up. Since you said your skin was feeling dry, I'm sure it's the sulfur doing its job.
I would definitely talk to your doctor about the fact you can't sleep well. If you noticed it when you began the Celexa, it might be that, or a combination of the drugs you're taking. Will you be seeing him soon enough so you can discuss this possibility? You really need your rest and that's also contributing to your stress. One can't handle things the best of their ability when they are functioning on no sleep - that's a proven fact! The stress is then probably adding to your breakouts. Remember, you just got off Spiro, so I'm sure there's that whole hormonal issue playing into the equation. So you're doing the right thing by seeking advice from your doctor and using the products your derm gave you. Just try as best you can to relax because figuring all this out takes time... give yourself time.
Reading everyone's suggestions is just wonderful as they are giving such great ideas to try. If you're overwhelmed by all the terrific ideas, just choose one or two of the new ones and incorporate them into your daily or weekly routine. Then add and delete ideas as you either find you like them or absolutely hate them! 👿
While I was reading Lana's comments, she was making me hungry thinking of all those delicious smoothies. Then I got to YOUR comments and you started talking about cookies and ice cream and OMG I wanted to RAID the grocery store lol. It was kind of like watching tv at night when I'm sort of hungry, then all these FOOD commercials come on!!!
You said in one of your comments, "...I dont know if I can mix vegetables like spinish and celery with berries. That doesnt sound appetising at all..." I have to tell you that I used to totally agree with you until I actually did it one day. It was amazing that when you blend up all those vegies how deliciously fresh they taste. The reason for the berries or fruit is it sweetens up the mixture fabulously! I also have a juicer, which of course just extracts the juices from the fruits and vegies, but I enjoy that too sometimes. What I learned through experimentation and reading online recipes, is light-tasting vegies like cucumbers and celery and ones you like, they actually end up tasting really good when you add the sweetness of your favorite berries or even grapes or apples! I love juicing carrots, celery, then a small bunch of grapes for sweetness or an apple or strawberries, and cinnamon! So even though you were like me and thought no way that celery, cucumber, vegie mix would taste good with fruit..... it actually makes the vegetables taste better!
There is just no reason for people saying anything to you about your skin, and it's disheartening knowing you have to face all these people on a daily basis who have the nerve to stare and say something to you. I also agree, I would want them to know I am doing everything in my power to fix the problem as best as I can, so they understand the fact that acne is not an easy skin disease to fix by eliminating chocolate or proper washing. Education is so lacking in the area of acne because those that don't have it either don't know much about it because it never affected them, or they just continue to think old thoughts. Certainly I'm not advocating going up to everyone who stares and begin explaining your situation; but when someone brings it up to you, I would love if you could use that as your opportunity to explain in a simple manner that you're seeing a derm, and you are doing the very best you can to control this hereditary problem. Add anything else you like, but this might make them more sympathetic to your problems and back off from staring and questions. The ones who stare on the street, I seriously don't understand why people stare at anything! I remember when I was little my mom would ALWAYS talk to me about never staring because it makes people uncomfortable no matter what their problem is! That's just being plain rude!
OK I better close now lol I think I put you to sleep! Take care and continue to post. With all the posters on your log, you have your chance to think about new things to consider, vent your feelings and frustrations, and I am totally 100% confident your doctor (and us of course 😆 ) will have your skin looking gorgeous!
ciao ciao!
Once again you are so sweet to me! I :wub: you!
I am glad I am off today because I have a combination of a cold, allergies, and laryngitis. If I feel this shitty tomorrow I am calling in sick. I slept well last night :clap: and I am gonna be sleeping a lot today. I am in no shape to go anywhere today.
Yeah I really dont like Celexa. I dont feel like it has really helped my depression all that much. The only thing that has helped my depression is seeing my therapist and time. Wellbutrin xl has worked wonders so far too! That medication I love! Ive been on it for almost a month and a half and its been a lot better for me than the Celexa has in an accumulation of four years. In high school I was 135 pounds pretty consistantly; that is another thing that is getting me down. My weight fluctuates all the time now. I range anywhere from 150 pounds to 157 pounds. I cannot stay steady. Even if I dont have ice cream for a week and just eat chicken salad sandwhiches from trader joes for lunch and a 24 oz bottle of water, a bunch more water throughout the day, and a very light dinner, I still cannot lose the weight. Its aweful!
lol good idea! Thats exactly what Ive been doing! I only take suggestions from the org that make sense to me. Thats about two or three suggestions 😆
Did I really make you want to raid the grocery store or you were just kidding with me?
Now that you have reassured me, I might have to try vegetable and fruit smoothies. It wont be now though because I am sick and I dont even have a blender in my studio apartment's kitchen.
I feel better about peoples comments at work. There are a few ignorant people and I am just gonna choose to ignore them. I dont owe them any sort of explanation. I am starting to accept my acne now. I just dont like the pain.
Yesterday my work friend WaWa (burmese for yellow color, she is 100% burmese) told me, "It looks like youre having an allergy and it looks painful. I have some drugstore medicine. Do you want some?" I go, "No thank you honey but thanks for your support and understanding. Im already seeing a dermatologist and I already am moisturizing my face" Another CNA heard our conversation. "Does it work?" "Oh yes! When I was younger I had pimples all over my face!" Wawa is in her early fourties. Marlita is my age. Marlitas all, "Can I have some?" Wawa is like, "Okay, I will bring some tomorrow for you!" We all started laughing!
Im glad you put me to sleep cause Im sick 😛
I know you think you're having problems with your Celexa, and maybe you are, but i was on a combination of Celexa and Wellbutrin for quite a while for my depression, anxiety, and panic attacks, and it was actually the combination of the two that worked really well. I was put on Celexa first, and it helped, but didn't do quite enough, so they added in the Wellbutrin. After about a month of the Wellbutrin, I felt amazing. I know you think it's just the Wellbutrin making you feel better, because you noticed a difference after adding it in, but it is very likely a combination of both drugs that are working for you. Wellbutrin seems to not do as much for anxiety, but works really well for depression. Celexa works well for both anxiety and depression. You may find that if you go off the Celexa, you will start feeling more depressed and anxious, because you may need both drugs.
Of course, every person is different, and different medications work for different people. I'm just speaking from my personal experience, since I've been on both of the medications that you're currently using. If you're having trouble sleeping, it is ok to take a Benadryl about an hour before you go to bed. This will help your allergies, and the medication in it will make you sleepy. You could also ask for a lower dose of the Celexa, and a higher dose of Wellbutrin if you think it's the Celexa giving you problems sleeping (I don't know what doses you're currently taking, so this may or may not be possible). I had more problems sleeping with the Wellbutrin, so I would make sure that I took it at least 8 hours before having to go to sleep.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
I know you think you're having problems with your Celexa, and maybe you are, but i was on a combination of Celexa and Wellbutrin for quite a while for my depression, anxiety, and panic attacks, and it was actually the combination of the two that worked really well. I was put on Celexa first, and it helped, but didn't do quite enough, so they added in the Wellbutrin. After about a month of the Wellbutrin, I felt amazing. I know you think it's just the Wellbutrin making you feel better, because you noticed a difference after adding it in, but it is very likely a combination of both drugs that are working for you. Wellbutrin seems to not do as much for anxiety, but works really well for depression. Celexa works well for both anxiety and depression. You may find that if you go off the Celexa, you will start feeling more depressed and anxious, because you may need both drugs.Of course, every person is different, and different medications work for different people. I'm just speaking from my personal experience, since I've been on both of the medications that you're currently using. If you're having trouble sleeping, it is ok to take a Benadryl about an hour before you go to bed. This will help your allergies, and the medication in it will make you sleepy. You could also ask for a lower dose of the Celexa, and a higher dose of Wellbutrin if you think it's the Celexa giving you problems sleeping (I don't know what doses you're currently taking, so this may or may not be possible). I had more problems sleeping with the Wellbutrin, so I would make sure that I took it at least 8 hours before having to go to sleep.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
Thank you for your feedback! My dose of Celexa is 20mgs and my dose of wellbutrin is 150mgs. Maybe you are right. Maybe I just need doseage adjustments. I will ask my dr about that.
I know you think you're having problems with your Celexa, and maybe you are, but i was on a combination of Celexa and Wellbutrin for quite a while for my depression, anxiety, and panic attacks, and it was actually the combination of the two that worked really well. I was put on Celexa first, and it helped, but didn't do quite enough, so they added in the Wellbutrin. After about a month of the Wellbutrin, I felt amazing. I know you think it's just the Wellbutrin making you feel better, because you noticed a difference after adding it in, but it is very likely a combination of both drugs that are working for you. Wellbutrin seems to not do as much for anxiety, but works really well for depression. Celexa works well for both anxiety and depression. You may find that if you go off the Celexa, you will start feeling more depressed and anxious, because you may need both drugs.Of course, every person is different, and different medications work for different people. I'm just speaking from my personal experience, since I've been on both of the medications that you're currently using. If you're having trouble sleeping, it is ok to take a Benadryl about an hour before you go to bed. This will help your allergies, and the medication in it will make you sleepy. You could also ask for a lower dose of the Celexa, and a higher dose of Wellbutrin if you think it's the Celexa giving you problems sleeping (I don't know what doses you're currently taking, so this may or may not be possible). I had more problems sleeping with the Wellbutrin, so I would make sure that I took it at least 8 hours before having to go to sleep.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
Thank you for your feedback! My dose of Celexa is 20mgs and my dose of wellbutrin is 150mgs. Maybe you are right. Maybe I just need doseage adjustments. I will ask my dr about that.
I would try that first. I don't remember what dosages I was taking anymore, but my doses were adjusted a few times so that in the end I was on a high dose of Wellbutrin, and a low dose of Celexa. I actually am thinking about going back on the Wellbutrin for my Seasonal Affective Disorder ( I'm trying to go without it this season, but for next year I think I'll definetely go back on it), but since my panic attacks and anxiety are pretty much under control due to counseling, I don't need the Celexa anymore.
Try talking to your doctor about adjusting the doses. Most doctors are very willing to work with their patients to find a combination of medications that work well. No one knows better than the patient how they are feeling and what is working, and most of the time the doctor and patiend have to experiment to find something that works well with few side effects.
Good luck! I know from personal experience that it can be frustrating finding the right combination, but once you find something that works, you will be very happy I'm sure! It took me and my doctor 2 years of experimentation before we found the right medications and the right comination of those medications that worked and gave me no side effects, so hang in there!
Did you gain wait while you were on Celexa or am I just halluccinating? Thats awesome you are able to not take Celexa now and that youre therapy is really helping you. I hope I eventually get to that point. Seasonal depression is very common in people who suffer from depression so itd be great if you could go on wellbutrin. I would recommend the extended release version.
Did you gain wait while you were on Celexa or am I just halluccinating? Thats awesome you are able to not take Celexa now and that youre therapy is really helping you. I hope I eventually get to that point. Seasonal depression is very common in people who suffer from depression so itd be great if you could go on wellbutrin. I would recommend the extended release version.
I really can't remember if I gained any weight. I don't think I did, but I'm really not sure. Weight gain and weight loss are common side effects of antidepressants, but I believe that Wellbutrin has a very low risk of weight gain compared to other antidepressants, so that could be another reason to ask your doctor about maybe making Wellbutrin your main medication, and just taking a very low dose of Celexa. Wellbutrin has a very low risk of side effects, which is why it is often combined with other meds. I don't know how bad your anxiety is, so maybe lowering your dose of Celexa isn't an option, because Celexa really is great for anxiety, but your doctor should be able to decide what your options are.
I will definetely look into the extended release version of Wellbutrin. When I was on Wellbutrin, I wasn't on the extended release, I was on the first version that came out, where you had to take it twice a day, and I had problems sleeping if I didn't take the second dose at least 8 hours before bedtime. I don't think the extended release version was available when I was taking it (this was a few years ago). I've been off of all medication for about 2 years now, but like I said, I think going back on a low dose of Wellbutrin would really help my Seasonal Affective Disorder.
I actually e-mailed my therapist about this. I am having a really hard time with the loss of seeing my one patient (you know who I mean Melanie) who had to be transferred to a different place.
Im also having trouble concentrating and have developed OCD because of severe anxiety. I also have a really difficult mother. The other day on the way to the derm we were arguing a little bit. We got along most of the time but we still argued. My mom thinks she knows EVERYTHING! First of all she told me my acne is severe now. I disagree. I think its moderate. My derm agreed with me. She also thought that moisturizer can lead to acne breakouts and she kept going on about how she never used moisturizer when she was my age. WTF mom, that was in the sixties. I was born in the mid 80s and its now 2008! I am gonna use my dads favorite expression. "My mom doesnt know her ass from a whole in the ground!"
Im glad I make you laugh. It makes me feel better and I get to make people laugh along with me. Wawa has never not been understanding with me, same with our friend Hmwe Hmwe (she is 100% chinese and was also born in Burma, one of the nicest people I have ever met in my entire life, she doesnt have a mean bone in her body and she looks like a little chinese porcelein doll). There are a lot of people from my work who are make ignorant comments about my acne but there are people who are equally nice and wouldnt dare say anything about it.
This illness whatever its called I ironically got it from a 92 year old patient Someone came to visit her and she was sick, then the visitor gave it to my patient and then the patient gave it to me.
Thank you! I hope I get better soon too lol I am not going to work tomorrow thats for sure. I do not want any of my residents to get sick and it would be impossible to talk since I have laryngitis. I dont want my laryngitis to get worse and I cannot function without talking to my residents and co workers.
Yes! I am only getting two pimples a day at the most and my old pimples are not regrowing big yellowheads; they are getting smaller! The only thing that is really bothering me now are these itchy cheeks and my focullitis, I think thats what it is. Other than that, this is fantastic and you know what else is fantastic, that Im having a wonderful conversation here with a bunch of my org family members 