I know I said that I was done posting in the rest of the forum but I wanted to say... good luck to you, brenmc! I wish you the best and I hope the combo of spiro and progesterone cream does the trick and gives you perfectly clear skin. (: I'm cheerin for ya!

<3 x

Good luck! Keep us updated on your progress. When you are 2-3 months into it, I would suggest lowering your spiro dose and checking your hormones to see if they are balanced.

The downside to creams you order online is that the progesterone gets shuffled in shipping & handling and sometimes you might get more of it and other times less depending on how it's mixed. But it's your best bet since you can't get it elsewhere without a prescription in Canada, and I think you picked a good brand!

Good luck with this. Who knows, I might have to do this at some point and I'm curious to see how it works. Yeah, derms aren't always with it about hormonal stuff.

Thanks for making this post! PLEASE report back. I too have started breaking out while on Spiro and want to give this combination a shot.

Thank you hearts! You've been a great help! If I have any important further questions can I pm you? I have a zit on my chin now, it may have turned nodule if not for the progesterone. I hope it continues to clear me and you!

I know I said that I was done posting in the rest of the forum but I wanted to say... good luck to you, brenmc! I wish you the best and I hope the combo of spiro and progesterone cream does the trick and gives you perfectly clear skin. (: I'm cheerin for ya!

<3 x

Thank you hearts! You've been a great help! If I have any important further questions can I pm you? I have a zit on my chin now, it may have turned nodule if not for the progesterone. I hope it continues to clear me and you!

I know I said that I was done posting in the rest of the forum but I wanted to say... good luck to you, brenmc! I wish you the best and I hope the combo of spiro and progesterone cream does the trick and gives you perfectly clear skin. (: I'm cheerin for ya!

x

Thanks. I do plan to adjust my spiro once I see how the progesterone is working in the long term (few months rather than weeks).

It's a total bummer I have to ship it in. Maybe I should shake the tube, if you say the progesterone may shuffle during shipping?

I've read good reviews about Emerita.

>>

Good luck! Keep us updated on your progress. When you are 2-3 months into it, I would suggest lowering your spiro dose and checking your hormones to see if they are balanced.

The downside to creams you order online is that the progesterone gets shuffled in shipping & handling and sometimes you might get more of it and other times less depending on how it's mixed. But it's your best bet since you can't get it elsewhere without a prescription in Canada, and I think you picked a good brand!

I will. I will status update weekly. But I will tell you, I have a zit on my chin that may have gone nodule if not for the new progesterone routine. The reason why I think this is because I was getting a ton of nodules not pimples on my chin a few weeks/months ago. As well, I don't have oily skin, so I don't get a ton (yes some) regular (not nodule) zits.

Thanks for making this post! PLEASE report back. I too have started breaking out while on Spiro and want to give this combination a shot.

There are no good derms in my town. Seriously. The only other is strictly cosmetic (laser procedures, botox, etc).

Good luck with this. Who knows, I might have to do this at some point and I'm curious to see how it works. Yeah, derms aren't always with it about hormonal stuff.

You're Canadian? It seems to be the way of the medical system here nowadays. It's a long wait (3-4 months on average to see a derm where I live) unless it's cosmetic related, you're probably in the door much sooner because that's not covered by medical services. It seems to be more about the $$ these days as opposed to a person's health. It's not just derms but the whole medical profession it seems. Good luck with this and do what feels right for you.

How are you getting on with the cream? If you shake the tube, there's no way of knowing which way the progesterone shuffled to. Once it's shaken a few times, there's no way of knowing how much progesterone will end up in each serving. You'll have to stick to the same dose and hope that you are getting a more or less even allotment of progesterone each time. But like I said, sometimes I felt it more and got more sleepy as I was applying it, other times nothing.

So.... I may have spoke too soon or it may just be a one off breakout, but I recently got another (smallish) nodule. Granted, I've had a very stressful week with midterms, being sick, life. I'm hoping once this one has resolved, I won't get anymore (fingers crossed).

The NPC does seem to be lessening the frequency of my breakouts (this new nodule is the first in a few weeks). The NPC also lessened my, typically hellish, period cramps and I'm sleeping better.

Anyone have an experience/estimate about how long it took them to get completely clear on natural progesterone cream?

talenaabrams, why do you think spiro has stopped working for you? What are you trying?

Thanks for making this post! PLEASE report back. I too have started breaking out while on Spiro and want to give this combination a shot.

I think you should be patient...it hasn't been that long since you started using the NPC and it usually takes a while for your hormones to be regulated. My theory is that it might be possible that spiro lowered your androgens to the point that it set your estrogen: progesterone: androgen ratio off balance. Maybe you don't need an anti-androgen anymore? I think the NPC should be able to help your hormones get balanced, but you may need to add something extra later on like hearts did. Her method targeted mostly progesterone and estrogen, and it seems that androgens got balanced as a result as well, but her treatment wasn't specifically targeting androgens, like spiro does. Sometimes androgens balance themselves out when all other hormones are in the proper ratio.

I think you should be patient...it hasn't been that long since you started using the NPC and it usually takes a while for your hormones to be regulated. My theory is that it might be possible that spiro lowered your androgens to the point that it set your estrogen: progesterone: androgen ratio off balance. Maybe you don't need an anti-androgen anymore? I think the NPC should be able to help your hormones get balanced, but you may need to add something extra later on like hearts did. Her method targeted mostly progesterone and estrogen, and it seems that androgens got balanced as a result as well, but her treatment wasn't specifically targeting androgens, like spiro does. Sometimes androgens balance themselves out when all other hormones are in the proper ratio.

I would consider this advice seriously.

Remember that natural progesterone is a regulating hormone. It naturally regulates both estrogens and androgens. You may not need the spiro with the right dose of progesterone.

Thanks WishClean and GreenGables. I think I still need spiro for now because I have some of the problems associated with excess androgens, like those stray facial hairs (that I haven't had until recently). Spiro was controlling my acne and other issues associated with excess androgens very well until recently, which is why I started the progesterone cream. I know everyone says you have to be patient with hormonal treatments, I do agree to a point (no point taking something that's showing no sign of helping). But for me, spiro started working in two-three weeks and I was hoping/thinking NPC might work the same. This being said, if the NPC does eventually clear me completely, I will of course wean off of spiro.

Can either of you think of any reason the spiro or glucosmart could be a barrier to clear skin after working well for years? I know WishClean has done a lot of research on inositol (glucosmart) and GreenGables has done a lot of research on spiro.

 

 

 

 

I think you should be patient...it hasn't been that long since you started using the NPC and it usually takes a while for your hormones to be regulated. My theory is that it might be possible that spiro lowered your androgens to the point that it set your estrogen: progesterone: androgen ratio off balance. Maybe you don't need an anti-androgen anymore? I think the NPC should be able to help your hormones get balanced, but you may need to add something extra later on like hearts did. Her method targeted mostly progesterone and estrogen, and it seems that androgens got balanced as a result as well, but her treatment wasn't specifically targeting androgens, like spiro does. Sometimes androgens balance themselves out when all other hormones are in the proper ratio.

I would consider this advice seriously.

Remember that natural progesterone is a regulating hormone. It naturally regulates both estrogens and androgens. You may not need the spiro with the right dose of progesterone.

Have you tested your hormones lately? Greengables knows more about spironolactone because she's taking it, but from what I read it's supposed to work long term....I have read some posts of people breaking out after 2-3 years of taking it though. Maybe your hormonal imbalance changed now, and you need to either adjust your dosage (based on your androgen levels - either lower it or increase it) or replace spiro with an estrogen/progesterone regulator. Progesterone is the hormone regulator, but some people need an extra supplement like DIM to fully address their imbalance. Hormones can be unpredictable and stubborn.

Right now it's just guesswork unfortunately. The only way to know why you are breaking out would be to get a hormonal panel to at least set you in the right direction. But since you mentioned that your breakouts have decreased recently, then maybe it means that the cream is helping. Usually it takes at least 2-3 months for it to really kick in though.

About inositol, all the research I have done only states its short-term effects...it's supposed to work relatively quickly, but unfortunately it is not given enough merit as a supplement so doctors don't bother studying its effects long term. It's considered safe though because it's technically a vitamin, plus it's water flushable so there is no risk of toxicity. Inositol regulates ovulation and boosts progesterone, but I don't think it's likely that your progesterone is too high unless you had high progesterone to begin with, which seems rare. The other thing inositol does, to a small extent, is boost estradiol. So it is slightly estrogenic, but the high boost in progesterone should be able to regulate estrogen as well. Of course, this is the theory...how each person's body individually reacts to hormonal treatments is another story. I may need to do more research and see if anyone has combined chiro-inositol with spiro...I only came across people who took chiro with vitex or other fertility treatments, and sometimes metformin.

Thanks. Interesting about the estrogen effect of inositol. I know I've read it on here before but how does estrogen contribute to acne, again?

I wish I could do hormone testing but, unless I move, it doesn't seem possible. It's hard enough finding a doctor where I live, let alone one informed on hormones/acne/women's issues.

I hope the progesterone cream continues to improve things, but even one nodule sucks because it takes forever to go away (even with cortisone shots) and leaves bad scars.

Have you tested your hormones lately? Greengables knows more about spironolactone because she's taking it, but from what I read it's supposed to work long term....I have read some posts of people breaking out after 2-3 years of taking it though. Maybe your hormonal imbalance changed now, and you need to either adjust your dosage (based on your androgen levels - either lower it or increase it) or replace spiro with an estrogen/progesterone regulator. Progesterone is the hormone regulator, but some people need an extra supplement like DIM to fully address their imbalance. Hormones can be unpredictable and stubborn.

Right now it's just guesswork unfortunately. The only way to know why you are breaking out would be to get a hormonal panel to at least set you in the right direction. But since you mentioned that your breakouts have decreased recently, then maybe it means that the cream is helping. Usually it takes at least 2-3 months for it to really kick in though.

About inositol, all the research I have done only states its short-term effects...it's supposed to work relatively quickly, but unfortunately it is not given enough merit as a supplement so doctors don't bother studying its effects long term. It's considered safe though because it's technically a vitamin, plus it's water flushable so there is no risk of toxicity. Inositol regulates ovulation and boosts progesterone, but I don't think it's likely that your progesterone is too high unless you had high progesterone to begin with, which seems rare. The other thing inositol does, to a small extent, is boost estradiol. So it is slightly estrogenic, but the high boost in progesterone should be able to regulate estrogen as well. Of course, this is the theory...how each person's body individually reacts to hormonal treatments is another story. I may need to do more research and see if anyone has combined chiro-inositol with spiro...I only came across people who took chiro with vitex or other fertility treatments, and sometimes metformin.

I agree with WishClean and Green Gables it hasn't been long enough. Even if spiro only took a few weeks for you, progesterone cream is something totally different. For me it took 3-4 months, and I've heard for some it can take even longer. It took 6 months on spiro for me to clear, so that tells you that everyone reacts differently to hormonal treatments.

Argh! I know, it's so hard to be patient . So hearts, you stopped getting nodules 3-4 months in?

I agree with WishClean and Green Gables ” it hasn't been long enough. Even if spiro only took a few weeks for you, progesterone cream is something totally different. For me it took 3-4 months, and I've heard for some it can take even longer. It took 6 months on spiro for me to clear, so that tells you that everyone reacts differently to hormonal treatments.

To anyone who is following my progress on natural progesterone cream, I apologize for the delayed update.

I still have the nodule that I got last week, despite getting it injected with cortisone. Its pretty much making the whole left side of my chin sore and red. I also have a handful of standard pimples that I never really comment on because pimples come and go quickly but cystic and nodular acne are painful and scarring. However, since last weeks nodule, no more have sprung upwhich is great (knock on wood).

Another funny thing, pretty much from the first night I started NPC my sleep improved dramatically, until the last three nights. Over the last few nights, I wake up in the middle of the night and before my alarm goes off. No significant changes in diet or stress to explain this, so Ill keep you all posted if this continues or improves.

I also have had a bit of spotting between periods, which is annoying. But my (once very painful) cramps have reduced dramatically.

A little bit about my dose, I am taking 40mg in the morning and 40mg at night. But I am also using, Id estimate, an additional 10mg; this is because I am rubbing NPC on my face and especially on my nodule in an effort to reduce swelling. Its difficult to say if applying NPC has reduced swelling in this nodule because they can range wildly in size.

Has anyone else started NPC?

Be careful with cortisone shots. Cortisone can thin skin tissue. I'm glad you haven't had more nodules...those take so long to go away.

Spotting is normal when you start a hormonal treatment.

Are you still taking glucosmart? I forgot to mention that inositol doesn't work well with caffeine, so when you take it try not to have caffeine before or after because then it doesn't get absorbed well.

Thanks WishClean,

I am still taking the glucosmart and I will keep that in mind about caffeine.

I definitely don't enjoy the cortisone shots, I only get them if necessary (especially painful or large).

Thanks for the tips.

Be careful with cortisone shots. Cortisone can thin skin tissue. I'm glad you haven't had more nodules...those take so long to go away.

Spotting is normal when you start a hormonal treatment.

Are you still taking glucosmart? I forgot to mention that inositol doesn't work well with caffeine, so when you take it try not to have caffeine before or after because then it doesn't get absorbed well.

I got another nodule yesterday, feeling pretty discouraged. I know it takes time for hormonal treatments to work, but I just wish I knew this was going to work, so I could feel confident in sticking with it.

Hearts, were you still getting new breakouts into your treatment with NPC or was it just a gradual subsiding of your old breakouts? Should I increase/decrease my dose perhaps?

Hi brenmc,

I just started using a natural progesterone cream about a week ago prescribed by a naturopath. I got hormone test done and it showed I have estrogen dominance and low progesterone. I used to only have a few pimples about 10 days or so before my period but then I tried a bunch of things to try to fix that, including a birth control pill, and I ended up making everything worse - should have gone to the naturopath and gotten the hormone test first. I didn't have insurance at the time and paid $150 for the hormone test plus about $300 for the naturopath but it's worth it considering all the money I've wasted trying to fix my skin without knowing the root cause (antibiotics, bcp, super expensive cleansers, you name it), so I'd highly recommend you see a naturopath or endocrinologist and get a hormone test. You can also order saliva hormone test kits online so you only have to pay for the test and not a doctor's visit, but it may be difficult for you to interpret the results on your own. Anyway, I thought I was supposed to put the npc on where the skin is thin, but I've read I'm actually supposed to be applying it where there are fat deposits, so I haven't been using it correctly. So far, I haven't seen a difference, but I think it's way too early to tell combined with my not using it properly. However, my skin has started to improve since I started to take Estroblock and Chromium (also prescribed by the naturopath - the Estroblock to metabolize excess estrogen and the Chromium to balance my blood sugar levels) I also take a women's multi-vitamin and Liv-tox to support the metabolic processes induced by the Estroblock. I've also found that the Mario Badescu acne-prone skin products help, especially the drying lotion and the acne serum. I only started all of this about a month ago, so it will take some time for me to see results. I'll keep you and the others interested in this topic posted. I am 27 and can't believe I have to deal with Acne!! I hope my experience can help other women suffering from hormonal acne. In addition, today I went to a spa and got a salicylic acid peel and microdermabrasion treatment to speed up the scar healing process. My treatment was super gentle, my face is kind of splotchy now, but I've read that you don't see results until after the skin peels. We'll see.

I got another nodule yesterday, feeling pretty discouraged. I know it takes time for hormonal treatments to work, but I just wish I knew this was going to work, so I could feel confident in sticking with it.

Hearts, were you still getting new breakouts into your treatment with NPC or was it just a gradual subsiding of your old breakouts? Should I increase/decrease my dose perhaps

Sorry to hear that. I don't think you need to increase your dosage. I did a lot of research on NPC when I was using it, and it doesn't deliver results right away so patience is key. Unfortunately, I know it's hard to tell if it's even right for you at this point, but it does take a while for it to fully kick in so I would say give it at least 3 months. Your breakouts won't completely disappear at first, they will start to subside. Also, hearts said that NPC didn't completely stop her from breaking out, that's why she added DIM. So you may need to add something else 3 months or so into it.

I think that you could try adding myo-inositol powder until NPC fully kicks in. I saw faster improvement on it than I did back when I was taking bcp. It boosts your progesterone, so maybe you can try it in conjunction with NPC until the cream begins to fully work. Just a suggestion.

Thanks WishClean, I truly value your input.

I still have been taking my chiro-inositol, since it's so expensive, I'm trying to use that up before buying myo-inositol. But do you think I should get myo- for sure next time (do you think it will work more effectively for acne or perhaps give a boost to my current treatment)?

Still trying to be patient but it's hard not to feel discouraged from time to time; especially considering I had to go get my passport photos yesterday and really did not want multiple nodules in a picture that has to last for five years.

I'm just wondering about my dose for the progesterone cream because I'm taking what hearts recommended at 80mg/day but this website suggests 150-250mg/day. What do you think of the dose the website suggests?

http://www.progesteronetherapy.com/faq-pcos.html#axzz2jWO9tPXP.

 

 

 

 

I got another nodule yesterday, feeling pretty discouraged. I know it takes time for hormonal treatments to work, but I just wish I knew this was going to work, so I could feel confident in sticking with it.

Hearts, were you still getting new breakouts into your treatment with NPC or was it just a gradual subsiding of your old breakouts? Should I increase/decrease my dose perhaps

Sorry to hear that. I don't think you need to increase your dosage. I did a lot of research on NPC when I was using it, and it doesn't deliver results right away so patience is key. Unfortunately, I know it's hard to tell if it's even right for you at this point, but it does take a while for it to fully kick in so I would say give it at least 3 months. Your breakouts won't completely disappear at first, they will start to subside. Also, hearts said that NPC didn't completely stop her from breaking out, that's why she added DIM. So you may need to add something else 3 months or so into it.

I think that you could try adding myo-inositol powder until NPC fully kicks in. I saw faster improvement on it than I did back when I was taking bcp. It boosts your progesterone, so maybe you can try it in conjunction with NPC until the cream begins to fully work. Just a suggestion.

Thanks for replying CatF. Good luck on your progesterone journey and keep me updated.

I live in a very small town, so if I want to test my hormones, I guess I'd have to do it with a saliva test kit. I've pretty much been diagnosing myself by my symptoms. Do you know of any websites that sell these test kits and deliver to Canada?

Hi brenmc,

I just started using a natural progesterone cream about a week ago prescribed by a naturopath. I got hormone test done and it showed I have estrogen dominance and low progesterone. I used to only have a few pimples about 10 days or so before my period but then I tried a bunch of things to try to fix that, including a birth control pill, and I ended up making everything worse - should have gone to the naturopath and gotten the hormone test first. I didn't have insurance at the time and paid $150 for the hormone test plus about $300 for the naturopath but it's worth it considering all the money I've wasted trying to fix my skin without knowing the root cause (antibiotics, bcp, super expensive cleansers, you name it), so I'd highly recommend you see a naturopath or endocrinologist and get a hormone test. You can also order saliva hormone test kits online so you only have to pay for the test and not a doctor's visit, but it may be difficult for you to interpret the results on your own. Anyway, I thought I was supposed to put the npc on where the skin is thin, but I've read I'm actually supposed to be applying it where there are fat deposits, so I haven't been using it correctly. So far, I haven't seen a difference, but I think it's way too early to tell combined with my not using it properly. However, my skin has started to improve since I started to take Estroblock and Chromium (also prescribed by the naturopath - the Estroblock to metabolize excess estrogen and the Chromium to balance my blood sugar levels) I also take a women's multi-vitamin and Liv-tox to support the metabolic processes induced by the Estroblock. I've also found that the Mario Badescu acne-prone skin products help, especially the drying lotion and the acne serum. I only started all of this about a month ago, so it will take some time for me to see results. I'll keep you and the others interested in this topic posted. I am 27 and can't believe I have to deal with Acne!! I hope my experience can help other women suffering from hormonal acne. In addition, today I went to a spa and got a salicylic acid peel and microdermabrasion treatment to speed up the scar healing process. My treatment was super gentle, my face is kind of splotchy now, but I've read that you don't see results until after the skin peels. We'll see.

Thanks WishClean, I truly value your input.

I still have been taking my chiro-inositol, since it's so expensive, I'm trying to use that up before buying myo-inositol. But do you think I should get myo- for sure next time (do you think it will work more effectively for acne or perhaps give a boost to my current treatment)?

Still trying to be patient but it's hard not to feel discouraged from time to time; especially considering I had to go get my passport photos yesterday and really did not want multiple nodules in a picture that has to last for five years.

I'm just wondering about my dose for the progesterone cream because I'm taking what hearts recommended at 80mg/day but this website suggests 150-250mg/day. What do you think of the dose the website suggests?

http://www.progesteronetherapy.com/faq-pcos.html#axzz2jWO9tPXP.

I got another nodule yesterday, feeling pretty discouraged. I know it takes time for hormonal treatments to work, but I just wish I knew this was going to work, so I could feel confident in sticking with it.

Hearts, were you still getting new breakouts into your treatment with NPC or was it just a gradual subsiding of your old breakouts? Should I increase/decrease my dose perhaps

Sorry to hear that. I don't think you need to increase your dosage. I did a lot of research on NPC when I was using it, and it doesn't deliver results right away so patience is key. Unfortunately, I know it's hard to tell if it's even right for you at this point, but it does take a while for it to fully kick in so I would say give it at least 3 months. Your breakouts won't completely disappear at first, they will start to subside. Also, hearts said that NPC didn't completely stop her from breaking out, that's why she added DIM. So you may need to add something else 3 months or so into it.

I think that you could try adding myo-inositol powder until NPC fully kicks in. I saw faster improvement on it than I did back when I was taking bcp. It boosts your progesterone, so maybe you can try it in conjunction with NPC until the cream begins to fully work. Just a suggestion.

Sorry about my absence here lately... things have been crazy! I was laid off from my job recently so I'm taking it as a chance to move back to Colorado. (:

I agree with WishClean ” unfortunately it just sometimes takes a lot of time and patience. It really hasn't been long enough yet. I know it's important to keep a log of your progress, but honestly I tried to not even think about it until I had given it enough time. It seems that at least for me, acne was worse when I focused on it. I expected it to take 6 months, since that's how long it took for spiro to work for me. It was fortunate that it was sooner but it won't be the same for every person. I did also add DIM to get completely clear like WishClean mentioned.

About the Natpro site... Wray is different and does recommend 100-200mg for non menopausal women (read more here.) Some women on her forums say that they didn't experience relief of symptoms until over 200mg, like even 400mg or more. I just didn't have the funds to try that much out ” it's not exactly cheap stuff. However, Natpro is about double the strength of Emerita, so it is a better deal when it's in stock. I decided to up the dose until I felt the most relief, which was around 40-100mg a day. I'm a small girl (5'4" 110lbs) and still pretty young so maybe that has something to do with it too, not sure.