Oh, WishClean, to answer your question a while ago about hirsutism, I'm not sure if I have it or not. I have white blonde hair on my arms, legs, and on my face. The hair on my calves is slightly more dark blonde than the platinum blonde hair on my thighs.

Anyway, I just wondered about it because on my face I have concentrated hairs on chin, in the mustache area, and the outer "beard line". It just grows REALLY long, to the point that it makes applying makeup kind of difficult, because the hair is covering my skin. Because the hair is so light, no one ever noticed. About a year ago, I used the Nair depilatory stuff for the face, and suddenly I could apply foundation normally.

But it's hard to tell if it's hirsutism or just some freak genetic trait. I also have eyebrows that grow longer than most people. My eyebrows are actually kind of sparse, but the individual hairs are long. They can reach about an inch long if I don't regularly trim. It looks and feels like head hair, not the fuzzier eyebrow hair I see on most people. And I have really really long eyelashes, people usually assume I am wearing falsies or have extensions. But I don't see these traits in my family members, so I dunno.

On 12/12/2013 at 12:22 PM, Green Gables said:

Oh, WishClean, to answer your question a while ago about hirsutism, I'm not sure if I have it or not. I have white blonde hair on my arms, legs, and on my face. The hair on my calves is slightly more dark blonde than the platinum blonde hair on my thighs.

Anyway, I just wondered about it because on my face I have concentrated hairs on chin, in the mustache area, and the outer "beard line". It just grows REALLY long, to the point that it makes applying makeup kind of difficult, because the hair is covering my skin. Because the hair is so light, no one ever noticed. About a year ago, I used the Nair depilatory stuff for the face, and suddenly I could apply foundation normally.

But it's hard to tell if it's hirsutism or just some freak genetic trait. I also have eyebrows that grow longer than most people. My eyebrows are actually kind of sparse, but the individual hairs are long. They can reach about an inch long if I don't regularly trim. It looks and feels like head hair, not the fuzzier eyebrow hair I see on most people. And I have really really long eyelashes, people usually assume I am wearing falsies or have extensions. But I don't see these traits in my family members, so I dunno.

You're lucky your hair is blonde! I have blonde fuzz, but my chin hairs are darker...although now I'm pleased that they grow more sparingly and are less coarse. Isn't hirsutism usually darker hair growth, or can blonde hair also be considered hirsutism? I have long eyelashes too, although I noticed last year I was losing more lashes every day...now the shedding seems to have reduced a lot.

I thought spironolactone was meant to help with hirsutism, right? You didn't notice an improvement? I had an Armenian friend who was prescribed spiro for hirsutism but she said it didn't do anything for her, even on a high dose. Personally, inositol is the only thing that has made a noticeable impact on facial hair. Not much on body hair yet, or the hair on my head.

Btw, random warning for folks traveling with inositol powder: the TSA might mistake it for another type of white powder. haha. I had to turn it in for inspection at the airport, and they were trying to figure out what I was using it for. [Edited image out]

On 12/13/2013 at 2:20 AM, WishClean said:

On 12/12/2013 at 12:22 PM, Green Gables said:

Oh, WishClean, to answer your question a while ago about hirsutism, I'm not sure if I have it or not. I have white blonde hair on my arms, legs, and on my face. The hair on my calves is slightly more dark blonde than the platinum blonde hair on my thighs.

Anyway, I just wondered about it because on my face I have concentrated hairs on chin, in the mustache area, and the outer "beard line". It just grows REALLY long, to the point that it makes applying makeup kind of difficult, because the hair is covering my skin. Because the hair is so light, no one ever noticed. About a year ago, I used the Nair depilatory stuff for the face, and suddenly I could apply foundation normally.

But it's hard to tell if it's hirsutism or just some freak genetic trait. I also have eyebrows that grow longer than most people. My eyebrows are actually kind of sparse, but the individual hairs are long. They can reach about an inch long if I don't regularly trim. It looks and feels like head hair, not the fuzzier eyebrow hair I see on most people. And I have really really long eyelashes, people usually assume I am wearing falsies or have extensions. But I don't see these traits in my family members, so I dunno.

You're lucky your hair is blonde! I have blonde fuzz, but my chin hairs are darker...although now I'm pleased that they grow more sparingly and are less coarse. Isn't hirsutism usually darker hair growth, or can blonde hair also be considered hirsutism? I have long eyelashes too, although I noticed last year I was losing more lashes every day...now the shedding seems to have reduced a lot.

I thought spironolactone was meant to help with hirsutism, right? You didn't notice an improvement? I had an Armenian friend who was prescribed spiro for hirsutism but she said it didn't do anything for her, even on a high dose. Personally, inositol is the only thing that has made a noticeable impact on facial hair. Not much on body hair yet, or the hair on my head.

Btw, random warning for folks traveling with inositol powder: the TSA might mistake it for another type of white powder. haha. I had to turn it in for inspection at the airport, and they were trying to figure out what I was using it for. [Edited image out]

[Edited image out]Hahahahaha....

Everything I have read about hirsutism refers to "dark, coarse hair." So I dunno. It's kind of coarse compared to what I consider "normal" peach fuzz. And it's long. But it's not dark.

I didn't notice a change in my facial hair / eyebrows / eyelashes after spiro.

Spiro didn't help me with hirsutism either. Hair on my head and my eyelashes shed, but I still had the excess hair in the wrong places like upper lip, chin, etc. It's just my opinion, but I think if you are getting too much hair in abnormal places (no matter what color) and it's not in your genetics, it could be considered hirsutism. It just doesn't make sense to me that if you are blonde and have a hormonal imbalance which causes hirsutism, that the hair would suddenly grow darker. Half of my face is blonde and the other half of it has black hair (including eyebrow and eyelashes.) I get the same amount of hair on both sides of my upper lip, they are just different colors.

Inositol / Choline update: 5th day. The only side effect (or any effect) I've noticed is I have been super sleepy the past few days. I am super tired in the evenings (abnormal for me) and ready for bed at 10-11. I also am having a hard time waking up in the morning, which is also pretty abnormal. It's not the worst side effect because I am still sleeping great, but I do hope it subsides within a week or two. I did read that inositol is calming. Did you experience this at all, WishClean?

Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Doctors probably don't know enough about hirsutism either. I was told it's usually middle eastern, indian, and mediterranean women who are prone to it, but who knows!

Inositol is definitely calming. Some people take it for anxiety, OCD and ADD. It used to help me sleep better at night, but at one point it stopped doing that so now I take it as soon as I wake up, and sometimes I also take myo in the afternoon. I must say that chiro is definitely more potent than myo...I even relaxed my diet a bit, and haven't really had new acne apart from a couple of small ones. I had to take 4 flights these past week, and usually my skin is a mess when I'm traveling but so far it has been surprisingly calm.

Is choline supposed to help with sleep? How much of it are you taking? Does it make you feel drowsy in the morning? When I was taking myo at night, I felt a bit drowsy in the morning.

Spiro didn't help me with hirsutism either. Hair on my head and my eyelashes shed, but I still had the excess hair in the wrong places like upper lip, chin, etc. It's just my opinion, but I think if you are getting too much hair in abnormal places (no matter what color) and it's not in your genetics, it could be considered hirsutism. It just doesn't make sense to me that if you are blonde and have a hormonal imbalance which causes hirsutism, that the hair would suddenly grow darker. Half of my face is blonde and the other half of it has black hair (including eyebrow and eyelashes.) I get the same amount of hair on both sides of my upper lip, they are just different colors.

Inositol / Choline update: 5th day. The only side effect (or any effect) I've noticed is I have been super sleepy the past few days. I am super tired in the evenings (abnormal for me) and ready for bed at 10-11. I also am having a hard time waking up in the morning, which is also pretty abnormal. It's not the worst side effect because I am still sleeping great, but I do hope it subsides within a week or two. I did read that inositol is calming. Did you experience this at all, WishClean?

Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Doctors probably don't know enough about hirsutism either. I was told it's usually middle eastern, indian, and mediterranean women who are prone to it, but who knows!

Inositol is definitely calming. Some people take it for anxiety, OCD and ADD. It used to help me sleep better at night, but at one point it stopped doing that so now I take it as soon as I wake up, and sometimes I also take myo in the afternoon. I must say that chiro is definitely more potent than myo...I even relaxed my diet a bit, and haven't really had new acne apart from a couple of small ones. I had to take 4 flights these past week, and usually my skin is a mess when I'm traveling but so far it has been surprisingly calm.

Is choline supposed to help with sleep? How much of it are you taking? Does it make you feel drowsy in the morning? When I was taking myo at night, I felt a bit drowsy in the morning.

It has been a little better these last couple of days but I still do feel generally more sleepy all day. I am still taking 250mg inositol and 250mg choline in the morning. It's difficult because I want to drink even more coffee because of the tiredness but I'm stopping myself. I don't know about choline helping sleep when doing a quick google search, I see people saying both it does and it doesn't. It is supposed to help REM sleep and make dreams more vivid, but I haven't noticed this... the supplement that gives me super vivid dreams is zinc, even at a very low dose.

I hope you had/are having a good trip and I'm glad your skin is behaving itself! (:

EDIT: Oh, I don't know how I forgot to add this before... My boyfriend's family is German and even though his sisters hair are blonde, they struggle with hirsutism too. Long blonde hairs under the chin, jawline, etc. One has PCOS. Hope that helps a little, Green Gables. (:

Hey hearts! How are you doing? It's weird that such a low dose of inositol is making you sleepy... maybe your body is getting used to it? I found that it's better for me if I don't take it at night...I felt that drowsy feeling too, but I was taking triple your dose at night.

On the plus side, I went to get a haircut, and I asked the hairdresser what I can do to for thinning hair, and he told me that he sees new hair growth coming in! He said supplements are more important than topical treatments. So maybe that's a good sign about inositol hopefully [Edited image out]

On 12/18/2013 at 8:08 AM, hearts said:

It has been a little better these last couple of days but I still do feel generally more sleepy all day. I am still taking 250mg inositol and 250mg choline in the morning. It's difficult because I want to drink even more coffee because of the tiredness but I'm stopping myself. I don't know about choline helping sleep ” when doing a quick google search, I see people saying both it does and it doesn't. It is supposed to help REM sleep and make dreams more vivid, but I haven't noticed this... the supplement that gives me super vivid dreams is zinc, even at a very low dose.

I hope you had/are having a good trip and I'm glad your skin is behaving itself!

EDIT: Oh, I don't know how I forgot to add this before... My boyfriend's family is German and even though his sisters hair are blonde, they struggle with hirsutism too. Long blonde hairs under the chin, jawline, etc. One has PCOS. Hope that helps a little, Green Gables.

Hey hearts! How are you doing? It's weird that such a low dose of inositol is making you sleepy... maybe your body is getting used to it? I found that it's better for me if I don't take it at night...I felt that drowsy feeling too, but I was taking triple your dose at night.

On the plus side, I went to get a haircut, and I asked the hairdresser what I can do to for thinning hair, and he told me that he sees new hair growth coming in! He said supplements are more important than topical treatments. So maybe that's a good sign about inositol hopefully

That is SO great to hear! I am so happy for you. I agree with the hair dresser... even though things like coconut and oil topical treatments can help the condition of your hair, it doesn't really get down to the root of decreased growth, brittleness, etc. I think you have to fix that kind of thing from the inside out.

This gives me a lot of confidence in continuing to take it. I have been feeling good about it recently because I have had significantly less fall out in my brush and no fall out in the shower, which is a huge improvement. I know it's only been 11 days so I don't expect new growth yet, but less shedding is always good.

I read somewhere that if anti-androgens work for a person, that it is actually an insulin resistance problem and the anti-androgens only mask the real issue. Of course it was on the internet so I take everything like that with a grain of salt... but what is the connection between androgens and insulin, if any? It's also another good reason to be on inositol, as it helps with insulin resistance, right? I think progesterone helps with this also. I'm definitely going to stick with NPC and inositol to see what happens.

Anyway, awesome to hear about your hair. I hope it keeps up! (:

My hair looks better these days...I hope it continues to get stronger, even though I dyed it and usually I shed more after dying it, but the shedding seems to have decreased instead. Have you noticed any changes? Have you increased your dose? It seems like you are already seeing improvement, that's great

Inositol definitely helps with insulin resistance,,,it's the main ingredient in glucosmart, which doctors sometimes recommend for insulin resistance. I always suspected I had insulin resistance even though, typically, my blood tests came back normal. Eliminating processed sugar from my diet has helped a lot, and I'm sure inositol helps too. Inositol also boosts progesterone, so you may not need NPC eventually if it boosts your progesterone as well. Are you still taking DIM?

I'm not sure if everyone who responds to anti-androgens has an insulin resistance problem, but it could be possible that many do. My acne never responded to anti-adrogens like saw palmetto, spearmint tea, or androcur..I always had to combine those with estrogen/progesterone targeted treatments to see results. I think the reason I'm responding to inositol is because it not only lowers testosterone, but boosts progesterone, controls insulin, and regulates ovulation.

Btw, do you know what dose is effective for hair growth? I think what you were taking originally was too low.... also, I noticed that chiro-inositol works faster and is more potent than myo, but more expensive as well :/

That is SO great to hear! I am so happy for you. I agree with the hair dresser... even though things like coconut and oil topical treatments can help the condition of your hair, it doesn't really get down to the root of decreased growth, brittleness, etc. I think you have to fix that kind of thing from the inside out.

This gives me a lot of confidence in continuing to take it. I have been feeling good about it recently because I have had significantly less fall out in my brush and no fall out in the shower, which is a huge improvement. I know it's only been 11 days so I don't expect new growth yet, but less shedding is always good.

I read somewhere that if anti-androgens work for a person, that it is actually an insulin resistance problem and the anti-androgens only mask the real issue. Of course it was on the internet so I take everything like that with a grain of salt... but what is the connection between androgens and insulin, if any? It's also another good reason to be on inositol, as it helps with insulin resistance, right? I think progesterone helps with this also. I'm definitely going to stick with NPC and inositol to see what happens.

Anyway, awesome to hear about your hair. I hope it keeps up! (:

My hair looks better these days...I hope it continues to get stronger, even though I dyed it and usually I shed more after dying it, but the shedding seems to have decreased instead. Have you noticed any changes? Have you increased your dose? It seems like you are already seeing improvement, that's great

Inositol definitely helps with insulin resistance,,,it's the main ingredient in glucosmart, which doctors sometimes recommend for insulin resistance. I always suspected I had insulin resistance even though, typically, my blood tests came back normal. Eliminating processed sugar from my diet has helped a lot, and I'm sure inositol helps too. Inositol also boosts progesterone, so you may not need NPC eventually if it boosts your progesterone as well. Are you still taking DIM?

I'm not sure if everyone who responds to anti-androgens has an insulin resistance problem, but it could be possible that many do. My acne never responded to anti-adrogens like saw palmetto, spearmint tea, or androcur..I always had to combine those with estrogen/progesterone targeted treatments to see results. I think the reason I'm responding to inositol is because it not only lowers testosterone, but boosts progesterone, controls insulin, and regulates ovulation.

Btw, do you know what dose is effective for hair growth? I think what you were taking originally was too low.... also, I noticed that chiro-inositol works faster and is more potent than myo, but more expensive as well :/

That is good to hear about your hair. I haven't dyed my hair in years but have wanted to lately... I've been worried to since I was already shedding more than normal and I didn't want to make it worse. If the shedding continues to slow down like it has, I won't need to worry.

I am still taking DIM. I figure starting inositol/choline would be a big enough change... if I actually broke out from it I would want to know it's that and not from lowering my dose on DIM. I would love it if I got a progesterone boost from inositol ” yet another benefit of taking it. You may be right about my dose of I/C being too low but I would rather work up than trying to wean down later. If I don't see any better results after 3-4 months I'll double the dose. I don't know what the optimal dose is for hair growth.

Thanks for the input on insulin and androgens. Acne is so much more complex than we know. My only annoyance about this forum is the major blanket statements like "estrogen helps acne" or "all acne is caused by testosterone", etc. It's just not true for everyone. It seems like there are many different causes and it all varies from person to person. I appreciate your open-mindedness and I love to read your experiences with alternate approaches! (:

I used regular dye with low ammonia on my hair, and it's fine....I noticed there are more little hairs growing, which seems like a good sign. I'm glad your shedding has slowed down I noticed more progress when I started taking chiro-inositol, I think because it's stronger than myo. I'm now taking both because if I don't take myo, the numbness I get returns. It's one of those things that stops working once you stop taking it, and I guess it stops working almost immediately.

I take it you are using sulfate-free and paraben-free hair products, right? I try to cut out as many potentially harmful ingredients as possible...

Thanks, I love hearing your insights on alternative acne treatments too! It's proof that drugs are only one route to treating acne, and so many people think they have no other options.

That is good to hear about your hair. I haven't dyed my hair in years but have wanted to lately... I've been worried to since I was already shedding more than normal and I didn't want to make it worse. If the shedding continues to slow down like it has, I won't need to worry.

I am still taking DIM. I figure starting inositol/choline would be a big enough change... if I actually broke out from it I would want to know it's that and not from lowering my dose on DIM. I would love it if I got a progesterone boost from inositol ” yet another benefit of taking it. You may be right about my dose of I/C being too low but I would rather work up than trying to wean down later. If I don't see any better results after 3-4 months I'll double the dose. I don't know what the optimal dose is for hair growth.

Thanks for the input on insulin and androgens. Acne is so much more complex than we know. My only annoyance about this forum is the major blanket statements like "estrogen helps acne" or "all acne is caused by testosterone", etc. It's just not true for everyone. It seems like there are many different causes and it all varies from person to person. I appreciate your open-mindedness and I love to read your experiences with alternate approaches! (:

I used regular dye with low ammonia on my hair, and it's fine....I noticed there are more little hairs growing, which seems like a good sign. I'm glad your shedding has slowed down I noticed more progress when I started taking chiro-inositol, I think because it's stronger than myo. I'm now taking both because if I don't take myo, the numbness I get returns. It's one of those things that stops working once you stop taking it, and I guess it stops working almost immediately.

I take it you are using sulfate-free and paraben-free hair products, right? I try to cut out as many potentially harmful ingredients as possible...

Thanks, I love hearing your insights on alternative acne treatments too! It's proof that drugs are only one route to treating acne, and so many people think they have no other options.

That is good to hear about your hair. I haven't dyed my hair in years but have wanted to lately... I've been worried to since I was already shedding more than normal and I didn't want to make it worse. If the shedding continues to slow down like it has, I won't need to worry.

 

I am still taking DIM. I figure starting inositol/choline would be a big enough change... if I actually broke out from it I would want to know it's that and not from lowering my dose on DIM. I would love it if I got a progesterone boost from inositol ” yet another benefit of taking it. You may be right about my dose of I/C being too low but I would rather work up than trying to wean down later. If I don't see any better results after 3-4 months I'll double the dose. I don't know what the optimal dose is for hair growth.

Thanks for the input on insulin and androgens. Acne is so much more complex than we know. My only annoyance about this forum is the major blanket statements like "estrogen helps acne" or "all acne is caused by testosterone", etc. It's just not true for everyone. It seems like there are many different causes and it all varies from person to person. I appreciate your open-mindedness and I love to read your experiences with alternate approaches! (:

I just started taking DCI yesterday. Would it be okay to take saw palmetto with it? If so, how much?

I assume it's ok, but why not try DCI for a couple of months on its own and see if that works? It might be all you need. I prefer DCI to saw palmetto because saw palmetto only helps with androgens, not progesterone. You don't want to lower your androgens too much by taking both because then you risk having too much unopposed estrogen. I would say start with 1 DCI pill a day, then if you think it's necessary, up to 2 a day during ovulation and your period.

I just started taking DCI yesterday. Would it be okay to take saw palmetto with it? If so, how much?

Hi Wishclean, thanks for the great thread. I saw my doctor yesterday because I am having the worst time on spironolactone (hair falling out for months now, weight gain, mood swings, not much clearer skin..etc etc) and she actually asked me if I tried the supplement inositol. She said it might be more suitable for me because not only it lowers testosterone but also raises progesterone to help balance other hormones that might be out of whack like dhea, fsh, and others.

So yeah, just wanted to let you know that my doctor was one of the few ones in the US who knew about inositol's help with hormonal acne, I was so surprised because doctors are not usually open to supplements when they can just prescribe a pill for anything.

You said to start with myoinositol then if that works move up to dci, correct? dci is a bit expensive for me, so I would rather go for the cheapest one right now and take more of it to reach the same strength as dci.

Hi Wishclean, thanks for the great thread. I saw my doctor yesterday because I am having the worst time on spironolactone (hair falling out for months now, weight gain, mood swings, not much clearer skin..etc etc) and she actually asked me if I tried the supplement inositol. She said it might be more suitable for me because not only it lowers testosterone but also raises progesterone to help balance other hormones that might be out of whack like dhea, fsh, and others.

So yeah, just wanted to let you know that my doctor was one of the few ones in the US who knew about inositol's help with hormonal acne, I was so surprised because doctors are not usually open to supplements when they can just prescribe a pill for anything.

You said to start with myoinositol then if that works move up to dci, correct? dci is a bit expensive for me, so I would rather go for the cheapest one right now and take more of it to reach the same strength as dci.

Yes, start with myo-inositol to see how that works for you. Start with 1/8 of a teaspoon, then work your way up to 1/8 or more.

I am so trying this! As soon as Im off the pill (which will be in july thanks to the stupid weaning method) I'll be taking this and praying for the best! Of course a long with a good, healthy diet which I will have to follow with more dedication after I come off.

Btw, wishclean, your skin looks SO amazing! I doubt mine will ever look like yours, since my pores are so clogged (they even were clogged in blackheads when I was on diane 35).

Keep up the good work!

Great, let me know how it works! I don't think you should take anything at all unless you need it though. I wouldn't be taking anything if my hormones could stay balanced on their own, but due to my polycystic ovaries that's not a possibility. I'm curious to see whether my combination of inositol with vitex will eventually result in my ovaries producing fewer cysts....I heard that can happen, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I have texture issues, redness, and scarring....the photos are just not high def enough to show it. People don't even believe I have acne when they look at my photos, especially with makeup on. Did you see the photos I posted on the inositol thread? I had them removed now that the thread is getting a bit old but I can send you the link if you are interested. If your acne is similar to how mine was, then you'll probably benefit a lot from inositol.

I am so trying this! As soon as Im off the pill (which will be in july thanks to the stupid weaning method) I'll be taking this and praying for the best! Of course a long with a good, healthy diet which I will have to follow with more dedication after I come off.

Btw, wishclean, your skin looks SO amazing! I doubt mine will ever look like yours, since my pores are so clogged (they even were clogged in blackheads when I was on diane 35).

Keep up the good work!

Sure, I will update you!!! I had polycystic overaries too, but then I went on diane 35 and after 6 weeks ALL of them were gone... very strange. So really don't know what happens when I quit BCP. Were you already diagnosed with this disorder before you started bcp in the first place? I wasn't...

I saw your pictures and I was amazed by how clean and clear your skin is! Loved it. I don't know how your acne used to be, but my skin is overall very oily. The pimples are centered on the chin and forehead/temples. Sometimes they're on my left cheak as well. They are very resistent, but they respond well to sunlight and overall relaxing. In Holland this only happens while being on holiday... I would still get acne for sure, but not as bad as during the winter time. As I said, I did have ovary cysts too. At that time my period lacked completely.. Are you fertile right now? What's your age? Was your skin clear while on birth control? My skin has never in my life (yeah before the age of 12...) been clear, not even on diane 35. I would LOOK clear, but there would still be small black and whiteheads under the surface. I would also break out on the super bad food. I remember I went to NYC in 2011 and I came back with two cysts on my skin, which barely does not happen (very small ones of course).

Acne is so complex really... Wonder if I will even get rid of it completely, but I will try! After work today I want to buy a lot of lemons, just to try of drinking them would make any difference on me... I'm still confused about the whole diet thing. It's so hard to be eating the 'right' stuff, especially when being on a students budget and having to work every day.

 

Great, let me know how it works! I don't think you should take anything at all unless you need it though. I wouldn't be taking anything if my hormones could stay balanced on their own, but due to my polycystic ovaries that's not a possibility. I'm curious to see whether my combination of inositol with vitex will eventually result in my ovaries producing fewer cysts....I heard that can happen, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I have texture issues, redness, and scarring....the photos are just not high def enough to show it. People don't even believe I have acne when they look at my photos, especially with makeup on. Did you see the photos I posted on the inositol thread? I had them removed now that the thread is getting a bit old but I can send you the link if you are interested. If your acne is similar to how mine was, then you'll probably benefit a lot from inositol.

I am so trying this! As soon as Im off the pill (which will be in july thanks to the stupid weaning method) I'll be taking this and praying for the best! Of course a long with a good, healthy diet which I will have to follow with more dedication after I come off.

Btw, wishclean, your skin looks SO amazing! I doubt mine will ever look like yours, since my pores are so clogged (they even were clogged in blackheads when I was on diane 35).

Keep up the good work!

Hello,

Hopefully it's OK to post here even though it's been awhile since anyone did. I'm 30 y/o with severe hormonal cystic acne. I have been on Spiro (100mg) for about 6 months, but it recently seems to have stopped working. I am in the midst of the worst breakout of my life--no exaggeration. I've GOT to clear this up at least someone within a week because I have a huge work meeting in a week. I am so broken out I won't even go to the grocery store right now.

In addition to Spiro, I'm also on Apri birth control (and thyroid meds). I've also recently begun Doryx. Topically, I'm taking Aczone.

I just ordered some of these supplements based on this and other forum posts. I ordered Vitex and DIM. I am debating inositol as well but need to understand mechanisms. I was also considering saw palmetto.

Can I take any/all of these along with the Spiro? Should I stop the spiro? Something is breaking me out horribly and I cannot figure out what. I normally get a cysts or two or three on my chin and jaw, but these are EVERYWHERE-- all over my face, scalp, forehead, neck and even cheeks (although they are more concentrated in their usual areas). I need this breakout to stop NOW.

So can I take these things together? Any recommendations on anything else? I have found such little information on combining medicinal with herbal approaches. Thanks!

I'm sorry to hear that you are struggling with breaking out, even while on spiro. Another user on this forum brenmc, has also had issues with spiro becoming ineffective/wearing off after some time. At 6 months that should not be happening... 6 months is when a lot of women clear up (including myself when I took it.)

The problem is, everyone is different so it's difficult to say what exactly would be causing you to breakout now. You are also taking and using quite a few things so it's even more difficult to narrow it down. Have you been taking Apri and thyroid meds the entire time you've been on spiro? Were you more clear on spiro alone if you weren't? Birth control can take several months to regulate so if you just started it you could be having side effects that may go away with time. Another thing to consider is not all birth control is equal... some help some women with acne when others don't, and sometimes women don't find any that actually help.

When did you start Doryx and Aczone? If your acne is hormonal (which it sounds like) and not bacterial, I doubt antibiotics or Aczone will do anything significant.

Vitex and DIM could be good things to try, but I would taper off some other things before adding more to your regimen. Clearly the cocktail of meds you are taking isn't working or hasn't had enough time to. DIM helps with estrogen metabolism and is an anti-androgen. However, it can have interfere with some thyroid stuff (not sure on the details so you might need to google it) so that is something to consider before starting it. Vitex helps with prolactin and progesterone, so if excess androgens are your problem it might not help too much. Saw Palmetto is also an anti-androgen but can increase estrogen from what I understand. Inositol could also be beneficial and is probably the safest to combine with your other meds... but it would be difficult to analyze results with taking so much other stuff.

I really don't know about combining any of the herbs with spiro or birth control, sorry! I stopped taking spiro before starting DIM. I did use natural progesterone cream while on spiro with no problems, but that is something different.

If you do choose to stop any of the things you're taking, I highly advise to not just stop but to wean off slowly. Stopping abruptly will only make your hormones more upset. After that you can add one thing in at a time, giving each one plenty of time (3-4 months minimum) to show full results. Another very important thing to do is to try not to stress out or get upset about your skin... that will only make it worse as well. Try to stay happy and distract yourself as much as you can, even though it is difficult. Hope this helps, good luck! (:

hi happymom,

If this is your first big breakout in months, maybe it's just a random one...I would say wait to see if it subsides and if it happens again (particularly on the same stage of your cycle), then consider changing your regimen. As hearts said, herbs can interact with drugs, especially thyroid medication. To me it seems like you are taking more meds than you need. Didn't you write in another post that you have hashimotos? If so, then your immune system must be compromised. I mean, the diagnosis for hashimotos is questionable, but if you are sure you have it then why would you want to overload your already compromised immune system and adrenals with more drugs? Did the same doctor who diagnosed you also prescribe all these things? I think if you want to add something, then you should remove something as well otherwise you won't know what is working. It seems like the thyroid meds are the most essential, so maybe prioritize everything else. If you suspect your thyroid meds are too strong or could be causing a reaction, then talk to your doctor about it. Thyroid meds also mess with other hormones, so that could be the culprit but if you have been taking them for a long time then probably not (unless your liver isn't processing all these meds properly).

As hearts said, inositol would be the safest thing to add because it's a supplement/vitamin not an herb. Herbs should not be combined with drugs because of interactions, and also if you are taking the herbal route and also taking drugs what's the point? Herbs are meant to replace drugs, not supplement them. But I understand that it's risky to just quit everything cold turkey, as hearts said, wean off whatever you suspect is causing the issue and also talk to your doctor or find a better one.

I posted links to how inositol works on the first page of this thread. If you also google it you will find a good site that sells it (Chiral Balance) with more research links, and also anecdotal evidence from PCOS users on the soulcysters forum.

Hi WishClean! I have a few questions for you about inositol, as I see you have had some impressive results. I am currently on birth control but wanted to supplement with an anti-androgen, because I am still not clear. Is inositol safe to take with birth control?

I recently got a hormone test, but because I am on birth control, I don't know if I should trust the results. Apparently, my estrogen and androgen and progesterone seemed fine to my doctor, but my thyroid was slightly low (I have no symptoms of hypothyroidism but many symptoms of high androgens, such as acne, hirsutism, hair shedding, etc.) Do you think inositol is safe for me to take?

I won't do anything until I talk to my doctor and see how my second blood test looks, but if my doctors continue to give me no answers, I want to have something to try that I can use in conjunction with birth control that won't have any freaky effects on my body

Hi WishClean! I have a few questions for you about inositol, as I see you have had some impressive results. I am currently on birth control but wanted to supplement with an anti-androgen, because I am still not clear. Is inositol safe to take with birth control?

I recently got a hormone test, but because I am on birth control, I don't know if I should trust the results. Apparently, my estrogen and androgen and progesterone seemed fine to my doctor, but my thyroid was slightly low (I have no symptoms of hypothyroidism but many symptoms of high androgens, such as acne, hirsutism, hair shedding, etc.) Do you think inositol is safe for me to take?

I won't do anything until I talk to my doctor and see how my second blood test looks, but if my doctors continue to give me no answers, I want to have something to try that I can use in conjunction with birth control that won't have any freaky effects on my body

Hey! Yes it is safe because it's a vitamin. Don't take more than you need, though.

Blood tests are useless for testing hormone levels. You can have high androgens and "normal" blood tests.

Another cause of hirsutism and hair shedding is estrogen dominance/progesterone deficiency. I had signs of both androgen excess and estrogen dominance....now I complemented inositol with DIM (thanks to hearts' posts) and taking them both seems to have reduced some other symptoms I had besides acne.

Hey guys

m new to this forum...

trying out inositol ,just been a week now....will keep updating about anything new (crossing my fingers).

just wanted to know about 'DIM'..what is DIM??

Thanx in advance guys.

Hey guys

m new to this forum...

trying out inositol ,just been a week now....will keep updating about anything new (crossing my fingers).

just wanted to know about 'DIM'..what is DIM??

Thanx in advance guys.

I hope it works for you. It's better to take inositol twice a day because it's water soluble, so your body can flush it out every time you go to the bathroom.

Search for posts on DIM on acne.org, you'll find more information.