Hello everyone,
I have been taking agnus castus(chasteberry root/vitex) for over two months now along with evening primrose oil, zinc, and omega 3.
I was also taking saw palmetto but it made me thirsty and feel weird and I also felt like i was gaining a little weight on it so I stopped.
My skin has improved but not really seen any drastic results...I know maybe I havn't given it enough time and I thought I was seeing big improvements but I have broken out again pretty badly...I'm also getting like blackheads around my mouth/chin and I've never had this problem before?
I feel like I need to give this something else and shove my skin into clearness.
I hear that DIM is good...although I'm not too sure what it is. Is DIM the same as Estroblock? Does it just flush out bad oestrogens and promote good oestrogen?
I'm not giving up and I will pretty much spend whatever (within reason of course) I just want to get this sorted.
Any advice/ experiences appreciated.
I started takin DIM two months ago along with fish oil, and milk thistle. Took about a month to see results, but for me it was well worth it. I should mention I started a super clean diet too. No dairy, bread, or processed food. I pretty much eat only whole foods. I also started jumping rope 3x a day after each meal for 15 minutes, I drink loads of water and coconut water. My acne is 95% better! I'm really happy so far and hope my skin will continue to heal. I started breaking out horribly in late September after coming back from vacation in California. I think it was hormonal because all of my breakout were located on my jaw and neck, i was feeling really moody, depressed, had lack of energy. It was pretty sucky. So I would say give the DIM a try if you think your breakouts are hormonal. Also some people claim DIM works in the matter or days, but let's be real, nothing is going to be a quick fix. I think Estroblock and DIM are a bit different. Tracey from the love vitamin has a lot of info on DIM and Estroblock. You should check it out
http://www.thelovevitamin.com/11423/estroblock-acne-q-and-a/
But please do your research before you start taking DIM or estroblock, this way you can decide if it's right for you! Good luck to you! I'm sure you will find something that works for you!
You might want to give your current regimen a little more time since it has only been two months. It always takes me 3-4 to see results with hormonal methods. Also, when you start more than one thing at a time, it's difficult to tell how you are reacting to each one. For example, one supplement could actually be helping while another could be making you break out. It's best to start only one thing, and give it enough time (several months) before adding something else or stopping it.
I personally love DIM (Estroblock being a more expensive version of the same thing but with some vitamin e, lecithin, and choline added.) It has done the best of anything to keep me totally clear. It balances estrogen levels and is an anti-androgen similar to stuff like saw palmetto or spiro. It doesn't work for everyone, but there are a lot of people who have had success with it.
If I were you, I would cut out the omega 3 and zinc for now. You may not need them.
I'm back on vitex for now, along with inositol, and so far so good. I think DIM is safer than vitex long term, but I haven't tried it yet.
In any case, vitex took a few months to work for me both times I took it in the past...I was taking it with evening primrose and a multivitamin (the second time), and the first time with acidophilus as well to balance gut flora. I think you need to be on the minimal amount of supplements possible - no need to go overboard because then you might overload your liver.
If you want to continue with vitex, it's best to take it in liquid form (tincture).
Also, keep in mind that if you have a hormonally sensitive condition, any time you get OFF hormone- balancing herbs, your acne will most likely return. Have you weaned off saw palmetto gradually or quit cold turkey? If you quit abruptly, that may explain the new acne. I definitely experienced more acne coming off saw palmetto, even though I did it gradually. I felt a bit weird on it too, and it seemed to cause some mid-section weight gain.