So I was on Vitex, started it in november last year and I was getting really, really good results, so much so that I thought I had found the answer to my prayers when the manufactuer I get it from (Holland&Barrett) changed the doseage in the capsules (from 100mg per capsule to 0.6mg!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and it stopped working. I must have been taking this useless reduced dose for about 2 months and my skin was getting worse and worse - anyway I figured out what was happening and went into Holland&Barrett and the sales woman told me that UK Gov have made Holland&Barrett reduce the doseage so that it pretty much renders them useless - this is to push people away from using holistic meds and back in to pharmaceuticals because they are taxed!! I was so angry - I still am. It's like one step forward two steps back constantly.

Anyway I ordered Vitex from amazon getting Nature's Way so that I can take my original dose. Must have been on this for only two weeks again now so I'll have to wait months before I get my skin back on track again- I have a wedding to go to with my new bf in June and the thought of it makes me want to throw up - the last time i met a boyfriends family it was at a wedding I was 17 and I had just started dianette and my skin literally exploded in acne and my self-esteem was at an all time low I spent the whole night with my head low not looking anyone in the eye and trying not to cry and running to the toilets to check my make up every 5 minutes and it ended with a huge argument with my bf who didn't know why I was acting this way...worst night ever... this CAN'T happen again...so much so that I've considered going back on roaccutane just to clear my skin up for this event but i really do not want to do this as it pretty much made me bald last time. I've heard vitamin a in largeish doses works to clear skin quickly and I'm thinking of doing this. I want to be smart about it though - I've read about the risks of toxicity and stuff. Anyone ever done this before and thoughts?

thank you x

Are you serious??? I can't believe the UK government is now regulating supplements to the point of making them useless. Wow. Have you tried vitex in liquid form? It's more potent than capsules.... maybe see if iherb has it or if boots sells something similar.

I'm sorry you are feeling self-conscious about your skin. My skin got worse when I got off vitex too, and it was hard to bounce back. But what you can do is go on a strict paleo diet...that's my quick fix. No processed foods, no sugars, just lean meat, some fish, and lots of veggies (and maybe an apple or a banana). It can help with insulin resistance issues and also hormonal imbalances.

So I was on Vitex, started it in november last year and I was getting really, really good results, so much so that I thought I had found the answer to my prayers when the manufactuer I get it from (Holland&Barrett) changed the doseage in the capsules (from 100mg per capsule to 0.6mg!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and it stopped working. I must have been taking this useless reduced dose for about 2 months and my skin was getting worse and worse - anyway I figured out what was happening and went into Holland&Barrett and the sales woman told me that UK Gov have made Holland&Barrett reduce the doseage so that it pretty much renders them useless - this is to push people away from using holistic meds and back in to pharmaceuticals because they are taxed!! I was so angry - I still am. It's like one step forward two steps back constantly.

Anyway I ordered Vitex from amazon getting Nature's Way so that I can take my original dose. Must have been on this for only two weeks again now so I'll have to wait months before I get my skin back on track again- I have a wedding to go to with my new bf in June and the thought of it makes me want to throw up - the last time i met a boyfriends family it was at a wedding I was 17 and I had just started dianette and my skin literally exploded in acne and my self-esteem was at an all time low I spent the whole night with my head low not looking anyone in the eye and trying not to cry and running to the toilets to check my make up every 5 minutes and it ended with a huge argument with my bf who didn't know why I was acting this way...worst night ever... this CAN'T happen again...so much so that I've considered going back on roaccutane just to clear my skin up for this event but i really do not want to do this as it pretty much made me bald last time. I've heard vitamin a in largeish doses works to clear skin quickly and I'm thinking of doing this. I want to be smart about it though - I've read about the risks of toxicity and stuff. Anyone ever done this before and thoughts?

thank you x

Are you serious??? I can't believe the UK government is now regulating supplements to the point of making them useless. Wow. Have you tried vitex in liquid form? It's more potent than capsules.... maybe see if iherb has it or if boots sells something similar.

I'm sorry you are feeling self-conscious about your skin. My skin got worse when I got off vitex too, and it was hard to bounce back. But what you can do is go on a strict paleo diet...that's my quick fix. No processed foods, no sugars, just lean meat, some fish, and lots of veggies (and maybe an apple or a banana). It can help with insulin resistance issues and also hormonal imbalances.

I know neither could I! It's an absoloute joke, I was speaking to the woman behind the counter about it for ages, it's because we are a part of the EU:

https://www.consumersforhealthchoice.com/save-our-supplements/

it's so disheartening. I am having to pay extra to import it from the U.S via amazon...which i'm willing to do but just makes everything a bit of a pain. I've never tried liquid form but I've heard it is more potent and works faster! Is this the tincture form where you can drink it in tea?

thank you for your kind words. its to know other people have been through the same. diet definatly sounds like my best option now, I'm going to take your advice and try it for two weeks and see how it improves. I'm also taking matcha green tea every day (not sure how much thats really helping) and I've been on DIM for three weeks (too soon to see any effects - I've read a lot of "this supplement is a miracle/cleared me in two weeks" posts but i've chosen to take these with a pinch of salt). how are you doing on inositol? xx

I know neither could I! It's an absoloute joke, I was speaking to the woman behind the counter about it for ages, it's because we are a part of the EU:

https://www.consumersforhealthchoice.com/save-our-supplements/

it's so disheartening. I am having to pay extra to import it from the U.S via amazon...which i'm willing to do but just makes everything a bit of a pain. I've never tried liquid form but I've heard it is more potent and works faster! Is this the tincture form where you can drink it in tea?

thank you for your kind words. its to know other people have been through the same. diet definatly sounds like my best option now, I'm going to take your advice and try it for two weeks and see how it improves. I'm also taking matcha green tea every day (not sure how much thats really helping) and I've been on DIM for three weeks (too soon to see any effects - I've read a lot of "this supplement is a miracle/cleared me in two weeks" posts but i've chosen to take these with a pinch of salt). how are you doing on inositol? xx

I'm going to post the link on the holistic forum, I'm sure other folks would be interested in this travesty. This does show that many people are turning to supplements instead of medicines, and of course the pharmaceutical industry is worried. It sucks that they have the power to regulate supplements.

No, vitex in tea form is weak. The one I used was just vitex in liquid form, preserved in alcohol. I wasn't thrilled about the alcohol in it, but it helped it last longer. Not sure where you can get it in the UK....I got mine from Greece where they get it straight from the plant and it's the best quality. I actually have quite a few bottles of it left and I'm not sure what to do with them. If you can't get it from somewhere, perhaps I could ship you my bottles somehow.

Yeah, keep up with DIM for now until you get vitex,and go strict paleo to see if that helps. Since your skin responded to vitex, your acne is probably hormonal so you want to avoid anything that could impact your hormones, like too much sugar or too many carbs.

For vitamin A, I don't recommend megadosing. I take herpanacine, which has a good amount of A long with zinc and other useful vitamins in the correct amounts.

I know neither could I! It's an absoloute joke, I was speaking to the woman behind the counter about it for ages, it's because we are a part of the EU:

https://www.consumersforhealthchoice.com/save-our-supplements/

it's so disheartening. I am having to pay extra to import it from the U.S via amazon...which i'm willing to do but just makes everything a bit of a pain. I've never tried liquid form but I've heard it is more potent and works faster! Is this the tincture form where you can drink it in tea?

thank you for your kind words. its to know other people have been through the same. diet definatly sounds like my best option now, I'm going to take your advice and try it for two weeks and see how it improves. I'm also taking matcha green tea every day (not sure how much thats really helping) and I've been on DIM for three weeks (too soon to see any effects - I've read a lot of "this supplement is a miracle/cleared me in two weeks" posts but i've chosen to take these with a pinch of salt). how are you doing on inositol? xx

I'm going to post the link on the holistic forum, I'm sure other folks would be interested in this travesty. This does show that many people are turning to supplements instead of medicines, and of course the pharmaceutical industry is worried. It sucks that they have the power to regulate supplements.

No, vitex in tea form is weak. The one I used was just vitex in liquid form, preserved in alcohol. I wasn't thrilled about the alcohol in it, but it helped it last longer. Not sure where you can get it in the UK....I got mine from Greece where they get it straight from the plant and it's the best quality. I actually have quite a few bottles of it left and I'm not sure what to do with them. If you can't get it from somewhere, perhaps I could ship you my bottles somehow.

Yeah, keep up with DIM for now until you get vitex,and go strict paleo to see if that helps. Since your skin responded to vitex, your acne is probably hormonal so you want to avoid anything that could impact your hormones, like too much sugar or too many carbs.

For vitamin A, I don't recommend megadosing. I take herpanacine, which has a good amount of A long with zinc and other useful vitamins in the correct amounts.

Yes good thinking, it would be great to get other people signing the forum and just being aware of what is going on. i know, it's scary to think how much control they have and what it might amount to...anyway people are fighting against it so hopefully something will be done.

Oh wow, thats very kind of you. I would pay the shipping costs and P&P if you did..are you U.S? i've never seen it sold in the U.K, i know you can get it from amazon but im not sure which to buy. wouldn't you want to keep it just in case though?

my acne is definatly hormonal...its cystic, its around my lower mouth and jawline, and it flares up around ov. and before my period. i was diagnosed with PCOS last march. vitex sorted it right out, i was even getting to the stage where i didn't bother with make up so much any more and was starting to get microdermabrasion for my scarring. never mind, onwards and upwards!

Yes I agree megadosing probably isn't the best idea..at the moment I take 8000 IU which is the max. reccomended dose for a female (so says the internet and H&B) - only been on that since saturday though. i've never heard of herpanacine before...i'll check this out because i'm taking zinc too. xx

Yes good thinking, it would be great to get other people signing the forum and just being aware of what is going on. i know, it's scary to think how much control they have and what it might amount to...anyway people are fighting against it so hopefully something will be done.

Oh wow, thats very kind of you. I would pay the shipping costs and P&P if you did..are you U.S? i've never seen it sold in the U.K, i know you can get it from amazon but im not sure which to buy. wouldn't you want to keep it just in case though?

my acne is definatly hormonal...its cystic, its around my lower mouth and jawline, and it flares up around ov. and before my period. i was diagnosed with PCOS last march. vitex sorted it right out, i was even getting to the stage where i didn't bother with make up so much any more and was starting to get microdermabrasion for my scarring. never mind, onwards and upwards!

Yes I agree megadosing probably isn't the best idea..at the moment I take 8000 IU which is the max. reccomended dose for a female (so says the internet and H&B) - only been on that since saturday though. i've never heard of herpanacine before...i'll check this out because i'm taking zinc too. xx

Yes, I'm in the US currently but going to Europe this summer. I have too much stuff to get rid of and I didn't want my vitex to go to waste but I probably won't be able to take it with me so I figured it might be good to offer if someone wants it. It is A grade vitex, straight from the source and it helped me a lot in the past but unfortunately this time around it didn't do the trick.

PM me if you decide to use it, I could ship you one unopened bottle and if you are satisfied I can send you the rest...I don't want to sell it, would probably only need S&H costs cos I would ship it from the US. But hopefully if you figure something else out you may not even need vitex. I still think you should try a paleo, low GI diet...it can help a lot.

I forgot to add...in your signature you say you take DIM plus and green tea. First of all, green tea made things worse for me...it can raise androgens apparently, and it just messed up my skin worse when I used to drink it (also, the caffeinated kind is even worse).

DIM plus has a bunch of other ingredients in it, including a gelatin capsule, so it might be better to take a supplement that is mostly DIM, not other things, to see how DIM alone works for you. That's what I did just to see if DIM would work.

Inositol can also help especially if you have problems with ovulation breakouts.

Yes good thinking, it would be great to get other people signing the forum and just being aware of what is going on. i know, it's scary to think how much control they have and what it might amount to...anyway people are fighting against it so hopefully something will be done.

Oh wow, thats very kind of you. I would pay the shipping costs and P&P if you did..are you U.S? i've never seen it sold in the U.K, i know you can get it from amazon but im not sure which to buy. wouldn't you want to keep it just in case though?

my acne is definatly hormonal...its cystic, its around my lower mouth and jawline, and it flares up around ov. and before my period. i was diagnosed with PCOS last march. vitex sorted it right out, i was even getting to the stage where i didn't bother with make up so much any more and was starting to get microdermabrasion for my scarring. never mind, onwards and upwards!

Yes I agree megadosing probably isn't the best idea..at the moment I take 8000 IU which is the max. reccomended dose for a female (so says the internet and H&B) - only been on that since saturday though. i've never heard of herpanacine before...i'll check this out because i'm taking zinc too. xx

Yes, I'm in the US currently but going to Europe this summer. I have too much stuff to get rid of and I didn't want my vitex to go to waste but I probably won't be able to take it with me so I figured it might be good to offer if someone wants it. It is A grade vitex, straight from the source and it helped me a lot in the past but unfortunately this time around it didn't do the trick.

PM me if you decide to use it, I could ship you one unopened bottle and if you are satisfied I can send you the rest...I don't want to sell it, would probably only need S&H costs cos I would ship it from the US. But hopefully if you figure something else out you may not even need vitex. I still think you should try a paleo, low GI diet...it can help a lot.

this is so kind of you to offer, thank you if it's not too much trouble I would love it... I'll PM you yes i agree paleo may be the best bet, i've been researching recipes, i'm pretty healthy in general but there are things i could change. I think though given that i have pcos i'll definatly need something extra to give things a shove hormonally, whether that be vitex or something else. vitex really did seem to be working.

I forgot to add...in your signature you say you take DIM plus and green tea. First of all, green tea made things worse for me...it can raise androgens apparently, and it just messed up my skin worse when I used to drink it (also, the caffeinated kind is even worse).

DIM plus has a bunch of other ingredients in it, including a gelatin capsule, so it might be better to take a supplement that is mostly DIM, not other things, to see how DIM alone works for you. That's what I did just to see if DIM would work.

Inositol can also help especially if you have problems with ovulation breakouts.

aaaaaah i seee....this is interesting....i take matcha as there was evidence that it stops the conversion of testosterone to DHT - i've just ran out though so I may give it a week or so without taking it and see if it makes a difference. DIM I'm on the fence about. Read so many rave reviews but I've been on it a month and really not seen any difference yet so you are probably right. If anything i think it may have made me break out more a little. i've cut it down to one a day rather than two but i'm not sure whether to just give up altogether and focus on vitex alone or try adding inositol into the mix. can it be used together with vitex? ovulation breakouts are a big big problem for me, more so than when I am about to come on.

I think i'm just panicking a little because i was doing so well then I had a massive set back, and now i'm putting a time limit on things because of this wedding . sh****t!

if ovulation breakouts are worse for you, then inositol could help you more than DIM.