You guys, I'm at an all time low on my acne-fighting journey.
I had to quit taking spironolactone last week due to terrible dizzy spells and numbness. I went to the doc and my blood pressure had dropped considerably. I am really sad because spiro was working for me, my skin will never be great because its so fucked with scars but at least I wasn't getting new acne. Fast forward to tonight and my skin is horrid. I have two new blood scars. One is right between my eyebrows! And the other is my biggest blood scar yet on my right cheek. Even my boyfriend pointed out how bad my skin has gotten since I stopped taking Spiro and I can feel people looking at my acne when we talk. I just had a picking session and I'm typing this with a bloody tissue to my face. I want to give up. If I can't take Spiro what else is there? How do I keep my blood pressure up? My skin is so ugly I am crying right now.
Flutamide: Rx anti-androgen that doesn't lower blood pressure
Natural anti-androgens: Saw palmetto, stinging nettle, pygeum, pumpkin seed oil
Natural progesterone cream (NOT premarin or synthetic progesterone): Helps regulate DHT and other androgens
Thank you thank you thank you
Flutamide is making me hopeful again
you should get paid for your contributions to this site
I'm so sorry you're having such a rough time! Try to stay positive... everything will be okay; there are lots of other options you can try! (:
thank you
Flutamide: Rx anti-androgen that doesn't lower blood pressure
Natural anti-androgens: Saw palmetto, stinging nettle, pygeum, pumpkin seed oil
Natural progesterone cream (NOT premarin or synthetic progesterone): Helps regulate DHT and other androgens
Thank you thank you thank you
Flutamide is making me hopeful again
you should get paid for your contributions to this site
I'm so sorry you're having such a rough time! Try to stay positive... everything will be okay; there are lots of other options you can try! (:
thank you
Flutamide is most often used for PCOS but it's even rarer than spiro for acne, so you may want to take some studies to your dermatologist:
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/10584414
A low dose of flutamide (250 mg/day) in association with or without estrogen-progestogen is effective for the clinical improvement of acne vulgaris in women with or without oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea.
http://www.dovepress...ed-article-CCID
The use of oral flutamide is rarely investigated in acne therapy. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of oral flutamide with that of a cyproterone-estradiol combination in treating acne lesions. Both treatments resulted in substantial improvement in acne lesions. Although flutamide seemed to have higher efficacy, an intention to treat analysis did not find the two treatment protocols to be different. lutamide appears to be more effective than a cyproterone-estradiol combination in some aspects of acne treatment, but this requires confirmation in a larger trial.
Dermatologic ClinicsVolume 24 Number 2 April 2006
Copyright © 2006 W. B. Saunders Company
Flutamide has also been used in the treatment of acne vulgaris. Flutamide is a nonsteroidal androgen receptor blocker FDA approved for the treatment of prostate cancer. Its efficacy has been measured in both the treatment of acne vulgaris and hirsutism. Improvement in acne was reported in 11 of 15 patients receiving 250 mg twice a day of flutamide [22]
I took flutamide and would not recommend it without cautioning you or anyone else.
I looked like a cancer patient, seriously. I lost so much weight and I was thin to begin with. Driest skin ever which made me look old and even though I was clear was unable to use hydrating moisturizers because I still brok out from them.
I had TONS of side effects. Had no appetite, had hot flashes, it ruined my stomach so that I had to take another med daily for that.
Did I mention people were alarmed by my appearance? I looked that bad. I had no acne, but looked gaunt and horrible.
I finally caved in and stopped bc I woke up with a pounding heartbeat from a sound sleep and that scared me.
I know I'm forgetting some side effects, so I'll come back in a few days and update when I remember them.
I was in the same place as you with spiro -- I had to stop bc of low bp., so I was so happy when I found out about it. Good luck finding someone to rx it, most won't. You'll have to go to an endo to get it at all and of course there's the liver concern, so labs and zero alcohol.
I stopped and started using benzoyl peroxide and I'm clear. I regret not doing that from the get go bc it works and I'm not harming my health. So you may want to try that and look into more natural treatments. Smoothies help me a lot and so does omegas and zinc.
Vitex may help too. If I break out again I'm trying that.
I hope this helps.