Did the pill improve your acne?

[SueGrayInvestigates]

Which one are you on? I get big lumps on my neck and jawline and some on my chin so I’m looking into going on some form of pill for it. Did it improve a lot?

Thanks Live.

Quim can you get that at the GP?

Name change fail!

I was on Dianette and then Yasmin and looking back they certainly helped my
skin, but they also impacted on my mental health (but I didn’t realise it at the time as I was on them for so many years: I just thought I was an anxious person who cried a lot… Not the case at all once I came off them!) . Plus, when I came off Yasmin I had terrible breakouts and hair loss until it all calmed down a few months later. I would be reluctant to go on it again. Roaccutane was the main thing that helped me.

Dianette. I was on it for about 13 years or so. It was not only brilliant for my skin, my mood was fantastic during all those years. I miss being on them terribly for that reason, but they wouldn't let me take it any longer.

Have you explored Roaccutane? Absolutely incredible for me

If you do get prescribed roaccutane, consider using a lower dosage than they recommend. The nurse ramped it up to 70mg of roaccutane by the end; I stayed on a lower dosage (10 or 20 max.) and the spots still miraculously cleared up. In other countries a m lower dosage is normal, and I can't help but think that the high dosage is why people sometimes react so badly to it here.

If you haven't done so already, it's also worth asking for a blood test for vitamin and iron deficiencies. I was low in iron and a couple of vitamins. When I started supplementing my skin cleared up after years of trouble.

Have you explored Roaccutane?

I haven’t because of the mental health aspect but I think I will ask my GP about it.

I'm on Millinette and don't get acne since going in it. I used to get it really bad on my neck. It's a low dose combined pill.

Marvelon gave me the clearest skin of my life... and blood clots in my lungs. Tread very carefully.

@WalkOnGildedSplinters I used to at my old GP, the nurses would do it, but I had to change surgeries recently and my new one doesn't. Which is a real fucking pain to be honest, I'm thinking of changing again but I didn't think to ask before I transferred

Pink are you ok? Is there anything they can do about them?

That’s annoying Quim.

@SueGrayInvestigates All good now, thank you. Without trivialising, they're actually not too difficult to clear up once they're spotted, just obviously very dangerous to leave. Anticoagulants stop your body creating more clots and then your immune system gets rid of the existing ones. At the time I was both scared of how my body was malfunctioning and in awe of how it then sorted itself out. They're also very rare - the whole time I was being treated, every single doctor and nurse said they'd never actually treated anyone who got them from the pill, depsite knowing they are a possible side effect. Just worth people being aware that it still is listed as a potential side effect.

Hugely.

I was mostly on Yasmin.

Pink good to know yes and good to know you’re ok.

Dianette when I was younger. And then post 30 and having kids I rarely got any acne anymore and swapped it for wrinkles - joy!

Wanted to come back and post a link to this website called Stuff That Works. It's for people to share experiences and solutions to medical problems. This is only one of the acne pages. www.stuffthatworks.health/acne/discussion/128136
It seems a lot of people are saying dairy and eggs contribute very much to cystic acne.
Anyway, the whole site is useful for ideas of what to try. Good luck all.

Thanks Bortles