The pill and acne medications
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The pill and acne medications
| Sun, 05-30-2004 - 2:47pm |
My birth control pill (OTC) hasn't helped my acne very much. I am starting to get scars and plan on going to my doctor sometime this week to talk about it. My question is is anybody out there in the same boat but is taking any type of medication that works and doesn't interfere with the pill's effectiveness? I would just ask my doctor, but the thing is I'm not sure I 100% trust him. When I went and got antibiotics the last time he didn't tell me that they can interfere with my pill, and when I asked him, he said "well, the pill isn't 100% effective anyway" which I already knew, but he didn't state the fact that this antibiotic would LIKELY decrease the effectivenes. Grrr. Makes me mad. Is anyone taking any type of medication that helps the scars to fade?
Any advice is GREATLY greatly appreciated.
Any advice is GREATLY greatly appreciated.

I have some serious acne also. I'm 32 and my skin has gotten worse over time. My skin did better on Ortho Novum 777 and regular Ortho Cyclen, but I tend to BLOAT on .35 of estrogen. I feel better on norethindrone rather than norgestrel and norgestimate. Mircette was the only pill that made my skin WORSE. I do not want to try Yasmin, as I don't want the added worry of any potassium concerns, but some girls people have great success w/Yasmin. My derm gives me Differin .1 and Cleocin T. Makes a huge difference. I'm on OTC Lo right now and that made my skin bad for a week, but now its pretty good, but I'm going back to LoEstrin, which is also ok for my skin and I feel less bloated. But I would definitely try bcp + Retin A, Differin, or Avita gel. Wear sunscreen w/Retin-A if you get it.
Hope this helps you and just my experience.
CL for Acne
I think OTC might be safer than Diane-35 but the two might differ in their effectiveness against acne as that can be a pretty individual thing. You know that there is an advisory out about Diane-35, right? See: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpfb-dgpsa/tpd-dpt/diane-35_dhpl_e.html
Good luck,
Jill
Hi, I know you posted this over a month ago, but this is my first time visiting this board, so....
Anyway, my dermatologist put me on Aladactone (Spironolactone) which is actually a blood pressure medication that can be used to treat acne as well by supressing hormones. It does not interfere with birth control at all, and he told me that this medication and the OTC would kind of work hand-in-hand -- and they do!!! It's funny that you mentioned antibiotics because my dermatologist told me that is the typical way that acne is treated and is basically an easy way out...like, you see results quickly but it doesn't really solve the problem.
I don't know of anything other than time that will help the scars to fade (basically I'm going thru the same thing as you)...if I can help in any other way, don't hesitate to let me know!
~* Kristen
It's been awhile for this post, but I am back.
ANYWAY I went to visit my doctor and with his help tried to figure out what to do. He suggested Diane-35, which I had researched due to the concerns on this board. When I voiced my concerns, my doctor gave me his opinion (one that I do trust). He said that the study performed on Diane-35 and the adverse side effects was based on very few studies (I'm not sure if it was 1 or 2) and he said that he and fellow doctors felt that it didn't pose as high of a risk as reported, in terms of if you were healthy and didn't have precursors that could affect it (eg. high blood pressure, previous blood clots etc.) He also said that Diane 35 is not taken for an extended time period because of the high level of progestin, so that the chances of adverse effects are minimal.
I have been on it for a month now and have had no serious side effects at all, and my face is beginning the process of clearing up. I'm sure it's not for everyone, but I'm glad I considered it.
There's my 2 cents!!
Have a lovely day ladies!!
I'm glad Diane-35 is working for you. Thanks for the update.
Good luck,
Jill