Hi everyone! Apologies for the essay, but I feel it’s necessary I discuss my full story to get proper solutions.
When I was 15yrs-17yrs old, I struggled with painful and cystic acne all over my face. I tried every topical, cream, diet, etc. nothing worked. As my last resort, my dermatologist put me on a combination birth control pill & had me start Accutane. After a 6 month course of Accutane my acne had disappeared! Skin looked perfect. My derm at the time recommended I still stay on the pill to help keep my acne to a minimum once I officially stopped taking Accutane.
After 4 years of being on the same birth control pill, I began experiencing bad side effects from it. My gynecologist said I was on a really high dosage and recommended I try lower dosages & brands. Nothing worked and I ultimately made the decision to get a Copper IUD. I absolutely love my IUD & feel so much better! Since getting my IUD, my acne has come back. It’s not as bad as it was originally but it’s still bad.
My new dermatologist said my acne is most likely hormonal and recommended I try Spironolactone (the pill version) since I’m hesitant to do Accutane again. I started with 25mg and worked my way up to 75mg over the course of 3 months. My acne has slowly, very slowly been going away. But I’ve been experiencing awful side effects such as a never ending period. I’ve been bleeding for almost 2 months straight. My derm has also been pressuring me to go back on the pill & saying it’s my IUD’s fault. I know it’s definitely not my IUD since I’ve never had this issue until I started Spironolactone. I had such a bad experience on the pill and have gone through too much to get my IUD removed early.
I don’t know what other options I have besides trying Accutane again. Any recommendations on what I should do? Does a second round of Accutane help “cure” hormonal acne? Should I ask for blood work to be done to see what specific hormones are affecting my acne? Try another oral acne medication? I just feel so hopeless and have no idea how to fix my hormonal acne.
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