3rd June 2004
Skimom
LOL, that's far too kind of you. I'm definately not the BC expert, but I've had my share of it. I personally didn't do well on Demulen (would spot), but when I switched to Tri-levlen, no problems. It never caused me to breakout.
As for the generics, they may not be using as pure an active product, and so it's possible that it's not as effective. I've also heard that Orthotricyclen caused some females to breakout worse too. So which is it, I don't know, it does take about 3 months to see how it's effecting your hormones (do you know her Testosterone & Free Testosterone levels) but maybe you have an idea now that she's on the name Brand.
If it turns out to not be effective, BC reduced my Free Testosterone levels by 50%, then you can move her on to a DHT inhibitor. I did Spiro when I was 18, wish it had been sooner, and that reduced my levels another 30%. So with an 80% reduction, I was maybe 60% - 75% clear 9 months of the year and only 80 - 85% clear during the other 3 months (summertime). I followed that course for 3 years and then moved on to better things. ;-) Other females on this board though followed a similar path, Diane -35 or taking Spiro & a BC and ended being 100% clear.
I believe in a variety of treatments, since this is the route your interested in, you may want to push for another general doctor or go straight to an Endocrinologist. I was lucky that I got prescribed the Spiro from a regular doctor, but I had a prior Endocrinology consultation where it was suggested that I could, if I wasn't getting the results I wanted. If you go that route, you should be able to find out more about her hormonal situation.
I know several males had to order spiro illegally and I'm not thrilled with that. Some members here are allergic to sulpha drugs and so have had negative reactions to Spiro. I've met more that it's helped, than hurt (side effect wise), but you definately want to be able to have her blood work monitored, especially during the first couple of months. Hopefully this is something that will go away with time. I suppose a good indicator is to look at your family and your husband's family. Does acne run on either side and if so, did it go beyond puberty?
Bye for now
LOL, that's far too kind of you. I'm definately not the BC expert, but I've had my share of it. I personally didn't do well on Demulen (would spot), but when I switched to Tri-levlen, no problems. It never caused me to breakout.
As for the generics, they may not be using as pure an active product, and so it's possible that it's not as effective. I've also heard that Orthotricyclen caused some females to breakout worse too. So which is it, I don't know, it does take about 3 months to see how it's effecting your hormones (do you know her Testosterone & Free Testosterone levels) but maybe you have an idea now that she's on the name Brand.
If it turns out to not be effective, BC reduced my Free Testosterone levels by 50%, then you can move her on to a DHT inhibitor. I did Spiro when I was 18, wish it had been sooner, and that reduced my levels another 30%. So with an 80% reduction, I was maybe 60% - 75% clear 9 months of the year and only 80 - 85% clear during the other 3 months (summertime). I followed that course for 3 years and then moved on to better things. ;-) Other females on this board though followed a similar path, Diane -35 or taking Spiro & a BC and ended being 100% clear.
I believe in a variety of treatments, since this is the route your interested in, you may want to push for another general doctor or go straight to an Endocrinologist. I was lucky that I got prescribed the Spiro from a regular doctor, but I had a prior Endocrinology consultation where it was suggested that I could, if I wasn't getting the results I wanted. If you go that route, you should be able to find out more about her hormonal situation.
I know several males had to order spiro illegally and I'm not thrilled with that. Some members here are allergic to sulpha drugs and so have had negative reactions to Spiro. I've met more that it's helped, than hurt (side effect wise), but you definately want to be able to have her blood work monitored, especially during the first couple of months. Hopefully this is something that will go away with time. I suppose a good indicator is to look at your family and your husband's family. Does acne run on either side and if so, did it go beyond puberty?
Bye for now