Heart palpitations, tsh high
something that has never happened before, I started getting heart palpitations 4 days ago: every 5 minutes my heart does a few erratic jumps. Ive had hypothyroidism for years and for the most part its been under control. I check my levels every 6 months and this time my test results showed my tsh levels were higher at 5.4. Despite having them under control since January and taking my medicine everyday as always. so my primary doctor upped my dosage from 112 mcg levothyroxin to 125mcg.
I got an ekg done and waiting on results. Its a constant discomfort in my chest but not painful. I dont have general anxiety or have been under abnormal amount of stress. But Im starting to get nervous tbh. Does anyone have history with this- if so how did it go?
Previous hx: on one meal a day diet, fasting for 18-22 hours, rosacea, psoriasis- taking doxycycline.

N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC): Your Body's Champion Against Damage and Disease

Imagine your body as a battlefield. Every day, free radicals, unstable molecules, roam around trying to damage your cells.This constant barrage is called oxidative stress, and it's linked to a variety of chronic diseases. But fear not, for there's a valiant warrior in your corner: N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC).
NAC: The Mastermind of Glutathione Production
NAC is a modified version of the amino acid L-cysteine. Its most crucial role? Boosting your body's production of glutathione, the "master antioxidant." A study by the University of Arizona highlights how NAC effectively increases glutathione levels in human lung cells [1]. Glutathione acts like a cellular janitor, mopping up free radicals and protecting your cells from harm.
Beyond Detoxification: A Multifaceted Defender
But NAC's benefits extend far beyond detoxification. Here's how this superhero supplement can support your health:

• Respiratory Relief: NAC helps thin mucus, making it easier to expel in conditions like bronchitis. A University of Miami study found that NAC treatment significantly improved lung function in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [2].
• Mental Health Matters: Research suggests NAC may play a role in regulating glutamate, a neurotransmitter involved in mood. A study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences points towards NAC's potential benefits for symptoms of depression [3].
• Addiction Fighter: Early studies indicate NAC might help with addiction recovery by reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms. More research is ongoing in this promising area.
• Fertility Friend: NAC may improve fertility in both men and women by reducing oxidative stress in sperm and eggs. A small study in the journal Andrologia suggests NAC supplementation might enhance sperm quality [4].
• Heart Health Hero: NAC's antioxidant properties might help reduce the risk of heart disease by improving blood flow and lowering inflammation.

Important Note: While NAC offers a range of potential benefits, it's crucial to consult your doctor before starting any new supplement. They can advise you on the appropriate dosage and identify any potential interactions with medications you're already taking.
Embrace the Power of NAC
NAC is a fascinating supplement with a diverse range of health benefits. From boosting your body's natural defenses to potentially aiding with specific health concerns, NAC is a powerful tool to optimize your well-being. Remember, a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet is essential, and NAC can act as a valuable ally in your fight for a healthier you.
References:

1. University of Arizona College of Medicine - “Pubmed Glutathione Elevation by N Acetylcysteine in Human Alveolar Epithelial Cells”
2. University of Miami Miller School of Medicine - “Pubmed Oral N Acetylcysteine Reduces Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease”
3. International Journal of Molecular Sciences - “Pubmed N Acetylcysteine (NAC) for Depression: Current Evidence and Future Directions [invalid URL removed]”
4. Journal Andrologia - “Pubmed The Combined Effects of L Carnitine and N Acetylcysteine on Seminal Parameters and Hormonal Levels in Idiopathic Oligoasthenospermia”

So some of you may remember me from my post about the horrible “purging” from my Tret and clindamycin combo that I was prescribed. After less than 2 weeks, I had a horrible reaction that left my entire face red, bumpy, and filled with white heads. I went from smooth skin with maybe a couple of pimples and acne marks to severe acne.
Even though this is an ongoing issue, it’s still a long read! I’m so sorry in advance!
About two months ago, I quit spirono due to a bad reaction I had (I wrote an essay in my history if anyone is interested) and haven’t had too much of a problem with acne returning.
My skincare routine was originally spirono (before I quit it), azealic acid and retinol, but my dermatologist said they won’t renew my prescription unless I visit them. I didn’t want to spend the money to visit them because my dermatologist is really expensive ($170 per visit) with really limited availability and always just talks about accutane despite me saying I wasn’t interested, so I decided not to book with them and to instead just go with telehealth to get my prescription renewed. This was such a mistake!
When I talked with the nurse on GoodRx care, she suggested I go on doxycycline and spironolactone- which were both medications I wrote in the notes that I couldn’t go on. I explained again that I couldn’t go on it , so she gave me a list of prescriptions to “choose” from, which I thought was a little strange but I figured that it was normal since I never used telehealth for dermatologist before. I told her I would be willing to try an antibiotic and tretinoin. She prescribed me clindamycin and tretinoin, and told me to read the instructions on how and when to use them. Thinking back at it, it’s strange that she prescribed me such a higher dosage of both (1% clindamycin and 0.05% tretinoin) but I just “trusted the process.”
I explained my routine in the original post if anyone is interested, but it was fairly simple. After just a few days though, my entire face erupted in giant bumps (not cysts, but they looked very similar. They were red inflamed legions with no pus), pimples, and whiteheads. I posted some pictures of the before vs after if anyone is interested, but just know it got so much worse after that.
After visiting my original prescriber, the doctor supervising her (this was all on GoodRx care, so the chat was accessible to everyone) told me to immediately go to urgent care (she never saw pictures of my acne post-treatment, I only described what happened. This is because you can’t send additional pictures via good rx care). I called urgent care and they said they could help with the itching or any pain, but they can’t do much besides that. My face was itchy, constantly inflamed, and in so much pain. I went back to nurse that gave me the routine. The original prescriber told me that she was considering adding me on to an oral antibiotic to help and I agreed, only for her to never send the prescription to the pharmacy. I went back to the chat and asked about the prescription only for the PCA to respond that I needed to pay for another appointment if I wanted another prescription.
So I made another appointment and explained what happened, only for a new nurse to respond and tell me to see a doctor because my acne was too severe and that I already used the treatments that they had available. She said she was unwilling to prescribe anything else due to my reaction to their prescriptions.
At this point, I spent so much money on appointments and medications and I just felt very tired and frustrated. I made an appointment with a primary care physician and explained what happened. He said the reaction was likely due to the 1% clindamycin and to stop using it immediately. I also thought that might be the case because a few days before seeing him I patch tested clindamycin on my chest and noticed that my chest felt itchy the next day, and that I had some red marks on it.
I talked with him about how I believed that I was having a reaction and not normal acne, and after discussion we settled on a steroid course for 10 days and an antibiotic for 30 days. The steroid (a corticosteroid) treats the inflammation and the antibiotic will treat the bacterial aspect. This is all in addition to maintaining the tretinoin in my routine.
Thank you to everyone that gave me advice on that post! Especially to the person that told me to understand the difference between irritation and purging. My case was NOT purging. This was clear because I had acne in areas I’ve never broken out before. I’ve also had acne for years, so I knew the itchy redness was unusual. I kept trying to convince myself that I was overreacting, but after talking to you all, my friends, and that doctor, now I realize that I should be much more careful and observant with my health.
Also, be careful with telehealth, it’s hard to get the same quality of care as an actual doctor. I deeply regret trying to be cheap and fast with my skin. I’m now, quite literally, paying for it (financially and emotionally lol). Also, don’t stay stuck in an echo chamber! I love all the support I got from you all, but it’s important to realize that the answer isn’t always “just be patient and stick with it,” if you think something is up, then talk with a professional!
I just wanted to share this update in case it helps anyone. Again, thank you so so much for all the kindness I received from my last post!

So I took a urine culture recently and boom ureaplasma ureaticulum back again idk why I guess sex . Well this whole two years I have been on this subreddit the burning never goes away even when I’m negative but it may be something else idk pelvic floor issues . Well it only burns when I pee my actually vagina feels fine like the inside . But burns when I pee . Well my doctors aren’t wanting to give me the right medicine so I guess I’m gonna have to get it offline . I treated mycoplasma with 14 days moxifloxican . What is the regimen for ureaplasma and moxifloxican how many days and dosage frequency etc? I’m assuming maybe I was just reinfected idk … I have been positive for this so many times but I haven’t been since this time last year but I also have been sexually active but the burning pee has never went away … and someone’s labia. Well my partner is gonna have to be treated to I’m allergic to doxy and have some left over from when I tried to take it but it’s only 5 days worth so I’m gonna have to get him some too or he will have to go to the doctor to get more . My doctors keep trying to give me short doses of cipro when I have took so many antibiotics in the past how would this work !! Makes me furious … sorry for my rant but just curious what does of moxi should I take for ureaplasma ? And will 2 weeks of doxycycline be enough for him ? Thank y’all in advance so much !!!

first of all i apologies as this might not be the right community to post this. but i just feel hopeless and i just want peoples answers from literally anywhere. people with vaginas or experiences like this. anything really. :( like really really hopeless and lost. and its draining me mentally.
it all started on early feb. i (24F) had inner left labia pain 2-3 days after sex w my bf (25M) of 2 years (no sexual history prior). went to multiple drs and now none of them are helping me. some were’nt even being serious with me.
my symptoms were left inner labia pain, theres red patch near vagina entrance, slight discharge at the time. went to the pharmacy to get otc clotrimazole cream and i applied it on the area 2-3 times a day for almost a month. but just a few days of using the cream i noticed it didnt help so i visited a dr the same week symptoms appeared. 1st dr (government) gave me clotrimazole suppository 500mg. a week later period came, so i thought, oh maybe my period affected the healing process. so i went to visit another dr (gov) gave me the exact same suppository.
a week later, still havent improved. visited a new dr (gov). took gonorrhea swab test, dr told me i have yellowish discharge (inserted a speculum). and results taken in a gov hosp takes a month to be released. yeah it sucks waiting. so during that visit i was prescribed metronidazole and doxycycline. after i finished the medicines, of course i didnt improve. went to the same dr i visited last time. she examined my area again and told me i have “ulcers”. visually diagnosed me with herpes. now this is already early march. a month after initial symptoms appeared. took blood test and again the waiting game began.
that dr gave me acyclovir tablets. and me being paranoid i went to a private clinic to get tested for hsv. and it came out negative. i was also tested for syphilis, chlamydia and hiv, also negative.
at this point i feel like my pain was unbearable, there was some slight itching, on and off yellow discharge. ulcers still being there and near my vagina entrance hurt. the ulcers are located on my small labia. and the vagina entrance doesnt have ulcers but it hurt. all this located on left. sometimes my clit hood looks red and hurt.
after finishing acyclovir i wasnt healed. my period also ended when i finished the pills, so i went to the pharmacy again to get treated myself since drs treatments werent helping. i got myself otc metronidazole + miconazole combo suppository. and i got myself vaginal probiotics. i also used zinc oxide cream on the affected area.
after that treatment was done i was still not okay. visited the gov clinic to see my results, (which took a month) now its early april, dr told me i was positive gonorrhea. and other results was negative. so i got injected with ceftriaxone, and given doxycycline again. told my bf about my diagnosis, and told him to get tested. our relationship got rocky cuz of this. i didnt cheated and he claims he didnt too. we were kinda accusing each other. so he got tested and his results were negative. shocked of course, so he says i cheated. being in so much distress it affected my mental health so bad. even with hsv diagnosis i didnt eat a few day, woke up crying everyday, and couldnt focus on work where i had to take leaves.
so i went to the gov dr to get explanation and my symptoms have yet to heal after treatment (2 weeks after). surprisingly another dr attended to me at that same gov clinic (for some reason the other times only one same dr attended me) this new dr told me im actually negative gonorrhea and says maybe that other dr treated me empirically. but i swear that other dr told me i was positive and i even asked multiple times to be sure. this new dr told me the results show gonorrhea not detected but pus cell was seen. new dr believes i still have hsv and gave me lidocaine gel.
used the gel, didnt help much. after so many dr visits i felt hopeless and decided to just spend my money doing tests at private clinics rather than taking medicines blindly. so i did an std test for myco, urea and trich, chlamydia and gono, all negative.
then did a high vaginal swab to check my bacteria culture such as yeast and bv, strep. all negative and my vagina flora is normal. but during this test, dr also told me during this test she saw greenish/yellowish discharge (using speculum to get sample). i also did a hsv test again, still negative.
after this i smelled my discharge and it smelled sour. unsure if its normal or not. now end of april, i do still have yellowish discharge, some drs say its normal some says its not. i dont even know. but one of the days the red patch area hurt alot and was so irritated.
visited the gov dr again and she says she cant help me. by this time i wrote all my symptoms in a note on my phone inc pics of my vagina, test results, discharge and all. explaining all in detail and she just laughed at me saying im so extreme for writing everything in detail especially when i said i smelled my discharge and it was sour. she then just refered me to a gov derm.
visited the derm the same day. dr told me it doesnt look like ulcers more like lesions. just given me steroid pills and gel. i also wanted to show the dr my notes but she said its too long to read. i am quite positive and sure that this is not some skin problem that steroids could help. :( i feel like theyre just trying to make me take whatever hoping it gets better.
i then visited a private GYNO the same day. she tried helping. but she couldnt. she read all my notes and seen the pics. she says its weird i tested negative and believes i do or did have an infection going on. she advised me not to take the steroid pills as it could make an infection worse if i do still have one. so i just used the gel instead twice a day. gyno also told me to do a pap smear.
so i did, results came out 2 days ago and i was negative. nothing detected. since everything is for sure clear now, i started taking the steroid pills 2 days ago. today i still have pain on the red patch, the “ulcers” doesnt seem to be healing. but hurt only when touched. sometimes sitting on certain position makes me feel sore. but pain level not as bad as a month or two months ago. but i still have pain. i have been using the steroid gel a week now. i think im going crazy. idk what i have. nobody is able to help me. i know the pain is not just in my brain.
literally the red patch is very red today. ulcers still there. idk if i should stop using the steroid gel. i know i cant stop taking the pills suddenly or id get withdrawal symptoms. the pills are prednisonole. and its taken for 14 days decreasing dosage weekly. maybe ill apply steroid gel once a day now? is that okay tho.
my next appointmnt with the derm is this friday. but i really dont think its a SKIN PROBLEM. :(( i got symptoms 2-3 days after sex. the red patch pain has been there since day one, which is actually where it first started before ulcers popped up. never had outbreaks elsewhere up until now. so im sure its not hsv.
its been 4 months now, its already mid may. im not 100% better. ulcers/lesions have yet to heal since early march. what problem do i have? does anybody have similar experiences? what should i do?
edit: the same timing i tried smelling my discharge, i started noticing my pee smells off? idk if its normal pee smell but i think its musty? or soury? idk how to describe it tbh. but yea, its not like i smell my pee everytime. so im unsure how it smelled before this problem started. it might just be normal and im being paranoid now.

first of all i apologies as this might not be the right community to post this. but i just feel hopeless and i just want peoples answers from literally anywhere. people with vaginas or experiences like this. anything really. :( like really really hopeless and lost. and its draining me mentally.
it all started on early feb. i (24F) had inner left labia pain 2-3 days after sex w my bf (25M) of 2 years (no sexual history prior). went to multiple drs and now none of them are helping me. some were’nt even being serious with me.
my symptoms were left inner labia pain, theres red patch near vagina entrance, slight discharge at the time. went to the pharmacy to get otc clotrimazole cream and i applied it on the area 2-3 times a day for almost a month. but just a few days of using the cream i noticed it didnt help so i visited a dr the same week symptoms appeared. 1st dr (government) gave me clotrimazole suppository 500mg. a week later period came, so i thought, oh maybe my period affected the healing process. so i went to visit another dr (gov) gave me the exact same suppository.
a week later, still havent improved. visited a new dr (gov). took gonorrhea swab test, dr told me i have yellowish discharge (inserted a speculum). and results taken in a gov hosp takes a month to be released. yeah it sucks waiting. so during that visit i was prescribed metronidazole and doxycycline. after i finished the medicines, of course i didnt improve. went to the same dr i visited last time. she examined my area again and told me i have “ulcers”. visually diagnosed me with herpes. now this is already early march. a month after initial symptoms appeared. took blood test and again the waiting game began.
that dr gave me acyclovir tablets. and me being paranoid i went to a private clinic to get tested for hsv. and it came out negative. i was also tested for syphilis, chlamydia and hiv, also negative.
at this point i feel like my pain was unbearable, there was some slight itching, on and off yellow discharge. ulcers still being there and near my vagina entrance hurt. the ulcers are located on my small labia. and the vagina entrance doesnt have ulcers but it hurt. all this located on left. sometimes my clit hood looks red and hurt.
after finishing acyclovir i wasnt healed. my period also ended when i finished the pills, so i went to the pharmacy again to get treated myself since drs treatments werent helping. i got myself otc metronidazole + miconazole combo suppository. and i got myself vaginal probiotics. i also used zinc oxide cream on the affected area.
after that treatment was done i was still not okay. visited the gov clinic to see my results, (which took a month) now its early april, dr told me i was positive gonorrhea. and other results was negative. so i got injected with ceftriaxone, and given doxycycline again. told my bf about my diagnosis, and told him to get tested. our relationship got rocky cuz of this. i didnt cheated and he claims he didnt too. we were kinda accusing each other. so he got tested and his results were negative. shocked of course, so he says i cheated. being in so much distress it affected my mental health so bad. even with hsv diagnosis i didnt eat a few day, woke up crying everyday, and couldnt focus on work where i had to take leaves.
so i went to the gov dr to get explanation and my symptoms have yet to heal after treatment (2 weeks after). surprisingly another dr attended to me at that same gov clinic (for some reason the other times only one same dr attended me) this new dr told me im actually negative gonorrhea and says maybe that other dr treated me empirically. but i swear that other dr told me i was positive and i even asked multiple times to be sure. this new dr told me the results show gonorrhea not detected but pus cell was seen. new dr believes i still have hsv and gave me lidocaine gel.
used the gel, didnt help much. after so many dr visits i felt hopeless and decided to just spend my money doing tests at private clinics rather than taking medicines blindly. so i did an std test for myco, urea and trich, chlamydia and gono, all negative.
then did a high vaginal swab to check my bacteria culture such as yeast and bv, strep. all negative and my vagina flora is normal. but during this test, dr also told me during this test she saw greenish/yellowish discharge (using speculum to get sample). i also did a hsv test again, still negative.
after this i smelled my discharge and it smelled sour. unsure if its normal or not. now end of april, i do still have yellowish discharge, some drs say its normal some says its not. i dont even know. but one of the days the red patch area hurt alot and was so irritated.
visited the gov dr again and she says she cant help me. by this time i wrote all my symptoms in a note on my phone inc pics of my vagina, test results, discharge and all. explaining all in detail and she just laughed at me saying im so extreme for writing everything in detail especially when i said i smelled my discharge and it was sour. she then just refered me to a gov derm.
visited the derm the same day. dr told me it doesnt look like ulcers more like lesions. just given me steroid pills and gel. i also wanted to show the dr my notes but she said its too long to read. i am quite positive and sure that this is not some skin problem that steroids could help. :( i feel like theyre just trying to make me take whatever hoping it gets better.
i then visited a private GYNO the same day. she tried helping. but she couldnt. she read all my notes and seen the pics. she says its weird i tested negative and believes i do or did have an infection going on. she advised me not to take the steroid pills as it could make an infection worse if i do still have one. so i just used the gel instead twice a day. gyno also told me to do a pap smear.
so i did, results came out 2 days ago and i was negative. nothing detected. since everything is for sure clear now, i started taking the steroid pills 2 days ago. today i still have pain on the red patch, the “ulcers” doesnt seem to be healing. but hurt only when touched. sometimes sitting on certain position makes me feel sore. but pain level not as bad as a month or two months ago. but i still have pain. i have been using the steroid gel a week now. i think im going crazy. idk what i have. nobody is able to help me. i know the pain is not just in my brain.
literally the red patch is very red today. ulcers still there. idk if i should stop using the steroid gel. i know i cant stop taking the pills suddenly or id get withdrawal symptoms. the pills are prednisonole. and its taken for 14 days decreasing dosage weekly. maybe ill apply steroid gel once a day now? is that okay tho.
my next appointmnt with the derm is this friday. but i really dont think its a SKIN PROBLEM. :(( i got symptoms 2-3 days after sex. the red patch pain has been there since day one, which is actually where it first started before ulcers popped up. never had outbreaks elsewhere up until now. so im sure its not hsv.
its been 4 months now, its already mid may. im not 100% better. ulcers/lesions have yet to heal since early march. what problem do i have? does anybody have similar experiences? what should i do?
edit: the same timing i tried smelling my discharge, i started noticing my pee smells off? idk if its normal pee smell but i think its musty? or soury? idk how to describe it tbh. but yea, its not like i smell my pee everytime. so im unsure how it smelled before this problem started. it might just be normal and im being paranoid now.

it all started on early feb. i (24F) had inner left labia pain 2-3 days after sex w my bf (25M) of 2 years (no sexual history prior). went to multiple drs and now none of them are helping me. some were’nt even being serious with me.
my symptoms were left inner labia pain, theres red patch near vagina entrance, slight discharge at the time. went to the pharmacy to get otc clotrimazole cream and i applied it on the area 2-3 times a day for almost a month. but just a few days of using the cream i noticed it didnt help so i visited a dr the same week symptoms appeared. 1st dr (government) gave me clotrimazole suppository 500mg. a week later period came, so i thought, oh maybe my period affected the healing process. so i went to visit another dr (gov) gave me the exact same suppository.
a week later, still havent improved. visited a new dr (gov). took gonorrhea swab test, dr told me i have yellowish discharge (inserted a speculum). and results taken in a gov hosp takes a month to be released. yeah it sucks waiting. so during that visit i was prescribed metronidazole and doxycycline. after i finished the medicines, of course i didnt improve. went to the same dr i visited last time. she examined my area again and told me i have “ulcers”. visually diagnosed me with herpes. now this is already early march. a month after initial symptoms appeared. took blood test and again the waiting game began.
that dr gave me acyclovir tablets. and me being paranoid i went to a private clinic to get tested for hsv. and it came out negative. i was also tested for syphilis, chlamydia and hiv, also negative.
at this point i feel like my pain was unbearable, there was some slight itching, on and off yellow discharge. ulcers still being there and near my vagina entrance hurt. the ulcers are located on my small labia. and the vagina entrance doesnt have ulcers but it hurt. all this located on left. sometimes my clit hood looks red and hurt.
after finishing acyclovir i wasnt healed. my period also ended when i finished the pills, so i went to the pharmacy again to get treated myself since drs treatments werent helping. i got myself otc metronidazole + miconazole combo suppository. and i got myself vaginal probiotics. i also used zinc oxide cream on the affected area.
after that treatment was done i was still not okay. visited the gov clinic to see my results, (which took a month) now its early april, dr told me i was positive gonorrhea. and other results was negative. so i got injected with ceftriaxone, and given doxycycline again. told my bf about my diagnosis, and told him to get tested. our relationship got rocky cuz of this. i didnt cheated and he claims he didnt too. we were kinda accusing each other. so he got tested and his results were negative. shocked of course, so he says i cheated. being in so much distress it affected my mental health so bad. even with hsv diagnosis i didnt eat a few day, woke up crying everyday, and couldnt focus on work where i had to take leaves.
so i went to the gov dr to get explanation and my symptoms have yet to heal after treatment (2 weeks after). surprisingly another dr attended to me at that same gov clinic (for some reason the other times only one same dr attended me) this new dr told me im actually negative gonorrhea and says maybe that other dr treated me empirically. but i swear that other dr told me i was positive and i even asked multiple times to be sure. this new dr told me the results show gonorrhea not detected but pus cell was seen. new dr believes i still have hsv and gave me lidocaine gel.
used the gel, didnt help much. after so many dr visits i felt hopeless and decided to just spend my money doing tests at private clinics rather than taking medicines blindly. so i did an std test for myco, urea and trich, chlamydia and gono, all negative.
then did a high vaginal swab to check my bacteria culture such as yeast and bv, strep. all negative and my vagina flora is normal. but during this test, dr also told me during this test she saw greenish/yellowish discharge (using speculum to get sample). i also did a hsv test again, still negative.
after this i smelled my discharge and it smelled sour. unsure if its normal or not. now end of april, i do still have yellowish discharge, some drs say its normal some says its not. i dont even know. but one of the days the red patch area hurt alot and was so irritated.
visited the gov dr again and she says she cant help me. by this time i wrote all my symptoms in a note on my phone inc pics of my vagina, test results, discharge and all. explaining all in detail and she just laughed at me saying im so extreme for writing everything in detail especially when i said i smelled my discharge and it was sour. she then just refered me to a gov derm.
visited the derm the same day. dr told me it doesnt look like ulcers more like lesions. just given me steroid pills and gel. i also wanted to show the dr my notes but she said its too long to read. i am quite positive and sure that this is not some skin problem that steroids could help. :( i feel like theyre just trying to make me take whatever hoping it gets better.
i then visited a private GYNO the same day. she tried helping. but she couldnt. she read all my notes and seen the pics. she says its weird i tested negative and believes i do or did have an infection going on. she advised me not to take the steroid pills as it could make an infection worse if i do still have one. so i just used the gel instead twice a day. gyno also told me to do a pap smear.
so i did, results came out 2 days ago and i was negative. nothing detected. since everything is for sure clear now, i started taking the steroid pills 2 days ago. today i still have pain on the red patch, the “ulcers” doesnt seem to be healing. but hurt only when touched. sometimes sitting on certain position makes me feel sore. but pain level not as bad as a month or two months ago. but i still have pain. i have been using the steroid gel a week now. i think im going crazy. idk what i have. nobody is able to help me. i know the pain is not just in my brain.
literally the red patch is very red today. ulcers still there. idk if i should stop using the steroid gel. i know i cant stop taking the pills suddenly or id get withdrawal symptoms. the pills are prednisonole. and its taken for 14 days decreasing dosage weekly. maybe ill apply steroid gel once a day now? is that okay tho.
my next appointmnt with the derm is this friday. but i really dont think its a SKIN PROBLEM. :(( i got symptoms 2-3 days after sex. the red patch pain has been there since day one, which is actually where it first started before ulcers popped up. never had outbreaks elsewhere up until now. so im sure its not hsv.
its been 4 months now, its already mid may. im not 100% better. ulcers/lesions have yet to heal since early march. what problem do i have? does anybody have similar experiences? what should i do?
edit: the same timing i tried smelling my discharge, i started noticing my pee smells off? idk if its normal pee smell but i think its musty? or soury? idk how to describe it tbh. but yea, its not like i smell my pee everytime. so im unsure how it smelled before this problem started. it might just be normal and im being paranoid now.

it all started on early feb. i (24F) had inner left labia pain 2-3 days after sex w my bf (25M) of 2 years (no sexual history prior). went to multiple drs and now none of them are helping me. some were’nt even being serious with me.
my symptoms were left inner labia pain, theres red patch near vagina entrance, slight discharge at the time. went to the pharmacy to get otc clotrimazole cream and i applied it on the area 2-3 times a day for almost a month. but just a few days of using the cream i noticed it didnt help so i visited a dr the same week symptoms appeared. 1st dr (government) gave me clotrimazole suppository 500mg. a week later period came, so i thought, oh maybe my period affected the healing process. so i went to visit another dr (gov) gave me the exact same suppository.
a week later, still havent improved. visited a new dr (gov). took gonorrhea swab test, dr told me i have yellowish discharge (inserted a speculum). and results taken in a gov hosp takes a month to be released. yeah it sucks waiting. so during that visit i was prescribed metronidazole and doxycycline. after i finished the medicines, of course i didnt improve. went to the same dr i visited last time. she examined my area again and told me i have “ulcers”. visually diagnosed me with herpes. now this is already early march. a month after initial symptoms appeared. took blood test and again the waiting game began.
that dr gave me acyclovir tablets. and me being paranoid i went to a private clinic to get tested for hsv. and it came out negative. i was also tested for syphilis, chlamydia and hiv, also negative.
at this point i feel like my pain was unbearable, there was some slight itching, on and off yellow discharge. ulcers still being there and near my vagina entrance hurt. the ulcers are located on my small labia. and the vagina entrance doesnt have ulcers but it hurt. all this located on left. sometimes my clit hood looks red and hurt.
after finishing acyclovir i wasnt healed. my period also ended when i finished the pills, so i went to the pharmacy again to get treated myself since drs treatments werent helping. i got myself otc metronidazole + miconazole combo suppository. and i got myself vaginal probiotics. i also used zinc oxide cream on the affected area.
after that treatment was done i was still not okay. visited the gov clinic to see my results, (which took a month) now its early april, dr told me i was positive gonorrhea. and other results was negative. so i got injected with ceftriaxone, and given doxycycline again. told my bf about my diagnosis, and told him to get tested. our relationship got rocky cuz of this. i didnt cheated and he claims he didnt too. we were kinda accusing each other. so he got tested and his results were negative. shocked of course, so he says i cheated. being in so much distress it affected my mental health so bad. even with hsv diagnosis i didnt eat a few day, woke up crying everyday, and couldnt focus on work where i had to take leaves.
so i went to the gov dr to get explanation and my symptoms have yet to heal after treatment (2 weeks after). surprisingly another dr attended to me at that same gov clinic (for some reason the other times only one same dr attended me) this new dr told me im actually negative gonorrhea and says maybe that other dr treated me empirically. but i swear that other dr told me i was positive and i even asked multiple times to be sure. this new dr told me the results show gonorrhea not detected but pus cell was seen. new dr believes i still have hsv and gave me lidocaine gel.
used the gel, didnt help much. after so many dr visits i felt hopeless and decided to just spend my money doing tests at private clinics rather than taking medicines blindly. so i did an std test for myco, urea and trich, chlamydia and gono, all negative.
then did a high vaginal swab to check my bacteria culture such as yeast and bv, strep. all negative and my vagina flora is normal. but during this test, dr also told me during this test she saw greenish/yellowish discharge (using speculum to get sample). i also did a hsv test again, still negative.
after this i smelled my discharge and it smelled sour. unsure if its normal or not. now end of april, i do still have yellowish discharge, some drs say its normal some says its not. i dont even know. but one of the days the red patch area hurt alot and was so irritated.
visited the gov dr again and she says she cant help me. by this time i wrote all my symptoms in a note on my phone inc pics of my vagina, test results, discharge and all. explaining all in detail and she just laughed at me saying im so extreme for writing everything in detail especially when i said i smelled my discharge and it was sour. she then just refered me to a gov derm.
visited the derm the same day. dr told me it doesnt look like ulcers more like lesions. just given me steroid pills and gel. i also wanted to show the dr my notes but she said its too long to read. i am quite positive and sure that this is not some skin problem that steroids could help. :( i feel like theyre just trying to make me take whatever hoping it gets better.
i then visited a private GYNO the same day. she tried helping. but she couldnt. she read all my notes and seen the pics. she says its weird i tested negative and believes i do or did have an infection going on. she advised me not to take the steroid pills as it could make an infection worse if i do still have one. so i just used the gel instead twice a day. gyno also told me to do a pap smear.
so i did, results came out 2 days ago and i was negative. nothing detected. since everything is for sure clear now, i started taking the steroid pills 2 days ago. today i still have pain on the red patch, the “ulcers” doesnt seem to be healing. but hurt only when touched. sometimes sitting on certain position makes me feel sore. but pain level not as bad as a month or two months ago. but i still have pain. i have been using the steroid gel a week now. i think im going crazy. idk what i have. nobody is able to help me. i know the pain is not just in my brain.
literally the red patch is very red today. ulcers still there. idk if i should stop using the steroid gel. i know i cant stop taking the pills suddenly or id get withdrawal symptoms. the pills are prednisonole. and its taken for 14 days decreasing dosage weekly. maybe ill apply steroid gel once a day now? is that okay tho.
my next appointmnt with the derm is this friday. but i really dont think its a SKIN PROBLEM. :(( i got symptoms 2-3 days after sex. the red patch pain has been there since day one, which is actually where it first started before ulcers popped up. never had outbreaks elsewhere up until now. so im sure its not hsv.
its been 4 months now, its already mid may. im not 100% better. ulcers/lesions have yet to heal since early march. what problem do i have? does anybody have similar experiences? what should i do?
edit: the same timing i tried smelling my discharge, i started noticing my pee smells off? idk if its normal pee smell but i think its musty? or soury? idk how to describe it tbh. but yea, its not like i smell my pee everytime. so im unsure how it smelled before this problem started. it might just be normal and im being paranoid now.

32F, 5'2", 196lbs, non-smoking, non-drinker, no substance abuse, no known allergies. Prescriptions I take are gabapentin, buspirone, duloxetine, spironolactone, ropinirole, and propranolol. I take vitamins D3, iron, and folic acid.
Some time last year, I had a sudden, painful choking fit while taking some of my medications. I coughed up most of what I tried ingesting, but I assumed the rest likely went down the way it was supposed to. Now with my current ongoing issues, I can't help but wonder if maybe a pill DIDN'T go down the way it was supposed to?
About 8 months ago, I believe, I started having occasional issues with coughing up noticeably thick wads of sputum. OTC allergy medicine did nothing, but I shruggedv the problem off at the time. About a month after it started, I started coughing up considerably bloody wads, with the addition of lingering chest ache/discomfort around the time of these instances occurring. Coughing up bloody wads wasn't terribly frequent, but coughing up wads of sputum and the chest discomfort were daily.
The chest pain had me scared, but my usual doctor was booked for a few weeks. I took my chance with one of the local fast pace clinics, but after an okay X-ray, they figured it was bronchitis. I was prescribed Mucinex DM, Albuterol inhaler, methylprednisolone, and doxycycline hyclate. The pharmacy found it odd that I wasn't tested. The medications didn't seem to help, but at least the inhaler offered relief for the coughing fits and shortness of breath.
About a month or two later, I finally went to see my doctor, and after doing some testing and reassessing of the data from the fast pace clinic, my doctor concluded that the only next step was to do a CT scan to try to figure out the problem. She did eventually try prescribing me some azithromycin in a more recent visit in hopes of treating this as well as my mysteriously sudden chronic rash, but unfortunately, it didn't seem to help with either issue.
I'm no longer coughing up crud on a daily basis, I can breathe pretty normally, and I haven't seen any blood in a month. However, coughing up thick sputum is still happening, and the chest discomfort and coughing fits still happen fairly regularly. I haven't yet gone to get a CT scan due to finances, but I might try to next month after one of our car repair bills gets paid off.
So with all of that said, is it possible that I aspirated a pill? If so, could it possibly have caused this ongoing problem?
I apologize for the length of this post, but I appreciate your time and possible assistance.

Species: Betta splendens Age: Unknown, have had him since March Sex/Neuter status: Male, intact Breed: Crown Tail (blue / turquoise / black) Body weight: Unknown
History: Slight fin rot treated after purchase with salt bath, fins regrew and healed within 5-7 days.
Clinical signs: Began as small white spots under both eyes the size of one scale on or about 4/27. Within 36-48 hours, the discoloration grew on his face, progressed to right lip, much of his dorsal fin, "saddle" on back of body, and where ventral fins attach to underside of body. White discoloration grew larger / spread in all areas listed between 4/29 and 5/2. Spread in some areas and seems to have receeded in others between 5/2 and today, 5/6.
Duration: 10 days from first spots to today
Your general location: Chicago, IL
Links to test results, X-rays, vet reports etc: No vet reports, see description of treatment and qurstion below
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I understand that no specific treatment plan or dosage can be provided here, but I'm hoping it's ok for the vets here to comment on whether further treatment is actually needed and which medications other than those already used are recommended for columnaris treatments.
Ezra presented with what I believe to be columnaris on or about 4/29. I started feeding him medicated food the same day (a mix of bug bites, bloodworms, kanaplex, and a smidge of garlic ground into a paste and dried into thick flakes I break up for him) and moved him into a 3 gal hospital tank the next day.
My original post is here with a couple of pictures. Here is an imgur album with more photos comparing day 2 to day 5.
My treatment plan was as follows:
Day 1, 5/1: Jungle Fungus Clear Fizz Tabs (nitrofurazone potassium dichromate), Kanaplex (kanamycin sulfate), API Aquarium Salt - all dosed appropriately for the size of the tank.
Day 2, 5/2: Jungle
Day 3, 5/3: 25% water change (conditioned with Seachem Prime), Jungle, Kanaplex, Salt
Day 4, 5/4: Jungle
Day 5, 5/5: 25% water change (conditioned with Seachem Prime), Jungle, Kanaplex, Salt
He's been in good spirits for the whole treatment - eating, pooping, and swimming normally. He doesn't have any problem relaxing and spreading his fins.
The saddle mark does seem to have faded and a little bit of his dorsal fin color is coming back, but the discolored scales on his head, face, and lips have grown / spread / changed. There was a little redness on his back and head on 5/2, which seems to be gone today with some of the top of head discoloration looking kind of golden or amber.
Since he's not 100% back to normal, I'm wondering if I should do a second round of treatment as outlined above and suggested here, if I need to try something else, or if he may be able to fight off the last of it on his own.
To add to this, I'm leaving for three nights on Friday, so I could do another a 5 day treatment and finish Friday. Or could plan a different treatment that lasts longer around my coming back late Monday.
I have the following other medications on hand: * Seachem Metroplex (metronidazole) * API Fin & Body Cure (doxycycline hyclate) * Fritz Maeacyn Two (minocyline) * Health Aid Ich-X (formaldehyde, methanol, malachite green chloride)
And suggestions or advice on next steps would be appreciated - especially today given my trip this weekend. Thank you!!

I got my spironolactone prescription through Miiskin and been using it for over two months. I won't namedrop the derm but she was awful. Miiskin's customepatient support has been very bad as well.
I had my monthly checkup a few days ago. Asked the derm if we could up my dosage because purge is still ongoing. Persistent problem areas. I particularly mentioned that my skin and gut reacts very badly to antibiotics (see my post history for how her previous prescription of doxycycline 200 mg per day had me doubling down with abdominal pain to the point I could not function). I got a very tone-deaf "hey have you considered maybe it is because of dairy consumption or dirty pillowcases blah blah blah" and was prescribed another round of antibiotics again. It's almost insulting to tell someone their hormonal acne might be caused by lifestyle choices in a case where the patient has made it very clear that it isn't.
I reached out to customer service, explained the situation and their response was basically just telling me to get over it and sort it out with the derm myself lol.
It's relatively more expensive than similar telehealth services. It cost me $59 to get insulted. I am graduating next week and my skin is a mess. Miiskin just made everything worse as if dealing with a chronic skin condition isn't frustrating enough.
Long story short, I'll be switching providers. Avoid Miiskin and a particular derm from Miami if you're considering it.

It's hard to believe I've been doing the Cistus & Artemisinin Protocol for over 1 year now. I had been on death's door for nearly 5 years, with symptoms like these. I was likely bitten as a child, but it wasn't until 25+ years later that I was diagnosed with Borrelia, Babesia and Bartonella. I spent over $60k over those 5 years trying to heal. $700+/month on supplements, functional medicine doctors, etc. It adds up! Finally, our credit cards were maxed out and I was actually sicker than when I started (thanks to extended doxycycline therapy triggering MCAS!).
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Through research, I found a way out. Cistus incanus and Artemisinin (one of the active constituents in artemisia annua) are a potent and powerful duo. Cistus erodes the biofilm surrounding the bacteria, which allows Artemisinin access to kill the bacteria. For me, it was extremely effective. From February-April 2023 I completed 3 back-to-back cycles (9 weeks total). I felt about 30% better.
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From there, I did 1 round a month. That's 2 weeks of cistus plus 1 week of cistus AND artemisinin. So for 3 weeks out of every month, I drank cistus. This gets tiresome - I do not enjoy tea that much lol. I eventually added other herbs (oat straw to calm CNS, stinging nettle for histamine regulation, hawthorn for heart/lipid improvement and dandelion for glucose intolerance) to my brew during the first 2 weeks of the protocol. Might as well, right?
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I slowly raised my Artemisinin dose from 200mg 3x a day (600mg total/day) to 600mg 3x a day (1800mg total/day). I now use 5 TBSP cistus in my steeper (honestly, I'd use more but that's all I can fit with my other herbs). I feel this is the maximum dosage for me and wouldn't recommend anyone go higher without running it by a doctor.
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I have made serious strides in the past year. I've accomplished my biggest goal-- I've been hybrid homeschooling my kindergartener (who also has Lyme & co). We are out of the house for 5.5 hours daily and we complete an additional 2 hours of homeschooling daily. This takes an unprecedented level of energy and brainpower that I've previously been incapable of. Other good news: I've gone off ALL OF MY MCAS MEDS and have completely opened up my palate and abandoned all of my diets (no gluten, no mold diet, low amylose diet, low histamine diet) with ZERO issues. I cannot stress to you what a relief this is!
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My biggest setbacks are just dealing with being sick often from the kids. For example, over Winter break I got Strep, Hand Foot & Mouth virus, and a virulent cold. All within 6 weeks!!!!! I drank cistus the entire time and took artemisinin one week on/one week off for that. It helped make my symptoms manageable and allowed me to continue schooling my daughter even when I was acutely ill. Previously, just one of these illnesses would have tanked me completely for a month or more, making me bed bound. Not this year!
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I think the biggest surprise was at my annual doctor's appointment. My doctor demanded I tell her what I was doing -- she said the difference in me (and my lab work) was incredible. My EBV is no longer reactivated for the first time in 2.5 years. All of a sudden, my supplements are "working" and my body is finally able to absorb nutrients again. My COQ10, D3, ferritin and Vitamin C levels are all normal for the first time in almost 6 years. I explained my protocol and she requested I send it to her for her further research. She said she has a small handful of "outlier" Lyme patients for which antibiotics are no longer working, and she's eager to pilot my herbal protocol. WOW!!!!!!!!!
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All in all, I'd say I'm 75% better. I could exist in this current state of health for the rest of my life and feel successful. However, I feel confident that one day I will reach full remission. A combination of getting sick less and another year on my protocol could raise me from 75% recovered to 90%. I'm curious to research IV artemisinin to take me from 90-100%, so if anyone has any info on that I'd really appreciate it!
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PS for the parents of kids with Lyme & co-- I've come up with a tincture protocol of Cistus incanus and Artemisia annua that's much easier to administer than tea. I'm hesitant to post the protocol because the dosages will vary wildly from one child to the next based on weight and tolerance, but you can message me and I'll share what's been working for us.
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Happy Healing, friends.

I'm 20F, I was diagnosed pretty early with hypothyroidism when I was 12 because my grandmother has it. I've been on levo since.
The only symptoms I've always had are dry skin and chronic constipation (TMI: my stools have looked the same since I was a kid, like rabbit poop), but recently I started having memory problems, I can tell something changed because my memory used to be exceptionally good until about a month ago. I also started having acne about +6 months ago and it's just gotten worse since. it started with just a few pimples but now my cheeks are a bit scarred and I always get pimples in the same spots. I can't tell what's causing the acne. I do know that my dad used to have acne but it was different to mine.
I'm currently using differin, it's been a month and a half and i see no improvements. i was also put on doxycycline but i stopped taking it because it gave me horrible headaches. it's difficult to tell what's causing the acne.
I'm also really worried about the memory issues, could it be that I'm on the wrong dosage of levo? could it be my diet? (I've been avoiding gluten for about a month now) stress? I really can't tell. please, any advice will help.

I took my 2-year-old female boxer to the vet for hacking, she's pretty small and she only weighs 34.3 lbs (which Google says is about 20 lbs too little for her description, I'm going to work on her weight.) But that's not the issue at the moment, the issue is, that she was prescribed Doxycycline (100 mg) 1.5 tablets twice daily (so presumably 1.5 in the morning, 1.5 at night.) Which comes out to 300 mg daily. Is that too much for her weight? I've looked through Google and it told me the highest dosage should be 154 mg. I know I should call the vet, but my anxiety makes it hard, I just don't want to overdose my dog. So if anybody has any other knowledge to add, please do.
(If it comes to it, I will call the vet)
Thank you in advance.

Been tolerating prostate pain since 2017. It’s been gradual, getting worse overtime. I have adjusted my diet and have been exercising much more frequently now. Last week I saw my 5th urologist for a fresh set of eyes, only to be thrown more antibiotics at the problem. The urine sample done at this urology clinic was able to detect there being an infection. I was diagnosed with chronic non bacterial since 2019, so I was shocked to see I had an infection. I got prescribed doxy and Amoxicillin/K Clav for 10 days. Took the first dosage on Monday morning. Had a migraine with aura about 2 hrs in, followed by a throbbing headache for the rest of the day. I also had symptoms of fatigue, elevated heartbeat and nausea throughout the day. Ate dinner, took my 2nd dose 2hrs before sleeping. When I got up the next day, I head to pee sitting down, when I get up, I passed out and hit my head and bruised some ribs. Went to the ER and checked all my vitals, everything coming back normal. Revisited the urologist and he said he never had anyone react to doxycycline that way. I’m like, Google the symptoms bud, I had all of them.
So now I’m feeling hopeless. He is sending me to an infectious diseases clinic for further analysis. Now that I’m that 5% and I can’t do doxy, I don’t know what other options I have. Any thoughts?

I (19M) few years ago, when I was like 15 I think around 2020, I was about 120-123KG (264-271 lbs) as I had bronchitis at some point and had difficulty breathing and one thing my personal doctor told me was to lose weight. And I was sent to a doctor, I guess a dietitian, but they helped me with my weight loss journey, had couple of blood samples and apparently sugar levels and cholesterol were good, but still, I was also prescribed through the journey some pills that apparently boosted my metabolism, not too sure, but they helped me, certain dosage every 2-3 days, depending on how much I was prescribed, and in about a year or so, around 2021, I managed to drop down to like 103 kg at some point and I was feeling so proud of myself.
Then fast forward to 2022, bad things happened, family problems, and I just at some point lost motivation, I don’t know what exactly happened, but I started gaining weight back slowly, it was obviously my fault too for starting to slowly eat back more and more, I lost motivation and stopped caring about anything, not like it’s an excuse anyways, not looking for excuses.
And now to 2024, I gained all the weight back. And now I’m realising again I need to do something about it, I know I have a problem and I want to feel better about myself and to be healthier. I just don’t know where to start from and what to do. For the record, my physical activity was light exercises at home and going for walks around the block which worked for me well. But still, I just don’t know where to start from. And I’m lost. Even if I try to eat healthy, either nothing happens, or someone from my family brings some unhealthy food, I pick up a little and then some lost weight I regain back or gain more. I just don’t know what to do. But again it’s my fault I got myself back to that point.

A fellow foster at the shelter I volunteer at was prescribed 0.1 mL of doxycycline for each of her 3.5 week old bottle baby kittens because they had URI symptoms. She emailed the shelter tonight saying that she had read the label incorrectly and accidentally administered 1.0 mL of doxy to each of them instead of 0.1 mL, so 10 times the recommended dosage. The shelter is now closed so none of us are able to get in touch with the vet techs to see what the next steps are.
I am assuming nothing can really be done now that the medicine has been in their systems for a few hours, but are there any signs of major decline to look out for? Is it possible they could pass away from this or will it mostly be a diarrhea/upset stomach situation? Thank you so much!

Hi everyone. I have a rescued Pit/Boxer baby. I don’t know how old he is, I’ve heard 6 - 8 from various people who work in veterinary medicine. When he initially wandered into my yard I attempted to get him adopted to no avail. So on day 3 I took him to the low cost clinic for rescue’s and got him a standard package of shots, in hopes of increasing his chances of being adopted. At no point did they make any other suggestions or recommendations of what he might need or try to upsell anything. I ended up keeping him. Took him back (a year later) to the same clinic yesterday and the person working there offered different package options. I opted for the highest end. Then she came back to the waiting room to tell me he probably has heart worm. I came to the southeast from the Pacific Northwest where this is virtually unheard of and apparently common here. No one told me he needed prevention, I had no idea and I feel absolutely horrible. He received multiple vaccines, a dewormer, and a 30 day supply of Doxycycline. No other mention of meds (for nausea, etc) or side effects, or instructions. When I asked if he needed food before meds I was told no and that it was optional.
Today at lunchtime before giving him lunch, he received several pill pockets with the second dose of Doxy as well as his first dosage of NexGard Plus that he will now take religiously every month. Since the meds (that were given on an empty stomach) he hasn’t moved. Didn’t eat today. It’s now midnight. I had to physically pick him up (he’s 67 pounds, this was not easy for me) and take him outside. He used the bathroom. Came in, looked incredibly weak, I put his water bowl in from of him and he did drink almost the entire bowl. I’ve tried his favorite foods, dude isn’t budging from my bed. I just checked and his temperature is 103.2.
I’m not financially able to take him to an emergency vet right now (Saturday alone was $400). Has anyone else experienced this with shots? What about with the antibiotics? Or NextGard? Any experience with heart worm? I’m worrying myself sick at this point and I don’t know what to do. We have an appointment on May 6th to review his bloodwork to confirm heart worm and to start the injections. That’s the soonest they’ll see us at that particular clinic.
If you read all of this, thank you. Any tips or advice is very much appreciated. Just please don’t be mean to me, he’s the first dog I’ve ever owned and I’m doing the best I can and I’m scared. Thank you.

I have experienced this a few times and now I realized that is not a coincidence.
In order to get this effect I have to get at least a bit drunk.
The effect lasts for a 1-3 days and my eyes feel much better.
Does anyone have an idea of why this happens?
Some info about me:
I tested negative to autoimmune diseases, I have or had thyroiditis (did an ecography of my thyroid) but my thyroid hormones are in a normal range (lower end of the range), tested negative for most common stds, no vitamin deficiency (tested most common vitamins), have severe dust mite allergy and other pollen allergies.
Doxycycline helps me a lot and my doc prescribed it for 2 months at a low dosage but even without doxycycline if I get hangover my symptoms improve.
Any ideas?

I 22F in Australia have been dealing with acne for 9 years (since being 13). I have oily combination skin prone to redness. My first flare-up of acne was solely on my forehead 9 years ago (cystic, papules, etc.) which was resolved completely through using topical adapalene (Differin) gel. I spent a couple of years acne-free, before it flared up immensively when I was 15 in high school. This time, the acne was on my cheeks, chin and temple area, with forehead being clear (with occasional pimples).
Previous Treatment Attempts
In previous dermatology appointments, I had also been put on antibiotics. I had taken a course of Doxycycline tablets for 3 months. My skin has seen no flare up of acne during this course. Sadly, after the antibiotics were finished, my skin gradually became a little worse for a while, before returning to its usual acne-state.
I continued to use Differin gel 0.1%. It was vital for me to keep the break outs at bay. I tried stopping Differin, which only resulted in my acne flaring up way worse.
My blood tests results have always been ALL within normal ranges, including my hormones. That was why I was hesitant to try birth control. My cycle has always been stable and normal, and didn't want to mess around with that. But I tried birth control for 2 months, which messed up my cycle a bit without improving my acne. It was stressful dealing with spotting and mood swings while on BC, so I stopped.
I had tried professional acne extractions. LED blue-and-red light therapy. I regretted the extractions, which left me with deep acne scarring. Both of these treatments were high-cost, painful, and ineffective in the long run.
Lifestyle
My diet since highschool was rid of dairy products, in fear that they would trigger my acne. I was always very healthy in my diet, regular periods, 6-8 hours sleep religiously, no drinking or smoking. I always kept my skincare to a minimum of moisturiser and Differin gel.
Now As of now, my acne has been slightly better than when it was during high school, but never has it been clear. I have cystic acne on cheeks, temple and chin area. Textured skin on cheeks, with closed comedones, pastules and papules (which come and go in 3-4 days, only to frustratingly reappear again routinely). I have acne scars. Only my forehead is the clearest compared to the rest of my face.
I want to feel confident enough in my skin to leave the house without covering my acne in makeup. Or checking my skin for new pimples being the first thing I do every morning when I wake up.
Accutane
I have been suggested on Accutane by dermatologists. I have never committed to starting it. The horror stories, the Purge, side effects, the intense dry skin I've reviewed on many social media platforms in the past always scared me off it.
However, now, I have booked my dermatology appointment 26th next month to tell my dermatologist that I am open to trying Accutane.
I've heard it takes a whole month for iPledge/blood tests to be confirmed to the dermatology--if true, I'd have to wait at least 2 months before I can start :(. Can anybody confirm/give any tips about that?
For those who had Accutane, did antihistamines help with your purge at all? Did taking Omega-3 supplements (i.e. fish oil) help with dryness?
What dosage did you start on? I heard positive experiences of people going on low-dose Accutane to minimise side-effects (with a longer overall course). I only weigh around 46kg, so would that be something worth pursuing?