Hello, I started on Copaxone the end of January and the last few months I have been breaking out like a teenager. I have never had this problem before and was wondering if anybody else has experienced the same thing. It is really annoying as I am almost 30 and never even had it this bad when I was younger. They are really red and no matter what I do they take forever to go away and get really scab like. I also recently started on Ritalin. Copaxone and Ritalin are the only 2 new things I have added in. I drink a lot of water and no soda and nothing really sugary. Just wondering if other people have had this problem and what they do for it as I have tried a lot of different things. Thanks.
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Acne
LMO,
I wish I knew! In the past year or two I discovered I have rosacea and I have cyst like acne and redness....it is the worst acne I have ever had and I am in my early 50's.
I tend to think that other problems I have a due to Copaxone, but perhaps I would have it anyway. That is the challenge!
Some days I am convinced that the Copaxone is causing ,sore harm then good...and then other days I am doing all I can to stay on the drug and continue the shots. It is unfortunate that the success of this drugs can't be easily measured. It is a leap of faith that it is working to reduce MS relapses.
A common cause can be food. Have you added anything different in your diet? Extra sugar/sweet? New stress? (Now that is a trigger that is tough to manage!)
I have bee taking probiotics regularly to help my overall health and well being. Crossing my fingers that it is helping me..... -
Hi, thanks for you reply. No I have not added anything new to my diet. I am a pretty boring person and tend to eat the same things most days. I have had extra stress with school though.
This acne started really bad a few months ago. Sometimes I will just get one or two and this time it is all over my face. They are really red and pretty big, I wash my face everyday and I bought some other face cleanser stuff too. I also will put clean and clear acne medicine on my face at night. That used to help when I would get one here and there but for these it does not.
Whether I pick at it or not it just gets really red and gross. And you are right, it is hard to tell if it is the medication or not. And it is hard to tell if it is working. I think it is for me. I know it is not suppose to take symptoms away but I was told some people have reported lessening of their symptoms. For me I noticed a few weeks ago I do not have the tingling in my legs or the heaviness in my legs like I was. So I think it is working for me.
** Moderator's note - Post broken into paragraphs for easier reading. Many people with MS have visual difficulties that prevent them from reading large blocks of print. **Comment
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Sorry to post several months later... but I too have been having acne since starting copaxone. I am 27 and have battled acne pretty much my whole life. I went on accutane in 2009 which pretty much cleared it all up. I had it on my face, back, and neck. Since I started copaxone in january 2014 it is all starting to come back!!! Not as bad as before but definitely frustrating. Nothing has changed except adding the copaxone, vitamind d, and b12. Recently saw a dermatologist who prescribed several tropical medications. Hoping it will clear up. Good luck!!Comment
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Now wondering??
Hi again! I am now wondering about Copaxone and Acne. My acne rosacea is better after 30 days of 100 my doxycycline 2 times a day followed by Metrogel. But if I don't use the Metrogel regularly the acne is back. Frustrating. I do now think that the Copaxone might have triggered it, but perhaps it is easier to blame the Copaxone vs the MS or just the way my body is.
I am trying to stay on Copaxone. I moved to the 3 times per week, but I have lately been missing a shot a week....it is getting harder and harder to stay motivated to take this shot. (Sigh!)Comment
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Hello, it has been a while since I have been on here and looked at any posts and I am glad I did. It is nice to know other people are having the same issue and it isn't just me. I have never had acne problems in my life and I was blaming the Ritalin but I have been off of that for months so that obviously is not the culprit.
My acne started shortly after I started the Copaxone and I don't just get it on my face, I get it on my neck, chest and back. Sometimes big ugly ones that are there for at least a month. My primary care dr. prescribed some topical oitment but I couldn't follow through with that because it made my face worse than the acne and I just couldn't bare through it, unfortunately.
Where I work I had seen an older lady with perfect skin and asked what she used. So I have started that regime in hopes it will help. I can't remember off the top of my head what the 3 things are but I do know one is aloe vera juice.. it comes in a spay container and it is a natural antiseptic.
I hope this helps because I was trying everything I could think of, even putting honey on my face and sleeping like that at night with no luck. This is getting really embarrassing and I guess there is a chance I ended up with adult onset acne and it was a coincidence it started the same time I started meds. If anybody else has found something that works please let me know! I would be very grateful!
Also, I have only been on the meds since beginning of Feb. but I am already getting tired of doing the shots. Missed mine today and I still don't feel like doing it, I will tomorrow if I remember.
Thanks for reading my long post!
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Yes, I did all those natural things and nothing worked. I actually did a full elimination diet for an entire month and the acne continued to be awful. When I went to the dermo I actually broke down as she calmly looked at me and title me she could help. The cysts were horrible and in fact I didn't realize how painful it had gotten until about 2 weeks on the doxycycline. The pain was gone and my face looked marvelous!
This was back in May. It is now October and I have had no problems. I uses the prescription Metro Gel every night and that keeps my face just fine. In the morning and night I wash with Cetephil cleanser and moisture with the same brand.
My dermo suggested I stay away from any and all acne cleansers, aging or age spot reducers, etc as those are too hard on my skin. For over a year I struggled and really wish I saw the dermatologist much sooner...it would have saved me money in the long run!!Comment
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Wow thank you for that, it gives me hope. I actually started using Cetaphil a few weeks ago along with the aloe vera spray and a neutrogena moisturizer. It is still bad but it is not getting worse since starting. I think it may actually be clearing up. I am crossing my figures that it works. It has been almost a year of this and I cannot stand it anymore! It is a good tip about not using other cleansers as I am using one other one right now also. I will quit using that and see how eliminating it works.
~Lindsey
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Lindz28, yes, the dermo told me that I had sensitive skin and it couldn't handle harsher chemicals. I never thought of my self as having sensitive skin because I really never had to worry about cleansers, makeup etc. My skin just seemed to go with the flow.
It now turns out that I have rosacea. No, my face doesn't turn red when I drink coffee or out in the wind or sun. But I do get a reddish tinge with the cystic acne. Mostly on my forehead above my nose, on the sides of my nose and mouth and chin. Even in my ears.
The one month dose of doxycycline cleared it up quickly (a couple weeks) and the Metro Gel has kept it beautiful. I say that because I thought I could clear it up on my own and had over a year of agony and negative self consciousness and it was quickly solved by a fairly inexpensive visit to the dermo and prescription. (I spent more on all the other products I tried!).
Wishing you healing for your face!!Comment
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