Should I stop taking antibiotic?

General Discussion
, ,
#1

For almost a year now I have been suffering from side effects due to Isotretinoin, especially a decrease in libido, erections and sexual pleasure, but also anhedonia, decreased smell, ocular and genital dryness, lack of body sensitivity and other things.

I stopped 10 days after the first sexual symptoms and I stopped taking acne medication. For the past two months I have been taking acne treatments, doxycycline (an antibiotic) and tretinoin cream. I feel like my condition has gotten worse: I have absolutely no libido (before I could a little stimulate it) and no erections at all (before I had sagging erections). I sometimes have some itching in my groin (I had treated these itches with a powdered antifungal agent before the PAS) but candidiasis is a side effect of doxycycline. I had read that some here had thought of a link between candida and PAS / PFS.

Should I stop one or both of these treatments?
Or has my condition gotten worse because I’ve been under more stress lately?

Thank you for reading me

#2

First question is why are you taking both? I wouldn’t stop the antibiotic if you were prescribed it for an active infection. Are you taking it for acne?

And as far as the cream, if you’re not benefiting from it all, stop. I don’t know if that cream can ascerbate symptoms or not, but if you feel like it it might be, then I would personally stop.

#3

Yes, I am taking the antibiotic to treat acne.
If the effects continue I will stop, but I preferred to ask here first because maybe some of you have experienced the same thing or have an answer.

And for the moment they are effective for my acne I wouldn’t want to stop the treatment for no reason. It would be ironic to have the PAS and have as much acne as before taking Accutane !

#4

Do either of your treatmentments have the side effects you’re talking about?

I personally equate stress with a worsening of my condition and would suggest doing whatever you can to manage it.

#5

Hi @ScaredGuy,

It’s our personal view that substances with antiandrogenic activity (via reduction of active ligand, 5ar inhibition, AR inhibition/mRNA reduction etc) are what link the conditions we see here with a similar symptomatic profile.

We also are aware that antiandrogenic substances often have a notable impact on sufferers conditions, and have proven to be dangerous in more severe cases.

It is theoretically possible that you are worsening through exposure to tretinion. Isotretinion (accutane) and tretinoin are closely related retinoid compounds and are well known as antiandrogenic:

Exposure of primary lacrimal acinar cells in culture to 10−10–10−6 M all-trans retinoic acid for 4–24 hr causes an approximately 50% decrease in AR mRNA expression.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014483502920543

all-trans retinoic acid is another term for tretinoin. I would therefore personally caution of the risk of using further antiandrogenic substances such as this.

#6

i take ket and minoxidil for my hair after crash and have no worsening of symptoms from that

#7

Forget your hair.

1 Like
#8

why ? im nw1 . of course im not so stupid and take fin again. but i highly believe that ket and minox are harmless. i always felt different while i was on fin. but not on minox/ket.

1 Like
#9

i mean i lost everything because of this hair loss drug. i dont want to lose my hair too, the reason why i took it