Yikes: Adderall is giving me cystic acne

[starvingstudent]

I have dealt with cystic acne before. I took accutane (worst mistake of my life) and got terrible huge cystic acne around my neck and jawline.

i just started taking adderall this summer. the first thing that happened was I got a pimple on my nose, a big one that felt pretty deep under the surface...sort of like cystic acne. i noticed my face get oily and a pimple here and there.

however, NOW, there is a definite acne "cyst" (i put it in quotes cuz i think they are technically not cysts in teh traditional sense, but they are referred to as such and definitely much different than just a pimple), ironically it is right next to a scar i have on my jawline from where i had a terrible cyst while taking accutane.

i was terribly heartbroken that this is happening because adderall was working very well for me. however, cystic acne is very painful and can cause major long term scarring. this is not just a matter of oily skin or a few pimples. that, i could deal with.

last time i had cystic acne...gosh, i am cringing at these memories that i have so deeply suppressed in my memory.....but they do not "come and go" like regular acne. i actually had to get cortisone injections because some would simply not go away. gosh, this is really painful to remember. ok, so basically, what i am saying is that, i think the adderall or accutane sort of just feeds the cystic acne. like, this will sound like an exagerration, but this morning, i thought i felt the cyst "going down" but after i took my morning dose of adderall, it feels more sensitive/painful again.

well, this is really upsetting, because i am going to stop taking adderall to address this cyst (i am taking avery low dose, 10 mg/day). i know stress plays a big part in the problem, too.

well, i just wanted to throw this out there. i am going to try to research about ways to combat this. i even read that it can be more of a problem for Native American or Asian heritage people (which I am half). since adderall obviously affects your appetite, it could also be indirectly causing the cystic acne via a dietary problem. i will give updates on my research if they are wanted.

[Captain Sanity]

well, one more thing for which the fish oil can possibly help. I am starting to sound like a broken record here, but it's changed my life. So far it's the most effective treatment for ADD aside from adderal that I have found, and it cleared up some rashy areas on my skin that have been there for decades.

Also, try an antibacterial soap and smothering your face in coconut oil after showering. I do that and I have not had a pimple since I started. Once you have a cyst it's not going away easily, though, as you very well know.

Good luckw ith everything. I hope I don't run into this problem.

[starvingstudent]

i have also been drinking a lot of caffeine these past 2 weeks

[Captain Sanity]

Avoid sodas,w hether regular or diet. Sugar is terrible for acne, and aspartame is terrible for cognitive health. It's tough to kick, and the only thing that has ever helped me is nicotine patch.

[starvingstudent]

Originally Posted by Captain Sanity

Avoid sodas,w hether regular or diet. Sugar is terrible for acne, and aspartame is terrible for cognitive health. It's tough to kick, and the only thing that has ever helped me is nicotine patch.

I am HOPING the massive amounts of DIET COKE I have been drinking recently caused my cystic acne and NOT the Adderall.

I started Adderall in early July. I have been drinking lots of coffee all summer. Adderall made my skin oily and minor break outs, but the benefit definitely outweighed the cost.

I am home visiting, and switched from coffee to DIET COKE, since that is just what is available in my house. This past week, and leading up to last night when I realized I had this stubborn/worsening acne cyst, I was drinking at least 4+ cans of diet coke a day, probably like 5-6.

I have stopped adderall (was only taking 10mg), and caffeine, and will not resume until I feel resolved about the acne cyst.

It would be hard for me to kick caffeine entirely, but i could easily stick with coffee instead of diet coke, if it is the sugar/aspartame causing this.

I do NOT want to drop adderall, especially with school coming up. I had been taking adderall and coffee for over a month without these problems, so I am HOPING it is the diet coke.

[JustinL]

With the name "STARVING Student" Im going to assume you have some sort of eating disorder...If that is the case, your skin problems are probably being caused by dietary inefficiencies.
If you don't take care of yourself, your skin and everything else on your body will absolutely reflect that...

[mijahe]

Originally Posted by JustinL

Im going to assume you have some sort of eating disorder...If that is the case, your skin problems are probably being caused by dietary inefficiencies.

Well, not so much eating disorder, but just a typical student..... I was the same way when I was a teenager/student, never ate properly, went to bed late, rose late.... well some things don't change.
But, a good healthy diet is important for your physical and mental capabilities. You're going to make your ADD worse, (only slightly, but still worse), when you don't eat & sleep properly.
You shouldn't be drinking that much soda in one day, (note to self: reduce intake).

However, it should be noted that this is one side effect of Adderall. Not eating & sleeping properly will only make it worse.

[starvingstudent]

Originally Posted by JustinL

With the name "STARVING Student" Im going to assume you have some sort of eating disorder...If that is the case, your skin problems are probably being caused by dietary inefficiencies.
If you don't take care of yourself, your skin and everything else on your body will absolutely reflect that...

Not at all actually. Just meant starving student like starving artist -- bemoaning my post-college economic/financial prognosis.

I eat fine -- average diet, well, better than average compared to most Americans I imagine.

GOOD NEWS. I stopped drinking diet coke the past 2 days -- my acne cyst stopped getting worse and seems -- knock on wood -- to be getting slightly better. Wasn't expecting it to get better, especially not this soon. I also have been drinking lots of water the past 2 days.

No adderall yesterday, but I was so jittery/withdrawal-ish today that I took a little bit this morning and I was fine for the rest of the day actually.

The Diet Coke binge was a really random thing for me -- I wasn't thinking, it was there, and I didn't have access to coffee. Lesson learned. And I truly hope that it was the culprit and not the adderall, since the adderall has really been helping me out.

Thanks for the support

[JustinL]

Originally Posted by starvingstudent

Not at all actually. Just meant starving student like starving artist -- bemoaning my post-college economic/financial prognosis.

I eat fine -- average diet, well, better than average compared to most Americans I imagine.

GOOD NEWS. I stopped drinking diet coke the past 2 days -- my acne cyst stopped getting worse and seems -- knock on wood -- to be getting slightly better. Wasn't expecting it to get better, especially not this soon. I also have been drinking lots of water the past 2 days.

No adderall yesterday, but I was so jittery/withdrawal-ish today that I took a little bit this morning and I was fine for the rest of the day actually.

The Diet Coke binge was a really random thing for me -- I wasn't thinking, it was there, and I didn't have access to coffee. Lesson learned. And I truly hope that it was the culprit and not the adderall, since the adderall has really been helping me out.

Thanks for the support

I wish you luck pin pointing the problem. It could very well have been the Diet Coke. Perhaps artificial sweeteners just do not agree with your body's chemistry. Everyone is different.

I know that hardships of acne, I went through it for years, and actually Accutane was the only thing that took it away completely. Although the scars, of course, remained.

[bjane]

I can positively tell you that Adderall causes cystic acne (at least in me). I am also half Asian. I have been taking Adderall for many years and have also been battling cystic acne. Things clicked one day and I realized it may be Adderall causing the acne. I weaned myself off the Adderall and have been off for about 6 months. My skin cleared with only an occasional menstrual breakout. My quality of life hasn't been the greatest because I functioned at my best on the Adderall however the acne greatly disrupted my life in a negative way. I thought I'd start taking Adderall again at a very very small dose, 7.5mg (1/4 of a 30mg tab) in the morning and within an hour, I could feel a difference in my skin. Hard to explain but it felt oiler, not necessarily from touching my skin and feeling the oil, but it felt oiler from the inside. The next day I developed a painful cyst on my cheek. Since I had been without breakouts for several months, I went to my dermatologist and had her inject it, I couldn't take looking at it! It went away within a week (but still left a brown pigmented area). I waited a week and again tried the Adderall. I took it for 3 days and again have a monster breakout on my other cheek. I also notice when taking Adderall, I get cysts in my scalp and really small breakouts on my back. I didn't have this problem when I stopped taking it. This sounds gross, but I also noticed that when taking Adderall, it makes my armpits a little moist even if I'm freezing cold and not sweating. And speaking of freezing, Adderall truly does make me MORE cold! My body temperature seems to drop (which is awesome during the summertime but not during the winter!). Anyway, its all about pros and cons. I feel better and perform better when taking Adderall but have acne. Without it, my skin looks great but I'm a wreck in every other area of life! I'm going to check with my doctor to see if there is anything else I can try.

[arrested_truth]

Dietary changes might prove effective, even if what you eat doesn't affect your skin. I found this to be the case with myself. And maintaining a regular face-washing routine, for me I had to change my ritual of washing my face just at night, to once in the morning, after I get home from work or school, and once again at night. It helped significantly especially after the horrible phase of realizing washing my face just once a day wasn't enough after I started on adderall