hi i started this new acne treatment consisting of taking a lot of vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid aka. I did some research and discovered that with a minimum of 4 grams when it is taken to see the results. In taking a high dose of pantothenic acid that takes away from the other B vitamins, then you need a vitamin B complex to take to recover from the other B vitamins. my question is how many people here have had luck with the same treatment I did? Has anyone had bad side effects of any kind? is it really safe to assume that much of a certain vitamin? please reply to give me your opinions thanks Lucas.
Reply:one of the main reasons i haven't tried B5 yet, since accutane isn't an option for me , is because i'm fearful of the hairloss that people have reported when taking B5. guy,Have you experienced any sort of hairloss — even though i haven't heard of women experience this side effect.
In most cases, it seems that Vitamin B5 will get you clear after 3 months or so for most people but are guaranteed to breakout if you discontinue. How long have you exactly been taking B5 at 10 grams? Did you experience an initial breakout when you tried it the second time – how bad?
thank you
Reply:Vitamin B5 has definitely been working for me but it requires patience. I have tried Accutane on two different occasions but was not able to complete the treatment. My last time trying Accutane was last fall but I had to quit after 9 weeks because I blew out my knee and had to have surgery. By the 9th week on Accutane, my skin was really very clear so I decided that if the acne came back, I was #1 going to try B5 and if that didn't work, I was going to try the clear Blue laser treatments. I should mention that I tried B5 about 4 years ago but when it didn't work after 3 weeks, I gave up. After about 6 months post Accutane, my face started to break out so I took 10 g of B5 for a couple of months. My face cleared perfectly. Then I decided to try cutting back and I cut back to only 5 g per day. In a few weeks, I started breaking out again so I upped to dose back to 10 g. After 6 weeks, I got completely clear again. I've decided that I'm going to take 10g for 4 full months (maybe 5) before trying to cut back. Even with Accutane, it is a 4-5 month treatment and many people don't begin seeing results until their last month. I have found that B5 has to be a longer term treatment as well.
It really isn't too expensive when you consider how much you spend on topicals and then still have acne. I spend about $100 for a 4 month supply and I get by B5 from vitaminshoppe.com. I take 3 does per day of 7 pills each (breakfast, lunch, and before bed). Even if I have to continue taking it forever to have clear skin, it is worth it to me. I haven't had any negative side effects except for at this point, my skin is feeling much drier (need lip balm and lotion). Not as bad as with Accutane but it does seem to dry out my skin.
I should also mention that I take zinc and vitamin C once per day because it was recommended by my orthopaedic surgeon after my knee surgery to speed healing. I also use a salicylic acid astringingent and Differin 3 times per week.
From my experience, B5 does definitely work (I'm completely clear right now) but like Accutane, it takes a while to see the effects and some dose will probably always be needed to stay clear. But, unlike Accutane, it is safe (water soluable).
Reply:When I first joined healthboards, B5 was all the rage. First off, B5 and other B vitamins are beneficial to the hair and skin (hence why you can find it in shampoos and such). I am not too sure about how B5 works exactly, but I know taking high doses of B5 (5-10g) consistently can pretty much give you a lot of energy and supercharges your metabolism. I THINK I remember someone explaining it like this: B5 helps metabolize and convert fats into energy, the oil that your skin produces is in essence a fat, so it is converted into energy as well. This could explain why many have complained that high doses of B5 dried their hair and skin. If you take high doses make sure you drink plenty of water.
Personally, I would not recommend it. It is a safe program, because B5 is water soluble. But it is very costly and if you wanted to ween yourself off the B5 your acne would most likely return.
Related posts:
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- Accutane and vitamin A [accutane] [multivitamin]
- Natural vitamins that help acne . [natural vitamins] [pimples]
- anyone use an aloe vera or vitamin E or candulea (sp?) cream? Walmart has this
- What works for me [power vitamins] [natures]
July 4th, 2010 
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