I Cant Take This ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[laketta]

I need an alternative to biotin. I am havin skin issues now. It is devastating. I've only finished one bottle and my skin looks horrible. I had increased my water intake and did everything but I keep breaking out in the same places. Pimple creams are drying out my skin and they have worked before but now my pimples seem to be resistant. This problem occured when i started taking biotin. Are there any alternatives? Biotin cannot be the only supplement that works. I am desperate. My nails and hair loves it but my skin hates biotin. I need more choices. PLEASE HELP ME.

 

[tekmommie]

I just wanted to say sorry to hear this. I don't have any advice because it happened to me too.

Oh yeah I do remember some telling me to try taking them throughout the day, instead of all at once. I've been to chicken to try though. I've never had trouble with my skin, so now I'm scared. If you try this please let me know how it works for you.

TIA

 

[laketta]

I tried spacing them out throughout the day but the same result. I don't want to stop taking vitamins because i do see my nails and my hair responding but the side effects are just terrible. I really dont want to sacrifice my skin. It used to be clear but now its like after I get rid of one, it comes back in the same area!!!!!!

 

[tekmommie]

Oh, okay.

I had a fine rash all over my face...resembled a heat rash!

 

[laketta]

Yeah i heard about people getting those but mine are like roaches, you kill one and another one show up. I am lowering my dose to one pill a day. My hair wont gorw like everyone else's because they are using higher dosages so if there is something else i can take with it to boost my growth rate, i will take it.

 

[India08]

Please be careful with vitamins - seeing a nutritionist woke me up to a possible adverse reaction. Everyones system is different, certain vitamins can become toxic to the body.

I hope and pray that everyone whon is taking vitamins on this site is aware of the possible affects of them.

 

[debyjay]

Maybe you can try Ultra THick Hair Shake. Do a search on it, it was raved about recently on this board. Although it's not a vitamin per se.

 

[Nonie]

Laketabb, I am sorry and I don't know what to advice. Acne is tricky. I never had it as a kid and then now as an adult I keep getting surprises once in a while. A few things came to mind when I read of your troubles. I know when you do a cleansing program, acne may be one of the first things you see. It's like you first feel and look worse before you feel better. I think they call it the "die off" stage. But then you aren't doing any cleansing...

(Or are you?) Then I wondered if perhaps you have way too much of biotin in your body already such that more of it by way of supplements only leads to more oils being released in your skin?

And then I remembered that one of the reasons I stopped using oils/moisturizers in my hair (Before finding this forum, I never applied any oils (as leave-ins) in my hair, unless I was just about to wash it. And then after deep conditioning it, I didn't apply anything else to it. Granted it didn't look shiny, but it never felt dry). Seemed to me any time I applied anything as a leave-in, it just gave me acne, even if I wore my hair away from my face and strived to keep my face clean and to keep from touching it.

(Now I'm back to leave-ins thanks to all the peer pressure here

and so far, so good. But boy, do I look forward to shampoo days.

)

I don't know if I'm even close to nailing your problem or if any of this is even accurate (when viewed by a scientist or an alternative medicine expert or someone with better knowledge on nutrition), but that's what my wee brain came up with. On doing a search on the Web to find some relationship between acne and biotin, I had no success. But I did find something about B5 being good for ridding one of acne at this Website.

Last but not least Laketabb, for what it's worth, it might help you to know I've grown my hair about 5"-6" in one year without taking biotin. I didn't know of this forum or any other for that matter, and I didn't know of the wonders of biotin. I do take multi-vitamins (containing a trace of biotin 50mcg I think) but just for my overall health, not necessarily for hair. I did have Shen Min (which is high in biotin) buried somewhere in my medicine cabinet which I think I stopped using over a year ago when I didn't see results; mind you I didn't even finish one container of it and I hear it takes 3 months to see results, so you can't go by that. The point I'm trying to make is, you can still see growth without taking biotin. Biotin is so easily obtained from foods that it's almost impossible to be out of it. So if the supplement isn't working for you, I'd take a break from it. Cathy Howse swears by zinc and iron, so how about trying her suggestion. Check toxicity levels and how they affect other supplements' absorption so you don't cause yourself harm. Better still, find a multivitamin that has both those minerals in high quantities. I assume that's the safest way to know you are staying within the safe amounts if they are ready packed with other vitamins. Let us know how you do. Maybe this break from biotin will do you some good. Perhaps Jade's idea of "loading then easing off biotin" (albeit more exteme since you're staying off it) may be just what you need? Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

 

[laketta]

Thanks nonie.

my hair grow on average 1/2 inch a month without doing naything. When I started going natural i decided to grow out my relaxer. (which was sometime in last october). Since then my hair has grown out about 4.5 inches (not completely stretched out) I had bradis put in on june 9th. when i got the braids put in i had cut off the relaxed ends because i felt that i did not need them any more leaving the 4.5 inches of natural hair. since i put my braids in, my hair has grown 1/2 a inch already. i miss the length and i am trying to at least reagin what i had (because i cut off about the same amount in relaxed hair) before the end of the year.

as far as my face goes, i wash it at least twice a day because my face gets oily. after a week and a half of using the biotin i got those timy bumps on the side of my face followed by a few monster bumps. I had to use some strong medicine to get rid of the bumps (which by the way left dots on my face) but after a couple of days, they came back! bigger and shinier!! I even got headaches a few times after taking it. I tried 5mcgs a day, then i went to 3 mcgs a day now I am down to one pill a day. I will try the vitamin b-5 and i know PP sells it.

I cant go without using some type of moisturizer on my hair becase it will be dry. even with a half gallon of water i drink a day. jojoba oil works the best for me and i have been using it since last year with no problems.

 

[Islandgirl]

The same thing happened to me, i broke out on the right side of my face. I am still trying to get rid of it ( it didn't start until the end of May, but I didn't stop taking the biotin until the last week in June, because that is when I realized that it was that). I am hoping my face clears up before the fall semester. I don't want to go back to college with acne on my face.

 

[adrienne0914]

lakettab, i would say to just try some other vitamin. biotin is not the be all and end all to hair growth. maybe you could try a B-complex instead. plus, 1/2" a month is nothing to sneeze at. what i wouldn't give to have that on the regular! i only sometimes get that even with the vitamins...

islandgirl, because your face just broke out on one side, i wonder whether it isn't from something else like your pillowcase. do you sleep on your right side? i do, and that happened to me. i now wash mine more frequently and also sometimes put a towel on my pillow. if i wash my hair at night, i have much more product on my hair. i have ruined so many pillowcases.

 

[melodee]

Let your doctor know about your problem. They may tell you to stop the biotin. Every body's different!!!
Hope your skin clears up!

 

[aprilbiz]

Maybe someone more educated on this can respond, but Biotin contains sulphur. There are other B vitamins that contain it I believe. I will try to find more info and post it. A lot of people have a sulphur allergy.

 

[tekmommie]

My rash went away about 2 days after I lowered the Biotin back to 3200 mcg.

 

[Stormy]

I used to take GNC Ultra Nourishair which has 1200 mcgs. No side effects with those. Now I take GNC Hair, Skin, and Nails formula. 1 tablet which has 2500 mcgs. So far no side effects with these either. I plan on switching back and forth.

 

[KinksnCurlz]

I took the GNC Ultra Nourishair and was rewarded with the fine acne on my face. It's been months since I stopped (about 3) and I still have the same "look" unfortunately.

 

[SherryLove]

Be patient and just take a regular multivitamin that contains all vitamins and nutrients. Not to mention you already have a good hair growth rate...... What you are going through is ridiculous to achieve faster hair growth.

 

[prettygirl]

try a lower dosage or a brand that is less potent than the ones your taking