Diane 35 (The pill) helped me
Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2013 4:02 pm
Hi everyone, been lurking around here since around 2007 and have posted a few times during that time. I've finally found something that helped me. To give a bit of history, my bb started in 2004 (when i was 19) although I can recall having it on some days when I was 17 and 18 (very occasional, maybe 3 total times in those 2 years that i got reactions from others.) When the bb started in 2004 it was only from the mouth. then in 2010, the thing i'd dreaded from reading this forum happened to me... nasal odor.
things i've tried over the years: like most of you, everything... natural cures, antibiotics, antifungals, diet. I've NEVER been successful in removing the mouth odor, but temporary fixes for the nasal odor were: amoxicyllin an antibiotic (sp) and nasal salt water flushing. Like I said, no matter what antibitiotic or diet I've been on, the mouth odor never ever went away, it's been there 24/7 365 since 2004.
Now for what's been helping me recently. I specifically waited a month before posting. One month ago, I got a prescrption for Diane 35 from my doctor. It's a contraceptive pill, usually used by young girls for mild acne. I asked for Diane because i wanted to try it for bad breath, but i told my doctor I wanted to try it for very bad cramps. i took the first pill on a Saturday, the next day the nasal odor was gone, swear to God. I went outside for a walk to test it, i live in a very busy area and usually i have to spend my time holding my breath in as i walk past people. I didn't have to this time, I kept looking in people's faces like: aren't you gonna rub your nose or cough??
A week later while i was still taking the pill, i went to the mall to buy a dock for my ipod. I was still not really confident in my breath being fresh (almost 10 years of having bb will do that to you) but i spoke to the guys at the store, watching their every move for a reaction, and I did not see one. Now here's where things get a little tricky: I've noticed that when I eat "too" much milk or sugar, the odor returns (mouth and nasal)... but then it's gone the next morning. This past Friday there was a baby shower at work and i had cupcakes, cake, Coke, etc. By noon my breath was horrid (one girl was covering her nose whenever I spoke to her even though she was standing quite far away. it was only her doing that though, nobody else, so i don't know if my breath was really that bad). But a day later (yesterday) i went outside, did a bit of shopping, had to talk to people and I got no reactions.
I think what i need to do (but it's hard) is to completely cut sugar and milk out for a few months until my body gets back in sync. If i keep eating badly like this, maybe the pill will stop working for me. I can definitely still eat good carbs and meat just fine, but things like ice-cream and cheese do not agree with me. I'd like to mention that when I wake up even after having things like burgers and i've forgotten to brush my teeth the night before, i can only taste the mildest morning breath and sometimes nothing at all. Before I went on the pill the taste of my morning breath grossed even me out.
I think years ago someone else on this forum also mentioned using the pill, but the reason i asked my doc for it is because of the acne connection. Diane is use for inflammation problems so i thought it couldn't hurt to try it for bad breath. If you go read any acne forum, you'll see they go through a lot of what we go through... restrictive diets, trying out all sorts of natural and medicinal cures, feeling isolated from friends and family. i've always found that interesting that we are so similar in our experiences with acne people. I don't have acne by the way, perfect skin.. just bb.
So i tried one of the acne "cures" on a pure whim, not really expecting any results, and it's really helping me. Not a cure by any means, if you are looking at it from the angle of wanting somthing that will allow you to eat however and whatever and still have fresh breath.
Also, one thing i know for sure is that I am not and will never be one of those people who have 100% fresh breath even if they don't brush: i recall an incident when I was 13 (I had dental braces) and I forgot to brush my teeth that morning - we had double desks at school so the boy sitting next to me was RIGHT next to me. We were friends and he commented on my breath that day, specifically telling me that I didn't brush, and I know that it was just a once off thing because he looked so surprised and shocked by it. Anyway the point i'm trying to make, i think a lot of us kind of bypass the brushing twice a day thing because we know that it's not a cure. But it's still important (I'm lazy, sometimes I only brush once a day in the morning. and this laziness is not doing me any favours.)
Side effects of the pill: a little weight gain and BAD headaches the first two weeks. The headaches got better and even if they'd continued I'd have probably kept taking the pill because literally nothing has ever helped my bb this much. Also, the first week i had the weirdest body odor, not unpleasant like fecal or sweaty armpits, but it was strange. and very strong. Luckily it went away.
i know that this doesn't seem helpful to the men on this forum but even if you can't use Diane, maybe look into hormonal/inflammation medicine that men can use.
things i've tried over the years: like most of you, everything... natural cures, antibiotics, antifungals, diet. I've NEVER been successful in removing the mouth odor, but temporary fixes for the nasal odor were: amoxicyllin an antibiotic (sp) and nasal salt water flushing. Like I said, no matter what antibitiotic or diet I've been on, the mouth odor never ever went away, it's been there 24/7 365 since 2004.
Now for what's been helping me recently. I specifically waited a month before posting. One month ago, I got a prescrption for Diane 35 from my doctor. It's a contraceptive pill, usually used by young girls for mild acne. I asked for Diane because i wanted to try it for bad breath, but i told my doctor I wanted to try it for very bad cramps. i took the first pill on a Saturday, the next day the nasal odor was gone, swear to God. I went outside for a walk to test it, i live in a very busy area and usually i have to spend my time holding my breath in as i walk past people. I didn't have to this time, I kept looking in people's faces like: aren't you gonna rub your nose or cough??
A week later while i was still taking the pill, i went to the mall to buy a dock for my ipod. I was still not really confident in my breath being fresh (almost 10 years of having bb will do that to you) but i spoke to the guys at the store, watching their every move for a reaction, and I did not see one. Now here's where things get a little tricky: I've noticed that when I eat "too" much milk or sugar, the odor returns (mouth and nasal)... but then it's gone the next morning. This past Friday there was a baby shower at work and i had cupcakes, cake, Coke, etc. By noon my breath was horrid (one girl was covering her nose whenever I spoke to her even though she was standing quite far away. it was only her doing that though, nobody else, so i don't know if my breath was really that bad). But a day later (yesterday) i went outside, did a bit of shopping, had to talk to people and I got no reactions.
I think what i need to do (but it's hard) is to completely cut sugar and milk out for a few months until my body gets back in sync. If i keep eating badly like this, maybe the pill will stop working for me. I can definitely still eat good carbs and meat just fine, but things like ice-cream and cheese do not agree with me. I'd like to mention that when I wake up even after having things like burgers and i've forgotten to brush my teeth the night before, i can only taste the mildest morning breath and sometimes nothing at all. Before I went on the pill the taste of my morning breath grossed even me out.
I think years ago someone else on this forum also mentioned using the pill, but the reason i asked my doc for it is because of the acne connection. Diane is use for inflammation problems so i thought it couldn't hurt to try it for bad breath. If you go read any acne forum, you'll see they go through a lot of what we go through... restrictive diets, trying out all sorts of natural and medicinal cures, feeling isolated from friends and family. i've always found that interesting that we are so similar in our experiences with acne people. I don't have acne by the way, perfect skin.. just bb.
So i tried one of the acne "cures" on a pure whim, not really expecting any results, and it's really helping me. Not a cure by any means, if you are looking at it from the angle of wanting somthing that will allow you to eat however and whatever and still have fresh breath.
Also, one thing i know for sure is that I am not and will never be one of those people who have 100% fresh breath even if they don't brush: i recall an incident when I was 13 (I had dental braces) and I forgot to brush my teeth that morning - we had double desks at school so the boy sitting next to me was RIGHT next to me. We were friends and he commented on my breath that day, specifically telling me that I didn't brush, and I know that it was just a once off thing because he looked so surprised and shocked by it. Anyway the point i'm trying to make, i think a lot of us kind of bypass the brushing twice a day thing because we know that it's not a cure. But it's still important (I'm lazy, sometimes I only brush once a day in the morning. and this laziness is not doing me any favours.)
Side effects of the pill: a little weight gain and BAD headaches the first two weeks. The headaches got better and even if they'd continued I'd have probably kept taking the pill because literally nothing has ever helped my bb this much. Also, the first week i had the weirdest body odor, not unpleasant like fecal or sweaty armpits, but it was strange. and very strong. Luckily it went away.
i know that this doesn't seem helpful to the men on this forum but even if you can't use Diane, maybe look into hormonal/inflammation medicine that men can use.