Longterm antibiotic use caused my EC?

I am a 29 year old woman. I started biting the insides of my mouth and my lower lip when I was in my early twenties. Stress, probably. I continued to do it throughout my twenties because there was a patch of dry skin that would sit there on my lower lip, close to the inside of my lip - you know what i'm talking about. I was diagnosed with anxiety and Depression when I was in my teens. I was also diagnosed with Rosacea at around 20 years old which is when I started taking a low dose oral antibiotic, Oracea 40 mg daily and using Azaleic Acid once a day topically. It cleared my rosacea up and I continued to stay on that medication regimen from age 20-29. I stopped taking it February because I had heard so many stories about longterm Antibiotic use being bad for you. I did not take a probiotic during the 9 years I was on Oracea. Well, when I went off the antibiotic, I also decided at that time to stop biting my lips and just let them heal. I went to the dermatologist and she prescribed me hydro cortisone and aquaphor. The day after I used it, my lips looked perfect. I used it a few more days and I stopped because I just couldn't stand the taste. That's when EC started. At first, skin on my lips started peeling in thin layers, and if I rubbed the skin off, my lips looked good and new. It just got worse over time. After I had tried a bunch of different ointments in a short period of time, the skin just peeled away from the healthy skin and I was left with super raw skin. I've increased my depression/anxiety medication and have not "manually removed" the skin in 2 months. Before then, I was still in denial about this and was mostly concerned with the appearance so I would rub it off, not thinking it would get worse.

*Important/not important fact* I have been a cigarette smoker on and off since I was 14, experimented with some drugs in high school and currently smoke weed every day after work.

Bloodwork has come back normal as far as celiacs, crohn's, lymes, vitamin deficiencies and I had a lip biopsy done last week so I am waiting to get feedback on that.

The best results I saw was when I was using O'keefs. The skin grew back and there were lines in my lips but it eventually was flaky, dry and super hard and thick. I applied aquaphor one night and the next morning the skin was mushy and literally smeared off my lips. Since then, the process of peeling has gotten longer but the buildup has gotten much worse (thicker, yellow, all over my freaking lips!). However, not as bad as some of the photos i've seen here. I'm fearful that it will get worse because it already has so far and I have been dealing with this for less than a year.

So, i'm writing this for a few reasons. 1) To let you know that yet another person is suffering from this with no help from dermatologists (3), 1 General Practitioner, 1 dentist, 1 acupuncturist and a holistic doctor. 2) Provide feedback on anything that I try that works 3) Offer support to others.

My mental health has declined so much since March of this year. I have thought about suicide - seriously. Some days are better than others as far as my mental health. Some days, I can't go to work - just too embarrassed. Some days, I feel good, motivated and that I can cope with this while i'm dealing.

Anyways, take care and talk soon. Victoria


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