Help: Should i take Accutane treatment?

dongky

Senior member
Jan 31, 2001
419
0
0
It's my first post here so pls. be gentle :)

I was considering Accutane treatment since the medications that my doctor had provided we're not working.
It's been a year since i started to use all those crappy creams and lotsa antibiotics for my acne.

Well, i just did a little research here and there and i found out that it causes depression, suicidal tendencies, and actual suicide:Q:Q:Q
But i also found out that it cures very well and permanently prevent acne in the future.

thanks in advance.
 

ThERibMaSTeR

Member
May 25, 2002
92
0
0
A friend of mine did the Accutane treatment. Seemed to really help him. But it did cause a cjhange in his personality. He became more *snippy* if u know what i mean. Hope this helps...
 

isekii

Lifer
Mar 16, 2001
28,578
3
81
Originally posted by: dongky
It's my first post here so pls. be gentle :)

I was considering Accutane treatment since the medications that my doctor had provided we're not working.
It's been a year since i started to use all those crappy creams and lotsa antibiotics for my acne.

Well, i just did a little research here and there and i found out that it causes depression, suicidal tendencies, and actual suicide:Q:Q:Q
But i also found out that it cures very well and permanently prevent acne in the future.

thanks in advance.

It's probably more depression and that's what causes the suicidal tendency~

but i heard it usually gives you dry mouth~
 

gopunk

Lifer
Jul 7, 2001
29,239
2
0
Originally posted by: ThERibMaSTeR
A friend of mine did the Accutane treatment. Seemed to really help him. But it did cause a cjhange in his personality. He became more *snippy* if u know what i mean. Hope this helps...

yep, same here, except it was a girl. she was having suicidal thoughts. she didn't stay on it long enough to see a difference though.
 

Spac3d

Banned
Jul 3, 2001
6,651
1
0
I took it. I didn't have any depression, but one of the side effects might be that you will have an upset stomach. I had that a lot, but overall, well worth it. All of the acne went away and stayed away :D

Go for it. Have fun with those blood tests:p I have had them done enough times I knew everyone who worked there :p

Spac3d
 

jfall

Diamond Member
Oct 31, 2000
5,975
2
0
I took the highest dosage for a couple of months 4 or so years ago.. it worked very well.. I didn't have any side effects except for being very very dry. I use to have to get my blood taken every couple of weeks as well
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
I took a full phase with a fairly low dosage some years ago. It was awesome but 6 months later the acne came back so I went on a stronger dosage for a second run at things. I quit that one half way through because the side effects were too severe. My lips were like a desert and my nose bled frequently. I didn't notice any personality changes or anything but my eyes started to hurt and I don't know what relation it has to the accutane but for several years afterwards I had ocassional eye discomfort, that I no longer have. Joint pains are one side effect and although I can't remember having any right now mrsskoorb says I had an awful lot. Really the side effects were numerous which is why I probably can't remember that one specifically.

Personally I'd steer clear. There is also the possibility of long term kidney damage. Although at the time acne seemed like the worst thing on earth what remaining acne I had has pretty well all gone now, though it took until I was 23/24 (I'm 24 now) to seriously subside. That's a long time, but for the side effects I had - some of which are long term - it's not worth it for something that is only for your own vanity.

I also tried those other medications by the doctor. One was topical and one was oral; they were a total joke. Accutane is the only thing that ever worked for my acne, but I still wouldn't really recommend it.
 

Placer14

Platinum Member
Sep 17, 2001
2,225
0
76
I've used all the treatment myself. Finally got put on Accutane. That stuff works well, but you'll be miserable for a while. I don't think suicidal tendencies are directly from the medicene, but more how the medicene will make you feel. My lips cracked badly (was on constant lip balm, went through a tube every 4 days), it basically dried my entire body up. My hair hurt badly, (not the hair intself but where the folicles came out) to the point where I could barely style my hair. And slept a lot more. And didn't eat as much. That's a lot of crap to go through to get rid of this stuff. Was on in about 4 years ago. 4 Years later, I still have some acne, but not nearly as bad as it was and is almost unnoticable. I can pretty much control it by washing my face 3 times a day with cleanser.

If I had to make the decision again, I'd probably take it. My high school years weren't anything to boast about anyway and was better for me in the long run. Just keep yourself as clean as possible and you might not need a high dosage which = suck.

Good luck. :disgust:
 

tontod

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 1999
3,244
0
71
I took Accutane for about 6 months, cleared up my acne. As others have said, it caused dehydration and dry lips, so make sure you have plenty of water while you're on it. I was glad I took it, I had been taking medication for it for a few years before accutane, and nothing worked.
 

amnesiac

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
15,781
1
71
Aside from being on semi-permanent dehydration mode (chap stick = best friend) and having to pretend I was a vampire (sunlight = worst enemy), Accutane did a great job. I used it many years ago when I had bad acne and it's been cleared up ever since.
 

N8Magic

Lifer
Dec 12, 2000
11,624
1
81
I took it, it didn't change my mood whatsoever and it worked great.

If you do decide to take it, be prepared to go to Costco and buy a box of Chapstick. It really dried out my lips. (nothing a little chapstick couldn't handle though.)
 

dongky

Senior member
Jan 31, 2001
419
0
0
blood tests:Q

thank you very much for your inputs. you guys are awesome.

but my gf is still worried about the side-effects and she recommends trying
rolleye.gif
Proactive
rolleye.gif
for a few weeks or so before jumping on the accutane treatment.
i guess she doesn't want me to see all those hot chicks(doctor's assistants) very often:D
 

bizmark

Banned
Feb 4, 2002
2,311
0
0
I took it, and it dried the hell out of me. I'm not sure whether I would take it again. It's sure as hell not 'natural' and that's what I'm into now health-wise. My lips would peel off completely every 3 days (I hate chapstick / lip balm / etc.), and it didn't completely eliminate my acne during the time I was taking it... it reduced it for sure, but what zits I would get became swollen blisters that would bleed forever and leave red marks for months. Okay sorry if that was a little graphic. Anyway, I'm a lot better now that I'm a few years older, and I've kind of learned not to worry about it so much. I was never *that* bad to start with, but my parents wanted me to take Accutane, so I did.

Now I notice that my acne has a lot to do with how often I shave. I think that even just the scraping action of a razor across your face can be helpful in taking away the dead skin cells that clog your pores to form acne. Oh, and I think that that Proactiv stuff works pretty well... I've never been on it long-term, but when I tried it for a few days it seemed to work.
 

Keego

Diamond Member
Aug 15, 2000
6,223
2
81
I took a sulfer based acne treatment, helped me a lot! I can't remember the name though :/
 

technogeeky

Golden Member
Dec 13, 2000
1,438
0
0
I believe it only works to further depression, not create the situation for it.

If you are clinically depressed, don't take it.
 

kaiotes

Golden Member
Dec 31, 2000
1,816
0
0
dry mouthh, monthly blood test, nosebleed.
death was due to this real case, there was law suit, thus they stating it in waiver thingie, and you gotta sign waiver to take the drug too, assuming ur derma lets u.
very effective drug though. a generic version is coming out i hear.

if its for ur GF, make sure you waer a condom or she is on the pill if u know what i mean ;)
 

MaxDSP

Lifer
May 15, 2001
10,056
0
71
am I the only one thats never heard of Accutane? :Q


my acne wasnt bad at all when I was a teen. I do have a couple of scars tho...
 

chiwawa626

Lifer
Aug 15, 2000
12,013
0
0
Ive pretty much been through most of the acne medicine on the persecription market...and then i was lead to Accutane. I went on it for 5 months. The mid 2 months were kinda the worst, i was really dried out: bloody noses 4 times a week, lips soo cracked theyed bleed in my sleep, and crazy dryness all over. But after like the first 3 months my acne was like totaly gone and it stayed that way for 3 months after the treatment...then now im starting to get em back, but no deep blackheads. I went back to the dermetologist and after Accutane they basicly throw you back on all the stuff that didint work before since it is "supposed" to work now...so far no luck its pissing me off.
 

Joemonkey

Diamond Member
Mar 3, 2001
8,859
4
0
i took it for quite some time, and only had the dry lips and sensetivity to sunlight

and skoorb screw you for saying it's a vanity thing... its a "general sense of well being" thing to be rid of such a thing as horrible as marks all over your face that look disgusting and unhealthy

you COULD say your wife was vain for getting laser eye surgery as well....
 

coolred

Diamond Member
Nov 12, 2001
4,911
0
0
I also may be going on accutane soon. I even just recently started my own thread about it, since I mispelled it in a search and didn't find this one. But anyways, I am a little worried about the side effects, as it seems you are as well. My sister(she's a nurse, not that that makes her know anything about it)says the only reason the FDA allows Accutane is because nothing else can cure acne as well as it. She said that if there was any other product that worked like accutane only with less side effects, that accutane would be shut down by the FDA. I don't like my acne, but I don't think it is that bad compared to some of the pics at the dermatologist, so hopefully if I do go on it, its a low dose that works with minimal side effects. Good luck to you.
 

Spoooon

Lifer
Mar 3, 2000
11,563
203
106
I took accutane for something besides acne. It didn't have any negative effects other than severe chapping of my lips. That really sucked.
 

Scouzer

Lifer
Jun 3, 2001
10,358
5
0
I really don't know anything about Accutane so no comment.

But I saw a couple people mention Proactiv and dayum, that made my zits explode. Not in a good way either. I got bazillions more than I would of if I never washed my face. Now I have this pretty plain Neutrogena perfume-less soap that I wash with 3 times a day that really helps. My zits are not nearly as bad as they used to be. I almost never get a volcano massive one. <knock on wood>

Oh, one tip for you guys. Avoid anything with perfume!!! I used to get bad zits on my forehead hairline, then I switched to this very simple Neutrogena perfume-less residue-less shampoo and they disapeared completely in a week.

A final suggestion, wash your pillow case! You push your face into that thing for hours on end, if its dirty it can't possibly be doing good things!