Please tell me all you know about Accutane...

[Lola]

I am getting ready to go on Accutane since my supid adult acne is not going away.

My dr. has given me the booket about not getting pregnant, but I wanted to know from anyone that has tried it a few questions:

1) How sensitive was your skin to sun while taking the pills?

2) What dosage were you given?

3) How long were you on the meds?

4) Any side effects?

Please tell me anything else.

I need some input! I am excited as I have been trying may topical meds, but need something better.

THANK YOU!

 

[BigJ]

If you have pre-existing mental health problems, stay far far away.

Also, stock up on chap stick, moisturizer, and a tub of Aquaphor for when you go to sleep.

 

[Lola]

Originally posted by: BigJ
If you have pre-existing mental health problems, stay far far away.

Also, stock up on chap stick, moisturizer, and a tub of Aquaphor for when you go to sleep.

The scary thing for me is that I have had depression before. I no longer take medication for it, but i used to. Nothing bad, but I have seen dr.'s and taken meds for it before.

Thank you BigJ!

 

[Reckoner]

I took it back in my teenage years. Very effective, but it really,REALLY dried out my skin. I also had to go for blood tests each month, so they could monitor my liver. Follow the dermatologists instructions to the letter. ultimately i couldn't finish the treatment due to a false alarm on one of the blood tests, and the acne did eventually come back around 6 months after treatment

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

I'm probably going to go on it very soon. My doctor said that there are cases where hair loss is probable. One of my old employees took it for years and it cause almost all of his hair to fall out. It scares me, yes, but i'm sick and tired of having acne at 31.

Lola, Have you tried to take minocycline? I'm on that now and at first, it worked very well but started to lose it's effectiveness over time. Most likely my body has gotten used to it.

 

[RU482]

dear god, do the benefits really outweigh the potential negatives?

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

Originally posted by: redly1
dear god, do the benefits really outweigh the potential negatives?

Yes, I would think so. Especially for those of us that have had acne for years and have tried everything to keep it from coming back.

 

[Oscar1613]

i had some friends take it and all had nasty side effects... everything from extreme dry skin to joint pain, and one it just moved the acne to his back and it was so severe that it caused scarring worthy of laser surgery :Q

 

[dudeman007]

Originally posted by: Cdubneeddeal

Originally posted by: redly1
dear god, do the benefits really outweigh the potential negatives?

Yes, I would think so. Especially for those of us that have had acne for years and have tried everything to keep it from coming back.

Definitely. Just make sure like previously said you carry a chap stick and are ready to lotion up your face every morning.

 

[nboy22]

Originally posted by: LolaWiz

Originally posted by: BigJ
If you have pre-existing mental health problems, stay far far away.

Also, stock up on chap stick, moisturizer, and a tub of Aquaphor for when you go to sleep.

The scary thing for me is that I have had depression before. I no longer take medication for it, but i used to. Nothing bad, but I have seen dr.'s and taken meds for it before.

Thank you BigJ!

Wait.. what? I swear to god I've seen pictures of you and I don't see why you would need accutane at all... I'm not completely sure but just from memory. I've heard accutane is some nasty stuff overall.

 

[ni4ni]

Depression is a very common side effect. I would seriously give long thought about it. We have had several people who are taking it come into our ER after attempting suicide.

Fatigue, hair loss and eye sensitivity is very common as well. If you wear contacts, chances are you will have to stop.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Absolute miracle drug. Depression / suicide emotional stuff is not a problem. They list it because a few teens did kill themselves while taking it, but instead of looking at other causes of their depression, their parents decided to bring lawsuits against the manufacturer of the drug-- so as part of a deal, they had to add it.

It is very tightly regulated (dermatologist said it's the most regulated drug on the market), and as evident by the monthly blood tests, they really go to great extents to make sure you're ok. The only thing that happened to me while I was on it was chapped lips and dry skin, but it's nothing a little chapstick can't fix. All in all the benefits completely dominated over the side effects. It's been about 5 years since I completed the 6 month treatment and I rarely ever get a pimple on my face. It's come back a little bit on my back, but all in all, I couldn't be happier with what it did for me.

 

[ppdes]

Only side effect I noticed when I took it was dry lips.

 

[jaybert]

im actually on it right now...this is my 3rd time on it (First time was when i was 16 or 17..2nd time when i was 19 , 24 now). My acne flaired up 4 or so months ago, and I spent about a month hoping it would just go away but kept getting worse and worse. I finally decided to goto the doctor and he prescribed my accutane. I am about 2 1/2 months in, and it is much better. Still have some acne, but much better than before and getting better by the day.

I have a feeling that most people who are asking whether its worth the risk never have had severe acne. While my acne was never horrible, It definitely did affect my life and how I lived since I was so self conscious.

And yes, it is VERY regulated. There is now a government agency that oversees the prescription of accutane (and the generics). You need to be registered into a database, and can only get a prescription once every 30 days (and it has to be filled within 7 days..otherwise it becomes void). After you see the derm, they enter something into the system when they give you a prescription. When you fill the prescription, you give your pharmacist your "I PLEDGE" card, and they verify that your derm has updated your records in the database before filling it.

 

[jaybert]

1) How sensitive was your skin to sun while taking the pills?
skin was dry...but not that sensitive as far I can tell. Just use a moisturizer that has SPF15 or whatever every morning. Biggest change I saw was my lips..they became VERY dry almost immediately. I didnt see much change in my acne until about 1 1/2 months in (which is normal), but literally a day or two after I started, my lips became chapped.

2) What dosage were you given?
30mg twice a day, so 60mg total

3) How long were you on the meds?
normal cycle is 5 or 6 months, but can go up or down a month or two depending on how its going

4) Any side effects?
other than the dry skin/lips, nothing i can tell

 

[UncleWai]

I used megadosage of vitamin B5 treatment. You can read about it online. The side effects of Accutane sound a little too much. You should give the B5 regiment a try. You can buy vitamin b5 in powder form http://www.bulknutrition.com/?products_id=928

It worked for me, takes like a month to see effects.
Yesterday I got a huge pimple on my right cheek that popped. I got a blob of mess on my right cheek now, it's just one, but I already want to cry.

 

[Bill Brasky]

It's been about 8 or 9 years since I took it, but I think I took 10mg twice a day without any side effects. I've had clear skin ever since. My parents were worried about side effects so I started out taking half a dose/ day and then bumped up to full dosage after a few weeks.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Absolute miracle drug. Depression / suicide emotional stuff is not a problem. They list it because a few teens did kill themselves while taking it, but instead of looking at other causes of their depression, their parents decided to bring lawsuits against the manufacturer of the drug-- so as part of a deal, they had to add it.

It is very tightly regulated (dermatologist said it's the most regulated drug on the market), and as evident by the monthly blood tests, they really go to great extents to make sure you're ok. The only thing that happened to me while I was on it was chapped lips and dry skin, but it's nothing a little chapstick can't fix. All in all the benefits completely dominated over the side effects. It's been about 5 years since I completed the 6 month treatment and I rarely ever get a pimple on my face. It's come back a little bit on my back, but all in all, I couldn't be happier with what it did for me.

Just because you didn't have the side effects does not mean they aren't very real.

My friend and I were on it at the same time and while we had different side effects, something we did have in common was some pretty severe mental health issues as a result of the medication. My mental health wasn't great beforehand, but my friend never suffered from any mental health or emotional problems before he started using the medication.

When I went off of it, it was literally like a curtain was being lifted. My mental health was much better after I stopped the medication. Same thing for my friend. Our friends actually commented that after we were off it for a few months, it was like we were our old selves again.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Absolute miracle drug. Depression / suicide emotional stuff is not a problem. They list it because a few teens did kill themselves while taking it, but instead of looking at other causes of their depression, their parents decided to bring lawsuits against the manufacturer of the drug-- so as part of a deal, they had to add it.

It is very tightly regulated (dermatologist said it's the most regulated drug on the market), and as evident by the monthly blood tests, they really go to great extents to make sure you're ok. The only thing that happened to me while I was on it was chapped lips and dry skin, but it's nothing a little chapstick can't fix. All in all the benefits completely dominated over the side effects. It's been about 5 years since I completed the 6 month treatment and I rarely ever get a pimple on my face. It's come back a little bit on my back, but all in all, I couldn't be happier with what it did for me.

Just because you didn't have the side effects does not mean they aren't very real.

My friend and I were on it at the same time and while we had different side effects, something we did have in common was some pretty severe mental health issues as a result of the medication. My mental health wasn't great beforehand, but my friend never suffered from any mental health or emotional problems before he started using the medication.

When I went off of it, it was literally like a curtain was being lifted. My mental health was much better after I stopped the medication. Same thing for my friend. Our friends actually commented that after we were off it for a few months, it was like we were our old selves again.

Question is, would you have those mental health side effects if you didn't know they might occur in accutane patients?

 

[Reckoner]

Originally posted by: UncleWai
I used megadosage of vitamin B5 treatment. You can read about it online. The side effects of Accutane sound a little too much. You should give the B5 regiment a try. You can buy vitamin b5 in powder form http://www.bulknutrition.com/?products_id=928

It worked for me, takes like a month to see effects.
Yesterday I got a huge pimple on my right cheek that popped. I got a blob of mess on my right cheek now, it's just one, but I already want to cry.

Yeah, I took B5 myself a couple years ago for smaller breakouts. It really did the job.

 

[crt1530]

Originally posted by: LolaWiz
I am getting ready to go on Accutane since my supid adult acne is not going away.

My dr. has given me the booket about not getting pregnant, but I wanted to know from anyone that has tried it a few questions:

1) How sensitive was your skin to sun while taking the pills?

2) What dosage were you given?

3) How long were you on the meds?

4) Any side effects?

Please tell me anything else.

I need some input! I am excited as I have been trying may topical meds, but need something better.

THANK YOU!

1) Pretty sensitive. Easily damaged (sun, scrapes, cuts, etc.). Scars are more likely to occur (don't pick your acne).
2) ~1mg/kg of bodyweight per day
3) 5 months
4) General achiness, dry skin, REALLY dry lips.

Anything else?
Buy Cetaphil products (Gentle Skin Cleanser, Moisturizing Lotion).
Buy Aquaphor and always keep it with you (for your lips).
No extra dietary Vitamin A (carrots, etc.).
Supplement with fish oil (not cod liver oil).
I found it really helpful to exfoliate my lips with a wet cloth once or twice daily.
Don't use any topical medications while you're on the Accutane (even though it may very well get worse during the first month). They will make the battle with dryness untenable.

The ties to depression and suicide are extremely weak and circumstantial. Accutane is only prescribed to people with significant cases of acne. The patients are generally teenagers and adult women who have struggled for significant periods of time with horrible acne issues. Teens in general and people with bad acne in particular are more prone to suffer body image issues and depression. If you go into the treatment expecting things to be perfect right away and are not prepared to deal with and manage of the side effects, you may very well be setting yourself up for disappointment and depression. Be realistic, commit to a full dosage for the full term and wait until month 5/6 for the real results.

The thing that IS NOT a joke is the teratogenic effects of Accutane. You should really consider doubling up on birth control methods for the duration of your treatment.

 

[PhoenixOrion]

I took it for 4 months when I was 19 or 20 years old.

I think all the side effects I experienced have already been mentioned.....

except for dandruff. I think my skin/scalp got so dry that the junction between the hairline and forehead started getting itchy dry.

i remember i went out to buy pert or selsun because of this problem.

 

[nater]

I had mild acne for most of my teenage years and tried basically every medication without success. So then I got prescribed to Accutane. I regret this decision because in hindsight my acne was never that bad to start with, nor did it go away completely while I was on the medication. The blood tests were a pain in the ass, and I experience some of the noted side effects, although not all of them can be solely attributed to Accutane.

I'm 22 and balding, have had abnormal test results on my liver (not from drinking), and I was noticeably depressed during the period I was on Accutane (I think six months). Like I said, I can't single out Accutane as the cause of these problems, but I will always wonder.

I DID have extremely dry skin and especially lips, and I know this is because of the Accutane. Even using chapstick/moisturizer regularly, my lips developed a very large crack that was basically present the entire time I was on the drug. I also got sunburned easily...in the middle of winter.

All things considered, I wouldn't do it again. But like I said, I didn't have extreme acne either. It is a very serious decision to make, and deserves to be discussed/thought about.

 

[Reckoner]

I think we need to be careful terming certain side effects as "weak" or unlikely. This drug is heavily regulated for a reason, and unless you're a doctor, nobody should be stating anything contrary to what is generally accepted as side-effects for this particular prescription medicine.

 

[oiprocs]

I took it for 6 months when I had a crazy pus filled blowout of acne back in 11th grade. I started off with 20mg twice a day, and after a month it was 40mg twice a day until the end of 6 months.

I had no side effects, none of that depression stuff or kidney failure or whatnot. I looked at the medicine and said, "This sh!t is going to clear up my face, how in the hell can I get depressed about anything?" Your skin does get dry, but I never really felt the effects. I carried a liter of bottle with me to school, and by the time I got home I was finished with it. I drank probably another half liter before I went to bed. I definitely stayed out of the sun though when I could, otherwise you contribute to the dryness of the skin. Other than that, nothing changed for me. At the end of those 6 months, I had great skin, and I really could not b!tch about using Accutane.

You gotta drink the water though. I mean, I know some friends that don't even adjust their water intake, which is terrible. As long as you get the fluids in you, you should be fine. And I must say, it is totally worth it. I'm not sure how a female handles the medication, but I do know that it is "supposedly" easier on males. I say that with hesitation because I'm not sure if there is a difference, as long as you're not pregnant or planning on getting pregnant.

I really hope you get the skin you want, because I think acne is one of the most fubar'd things put on this planet. It only brings down the esteem of people, whether they like it or not. People see your face first when they meet/greet you, not your personality, so acne can just mess sh!t up.