Accutane. To Try or Not to Try.....

babygirl6915 · 01-06-2006, 04:53 PM

That is my question. I have been on BCP for years now & am possibly infertile already. My boyf just finished chemo last year so our chances of getting preggers is VERY low. All these things considered, combined with the cystic acne I have, my Dr. thinks I would be a good canidate for Accutane. But I want to hear any side effects or bad/good experiences you all have had with it before I make my decision.

Rosie1028 · 01-06-2006, 05:15 PM

I have never used accutane, but I had really great results treating my cystic acne with differin gel at night and benzacline during the day. Have you tried anything else for the acne beside bc pills?

Rozlynn · 01-06-2006, 05:39 PM

Don't try it... My brother was on it and altough it did work it screws with everything else... Mood ect.. If you are even the least bit depressed this drug will shut off all receptors for good...

*tinks* · 01-06-2006, 05:57 PM

be careful, v v careful, i went on it and suffered v bad side effects, had to halve the dose. there were rumours it might be taken off the market a few yrs ago cos a boy committed suicide on it....
but i persevered with it cos had no idea my acne was hormonal, at that time i had no idea i had pcos. it did however eventually make a big improvement to my skin, now just have hormonl acne on chin and jaw line - not as bad as before, but i'd say can u not try to get your hormone levels sorted - have u tried vitex - that is supposed to help with hormonal acne - maybe worth a try - i certainly wudnt go on it again - but its up to u just please be careful to watch for depression etc if u decide to go on it, and also it can be bad for ur liver i think.... and has left my skin, especially round my eyes v v sensitive.
good luck with whatever u decide tho
xxx

babygirl6915 · 01-06-2006, 05:59 PM

I have tried Differin, Tazorac, antibiotics (even tho I am allergic to them), & spiro (didn't take for more than 2 weeks, dunno why). Nothing worked w/o having side effects that were just unbearable (Tazorac & Differin made my face scale & peel off).

I have suffered from mild depression in the past (over 8 years ago) so if that is true about the depression, maybe it is not for me. Anyone else have that side effect?

What is Vitex? Never heard of it.

austinmandi · 01-06-2006, 06:03 PM

I just wanted to say that Accutane was nothing short of miraculous for me. I started getting cystic acne when I was 12 and it got progressively worse every year. I was on antibiotics for a couple years (erythromycin and tetracycline) and moved on to every cream and cleanser (differin, retin-a, brevoxyl, clindamycin pads, ect.) until finally the derm. decided that nothing else was working and let me try accutane. I'll never forget- I was 17 and started right as the summer began. I took 40mg twice a day for 10 weeks. The first month it got alot worse, but I was told that would happen. When I was done, my face was COMPLETELY CLEAR and fabulous!!! My mom cried when she saw my senior pictures because she didn't realize how much it had improved. I know you might not believe this, but I did not have a single blemish again until I was 20. I am not exaggerating. I only wish I would have started it alot sooner so I wouldn't have to deal with the scars left from all that time on treatments that didn't work. Not only did I have clear skin, it helped keep the oil glands under control and my skin wasn't oily for years. There have been alot of studies that suggest accutane may trigger severe depression and suicidal thoughts but I never had any of those problems. If you are depressed and/or have mood problems, I would definitely let your dr. know before taking it. But for me, it was the best choice and as soon as I have this baby and we wean from bf, I am going back to the derm and getting on it again (since being pg, my cystic acne has returned) Good luck with whatever you decide. Oh, and sorry so long!!

Amink · 01-06-2006, 06:05 PM

I work in a pharmacy, and have seen many people with very positive results using Accutane or Sortane. My own brother included.

However, from my understanding your derm will only put you on this med for 6-8 months, then you will be done (it should greatly help with the acne, and prevent it from reforming once you are finished with it)

My husband was on Accutane when we were first married, I saw a huge change in his mood, he was sullen, moody, and sometimes did seem suicidal, after he finished his second month, I asked him to not use it any more, because I was worried about him.

Good luck whatever you choose

Ophelia1920 · 01-06-2006, 07:28 PM

I did two rounds of accutane when I was younger, around 19-20 years old. Looking back, I probably should not have bothered. Yeah, it did clear up the acne - for a while. I will have cystic acne the rest of my life, where I will always have to take something for it. Accutane is a VERY strong drug. I did not have any emotional side effects however it dried me out so bad that my hair was a ball of frizz and my lips were so chapped they bled. That and about 6 months after quitting the last round of accutane, I got a geographic tongue and have had it ever since. I can't say for 100% sure it was the accutane, but it seems like quite a coincidence.

Right now, because I am pregnant, I am using a perscription benzoyl peroxide topical wash and it's actually working great. I get the acne on my back, back of my neck, scalp, and chin, so really over a widespread area. When I got the prescription, I asked the doctor what really causes the acne. Is it hormonal, because the birth control pills take care of it and I get it more at that time of the month if I'm not taking anything for it? Or is it bacterial, because when I took an antibiotic that also cleared it up? And he told me it's some of both.

Personally, I would recommend trying something less potent before the accutane. And if you do take the accutane, even if you THINK you can't get pregnant, always use some type of reliable birth control. You might be surprised as to how many people thought they could never conceive because of medical issues and oops, surprise! And you don't want that surprise while taking a drug that is known to cause birth defects.

unknown_user · 01-07-2006, 05:29 AM

You should definitely try it. I'm on it right now and within just a month my whole forehead is clear, I now only get about 2 pimples a month, and of course the scars are still there. but I have to say it is well worth it. Every now and then I suffer from side affects like depression, but that's what friends are for! They usually cheer me up

But only take it if you've ried everything else, all the OTC creams, things like proactive, and also other pills. none of those worked for me, so if you haven't already tried those then do so

Quote:

If you are even the least bit depressed this drug will shut off all receptors for good

not true, I'm still happy 9/10 of the time

*tinks* · 01-07-2006, 07:41 PM

hey,
u can look in the alternative remedies forum on this board for more info on herbal remedies such vitex - that can help with acne aswell as regulating ur menstrual cycle... etc - here's a link to some other info on vitex:

http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/vitex.html

HTH

etuc · 01-10-2006, 12:55 AM

Accutane did wonders for me over 20 years ago!
Previously my Dr had tried all sorts of medications on me and nothing worked, one (Dapsone) almost killed me from liver complications, when he suggested Accutane I was really frightened since it was relatively new at the time. I am so thankful that I did it! The only side effects I had was dryness and my lips cracked a bit.
I was depressed before I started taking it, but it didn't make me any more depressed than I already was

Good luck with your decision

Babbaloo · 01-11-2006, 10:51 PM

I was on Accutane when I was aroung 19-20. It made my face really itchy and red and dry flakes. It was really embarassing ... this happened for about 2 months...but I quit it because it was getting expensive. Anyways I switched to Obagi with BCP and it was a miracle I had totally clear and clean skin. I couldn't believe it. But now I am TTC and my doctor said I should stay off Obagi because there have been no studies done on pregnant women and acne medications.

rayandme · 01-13-2006, 05:19 AM

Hi -

I suffer from Chronic Yeast Infections and Yeast overgrowth in my body and one of the primary causes was taking Accutane in my youth.

DH also has IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and he was also on strong acne medication (possibly Accutane) in his youth.

If I could go back I would not take Accutane as it didn't cure my acne since it was more hormonally related. And it messed up my body. I would research natural remedies which can work just as well if not better.

Take care.

mandypurdue · 01-17-2006, 06:42 AM

My brother was on it and his hands were so dried out they cracked and bled and so did his lips. It was horrible. I think it does something to the body. I guess everyone is different though so good luck whatever your decision is!

zelda · 01-19-2006, 08:51 PM

i am taking it now. it's great, the only side effects i have had have been dry nose and lips, and once in a while i have a few muscle aches. it really does make a difference and i wish that i had taken it years ago before the scarring set in.

there is a lot of hype about accutane. while it is a very powerful drug, i have to say that the horrible things you hear about it (suicide, for example) happen to a miniscule sample of users. i was scared about taking it, too, but i now see that my fears were pretty much unfounded. also, you will be seeing your doctor every four weeks for bloodwork and a dosage check - you will be closely supervised.

i'm not necessarily a super supporter of accutane for everyone, but for people like me who have no other options left, it really can help. you can pm me if you'd like if you have any questions.