25 replies to this topic

[Heinsbeans]

I'm a 23 year old male and I've been struggling with moderate(sometimes close to severe) acne under the skin, nodular acne and cystic acne since I was 16. Even though acne is not a life-threatening disease, my acne has caused:

 

- lowered my self-esteem 

- avoid social interaction
- made me skip work and school 

- got bullied at school because of my acne 
- ended up taking too much vitamin A pills and having pain in my liver when I was desperate in getting rid of severe acne and trying everything over the counter when I was as a teen
- after seen a doctor, I got put on minocycline for 6 months and a year later I've developed gastric problems
- after seen a dermatologist, I got put on 20mg accutane(I weight 56.1kg) by a dermatologist and after 5 days I decided to quit because it's such a dangerous drug with potential horrific side effects

 

Although acne is affecting my life, what's affecting my life even more is my low intelligence. Even though my IQ is between 108 - 110(according to IQtest.dk), I'm currently struggling in life since I can't handle college and I never feel like I'm ready to learn driving let alone move out. So if accutane is going to make me even more stupider, It's not worth it for me.

 

On the first day I took accutane, I became very irritable and snapped at my mother about a small nuisance. So I then decided to drink coffee to calm myself down which worked but then I started getting migraines which lasted 5 hours until I got back home from work. On the second day, I felt down and had a brain fog few hours after taking the drug. I'm assuming that this happens because Isotretinoin crosses the BBB just like Minocycline which used to give me brain fog as well. On the second day of taking accutane, I stopped getting irritable and I just felt down and had a brain fog again. I didn't get a migraine this time so caffeine probably interacted with Isotretinoin even though they are not supposed to. On the third, fourth and fifth day, nothing improved, I still felt down and had a brain fog after taking the drug.

 

I can't believe I agreed to take accutane in the first place and I deeply regret going to the dermatologist for help. I don't know if it took it because I was desperate in having clear skin at school and work or because I'm stupid and unable to assess the risks properly, probably both. There's also a psychological component as well where because he was an authoritative figure, I trusted him more. Not to mention I was only informed about the common side effects like joint pain and depression. I'm upset that accutane is so easily prescribed these days. Isotretinoin has only been on the market since 1982, so who know what the long-term effects are on longevity.

 

So my question is, what are the negative effects of accutane on the brain? I'm aware that accutane can destroy other organs(liver, joints, colon etc.) but I'm mainly concerned about the effects on my cognition since I need my brain the most to get through in life. Could I have irreversible brain damage from taking 20mg of accutane for 5 days if I weight 56.1kg?

Edited by Heinsbeans, 25 November 2014 - 09:14 AM.

[8bitmore]

Please read up on this article: http://www.dermato-s..._photoaging.pdf

 

My conclusion from older thread:

"Also: on another note: in the full paper the authors make it clear that they think 10mg thrice a week works better than 20mg thrice a week and that going even lower (i.e. 5mg thrice a week) might even be preferable so there seems little reason to be scared about having to take 20mg doses; there's simply no need"

 

So, if I was in your shoes I would seriously stop taking the high daily dose; its not only potentially toxic/depression-inducing but also likely to be lot less effective than smaller dosage taken much less often

 

Also, my personal sense is that one should always take Vitamin D alongside any strong Vitamin A derivative to help cancel out potential issues (osteoporosis, etc.)

 

Hope this helps somehow, take care.

Edited by 8bitmore, 25 November 2014 - 10:29 PM.

[Ampamet]

I haven't seen compelling evidence that accutane causes any long term effects on brain function/cognitive ability. As someone who has also suffered acne of varying severity, I can say that the benefits of controlling it far outweigh the risks of accutane. That said, I currently use doxycyline with retin-A micro at night and benzamycin gel during the day. This has been working well for me. Retin-A micro is a form of tretinoin, which is also a vitamin A derivative like accutane. The only side effect I've seen from it is some skin redness and dryness. 

[Heinsbeans]

I was originally going to stop at day 2 but people all over the net encouraged me to keep taking accutane because it helped them. So I gave 20mg accutane a go for 5 days but my depression and brain fog didn't get better so I can't handle staying on it for the next 6 months.

 

To summarize, the reason why I'm stopping accutane is because:

- I already have gut problems so there's probably a higher chance of me developing more

- I used to suffer from impacted colon and I have permanent redundant colon so my stools are hard and round. If accutane makes my colon even more drier, I may develop chronic constipation

- gave me bloody stools which is a sign that my gut is hurting

- I can’t put up with the depression and brain fog caused from taking the drug

- I’ll regret it later on for taking it for longer

- There’s no guarantee that acne won’t come back and I might need to go on second course

- according to some theory, it may alter the brain function, damage the nerves or kill cells in visual part of the brain. It might be cytotoxic. Might cause joint problems later on(e.g. arthritis). It dries up your insides and affects your entire body with retinoid receptors. It's possibly killing brain cells in hippocampus which is theorised to be the reason why it causes depression(it's a chemo drug after all). I could go on and on.

 

So the negatives far outweighs the positives for me and it just doesn't make sense for me to continue to take the drug and increase the chance of my having problems. If there's any reason why I should still continue taking the drug, please let me know.

 

As for going on the lower dose, this site explains why lower dosage might be more effective and safer: http://www.bpac.org....ember/acne.aspx I don't know if I can convince my dermatologist to go on a lower dosage and I don't think 5mg Isotretinoin exists(I've only seen 10mg) but I can always ask. It's sad that I have to look up/ask online to find the safest dosage for accutane rather than trusting the dermatologist. 

Edited by Heinsbeans, 26 November 2014 - 05:18 AM.

[factsmachine]

also accutane causes a decrease in DHT and other epigenetic changes (permanent changes). I would try samples of Aczone (ask your derm), also retinal. I have acne too, I just try to forget I have it. wash your face morning and night with salicyclic acid. then use retinal at night. if you get the Aczone its a great spot treatment. your gut problems may be causing your acne. go on "acne Einstein" its a website and very informative.

but most importantly, NEVER give up man.

[StevesPetRat]

Jesus, why would you mess with that stuff at any dose given your response so far? Try the B5 route first. Or anything else really.

[Ampamet]

 

I was originally going to stop at day 2 but people all over the net encouraged me to keep taking accutane because it helped them. So I gave 20mg accutane a go for 5 days but my depression and brain fog didn't get better so I can't handle staying on it for the next 6 months.

 

To summarize, the reason why I'm stopping accutane is because:

- I already have gut problems so there's probably a higher chance of me developing more

- I used to suffer from impacted colon and I have permanent redundant colon so my stools are hard and round. If accutane makes my colon even more drier, I may develop chronic constipation

- gave me bloody stools which is a sign that my gut is hurting

- I can’t put up with the depression and brain fog caused from taking the drug

- I’ll regret it later on for taking it for longer

- There’s no guarantee that acne won’t come back and I might need to go on second course

- according to some theory, it may alter the brain function, damage the nerves or kill cells in visual part of the brain. It might be cytotoxic. Might cause joint problems later on(e.g. arthritis). It dries up your insides and affects your entire body with retinoid receptors. It's possibly killing brain cells in hippocampus which is theorised to be the reason why it causes depression(it's a chemo drug after all). I could go on and on.

 

So the negatives far outweighs the positives for me and it just doesn't make sense for me to continue to take the drug and increase the chance of my having problems. If there's any reason why I should still continue taking the drug, please let me know.

 

As for going on the lower dose, this site explains why lower dosage might be more effective and safer: http://www.bpac.org....ember/acne.aspx I don't know if I can convince my dermatologist to go on a lower dosage and I don't think 5mg Isotretinoin exists(I've only seen 10mg) but I can always ask. It's sad that I have to look up/ask online to find the safest dosage for accutane rather than trusting the dermatologist. 

 

 

As far as your bowel difficulties, I highly recommend Metamucil. Taking it daily has worked miracles for me in that regard. You don't seem to be tolerating accutane well, but keep an open mind that some of these symptoms may have nothing to do with it. Accutane is the closest thing to a cure for acne currently available. The treatments I currently use only control/suppress the acne, and I must use them everyday. If you're okay with doing the same, I'd try retin A micro (basically accutane's topical cousin) because it may have similar efficacy with no systemic side effects. 

[ToJump]

Please try every milder, natural approach first. High doses Fish Oil, exercise, removing dairy, removing all processed food, etc.

[zompy]

Is there any prove od accutane damaging the brains at all? I never knew this, i had quite severe acne aswell and did 2 long cycles of accutane in total of I think about 10-12 months with 40mg a day... Or are we talking about something different now?

[The Immortalist]

I did accutane for a year. It didn't negatively affect me.

[Heinsbeans]

I'm going to tell my dermatologist that I’ve stopped taking accutane and ask for several prescription topical creams for my next appointment. I've only tried Proactiv, BP 2.5% and Tretinoin cream 0.5% so far. The topical creams that I haven't tried are Duac gel/Benzaclin, epiduo gel and adapalene. I don't have high hopes for these gels to work better than BP 2.5% though. And if the other topical cream doesn't work, then I either have to take antibiotic for the rest of my life or risk my health and go on accutane again.

But every time I break out and acne pops up from underneath the skin(most of the time, the only way to get rid of it is to pop it with a sterile needle), I keep getting tempted to try accutane again at a lower dosage. I know that I might get even worse side effects if I continue taking it and it could ruin my health/life. But every time I see accutane success story videos on youtube I feel encouraged and less scared...

Statistically, most people with adult acne seem to grow out of it between the age of 24 - 30. I’m almost 24 so there’s a chance that I might grow out of acne in 6 years. But unfortunately, acne is already affecting my life by causing me to skip school and work. So I really need to find something that will prevent my breakout now.

If I ultimately decide to go on accutane again, perhaps I may go 5 - 10mg a day based on this study:

There is little evidence to support cumulative dosing
The duration of treatment with isotretinoin is currently based on the calculated cumulative dose. This method is used because several early studies suggested that relapse one to two years after a single 16-week course of isotretinoin was more common in people treated with 0.1 mg/kg per day than those treated with 1 mg/kg per day.³ This was interpreted to mean that the strongest long-term response from isotretinoin was obtained if the cumulative dose reached 120 – 140 mg/kg.³

Subsequent research, however, has not supported cumulative dosing.³ Long-term follow-up studies show rates of relapse between 40 – 52% several years after treatment.³ These studies have concluded that relapse risk is determined by age, severity of acne and seborrhoea after treatment, but not by daily dose, duration of treatment or cumulative dose.³

copied from this website: http://www.bpac.org....ember/acne.aspx

 

Or I could take 10mg or 20mg every other day so that I only have to deal with depression and brain fog three times a week and thus I might be able to put up with accutane for 6 - 8 months while I’m at school and work. But then again, higher dose every other day might cause more side effects so lower dose daily might be better. I need to find the balance between effectiveness and safeness in dosage.

However, I'm still concerned about the permanent changes in the brain from accutane since a 4 week trial resulted in changes in brain metabolism in orbitofrontal cortex according to this study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15863802 and the functions of orbitofrontal cortex involves decision making, emotion and motivation which are highly important. So I don’t want my orbitofrontal cortex permanently damaged /altered after going on a course of accutane.

I also don’t want to develop IBS or IBD(Ulcerative colitis/Crohn's disease) which would be worse than persistent cystic acne itself.

There’s several horror stories on youtube where people have developed IBD because of accutane and had to go through colectomy which ruined their life. 

Some developed clinical depression after a course of accutane and had to go on anti-depressents and still don’t feel happy like they used to.

And there’s the famous Stefan ray who claims a lot of his health problems stem from accutane that he went on when he was a teenager. He’s still actively trying to recover from various mental and physical health problems caused by accutane.

So I keep coming back and forth between wanting to try accutane after seeing success stories on youtube and not wanting to touch it ever again after seeing horror stories on youtube. 

I wish I could pay someone to help me make the decision of whether or not if accutane is right for me and at what dosage I should be taking because accutane is such a controversial drug and I don’t think I can make the correct decision on my own since there’s so many variables involved.

After looking up future treatments for acne, I've found these. But there's no point waiting for them since acne is affecting my life right now.
Good bacteria to fight acne: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/257040.php
Virus to treat acne: http://www.livescience.com/23425-zit-zapping-virus-acne-treatment.html 
There’s also stem cell acne cream currently in trial right now showing good results. So it may be released sometime next year in Australia.

I can't believe an effective treatment for acne still doesn't exist even though it's almost 2015. Accutane came out in 1982, I was born in 1991, it's been 23 years and still nothing. It seems like I was genetically destined to take accutane since the day I was born..

 

Lastly, I don't know why I'm considered irresponsible...I simply took a drug that was prescribed by a dermatologist and I stopped when I didn't feel right.

Edited by Heinsbeans, 28 November 2014 - 04:46 AM.

[StevesPetRat]

Lastly, I don't know why I'm considered irresponsible...I simply took a drug that was prescribed by a dermatologist and I stopped when I didn't feel right.

Don't listen to those twats; I was also voted irresponsible for advising you NOT to take it, lol. You just can't win.

Take it from somebody who suffered organ damage and had his physical and mental health spiral out of control after taking a supposedly "safe" drug for another ultimately cosmetic condition: It is JUST. NOT. WORTH IT. No matter how many people rave about how great it worked for them and how all those people whining about side effects are just delusional lunatics, it doesn't matter one damn bit if you are one of those who ends up in the small percentage scarred by the medication.

I'm willing to take certain risks in trying out inadequately studied compounds to improve cognition, depression, to reverse aging, etc., but I would never recommend finasteride, accutane, or my bane, terbinafine to anybody. Unless you think your acne is so bad that a cumulative 10% or so chance of having brain damage, your colon removed, etc.

I guess people have different priorities. Just don't base your decision on anybody else's values but your own.

[zompy]

For me personally accutane was totally worth it, i never had any negative side effects AFTER my cycle.During the cycle I did tho.

 

Still totally worth it, my skin is finally normal.

[factsmachine]

wow, changes in brain metabolism in orbitofrontal cortex? you're right, the center for emotions.
you may become a sociopath after taking it, that's a very fun life to live.
The way it works also is it decreases the 5AR enzyme through epigenetic changes.

go on allthingsmale the forum, there is a specific section that happens to be dedicated to accutane side effects. but mostlythe science behind them. look it up, tthere's many people that wish they never started.

did you jump straight to Accutane? really bro, there's plenty of other medications to try besides that nightmare drug. follow my suggestions, go to your derm and ask for samples of Aczone, or Zania.
ultimately you make your own decisions, you'll probably end up doing the accutane anyways, oh well. your life, hahaha

[Heinsbeans]

wow, changes in brain metabolism in orbitofrontal cortex? you're right, the center for emotions.
you may become a sociopath after taking it, that's a very fun life to live.
The way it works also is it decreases the 5AR enzyme through epigenetic changes.

go on allthingsmale the forum, there is a specific section that happens to be dedicated to accutane side effects. but mostlythe science behind them. look it up, tthere's many people that wish they never started.

did you jump straight to Accutane? really bro, there's plenty of other medications to try besides that nightmare drug. follow my suggestions, go to your derm and ask for samples of Aczone, or Zania.
ultimately you make your own decisions, you'll probably end up doing the accutane anyways, oh well. your life, hahaha

 

Why would I take Accutane again after my bad experience on it? I’ve been put on Doxycycline now by my dermatologist because I couldn’t handle the side effects from Accutane. So far, I’m not noticing any side effects on Doxycycline and it’s very gentle on my body. I’m not getting any side effects like extreme irritability, depressive mood/thoughts, fatigue, mental fog(mostly memory problems) like from Accutane. I wish my dermatologist put me on long-term Antibiotics in the first place instead of Accutane and having me suffer the nasty side effects. It's a shame that they are so eager to push Accutane to acne sufferers these days. It's not easy to decline the dermatologists choice of treament either because as soon as you do, they start getting irritated because you need to "respect" them.   

 

But I think I agree with the dermatologist's choice this time though with using Antibiotics. Because although Antibiotics are unhealthy and has its own risks, there’s less serious side effects compared to Accutane, at least for me. I’m not sure if I’m ever going to grow out of acne but cycling through antibiotics is the only option I have left until I *hopefully* grow out of acne since my type of acne is resistant to topical treatments according to my dermatologist. Here's the picture of my skin:  http://www.acne.org/...14057-my-skin/ 

 

I did develop bowel problems(IBS, impacted colon, redundant colon and gastritis) 3 years after I was on 200mg Minocycline for 6 months when I was 18 for my acne. But I can’t be for certain that was caused by my past use of Antibiotics.

 

It could just be my hypochondria, but I feel like there’s still the lingering effects on my cognition from Accutane and I feel like my memory isn’t good as before taking Accutane. Hopefully this isn’t true and I’m just been hypochondriac.

Edited by Heinsbeans, 15 December 2014 - 07:15 AM.

[SuperStack]

I took accutane for a while. Honestly dry skin and lips is the worst it gives. I had terrible acne too. Now I barely get a few pimples. Accutane is amazing. Terrible for you. But it's an amazing drug.

[Heinsbeans]

I've been taking 100mg Doxycyline for almost 2 months now but I still break out with cystic acne whenever my skin comes in contact with dirt, sweat, bacteria, excess oil etc. I could ask for an higher dose but I'm beginning to worry that I may never grow out of acne.

 

I'm considering trying Accutane again, what do you guys think, is it a bad idea?

 

I want to ask for 10mg Accutane but I don't think my dermatologist wants to go below 20mg because he believes that low dose has higher relapse risk.

 

Also, these were the reason why I didn't want to take Accutane anymore:

• I have a fairly low Intelligence, I'm already 24 years old but I can't even drive and can't handle College. So I can't afford to get anymore dumber. In just 5 days of taking 20mg Accutane, I became depressed and started having memory problems at work which scared me.
• I have several health issues. When I turned 21, I developed IBS-C, Impacted Colon, Redundant Colon, Slow Colonic Transit and Rectal Prolapse. After colonoscopy, the gastroenterologist told me that my colon was abnormally thin and floppy for my age and it was like that of an elderlies. He told me that there was no cure. The only thing I was able to cure was Rectal prolaspe through surgery.
• Besides feeling depressed and having memory problems, Accutane made me so tired to the point that I couldn’t run at the gym for very long anymore.

 

[factsmachine]

Wow. Ive had acne my whole life. And now im on a steroid cycle. All i need to do to eliminate acne completely even on steroids, is salycyclic acid (sp?) every day in the shower. And aczone (dapsone) very expensive but eliminates everywhere i apply it. No side effects. Then green tea moisturizer. Pea size of those, dime size of the salicyclic acid (.5%) YMMV
Other supps: 8 caps of fish oil, aromatase inhibitor, thought I'd have acne for life.. Oh yeah, also retrinAL at night after washing.

[Luminosity]

There are documented cases of some people, all young males, whose moods were seriously affected by Accutane.  This might be rare but it can be bad for some people.  Personally I deeply regret taking Accutane.  It gave me orthopedic problems.  For some people it is a Godsend, for some people it is a nightmare.  Problem, is you don't know if advance which one you are.  Yeah, there's more in the first group but .  .  .

 

There seems to be a Big Pharma shill on this thread voting down legitimate posts.  I'm going to research which drug company you work for so we can boycott it. 

Edited by Luminosity, 27 January 2015 - 05:56 AM.

[Purgatory]

Accutane upregulates the GNMT enzyme in the methylation cycle and might rob methylation and mimic folate deficiency.

 

It also inhibits Testosterone -> DHT conversion like people wrote.

 

It appears as though either of these things can persist after discontinuation in some people. Since it plays into genetics it probably depends on the individual.

 

I took accutane in the past and have reason to believe it affected me afterward due to timing. If I had to do it again I wouldn't have taken accutane. Acne was nothing compared to the problems I have today (whether they're accutane-related or not). If I was forced to take it I would have taken some extra (methyl)folate maybe.

 

For fixing it afterward, methylation is a starting point. If you research the hormone road some people have tried everything and gotten nowhere. The last I read was this 5AIR theory but it's 4 years old now: http://www.protocol-... 1282061244.ipb

 

Someone recommended metamucil or psyllium husk for bowel movements - it really works.

Edited by Purgatory, 27 January 2015 - 06:40 PM.

[Purgatory]

As for acne solutions, NAC+selenium can help a little, they can also help mental symptoms.

[factsmachine]

What Purgatory said. As well as try alpha lipoic acid, fix insulin resistance. Read about hormonal acne on acneeinstein (google it) the same pathways for muscle growth cause acne. If i eat a calorie deficient diet, my acne dissapears. Due to decrease in mTOR activation, less IGF1 (potentiates effect of androgens in many ways, acne and muscle growth), and less insulin.
All of these contribute to acne. Try a caloric defecit or IF. You may be pleased!
Best, facts
Also if my posts are helpful, please provide positive feedback.

[Heinsbeans]

Just an update, I've officially put my severe acne into permanent remission after juicing vegetables. I no longer have to rely on Doxycyline or Benzoyl Peroxide to control my cystic acne anymore. I can even sleep on my dirty pillow without worrying about getting acne the next morning. I can also go to the gym frequently now since I no longer get breakouts from the sweat. As long as I keep juicing few times a week, my skin seems to stay completely clear. In fact, juicing seems to be a superior treatment for my acne than Accutane, Doxycyline and Benzoyl Peroxide combined.

 

Why didn't any of my doctors or dermatologist tell me this if they're so called "expert" at treating acne, were they hiding this information so that they can put drugs down my throat? If I knew something as simple as juicing would cure my acne, I wouldn't even have agreed to take Accutane and risk damaging my brain and body... In fact, I feel like my cognition and personality has slightly changed and I don't feel the same anymore after taking Accutane. I deeply regret taking Accutane and I wish I hadn't.

 

I knew that the inflammations from my gut were the cause of my acne and I was right all along. This is the reason why I don't trust the doctors, their priority is to push drugs down our throat so that they get money in their pockets and they could are less about other safer alternatives even if it's just as effective. 

 

Not only did Accutane cause severe depression and memory problems while I was on it, but I couldn’t even remember a simple 4 digit number at work which is the reason why I had to stop taking it after 5 days. After I stopped Accutane, my doctor insisted that I should go back on it but I refused and I'm glad I did. The side effects from Accutane was a very traumatic experience for me and if I had the money, I'd sue Roche for ruining so many people's lives.

[foreseason]

 

Just an update, I've officially put my severe acne into permanent remission after juicing vegetables. I no longer have to rely on Doxycyline or Benzoyl Peroxide to control my cystic acne anymore. I can even sleep on my dirty pillow without worrying about getting acne the next morning. I can also go to the gym frequently now since I no longer get breakouts from the sweat. As long as I keep juicing few times a week, my skin seems to stay completely clear. In fact, juicing seems to be a superior treatment for my acne than Accutane, Doxycyline and Benzoyl Peroxide combined.

 

Why didn't any of my doctors or dermatologist tell me this if they're so called "expert" at treating acne, were they hiding this information so that they can put drugs down my throat? If I knew something as simple as juicing would cure my acne, I wouldn't even have agreed to take Accutane and risk damaging my brain and body... In fact, I feel like my cognition and personality has slightly changed and I don't feel the same anymore after taking Accutane. I deeply regret taking Accutane and I wish I hadn't.

 

I knew that the inflammations from my gut were the cause of my acne and I was right all along. This is the reason why I don't trust the doctors, their priority is to push drugs down our throat so that they get money in their pockets and they could are less about other safer alternatives even if it's just as effective. 

 

Not only did Accutane cause severe depression and memory problems while I was on it, but I couldn’t even remember a simple 4 digit number at work which is the reason why I had to stop taking it after 5 days. After I stopped Accutane, my doctor insisted that I should go back on it but I refused and I'm glad I did. The side effects from Accutane was a very traumatic experience for me and if I had the money, I'd sue Roche for ruining so many people's lives.

 

 

As I was reading through this thread I was going to suggest you try juicing because it made a big difference for me as well.  Obviously, you figured that out for yourself.  And yes, the pharmaceutical industry is disgusting and a lot of doctors are piss poor and corrupt. 

 

What do you call the guy who graduates last in his medical school class? -  Doctor
 

[Heinsbeans]

It's been almost 3 months since I've stopped taking Accutane and I've noticed a few things:

• I used to get endorphin highs from running on the treadmill but I don’t experience that anymore ever since I’ve taken Accutane.
• Caffeine doesn’t seem to work as well as it used to. Caffeine doesn’t provide same motivation, concentration and adrenaline/energy boost that it used to.

Could this be caused by my past use of Accutane? Will this issue heal over time or is it going to stay with me for the rest of my life?

 

After taking CILTEP for the first time yesterday, I’ve finally felt similarly to the way I used to prior to taking Accutane. Caffeine worked like it used to and I also got the endorphin highs from exercising. 

 

Another thing that Accutane did was stain my toenail in yellow, but that went away 2 weeks after I stopped taking Accutane. 

 

[Purgatory]

I read up on this again because I'd forgotten most of it, and how Accutane upregulates FoxO: https://www.ncbi.nlm...les/PMC3219165/(this leads to GNMT upregulation and a host of problems) And how insulin inhibits FoxO, explaining dairy producing acne: http://www.jbc.org/c...jbc.M114.609313

 

Here's one thing I didn't know, lithium also inhibits FoxO: https://www.ncbi.nlm...pubmed/17574214. Makes sense since lithium is known for producing acne. So if somehow you end up with upregulated FoxO from Accutane then maybe lithium might help. Someone on this forum also linked this study saying DHA inhibits FoxO: https://www.ncbi.nlm...ubmed/22444500. I can say from experience that lithium orotate + dairy + starch is an awesome way to trigger acne flareups (no, Accutane did not fix my acne).

 

Then again, anecdotal reports say the opposite; people have had improvements through fasting, which upregulates FoxO.

 

It's not clear everyone with these problems has any FoxO dysregulation and it might have more to do with androgen regulation (although initiated through FoxO) specifically as the theory above goes (http://www.protocol-... 1282061244.ipb).

 

The more you read about this the more it's clear accutane was never worth the risk in the first place (at prescription doses, anyway).