56 replies to this topic

[TheBatman]

I posted a thread a while back about using mega doses of vitamin A for acne. I decided it would be safer to obtain a prescription for accutane than to take somewhere between 100,000 IU - 300,000 IU of vitamin A for seemingly obvious reasons. So it looks like the main concerns and risks for taking accutane are (and I mean possible permanent effects)

1. Liver damage
2. Bowel issues
3. Eye dryness or irritation
4. Depression/brain fog

The effects may be serious, but the depressive effects and possible scaring to the face from acne can also be pretty harmful as well.

It seems that the normal prescribed dosage for accutane is 20 -60 mg a da, but I feel as though that is a bit high. I'm thinking more like 10 mg would be better, but i'm gonna check with my derm and pdoc on that. My acne is more on the moderate side of things, but I have still tried everything that has been known to cure acne except for accutane with little to no success.

So I think as far as reducing risk of side effects the following supplements are the way to go for preventing or limiting damage:

1. Multivitamin
2. Vitamin D at the 6,000 IU a day range
3. Fish oil
4. ALCAR
5. DMAE
6. and NAC

Any suggestions or warnings? Luminosity I know you would advise against this whole thing

[Luminosity]

That's right.

Do Chinese medicine and the corresponding diet and lifestyle instead. I was never the same after accutane. Could walk ten miles barefoot without stopping, now I can't walk around the block.

[TheBatman]

The thing is though, I know soo many people that have had great success with it.

Do you have any ideas what my have caused your major side effects? I mean what dosage were you taking, for how long?

Do you remember if you took it dry or with supplements to aid your liver functioning?

I just feel bad for you man..

[1kgcoffee]

My advice- don't take it. It worked damn well, but I regret it.

[niner]

My advice- don't take it. It worked damn well, but I regret it.

Why do you regret it?

[TheBatman]

My advice- don't take it. It worked damn well, but I regret it.

Why do you regret it?

Did you just not think it was worth it or do you have permanent negative side effects?

[Luminosity]

The thing is though, I know soo many people that have had great success with it.

YEAH, IT WORKED GREAT FOR MY SKIN TOO. BUT I WOULD NOT DO IT AGAIN.

Do you have any ideas what my have caused your major side effects? I mean what dosage were you taking, for how long?

AS FAR AS I KNOW ACCUTANE CAUSED THE SIDE EFFECTS ALONG WITH EXERCISING AS I HAD ALL MY LIFE. THERE WERE SOME THINGS ABOUT THE EXERCISING THAT I NOW KNOW WERE A PROBLEM, LIKE GOING FOR LONG BAREFOOT WALKS ON THE BEACH, BUT THAT HADN'T BEEN A PROBLEM BEFORE.

I THINK I TOOK 40. IT WAS STANDARD. DON'T BLAME DOSES FOR ACCUTANE TRAGEDIES. IT'S THE ACCUTANE.

Do you remember if you took it dry or with supplements to aid your liver functioning?

I DID IN FACT TAKE NONI WHEN A LIVER TEST CAME BACK SLIGHTLY ELEVATED AND THE NEXT TEST WAS FINE.

I just feel bad for you man..

THANKS.

ACCUTANE IS A CRAP SHOOT; RUSSIAN ROULETTE WITH BETTER ODDS. IF YOU HAD TO DO THAT IT WOULD BE ONE THING, BUT THE COURSE OF ACTION I'VE OUTLINED COULD DO WONDERS FOR YOUR SKIN AND WILL ONLY HAVE POSITIVE SIDE EFFECTS, SO WHY NOT DO THAT?

HAVE YOU SEEN THE PICTURES OF THE HEADLESS BABIES BORN TO WOMEN ON ACCUTANE? BASED ON THOSE, I THINK YOUR SEARCH FOR SUPPLEMENTS TO MITIGATE THE RISK IS MISGUIDED. THIS IS BEYOND SUPPLEMENTS

TAKING ACCUTANE MIGHT WORK JUST FINE; IT COULD WRECK YOUR LIFE. YOU DON'T KNOW WHICH ONE IT WILL BE.

[1kgcoffee]

My advice- don't take it. It worked damn well, but I regret it.

Why do you regret it?

My acne was not that terrible and I cut the treatment short (fortunately). Actually my parents forced me to discontinue after they noticed a change in mood. This was 11 years ago. Can't say for sure that it was the accutane, but for a few years after I had slow wound healing, unexplained fatigue (tested, not diabetes) and motivation issues, dry skin and some clicking in the joints. The side effects can be subtle. I'm mostly recovered thanks to time and effort. There are better ways to reduce acne than to take potentially dangerous pharmaceuticals.

OP, if you are foolish enough to ignore these warnings then take the lowest possible dose and discontinue well before prescription ends.

[lemonhead]

Hi Batman,

Acne is awful, isn't it? I haven't tried accutane, so I can't offer advice on that. My skin was doing well on wheatgrass juice until last week. I ate seaweed (wakame in miso soup) and that started everything up again. Why did I eat seaweed when I know the iodine it contains causes me to break out? Because my fibrocystic breast problem was acting up and iodine fixes that (it worked). If it's not one thing it's something else...

What I'd really like to do is lower my DHT levels. Even when my skin is clear it is ridiculously oily, though my derm says that's why I don't have wrinkles. I tried saw palmetto but it didn't seem to do much.

Edited by lemonhead, 20 September 2013 - 03:02 PM.

[fntms]

I did well with accutane, completely killed a bad case of cystic acne obtained in my thirties... Zero side effects apart from dry skin, which is manageable, just find the right cream. Also: it helps to drink lots of water.
My skin has been made permanently "perfect" by accutane ie zero acne and oil, much smaller pores... And reduced wrinkles.
It's more sensitive to the sun but no biggie.
The liver monitoring was quite annoying though, enzymes were fine throughout the treatment.

[TheBatman]

The thing is though, I know soo many people that have had great success with it.

YEAH, IT WORKED GREAT FOR MY SKIN TOO. BUT I WOULD NOT DO IT AGAIN.

Do you have any ideas what my have caused your major side effects? I mean what dosage were you taking, for how long?

AS FAR AS I KNOW ACCUTANE CAUSED THE SIDE EFFECTS ALONG WITH EXERCISING AS I HAD ALL MY LIFE. THERE WERE SOME THINGS ABOUT THE EXERCISING THAT I NOW KNOW WERE A PROBLEM, LIKE GOING FOR LONG BAREFOOT WALKS ON THE BEACH, BUT THAT HADN'T BEEN A PROBLEM BEFORE.

I THINK I TOOK 40. IT WAS STANDARD. DON'T BLAME DOSES FOR ACCUTANE TRAGEDIES. IT'S THE ACCUTANE.

Do you remember if you took it dry or with supplements to aid your liver functioning?

I DID IN FACT TAKE NONI WHEN A LIVER TEST CAME BACK SLIGHTLY ELEVATED AND THE NEXT TEST WAS FINE.

I just feel bad for you man..

THANKS.

ACCUTANE IS A CRAP SHOOT; RUSSIAN ROULETTE WITH BETTER ODDS. IF YOU HAD TO DO THAT IT WOULD BE ONE THING, BUT THE COURSE OF ACTION I'VE OUTLINED COULD DO WONDERS FOR YOUR SKIN AND WILL ONLY HAVE POSITIVE SIDE EFFECTS, SO WHY NOT DO THAT?

HAVE YOU SEEN THE PICTURES OF THE HEADLESS BABIES BORN TO WOMEN ON ACCUTANE? BASED ON THOSE, I THINK YOUR SEARCH FOR SUPPLEMENTS TO MITIGATE THE RISK IS MISGUIDED. THIS IS BEYOND SUPPLEMENTS

TAKING ACCUTANE MIGHT WORK JUST FINE; IT COULD WRECK YOUR LIFE. YOU DON'T KNOW WHICH ONE IT WILL BE.

I think i'm gonna take this crap shoot man. I do appreciate your advise and that is why I'm gonna cut the dose clear down to 15 mg a day and only take it for three months. I'm also gonna stop at the first sign of any cognitive declining or other problems, as well as limit my exercise for the next while. I have two doctors monitoring me as well as a physical therapist that comes to my house weekly. I think I should be fine, but hell everything we do in life is a risk. I'll keep my experience posted if you are interested in knowing how things turn out.

My advice- don't take it. It worked damn well, but I regret it.

Why do you regret it?

My acne was not that terrible and I cut the treatment short (fortunately). Actually my parents forced me to discontinue after they noticed a change in mood. This was 11 years ago. Can't say for sure that it was the accutane, but for a few years after I had slow wound healing, unexplained fatigue (tested, not diabetes) and motivation issues, dry skin and some clicking in the joints. The side effects can be subtle. I'm mostly recovered thanks to time and effort. There are better ways to reduce acne than to take potentially dangerous pharmaceuticals.

OP, if you are foolish enough to ignore these warnings then take the lowest possible dose and discontinue well before prescription ends.

All pharmaceutical are risky in one way or another. Although accutane seems to be more risky then most, I personally know about 6 people who have had great success with it and I tend to think i'll be fine, but my acne has gotten the better half of my youth so I think I'll take my chances.

Edit: Fixed broken attribution -mod

Edited by niner, 01 October 2013 - 12:36 PM.

[lemonhead]

Please update to let us know how it works out. Best of luck.

[TheBatman]

Please update to let us know how it works out. Best of luck.

For sure I will and thank you

Please update to let us know how it works out. Best of luck.

For sure I will and thank you

Please update to let us know how it works out. Best of luck.

For sure I will and thank you

[Luminosity]

My dermatologist said that he felt that the gains from Accutane were not permanent. Mine only lasted a year. It seems that some people have permanent gains, but apparently some don't.

When I was on it, my connective tissue, discs, cartilage, joints, and fascias became much more fragile but I could not tell that until I was injured from my regular exercise schedule. They did not get better. Supportive gear for even regular walking and daily activities would have helped, like athletic shoes, arch supports, wrapping arches in Ace bandages, elastic supports for knees, no long walks, hiking, weight lifting. Apparently walking barefoot on sand is bad for the affected tissues. Swimming would seem to be a good exercise. Wearing more supportive "flip flops" or clogs around the house or in the shower like Crocs instead of going barefoot would have been a good idea.

Minimizing lifting of weight might help. If you look around, there are assistive devices and strategies out there, perhaps intended for the elderly, disabled or injured, that can help you to minimize lifting. At least use the cart in the supermarket, etc.

Personally my mood was not affected, in fact I was very happy because of my clear skin. Later, obviously, not so much.

Edited by Luminosity, 21 September 2013 - 05:30 AM.

[TheBatman]

My dermatologist said that he felt that the gains from Accutane were not permanent. Mine only lasted a year. It seems that some people have permanent gains, but apparently some don't.

When I was on it, my connective tissue, discs, cartilage, joints, and fascias became much more fragile but I could not tell that until I was injured from my regular exercise schedule. They did not get better. Supportive gear for even regular walking and daily activities would have helped, like athletic shoes, arch supports, wrapping arches in Ace bandages, elastic supports for knees, no long walks, hiking, weight lifting. Apparently walking barefoot on sand is bad for the affected tissues. Swimming would seem to be a good exercise. Wearing more supportive "flip flops" or clogs around the house or in the shower like Crocs instead of going barefoot would have been a good idea.

Minimizing lifting of weight might help. If you look around, there are assistive devices and strategies out there, perhaps intended for the elderly, disabled or injured, that can help you to minimize lifting. At least use the cart in the supermarket, etc.

Personally my mood was not affected, in fact I was very happy because of my clear skin. Later, obviously, not so much.

Yeah i'm just gonna be very gentle on exercise and i'm just gonna stop running all together. I think with a low dose, i'll be better off, but good hell man I haven't had clear skin in YEARS so i'm willing to just risk it.

[Luminosity]

Trust me, I know how that feels, but Chinese Medicine and it's diet and lifestyle can make your skin clearer.

Anyway, I am hoping for the best for you whatever path you take.

[TheBatman]

Yesterday I decided to take the first dose of 40 mg. I took it at night and slept like crap. When I woke up I was incredibly groggy and have had this nasty brain fog all day. The whole day felt similar to having stimulant withdrawals. My foot that normally aches after a long run has been bothering me all day and I've just felt completely worn out. I'm slowly starting to feel better, but I don't feel like this was a normal day for me even with poor sleep.

So, now that I know the potential permanent harm this stuff could do to me in the long term, I'm gonna go ahead and listen to the warnings. I can't imagine everyday being like this one. I'm just being way too impatient..

Trust me, I know how that feels, but Chinese Medicine and it's diet and lifestyle can make your skin clearer.

Anyway, I am hoping for the best for you whatever path you take.

What sort of Chinese medicine are you referring to? I'll give it a go

Edit* Forgot to mention complete loss of libido.

Edited by TheBatman, 28 September 2013 - 02:24 AM.

[blood]

Isotretinoin takes time to work its effects. No one gets joint pain overnight on the first dose. Your grogginess was probably due to poor sleep - not the accutane.

The most important factor in determining the extent of side effects is your dose. Bigger doses, nastier side effects.

For most people on reasonable doses, the side effects are tolerable. Dry lips. Easily dealt with using a bit of lip balm.

40 mg seems like a big dose for you to start on (given your concern about side effects). And why take it at night? There is a nice discussion on dosage in the Wikipedia article on isotretinoin:

http://en.wikipedia....ki/Isotretinoin

Lower-dosage treatments, such as 10–20 mg/day (approximately half the high dosage treatments above), can also be effective, with greatly diminished side effects.^{[15][16][17][18][19][20][21]} However, such lower dosage courses may be associated with higher relapse rates, requiring additional courses, especially if not taken for sufficient time.^{[22][23][24][25][26]}

Usually, a starting dose of 20 mg is taken with the largest meal of the day. After a few months, the dose is increased, e.g. to 40 mg/d. If side-effects permit, a higher dose such as 60 mg/d can be prescribed although daily dose rarely exceeds 60 mg. If 20 mg capsules are supplied, patients may take (for example) 20 mg one day, then 40 mg the next to provide an average daily dose of 30 mg/d.

If you are worried about side effects, experimenting with a lower dose - 10-20 mg/ day - is an option.

People are taking 10 mg/ day, or 30-60 mg/week for anti-aging/ anti-wrinkling purposes, and experiencing minimal side effects:
http://www.longecity...-in-photoaging/

Edited by blood, 28 September 2013 - 05:37 AM.

[blood]

Chinese Medicine and it's diet and lifestyle can make your skin clearer.

Do you have studies you can link to?

Non-insane comment from a dermatologist with many years experience prescribing accutane:

http://www.lakesderm...-i-take-it.html

There is a vast amount of negative press on the acne medication, Accutane. However, there are also great benefits to the drug, many that cannot be found in any other acne medication. Much of the negative press lately has to do with supposed contraindications from Accutane, including depression, tendancies toward suicide, Crohns disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and other mood alterations. The simple truth is that we have NEVER encouraged a patient to stop taking Accutane for any of these reasons. Some patients cannot handle the dryness associated with Accutane, but that is the only primary reason we have people stop taking it.
Dr. Rueckl has prescribed Accutane to tens of thousands of patients over his years in medicine, and he simply has never seen any of the contraindications that the lawsuits and fearful opposers state. Dr. Rueckl has taken the drug himself; he has prescribed it to his children, nieces, and nephews; and he believes that there is no similar drug on the market. It's truly unfortunate that Accutane gets such a bad reputation because it's a really great drug, with great benefits, and it cannot be replicated by any other medication, laser, or therapy. There are other acne medications you can take, both oral and topical, but the time they take to work can be much longer than Accutane and some actually have worse, proven side effects. Additionally, there are different types of acne and many medications simply work on only one type of acne, so you might end up with multiple types of medication if you have different types of acne.
Dr. Rueckl doesn't prescribe anything that will harm patients. He gets no compensation from, or even samples, of Accutane, so there's no monetary or office advantage for him to give it out. When he prescribes it for patients it's because it's the best thing on the market for them. If you have fears about Accutane or have heard horror stories or bad press, please call our office and we'll discuss it with you. There is no reason that you should have to live with bad acne and scarring.

Edited by blood, 28 September 2013 - 09:20 AM.

[TheBatman]

Isotretinoin takes time to work its effects. No one gets joint pain overnight on the first dose. Your grogginess was probably due to poor sleep - not the accutane.

The most important factor in determining the extent of side effects is your dose. Bigger doses, nastier side effects.

For most people on reasonable doses, the side effects are tolerable. Dry lips. Easily dealt with using a bit of lip balm.

40 mg seems like a big dose for you to start on (given your concern about side effects). And why take it at night? There is a nice discussion on dosage in the Wikipedia article on isotretinoin:

http://en.wikipedia....ki/Isotretinoin

Lower-dosage treatments, such as 10–20 mg/day (approximately half the high dosage treatments above), can also be effective, with greatly diminished side effects.^{[15][16][17][18][19][20][21]} However, such lower dosage courses may be associated with higher relapse rates, requiring additional courses, especially if not taken for sufficient time.^{[22][23][24][25][26]}

Usually, a starting dose of 20 mg is taken with the largest meal of the day. After a few months, the dose is increased, e.g. to 40 mg/d. If side-effects permit, a higher dose such as 60 mg/d can be prescribed although daily dose rarely exceeds 60 mg. If 20 mg capsules are supplied, patients may take (for example) 20 mg one day, then 40 mg the next to provide an average daily dose of 30 mg/d.

I have read countless reports of people who are permanently damaged from a course of accutane. Not that i'm against accutane, but what if I end up like one of these people? I had brain fog from the very first dose.

If you are worried about side effects, experimenting with a lower dose - 10-20 mg/ day - is an option.

People are taking 10 mg/ day, or 30-60 mg/week for anti-aging/ anti-wrinkling purposes, and experiencing minimal side effects:
http://www.longecity...-in-photoaging/

I have read countless reports of people who are permanently damaged from a course of accutane. I'm not against accutane, but what if I end up like one of these people? I had brain fog from the very first dose. I also know people who can't even take adderall after their accutane course because it no longer works for them. I know people who have only taken accutane for 2 months and suffer from depression that continued even after the treatment. I just don't think it sounds like a good idea for me, seeing as how I already have some issues with depression.

I guess to be fair, the first dose was 40 mg and I was sleep deprived, but the most of a chance i'd be willing to give it would be 10 mg every other day. As soon as I notice brain fog or any change in mentality, i'm stopping. Same goes for if I experience joint pain - that seems to be the most commonly reported long lasting/permanent side effect.

Would this even be enough to cure acne? Its mild to moderate, but mostly moderate with very oily skin.

Edited by TheBatman, 28 September 2013 - 09:43 PM.

[1kgcoffee]

What have you tried in the way of dietary change? If you eliminate as much sugar, fast digesting carbs and omega-6 as humanly possible, maybe combined with a few supplements could go a long way to clearing it up

[TheBatman]

What have you tried in the way of dietary change? If you eliminate as much sugar, fast digesting carbs and omega-6 as humanly possible, maybe combined with a few supplements could go a long way to clearing it up

I see very few changes when I switch up my diet. Of course i'm not consistent with it though and I also plan on starting a weight gain diet involving large amounts of carbs both simple and complex, as well as proteins, and fats. I'm also gonna be training heavier at the gym.. another good reason for me to avoid acccutane for now.

I think I would rather gain weight then go for clear skin at the moment..

For sure i'm gonna get rid of the sugar, try to get rid of dairy, and see what this does over a good month or two.

I'm also gonna try to cut out caffeine and other stimulant-like supplements and see how well I do. I did quit adderall a few weeks ago after having taken it for a few years, so we'll see how that works out...

[blood]

I have read countless reports of people who are permanently damaged from a course of accutane. I'm not against accutane, but what if I end up like one of these people? I had brain fog from the very first dose. I also know people who can't even take adderall after their accutane course because it no longer works for them. I know people who have only taken accutane for 2 months and suffer from depression that continued even after the treatment. I just don't think it sounds like a good idea for me, seeing as how I already have some issues with depression.

I guess to be fair, the first dose was 40 mg and I was sleep deprived, but the most of a chance i'd be willing to give it would be 10 mg every other day. As soon as I notice brain fog or any change in mentality, i'm stopping. Same goes for if I experience joint pain - that seems to be the most commonly reported long lasting/permanent side effect.

Would this even be enough to cure acne? Its mild to moderate, but mostly moderate with very oily skin.

I actually don't think you are a good candidate for accutane. Not because it work for you (it will likely work very well). I fear that if you take it, then for the next 10 years you will blame every little ache, pain, or mood dip on the accutane.

If you are the kind of person who believes that 40 mg of accutane induced bone pain & dementia/ "brain fog" overnight, then maybe this is not the path you want to take.

As for whether 5 mg/ day will work, it will give your skin a healthy glow while you are on it, and it will reduce the oiliness and probably reduce the acne, but might not get all of it.

You should be having this discussion with the dermatologist who prescribed the drug for you. What advice did he/ she give about side effects?

I have read countless reports of people who are permanently damaged from a course of accutane. I'm not against accutane, but what if I end up like one of these people? I had brain fog from the very first dose. I also know people who can't even take adderall after their accutane course because it no longer works for them. I know people who have only taken accutane for 2 months and suffer from depression that continued even after the treatment.

The fact that someone became depressed while on accutane doesn't mean the accutane caused the depression.

The fact that Luminosity in retrospect attributes all her health problems to accutane doesn't mean accutane caused those health problems.

The only way to sort these issues out is through well designed studies.

As far as I can tell, there isn't much evidence that accutane causes depression in people.

In general, acne patients have less depression & anxiety, and better lives, after a course of accutane - which is not surprising given that many acne sufferers experience a great deal of psychological anguish:

http://en.wikipedia....ki/Isotretinoin

In a 2013 study from Spain, in 346 consecutively treated patients, the mean DLQI (quality of life) score improved by approximately 9 points- indicating a very significant improvement. There were significant improvements in "physical function, vitality, social function and mental health". Anxiety was seen to reduce on the HADS scale from 26% to 3.5%, and depression was seen to reduce from 3.5% to 1.7%. All these results were statistically significant.^[32]

A 2013 study from the Czech Republic examined depression scores (BDI: Beck's Depression Inventory Version II) and found that isotretinoin significantly improved depression scores. No risk for suicide was found during followup, and there was no occurrence of suicidal ideation.^[33]

Chee Hong describes isotretinoin-related depression as "an idiosyncratic side-effect", claiming that anxiety can often bring on acne and depression, thus creating more anxiety.^[34] Correspondingly, treatment of severe acne with isotretinoin has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression, for tests have shown acne to be a main depressant in most tested patients' lives.^[35]

What have you tried in the way of dietary change? If you eliminate as much sugar, fast digesting carbs and omega-6 as humanly possible, maybe combined with a few supplements could go a long way to clearing it up

Moving to a healthier diet is a good thing to do for reasons of general health... but is there any evidence that these dietary changes will clear up acne?

Edited by blood, 29 September 2013 - 05:53 AM.

[lemonhead]

Re: diet There's lots of theory, but not a lot of evidence. This review PMID: 23619434 cites two prospective studies showing a positive correlation for milk consumption and acne [PMID: 18194824 & 17083856 ]

Here's an interesting theory paper: Potential role of FoxO1 and mTORC1 in the pathogenesis of Western diet-induced acne [PMID: 23614736]

There's some evidence for fish oil supplementation - PMID: 23206895; what's interesting to me is that they found that while most improved on fish oil, a number of patients worsened. I'm one of the ones that gets worse on fish oil. I've tried three times with different brands. My acne gets worse, my skin gets greasier, more unwanted hair, and other signs of higher androgen levels.

I know after decades of dealing with this problem that for me, at least, there are dietary triggers. I lost too much weight after some gastrointestinal issues so my doc said to just eat more of your favorite foods. Ricotta cheese was on sale at the grocery store.For some reason I made a very bad decision and ate a ton of ricotta cheese. You should have seen my skin a week later. Also, foods containing iodine are a definite trigger for me, so I have to be careful about seaweed even though I like various Japanese dishes traditionally prepared with seaweed. I'm hypoglycemic so I try to avoid sugar and high glycemic foods anyway.

I don't know if this information will help Batman, but perhaps he can save a little time on the trial and error.

[ta5]

High dose B5 was very effective for me. I would definitely give that a good try before Accutane.

[Luminosity]

How old are you Blood? You sound like you lack life experience.

After I was crippled by Accutane, a medical librarian found four studies for me in mainstream medical journals that showed it had caused soft tissue injuries in the lower body. Have you seen those? Have you seen the pictures of the headless babies born to Accutane patients? True, most people aren't seriously harmed by it but some are, and you don't know who it will be.

I've found that when you do have an adverse reaction to a medical treatment, especially a serious one, the treating physician brushes it off, and may cook your medical records. I used to go to them when I had an adverse reaction to a treatment but now I may not even bother. The doctor that gave me Accutane brushed off my concerns about my exercise routine even though the literature from the company hinted that it could be a factor that could cause an adverse result. He said, "We have teenage boys lifting weights who aren't harmed by Accutane." I was puzzled by this comment because I had a demanding exercise routine. I was a mature woman who wasn't thin so I guess I couldn't be athletic but teenage boys could be? To this day I didn't bother to go back to him but I did report it to the manufacturer. There's an avoidance dance doctors do when confronted with a bad outcome that an experienced patient doesn't always want to deal with. Even if a patient reports a bad outcome to the doctor, they may just deny it, no matter how obvious. There are many credible reports of serious harm form Accutane. The manufacturer itself makes doctors show female patients pictures of the defective babies so they won't get pregnant. Do you think something that can do that can't do other bad things?

You might want to grow up some more before you post anything else.

Batman:

Here's my thread on Chinese Medicine.

http://www.longecity...inese-medicine/

I think that people differ in triggers for the their acne, but sugar, too much dairy, hydrogenated oil, and fried foods could certainly be factors. Try eliminating hydrogenated oil which is in many fast foods, especially french fries, and cutting down on fried foods, sugar and dairy. For me, any kind of margarine or shortening makes my skin break out, even if is supposed to be healthy. In Chinese Medicine, eating cold drinks and foods is bad, and can contribute to skin problems. Try eating and drinking everything warm or at room temperature. If you can, eat a steamed green vegetable every day and drink hot plain green tea if it agrees with you.

I like Kiss My Face Olive Oil Soap, the plain bar. I like to use green tea on a cotton ball as an astringent. Obviously you don't use hot tea, let it cool. I make some and put in in the frig. You can use plain Milk of Magnesia on your face as a mask. Let it dry and wash it off with warm water.

Moisturizer and sunblocks make my skin break out. You kind of have to use sunblock but I don't use moisturizer. I'm 51 and I don't have many wrinkles because I stay out of the sun.

Edited by Luminosity, 01 October 2013 - 06:04 AM.

[blood]

After I was crippled by Accutane

I'm sorry that you are poorly. There is no proof that your myriad health problems stem from Accutane.

I don't see you as a particularly reliable witness.

There is a tone of hysteria in all of your contributions to this thread. Referencing "headless babies" doesn't add to your credibility.

Suffers of acne and skin diseases in general may experience terrible psychological anguish. My perspective is that your fear-mongering about Accutane is appallingly irresponsible. You may well be frightening desperate or even suicidal people away from a treatment that will bring them great relief.

Edited by blood, 01 October 2013 - 07:00 AM.

[niner]

Have you seen the pictures of the headless babies born to Accutane patients?

This is the height of fear-mongering. There are some extremely useful drugs that interfere with pregnancy. Prescribers of Accutane are supposed to take great pains to avoid its use in pregnancy, to whit:

Unless you're going to be abstinent, you must agree to use two different forms of birth control while you're on Accutane. You can only get a prescription for one month's supply at a time. In order to renew the prescription, you'll have to see your caregiver and take a pregnancy test every month while you're on the drug.

It has happened that pregnant women took Accutane, due to an incompetent prescriber, ignorance or stupidity on the part of the woman, or god knows what, but batman is a guy. Guys don't get pregnant.

Acne is horrible. For some people, it causes great damage to their lives. Batman, you screwed up on your first dose. You took too much. You should have taken it earlier in the day, with food, at a lower dose. You can decide for yourself what you want to do, but at least base your decision on a realistic risk assessment, not something someone says on the internet.

[TheBatman]

update: I noticed I touch my face fairly often and this probably contributes to it. I also haven't been changing my pillow case very often like I should be. So I bought a whole bunch at the store and i'm gonna switch my pillow cases out every other day.

I think I gave accutane an unfair chance (being sleep deprived and all) and i'm gonna try it again.

Yesterday I took accutane at 20 mg-ish (its liquid form, kinda tricky to work with) and didn't notice any brain fog like last time. So far my skin is just slightly less oily. I'm gonna continue with 20 mg a day and see how it goes from there. The only thing I am concerned about is the POTENTIAL for loss of libido, but so far so good.

I'll post again in about a week.


btw blood I stand by what I said about joint pain from the first 40 mg dose. I was achy the whole day. At 20 mg though I don't notice anything.

Edited by TheBatman, 01 October 2013 - 05:36 PM.

[1kgcoffee]

blood,
Skepticism works both ways. Can you prove that there are no side effects?
It took many decades to prove the link between tobacco use and lung cancer. Not everyone who smokes will get lung cancer, but it is a potential and common side effect. The fact that Roche list extensive side effects, that liver enzyme are recommended is proof that accutane is a serious drug. When its swallowed, it circulates to all parts of the body and effects all rapidly dividing cells, not just sebaceous glands. Are you smart enough to know all the subtle and unexpected surprises this might cause? Are you certain that it's harmless or harmful only to a vanishingly small subset of users to be considered safe? You would have to be very smart or very arrogant to say for sure. Accutane is not nearly as well studied as tobacco or aspirin and we can't know which it's closer to in terms of safety. There is anecdotal evidence. My argument is that since we cannot know for sure, and since acne is not life threatening, it is better not to take the risk. But that's just my opinion. All drugs should be freely available and unregulated.As long as consumers are not misinformed it is their free choice.

A change in diet might help by affecting the hormone cascade and inflammatory pathways that lead to acne.