5 replies to this topic

[Dude_Abides]

Hey all,

First time post here. Sorry if this is a little different from the usual stuff, but I didn't know where else to post this. Judging from my months of lurking around here, it seems you guys are generally more scientifically knowledgeable about this stuff than peeps on other websites, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm currently prescribed Accutane (technically isotretinoin, Claravis is the brand, but saying Accutane is just easier) and Vyvanse, 40mg a day for both of them, though I often take the Vyvanse in the range of 80mg if I have a paper I need to finish (college student). Anyway, I got on the herbal supplement bandwagon for general health and longevity before being prescribed either of them and decided to continue the supplements to counteract many of the negative side-effects from both medications. However, I'm concerned that they might be interfering with the efficacy of the Accutane or creating unhealthy chemical imbalances with the Vyvanse.

I currently take:
500mg of Green Tea Complex (225.5mg total polyphenols, 125mg of which is explicitly labeled as EGCG)
100mg of Grape Seed Extract (95mg polyphenols)
250mg of Pomegranate Extract (100mg Ellagic Acid)
(All GNC Brand, 1 per day)

I take these everyday, regardless of whether or not I take the Vyvanse. Sometimes I do take them concurrently. However, I always take my Accutane about 3 hours before or 3 hours after any other supplements/vitamins. I'm specifically worried that the pomegranate may be affecting the absorption of the Accutane, due to pomegranate's ability to inhibit certain enzymes in the liver, which may overlap with the same enzymes used to process Accutane. Moreover, I know MAOI's and amphetamines shouldn't be mixed, but are any of the listed supplements truly potent in their capacity to create a negative effect? And if so, what would that effect look like? Can I still take them at the same time or only when I'm not on Vyvanse? For whatever reason, my mind has been fixated on this lately, so any insight here would be massively appreciated.

[blood]

Is your dermatologist/ GP monitoring your liver health while you take the accutane?

I can barely tolerate 500 mg green tea extract, and I'm not even on accutane.

[Dude_Abides]

Yep, I've had two blood tests since beginning the treatment, both ostensibly fine (this is my third month on the stuff). I've only been taking the pomegranate since my last blood test two weeks ago though, so I don't know how that would affect my tests yet. I guess that wasn't made clear in my previous post. I'd also been taking Curcumin (also GNC) until two weeks ago, but I replaced that with Pomegranate because I had read that Green Tea and Curcumin antagonized each other when taken at the same time, which only made it more of a hassle to space out those supps with the accutane. Occasionally, I'll pop a capsule of Milk Thistle Extract (200mg, 80% Silymarin), but once again, I'm hesitant to make that a staple of my supp routine due to the possible interference with the accutane. I guess I assumed that Pomegranate would have less pronounced effect on liver metabolism than the Milk Thistle. I wish they monitored these herbal interactions more thoroughly, and I really don't have the background to wade through PubMed and make sense of it all.

[blood]

Of the supplements you are taking, green tea extract is the one known to 'stress' the liver (cause mild/ reversible liver damage) when taken by people in the kinds of doses you are describing. Milk Thistle extract on the other hand appears to be protective of the liver, and you could therefore argue might be a very appropriate herb to take while on Accutane.

[gt35r]

Just out of curiosity why do you take Vyvanse? It a bullshit pro-drug of dextro-amphetamine. Why not take a D-amphetamine extended release ?

Vyvanse was designed when Shire pharmaceuticals ran out of its patent on Adderall XR.

Vyvanse is just an unnecessary higher co-pay.

[beetlife]

Get off Accutane, asap, IMO.

Have you tried 10% sulphur cream for acne?