i'm looking for help! anyone who has previously or is taking accutane for MILD acne? im on sortret for my mild but persistent acne, & i've been on accutane for 2 months now and my face looks worse than it has ever did before!

i'm starting to really regret taking this, but wondering how everyone else's course of accutane went for mild acne? please, i need someone to talk to

anyoneee?

hi
i havent taken accutane yet but i know that a bad breakout is expected for any case of acne whileon the first few months of accutane

hi
ive just started a low dose tane course for mild acne, i took a full course about a year and a half ago for moderate acne. what dose are you taking? what were you using to treat your acne before? it could well be that you are having a bit of a drawn out IB, usually lower the dose the less chance of getting one, or at least a bad one.

It was very irresponsoble of your derm to prescribe Accutane for mild acne. Did you read all of the info in your I pledge and go to the manufacturers site and read everything you possibly could before you decided to take a cancer treating drug that compromises your immune system with an overdose of vitamin A and that is why your face is breaking out so badly? Accutane is only recommended for people with SEVERE CYSTIC NODULE ACNE. People whose faces and backs etc actually hurt and cause them pain and scars and it is a last resort as the side effects for so many are dangerous and in many cases permanent.

I read this forum alot and am so disgusted by the lack of common sense that is used by so many who do not even research the drug they are about to put in their bodies.

You also need to research the docs who prescribe it. Educate yourself and then test the Docs knowledge by asking a pile of questions. If they do not know what you do, then find someone who does.

I'm on accutane for my mild acne...I tried everything under the sun (proactiv, antibiotics, every topical out there). My acne was just gradually becoming worse. Now, at the age of 23, I wasn't going to put up with it anymore. My doctor is very knowledgeable and has monitored me closely throughout my course. I am now finishing up month three. I wanted to let you know that my skin has been a lot worse than it ever has before this course. It's really discouraging, but I am planning on sticking it out until the end. I see really positive changes in my skin, although I am still breaking out. Hang in there, you'll get through this. It's a process of highs and lows, but I've heard so many say it's totally worth it in the end!

disgusted?
jesussss.

i am on accutane for mild/moderate acne as a last resort after nothing else worked after 5 years of seeing the same dermatologist.

so, tired princess, STICK WITH IT. you're probably going through a breakout & things will start looking better for your face i'm sure.

I've got mild-moderate but persistent acne, and NOTHING else has worked over the last 8 years (I'm now 23).

My last dose of the Roaccutane course (40mg/day over 8 months) was last week, and right now it's at the stage where anything could happen. Currently however, my skin is in good shape. It's still red but that's reduced quite a bit lately, but there's zero acne, and there hasn't been anything major for months. Occasionally during the late stages (apart from the unavoidable redness) all I had was a few minor zits here and there (which were microscopic and came/left within 24 hours).

Stick with it dude, don't listen to the nay-sayers. Accutane is a serious drug not to be taken lightly at all, however IF indeed you have tried other options without luck and your acne is seriously affecting your confidence & impacting on your life then Accutane IS the right decision. It's about what impact the Acne causes on your life that matters, not the objective severity from an external observer.

Are you able to elaborate on how exactly it's worse? Number of pimples? Redness/itchiness? What topicals are you using to handle the dryness etc?

I had mild acne and I just finished taking accutane, (check out my log). My mild acne seems to have cleared up but I still have blackheads on my nose. It has definitely been worth it though.

i was on perscription BP & proactiv, along with minocycline FOREVER. i think i just became immune to it and it stopped working, but ive tried diff antibiotics, birth controls, differin, retina a, all kinds of topicals... and yeah i started with 40mg of sotret on month one, month 2 i did 80mg, i have a derm appt tomm i dont wanna get bumped up even more ill be scared to break out even more ;(

Disgusted?

That "mom of a accutane whatever" and her comments ..... WTF
Parents can give the worst advice. I mean respect to your elders and so on, but they often tend to be scared as hell about anything. Advice from the inside, like someone who can understand how mentally destructive acne is from first hand experience, that's where the good advice is.

Personally, accutane for mild acne? not a real good idea. But if you're in your 20's and nothing else works, and you are prepared to make a genuine commitment to the lengthy process of accutane, consult a dermatologist.

Old people, outdated opinions in their outdated mom jeans. Enough to make you throw up in your mouth a little.

It will make you worse at first-that's why a lot derms put their patents on an antibiotic in conjunction with the accutane therapy. Your face will continue to improve for several months after stopping the drug.

In my opinion, I can't believe they are putting you on accutane for mild acne. I really think that's crazy, the drug purpose was to be used for severe cystic acne not mild acne. Is that derm on the planet Earth?

seeing i'm going on 23 yrs old and NOTHING has worked for me that was really my last and final resort.

ive tried all antiobiotics, which my system just became immune to and stopped working, not that it did really in the beginning, proactiv and perscription bp helped a little, but i started to get scarring from other pimples ( my face, chest, and back ) gross ;(

all the other topicals did nothing for me. that's why i'm here!



yeah, 22 and nothing worked, yes it is mild, but NOTHING controls it! and it can get more worse here and there. birth controls, anbiotics, i just got sick of doing everything and gave accutane a shot.

Just so you all know, Mom of Accutane's child was diagnosed with Diabetes Type 1 following accutane treatment so I think she has every right to voice her opinion and concerns about the 'youngsters' round here looking for accutane therapy to treat their mild case of acne.

There are plenty of other treatments out there and until you've exhausted them all it is not worth it.

Honestly whoever aaid that about ur derm and that he shouldnt have perscribed that for you is kind of rude! I have mild acne but I do have cysts but my face is not covered in them just a few. I have tried a lot of the meds they offer as well as over the counter stuff, organic, vitamins etc.. and nothing has worked. My derm said he'd only do this as a last resort and so here we are of course nothign worked. I am currently on 80 mg a day so my dosage is a lot higher but I started out a low dose. Good luk to you, I hope it works for you!

hey, i used all the medications you used and a couple more i think for a period of about 4 years, some had fairly good results for a while but then stopped working. my skin was never good but for most of the time was ok-ish. i had had enough of just coping for clear skin and was tired of the constant anxiety involved with acne. i found myself constantly comparing my skin, looking at it in every available reflective surface and constantly having to worry about cleaning and taking meds for it. the worst was being at uni whenever i would have a big heavy night out clubbing n drinking then inevitably wake up with a few new spots - take over night to form then weeks to clear and this constantly would mean my skin would get pretty bad. nothing too severe but mild to moderate.

i went to my doctor in the end wanting to get my acne sorted once and for all. i asked to be put on isotretinoin (roaccutane). this worked wonders for me and i haven't had a single spot since a few weeks into the treatment. i took it over the summer which i spent working in a summer camp in America - i wasn't allowed to drink there so i thought it would be the perfect opportunity as it strongly recommends you dont drink while taking the treatment. i did occasionally drink while on the treatment and it just turned me into a massive lightweight! anyway, the side effects i felt weren't too bad. my lips were constantly chapped really bad so i went through a huge amount of chapstick and it gave me the occasional nose bleed. not a gusher or anything but it dried all the skin on the inside of my nose then when i went swimming it would wash away and cause it to bleed - not nearly as severe as it sounds. face went fairly dry too but if it was bad i just put on some E45 cream n it was ok. face went a bit red too but it was ok because everyone was sun burnt all the time so it just looked like that!

anyway i have finished the treatment now and it was easily the best decision i have made for my skin. my skin is now completely clear with no spots in sight, doesn't even get greasy. i am entirely happy with my treatment which lasted roughly 3 months which seems like a long time but it has been by far the most effective treatment i've ever used and there are no signs of spots returning... ever!

there are concerns over it causing depression, which although no conclusive evidence is hard to assess. but i thought it can't be worse than the depression i get from having spots! i didn't feel any depression what so ever but it may be a concern if depression runs in the family or you have ever been depressed before.

to go on isotretinoin you have to be referred by a dermatologist which in my area took about a month to get an appointment. when you see your doctor explain that you have tried all these other medications with little success, you are concerned about scars and that you want to be referred to a dermatologist. then once you see a dermatologist explain that you want to try isotretinoin.

i hope this helps, if you have any questions or comments on my experience please feel free to contact me. i know how much of a pain acne can be coming from a once long time sufferer and self confessed vain person!

It's not being rude at all-there are huge side effects associated with using accutane. The drug does work great, but is it worth the side effects if all you have is mild acne? I know it isn't fun at all having acne I've had it more years then you been alive. I looked like some dude from Mars when I fisrt blew up, but the derm knocked it off me with antibiotics and said wash your face and deal with it-I did that until I got myself jammed up in college taking 24 units of freaking engineering garbage "very stupid" my acne was causing me to look like a dork. I bite on the accutane-it makes you worse when you take it "some derms put ya on Septra DS to avoid that" after you stop it over several months you look great 5 years later it wears off and once again it makes you worse, so be prepared to get right on it when it first wears off with an AB. I've used accutane-it's great, but there's a trade off. You look great for 5 or more years and then it simply wears off. So you have traded possible future medical problems for 5 years of clear skin. It's up to you whether to try it or not. I'm just letting you know from first hand experience. When the accutane does wear off, you'll have the acne back, and you'll notice that washing your face with BP products is no longer an option. So you'll either use it again, as I did or an antibiotic in an attempt to get back what you have lost. You'll notice after the accutane wears off that antibiotics will work again "since you've been off them for such a long time" that's why some derms out there use what is called intermediate treatment, short courses of accutane, just to get the ABs to work again. But remember there is one problem associated with using long term antibiotics treatments that is never mentioned by derms, since they have never been taught it-it's called a systemic fungal infection which can cause a great deal of problems.

Hello there, before started taking accutane i had moderate acne, like the usual breakout plus a cyst here and there, but was so tired of always get rid of one cyst and another one poping up. Plus im 26 so every single cyst that i was getting, was leaving me scars. So i decided to go on accutane, best choice i have made. I am almost finishing my 3rth month and i am clear, no acne poping up finally, not even a little one. My only side effect, dry lips. I am taking 20mg a day and i will have to take it for 7 months so i still have 4 more months to go. I have many red marks tho i hope they will go by time.

interesting that this thread popped up because i was just considering going back to the derm for the first time in sixth monthes and asking to be put on accutane.
my stories similar to tired princess', i have mild-moderate and have been on pretty much every topical under the sun. retin-a was the worst, that ruined my skin... i've been off of it for 7 monthes and i'm still recovering from it.
since the beginning of summer i've been doing hollistic only, using aloe vera gel, eating right, and taking a shit load of zinc...
i've improved, but everytime i spend the night out, eat "normal unhealthy" food, or am put under any stress i break out... im just tired of living like that.
there is a direct link between relaxing/having fun and acne
as selfish and insignificant as it sounds i want to be able to do what i want without having to worry about my face.
i know there are many people on here with acne much worse than mine, but im still tempted to go for the tane even though when i started hollistic i said i wouldn't...
should i go for it???

although tane is meant for those suffering with severe acne, its uses DOES state that it can be used for people with milder forms of acne that are suffering pyschologically. having tried everything and been through the years of ups and downs, it sounds as though you are. not everyone gets an IB, some do some dont, sorry you are dealing with that.