Hi, I would really love to hear somebodies opinion that took accutane for mild/moderate persistant acne. I had very oily skin and mild acne and was given a normal course of accutane. I took 40mg/day for 2 months and 80mg/day for 4 months. I weighed 160 lbs. My acne was clear in a week. Was it right for the derm to continue to give me so much. i feel like i couldve been clear permanently from a few months on 40mg. The reason i ask is because i am now dealing with many side effects to this day. And i finished my course 3 years ago...

My skin is still dry

My eyes still burn

My joints kill me..i can no longer exercise or jog

My hair is still falling out excessively

And to top it off...i have so many wrinklessss now

I hate that dermatologist

Everyone will react to the drug differently. Isotretinoin is reltatively safe if given in a controlled manner. No one can predict what long term effects the drug can have on the system. The effects of isotretinoin are dose-dependent, meaning that the greater the concentration of the drug = the greater effects. Your ailments could be a result of a higher concentration, but if you received 40mg.day for all 6 months you would likely still be experiencing these side effects. Just to a lesser extent. Isotretinoin and it's metabolites are typically out of the system after the first few months, but that doesn't mean that the drug didn't have a drastic effect on how your cells work. You kind of sign your life away when you take this drug.

I understand how you feel as I am still being tormenting by the side effects even though I am fast approaching 2 years post tane, and on top of that, my AntinuclearAntibodies test came back Positive...




Agree...

I'm sorry... I don't really have any advice to give, but I do have some questions.

Did you have all of those side effects when you were on the drug or did they start afer you were off? Also...is your skin still clear? (Just curious).

I'm just finishing my last month of Accutane, and I've had some side effects (higher cholest., very dry skin on my arms/hands, dry eyes, joint aches, and chapped lips) but at this point, I feel like it has been a major success for me (my skin is completely clear after 14 years of deep cystic acne)

Although I'm thrilled with the results I worry about more side effects popping up later, and I also worry that the acne will just come right back after I stop taking the pills.

We are all different. I had mild acne. I went on minocycline and had a very painful breakout on my neck, which the doc thought was very strange. I went on the accutane. I got a bit of dry skin around my mouth.......that was it. I have had no physical or mental side effects. That's just my experience.

This post has been edited by Thin Lizzy: Nov 5 2009, 08:08 PM

Hey,

Thanks for responding to my post. I took accutane for 6 months at 40mg/day for the first 2 months and 80mg/day for the next 4 months. I had mild acne with very oily skin. Never had any cysts or anything. I would just get very big whiteheads, sometimes a little inflamed. You said you took accutane for mild acne as well. I would really appreciate it if you could tell me what your acne was like and how much accutane you took. I just feel like my dermatologist was extremely out of line with the dosage he gave me. My skin was perfectly clear after one week on accutane.

Thanks,

Adam

The dermatologist gave you the right amount of dossage as far as your weight is concerned. Although, it does sound like they should have reduced the amount of time you were on the drug.

What you have to keep in mind though, is that the dermatologists want to try and cure you so you don't have to go back on it. That is why the dermatologist probably had you on the drug for such a long time after clearing up. May I ask if you had a regular monthly check-up with him or her?

In the end though, your acne is gone and if it was causing any emotional distress before, at least that's now been removed. Over time the side effects are bound to ease off. In the meantime you should ensure you're doing everything to improve your current condition. You may find it's your diet or another aspect of your lifestyle that is causing the complaints, as opposed to any after-effects of the accutane.

Hi- Thanks for responding to my post. Yes, i had regular monthly check-ups with the derm. But they continued to give me the accutane despite being perfectly clear. So, i'm not sure what to make of the whole thing. Anyways, my surface sebum has never returned. My skin was extremely oily pre-accutane, and 3 years later, my oil has never returned even slightly. What do you make of this? thanks so much for your help

Wow. That must suck! About the should you be angry, of course you should be angry!! Hell, I'd be pissed. You are in my thoughts.

In that case you could get angry or you could try and see why he may have kept you on it. To be honest I understand their call, they were just trying to make sure your acne never came back but obviously it's backfired on you in other ways.

All you can do now is try and cope with it, it could certainly be worse. Have you tried using a heavy-duty moisturiser to restore the moisture to your skin?

thanks once again. Yes I use heavy moisturizers all the time but i feel like they wear off quickly. My skin on my face feels soft though but there is just no sebum on it. Could there possibly be moisture still in my skin that i'm just not seeing?

of course....water... maybe you lack both water and oil ... how much u drinking per day?