Accutane Log (UK)

Firstly, thanks so much for listening everyone. I have been reading this board for ages whilst debating whether to take the plunge with Roaccutane or not, and it is so great to have so many like-minded people all supporting each other through this terrible condition.

Well, i'm 25 and have suffered with moderate acne (only on chin/jaw) since I was 18. I remember getting my first cyst (whilst friends only ever got tiny whiteheads) and feeling so ugly and horrible. Anyway, over the years I have tried:

• Dalicin-T (worked ok, but only on 60% of acne, and not for long!)
• Dianette (worked well after 2-3months, but made me fatter & drs reluctant to prescribe for long)
• Spiro (made me thin but had no period & inconsistant results)
• Tetracycline (worked well after 2m, then wore off + bad side-effects & not keen on long-term use)

So, I had been offered Accutane by a derm before, but was scared by the possibility of an IB and other side effects. I just kept skipping from one med to the next, as each worked for a bit then wore off. I now feel like I've spent so much £££ on face washes, skin creams etc etc, and even though some days I have clear skin (past few weeks actually!), when it gets bad it is horrible and I don't want to keep waiting for the bad times. So, reasons to go on Accutane:

• Long-term 'cure', in 4 months it'll all be a distant dream (I hope!!)
• Never having to carry my make-up everywhere again
• Never having to wake up earlier every morning to leave time to apply concealer
• Never worry about boyfriends/friends seeing me without make-up
• Saving £££ on worthless skin products
• Having more confidence in daily life with 'clear' skin
• Going to Africa in the summer & not packing make-up

OK, enough about the emotional side of things.. lets get practical!

The (NHS) derm has put me on a course of 30mg for 4 months (though she didn't say if she'd up it or not). She wasn't great with the detail.. suppliments, extra moisturising etc were shrugged off as not necessary, and she said I probably wouldn't get an IB (really really hope shes right!). I am nervous about the IB because I am coming off oral antibiotics (which i've been on for 8 months!) to go on Roaccutane, and I am thinking my skin will IB double-bad because of coming off them/going on Accutane. Good thing is I started a new course of Dianette 2 months ago, so that should really help.

Day Three

Ok, well I love popping these pills, the blister-packs are great and every swallow is like a kick in the butt to every nasty zit i've ever had! I haven't experienced much yet, no IB (my skin has been clear for 2 weeks anyway, prob because of Dianette kicking in). I don't feel dry or anything. I did feel very nauseous on the first day, and hope this won't keep happening.

I am really nervous of side-effects, in particular an IB, headaches, facial flushing and worsening anxiety - i don't suffer badly with this, but in stressful situations (big meetings/presentations etc) I can get very breathless/flustered..

FYI I have attached a picture of my skin at its worse-ish (about 2-3 months ago). When I went to the derm for this drug last week she was like "where are your spots, whats the problem?" lol, as my skin varies so much, so I took this pic in with me which helped my cause!

To 'Tane or not to 'Tane?

Hi guys,

As you can see from the pic, I have what i'd describe as moderate acne. Luckily for me my chin is as far as it goes, nothing on my body whatsoever. I've tried topicals, spiro, Dianette & Tetrcycline, all with varying degrees of success, but nothing has come close to 100% perfect. I suffer mostly from cysts, these days I use ice/hot water bottles to prevent them surfacing. After 7 years of suffering I have become quite the make-up artist, so no one really knows its this bad but me - of course that makes me an anti-social freak when it comes to any situation where i'm make-upless (swimming etc..).

Anyway, I have a Drs appt on Friday and am planning to take the Accutane plunge. I feel like it can only get better, but am terrified of it getting worse first. My worst fears are a face so flaky & spotty that it looks terrible even if the redness can be covered, also I do suffer from blushing/red face occasionally so would hate it to get really red long-term on tane.

even though its not terrible, do you think I have a chance of being 'cured' on tane? and will it be worth it for the IB I might suffer (I don't scar yet & don't ever want to).

I suppose I just need that final push to go get tane, but am so scared of ruining my life/career, if it gave me a really bad break-out I wouldn't want to even go into the office.

Peeps in the UK: How long did you have to wait to see an NHS derm? Does anyone in the have Bupa? If so, what was this wait like & do you know the consultation fees?

Been there, done that.. should I now try Accutane?

Hi,

I've suffered from moderate cystic acne (chin only) for 8 years now (since i was 18). I have tried so many different things; Topicals (now immune), Proactive (now immune), Dianette (worked a little), Spiro (no long term fix), and recently Tetrycycline (seems to be losing its effect after 6m of use).

I have seem a derm once (good old NHS) who offered accutane, but I declined as I was worried about side effects (anxiety) and mainly because I can't stand the thought of it getting much worse before it gets better. I know it sounds vain, but I only get 20 days holiday per year, and I don't want to use it all hiding in my room (

So, I was wondering if there is anything else people in a similar situation have tried, and if there is anyone about who has taken accutane in a lowish dose, which i've heard can mean avoiding the nasty breakouts.

Thanks for listening, any advice is appreciated.

What the derm told me... Spiro/accutane advice?

Bonsoir!

Just thought I'd share the interesting appointment I had with my (UK) derm today.

On acne in women:

Usually men suffer worse with acne, but it is short lived. Unfortunately for women, acne can go on through to mid-thirties.

On Dianette/Dian 35:

There is no good reason for GPs wanting to take you off Dianette after 12-18 months, the problems with the pill have nothing to do with length of time on it. If you are going to have a bad reaction you will have it within the first 2 weeks. We find it is usually a very effective drug.

On Spironolactone in the UK:

Actually there is nothing new about Sprio for acne, we used to prescribe it quite a lot it before Accutane came along. But quite simply, accutane is more effective and usually results are indefinate

On having no periods during Sprio (or any hormonal drug) use:

Excuse the sexist explanation, but periods all the time aren't necessarily the natural thing for a woman, years ago women were having a lot more children and so would not have periods much at all! After six months gynocolgists don't really like it as your uterus can start to get heavy, but there's really no medical cause for concern if you don't have a period every month..

On Accutane:

2 out of 3 people never have to be re-treated after one course of accutane, it really is the drug of choice because everything else merely 'blocks' skins receptors to acne, accutane stops the acne itself. Side effects can be painful, but if you're willing to go through 4 months of hell, and come out the otherside probably never having to suffer again, that could be the end of it. Breakouts are usually in the 2nd and (sometimes) 12th week.



Anyway, he said I can have accutane if I want... or stick with the spiro. Gosh I wish I'd had this appointment at 18 when I just could have taken the course of accutane in the summer holidays.. but there's no way it feels worth it now.

Basically I've never suffered terribly with acne, only ever had it on my chin since I was 18. Been on Dianette and topicals, taking 100mg pd of Sprio for 4-5 months now, I have cleared up a lot and now only really get one cyst per month (which still sucks) but I want to give Spiro a full 8 months before I give up.

As you can imagine, though I would love a long-term fix. The thought of accutane scares the hell out of me. Mainly the part about getting worse before it gets better, I take sick days at the moment just because of one cyst, there's no way I could cope with more. Also, my acne has never scarred, but I hear it can with accutane...

Any advice?

Thanks,
Sara