3 replies to this topic

[mountainmuffin7183]

I was on accutane for 6 months and stopped taking it August of 2004. I have had severe lasting effects that could be from nowhere else besides accutane. I wanted to know if I'm just a complete anomaly or if other people have had the the same problems too.

I started to have "down there" dryness that gradually got worse when as I was on accutane and since I have been off of it, my problem has gotten progressively worse and now it is very difficult to have any wetness at all. I have used lube since I was on accutane and now can't have sex without it.

Also I have gradually had less and less of a sexual drive since being on accutane. This was really hard for me to accept since I used to have a very healthy sexual appetite. My new husband of 6 months has dealt with my low sex drive, but in the past year or so, it seems to be nearly non-existant. He feels like he's doing something wrong #1 I can't get wet and #2 I hardly ever want sex. Trust me, he's a good looking guy and I'm very attracted to him.

I also got really bad depression while on accutane and for the couple years afterwards. I was on an anti-depressant but stopped taking it shortly after our honeymoon. I had at least a slight improvement with my sex drive while on anti-depressants but not what it used to be. Now off the anti-d's I don't have any.

I find myself to be a regular person before accutane and now my life has never been the same afterwards. Has anyone else experienced such severe lasting side effetcs from accutane and what have you done to help it? I feel silly asking my gyno or PCP for female sex drugs when I'm only 25 and newly married.

[Shanon]

Usually anti-depressants decrease the sex drive or make it harder to climax...

Anyway, alot of women, young and old, have this problem and it doesnt have anything to do with accutane. I would ask your doc about it, see what she/he suggests.

I've been on accutane for about 2 weeks and dont have anything like that happening (well, no dryness i mean. i'm not sexually active, but i still get... turned on... the same as i used to). I havent heard of sexual side effects from tane.

[lamarr1986]

I know exactly what your going through and people will not understand, they will claim that your problems stem from something else, when you know for a fact it was accutane.

Unfortunately your problem is more common than most people believe.... Was it Selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors that you took? They can help with the mental side effects ALOT, i would also recommend having hormones tested for e.g. estrogen, free estrogen, testosterone, free testosterone and progesterone the most key in women is often luteinising hormone accutane can potentially alter hormone production.

You really need to go to a doctor and explain what you have hear, there are tests that can be done.

As i said your side effects are more common than we are lead to believe, it's a sensitive subject that often men and women don't want to complain about.

Also carefully try supplementing zinc into your diet and if you don't allready do some exercise involving resistance training, those two things can really help with the sex drive if you get some of the larger muscle groups under some strain!!

Good luck.

[janeyjane]

In case you didn't notice someone posted info about the long-term effects of accutane on sex drive etc. Here is the link:

http://www.erbook.net/accutane

Anyway, I am not saying it is not the accutane but depression itself can have a huge effect on sex and libido. Even though the depression itself may have gone it stands to reason that the mental effects of having a low sex drive (e.g. feeling guilty for your partner, feeling like a failure and just worrying about it in general) could still be effecting your sex life.

So definitely talk to your doctor, there are ways of improving it if it is a psychological issue, its not easy but possible so don't give up hope.