20 replies to this topic

[Goody317]

I don't know so much about accutane. I heard it has a high % of Vitamin A. I read on an article is best to try Vitamin A than accutane. Dosage recommended for severe acne is 300,000 IU . I don't have severe acne but I'm taking 100,000 IU. Has anybody done this? Although I read it has it side effects but not like accutane. Headaches, vomiting, etc. I ha ve a big head ache right now. I was just wondering if someone had any success trying this.

[evan3037]

ive been doing 25000iu a day for about 2 months, i really cant tell a difference but its made me jaundice and my friends started calling me bart simpson cuz my skin is yellow lol

[jackthelad99]

It say's on the back of my actimine that doeses more than 10,000 IU a day can cause birth defects...

[Goody317]

ive been doing  25000iu a day for about 2 months, i really cant tell a difference but its made me jaundice and my friends started calling me bart simpson cuz my skin is yellow lol

for real????????

[Prettywords]

It is not safe to take 100,000 of vitamin A a day. First, it is so damn dangerous. You aren't even monitored and could die. Seriously. It(Vitamin A) isn't even FDA approved. Second, accutane is altered to help acne, but regular vitamin A isn't. You are just OD'ing on vitamin A.

To the person who is jaundiced, you better stop taking it and call your Dr. You are damaging your liver. I know it sounds harsh of me, but I am saying it all for your own good.


If are willing to risk your health, do yourself a favor and let it be done with a FDA approved drug that is almost guaranteed to work(unlike OTC vitamin A)and monitored by a Dr.

Good luck.

[december]

THat's dangerous.

[ProactivSUCKS]

Yellow skin = liver damage. Watch out people...

[kabol]

im gonna try 40 000 IU / day

[DaveM]

Vitamin A is more dangerous at high doses than accutane.

Why?

Accutane is selective as to what it will bind to (receptors) in your body, which is why it is used rather than Vit A. Vitamin A will have a LOT more side effects than accutane when used in high doses, because it isn't as selective.

it's pretty risky to OD on vitamin A, and high doses are toxic. It has a cumulative effect because it is fat soluble.

[SteveLewis]

I don't know so much about accutane. I heard it has a high % of Vitamin A. I read on an article is best to try Vitamin A than accutane. Dosage recommended for severe acne is 300,000 IU . I don't have severe acne but I'm taking 100,000 IU. Has anybody done this? Although I read it has it side effects but not like accutane. Headaches, vomiting, etc. I ha ve a big head ache right now. I was just wondering if someone had any success trying this.

A lot of people take around 20000+ IU daily for lengthy periods without any damage. Check out www.westonaprice.com for some info about taking large amounts of Vitamin A. 100,000 is probably a bit much but 20-30k of natural vitamin A(Cod liver oil, animal livers) should be ok. If you're taking it in the form it comes from carrots or other veggies then it won't be very effective.

[Blo0dCrIeSZ]

The person who said your skin is turning yellow, is probably because you are taking beta carotene. Which is a vitamin A derrogative, but is not toxic to you, the only known side effects is yellowing of skin and sometimes eyes (there is also a liver disease that causes this), and orange stools. It is also good to take it if you are photosensitive. BETA CAROTENE. Not a Vitamin A capsule.

[cjb]

All vitamin A did for me was give me terrible chronic chapped lips, which is an indicator of too much Vit A. I was only taking 2500 IU too.

[SteveLewis]

All vitamin A did for me was give me terrible chronic chapped lips, which is an indicator of too much Vit A.  I was only taking 2500 IU too.

Weird, I've been taking around 15000 IUs from Cod Liver Oil daily as well as having some liver weekly and I have had no vitamin A toxicity symptoms at all. Might it be that natural forms are better tolerated than pills?

[blackbirdbeatle]

Wow, just...wow. 100,00IU's huh? I thought you were clear with the Acne Cure book. That's the one that you were touting a while back.

On a side note, whoever told you to take 100,000 IU's should be kicked in the balls really hard(Or whatever causes the same pain in Females if it was a girl).

Anything over 5,000IU's is pushing it. You may not see symptoms until it's too late. If you don't even know the difference between Accutane and vitamin A you shouldn't be megadosing on it. The side effects you'll get on vita A megadose will be much more pronounced and harsh than anything Accutane can do(And as you know it can do some nasty things).

Take as much carotenes as you want until your skin turns orange.

[SteveLewis]

Wow, just...wow. 100,00IU's huh? I thought you were clear with the Acne Cure book. That's the one that you were touting a while back.

On a side note, whoever told you to take 100,000 IU's should be kicked in the balls really hard(Or whatever causes the same pain in Females if it was a girl).

Anything over 5,000IU's is pushing it. You may not see symptoms until it's too late. If you don't even know the difference between Accutane and vitamin A you shouldn't be megadosing on it. The side effects you'll get on vita A megadose will be much more pronounced and harsh than anything Accutane can do(And as you know it can do some nasty things).

Take as much carotenes as you want until your skin turns orange.

Many people have been taking 50000 IU for decades with no problems.

http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/vitaminasaga.html

That's a good website that discusses some of the studies done on vitamin A toxicity and why vitamin A has gotten a bad rap.

[cjb]

Weird, I've been taking around 15000 IUs from Cod Liver Oil daily as well as having some liver weekly and I have had no  vitamin A toxicity symptoms at all. Might it be that natural forms are better tolerated than pills?

I wouldn't be surprised if that were true.
I just realized that I said I was taking 2500 IU.. should read 25,000.

[Shyana]

I don't know so much about accutane. I heard it has a high % of Vitamin A. I read on an article is best to try Vitamin A than accutane. Dosage recommended for severe acne is 300,000 IU . I don't have severe acne but I'm taking 100,000 IU. Has anybody done this? Although I read it has it side effects but not like accutane. Headaches, vomiting, etc. I ha ve a big head ache right now. I was just wondering if someone had any success trying this.

Prior to accutane dermatologists treated severe acne with high doses of vitamin A up to 300,000 x 3 months. They often would use this with infrared lamps. Some doctors still treat with vitamin A. This can cause several complications like accutane, increased liver enzymes etc. But it was and can be a very effective treament for some cases. It needs to be monitored just like accutane. I mean lab tests and doctors appointments. After 3 months use of high dosing some studies show adverse effects, ie liver damage. OK?

Lower doses vit A can benefit acne skins but betacarotenes are a better option with less side effects. As mentioned yellowing/organe tone of the skin with too much betacarotene can happen. But this does not have a lasting effect, just cut back on the dose. True jaundice (yellowing) is from liver damage and would show increase liver enzymes.

[manolis_04]

so are u guys sayin that too much vit a is bad 4 the liver? Wot about if your taking bete-carotene in forms of raw carrots? would that be safer?

[bryan]

I don't have severe acne but I'm taking 100,000 IU.

I very strongly recommend that you do NOT continue taking that much on a regular basis. You can take it for a while (a few weeks or months, perhaps), but not indefinitely.

A couple of other comments on what others have said:

Yes, the person whose skin is turning yellow is using beta-carotene, not vitamin A. That's harmless, and may even be helpful in certain circumstances.

"Which is a vitamin A derrogative..." Look up the word DERIVATIVE in a dictionary!

Bryan