20 replies to this topic

[Amy!]

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HEY ALL! Let me start off by telling you a little about myself. My name is Amy, I'm 34 and from NJ, but have been living here in SW FL for the last 7 years. I'm a nurse but for the last 3 years I've been a stay at home mom and housewife. Also, back in NJ I was an esthetician and the whole reason I went to school to become one was because I suffered from acne (vulgaris AND cystic) since I was approx. 15 years old. My only sibling, an older sister, is also an esthetician here in FL. Our father had cystic acne, which is hereditary, so unfortunately both my sis and I got it too. Before acne I had a pretty good self image. I was a gymnast with a wide circle of friends, outgoing and always happy. When I started breaking out in cysts my self esteem went crashing to the floor. I fell into a depression and avoided events that either took place during the day, or were in well lit area's. I basically lived at the dermatologist's office and tried everything under the sun for my acne- both OTC and prescribed: doxycycline, erythromycin ,sulfa, minocycline, Ortho TriCyclen (when it came out) not to mention the topicals: benzoyl peroxide, clindamycin, benzamycin and Retin-A but to no avail; my acne persisted. My derma told me I had very resistant acne- "stubborn zits!", but still I sought a "cure". In 1993 I was living with my sister outside Atlanta when she read an article in Cosmo about a really good dermatologist out of Atlanta named Dr. Brody. Immediately we made appointments and waited the 3-4 months to get in. I was SOOO nervous at my appointment! I had been praying and hoping that he would be my skin "savior", so when the appointment time came I almost didn't go because I thought I'd be let down, AGAIN! Thankfully, I DID go, and he really was the great Dr. I had hoped he'd be! Not only did he put me on Accutane, but he also gave me my first cortisone shot (I had 2 cysts that I had woken up with that day- they were gone in 3 days vs. 8 or 9!!!) and put me on prednisone for 10 days to relieve the inflammation. That was also a first! He also told me something that I do to this very day: add Betadine to your cleanser at night (he had recomended Dove, Purpose or Basis) lather up your face (fingertips ONLY!) and leave that solution on your face for a few minutes before you rinse. (later, when I was in nursing school I realized the importance of Betadine- it's the first line of defense against topical infection) He also prescribed his own lotion that he created, Brody's lotion, which contained, (among other ingredients I don't remember) hydrocortisone. That day was the first day in a long time that I believed I was going to beat this!!! I do still breakout sometimes, BUT NOT IN CYSTS! The way someone with weight problems always has to watch what they eat is how I liken my acne to my everyday life. I have to take care of it, use a good cleanser (with povidone/iodine- that's generic betadine- it's cheaper!) use facial masks, wash my hands alot, change my pillowcase every couple of days, rubbing alcohol my phones and YES I still use prescription topicals (Renova) but Accutane REALLY changed my life! Now my derma (here in FL) told me they're trying to ban it- there is a petition going around and if enough people sign it lawmaker's are taking it to the FDA!!! I felt like I had to DO SOMETHING after he told me that. Here I was looking online and I found this great website! Does anyone here know of a petition to NOT ban Accutane? One to keep it on the market? And if there is not, maybe we can start one! I know that for every ONE person who had a bad experience with it, there's got to be hundreds that will sing it's praises! Anyway- didn't mean to make this sooo long- but let me know if any of you feel the same!

[thefloridapolock]

sign me up , we have to keep this out there

[S2000]

I'm in !!

[Baravykas]

Me too. Im still on accutane, but if some hardcore side effects would occur I still wouldnt come here screaming 'Ban accutane'. They throw suicides at us. What those retards doesn't understand is how much suicides there would be when accutane would be banned and no one would coun't them as acne-related suicides.

[Apomes]

Agree, it shouldn't be banned. However you would still have the generic , unless they ban them too .

YEs I get mood swings thanks to ROA, but suicide attempts? No, not at all! Did it ever occure to people that it was just a coincidence that people who were on ROA also killed themself?
I mean, peoplle commit suicide every day...

[LabGirl81]

No No No!!!!!

No banning of Accutane!!!!!!

How am I ever gonna get clear if they ban it????

Sign me up too!!!!

P.S. I'm from Jersey too........

[Kermit]

To ban accutane would be very very bad. The amount of people that it has helped outweighs the negatives (in my opinion).

I consider myself to be quite mild compared to some folk on here but I still stressed about going out because of it. Accutane is my last hope as I have tried everything else. I can only imagine how self conscies people with really bad acne feel.

And worse than the banning would be the black market that would open up as just because the FDA might ban it does not mean other countries will.

[Amy!]

AWESOME!!! I didnt expect anyone to reply yet....VERY COOL! Yeah- ya know when people talk about the "side effect" of depression, I'm like -"HELLO!" Depression is not wanting to go out in public b/c your skin SUX! It's when you cut school on the days UR skin is sooo bad that U dont want ANYONE to see you (sophmore year of HS I missed so many days that they left me back!) going on 'tane HELPED my depression b/c my skin was finally clear of those painful (both physically AND emotionally) cysts , and I was able to start gaining confidence in my appearence! OH, & in reference to Apomes, i agree w/U totally... do those that protest 'tane think of the possibility that maybe those FEW (compared to all the people who've been on it) that commited suicide had a mental illness and/or suicidal tendencies NOT caused by 'tane? I believe what started all of this was an accident back in either late 2001 or early 2002 (it was after 9/11) down here in FL... those of u from other countries prob. arent familiar w/ it, but those of u from the states may remember it b/c it started the big debate on Accutane & suicide. This kid on Accutane, a boy around 15 or so, was taking flying lessons and he stole a plane ( a small Cessna i think) and crashed it into a highrise in Tampa, killing himself. They later found a suicide note. Well anyway, the kids mom got a lawyer and that started this whole- Accutane- causes- suicide -thing. Now, dont get me wrong- it was a HORRIBLE thing that happened, I couldn't imagine losing my kids, but in this day and age nobody wants to be accountable anymore. Everyone wants someone (or someTHING) to blame and in this case, it was the drug he was on. It was all over the news back then, but after a while you stopped hearing about it and I figured that was that. Until I went to my derma and he told me that they are trying to get it off the market. I dont know how close they are to removing it - but I've been looking online for info regarding that and also if there are any petitions out there in Accutanes defense. If there is NOT, well then I'LL start one and then post the info on here, cuz I'm sure the majority of you guys would sign it! Anyway- thanks for all of your comments- God I wish this website was around when I was a teenager, when you suffer from acne it's like you feel so alone, ugly and depressed. But at least its here now, and I'm gonna make sure I mention it to anyone whom it could help. It's really cool to be able to talk/write with others that know EXACTLY how you feel! Hope all of acheive perfect skin!!! As I find out more I'll post it here! peace! A

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No No No!!!!!

No banning of Accutane!!!!!!

How am I ever gonna get clear if they ban it????

Sign me up too!!!!

P.S. I'm from Jersey too........

WHAT PART??? or should i say, what exit???

[DMBsDreamGrl]

I finally just got on Accutane..they better not ban it!

[AllAboutTheTane]

Banning Accutane would be like banning chemtherapy. It's just rediculous.

[Nazario]

Hey Amy, i like your idea, also you seem to have alot of knowledge of this subject , do you know of anything, like maybe massage oils for hair and scalp... cnt stand losinbits of hair in the shower. its not terrible, but wondering if anyone knows of anyway to help prevent it from being as bad

Thanks alot, hope you come on again,
Ciao.

[MarkAntony123]

hey amy i completely agree and your pretty buff, you ever come uk??

[No I'm Amy]

I actually did find a petition online to ban accutane. The info they gave on it was outdated and one sided.

I didn't read it, but was the petition one sided like where it only said the bad parts and didn't show how it can be really effective?

[Bella03]

OMG>>>I'm supposed to start in july>>>How long do you think it would take them to ban it???

People who want to ban it are obviously people who have never had cysts all over their faces



I actually looked up 'ban accutane' and found many websites

Lawmakers Call for Accutane Ban

They Say Gov't Is Stalling on Rules for Pregnancy, Suicide Risk With Acne Drug By Todd Zwillich
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
on Friday, October 08, 2004


Oct. 8, 2004 -- A bipartisan group of lawmakers are accusing the Bush administration of moving too slowly on proposed new safety measures for the acne drug Accutane and are calling for the drug to be pulled from the U.S. market.

The lawmakers say the FDA has not acted on February recommendations from an expert advisory panel urging the agency to implement stricter patient tracking rules for patients who use Accutane. Several are threatening to insert legislation restricting Accutane's use into a federal spending bill if action is not taken by Nov. 1.

Accutane has been the subject of public scrutiny in recent years because of several health concerns, including an increased risk of birth defects in children born to women who take it while pregnant and a possible risk of depression and suicide in adolescents.

An expert panel urged the FDA in February to come up with stricter rules for tracking women of childbearing age in an effort to prevent them from becoming pregnant while taking Accutane. Experts recommended at that time the use of a mandatory patient registry and required patient education for everyone who uses Accutane for severe acne. But the agency has so far failed to act on the recommendations.

"There shouldn't be a lag time when you're talking about life and death of young people," says Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.). "It's a very serious health issue, and we wish they'd treat it that way."

Stupak and three Republican lawmakers sent a letter earlier this week to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson criticizing the FDA for moving slowly on new Accutane rules and urging the agency to pull the drug off the market until action is taken.

The letter points to a small study conducted at Emory University in Atlanta showing that Accutane can affect brain metabolism. Stupak, who's 17-year-old son committed suicide four years ago while taking Accutane, says the study is evidence that the drug has potential to play a role in depression or suicide.

"We all realize that more research is needed; but we cannot allow this drug to continue on the market, prescribed at a rate of 1.8 million prescriptions annually, when it may affect the brain of young people," the letter states.

The letter also threatens to push legislation in Congress that would restrict widespread "off-label" use of Accutane and require a mandatory patient registry for everyone taking it. The bill has 14 Republican and Democrat co-sponsors. Off-label use describes use for purposes other than those approved by the FDA.

Accutane prescribers must now obtain an informed consent from patients, offer counseling, and provide educational materials.

Women are supposed to have two negative pregnancy tests before receiving a prescription for Accutane, and women are supposed to use two forms of contraception during therapy.

But Accutane maker Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. reported to the FDA that 183 women took Accutane while pregnant during its strict tracking program in 2003, compared with 150 in the year before. Three manufacturers of the generic version of Accutane, called isotretinoin, reported 19 more cases since December 2002 while using identical tracking programs.

Stupak tells WebMD that the FDA has given him information also connecting Accutane to suicide in 235 young people. The agency could not confirm the figure.

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Sorry for posting so much..this just makes me mad
taking accutane is a CHOICE...if you don't like the side effects you can CHOOSE not to take it..
So, why are we letting all these people make our CHOICES for us???

If you drink during pregnancy you can have a child with birth defects...So, are we going to ban ALL drinking for everyone?
Regardless of all the pregnancy tests, bc, etc.. some people are going to CHOOSE to have sex w/ out condoms or bc and get pregnant...

I would be happy to deal w/ iPledge if i thought it actually made a difference...although, it still isn't going to get rid of all the idiots in the world..
[b]Nothing ever will[/b

[The_Snow_Queen]

Accutane has been the subject of public scrutiny in recent years because of several health concerns, including an increased risk of birth defects in children born to women who take it while pregnant and a possible risk of depression and suicide in adolescents.

There's a very simple way to prevent pregnancy; if you really want clear skin I'm sure you can abstain. The fact that some women become pregnant while on Accutane is their own faults, not the drug's.

Risk of depression and suicide in adolescents? Do the realize that teenagers are often depressed and sometimes suicidal anyway? I would think clear skin as a result of Accutane would FIGHT depression.

Stupid crazy radicals.

[Kirstin]

If they did ban it, I would move to another country! It would probably create an accutane cartel!

Its so ridiculous that there are so many people, including doctors, out there that are so ignorant about the drug. Yeah, well, there are a lot of other medications that cause birth defects and you don't see them in the news creating contraversy!

Also, this whole depression thing is really obnoxious! Don't they realize that acne alone can cause depression?

These "they" people need to get a life!

[nice_helenuk]

I'll sign a petetion if there is one.
helen xx

[styler]

I bet that the original idea of banning it was thought of by someone who never suffered acne. Christ, nobody knows how f*cked up it is unless they went through it. For a lot of people accutane is the only medicine that helps. Sure it was a crap medicine to use, really felt bad whilest on it, and it can mess up your body quite badly, but i wouldn't be clear + happy today if it wasnt for the tane.

[Fuman]

ill sign this

it's changed my life so much

like granted some people may have bad experiences but think about majority of people it's changed for the better

just because one person has a bad experience doesn't mean they have to ruin it for everyone else

because frankly there's NOTHING that's as effective at treating it internally then this atm