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Glad its working for you!
Do you find the side effects difficult to deal with or are they manageable over time? I'm interested in trying Roaccutane to clear me up since nothing else works, the possible side effects are holding me back however - some of them truly are terrible, what made you decide to take the risk?
Glad its working for you!
Do you find the side effects difficult to deal with or are they manageable over time? I'm interested in trying Roaccutane to clear me up since nothing else works, the possible side effects are holding me back however - some of them truly are terrible, what made you decide to take the risk?
nah side-effects have been fairly mild and for the most part completely manageable. I've had the really dry skin and lips (everyone gets that), just make sure you moisturise liberally and it won't be a problem. Other than that I've had the occasional back-ache episode, and the annoying facial redness ('tane burn as it's known I think). The thing is, it's a powerful drug there's no debate on that, but with any reasonably substantial medication their are a few people who always react badly. Online forums are skewed heavily on the negative side, since those people who don't experience long-term side-effects (i.e. the vast majority) rarely post anything after they've finished their course - why would they, the drug has done what was expected of it, and they can happily move on with their life no longer having to worry about their skin constantly.
The decision rests with you alone of course. Assuming you've done your research and know what to expect (most people's treatment is very similar to my own), then I'd definitely say go talk to a dermatologist about it, they'll be a much better source of info than online forums. And on your location it says you're from Wales, so you can get it on the NHS for the standard prescription charge which I can tell you is GREAT because all the Americans on here have to fork out shit-loads due to their annoying private healthcare system
I took the risk because I'd tried everything else (within reason that is, I'm not a great believing in the 'holistic' method, seems mostly bullshit to me) and having done my research knew that the chances of me regretting taking it were very slim. Thus far, all has been well. Anyway, if you're skin SERIOUSLY worries you and destroys you're self-esteem, then go for it. My only regret thus far is that I didn't do it sooner.
Also, beware the initial breakout! That can be absolute bitch lol
Sorry for the long answer!
Don't apologise for the long answer, its exactly what I was looking for! Interesting point on the negative skew of things, the minor side effects such as dry lips, aches and initial breakout I'd happily have have if my skin cleared up and its reassuring to know you found them simple enough to deal with, the worrying thing of course is the serious side effects but like you mentioned; online it seems to be leaning towards the negative side of things, I have read that such adverse side effects are very rare.
Indeed I will look into seeing a derm sharpish (I should have seen one years ago but I always seemed to get fobbed off with the usual antibiotics from the doc that don't work...) and thank god for the good old British NHS eh? The amount of money I would have blown these last couple of years on BP and tablets (both don't work!) would have been scandalous!
All in all, I am in the same position you were in - I've tried what seems like an endless list if things in the hope that they would grant even the tiniest bit of relief but it seems nothing works, my skin is extremely stubborn and consistently poor, its very, very rare that I see anyone with skin as bad as mine... so it seems that Roaccutane is worth a shot, and yes my skin does seriously worry me, I have had nodular cystic acne for 5 years now but the last 2 years have been hellish, its constantly on my mind...
Cheers for the info!
Edit: Just saw you are a Liverpool fan, you nicked our manager! 
All in all, I am in the same position you were in - I've tried what seems like an endless list if things in the hope that they would grant even the tiniest bit of relief but it seems nothing works, my skin is extremely stubborn and consistently poor, its very, very rare that I see anyone with skin as bad as mine... so it seems that Roaccutane is worth a shot, and yes my skin does seriously worry me, I have had nodular cystic acne for 5 years now but the last 2 years have been hellish, its constantly on my mind...
Cheers for the info!
Edit: Just saw you are a Liverpool fan, you nicked our manager!
yeah if it's always on your mind then definitely go see a derm, you're right about doctors always fobbing you off with increasingly bizarre antibiotics and topicals, I had to throw a minor tantrum with my GP for him to refer me in the end lol. Don't get put off by scare stories, it's weird because most of the startling long-term effects like depression and Crohns disease are for the most part completely unproven, they always seem to 'appear' like 5 years after the drug was taken, yet they're touted around as if everyone is at high risk. Stuff gets a lot of bad press, much of it uncalled for in my opinion.
Well Liverpool is just the team in the premier league I follow, Notts Forest are actually my proper team, and you knocked us out of the play-offs last year, so we're even!!
Day 125
Just 11 days to go! So close to the end, then it'll get REALLY interesting. How long will I stay clear for? 6 months? A year? Forever?????? Scared to come off Roaccutane, which is odd considering how annoying and occasionally unpleasant it can be. Still, all I can say is thank fuck this stuff was invented, otherwise I'd have no idea where I'd be now. Well actually I do, I'd probably be on this very site bemoaning the lack of effective treatments..Anyway, all is great now!
Skin: 4/5 (just waiting for red marks to fade, will take many months. Ah well, I'm good at waiting)
Day 132
So, finally here, the last few days on Roaccutane *plays violin emotively*. Final (I hope) dermatologist appointment on Tuesday. Haven't bothered to get a blood test done, which I probably should have done. Anyway not much to add, I'd have no hesitation on continuing treatment a little longer if the nurse thought it was necessary for a better long-term prognosis, but tbh I won't be sad to see the back of this stuff despite its endless merits. Plus it means I can stop clogging up everyone's accutane log page with mindless updates from a guy who has a useless verb for a name and a pretentious profile picture of some desolate apocalyptic wilderness. Yeah, I know you were all thinking it!
Skin: 4/5 (red marks still)
NB: Seriously though, thanks for those who have put in the effort to sieve through all of the useless shit that I write, and I hope a few of you found pieces of it useful. Very small pieces at least
Day 140(ish)
Saw the dermatologist, she said that all was fine, but that I "might as well" use up all the pills I have left - she didn't question how many I had. Was slightly alarmed by her casualness initially..but then I immediately got over it. Have about 4 or 5 days left of pills as of now, I'll take them then update now and then over the coming month or two as - hopefully - the side effects fade. Here's to clear skin, and the loss of that damn accutane beetroot face! Adios!
2 weeks post-treatment
Oils have returned quite a bit, but still slightly on the dry side - having to moisturise in the morning after my shower still, but no longer needing to reapply cetaphil and carmex every couple of hours like I was during treatment.
NO ACNE IN NEARLY 3 MONTHS!!
Hello mate. Nice topic, im one of those wierdos who read the forums all the time but never actually register and then i thought what the hell. Ive read all 3 pages and they were very infomative and gave me some direction, since i have a first appointment with a derm tomorrow and pretty sure theyre gonna prescribe me Accutane. Just like you id take the short term side effects for the long term gains, glad to see that its worked well for you buddy.
p.s. i saw your a liverpool fan (think i got that right, unless your a swansea fan and i mixed you up with the other guy), i promise i wont hold that against you, we all have our dark sides. 
Hello mate. Nice topic, im one of those wierdos who read the forums all the time but never actually register and then i thought what the hell. Ive read all 3 pages and they were very infomative and gave me some direction, since i have a first appointment with a derm tomorrow and pretty sure theyre gonna prescribe me Accutane. Just like you id take the short term side effects for the long term gains, glad to see that its worked well for you buddy.
p.s. i saw your a liverpool fan (think i got that right, unless your a swansea fan and i mixed you up with the other guy), i promise i wont hold that against you, we all have our dark sides.
Ok thanks, I'm pleased that my log has helped 
Fingers crossed you don't get too much of a horrid initial breakout!
Alas I am indeed a Liverpool fan (although I'm originally from Nottingham so Forest are my local team I follow, no danger of them clashing at the moment though lol). I'm guessing you're a Man Utd fan by your profile name. The good thing about Roaccutane is that it even works on you guys 
Roaccutane + 1 month
Fairly oily again now, particularly around my nose, although this is of course aggravated somewhat by the humid august weather. Still, definitely not as oily as I was pre-treatment. I have no idea when my final oiliness level will be reached - it could be now or maybe it'll take another few months to level off. As it stands though, I STILL HAVE NO ACNE, NONE WHATSOEVER. Plus, the redness has subsided, and my red marks are fading waayyyyyyyy quicker then they were when I was on Roaccutane.
So far, so very good!
Awesome news!!! Congrats!
thank you, very kind
Guess I must be somewhere in the region of 7 weeks post-Roaccutane now.. Well, I technically can no longer say I have been totally acne-free. Technically though, since what I got is not even worthy of mentioning really. Had like 3-4 of the tiniest whiteheads you'll ever see appear on my nose last week, cue outright horror on my part, then a quick realisation that I was being stupidly hysterical and that they were in fact absolutely nothing. Just the fear of "Oh shit, I have a spot! AN ACTUAL SPOT!!!" after you've not had one since May.
Summary: Aside from my girlish scream when confronted with those midget spots on my nose last week, I can safely say that all is well, and that I have no regrets whatsoever of taking this drug
Haven't been on this site for a while - must be about 3 months post-treatment now, I can't remember when exactly I stopped. Well I'm not totally clear, and I've come to the conclusion that to expect such perfection is totally unrealistic, and I should be happy with how much better my skin is, even if it's not 100% there. And I am happy, very happy in fact. I get the occasional small whitehead, perhaps 3-4 per week. I'm just using gentle facial cleansers currently to combat the moderate amount of oil I have. A few faint marks and shallow scars are all that remain of my once plagued skin, and these are improving almost daily.
Roaccutane + 5 months(ish). Things not going so well. At first I thought it was just a bad few days, then just a bad week. Alas, the worsening of my skin has gone on for over a month now. It's still only at a fairly moderate level in comparison to what my skin was a year ago, but it is worryingly nonetheless, and it is getting worse all the time.
Fuck this is so frustrating. Dunno if I can be arsed to go through with this again. 6 months of medicated hassle gave me 4 months of normal skin. Fucks sake.
Sorry to hear it's come back a bit mate, hopefully it's just temporary but there's always a 2nd course if it comes to that!
I'm currently into my 2nd month of treatment (30mg), and I still get a few small spots but on the whole my face is smooth. My problem is that on my left cheek+jaw line (almost exclusively) I have a lot of red marks from the horrible flare up which caused me to go on roaccutane. I can't really see these going during my course from what I've heard, how long did it take for yours to significantly reduce and/or go?
Good luck!
yeah true, think I'll wait a few months before considering that though, see if it keeps getting worse
Red marks on Roaccutane fade REALLY slowly unfortunately. Depends on how bad the spots were that caused them, but I know I got some horrors during my initial flare-up and the marks they left were still there when I finished my treatment 6 months later. Not as bad obviously, but they were still fairly prominent. They'll fade quickly once you're off the drug though
Good luck to you too!