Hello! Thank you so much for this very informative post!!
I actually just started & am on my 2nd week of Myorisan (generic)
Idk if you still get on this but I wanted to ask some questions on the long term side effects.
How severe are your dry eyes/lips?
What happened with your stomach & how common is that?
Have you have any breakouts since you've been off accutane?
Have all your box scars faded away?
Hi,
I'm on 20mg/day in Month 5. I saw signifiant improvement in mid Month 4, however in the past week I've been breaking out, although not as badly pre-accutane. It seems like the existing whiteheads are getting inflamed and coming to a head now, but I've also been breaking out in places that were previously already clear.
Does anyone have similar experience? I'm afraid that my skin would continue to deteriorate. I thought being so far along in my treatment I would stop breaking out. The little confidence I gained when my skin improved is at an all-time low again.
Please share if you have anything that could help me out!
Hi,
i have only just recently started taking 80mg/day and I'm on my 10 month. Only 3 months left for course of oratane. My skin previously was very sensitive to the sun, but in the first couple of months of taking oratane i could feel even the street lamps burning me, and it wasn't evident till i got home most nights, as i felt that was the best time to walk (to keep my fitness in check), that i realised i was even sensitive to the street lamps. Although, my derma had me on prednisone an anti-inflammatory, and bactrim an antibacterrial drug, to null the initial effects of oratane in the first couple of weeks at the beginning due to having severe acne all over my face, neck, shoulders, back, chest, lower back, butt cheeks, and in places that im not going to mention. But since taking oratane i have seen a massive improvement, sure enough i still have just a minor amount of scarring, i am more than keen to see what its going to be like after i finish taking oratane. However i too regret not taking it sooner, it has changed my life for the better. All i hope is that the scarring, which is predominantly surface, and boxcar scarring, all heals up. I had a friend mention to me that rosehip oil is an utter miracle and it really is. It has helped my skin considerably regain its elasticity, and reduce the amount of scarring across my face and shoulders, and i still havent finished my course of oratane as of yet. I repeat 10 months in, 3 months to go.
@AccutaneInMyBrain: I really hope i experience the same effects post-oratane as you have man. So keen, all down hill from here.
Hello! Thank you so much for this very informative post!!
I actually just started & am on my 2nd week of Myorisan (generic)
Idk if you still get on this but I wanted to ask some questions on the long term side effects.
How severe are your dry eyes/lips?
What happened with your stomach & how common is that?
Have you have any breakouts since you've been off accutane?
Have all your box scars faded away?
How severe are your dry eyes/lips?
Only bad when I wear contacts for my eyes. Besides that unnoticeable. The lips get chapped in cold weather immediately but otherwise just a little dry most of the time.
What happened with your stomach & how common is that?
I ended up forming 2 very small and premature ulcers in my stomach, and it is basically nonexistent in side effects percentages with accutane. Could have been genetical, but who knows, the timing is very fishy with a 19 year old getting 2 ulcers after 3 months of Accutane...
Have you have any breakouts since you've been off accutane?
Not breakouts, but I get a few pimples sometimes that will appear on my neck or lower jaw. The best part about post-Accutane me though is that when I do get a pimple, I'm not even tempted to pop it because I know it will be gone and dried out in less than a day (its really nice!).
Have all your box scars faded away?
Yes.
I'm so happy for you! I know how you feel. You're story has definitely given my som hope. I'm at week 8/20 & my initial breakout was by far the worst acne I have ever had. My acne without accutane had never been that bad. Everyone stared & I got the occasional "omg what's wrong with your face?!?". I got over it. Now I have a forehead that has redness & scars that look & are hopefully temporary. I'm just worried they won't go away:/ and for side effects, I honestly can say that it doesn't bother me that much. I find it very manageable.
So... I'm going to be honest here. I didn't even want to come back and write this post but I figured I should...
At the end of the day, accutane was not worth the risks for me. It has been 4 years since I started my Accutane regimen and I can tell you it was not worth it. Symptoms I thought would eventually subside never did, and have actually gotten worse recently. My lips, eyes, skin, and hair are still so incredibly dry every day that I do not feel like I used to. I'm constantly trying to hydrate my body (internally & externally) with little help. Not one of my grandparents ever had hair loss yet I'm experiencing significant hair loss at 25 years old.Significant hair loss. The things I have learned about what accutane really does worriesme: permanent telomere shortening (meaning potentialshortened lifespan), changed vitamin A signaling for life (for everybody), retinoid receptor malfunction for life, the list goes on. I've had stomach problems that have only gotten worse. Endocrinal problems and two ulcers. Keep in mind I was a 100% healthy individual before this.Believe me when I say I would rather have acne right now than deal with thevery realproblems accutane has given me... not the superficial problems that acne used to.It's ironic that years ago on this same post I said that my only regret with accutane was not taking it sooner... seems like I spoke a little too soon.
I'm not saying to not take it, but just be aware of the very real permanentlong-term side effects that it could possibly cause and weigh the factors against each other. This is not a casual medication to jump in to...
On January 18, 2016 at 1158 PM, AccutaneInMyBrain said:So... I'm going to be honest here. I didn't even want to come back and write this post but I figured I should...
Just don't take accutane. It's not worth the risks. It has been 4 years since I started my Accutane regimen and I can tell you it was not worth it. Symptoms I thought would eventually subside never did, and have actually gotten worse recently. My lips, eyes, skin, and hair are still so incredibly dry every day that I do not feel like I used to. I'm constantly trying to hydrate my body (internally & externally) with little help. Not one of my grandparents ever had hair loss yet I'm experiencing significant hair loss at 25 years old.Significant hair loss. The things I have learned about what accutane really does sickens me: permanent telomere shortening (meaning literal shortened lifespan), changed vitamin A signaling for life, retinoid receptor malfunction for life, the list goes on. I've had stomach problems that have only gotten worse. Endocrinal problems and two ulcers. Keep in mind I was a 100% healthy, hydrated, and happy individual before I took accutane; I'm not anymore.
Please believe me when I say I would rather have acne right now than deal with thevery realproblems accutane has given me... not the superficial problems that acne used to. I remember walking around in high school and college with people judging me by my skin every day. I remember how much it truly hurt me. It hurt a lot. I cried and wanted to stay in my room all day so nobody would see me. Nobody would judge me or have to look at me. I know how much it hurts. I know that sometimes I considered suicide a better option than the hand I was dealt in life; I still remember how that feels. That's why you have to trust me when I tell you: find friends that value you for who you are, don't try to please anybody, and don't sacrifice your long-term health for short-term gain. My dad used to tell me that last one. I brushed it off as a "dad thing" that he had to say. As with most things in life... dad was right.
It's ironic that years ago on this same post I said that my only regret with accutane was not taking it sooner... I find it fitting that now my only regret is even considering it as an option in the first place.
3 hours ago, Jones4545 said:Oh buddy,I'm really sorry to hear that you are going through these health problems. I just read through your whole thread and there is soo much positive information and thoughts in it. I would like to refer you back to your first post about how people only stick around to talk about the negative side.
I am not discounting the side effects that you are still feeling or saying that you would have dealt with them anyways, but....things do happen like you've said yourself in this thread. For example, my dad, he was completely bald by 28, nobody in our family has ever been bald, he never took accutane. You speak of superficial side effects and then mention balding, isnt that what balding is, a superficial side effect. Thats just an example, and I've personally had stomach ulcers before I took accutane.
Your thread has been read over 30,000 times and has probably helped countless people get through their accutane experience. 99.99% of them will never suffer negative side effects after their course, and everyone is well aware that there are long term possible side effects.
All im saying is that you had a really positive thread going and adding this last post really casts a negative shadow on the whole thread. Read the last post by SaMa1997, right before you posted this. She says you have given her hope. I wouldnt take that away from people. Acne ruins peoples lives, and accutane has literally saves millions of lives.
Jones,
I appreciate you reading this entire thread and your articulate response. When I started this thread, it was to relate to people and help them through their experience, and hopefully to positively impact at least one person. The fact that this has over 30,000 views does make me very happy that people have read this and hopefully some have positively benefitted from it.
But... the most important thing I wanted to do was to relay the truth. As I said at the end of my first post, I never thought there was a completely honest guide that I could relate to, and I supplied what I thought was one. Nothing has changed; and, if the positions were flipped and I were the one reading this for advice, I would most definitely want to know any bad long-term side effects that came up. It is not my responsibility to make people's decisions for them regarding accutane or to give them hope; it is my responsibility to give you the entire truth so that you could make an informed decision for yourself. To not include my long term negative side effects (which are related) would be doing an injustice to anybody that reads this thread.
Again, thank you for reading my thread. I sincerely do appreciate your thoughts.
18 hours ago, AccutaneInMyBrain said:Jones,I appreciate you reading this entire thread and your articulate response. When I started this thread, it was to relate to people and help them through their experience, and hopefully to positively impact at least one person. The fact that this has over 30,000 views does make me very happy that people have read this and hopefully some have positively benefitted from it.
But... the most important thing I wanted to do was to relay the truth. As I said at the end of my first post, I never thought there was a completely honest guide that I could relate to, and I supplied what I thought was one. Nothing has changed; and, if the positions were flipped and I were the one reading this for advice, I would most definitely want to know any bad long-term side effects that came up. It is not my responsibility to make people's decisions for them regarding accutane or to give them hope; it is my responsibility to give you the entire truth so that you could make an informed decision for yourself. To not include my long term negative side effects (which are related) would be doing an injustice to anybody that reads this thread.
Again, thank you for reading my thread. I sincerely do appreciate your thoughts.
Thank you so much for posting all of this! I just started Accutane and honestly wasn't sure what to expect progress-wise. Like many people here, I had somehow managed to convince myself that my acne will never get better and that it will continue to negatively affect my life as it has for so many years. Seeing yours and others' stories gives me positivity and patience, for which I am very grateful.
Hey man, about to start accutane in about 5 days. Recently came across your thread and I must say, I really appreciate the fact that you're taking time out of your day to inform people about the drug. I can definitely relate to the mental effects of having acne, although mine is pretty mild (yet so persistent)..
Anyway I appreciate the encouragement and am sorry to hear that you're experiencing these long term sides.
The feeling you described after being clear gets me so excited. I can't wait to experience that.
Hopefully you get to see this post, thanks again!
On 9/4/2016 at 0:03 AM, Tretinoin said:Hey man, about to start accutane in about 5 days. Recently came across your thread and I must say, I really appreciate the fact that you're taking time out of your day to inform people about the drug. I can definitely relate to the mental effects of having acne, although mine is pretty mild (yet so persistent)..
Anyway I appreciate the encouragement and am sorry to hear that you're experiencing these long term sides.
The feeling you described after being clear gets me so excited. I can't wait to experience that.
Hopefully you get to see this post, thanks again!
I appreciate you reading it. And yeah I come back from time to time to check out the thread out of curiosity now. I hope everything is going well for you, I know you're in the middle of it now so hopefully everything is going smoothly. Just try to keep it out of your mind and try to live a normal life as much as possible.
Hello everyone. I had been thinking of joining some sort of chat/blog for those on or considering accutane. I was a moderate case, almost mild, but the longevity of my skin is what ultimately resulted in my doctor deciding for me to go on this medication. I am simply joining this so that if anyone has questions or concerns, they are welcome to ask me. It's been an overall not too too bad experience, and I am still mid-treatment. Not sure of the best way for people to connect, but I'd be willing to email anyone that would like to that is not a severe case of acne,
Hey AccutaneinMyBrain,
I'm not sure if you still check back to this post of yours. Thanks a million times over for coming back and writing about your side effects, it is SO important to be honest. Frankly, I have done so much research, were talking I've read thousands and thousands of people's experiences on accutane and it really does seem to be a miracle drug but only SHORT term. A lot of people report having acne come back a couple years later or even earlier, and I have read many posts such as yours who describe a worsening of symptoms for some time post accutane or even developing severe stuff a few years later (5-10 yrs later for most). Most people who report great experiences have just ended their treatment. This scares the crap out of me. Sure I'm a hypochondriac but Im on my 7th day today and I've already noticed changes in my gut, and I DO NOT want to change anything like IBS or IBD. Its not worth it. The pain of acne is so great, yet I'm smart enough to know it doesn't outweigh the risks of internal health.
Every time I go to take my next pill I recontemplate whether I'm throwing away my health for something on the outside thats relatively unharmful compared to potential long term effects that could REALLY hinder my life. Sure I might make it through just fine. But I have no idea and if something does in fact happen... well I'll be outright upset at myself for the rest of my life.So thanks again for the honesty. I'm not sure I will continue to be honest. Can I ask how you are doing now with the longterm side effects? Trust you are better.
On 3/1/2017 at 11:10 AM, smiles23 said:Every time I go to take my next pill I recontemplate whether I'm throwing away my health for something on the outside thats relatively unharmful compared to potential long term effects that could REALLY hinder my life. Sure I might make it through just fine. But I have no idea and if something does in fact happen... well I'll be outright upset at myself for the rest of my life.So thanks again for the honesty. I'm not sure I will continue to be honest. Can I ask how you are doing now with the longterm side effects? Trust you are better.
^ yeah you hit the nail on the head there. It's funny for me to read that because that was 100% exactly my thought process as I started Accutane. My justification was that the long term side effects were not so prevalent, and you had to be quite unlucky to be affected like the horror stories you read on the internet. And maybe that's true. Maybe the actual chance of experiencing bad long-term side effects is somewhere in the 5-10% range, but that's still a big chance to take when you consider the damage that could be done.
It's been six years now since I've taken Accutane, and I can honestly say I wish I did not take it. It's really not worth the potential serious long-term side effects unless you truly have a bad case of chronic cystic acne.
In terms of my side effects now...I can't wear contacts anymore because my eyes are too dry, I have two stomach ulcers, I drink water all day and yet always feel dry and dehydrated (which prior to Accutane I never felt in my life), my hair is always dry and dramatically thinning after having very full hair my whole life and no baldness in the family at all...this shit has honestly dried me out.
So yeah... to anyone considering Accutane out there, just be aware and read up how it actually works, it's pretty scary stuff. Know what you're getting into, and make a fully informed decision. It's a very very serious drug, and nothing to play around with.
Hey i'm currently considering whether taking the pill or not, I really do appreciate the fact that you came back telling about your side effects, that is amazing. i think i will probably not take after reading your post. also wanted to ask what was your dose/weight ? a big thank you again! hope u r better.
Hey man, I come back to tell people about my side effects because if I was in a similar position 6 years ago before I took this, I would want to know too. Honestly, unless you have a very very bad case of acne, I really don't think its worth it AT ALL. This stuff messes with you on a genetic level. Seriously, google accutane and telomere shortening. If you read what this stuff does to you you won't even think twice about taking it. It is so not worth it. So look... you obviously make your own decisions in your life, and do whatever makes you happy, but if you're asking my advice, get as far away from this shit as you possibly can. Your life is worth so much more than a few years of clear skin. It's obviously easy for me to say now, since I've taken it and my skin is clear, but I swear if I could change things I'd rather have acne right now than deal with my side effects. Health >> clear skin. Period.
3 hours ago, AccutaneInMyBrain said:Hey man, I come back to tell people about my side effects because if I was in a similar position 6 years ago before I took this, I would want to know too. Honestly, unless you have a very very bad case of acne, I really don't think its worth it AT ALL. This stuff messes with you on a genetic level. Seriously, google accutane and telomere shortening. If you read what this stuff does to you you won't even think twice about taking it. It is so not worth it. So look... you obviously make your own decisions in your life, and do whatever makes you happy, but if you're asking my advice, get as far away from this shit as you possibly can. Your life is worth so much more than a few years of clear skin. It's obviously easy for me to say now, since I've taken it and my skin is clear, but I swear if I could change things I'd rather have acne right now than deal with my side effects. Health >> clear skin. Period.
Hey, Thanks again. All I could find is speculations about Tane shortening telomeres. Could please tell what was your dose/weight?maybe the permanent side effect u r having are because of your high dose. How r u this days? Hope ur good