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Just thought i'd chime in with some interesting information:
Ever since maybe I was 16 and acne began to be a problem (at 15, but I started doing something about it at 16) I noticed that my hair began to thin... and I can't emphasize enough the freaken THICKNESS that I had before... I mean you cant really describe it on a forum but believe me when I say it was ridiculous.... it even bothered me... anyways.
So my first treatment for acne was........ANTIBIOTICS (mino)
Sure the hair loss was VERY minimal... or non existent but my hair started thinning ... I started taking antibiotics and stopped drinking milk...
-Not sure if everyone can notice this or if it even is this.. but Im starting to think it has to do with Biotin.
Following Antibiotics I went to B5, less biotin, Vitamin A, less biotin... and I've gotten to the point where I still have hair but its weak, thin, and looks like hay if I wash it too much... and of course gets irritated if I don't use nizoral....(same goes for face... its SD damn it).
So yeah.... for those who also took antibiotics before accutane... try and look back to see exactly when your hair loss started... it might of been earlier than you though.
Sorry I wrote this in a hurry!!!!
Just thought i'd chime in with some interesting information:
Ever since maybe I was 16 and acne began to be a problem (at 15, but I started doing something about it at 16) I noticed that my hair began to thin... and I can't emphasize enough the freaken THICKNESS that I had before... I mean you cant really describe it on a forum but believe me when I say it was ridiculous.... it even bothered me... anyways.
So my first treatment for acne was........ANTIBIOTICS (mino)
Sure the hair loss was VERY minimal... or non existent but my hair started thinning ... I started taking antibiotics and stopped drinking milk...
-Not sure if everyone can notice this or if it even is this.. but Im starting to think it has to do with Biotin.
Following Antibiotics I went to B5, less biotin, Vitamin A, less biotin... and I've gotten to the point where I still have hair but its weak, thin, and looks like hay if I wash it too much... and of course gets irritated if I don't use nizoral....(same goes for face... its SD damn it).
So yeah.... for those who also took antibiotics before accutane... try and look back to see exactly when your hair loss started... it might of been earlier than you though.
Sorry I wrote this in a hurry!!!!
No problems before Accutane I don't think. News on my front- right temple keeps looking worse and worse 
I just wanted to chime in about hair loss.
I've only been on Accutane for a week, so keep that in mind.
Anyway, you all should keep in mind that your hair DOES recede once you hit your late teens/early twenties. It's the adult male hairline. At around age 18 or 19, my hairline started to visibly recede and I was noticing a ton of hairs falling out whenever i touched my hair. This went on for a good six months or so, and it really stressed me out, which likely contributed to the problem. I'm 22 now, and my hairline has stayed the same for at least two years.
Also, at certain times of the year, your hair will get thinner. It is cyclical. I'm not 100% on the time of the year, but I believe it gets thinner in fall/winter.
I'm hoping that no hair loss occurs, but at the end of the day I'd rather be bald than to keep getting plagued with cystic acne. This has been going on for seven years, and acne has basically destroyed my self-esteem and any notion of a normal life.
ps- you may want to look into ALA + light therapy as an alternative to Accutane. It costs a decent amount of money, and your insurance company probably won't cover it, but it's effective.
I just wanted to chime in about hair loss.
I've only been on Accutane for a week, so keep that in mind.
Anyway, you all should keep in mind that your hair DOES recede once you hit your late teens/early twenties. It's the adult male hairline. At around age 18 or 19, my hairline started to visibly recede and I was noticing a ton of hairs falling out whenever i touched my hair. This went on for a good six months or so, and it really stressed me out, which likely contributed to the problem. I'm 22 now, and my hairline has stayed the same for at least two years.
Also, at certain times of the year, your hair will get thinner. It is cyclical. I'm not 100% on the time of the year, but I believe it gets thinner in fall/winter.
I'm hoping that no hair loss occurs, but at the end of the day I'd rather be bald than to keep getting plagued with cystic acne. This has been going on for seven years, and acne has basically destroyed my self-esteem and any notion of a normal life.
ps- you may want to look into ALA + light therapy as an alternative to Accutane. It costs a decent amount of money, and your insurance company probably won't cover it, but it's effective.
Well to be honest, in your case, the reason your hair recedded was probably because your family has a history of it and the reason I say this is because it's VERY unusual for men to start losing their hair like that in their early twenties. In my case, I lost a ton of hair, and no one in my family is bald, everyone has a thick head of hair, I've always had a thick head of hair until I took Accutane. Coincidence?
Well the good news is at least the minoxidil I'm taking is working somewhat. I have to wait 3 more months to see if it's truly working to its max or not.
I just wanted to chime in about hair loss.
I've only been on Accutane for a week, so keep that in mind.
Anyway, you all should keep in mind that your hair DOES recede once you hit your late teens/early twenties. It's the adult male hairline. At around age 18 or 19, my hairline started to visibly recede and I was noticing a ton of hairs falling out whenever i touched my hair. This went on for a good six months or so, and it really stressed me out, which likely contributed to the problem. I'm 22 now, and my hairline has stayed the same for at least two years.
Also, at certain times of the year, your hair will get thinner. It is cyclical. I'm not 100% on the time of the year, but I believe it gets thinner in fall/winter.
I'm hoping that no hair loss occurs, but at the end of the day I'd rather be bald than to keep getting plagued with cystic acne. This has been going on for seven years, and acne has basically destroyed my self-esteem and any notion of a normal life.
ps- you may want to look into ALA + light therapy as an alternative to Accutane. It costs a decent amount of money, and your insurance company probably won't cover it, but it's effective.
Well to be honest, in your case, the reason your hair recedded was probably because your family has a history of it and the reason I say this is because it's VERY unusual for men to start losing their hair like that in their early twenties. In my case, I lost a ton of hair, and no one in my family is bald, everyone has a thick head of hair, I've always had a thick head of hair until I took Accutane. Coincidence?
Well the good news is at least the minoxidil I'm taking is working somewhat. I have to wait 3 more months to see if it's truly working to its max or not.
I hope you read my post in my signature.
I hope you read my post in my signature.
Colon cleanse won't do anything because accutane leaves your system after 3 weeks. And there are a lot of scams out there regarding these cleanses. But either way, if I'm diagnosed with TE, then it should be a temporary thing and I guess I just have to wait it out.
I hope you read my post in my signature.
Colon cleanse won't do anything because accutane leaves your system after 3 weeks. And there are a lot of scams out there regarding these cleanses. But either way, if I'm diagnosed with TE, then it should be a temporary thing and I guess I just have to wait it out.
Ask yourself this question - Why would I still be experiencing similar side effects now as when I was still taking Accutane?
Why would the symptoms persist? I used to think that the Accutane somehow changed my immune system and that my immune system could no longer correctly handle Vitamin A.
I was wrong. The reason my symptoms persisted was because the Accutane residue was still in my colon. You have to understand that the scientific claim Accutane leaves your system in 2-3 weeks is a hypothetical figure that applies to most people - But are you one of those people? Clearly since your symptoms have persisted after stopping Accutane, you are not one of those people.
You can keep thinking it's a scam, but it isn't. I can guarantee you that your TE will likely last forever - it's not some "temporary thing". Mine went on for four years, and did not stop until I did the colon cleanse.
I have suggested brands to people through private messages, but I won't do it here publicly on the forums, especially to people who are overly skeptical, as though I'm some kind of scam artist. I think if you read all my posts, you can intelligently determine I am no scam artist.
People should open their minds, or else you're going to regret it. The only reason I'm on here is to help people solve their post-Accutane side effects - I am already by and large cured of any harm that Accutane caused me.
Think about it logically - Why are the symptoms persisting?
To be honest I acutally don't think Roche really knows how long accutane stays in the system, I know they say longer then 3wks, not to mention they then turn around and say that the drug can still work up to 2months after your course is over...yeah go figure that one.
This so called miracle drug exerts its powers for a long long time, and I wouldn't doubt that it harbors in somes tissue. Esspecially thoose who experince more then hairloss.
Oh and it is intersting that Roche states it is excreted in the feces and urine....Accutaneuser78- I am glad the clense worked for you and hopefully it will help other suffers.
Hey everyone. I've been checking this thread for a while now. I've been on and off of Accutane for the past 3 years or so. I wasn't aware when I started taking it that hair loss was a problem. I had REALLY thick hair beforehand, so much that I used to complain (irony). The first round of Accutane I just had really dry skin and lips, and lower back pain. The second and third times however, I got the hair loss. It didn't dawn on me until the third round was almost complete though, because like I said, my hair was very thick. I had long hair at the time, so I figured strands being on my hands in the shower was just normal. The only areas affected seem to be the top of my forehead and a bit above, and very very slightly in the back. The hairs themselves seem to be the same as they've always been, they've just been shedding a lot, or just come out very easily. My hairline is slightly altered, on the left and right side it has receded a bit. Now, my mom and dad both have a full head of hair. My dad has had thin hair all his life, but not to the point where it causes problems or looks bad, it just suits him. My mom is where I get my very thick hair from. There is, as far as I can tell, no history of MPB, though when I look at pictures of it in it's early stages, it is somewhat similar to what I have, but my individual hairs are not thin. I've been off of Accutane since December 28th of 2009. A few weeks ago I was down to losing maybe 5 hairs when I showered, but just last week I counted 52. I've read from a few people that the shedding speeds up before it slows down and stops. My only questions now are...It's been almost 5 months since I took it last, how much longer before it stops? How much longer before it regrows? Will my hairline return to normal or does Accutane not affect the hairline unless it's permanent?
I would love to know the same as Mike....I am 6 month post tane...and I have formed a M shaped front hairline now....channels are thinning....and the right side of my head is very bare. This has been a nightmare for me to be honest...all the anxiety, lack of sleep with worry and my relationship with my girlfriend is suffering also now because I am not the same person as I was less than a year ago! I am still contemplating shaving my head skin bald....just havent got the balls to do it! I am ginger and pale skinned!
Danny
Hang in there folks.
I wouldn't bother shaving your head unless that's the look you want. Your hair will re-grow and fall out continuously but you will not go bald.
If your hairs are shedding and you don't see newly grown hairs falling back out again, you are in good shape and perhaps within a 12 to 18 months you should be back to normal or close to it.
If your hairs are regrowing just to fall back out again, its a much longer battle, but you will not go bald.
99% of the issue with this type of hair loss is mental. Its hard to deal with at first, but you get used to it, and the feelings of depression over the hair loss begin to subside.
The shedding reduces itself over time, I'm 18 months into shedding, my hair is horribly thin, but I'm dealing with it. Where I could not see my scalp before, its clearly visible even with my hair 6 inches long and pushed forward.
I am confident that the problem eventually subsides, but how long that will be, is unknown.
I will give the colon cleanse a try and see if it does anything besides make my poop 10 times a day.
My next option is contact dermatitis therapy to see if I can stop my immune system from attacking my hair follicles.
Its an extremely horrible experience for many of us, and the feeling like we are rapidly aging or have become ugly is hard to deal with.
Just focus on the positive, and keep yourself busy and away from the mirror until the problem rectifies itself.
If the cleanse or the contact dermatitis therapies work, I will let everyone know.
Hopefully the folks who have disappeared off this thread have met with success and their hair loss issues have gone away.
Best Regards and good luck to all!
Matt
Hello everyone 
I'm Katie, I'm 17, live in the UK, and I've been on 30mg of Roaccutane for nearly six weeks now. The effect it's had on my skin has been fantastic, and despite the aching joints, cracked lips and scaly hands, I was very much determined to see out the full five months.
However, about two weeks in, I noticed my hair was thinning. Prior to accutane, I had absolutely heaps of hair. In fact, I used to look like Cousin Itt from the Addams family when I woke up. But six weeks in, and the sides of my head have lost so much hair 
I've had to wear my hair up just so I can't upset myself by seeing how thin my hair is when it's down.
I saw a GP this morning who was quite useless in that he didn't even know what accutane was. He had to look it up on the BNF 
. He told me to just stop taking accutane, but didn't talk about what type of hair loss I had or anything. It looks to me that it's not alopecia, as I don't have bald patches- just heavy thinning. Does this mean I most likely have telogen effluvium? If so, is it quite likely my hair will grow back? I really hope so.
So I haven't taken my roaccutane today,but I'm really worried my skin is just going to go terrible once again. Are there any other options apart from Roaccutane? I feel I've tried every cream and antibiotic out there...
Thanks,
Katie 
Hello everyone
I'm Katie, I'm 17, live in the UK, and I've been on 30mg of Roaccutane for nearly six weeks now. The effect it's had on my skin has been fantastic, and despite the aching joints, cracked lips and scaly hands, I was very much determined to see out the full five months.
However, about two weeks in, I noticed my hair was thinning. Prior to accutane, I had absolutely heaps of hair. In fact, I used to look like Cousin Itt from the Addams family when I woke up. But six weeks in, and the sides of my head have lost so much hair
I saw a GP this morning who was quite useless in that he didn't even know what accutane was. He had to look it up on the BNF
So I haven't taken my roaccutane today,but I'm really worried my skin is just going to go terrible once again. Are there any other options apart from Roaccutane? I feel I've tried every cream and antibiotic out there...
Thanks,
Katie
Best I can tell you is that if it is Telogen Effluvium then it might regrow after 6-18 months. However, I and other females I have spoken too have either one got thier shedding to stop, but thier hair is still very thin or two they have what seems to be chronic permanent TE in which the hair goes in cycles of shedding and growing. If you continue treatment also you have to realize you may risk developing Alopecia your only 6wks in.
So basically you have too decide to either take the hair loss or acne! Sucks....
Have you looked into maybe hormones being a factor in your acne and trying some hormonal treatment. See the hormonal acne board or diet???
You can also try biotin,iron to help the hair and I believe there is a collegan supplement that is good too.
Good Luck
Hello everyone
I'm Katie, I'm 17, live in the UK, and I've been on 30mg of Roaccutane for nearly six weeks now. The effect it's had on my skin has been fantastic, and despite the aching joints, cracked lips and scaly hands, I was very much determined to see out the full five months.
However, about two weeks in, I noticed my hair was thinning. Prior to accutane, I had absolutely heaps of hair. In fact, I used to look like Cousin Itt from the Addams family when I woke up. But six weeks in, and the sides of my head have lost so much hair
I saw a GP this morning who was quite useless in that he didn't even know what accutane was. He had to look it up on the BNF
So I haven't taken my roaccutane today,but I'm really worried my skin is just going to go terrible once again. Are there any other options apart from Roaccutane? I feel I've tried every cream and antibiotic out there...
Thanks,
Katie
Best I can tell you is that if it is Telogen Effluvium then it might regrow after 6-18 months. However, I and other females I have spoken too have either one got thier shedding to stop, but thier hair is still very thin or two they have what seems to be chronic permanent TE in which the hair goes in cycles of shedding and growing. If you continue treatment also you have to realize you may risk developing Alopecia your only 6wks in.
So basically you have too decide to either take the hair loss or acne! Sucks....
Have you looked into maybe hormones being a factor in your acne and trying some hormonal treatment. See the hormonal acne board or diet???
You can also try biotin,iron to help the hair and I believe there is a collegan supplement that is good too.
Good Luck
Thanks for your reply. I'm gutted. I love my hair .
So, you think it's a good idea that I've stopped taking my accutane? If I continued, alopecia is a risk?
I'm hoping the fact that I've only done 6 weeks hopefully means I have a better chance of recovery... that's the only think I'm hanging on to atm. I really think there should be at least monthly check ups with dermatologists, I have to wait till August to see mine.
I'm trying to make sure my diet is good, I'm a vegetarian, but I've always had a healthy diet with loads of vegetables and seeds and grains. I take a B12 vitamin supplement but I will get an iron supplement, thanks for that! I'm also going to try and eradicate most dairy from my diet... can this help sometimes?
Katie
Katie, I would seriously suggest you stop taking it. You can always choose to get back on it if you feel the need, but trust me, if the hair loss continues and you don't stop taking it, you will regret that a lot more than getting a few pimples back.
2nd thing... There is no exact science to how long you have to take this drug for, just because your derm said 5 months or whatever, doesn't mean thats the amount of time to cure your acne. You could have seen 3 different derms and they may have all given you different doses and time lengths. When i got off accutane my skin stayed clear for about 6 months, it's not the kind of thing that leaves the system over night, so don't think the day after you stop it your skin will return to how bad it was pre tane.
3rd thing... Instead of going to see a GP, or waiting 3 motnhs for an appointment with the derm, you will probably find you can just phone your dermatologist, and tell the receptionist you want to speak to him/her. They usually will be able to call you back to talk about the issues you have.
Thanks you two
Yeah, the GP didn't seem to know much about Roaccutane, but could see how badly it's affected me so that's why he said to stop straight away, I guess. He phoned the dermatology unit at my local hospital, as he was trying to figure out where I'd got the accutane from, lol! It seems my prescription wasn't actually put into my notes, and neither were my blood test results. I don't know how it works in the US, but here each GP/nurse/consultant appointment is supposed to be listed on the computer.
I phoned the dermatologist unit today to try and get some answers, and was told my dermatologist, who I only ever saw once, when I was prescribed Accutane, was a temp, and left a month ago! I spoke to the specialist nurse, who agreed the hair loss was probably the accutane, and said that she thought my dose (30mg, I'm 5'4 and weigh 51.5 kilos) was really quite high. What do you think? She also said she didn't think it was good idea to stop the medication totally, rather I should slowly drop my dosage down. I'm not going to go along with this; I want to get accutane out of my system totally at the moment. I've got an appointment with a new derm next Wednesday.
I went to my health shop, got some Biotin (heard this can help, particularly with me being a veggie!) and I'm eating lots of soya yogurts and milks for the extra protein, and it doesn't have the Vit A that cow's milk has. Is this alright?
Thanks for your help, it's nice to have some support out there ^__^
Plasmatic- I think your smart in stopping the Accutane. When you go to your derm appt on Wensday you have to take account that you have already started loosing hair so it won't matter if you lower your dose. 30mg is accutally a conservative dose and people have lost hair on 20mg doses and have not gotten it back.
I think if you stop and do what your doing the Iron, b12, biotin, and eating healthy you have a chance for your hair to recover. **oh and becareful w/ biotin for some it has caused acne, not in me though.
Basically, if your derm wants to keep you on it, but a lower dose, you will have to choose Hair or acne. Acne that may come back after your course is ended.
I wish you the best, I know it is hard.
Just something for my to clarify- I've complained of temple hair loss, but I think I mistook it for CORNER hair loss instead. I think I still have some temple thinning, but the corner of my hairline (mainly right) is what is taking the toll.
I still feel I have alopecia because of some patchiness on my head and also some patchiness on my body hair it seems.
Thanks oli girl I really hope if I work on my general health it could help me a bit with regrowing my hair. If it does, I'll let people know here.
If my new derm wants to put me on a lower dose, I'm just going to flatly refuse. I was thinking of trying the Regimen? It didn't help a great deal pre-Accutane, as just nothing would touch those spots, but I was thinking as my skin is pretty much clear now, could it help maintain this? I've still got some Duac I can use, and I can ask my GP for more.
I just hope I get some answers on Wednesday.
Much love, peace and hope to everyone else out there that's suffering hair loss from accutane- it's affected me far worse than my acne ever did.
Just something for my to clarify- I've complained of temple hair loss, but I think I mistook it for CORNER hair loss instead. I think I still have some temple thinning, but the corner of my hairline (mainly right) is what is taking the toll.
I still feel I have alopecia because of some patchiness on my head and also some patchiness on my body hair it seems.
Volcom3453-
You should get in touch with Lamarr1986 if you feel that you have alopecia and read some of his posts. Esspecially if you have been to a derm and they aren't helpful.
Hi all,
Since most of the problems you've discussed seem to have started when taking the medication my contribution may be moot but you may also consider investigating if your cortisol levels are too high. That can cause hair loss and balding in both men and women as it's an androgen precursor to testosterone. Excess testosterone can then cause the problem. Best of luck with your hair and skin,
Spiro
This is really disquieting for me too, I was on accutane for 4 1/2 months at 80 mg, and then bumped up to 120 mg for a month. I begin seeing hair loss and 3 1/2 months later it has been a considerable amount i'm only a 19, 5'6 145 pound male, and I explicity told the doctor I think an 80 mg dosage is too high, yeah they would not listen and continually insisted that this is the proper dosage for my weight. I don't know what to do anymore, i'm hoping my hair will grow back but I become so demoralized i've try to refrain from hanging with friends because my hair looks so whacky now. I have been taking MSM, Vitamin B complexes, Silica, and Biotin, for a good two and half months and still no results, I am convinced what I have is irreversible at this point. I don't know what to do anymore!