Sometimes it can't, in that case you need to help it by stopping ingestion of toxins, avoiding stress and maximizing nutrition - or even fasting so as to give the body 'space' to do what it's got to do
Any doctor that tells you otherwise is just brainwashed or trying to make money out of you
We were nearly all in our teens/early twenties when we participated in this insane experiment a time when our powers for recovery are at a maximum
Nevertheless, most people dont seem to recover (not fully anyway) that shows you just how strong thepoison is and just how messed up the medical industry is just now
Thats why ED is so widespread today, its not because we are all taking substances that affect libido its because a drop in libido is a symptom of being unhealthy and a lot of people are unhealthy today
So you have to try and get healthy again, not take some magical substance, but you also have to be prepared to accept that there might not be a way back
Hello ladies and gentlemen,
It was only yesterday that I made the connection between ten years of sexual dysfunction and taking accutane. I was prescribed accutane at 14 years old for my moderate acne. It cleared up my skin but stole my sex drive. I can honestly say, I no longer have a libido or sexual desire, and I can only link this to accutane use as I have never been on other prescription meds and had normal sex drive prior to usage. Otherwise I am a healthy, athletic male, who has experimented with high levels of testosterone as well as other drugs but to no avail. My sex drive remains at zero. Words cannot express the regret and deep sadness I feel, when I reflect on the fact that I may have potentially lost one of the most important things in life which will and probably has affected countless relationships, my personality, my susceptibility to depression and the fun/excitement I have missed out on, in exchange for an acne-free face. This is beyond words. There is no justice here, and I doubt there is going to be a happy end to this story.
I have seen many people proposing reasons as to why accutane affects libido. I have a theory which I have not seen anyone put forward yet. However it seems to account for a lot of the reasons changing hormonal levels etc. has had little effect on libido. To look at the effect of a drug on sex drive we must ultimately look at the brain, as this is the place all libido and sexual desire is derived from. Hormones alone dont give you, your libido, hormones stimulate neuronal activity in specific areas of the brain, it is this activity which gives you a libido.
Bremner et al, is one of the only studies which looked into functional brain imaging of patients treated with accutane (Isotretinoin) (1).This study revealed that Isotretinoin specifically altered the activity and metabolism of a brain region called the orbitofrontal cortex in those who took Isotretinoin versus controls. Unfortunately, brain images were not taken after treatment was discontinued, so we cannot say whether these effects were reversed once treatment was removed or whether they persisted. I have contacted an author of the study for more information. Given the possibility that Isotretinoin can cause epigenetic changes, it is possible that these changes are maintained after treatment.
Now, interestingly one of the only studies which has been conducted on brain activity in hypoactive sexual desire disorder in males, which is essentially sexual dysfunction. Showed that, the major difference in response to sexual stimuli, in males with sexual dysfunction and normal males was a difference in the activity of the orbitofrontal cortex (2). As such, it appears the orbitofrontal cortex plays a key role in sexual desire, and it appears that Isotretinoin specifically alters activity of this brain region.
Given this, it seems highly plausible to me that this could be the culprit we have been looking for. However what is really needed now, is to see whether those changes in the orbitofrontal cortex remained after treatment had been stopped. As it is also quite possible that these changes were only temporary. If these changes in orbitofrontal activity/metabolism were reversed after a period of stopping treatment, then my theory is incorrect.
Unfortunately, this puts us fellow sufferers in a slight predicament. The orbitofrontal cortex is not a very well studied part of the brain. If it has been changed in a fundamental way, possible treatments will be difficult to come by. This will sound extreme, but I can only propose deep brain stimulation as a viable and potential treatment. This is a medical technology which is progressing at a rapid rate. It has recently been used for Anorexia, and so I can see someone easily making the case to use this for a debilitating issue such as sexual dysfunction. Interestingly, a deep brain stimulation protocol for the orbitofrontal cortex has already been developed by Scientists out of Oxford University. One was implanted into a woman with low sex drive, which markedly improved her sex drive. According to this article (3). However I cannot actually find the original paper, in which the woman had the device implanted. If someone could post it, that would be great.
I am sorry this is such a long post, but I wanted it to be conclusive and offer some hope, in a seemingly hopeless situation. I can only ask that we all investigate this further, but what is more important, is that we email and message researchers and neurosurgeons raising the topic of brain imaging studies and deep brain stimulation for sexual dysfunction. If we remain on forums and message boards, nothing will be done. Nobody will bother researching conditions which they dont know exist or see no clinical benefit in treating.
Sexual dysfunction in many ways is a far greater and more debilitating ailment than anorexia or many illnesses. It strikes us in a very personal way, and in a way that most people would never be able to appreciate or understand. Additionally, this may also be the mechanism by which other drugs such as Finasteride work.
Feel free to message me, also send over email address with your symptoms /info. We need to start to amass patient with these problems if we are to have any kind of case or chance of making this a legitimate topic of research/concern.
Also if anyone has had any success with Bremelanotide / PT-141, please let me know.
My email is [Removed personal information]
I tried to make a group, as I feel we need something more concrete than forums. Please make better suggestions. - [Edited link out]
Much Love,
Nine livez
(1) - http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp.162.5.983
(2) - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/articles/14561426/
(3) - http://brainblogger.com/2009/01/08/deep-brain-stimulation-for-pleasure/
Here I am patrolling the forums and I find something that directly relates to me. I've had the same issue and was on accutane for years. I never even bothered to google the the effect as it never crossed my mind. I'll definitely join the group but I'll have my soul searching to do.. What even is the next step. I've had to use stuff like viagra and it's ilk for so long for something that wasn't even my fault. I can't believe these companies get away with shit like this for so long.
I'm the same Dave. I won't expand on the mega frustration, sure we're all well aware. Thanks for the post nine_lives. I myself am trying to get some survey data together. I really want to do something about this. I have no more time to waste. I'm going to go to media groups, access legal files, and conduct interviews among some others. Some of us may have to get together in real life at a hall or something to push this. I recently posted a thread for much of the same reasons on here,
/topic/370421-conducting-accutane-side-effect-survey/?do=embed">
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/370421-conducting-accutane-side-effect-survey/
Very late reply, but since "it's all in your head" seems to be a common response from Dermatologists, I hope at least some get to see this, it's not.... isotretinoin is a fairly powerful 5alpha reductase inhibitor, very similar to finasteride or dutasteride (I believe up to 80% reduction in skin tissue.
5ar is needed to convert testosterone into DHT, which (along with estradiol) is the main driver in libido, but also in overall mood and drive. 5ar is also needed to convert progesterone into allopregnanolone, without which you can experience severe anxiety and other issues.
It's not psychological, it's not in your head.
In most people this recovers back to normal after stopping, but in some, as is the case with finasteride/dutasteride, it does not.