I am 30 and classic aduly acne, large cysts which scarred and were painful. I suffered since I was 20, (I didnt have teenage spots!) When I turned 30 enough was enough I went to the Doctor and was given a course of antibiotics, which did nothing, 6 months later I was referred to the Dermatoligist.

I was prescribed 40g initially, increased gradually up to 70g then tapered down to just a maintenance of 20g a day. The Derm graded me 6 out of 10, stubborn and persistent (the acne not me!)

In terms of side affects, I suffered a little with dry skin, chapped lips, my skin tore easily, I still have dry lips and inside of my nose is a bit scaly. I did not suffer with nose bleeds, depression, or achey joints, despite being a complete fitness freak, up to 10 hours a week in the gym, plus home runs, walking everyday and horse riding!

Use chap sitck, i found Elizabeth Arden 12 hr cream fantastic!

I took and still take, Vitamin E, Omega 3,6 and 9, Vitamin B complex, Zinc and Vitamin C, these I think help and keep me feeling fit anyway.

I would not leave the house without makeup, and thick make-up painted on, I always carried my concealer everywhere, now I hardly bother with makeup at all, and friends cant beleive the difference in my skin and my confidence!

People who did not know me before cant believe I had a problem with my skin.

Its worth it, the difference is amzing, I am still coming to terms with it!

would anybody tell me how long did it take for all side effects to go away after accutane? i have 2 more weaks to go, but i have a really chapped lips and extremely dry skin..

Hi everyone!

I am new to this so heres the story..........

Iam a 24 yr old female i weight 99lbs i have suffered with cystic acne for 7 years now. My acne WAS moderate i would get say 2-3 cysts at a time and always had whiteheads around the corners of my nose and in the crease of my chin and no matter how many time they popped they always filled right back up. My cystic acne has left me with terrible scarring on my cheeks.

I have been taking accutane for 7 weeks now (40mg 1 day then 60mg next day)

Since ive started ive had 1 cysts appear on my cheek bone (that was at week 5) it went down within 4 days ... i dont know about anyone ekse but mine normally lasts for weeks.

Im sooo happy i have taken this medication as nothing else has worked.

I have nothing negative to say apart from the dry lips if you dont constantly apply lip care you lips WILL become very sore!!!

The dry skin is mainly on my chin nose and around the nose.... keep applying cream.. i use E45.

My total time on accutane will be 4 months but so far at week 7 its done wonders not a spot since no whiteheads nothing (aprt from the 1 cyst)

I recommend this as it has smoothed my face out and it has such a healthy glow now... no more bumps.

I wish i took this drug earlier it would of saved my cheeks from all the scarring.

Overall my 7 weeks so far have just been a complete transformation i feel like i have had a make over!

Hope this last

Hello ALL

Im new to this site and i can say accutane is the best thing i have EVER taken for my cystic acne. My acne was mostly on my cheeks and jaw line i have been taking accutane for 2 months now (im on a 4mnth course) and have had a cyst since! I USE to get whiteheads around the edge of my nose and in the crease of my chin they would always be there no matter how many times they popped tiny little ones.

The only problem that i have now is all of my scarring which im sure will gradually fade over time.

I had suffered with acne for 7 years and now my face if completly clear im on 40mg 1 day then 60mg the next day. I highly recommend it for cystic acne as its as painful as anything and very very depressing my cysts would sometimes take months to go down.

Accutane has changed my life im 100% more confident with my face NEVER thought i would ever say that again in my life. My cheeks are quite damaged though slightly indented marks left from cysts thats why i say if you have cystic acne take this medication ASAP before it damages your skin and leaves it with holes.

Only down fall about accutane is the dry lips and skin but its manageable!

My 8 weeks have been positive so far!! 8 more weeks to go!!!! also i never had a IB so not everyone will get that so dont let that put you off taking accutane coz that was my fear!!

I'm a 28 y/o male and have had mild to sever acne since 14. I've been on Accutane a number of times over the past 14 years and each time the result has been excellent for anywhere between 1 month and 2 years.

Of course I did experience many side-effects whilst taking the drug, including; dry-lips, itchy scalp/skin, sensitive/thin skin and slow healing of cuts. Thankfully I did not ever experience depression or suicidal ideations - in fact as my acne improved whilst taking Accutane I became much more confident and extroverted.

I'd strongly encourage anyone considering Accutane treatment, provided their acne is moderate to severe, or effecting their self-confidence, to try the drug.

I've finished a 80mg/day course on Accutane 2 months ago - my acne is beginning to return but it is far less severe and now manageable. I am seeing my dermatologist in early October to assess my current skin condidtion and to see if a second course of treatment is necessary.

I'd suggest to anyone taking the drug that following your treatment ending make sure you keep up a good skin/diet/exercise routine to ensure longevity in the results.

I've always had acne breakouts, but nothing as bad as what happened to me this time last year. I don't know if my hormones went out of whack or what, but I started breaking out not only on my chin and cheeks with painful red inflammatory acne, I also started breaking out on my chest and back. Never in my life had I had body acne, and for someone like me who loves to wear tank tops, this was devastating.

I went to the dermatologist in October, and while she wanted me to start Accutane then, I was too frightened by the possible side effects, so I went for the "safer" Minocycline/Clindamyacin/Retin-A-Micro approach. This was most certainly one of the worst mistakes of 2008. While the acne in my chin area cleared up, I began breaking out horrible on my cheeks with cystic acne, a place in which I previously NEVER broke out. My acne on the body did not clear and overall the acne everywhere was worse. Retin-A-Micro also caused my skin to dry horribly and get sore and flaky and just overall painful.

After 3 months of this routine, I went back into the derm in December and decided I had to take the chance with Accutane. I waited a month since you have to do the pregnancy test a month prior, but finally started on January 21st, or around that date. Obviously I broke out horribly the first couple months, especially on my cheeks, but at about 3-4 months my body acne subsided almost completely. I still broke out on my face occasionally, all the way up to my 7th month. However, I have been off accutane a good 3 weeks, almost 4, and I have not broken out ONCE! I was put on a very high dosage of accutane because my doctor wanted to try to suppress my oil glands as much as possible.

Overall I would recommend Accutane. It is a process, it takes time, and it's no "quick fix," but if you are seeking a PERMANENT fix that is relatively easy, try it out. While on Accutane I experienced the typical side-effects; dry face, dry/chapped lips, dry skin, dry hair/scalp, cloudy/tired mind, joint pain (only in the last month though, & I work out pretty intensely). The dry skin on the face is NOTHING like the pain that Retin-A-Micro caused however. Be educated on Accutane and its side effects, but if it's your last resort, at least give it a try, it could change your life!!

I had such a good experience with Accutane!

I'm 5'1", 120lbs, Vietnamese

Cyst acne.

Start Accutane January 2009

First month 10 mg: bad break out.

Second Month 40 mg: Very dry lips and bad break out.

Third - Six Month 40 mg and 80 mg : Bad symptoms. Everything!

Finished July 2009

See my blog and my photos!

~~My Experience~~

Moderate acne, 40mg daily for four months, 70kg

I had an interesting accutane experience. No IB, and significant improvement by the end of my course. Unfortunately I was taken off it a few weeks early because of depression (not severe though, never remotely suicidal) and a pounding headache. The headaches stopped immediately, although 2 months later I was prescribed anti depressants, and I am still on them now (2 years later).

However, taking accutane was the best decision Ive ever made. I spent four years thinking about whether to go on it or not. My skin is now great. I may still be taking anti-depressants, but who cares? That shouldnt put anyone off. I am now happier than I ever was before I took accutane (perhaps my dose is too high!). Quite literally, the only real problem is I still have slightly dry lips, but then I had dry lips before I started the course, and aquaphor solves the problem anyway. So really, the only 'side effect' of note is that I have to remember to take a pill every morning- something I am very happy to deal with. The anti depressants themselves have no side effects at all, except that they make me last longer in bed. Oh dear!

I would shout accutane's praises from the rooftops. The biggest regret of my entire life is not taking accutane sooner. I took it in my final year of uni when I was 22. I wish now that I had taken it before uni.

Best of luck to anyone thinking of starting it! Dont forget that nearly everyone who has a negative experience with accutane will post his feelings here, but only a small minority of people who had a great experience will. And yet the positive posts still outnumber the negative ones. Get onboard!

23M - 10w post accutane

I had medium bad acne for about 4 years trying tetracycline and other prescriptions as well as both cheap and expensive skin products with no real result.

February this year I went on treatment with accutane. Started with 40mg and worked my way up to 80mg a day for the last days of my 6 month cure. After around 3 days I noticed that my skin was better, a couple of weeks later I was acne free and this continued for the complete treatment. The only side effect was very dry lips (carried Locobase Repair with me at all times) and a bit dry arms, calves and face (used Propyless a couple of times a day for this).

Now as I said I am 10 weeks post treatment. I have not experienced a single pimple and the only side effect is that I can get blushed from time to time when very stressed and/or nervous. An extremely mild problem compared to acne.

I had extremely oily skin, face, hair, chest, back. Regular break outs on face, scalp, chest, back. I did not have cystic acne. I had enough zits to make me very self conscious, and my dermatologist made me try months of topical gels before allowing me to go on accutane.

I was 25(27 now), white male, 6ft, 150lbs, healthy diet, little/moderate exercise.

Doc put me on a 6 month cycle, starting at 20 and ending on 40(maybe 60?)mg.

About 1 week in, my skin became noticeably less oily. Within 4 weeks, my skin was flawless. My skin remained flawless while on accutane, but about 1-2 months after my skin once again, became oily. As soon as the oil came back, i started to get zits again.

My back never broke out again, my chest and face greatly improved.

I did not have a single negative side effect, not even chapped lips. Well, I had dry lips to begin with, and I regularly used chap stick, so maybe without chap stick, they'd be dry.

No depression. I'd say I was actually not feeling so depressed for once in my life. I felt like the curse had been lifted.

While on accutane, I had alcohol, not enough to get drunk though. No side effect.

My blood tests (cholesterol) were all normal till the last one, but I attribute that to the return of the McRib. Even then, it was only slightly raised.

100% positive experience while on accutane. It just was not a 100% cure for me.

I would go back on it in a second.

And price-wise, it was about $3000-3500 total, which was not so great.

;)hi guys my name is eazy from leabnon i'm 18 i just finished roaccutane yesterday ,i'm 72 kg , i was taking 40 mg per day for about 7 and half months .AT the begining of taking the medicine the first month was horrible new acne flare up and my face was full of acne it was 10 times worst .

but at the end of the second month my face begin to clear more and more at the end of the 3'rd month it was pretty clear .

side effects experienced: dry skin,dry eye , dry and chapped lips ,thin hair ,moodiness , and the most awful sweating too much,redness.

after taking roaccutane my acne cleared up and my skin look healthier ,only very tiny tiny scars but now i'm much better and confident .

so my advice is be strong accutane is so horrible but at the end it worth it, and honestly it'll change ur life.

I had pretty bad acne all over my chest and back. pretty bad on my face too. I started accutane when i was 15 or 16. Soon after all my acne went away. I am now 37 the acne never came back i never had any side effects. i have no scars or marks anywhere just perfectly smooth acne free skin for 22 years. accutane was the best medicine i ever took.

I had severe acne throughout high school on my face and my body. After high school I outgrew my acne on my face but still had frequent breakouts on my body and neck. Started taking 6 weeks of tetracycline which cleared me up, switched to accutane and haven't had a breakout in probably 6 months. Just finished my course on halloween.

Side effects

really dry skin

super chapped lips

sore joints

dry eyes, nose

Overall I'm very happy with the results it had on my acne. I wish I would have finished my course back in high school. Life would be nice not having all these scars and serious anxiety to overcome now.

I just finished up my course of Accutane a few days ago. I start back in June on the course with a 40mg dose for two months then up to 60mg for the remaining 3 months. While I only had mild acne accutane has been a blessing to me!

For my entire young adult life I battled with hormonal acne, it would come pretty fierce around my period and leave scars and just never seemed to calm down even at the age of 28 and even on birth control and a good skin care regiment. My derm put me on accutane and said that even though I wasnt a great candidate for it (mild acne) that he would put me on to try it bc it really would change my skin forever...

he was right. My oil is gone, my skin feels tighter, my pores are so much smaller, and i have had no big blemishes or marks since. I can wear NO make up and feel confident, its made a world of difference to me. i cant imagine going back to the skin i had six months ago!

The only side effects I had was occasional problems sleeping, the obvious severely chapped lips which sucked, and dry eyes. THat was it, not even an initial break out!

I love accutane, im so glad i did it. A+++ all around!

hi,

I couldn't find a forum dedicated to insurances which are best for accutane coverage. since everybody has successful experiences under this forum, can you please help me and tell me which ones are good to cover blood work, prescription and doctor visits. I need to buy it very soon.

24/Male 6', 160 lbs. 40mg x 1 month, 60 mg x 6 months.

I took Sotret a total of 7 months for mild/moderate but persistent face and back acne. In the 3rd-4th month my acne cleared up completely and I stopped getting any new acne. I've been off Sotret for 4 months now and my acne is still gone (no new spots). No persistent side effects, and my hair and skin are getting some of the oiliness back so they're not dried out anymore. Lips are still a little dry.

Overall a very positive experience.

Hello hello!

Well it has been a while since I haunted the org but I wanted to come back and share my experience....

About a year ago i started - most predictably - to break out pretty badly again.

For almost a decade I had struggled with acne and had been on endless antibiotics, used every otc product going, as well all the prescription creams, gels etc numerous times. And still the return of my acne was as certain as death and taxes.

I got offered accutane at 17 and I wish to GOD I had done it then - instead of being so scared of the side effects. I listened too much to the horror stories of others instead of using my own judgement and doing what I wanted. The next 7 years of torture could have been avoided...but I prefer to not dwell on that so much!

Anyways when it got bad again about a year ago I had had the last straw. I finally decided to risk it and take accutane.

I finished it about 3 months ago and have been clear since. It wasn't easy though - the sideys were hell. Painful and embarassing is an understatement. LOTS of vaseline and moisturiser, and dry peeling scaly skin and hair loss. My face and lips were so painful at times I couldn't laugh or smile or kiss my fiance. Literally I could NOT smile! And my skin was always red and flushed post box red under fl.lighting - not good in an office! I still go red easily now even just being warm or after washing - but I am EXTREMELY pale anyways!! Buuuut...7 months of that mini hell was worth it i feel to be break out hell free now! I can't emphasise enough how acne ruined my adolescence and shaped me into the insecure and low self esteemed being I am today. I just wish I'd done it all those years ago and things would be so different for me today.

But back to not dwelling.

I will say though, that there have been negative consequences....unfortunately I was stupid and over exercised my joints during my treatment. This has left me in pain which is very extreme some days. My neck, spine, lower back, knees, elbows, ankles, wrists......sometimes I can't sleep because they ache so bad. I can't walk for miles like I used to, I can't use my treadmill instead I use a trampoline (cos I can't not exercise at all - I like to punish myself I guess!) A lot of this is my fault though, so I try not to moan too much to my partner although I'm sure he wouldn't agree lol. I take a lot of pain killers and I take glucosamine and msm (when i remember) and hopefully I won't feel like an OAP forever!!!

Overall I wish I had listened to my heart and braved through the drug back then instead of wasting all this time and life. I feel so incredibly good about myself - finally! I just got a fringe which I was always too scared to do before cos of my skin and I have never felt so good about myself and my skin (It is NOT perfect!) but I finally feel beautiful and confident again and good enough for anyone!

Sorry for rambling but I hope this helps those who are on the fence like I was for all those years!

xx

P.S I should really address the mood changes - yes I experienced low mood and depression but I am prone to that anyway. There are the well known links to suicide with this drug and this is one of the reasons I declined it - because my dad had committed suicide a few months before I got offered it. I was so depressed because of my skin anyway that I worried about what I 'might' do on this drug after what dad had just done. Well, the reality is that had I taken it I would have experienced a happier mood once my acne cleared and before any serious scarring, I just didn't think of it like this until now. This doesn't go for everyone - I'm just saying this is how I feel about myself personally. My mood lifted at the end of the treatment cos my acne had cleared. I have admittedly have felt suicidal before but this drug never pushed any of these thoughts to the forefront.

Thanks for reading this essay! lol Feel free to pm me if you want to ask anything at all. x

Hey guys, i had severe cystic acne and i was on accutane at 60/mg(the maximum im allowd for my weight) for 6 months.

In a nutshell, it worked.

Ill begin by talking about the side effects, the dry skin is as bad as you think it will be. Its horrible, i would apply moisturiser and 10 minutes later my face felt stiff, tight and dry again. I had to take moisturiser and lip balm with me everywhere.

Apart from that, i had no mood changes, no IB, nothing.

You need to keep going at, 3months in i had seen no improvement and the side effects kick in from about a week on the drug. At that point i promised myself i would not go on it for any longer! But at my 4 month check up, literally the night before i went back to see my derm i was checking myself out in the mirror and i noticed my back was almost 100% clear, i had a load of scars but i was pretty shocked. My chest WAS 100% clear, pity i had seen no change on my face.

So when i went to see him he wanted me to go for an extra 2 months on it, so i crumbled and agreed.

At the end of the 2months my back and chest are both completely clear of acne. As for my face, well.

I used to be very cyst prone, and i havnt had any new ones for a while, so i can only assume it cleared up the underlying problem. It didnt however, have any effect on the cysts i already had. After finishing all 6 months i told this to my derm who then treated the remaining cysts by either draining them or giving me some kind of deep freeze treatment.

So right now the 2 cysts on my face are almost gone, and im hoping, by starting the regimen. I can keep clear forever!

So i would reccomend accutane. Its brutal no doubt about it, but if you have acne as severe as mine the side effects are not much worse than dealing with the acne. It might not work for you but it helps, my derm mentioned that now the accutane has dramatically reduced the size of my glands, other anti-biotics i tried from my GP would now be hugely more effective, should my acne come back.

If you do try it, good luck!

Hey !

Well I took accutane 1 year ago aprox, I was on 20 mg per day for 8 months. I believe that my acne was develop by consuming bad shake protein to gain weight, and a terrible eating habit.

While I was on the medicine I tried to be as responsible as possible, what i mean is that i didn't consume any kind of alcohol (not even beer) and I didn't do exercise or activities that may damage my body. Most of the time i was in my house, school and going out with my friends but nothing else. My side effect while i was on accutane was back pain and dried lips, it was also not necessary to took out my contact glasses even if my dermatologist told me because i didn't feel any dried at my eyes, also my skin was not dried and my face was not producing any oil at all (which was good).

Today, 1 year after accutane, I'm here telling you that I took the best decision of my life because it really change It. I go out with my friends every weekend and I also have a girlfriend, at school everyone tries to be nice with me.

The side effect i have today are *none**

I'm probable very lucky but thanks god im a healthy person.

IF YOU HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING AND YOUR ACNE IS severe please don't hesitate to take accutane it will change your life. And please be responsible while you are in the medicine, remember its only 6-8 months you need to take care and will be worth it for ever.

I took Accutane a few years ago and it has definitely made my skin more manageable. Although it's not perfect in that I absolutely have no break outs at all, I look and feel much better than before. I have no regrets on taking it and would take it again if needed to.

I tried a bunch of stuff both OTC and Rx, none of those things had as much of an impact as did Accutane. If you have acne that doesn't respond to anything you tried and are fed up with it, you should definitely consider taking it and weigh out the pros and cons.

I had moderate/severe cystic acne for almost 10 years before starting accutane and had tried literally everything else, including Dan's regime, and nothing worked. I took 30mg a day for three months, and it has literally changed my life. I have 100% clear skin most of the time, and when I get the occasional spot, they are small and they clear up really quickly. The change is unbelievable. Only a year ago I would have several big cysts at a time and a lot of the time I was too ashamed and miserable to leave my room or see anyone, even at home.

I did have an initial breakout, a bad one, and I got the dry skin and ridiculously dry lips, plus a few aches and pains, but that was it. It's not a pleasant drug to take, but compared to the amount of good it did to my skin and my quality of life it was absolutely, 100% worth it. I suffer from severe recurring depression, and my psychiatrist was not particularly happy for me to take it, but although there was a risk I could feel worse for a few months, the acne made me so depressed that it was worth it.

To anyone considering it, I would say this. Don't judge isotretinoin/accutane by what you hear online. For all those horror stories you hear, there are hundreds, maybe thousands of people who have taken it safely and seen a huge improvement who just don't go online and talk about it. Yes there is a risk, you do need to be aware of that risk. But remember that it's a very small risk, and the chance of success is very, very high. If you've tried other treatments and your acne just won't go away, then you should absolutely consider trying it.

K so im on the same boat here and jsut want to get some good advice. I started accutane about 10 days ago and my skin is looking like pure garbage . I am getting inflamed acne and white heads everywhere . I use cetaphill gentle skin cleanser and then Cetahpill mositizer i was my face once in the morning and once at night.

I am wondering if i should continue to use cetaphill for some reason i think it is making me break out or it might jsut be the initial break out im so confused on what to do

I don't usually enter posts like this but I'll make an exception here for the information of other parents of kids going through bad acne.

I, like my son started getting bad acne around 13. Accutane (Roaccutane in Aust.) wasn't around when I was a teen & I only found out about it when I was in my early 30's. Roaccutane had only just come out when I started so there wasn't a whole lot of negative press out there... nor was the internet.

As for myself, I can't remember having any bad side effects at the time so I guess I was lucky in that respect. Bottom line is it worked and I did the complete 6 month course. Now 47 still clear most of the scaring went in a year or so. Unfortunately where the infection of the acne caused depressions in the flesh I still have those but no dark scarring. Having read a lot of the negative stuff on this site I have to say I could also say similar things but like Acne these things could also be hereditary. My Father had Acne he also had stomach problems, tendinitis, and a few other problems. I have tendinitis, sore joints, stomach problems but not Acne thanks to the Accutane. Apart from other age related gripes I can't think of anything I would definitely attribute to the Accutane.

Now my son. He started the course one month ago and his skin is most definitely worse. I am confident however that it will turn around and having read other comments on this site I know to keep an eye on him to make sure it's not causing him any visible damage.

I'll add another comment in a month or so to update.....

thanks to all the others out there who have added comments... good and bad. Helps us all make decisions..

Accutane cleared my acne. My biggest regret is not taking it earlier when I had the opportunity.

I started getting terrible acne at the age of 14(about 30 huge cyst on my face NO BS) I tried BP, proactiv, murad, over the counter products etc. I went to the dermatologist when I was 15 and she mentioned accutane, told me to look it up, and prescribed me some antibiotics. The antibiotics didn't work, because I only used it for a week before giving up. I did look up accutane(misspelling it "accutine") but didn't pursue it because the derm did tell me about the side effects(depression, suicide). The side effects did scare me because I was already depressed from having acne and was having suicidal thoughts. So basically I didn't do anything for my acne until I turned 17. About a week or two before my birthday, I decided to take action and do something about my acne. So I did some research and the drug Accutane popped up in the search engine. I read the positive and the negative results and decided to go forward knowing I was mentally strong enough to handle whatever were to happen to me while on Accutane.

I went to the dermatologist a week after my birthday and demanded I get Accutane thinking the dermatologist would deny me. Surprisingly, she didn't. She told me about the side effects, asked if I was depressed or suicidal which I smilingly said "no" although I was lying. I had to take a blood test, sign up for IPLEDGE and wait 30 days before starting.

The first few days after starting Accutane, I didn't see or feel any changes. However, after about a week and a half, my skin changed for the better. My skin got really dry(used moisturizer), ALL the black heads on my nose starting coming out(freaky & awesome), ALL my cyst(new and old) started going down and leveling with my skin. I was blown the fuck away. I kept saying to myself "holy fucking shit, why didn't I use this earlier? WHY DID I WASTE 3 years of my life not doing anything?" I was filled with regret and excitement at the same time. I never had a breakout while on Accutane, maybe 2 - 3 relatively small pimples around the 4th month but it went away about 4 days later. I was on Accutane for 6 months and do not regret taking it at all. I have been off it for 2 years+ and have not had a pimple that mattered to me like the ones that used to. I do get a few small pimple here and there but they go away in a week or so.

My advice for those who are thinking about going on Accutane is, make sure you are mentally prepared for whatever is to come. I got lucky because I did not get an initial breakout, you may not be so lucky. Be firm in your choice of going on Accutane, research it, and do not wait. I wish I can go back in time, but I can only move forward. I have scars from the acne I endured, so I'm trying to heal that.

SIDE EFFECT I GOT FROM ACCUTANE(besides the common dry lips & skin) -

During the last month on accutane, I got a bladder infection. I started peeing out some nasty red jello-looking blood. I went to the doctor, took some pills and it was gone within a week.

I think, not positive, that accutane receding my hairline(on the corners). I can't say for sure because I do not remember how my hairline looked right before accutane. I wish I did. I know how it looked 2 years before accutane though and my hairline definitely receded but not sure it was caused by accutane or genetics. Though, for someone so young, my hairline shouldn't be receding. So, I'm guessing it was caused by accutane. I can live with this though because no one has commented negatively on my hair. In fact, I've gotten compliments multiple times on my hair which confuses me but whatever.

Hi Guys!

 

So Ive finally decided to tell my story and bear with me; its a long one. I ramble. Hopefully somebody will read it and maybe find some comfort knowing somebody in a similar situation had a good experience. I mean, that is what this site is for right?!

 

Right, so Im 24, Im from England, I love the colour purple (the colour, not the book), I hate potatoes, I worship Jeff Buckley and this is my brief experience with Roaccutane

 

Before I start rambling, I want to explain a few things. I finished my 16 week course of Roaccutane (60mg/per day) 3 weeks ago. I realise that my skin may still change for better or for worse but Im not too concerned with that, I just want to talk about my experience on the drug and the results I am experiencing now. I know that peoples bodies work differently and so this is just my experience, its not universal. The thoughts that I express are not gospel they are just how I viewed the whole thing.

 

I first developed acne when I was around 12 or 13. I mean at that point it was the odd spot here and there. I was this crazy tomboy running around playing football and listening to Nirvana so it didnt bother me. Spots would come, one at a time, hang out for a bit and leave. It was only when I was in year 9 (British school system, I dunno, 14/15 years old) when things got so much worse. My face was ridiculously oily and red and there was massive inflamed acne. I started feeling so self conscious that I missed a lot of school and felt like I lost out on opportunities that came my way which led to more resentment and self pity. I mean I think most of you guys would agree, its hard enough being at that age (actually at any age) with all the angst and social pressures and alienation and I dunno just massive existential crises and then add to the mix the feeling of being hideously flawed and unattractive- not much fun.

 

Anyway I didnt grow out of it. It carried on, at times getting mildly better but then getting worse again. I used every medicated skincare product available, heres a brief brand run down; Clearasil, Clean and Clear, Oxy, Neutrogena, Some store brand stuff like Boots, Superdrug, The Body Shop and Im sure theres more Ive chosen to block out of my memory. I also tried doing nothing. I tried drinking lots of water (thinking it was some magic magic cure) I took herbal supplements and vitamins, I went to this Chinese herbal clinic place where they gave me bags of tea (at the reasonable price of 80 per pack costing me my Glastonbury festival tickets that year!...yes, fun times ) This tea tasted like, well ok actually I cant comment because I couldnt drink it without physically throwing up everywhere! Money well spent. Anyway basically what Im trying to convey is that I tried every superficial thing and fad I could find.

 

At this stage youre probably wondering why I didnt go see my doctor! Well to be honest while I was at school, I was still told I would grow out of it, I mean I was 17 and had bad acne; not considered shockingly uncommon. The odd thing about it was that even though I knew that acne was common at that age, I still felt so alone (watching Dawsons Creek didnt help. 20 year old flawless people playing 15 year old flawless kids!...Damn them! ) anyway so year I did go to the doctor when I was about 18. He prescribed me the antibiotic oxytetracycline (which I bet many of you are intimately familiar with) and wow it worked wonders. Zero side effects and stunning results....for like 6 months, It couldnt sustain itself. In the next couple of years i tried erythromycin and the rest of the cycline gang as well, sadly, all with limited results.

 

For the next few years things just continued on in the same way; no real change, yo yoing between antibiotics and feeling utter despair. So just before last Christmas (2008) I started wondering if I was gonna ever grow out of it. I mean I was 23 and I had been on some form of medication to treat acne since I was 18 and nothing had really worked. I knew there was no actual cure cure but I also knew that something had to change. I had been on acne.org quite a few times in the last couple of years, browsing through forums and galleries and just reading everyones experiences. This is actually when I had first heard of Roaccutane but I had never thought about taking it because all I seemed to hear was how it was the most agonising experience of peoples lives. Anyway around Christmas time I thought Im seeing the doctor and Im gonna be honest and candid and just tell him how hard this is and demand something else! He said he would refer me to a dermatologist. This is something no doctor had ever said before so something already felt quite promising; something different, something new.

 

I saw my dermatologist at Christmas, 2008; Dr Jones. I had gone to see him with an open mind. I read everything I could on Roaccutane before I had gone because I was sure thats what he would prescribe. I was scared, I mean everything I read described the side effects as some kind of horrendous black plague, I mean people would write about how they felt pain and discomfort, their skin and hair; just everything. Im not really someone who is afraid of medication or drugs or trying new things but this made me wonder. I read it made their skin worse, insanely dry, it would be red and peel off and God, I read about people talking about being paralyzed, losing an eye, being enduringly physically scarred and every possible calamity inflicted upon them! So justifiably, this was quite a hard choice to make.

 

So at my first appointment with the derm, I shared some of these fears and concerns. I think what my main concern was if any of this was worth it, whether I needed such drastic action. I was under the impression I had, what would be called, moderate acne (using acne.org lingo here) but I was shocked and pretty pissed off when I asked the derm for his diagnosis and he said moderate-severe, yes its pretty severe Now when I think severe, I thought of something else. I had acne and it was bad but more than anything it was just persistent. I felt that was my problem, not its severity but apparently both were my problem. He explained there was Roaccutane or laser treatment. The laser treatment he felt was less permanent He explained that whilst Roaccutane has some severe side effects, it has the best chance of curing acne. It was, medically, the only curative drug for the treatment of acne. He did not seem alarmed by the side effects and told me to get a good moisturiser and lip balm and just relax. He explained that in the last five years he has treated hundreds with Roaccutane and only one decided he couldnt cope and wanted out. He also told me very few people come back for another course and if they did need another course that usually did it. After some tears and going back and forth in my head I got a prescription for Roaccutane 60mg a day. The course would last 4 months (16 weeks)

I waited a few weeks before starting, just because it was Christmas and I was spending it with my boyfriend and there were parties and gigs and I thought if it was going to get worse than this is a bad time. I started on the 31st of December (seemed fitting, with a new year and all) I was very aware, the first few days that I was taking this potentially life altering drug with allegedly catastrophic side effects... Legal ofcourse!

 

Within the first week I felt my skin and lips get drier but I quite liked it. It wasnt uncomfortable. I moisturised and used a lip balm and that was about it. In the second week I broke out more; 3 new spots, I was disappointment but also not surprised or disheartened by it. By the end of the second week the new spots had cleared up. By the time the first month came to an end, I actually forgot I was taking the medication and just routinely took my three pills (20mg each) as if they were vitamins and just forget about it.

 

In the next 2-3 months my skin cleared up remarkably. Not a single new spot and all the old ones had gone. Yes some red marks remained but they were manageable. I would apply a little concealer and foundation here and there and I was set. Infact most days I would go out to lectures and around town with not a stitch of make up because even the red marks got lighter. It was only in week 14(out of 16 weeks) that I broke out with 2 new spots on my chin. I got really nervous and rang the derm! (Yes, maybe a tad dramatic!) He assured me that towards the end of treatment my skin may act up but it should clear up, if it doest we can extend the treatment on a lower dose. But fortunately, the spots disappeared within 3 days and its been smooth sailing since. I mean Im sure that during stressful times or I dunno my time of month, I will break out and thats fine. Its natural, its normal. Im human but I dont think I should have to put up with constant, persistent acne. I love having clear skin, it sounds so corny and trite but its made such a difference to my confidence. I really wouldnt say Im superficial or particularly in to my appearances. In fact I loath conceited people and I wouldnt say Im attractive at all but Im happy that I dont suffer from this anymore. Its only been three weeks since I finished Roaccutane and its been great since, red marks still remain but my skin has no new spots and it feels so smooth and soft. Im so pleased with the results and the course. I would do it again if I had to because I didnt feel like I was doing anything. As I said at the start of my whole long-winded thing; everyones bodies are different so its possible that Ill suffer from acne again or Roaccutane will work or wont work but all I know is, this time, at this moment it was a success and Im content.

 

To finish, I just want to say that during those 16 weeks I thought about keeping a Roaccutane Log or some kind of weekly update like many people on this site but I consciously made the decision not to. I appreciate that for many people that sort of thing helps but I decided not to scrutinize my body in such detail while on the drug because in my opinion if you do then you may start finding things to call side effects I think, (and again this is just how I view it) sometimes we experience these placebos that we are convinced is caused by a drug or whatever we want it to be. I certainly dont mean to undermine anyones side effects or experiences, I mean obviously its important to be aware of how you feel in case you start experiencing something abnormal or perturbing so that you can tell your doctor but at the same time I dont think its a good idea to reduce everything disconcerting to Roaccutane. Its like you have the leaflet and then you have list of possible side effects and then youre convinced youre experiencing them all. Obviously, things like severely dry skin or lips are visible and you can feel and so may be are more obvious but just slightly direr skin or peeling lips which if you werent on Roaccutane you may have overlooked or put down to cold weather or whatever...I dont know if this is making sense. I guess what Im trying to say, very inarticulately, is that my humble advice is if you decide to take Roaccutane, then just take it and dont let your life revolve around it. If you feel something particularly bad then think about what it could be like for example, if you have a headache dont just think Roaccutane is giving me a headache maybe youre dehydrated or under some stress of sleep deprived. If you cant figure it out and its continual then yes perhaps it is a side effect and maybe you can talk to the doctor or find a way to cope but dont go looking for side effects and thats why I didnt keep a log I really dont mean to be horrible but some websites and forums out there can be a bit extreme, yes its a strong drug not be taken lightly but it seems like people reduce everything bad in their life to it and use it as an excuse I failed my math test and I ate too many hamburgers and got fat Its all because of the evil of Roaccutane!Ok that was a slight exaggeration but hopefully you guys understand what I mean. I just took my medicine, fortunately had a great time (just some dry lips) and before I knew it, it was over. Yeah In the first couple of weeks I was checking my face and looking for results but before long I just didnt care.

 

Anyway I wont bore anyone anymore. I registered today to tell my story. I have this horrible flu (Maybe its the Swine flu, or maybe its a delayed reaction to the Roaccutane, yeah!?.No?! aaah im silly) anyway so Ive been in bed watching The Back to the Future trilogy and typing away. I wish I had the flux capacitor, I would back and tell my 14 year old self that this is all gonna pass and none of it matters anyway!

 

Thanks for reading guys and I Wish you all well with whatever treatment you are on or decide to try or even if you try nothing. I just wish everyone lots of success and joy and pineapples! If anyone wants to ask any specific questions about my little experience then ask away. Im happy to help in anyway. (ooh that rhythms)

Lots of Love xxxx

 

Ps. I hate pics and I dont have many where Im looking at the camera or not blinded by a flash (my friends love that flash!) but I might put some pics up. I dont have any pre Roaccutane pics around, but I may put some recent ones up where I assume I have some make up on but I think you can maybe still see the results. Something like that x

wow thanks so much:) your such and inspiration to me...:)i've been reading through the bad side effects of accutane and told myself not to do it...but i got so desperate in finding a cure and knewing that accutane is my only hope i decided to see some of the positive effects of accutane and thank god i came across your story...cause it gave me a sense of hope that i can and one day will cure my acne thank you so so much...i enjoyed reading your journey with accutane:)