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I just had a consult with a dermatologist. My GP referred me beacuse she thought my acne wasn't going away quickly enough (still getting occasional breakouts on my neck at 3.5 months @ 1mg/kg), and she wanted to make sure I didn't need another month. Well, I never got another pimple after that day (a month + ago) so the dermatologist said I looked great, and I didn't need to take anymore (thank goodness). But she said that the acne I had was from hormones, so I need go be on birth control or it's going to come back!
1) I have tried birth control, my acne did not improve.
2) If anyone had told me that it was just going to come back because it was hormonal, I never would have even taken accutane in the first place because I have no intention of messing with my hormones and risking blood clots, cancer etc. by taking BC long term just to look good. It took me 10 years to even take accutane because it's so dangerous and I hated every minute of it. I can't stand to be on birth control for years and years, it just doens't feel right to me. I know it is supposed to be reasonably safe, but I just don't feel right about it. I know that it is going to suck giving presentations at conferences with acne because people notice and they don't like it, and it distracts them, but I'd rather look ugly and have to earn people's respect than always be messing with my body with pills. I feel like my body knows what's best.
I said that, and she kind of said in a snarky way "obviously it doesn't know what's best if you have acne" and so I said "whatever the case, I'm not taking birth control for the rest of my life." and so she said I could take "spironolactone," which she referred to as an "old man blood pressure pill that gives old men boobies" as if I'm an idiot and she can't just say what it actually does. I just took the prescription, along with a topical (differin) and left. She says it can cause your potassium to rise and make you dizzy so "just dont' stand up too fast" as if that's no big deal. No thanks. Not interested. I'm sick of altering my life around pills that I'm taking for vanity. It was such a bad experience, I had questions about scarring, and a persistant white bump on my chest and I actually had to sign a sheet when I got to the office saying I would not ask her any questions that were not specifically listed on my referral form, but I asked her if it would be ok to ask her one quick question, and she said "no, those questions are why i'm late for your appointment." How did she know I didn't have a melanoma I wanted to ask her about???
Do you really think it's as simple as she says? If I don't take something long term that will mess with my hormones, it's just going to come back as bad as it was before? I'm so upset. I really wish I had known this in the first place. I mean, it's nice not having acne for the first time in so many years, but honestly, I wouldn't have done it if I had known it was going to come back!!!!!!!!!!! The GP told me that it was almost certain to reduce my acne permanently to the point that it would be managable with topicals, and a lot of people never really have any acne return post-accutane, now I get a whole different story from the dermatologist.
If it helps you understand anything (I know a lot of you know a LOT), my acne was concentrated on my forehead, a LOT on my temples that would bleed, and sort of cystic ones on my neck and jaw line that lasted a long time, and usually had 3-6 big ones at any given time somewhere on the rest of my face. I also had it on my back and chest, but not as bad as it had been in the past.
People are such assholes, just because you have acne doent mean that there is something wrong with your body. I was 100% healthy before I took accutane and had cystic acne, but now thanks to accutane< I am battling with chronic gastointestinal problems. I would never go on the birth control pill becuae blood clots run in my family and two anuts of mine had strokes when taking them, the one even dies, so I wont touch birth control pill no matter how wacked up my hormones are. As for Spironolactone I was tempted to try it, but read so many women saying that they were losing alot of hair taking it, it is suppoesed to help hair growth but can also make hair fall out. Spironolactone is a blood pressure medication, I would not take it since I have no blood pressure probles, and it can make your blood pressure drop too much to the point were it can become fatal. Besides you cant take Spironolctone for ever, It can mess around with your liver and women have said it changes thier menstral cycles.
Your dermatologist seems like a complete cow! I remember when I asked mine about the accutnae side eefects before I started taking it, she said to me ' well if everyone was goignt o read all the side effects of accutnae then no one would take the medication', unfortunalty I was one of the 1% of sufferers who now have chronic gastrointestinal problems, and have been from one GI doctor to the next.
All in all, I hate taking medication, my body first became weak to antibiotics that I was taking for my acne and I think accutane just altogether killed my intestines, so now I resort to killing my acne topically, through laser treatment and stuff. Not to mention that I am now on medication for my gastrointestinal problems ( proberbly for life). I just say stay away from medicne, the human body can only cope with so much. Everybody reacts different to medicine. If you are weary of taking a drug, then don't take it, it your life and your body. If people like your dermatologist want to be sarcastic to you, let them go to hell, go to another derm and get yourself some facials. You dont deserve to torture yourself If you dont want to .I hope that whatever decision you make that it turns out to be the one that worked for you.xxx
I'd like to hear from anyone about how their post-Accutane breakouts were. The way my dermatologist explained it to me was that spironolactone would be helpful in preventing *hormonal* breakouts post-Accutane since I'm someone who pretty consistently breaks out the week after my period. She did not imply that my cystic acne would return full force if I don't stay on spironolactone after my course of Accutane, only that minor hormonal breakouts may occur. It doesn't even make logical sense that Accutane would be prescribed short-term for something spironolactone ultimately treats since Accutane is a seriously intense treatment with potentially dangerous side effects used to actually permanently *cure* cystic acne, so I suspect the confusion expressed by the original poster was the result of a miscommunication between the doctor and patient--the encounters described here certainly didn't sound to have been the type of positive doctor-patient relationship that would facilitate open communication!
Spironolactone caused weight gain for me, especially around my stomach, which is not typical for me at all. I work out every day of the week to stay fit, so this was most unexpected and unwelcome. As a result, I will not be continuing spironolactone while on Accutane or after. Did anyone resume hormonal breakouts post Accutane because they didn't continue spironolactone? I never expected perfect skin from Accutane; only "normal" skin, with occasional breakouts that are too minor to cause scarring: I can definitely put up with that in lieu of the 10 extra pounds and belly fat I've been hauling around the past six months I've been on spironolactone!
Iv been taking spironolactone for 4 months. it worked at first but now it making me have cystic acne on my forehead which i have NEVER had. With this drug the brand makes a HUGE difference. Walmart brand is aweful. it will destroy your skin. walgreens brand amenal is good. im trying mylan brand now and bumps wont go away. im taking 50mg so i decided on my own to only take it every other day and its a bit better. Spiro helped my periods regulate, my breasts are larger...thats good, im dizzy sometimes but nothing big. the other side effects i dont have. i never had severe acne just long continual acne and this does not work. if your under 23 i would not take it. over 35 i wouldnt take it. iv seen good reports from the age group in between so i think that has alot to do with it. i found using baking soda as soap with peroxide on bumps helps. vicks also helps..yes vicks. but those are topical. sugar causes inflamation in the blood so ppl with acne should avoid sugar at all costs. i found eating clean no sugar no caffeine and using natural things like pure rose bud oil, baking soda, almond oil and apple cider vinegar work better than pills. drinking apple cider vinegar with water balances my system and i notice a diff in my skin that way. i never us soap or cetyply or anything but baking soda to wash my face and it helps alot too. il be going off Spiro because it just isnt what i thought.