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Hey Champion, you should be impressed with yourself for making the connection and especially for going the extra mile and actually contacting Bodo Melnick.
There was someone on the ATM forum who mentioned contacting Melnick personally. I thought you might be him for a moment, but I guess not.
According to the guy on ATM, Melnick gave him an answer something along the lines of "nerve damage" to explain the sexual side effects of Accutane. Not that I'm saying it's not true, but going by little windows of normalcy many of us have experienced since all hell broke loose, this depression and lack of libido does seem to be something that is reversible if we ever find a reliable way.
SSRIs have been tried before with mixed results, and they come with their own set of nasty side effects.
JTM88, that's a pretty interesting notion on FOXO proteins' effect on aging, but strictly going by Melnick's paper, we would want to down-regulate FOXO1 if anything, or at least prevent or reduce its nuclear localization. Again, that's assuming FOXO1 is the source of our continued symptoms after cessation of Accutane.
Hey Champion, you should be impressed with yourself for making the connection and especially for going the extra mile and actually contacting Bodo Melnick.
There was someone on the ATM forum who mentioned contacting Melnick personally. I thought you might be him for a moment, but I guess not. According to the guy on ATM, Melnick gave him an answer something along the lines of "nerve damage" to explain the sexual side effects of Accutane.
Here is Melnick's response to me:
"Dear Mr. [ChampionBlood],
I am not a neurologist but do know that isotretinoin has neurological
side effects. I think that most of these effects are transient and
reversible. However, isotretinoin forces sebocytes to apoptosis. it is
conceivable that isotretinoin may also induce cell death of some types
of neuronal cells, which are very vulnerable to isotretinoins mode of
action like hypothalamic neurons (see attached paper). This could in
fact explain long-lasting adverse neurological effects. However, it will
be hard to prove these effects in humans.
There is a recent paper demonstrating that isotretinoin induced
granulosa cell apoptosis in female rats and thus reduces the follicular
reserve, an important issue in fertility.
You should get in touch with the field of experimental neurology and
psychiatry.
Best regards,
Bodo Melnik"
He included 2 attachments: "Decreased ovarian reserve in femaleSpragueDawley rats induced by isotretinoin(retinoic acid) exposure" and another paper "Chronic Administration of 13-Cis-Retinoic Acid IncreasesDepression-Related Behavior in Mice."
I believe that many of us are struggling from something autoimmune..my new doctor believes this as well, but will obviously only speak to my experience. He fully believes accutane triggered an autoimmune response like sjogrens, hashimoto's, and RA, have ALL the symptoms of each, but neither show up in blood. Since LDN, nonexistent. just have dry skin, but even that has been slightly alleviated. only been one month. don't know long term...side effects appear to be minimal...sleeping like a baby now. deep restorative sleep. I believe much of it has to do with brain malfunction as well. Lack of serotonin and endorphins, any feel good chemical can wreak havoc on any body...i believe accutane devastated my serotonin levels..but no SSRI will fix it...LDN has drastically improved my mood, joint pain, sleep, sex drive, eye moisture, mouth moisture, scalp itching, and nose moisture. I'm not saying it will work forever, but in theory, it should if its helping the autoimmunity i have going on...but im not assuming everyone has something autoimmune either....it can't hurt to research more about it i did. just do a simple google search...go to forums as well for LDN...smart people on there...quite like here
How did you get prescribed this? How long have you been on it for?
Hi there,.
I get it prescribed through my doctor. Northampton Wellness ASsociates in Northampton, MA. He is a conventional doctor with an alternative flare. listened to everything i had to say and validated a lot of it. Anyways, i belive you can get it online in some places, but i do not know if these are reputable ways to access LDN. You can always ask if you doctor will prescribe it, and if not ask around for more holistic healing docs who might. If you are in MA, NY, CT, CA, OR, etc..more progressive states you will have better luck.
on for one month now
I work in mental health, Depression is very much a biological phenomenon in which it can be caused by a depletion of serotonin...so if that is low...you will definitely and I mean definitely experience physical side effects. that's why telling someone to think differently does not work when someone is severely depressed since their brains are well depleted. it is also implicated to be caused by genetic factors as well, people are definitely born with a predisposition, but just like having diabetes run in your family, it does not mean you will DEFINITELY get diabetes...you can live a depression free life but many times, medication is necessary.i'll be very blunt here, diet only goes so far, exercise only goes so far if your body is severely in need of these necessary naturally occurring chemicals in the brain. Not to mention if some other factor plays in like less receptive receptors, or the transmission of neurons is impaired...something needs to be done about that. Accutane interferes with this process in mores ways than one, but it is unclear how to pinpoint one mechanism. I don't think it is irreparable...the brain is very plastic...i think we just havn't found the toosl to fix it yet...but i'm finding things that help me live a better life each day and so are others 
I believe that many of us are struggling from something autoimmune..my new doctor believes this as well, but will obviously only speak to my experience. He fully believes accutane triggered an autoimmune response like sjogrens, hashimoto's, and RA, have ALL the symptoms of each, but neither show up in blood. Since LDN, nonexistent. just have dry skin, but even that has been slightly alleviated. only been one month. don't know long term...side effects appear to be minimal...sleeping like a baby now. deep restorative sleep. I believe much of it has to do with brain malfunction as well. Lack of serotonin and endorphins, any feel good chemical can wreak havoc on any body...i believe accutane devastated my serotonin levels..but no SSRI will fix it...LDN has drastically improved my mood, joint pain, sleep, sex drive, eye moisture, mouth moisture, scalp itching, and nose moisture. I'm not saying it will work forever, but in theory, it should if its helping the autoimmunity i have going on...but im not assuming everyone has something autoimmune either....it can't hurt to research more about it i did. just do a simple google search...go to forums as well for LDN...smart people on there...quite like here
How did you get prescribed this? How long have you been on it for?
Hi there,.
I get it prescribed through my doctor. Northampton Wellness ASsociates in Northampton, MA. He is a conventional doctor with an alternative flare. listened to everything i had to say and validated a lot of it. Anyways, i belive you can get it online in some places, but i do not know if these are reputable ways to access LDN. You can always ask if you doctor will prescribe it, and if not ask around for more holistic healing docs who might. If you are in MA, NY, CT, CA, OR, etc..more progressive states you will have better luck.
on for one month now
I'm in Canada unfortunately doctors like this don't exist here. So a month in and it is still working well? Libido increased, no signs of the improvement tapering off or anything? I feel this is a much better option than SSRIs if it is also helping physical symptoms like hair and dryness
I'm on week 15 of 16 weeks on accutane 60mg per day. I'd noticed the side effects getting pretty bad- depression, joint pain and tiredness and scaling of my skin. A friend who has recently finished treatment recommended Maca powder. Been taking 1500mg of that per day along with milk thistle supplement and it seems to be really working for me. Don't know if it'll work for everyone but you can get it at any health shop and it's fairly cheap. Might be worth a shot for some of you.
I believe that many of us are struggling from something autoimmune..my new doctor believes this as well, but will obviously only speak to my experience. He fully believes accutane triggered an autoimmune response like sjogrens, hashimoto's, and RA, have ALL the symptoms of each, but neither show up in blood. Since LDN, nonexistent. just have dry skin, but even that has been slightly alleviated. only been one month. don't know long term...side effects appear to be minimal...sleeping like a baby now. deep restorative sleep. I believe much of it has to do with brain malfunction as well. Lack of serotonin and endorphins, any feel good chemical can wreak havoc on any body...i believe accutane devastated my serotonin levels..but no SSRI will fix it...LDN has drastically improved my mood, joint pain, sleep, sex drive, eye moisture, mouth moisture, scalp itching, and nose moisture. I'm not saying it will work forever, but in theory, it should if its helping the autoimmunity i have going on...but im not assuming everyone has something autoimmune either....it can't hurt to research more about it i did. just do a simple google search...go to forums as well for LDN...smart people on there...quite like here
How did you get prescribed this? How long have you been on it for?
Hi there,.
I get it prescribed through my doctor. Northampton Wellness ASsociates in Northampton, MA. He is a conventional doctor with an alternative flare. listened to everything i had to say and validated a lot of it. Anyways, i belive you can get it online in some places, but i do not know if these are reputable ways to access LDN. You can always ask if you doctor will prescribe it, and if not ask around for more holistic healing docs who might. If you are in MA, NY, CT, CA, OR, etc..more progressive states you will have better luck.
on for one month now
I'm in Canada unfortunately doctors like this don't exist here. So a month in and it is still working well? Libido increased, no signs of the improvement tapering off or anything? I feel this is a much better option than SSRIs if it is also helping physical symptoms like hair and dryness
Yes, the first two weeks my body was getting adjusted and i had joint pain but blissful sleep and moisturized eyes and nose, and then on week 3 and 4....beautiful...joints smooth, moisture in mouth, like i was completely normal. I still have skin dryness but no nearly as bad as before. My hair shedding has decreased substantially and the itching scalp has gotten much better. the sleep thing is key for me.. I had dreamless sleep for nearly two years. My head pops up off the pillow now and i never need a nap. Endorphins are great...i've been lacking them for too long and it did damage to my body...let's hope some of it can be reversed!!
http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/
there is a pharmacy in Toronto apparently. don't know if that helps.
since it's had such a dramatic improvement on me i do believe that I can heal and others can as well. if not healing everything at least healing aspects. if im having more moisture in my body, that is a good thing...less bacteria will build up and the cracks wont get infected as easily.
oh and my biggest symptom, THIRST, unquenchable thirst although im non diabetic...CURED when i consistently started taking naltrexone. apparently an imbalance in hormones can caused insatiable thirst...keep that in mind...I will keep you all updated. going to be upping my dose to 4.5mg this coming month some people do fine on even lower, some people need 4.5mg which is the recommended highest or golden ratio.
Here is Melnick's response to me:
"Dear Mr. [ChampionBlood],
I am not a neurologist but do know that isotretinoin has neurological
side effects. I think that most of these effects are transient and
reversible. However, isotretinoin forces sebocytes to apoptosis. it is
conceivable that isotretinoin may also induce cell death of some types
of neuronal cells, which are very vulnerable to isotretinoins mode of
action like hypothalamic neurons (see attached paper). This could in
fact explain long-lasting adverse neurological effects. However, it will
be hard to prove these effects in humans.
There is a recent paper demonstrating that isotretinoin induced
granulosa cell apoptosis in female rats and thus reduces the follicular
reserve, an important issue in fertility.
You should get in touch with the field of experimental neurology and
psychiatry.
Best regards,
Bodo Melnik"
He included 2 attachments: "Decreased ovarian reserve in femaleSpragueDawley rats induced by isotretinoin(retinoic acid) exposure" and another paper "Chronic Administration of 13-Cis-Retinoic Acid IncreasesDepression-Related Behavior in Mice."
Nice guy! It's commendable that he took the time to respond and put a little thought into his response.
He is correct about Accutane's effect on the brain being difficult to prove in humans though. There was an MRI study by a Dr. Douglas Bremner that showed changes in brain function occurring in patients treated with isotretinoin, but not antibiotics. These changes were similar to what is seen in MRIs of depressed patients, but the isotretinoin patients were not reporting depressive symptoms: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15863802
RESULTS:
Isotretinoin but not antibiotic treatment was associated with decreased brain metabolism in the orbitofrontal cortex (-21% change versus 2% change for antibiotic), a brain area known to mediate symptoms of depression. There were no differences in the severity of depressive symptoms between the isotretinoin and antibiotic treatment groups before or after treatment.
It's difficult to say whether they were not experiencing depressive symptoms, or if they were just not listing signs of depression in their questionaires.
I want to point out that I have seen more people complaining of sexual side effects from tane on internet forums than there are reports of sexual dysfunction to regulating agencies,
...and only 1 in 10adverse events are supposedly reported for all medications, so who knows what motivates people to accurately report these types of things.
The study was funded by litigants in cases against Roche, and ended up being picked apart by defense attorneys over minor technicalities, and eventually dismissed as proof of causation of depressive side-effects. Bremner's testimony was ridiculed as being largely based on anecdotal reports, and the study was further scrutinized in dermatological journals. The moral of the story is that only pharmaceutical corporations can fund their own studies and use anecdotal reporting to determine if a drug is safe or not, and they had every incentive to withhold and misrepresent data through the same statistics that were later used in their defense.
Anyways, that study looks as if it is a sound indicator of isotretinoin leaving us susceptible to depression. I would put money on a similar imaging technique showing more severe changes towards a depression-like profile being seen is those of us who did develop horrifying depression while on tane. If only I had the money. lol
Mr. Melnik is absolutely right about us needing to get in touch with more researchers about our ill health. Who knows who might be eager to do case studies of some of us, or small group studies.
On a side-note; If anyone reading this is still looking into all-natural methods to prevent acne, Mr. Melnick wrote another good paper discussing the effect of the typical Western diet on acne: https://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/dermatoendocrinology/article/19828/
I think MovingOn's idea of using something like LDN to mitigate side-effects is a safer alternative to SSRI's.
If you lean towards Accutane's tissue-specific reduction of DHT/5-ar being involved in sexual and mental side effects, then you probably want to avoid SSRIs. Prozac and Zoloft have been shown to inhibit the oxidative activity of many 3a-HSD enzymes, which would likely limit the conversion of adiol-g to DHT. Not only that, but SSRIs are highly associated with sexual side-effects.
On 11/4/2013 at 12:12 AM, MovingOn said:I work in mental health, Depression is very much a biological phenomenon in which it can be caused by a depletion of serotonin...so if that is low...you will definitely and I mean definitely experience physical side effects. that's why telling someone to think differently does not work when someone is severely depressed since their brains are well depleted. it is also implicated to be caused by genetic factors as well, people are definitely born with a predisposition, but just like having diabetes run in your family, it does not mean you will DEFINITELY get diabetes...you can live a depression free life but many times, medication is necessary.i'll be very blunt here, diet only goes so far, exercise only goes so far if your body is severely in need of these necessary naturally occurring chemicals in the brain. Not to mention if some other factor plays in like less receptive receptors, or the transmission of neurons is impaired...something needs to be done about that. Accutane interferes with this process in mores ways than one, but it is unclear how to pinpoint one mechanism. I don't think it is irreparable...the brain is very plastic...i think we just havn't found the toosl to fix it yet...but i'm finding things that help me live a better life each day and so are others
The real question here: is the depression of accutane sufferers caused by the lasting effects of the drug, or a result of the disease-like condition that they find themselves in, or both? The scientific literature would seem to suggest that Accutane can cause depression even in those who do not suffer other long term effects. Unfortunately, depression can be self-pepertuating and the addition of long term physical side effects can cause or worsen depression.
On 11/4/2013 at 11:34 AM, Dubya_B said:On 11/3/2013 at 10:13 AM, ChampionBlood said:Here is Melnick's response to me:
"Dear Mr. [ChampionBlood],
I am not a neurologist but do know that isotretinoin has neurological
side effects. I think that most of these effects are transient and
reversible. However, isotretinoin forces sebocytes to apoptosis. it is
conceivable that isotretinoin may also induce cell death of some types
of neuronal cells, which are very vulnerable to isotretinoin´s mode of
action like hypothalamic neurons (see attached paper). This could in
fact explain long-lasting adverse neurological effects. However, it will
be hard to prove these effects in humans.
There is a recent paper demonstrating that isotretinoin induced
granulosa cell apoptosis in female rats and thus reduces the follicular
reserve, an important issue in fertility.
You should get in touch with the field of experimental neurology and
psychiatry.
Best regards,
Bodo Melnik"
He included 2 attachments: "Decreased ovarian reserve in femaleSprague“Dawley rats induced by isotretinoin(retinoic acid) exposure" and another paper "Chronic Administration of 13-Cis-Retinoic Acid IncreasesDepression-Related Behavior in Mice."
Nice guy! It's commendable that he took the time to respond and put a little thought into his response.
He is correct about Accutane's effect on the brain being difficult to prove in humans though. There was an MRI study by a Dr. Douglas Bremner that showed changes in brain function occurring in patients treated with isotretinoin, but not antibiotics. These changes were similar to what is seen in MRIs of depressed patients, but the isotretinoin patients were not reporting depressive symptoms: [Edited link out]
Quote>>>RESULTS:
Isotretinoin but not antibiotic treatment was associated with decreased brain metabolism in the orbitofrontal cortex (-21% change versus 2% change for antibiotic), a brain area known to mediate symptoms of depression. There were no differences in the severity of depressive symptoms between the isotretinoin and antibiotic treatment groups before or after treatment.
It's difficult to say whether they were not experiencing depressive symptoms, or if they were just not listing signs of depression in their questionaires.
I want to point out that I have seen more people complaining of sexual side effects from tane on internet forums than there are reports of sexual dysfunction to regulating agencies,
[Edited link out]
...and only 1 in 10adverse events are supposedly reported for all medications, so who knows what motivates people to accurately report these types of things.
The study was funded by litigants in cases against Roche, and ended up being picked apart by defense attorneys over minor technicalities, and eventually dismissed as proof of causation of depressive side-effects. Bremner's testimony was ridiculed as being largely based on anecdotal reports, and the study was further scrutinized in dermatological journals. The moral of the story is that only pharmaceutical corporations can fund their own studies and use anecdotal reporting to determine if a drug is safe or not, and they had every incentive to withhold and misrepresent data through the same statistics that were later used in their defense.
Anyways, that study looks as if it is a sound indicator of isotretinoin leaving us susceptible to depression. I would put money on a similar imaging technique showing more severe changes towards a depression-like profile being seen is those of us who did develop horrifying depression while on tane. If only I had the money. lol
Mr. Melnik is absolutely right about us needing to get in touch with more researchers about our ill health. Who knows who might be eager to do case studies of some of us, or small group studies.
On a side-note; If anyone reading this is still looking into all-natural methods to prevent acne, Mr. Melnick wrote another good paper discussing the effect of the typical Western diet on acne: [Edited link out]
I think MovingOn's idea of using something like LDN to mitigate side-effects is a safer alternative to SSRI's.
If you lean towards Accutane's tissue-specific reduction of DHT/5-ar being involved in sexual and mental side effects, then you probably want to avoid SSRIs. Prozac and Zoloft have been shown to inhibit the oxidative activity of many 3a-HSD enzymes, which would likely limit the conversion of adiol-g to DHT. Not only that, but SSRIs are highly associated with sexual side-effects.
I've been questioning recently if I have sexual side effects, and the answer seems to be yes. Its especially noticible since I got my new girfriend. I don't know if this is a result of my depression or the effect of the drug. I was never really a sexual person to begin with, so I guess the sexual effects didn't bother me overly much in the past. Since I know you are a member of the ATM forums and are very knowledgable on PFS and Accutane sexual problems, what medical tests would you recommend that I and others get to assess the extent of our sexual side effects?
Strangely, although I have had plenty of tests in the past, I have never had my hormones checked. I would like to compare these results to others possibly here or on the ATM forums.
EDIT: Dubya-b, I found your post on the ATM forums:
"High DHEAS
High Cortisol
Slightly elevated Prolactin
Testosterone on the low-end
DHT on the low-end
A couple of us had 3-Adiol G on the low-end of the range.
A few of us had slightly elevated E2.
Vitamin D on the low-end.
Some of us have various Thyroid hormones either too high or low.
Low FSH and LH.
These are just a few of the common hormonal imbalances that have shown-up, but nothing seems consistent among the majority of us."
I will be getting these tests as soon as I can. Also, probably free cortisol saliva test.
Dubya,
you are right. Thanks for the correction. Accutane upRegulates our FoxO gene, which results in the downRegulation of our FoxO proteins in our Skin and other organs (basically tells our cells to age).
I think Dermatologists need to explain this their patients. Yes Accutane decreases your skin's oil production, but how it's doing it is just as important. People needs to have better information weigh the plus and minus of this drug.
My biggest fear is that the LDN will stop working someday, but I can be hopeful and realistic at the same time. I've had many disappointments and many successes. Like always, I will keep you updated. I think the pros outweight the cons for me at least, my body began attacking itself so hard that my gums were literally being eaten away....nothing was going to stop it...but now I have something working for me not against me. SSRI's only did more damage to me. Lithium orotate is a safer alternative if your mood is haywire---great for cyclothymia (less intense mood wings than bipolar) or bipolar symptomology. backed by my doctor too. The best part about LDN is i have the energy to exercise, and exercise helps immune function, circulation, sleep, etc. Going to doctor tomorrow for followup. I will tell him all of the good news!! I wish you all the best in your research and I hope you find some answers! keep questioning, don't give up.
Dubya,
you are right. Thanks for the correction. Accutane upRegulates our FoxO gene, which results in the downRegulation of our FoxO proteins in our Skin and other organs (basically tells our cells to age).
I think Dermatologists need to explain this their patients. Yes Accutane decreases your skin's oil production, but how it's doing it is just as important. People needs to have better information weigh the plus and minus of this drug.
Basically telling our cells to AGE that's not a good thing...... that would explain the chronic fatigue some of us are suffering from .
I'm reading everything you guys are writing, so sorry if it seems like I'm just blowing off other comments, I just don't understand everything fully since I've been off the forum for a little bit.
Random but pressing question: has any had gum surgery for recession? mine is getting very painful and I've had a consultation. Anyone who has HAD the surgery have any problems with healing??? it's very important because more and more i realize it needs to get done. and what can help promote healing? usually internally, i heal okay, but the skin is slow to heal....gum tissue is similar to skin soo...yikes!
My theory: If it is autoimmune it will be because your cells environment have much more waste & toxins/acids than the capability of your body to expell them (since accutane destroyed our third kidney - the skin), your cells end up too intoxicated and your immune system doesnt recognize them anymore and try to kill and flush them. Your lymphatic system should be full, sport and moving stimulate it but the kidneys have to follow.
I think blocking this process with a synthetic drug is a bad bad idea, garbage will cumule in your body and it will finally end completely malfunctioning.
Its urgent to stop completely all cereals (specialy modern wheat who is GMO, irradiated strains) and acidic food (meat, dairy etc..)
PS: Gums are an emunctory so if it's not an autoimmune response, it's just an excess of garbage, toxins & acids that the body try to expell.
The "synthetic drug" is the only thing keeping me alive at the moment. So stopping naltrexone is not an option for me. It was theorized by my doctor that I may have brain inflammation as well, which I cannot "fix" through diet as many of you believe. I would be on the more severe end here, and stopping would be ridiculous. I can try eating healthier however, even though I already do. I will go back to gluten free, and try to stick to legumes and fruits. acidic foods are def an issue for me. thanks for your feedback. but my question was, is it a bad idea to get the surgery, and has anyone actually had the surgery?
If i was you i would try to supplement (or eat food) with acerola/vitamin c, folic acid & coq10 before the surgery. And use a toothpaste without fluoride, aluminum, SLS etc.. and a very soft toothbrush with a good brush technique.
Accutane cause brain inflammation.
You can cure anything with diet & herbs.
Apparently you still eat wheat, who is the worst poison ever, an unofficial GMO. Wheat cause nutrient deficiency, intestine permeability who cause more toxins & inappropriate things to enter bloodflow, it inflammate the whole body, etc... Cereals, especially wheat is the most important thing to ban.
where do you find a toothpaste like that? my tom's apparently has no fluoride but fricken SLS which is poison, i agree.
Have you cured yourself with diet? or if you eat wheat does everything come raging back? I work 60 hours weeks...i think that's my main issue, but i do notice the correlation with wheat. why doesn't it show up in an allergy test???
^i'm only going to respond to parts of michelle's post because i don't feel like writing a novel right nowhe never said all doctors were in the industry for profits. however doctors know far less than they should about drugs i.e. accutane, propecia etc. which have lasting severe side effects but are being prescribed by a bunch of pimple poppers. i convinced my new dermatologist to let me try nicotinamide after quitting accutane and she pretty much promised me it wouldn't work because they don't teach about it in med school. haven't had a cyst in about 4 years (although i get normal pimples still). also 5 htp is proven to be more effective at curing depression than SSRI's. but why don't psychiatrists prescribe it? because as an amino acid, it is unpatentable so there is no money in it. whether you want to admit it or not the medical industry is fucked. using common sense cannabis oil has the same side effects as weed.... so pretty much none other than laziness, sleepiness, munchies etc.there are studies showing that cannabis kills cancer cells not sure what you are talking about. also there are studies showing it promotes neurogenesis, improves thyroid function, helps with MS, autism, blood pressure, diabetes etc. Basically it does look like natures all healing medicine. And he is saying that it helped him cure HIS symptoms not making some assumption that it may help with accutane side effects.cannabis oil is well studied considering they sell it in medical marijuana dispensaries and there are no other compounds in it. you clearly know nothing about accutane OR cannabis oil. Not sure why you are even here to be honest.
There's a reason good doctors don't like prescribing drugs that hasn't been taught in medical school: for drugs to be part of standard care, they have to go under intense scrutiny. Not just for effectiveness, but for safety and possible interaction with other drugs. However, doctors don't stop learning after they graduate and they do change treatment plans.5-HTP itself can't be patented -- it's like someone trying to patent Greek mythology. However, the formulations themselves can be patented. Take statins for example. There's a broad range of statins, but there are some that occur in nature, like pravastatin and lovastatin which are fermentation-derived. Because the pharmaceutical companies can patent the formulation (like how it's time-released, and the other things that can make the drug bioavailable), the pharmaceutical companies can still sell naturally-derived statins. Yes, I can't claim Greek mythology was my idea, but I could write original characters and plot and patent the story. See what I mean? And the formulation-patent law also explains why you'll see several companies selling milk thistle and other herbs OTC.On the 5-HTP effectiveness: take a look at the studies themselves. Having treatment XYZ "proven to be better than ABC" means little if the study quality isn't good. 5-HTP has potential because it can cross the blood-brain barrier unlike seritonin, but it has been proven to be no better than the placebo. This kind of goes into the debate about placebos and depression, but in short 5-HTP's effects have been overstated and taking OTC 5-HTP can be dangerous as there aren't strict standardization and safety laws when selling OTC supplements.Cannabis oil may not have the same side effects as smoking weed because of mode of delivery, bioavaliability, and the other substances in the pill versus smoking. For example, applying hyaluronic acid won't have the same effects as injecting it -- hyaluronic acid may moisturize, but it won't fill up the wrinkles."Cannabis kills cancer cells" -- in what? Test tube studies or in actual patients? This is a huge difference. What kind of cancer cells and in what dosage? I've read the studies, but like I've said before it's only in rats and test tubes. Do you know for a fact those other studies are of high quality and aren't biased?Also, if he was only saying that cannabis oil cured him, why did he go through such extraordinary lengths in his posts and then stated "THIS IS THE CURE" and "JUST ABOUT CURES EVERY MEDICAL ISSUE"? What was wrong with X helped me/this was my cure and leaving it at that? Writing "THIS IS THE CURE" strongly implies it would apply to everyone.I know much about Accutane and cannabis oil, more than you think I do. I know some people need repeat courses because they may not be consuming enough fat with their course (500-600 calories from fat), and some expect immediate effects and discontinue it. I know people shy away from Accutane, reading all sorts of horror stories about it (and they assume to be true when you can't know for a fact), and when some go on it after reading said horror stories they experience nocebo effects. I know that cannabis is great for marketing, as it's "herbal/all natural" and it already has the appeal because it's a federally banned, and the side effects are subtle because it mostly affects the mind, which people won't exactly pick up on. I know that marketers scaremonger about "synthetic" drug XYZ to push people into "safer" and "natural" alternatives and give them false hopes. And I also know that reality sometime isn't nice and people want easy answers and fast solutions, which mainstream medicine can't always provide because it's highly complex and takes intense study. But alternative medicine "can" and it tells people what they want to hear rather they need to hear. Testimonals are powerful and can so very easily be false. No one wants to admit they're wrong, and a few people want their experiences to be true. Of course, that's not always the case. However few people actually take the time to study and look for other answers not based on emotions.
People who've spent days and hours trying to figure out what is wrong with them after taking Accutane clearly know more about it than you do as is evidenced by all these posts. Their problems probably aren't psychosomatic; this isn't fun and it's not for attention. Similarly, Michelle, you can't know for a fact that what people are experiencing is not a result of Accutane.
The "synthetic drug" is the only thing keeping me alive at the moment. So stopping naltrexone is not an option for me. It was theorized by my doctor that I may have brain inflammation as well, which I cannot "fix" through diet as many of you believe. I would be on the more severe end here, and stopping would be ridiculous. I can try eating healthier however, even though I already do. I will go back to gluten free, and try to stick to legumes and fruits. acidic foods are def an issue for me. thanks for your feedback. but my question was, is it a bad idea to get the surgery, and has anyone actually had the surgery?
I'm considering trying LDN, but how would I even broach the subject with my doctor?
Some time ago I posted about ALA, still have not tried it, but believe that the chances of it working are quite high. Dr. Berkson got me looking deeper into it and he also uses low naltrexone. ALA + LDN are his main weapons against a range of diseases.
Check it out:
http://www.anticancer.org.uk/2011/10/q-with-dr-burt-berkson-low-dose.html
where do you find a toothpaste like that? my tom's apparently has no fluoride but fricken SLS which is poison, i agree.
Have you cured yourself with diet? or if you eat wheat does everything come raging back? I work 60 hours weeks...i think that's my main issue, but i do notice the correlation with wheat. why doesn't it show up in an allergy test???
Not only diet, i used herbs & liver & kidney flushs too. But i think all started by removing wheat.
You can find some good toothpaste on iherb i think. It's good to avoid silica too.
When i start eating wheat again i feel mainly digestive discomfort and secondary "blurry head" & a little bit dizzy but it's low compared to before.
what are your symptoms besides foggy head and digestive discomfort? do you experience joint pain, insomnia, painfully dry skin, gum recession and burning, hair loss, etc. ? Don't get me wrong ive heard the wheat free thing before and it did help, but a life without wheat will be a very sad life for me. but i can sacrifice it if it indeed works, i just think there is more to the picture like you stated,
No one is looking at long term effects. period.
don't kid yourself. you think you can extrapolate to ALL individuals based on a few studies? you're severely mistaken.
Some folks act as if there are piles of money somewhere to award to researchers who are banging down the doors to study Accutane side effects. While there have been some significant studies since the drug's invention, it's still remarkable how little is known about the drug's numerous mechanisms. That said, we can face up to what is known: that it's a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor that can cause epigenetic changes. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19501473
MovingOn - I understand that you might have to take a pharmaceutical drug. Could it make you worse off? Maybe. But maybe not. And, if for you it feels like the difference between surviving or not, well, we'd be foolish to tell you to discontinue it.
I say this because I went on Prozac temporarily several weeks after I took Accutane. (It bears repeating - I took only five 40 mg pills). I wasn't grooming or eating and was so depressed and out of it I was barely lucid for a couple of days. Anyway. Was far from a cure, but it gave me some function during that time so I could continue working.