Acne.org Products
They just updated one of the side effects to basically de personalization on web md, it says "Mental Disorder with Loss of Normal Personality & Reality" i feel this one man. it doesnt seem worth it to have girls over, or to do anything. it seems easier to just sit depressed i say this as ive pushed it away and tried and tried to work through it for the last years but ya still feeling it
i know its bad but ive been drinking a lot of beer to try and enjoy my social life more (its the only thing that freakin even works to not feel pestered and anxious) .... i do NOT suggest it but feeling someone may be in the same boat
if it accounts for anything my two uncles took accutane and have the thinnest hair ive ever felt, this stuff is real.
anyway i reported to all four of that guys signatures links,
whats workin for everyone these days would love to hear it
Hey wishicouldcry, as soon as my life crashed after Accutane I started to drink, smoke weed and cigarettes. Alcohol was definitely helping with anxiety, weed sometimes made me hyper anxious and cigarettes helped a bit with derealization. Unfortunately alcohol doesn't work for me anymore, I don't smoke weed and cigarettes. What's helping a bit these days is weight lifting altough it's really hard to motivate and regeneration after workout takes much longer then usual. Take care
little update.
Will probably stop taking 5htp, ive read in a few places that long termit can mess with the brain and basically screw with dopamine production, which I dont particularly want.
I beleive the zinc has had a pretty dramatic effect, causing me to dump copper or atleast get it circulating. I beleive proper cleating agents are needed to be bound to the copper and then it can be effciently eliminated from the blood stream.
Anyway, ive stopped zinc for the next few days as Ive recently hit a low and I beleive this may be due to copper being antagonised.
My skin is pretty amazing right now, defiantly the best it has been in a good year or so, perhaps longer, hardly any pimples in sight which amazingly after accutane still plagued me pretty bad. I beleive this is due to the zinc
Still have my hair mineral analysis kit sitting infront of me, however I will have to wait until August to see results as Im heading away soon. Seeing as zinc has defiantly caused a dramitic change in my life over the last few weeks, I beleive I for myself am on the right path now. My little theory here is that accutane for whatever reason raises estrogen (my testosterone levels were that of an 80 year old man at the start of 2014) which causes copper to build up. Copper thenbecome both available and unavailable which results in a crazy concotion of problems.
I dont really have any other ideas, besides those raised by other users stating accutane may still be stored in fat cells and can only be eliminated through quite intense fasting techniques.
have just ordered some L-Tyrosine and L-Phenylalanine. Although Im not really a fan of the 'magic supplements', I have been reading a old prepicia forum and a member has had some success with these, he later goes on to state NB really made the most difference but because Im wanting to experiment Im trying these. Will update next with the effetcs.
Please read this about h202
Ciggerettes are a joke and i sure do feel better without them. if you smoke them or live on fast food honestly you have a ways to go until you feel the power of eating raw and breathing air. Speaking of increasing the bodies ability to oxygenate, has anyone looked up "oxygen therapy" which is injesting food grade H202 (2 parts hydrogen, 2 parts oxygen, simply that) .. you guys probably know what the darn abbreviation means but i re-say it because its ya simply that. You must get the food grade because it doesnt have the added shelf life stablizers the typical brown bottle hydrogen peroxide has. anyway youll have to google it because there are some safety procedures (just start at recommended dose, the people that say youll get air bubbles in your heart and die are probably rosches friends or mcdonald owners), dosage recommendations, etc that you might decide upon on your own work best. ive been doing the 25 drops of 8% in 1 glass of water 2 or 3 glasses a day for about 3 weeks and i am amazed at the amount of phlegm and mucus that has come out of no where to right out my nose. I feel light weight, breathable, and havent had a twitch or ALLERGIES (WOO HOO) headache or any of this amplified anxiety. basically it oxygenates each cell, each organ, by providing extra oxygen directly into the blood stream. doesnt it sound scary- you should read all the success stories though, or, people who have been drinking a bit for years. ok one more quick history on H202: h202 is produced naturally when the ozone layer (something something fancy) gives up and extra molecule and is delievered through rain into lakes as a natural disinfectant 
check it out try it out, heres a link to get you going https://www.google.com/search?q=h202+therapy&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
Fasting
past that, an intense fast 2ce will help everyone (pick a week off work, your going to feel plenty funny if youve never done it, i say youll feel..one with god.... to describe it lol) Fasting will alllow your body to burn crap thats been stored for years
little update.
Will probably stop taking 5htp, ive read in a few places that long termit can mess with the brain and basically screw with dopamine production, which I dont particularly want.
I beleive the zinc has had a pretty dramatic effect, causing me to dump copper or atleast get it circulating. I beleive proper cleating agents are needed to be bound to the copper and then it can be effciently eliminated from the blood stream.
Anyway, ive stopped zinc for the next few days as Ive recently hit a low and I beleive this may be due to copper being antagonised.
My skin is pretty amazing right now, defiantly the best it has been in a good year or so, perhaps longer, hardly any pimples in sight which amazingly after accutane still plagued me pretty bad. I beleive this is due to the zinc
Still have my hair mineral analysis kit sitting infront of me, however I will have to wait until August to see results as Im heading away soon. Seeing as zinc has defiantly caused a dramitic change in my life over the last few weeks, I beleive I for myself am on the right path now. My little theory here is that accutane for whatever reason raises estrogen (my testosterone levels were that of an 80 year old man at the start of 2014) which causes copper to build up. Copper thenbecome both available and unavailable which results in a crazy concotion of problems.
I dont really have any other ideas, besides those raised by other users stating accutane may still be stored in fat cells and can only be eliminated through quite intense fasting techniques.
have just ordered some L-Tyrosine and L-Phenylalanine. Although Im not really a fan of the 'magic supplements', I have been reading a old prepicia forum and a member has had some success with these, he later goes on to state NB really made the most difference but because Im wanting to experiment Im trying these. Will update next with the effetcs.
Accutane doesnt affect these levels (check your charts over and over) , youre doing more damage than good is all i can guarentee. the ability to feel function is ulitmately lost causing you to feel as if you have low T. no more experiments with synthetic suppliments boughten man been there, done that with the zinc, vitamin b, etc, it never adds up 
little update.
Will probably stop taking 5htp, ive read in a few places that long termit can mess with the brain and basically screw with dopamine production, which I dont particularly want.
I beleive the zinc has had a pretty dramatic effect, causing me to dump copper or atleast get it circulating. I beleive proper cleating agents are needed to be bound to the copper and then it can be effciently eliminated from the blood stream.
Anyway, ive stopped zinc for the next few days as Ive recently hit a low and I beleive this may be due to copper being antagonised.
My skin is pretty amazing right now, defiantly the best it has been in a good year or so, perhaps longer, hardly any pimples in sight which amazingly after accutane still plagued me pretty bad. I beleive this is due to the zinc
Still have my hair mineral analysis kit sitting infront of me, however I will have to wait until August to see results as Im heading away soon. Seeing as zinc has defiantly caused a dramitic change in my life over the last few weeks, I beleive I for myself am on the right path now. My little theory here is that accutane for whatever reason raises estrogen (my testosterone levels were that of an 80 year old man at the start of 2014) which causes copper to build up. Copper thenbecome both available and unavailable which results in a crazy concotion of problems.
I dont really have any other ideas, besides those raised by other users stating accutane may still be stored in fat cells and can only be eliminated through quite intense fasting techniques.
have just ordered some L-Tyrosine and L-Phenylalanine. Although Im not really a fan of the 'magic supplements', I have been reading a old prepicia forum and a member has had some success with these, he later goes on to state NB really made the most difference but because Im wanting to experiment Im trying these. Will update next with the effetcs.
Accutane doesnt affect these levels (check your charts over and over) , youre doing more damage than good is all i can guarentee. the ability to feel function is ulitmately lost causing you to feel as if you have low T. no more experiments with synthetic suppliments boughten man been there, done that with the zinc, vitamin b, etc, it never adds up
Yeah but I have had blood test that have multiple times shown low t. Even about 4 months after having shots of T. Pretty baffled myself.
My main goal now is nutrional balacing as I think this is a ongoing copper toxicity problem but for the short term I just want to see what happens.
Trying stuff sucks but you get to cross stuff off the list. I feel I'm nearly at the end 
I dont know what to do i miss my old simple self so much
Please read this about h202
Ciggerettes are a joke and i sure do feel better without them. if you smoke them or live on fast food honestly you have a ways to go until you feel the power of eating raw and breathing air. Speaking of increasing the bodies ability to oxygenate, has anyone looked up "oxygen therapy" which is injesting food grade H202 (2 parts hydrogen, 2 parts oxygen, simply that) .. you guys probably know what the darn abbreviation means but i re-say it because its ya simply that. You must get the food grade because it doesnt have the added shelf life stablizers the typical brown bottle hydrogen peroxide has. anyway youll have to google it because there are some safety procedures (just start at recommended dose, the people that say youll get air bubbles in your heart and die are probably rosches friends or mcdonald owners), dosage recommendations, etc that you might decide upon on your own work best. ive been doing the 25 drops of 8% in 1 glass of water 2 or 3 glasses a day for about 3 weeks and i am amazed at the amount of phlegm and mucus that has come out of no where to right out my nose. I feel light weight, breathable, and havent had a twitch or ALLERGIES (WOO HOO) headache or any of this amplified anxiety. basically it oxygenates each cell, each organ, by providing extra oxygen directly into the blood stream. doesnt it sound scary- you should read all the success stories though, or, people who have been drinking a bit for years. ok one more quick history on H202: h202 is produced naturally when the ozone layer (something something fancy) gives up and extra molecule and is delievered through rain into lakes as a natural disinfectant
check it out try it out, heres a link to get you going https://www.google.com/search?q=h202+therapy&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
Drinking hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) reeks of dangerous quackery. Please stop doing this!
- The oxygen-containing molecule from H2O2 that supposedly increases the body's ability to oxygenate is also known as a reactive oxygen species. -BAD!
- The oxygen-containing molecule from H2O2 is also known as a free radical. -BAD!
- You end up with a highly-reactive free hydroxyl group (OH-) looking for another molecule to attach to, like DNA or protein. This is known as oxidative stress and oxidative damage. -BAD!
It acts as a disinfectant by killing cells. without discriminating between infectious bacteria and healthy cells. Using hydrogen peroxide in wound treatment has been called into question because of this.
...A little bit won't kill you, but don't drink it.
Someone is eventually going to land in the ER or morgue from basing treatment of Accutane side-effects on outright bad advice and bad science.
It's what got us into this mess in the first place.
ps: Ozone (O3) is toxic. It belongs in the ozone layer, far away from living organisms.
Some people get the severe mental side effects you people mention from Accutane without taking this drug/other prescription drugs. They were normal all of their lives and they develop mental problems seemingly out of nowhere. Other people on here said they got them after taking Accutane, while other people online claim they got them while taking other drugs. Can anyone explain why some people develop these problems without taking drugs while other people get them as a response from medications?
I believe its basically 'limp mode'. Just like how modern cars go into a sort of standby mode that does just enough to get the tasks at hand done, the body too enters a sort of low power mode when its broken.
I think western medicine is actually a pretty decent analogy for post accutane sufferers. On the one hand a lot of people, including myself want to attempt a nice quick fix in order to alleviate whatever problem is affecting us, however we bypass the root of problem itself.
Dont get me wrong, western medicine has done wonders for the world many times over, and I thank god I get to live in a time wear I can have sex with a random person catch an STD and not die from it. However when it comes to certain problems that seem to consitute a total mind body and soul issue, western medicine just cant fix this.
Its a sort of calming thought in a way to know that we are still evolving as a species and in under a century have revoloutionized medicine and saved millions of lives. Imagine what we will acheive in another few centuries. I for one beleive that we will reach a point where we can understand to a tee the forces in which act on our bodies in negative and postive ways. This isnt to say it hasnt been done already, eastern medicine seems to have cultivated this idea and used it find balance among their varied civillastions, I suppose we in the west just havent fully grasped the idea enough to accept it, or perhaps are ignorant. Perhaps I am in my own little bubble and dont realy know what Im talking about. Either way there are a lot of things we dont understand. And Im sure as shit acne wasnt around a few hundred years ago, nor was cancer. I think we fucked up as a race and screwed up the balance, hopefully we can restore it again before its too late. Or maybe we need people to get sick and die or kill themself to reduce population. Maybe its all part of a massive plan a higher power has orchestrated, haha I dont know. But whatever keep on keeping on.
I dont know what to do i miss my old simple self so much
I would sell my freakin soul to feel like I did before Accutane ruined my life
Dubya,
I asked the endocrinologist if he was familiar with 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors. He mentioned that he knew of finasteride as being an inhibitor. I told him about reading that isotretinoin may be a 5-ARI. I told him that there are many similar side effects manifesting during or after treatment among the people who took finasteride or isotretinoin such as erectile dysfunction, loss of libido, fatigue, dry skin, dry eyes, etc. I told him about all of you guys ending up with low to no libido, decreased sensitivity, erectile dysfunction and so on. Yet, some have normal hormone levels, some may have high testosterone or low testosterone, and despite balancing hormone levels, it has no impact on these side effects. That maybe the receptors have been affected by isotretinoin by altering gene expression. His brilliant response? Well, lots of people take isotretinoin with no problems. Then he showed me my results and said some of the levels are in the post-menopausal range, but since I am still having periods I am not post-menopausal just yet, but they could stop very soon. He asked me when my mom went through menopause, and I said she was 15 years older than I am. He told me to take bioidentical hormones for three months to raise free testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone to the upper end of the ranges to see if that helps with my side effects as it is supposed to. I told him that I doubt they are going to do anything and then I was inconsolable. He gave me these hormones, and I tried them for several days, yet I started experiencing more digestive issues so I stopped.
Also, I went to the dermatologist when I finally made the connection a couple of months ago. I let her know that the isotretinoin messed me up royally, and I told her about it being used as chemotherapy and it could be a 5-ARI. She said she wasnt aware of all this, and said she would do some research and get back to me. She looked at my scalp, but didnt say anything about what type of hair loss it was, just said wow, you have lost a lot of hair. I told her that I am losing hair all over my body as well. She said that she knew of isotretinoin causing telogen effluvium, but that it only lasts for six months after treatment. I asked her if she ever had a patient coming back months or years after taking the drug complaining of persistent side effects, and she said no, that I was the only one. I questioned the dosage that I was on and she said she normally gives 1.5mg/kg/day to 2.0mg/kg/day for acne. Basically, I let her know how angry I was at her before I limped out of the room.
She did call me back weeks later after I made several complaints to the office manager. She said she researched it and wanted me to come back and test IGF-1, testosterone, estradiol, etc. By this time, I had already found out about my hormone levels and told her that some of them are in the post-menopausal range. She recommended that I try evening primrose oil and an SSRI. That was it.
I used your signature links to report my side effects to the FDA and Rxisk websites. Thanks for having these links and all of your enormous help in raising awareness, attending the protest, reaching out to fellow sufferers, contacting doctors, and so much more.
Hello guys, sorry for my english, i live in switzerland
i see 6 between doctor/ urologist/ andrologist, no one believes that Accutane can cause such damage.
there is no magic supplement that will heal us all
Hey, I have an interesting update. So I have been taking a bit of Melatonin (1.5mg) to adjust my sleep since I have insomnia, day/night reversal, and the works, as I'm sure you are all familiar with too, and guess what started to hurt again, my lower back. The same feeling we used to have while on Accutane. I started searching and apparently Melatonin affects the adrenal glands and some hormones like estrogen...What do we know about these drugs (isotretinoin, propecia, finasteride) and its effects on adrenal glands? I think this is a great place to start looking. Would be nice if Moddeea or Dubya looked into this.
On a separate note, I find it impossible to believe that nary a scientist or doctor doesn't acknowledge these issues and side effects of this medication since we all clearly have similar side effects. Its a distinct pattern. It leads me to believe that they are purposefully withholding knowledge or that they are in fact blissfully ignorant and cannot nor will attempt to solve this. And the scientific literature that we research disagrees with them...Do they not read medical journals?
Fortunately for me I also have secondary intracranial hypertension to go along with most of the side effects you all mention. That is, one of my pupils is bigger than the other (papilledema), tinnitus in the left hemisphere of my head, visual disturbances, and sleep issues seemingly related to the fluid pressure. So, I have actual signs to go along with my symptoms. Because of this no one cannot tell me that Accutane isn't the culprit for my issues, or I am basically afforded the right to spit in their face.
There is a pattern, we all have similar side effects, we all have some traits in common some way or another...We need worldwide attention so that studies can be done on us to find out what we all have in common.
When I went to the dermatologist the last time and I told her that I had read about so many people suffering from long term side effects after the treatment. She replied, "Oh, yea, I call that the google of death." I should have had something witty to say, like "do you know what I call a dermatologist who prescribes isotretinoin for acne? I call that the doctor of death." But I couldn't think of it (thank you Accucrap). I just got very irate and asked her what the hell would she do in this exact same situation? When you spend tens of thousands of dollars going from doctor to doctor, and everything looks good on paper, yet you feel like total crap and know that something is not right. When you change your diet, exercise regimen, take prescriptions, and supplements with no improvement or worsening symptoms. When you can feel yourself on the inside and see yourself on the outside aging at an accelerated rate. When you see others much older than you with muscle mass, nice skin, no wrinkles, and a full head of shiny hair, and you look like you are constantly undergoing chemotherapy. When you have lost your sex drive and just are not the same person anymore. When you lose interest in everything and wondering if you will ever get over this, what the hell would you do? Damn derm.
Hey Trapt, I feel your pain. I have lost everything due to this med, I'm dead inside, just an empty shell without a soul. Doctors are fucking idiots. I will never trust any "doctor" again. I guess all we can do is live like this hoping for a real cure, but I'm personally horrified by a thought that that's how my life is going to look till the end, without feeling, without love, without sex, without any connection to the world and slowly falling apart. Fuck that shit
http://www.medicaljournals.se/acta/content/?doi=10.2340/00015555-1013&html=1
Wow, I'm starting to think more and more its the entire endocrine system that was affected...
The endocrine system is connected by the bloodsteam and it includes:
- Hypothalamus and Pituitary Glands (located in the head)
- Thyroid and Parathyroid Glands (located in the neck)
- Adrenal Glands (two glands located above the kidneys)
- Endocrine Pancreas (located against the back wall of the abdomen near the stomach)
- Gastrointestinal Hormones
- Gonadal Hormones (the gonads are the primary reproductive organs; the testes in the male and the ovaries in the female)
- Placental Hormones (formed in the lining of the uterus)
- Other Endocrine Tissues and Hormones
Dubya,
I asked the endocrinologist if he was familiar with 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors. He mentioned that he knew of finasteride as being an inhibitor. I told him about reading that isotretinoin may be a 5-ARI. I told him that there are many similar side effects manifesting during or after treatment among the people who took finasteride or isotretinoin such as erectile dysfunction, loss of libido, fatigue, dry skin, dry eyes, etc. I told him about all of you guys ending up with low to no libido, decreased sensitivity, erectile dysfunction and so on. Yet, some have normal hormone levels, some may have high testosterone or low testosterone, and despite balancing hormone levels, it has no impact on these side effects. That maybe the receptors have been affected by isotretinoin by altering gene expression. His brilliant response? Well, lots of people take isotretinoin with no problems. Then he showed me my results and said some of the levels are in the post-menopausal range, but since I am still having periods I am not post-menopausal just yet, but they could stop very soon. He asked me when my mom went through menopause, and I said she was 15 years older than I am. He told me to take bioidentical hormones for three months to raise free testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone to the upper end of the ranges to see if that helps with my side effects as it is supposed to. I told him that I doubt they are going to do anything and then I was inconsolable. He gave me these hormones, and I tried them for several days, yet I started experiencing more digestive issues so I stopped.
Also, I went to the dermatologist when I finally made the connection a couple of months ago. I let her know that the isotretinoin messed me up royally, and I told her about it being used as chemotherapy and it could be a 5-ARI. She said she wasnt aware of all this, and said she would do some research and get back to me. She looked at my scalp, but didnt say anything about what type of hair loss it was, just said wow, you have lost a lot of hair. I told her that I am losing hair all over my body as well. She said that she knew of isotretinoin causing telogen effluvium, but that it only lasts for six months after treatment. I asked her if she ever had a patient coming back months or years after taking the drug complaining of persistent side effects, and she said no, that I was the only one. I questioned the dosage that I was on and she said she normally gives 1.5mg/kg/day to 2.0mg/kg/day for acne. Basically, I let her know how angry I was at her before I limped out of the room.
She did call me back weeks later after I made several complaints to the office manager. She said she researched it and wanted me to come back and test IGF-1, testosterone, estradiol, etc. By this time, I had already found out about my hormone levels and told her that some of them are in the post-menopausal range. She recommended that I try evening primrose oil and an SSRI. That was it.
I used your signature links to report my side effects to the FDA and Rxisk websites. Thanks for having these links and all of your enormous help in raising awareness, attending the protest, reaching out to fellow sufferers, contacting doctors, and so much more.
http://www.propeciahelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4259
Found this that also ties in my idea of being mineral deficeint and copper toxic. Perhaps worth a read as it correlates with your theory on 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors.
Also dont forget, the effetcs of finasteride have been linked very closey to those of Accutane, and have been discussed a great number of times in this thread and others out there.
My derm said that Accutane is fine and not to listen to you guys. He said that it has only minor side effects and that I'm a perfect case for it and that I will look and feel good in a few months. He almost convinced me to take it until I read the side effects on here.
You are lucky to still be in the position whether to decide to take it or not. Its basically like playing russian roulette with your health. Are you going to take the chance of it fixing your acne(likely temporarily) with little to no side effects or put your health at risk and loose it all.
I often imagine going back in time to that exact moment I was about to take my first pill. I clearly remember that moment and saying to myself,"well here goes nothing" (ironically it would have made a lot more sense to say "here goes everything". I too would read these discusion boards. Unfortunately, I paid no mind and assumed it was exagerated and only a very small portion like my dermatologist said. Man did I pay the price to try and fix a little acne that came back about 6 months after getting off! Basically I took one step forward and 100 steps backwards.
Sometimes I think about that exact moment I took that first pill and imagine going back in time to that moment knowing everything I do now and what it did to me. I would literally throw that pill on the gound along with the whole pack of pills, drench it with gasoline and set it on fire.
So Lucas89, I don't know if you are much of a gambling guy, but it is your life and hope that reading this discussion board and me just saying what I said allows you to make an educated decision.
Peace
It is Russian Roulette, and i would advise reading more about h202 therapy, if you use it when you truely are sick or infected (for years) it works well to expell
I am also glad for anyone who has had the chance to come here and or think about taking accutane before "just doing it" ,,,,,
Did anyone get the sensation of falling (like on a roller coaster or jumping off a cliff) when first starting tane? I distinctly remember getting this feeling while laying in bed and also while driving. I also remember getting chills over my ENTIRE body once within a year post tane.
Just trying to look for clues on what organs/systems were effected by tane.
I know through experience and testing my thyroid, adrenals, and gut were effected. Maybe one caused the others. My joint pain and ANA go through the roof when i don't follow autoimmune paleo protocol. Focusing again on the adrenals bc i am so exhausted throughout the day i can't function at work.
Did anyone get the sensation of falling (like on a roller coaster or jumping off a cliff) when first starting tane? I distinctly remember getting this feeling while laying in bed and also while driving. I also remember getting chills over my ENTIRE body once within a year post tane.
Just trying to look for clues on what organs/systems were effected by tane.
I know through experience and testing my thyroid, adrenals, and gut were effected. Maybe one caused the others. My joint pain and ANA go through the roof when i don't follow autoimmune paleo protocol. Focusing again on the adrenals bc i am so exhausted throughout the day i can't function at work.
its probably worth it to get a 4x adrenal cortisol test done before you start to try and recover your adrenals through supplements, glandulars etc. Obviosuly things like sleep and taking coffee out of your diet will help but I did more than this only to find my adrenals were actually ok in the test results.
I feel like adrenals are a bit of a spin when it comes to natural healing, a lot of people say oh yeah youre tired? adrenal fatigue!
Just my 2c but by all means do what you think is best.
Today was my first day in a wheel chair at the hospital because in the last week my knee caps have felt so bad I'm scared they will snap and they are so week I'm scared to snap them , my whole body burns , like I said there are some clues though that I have taken out of this experience many of you may be able to theorise the things that are happening to me so I'm begging for your input of you could just take the time to analyse this and maybe try to make sense of the things that's happening I would greatly appreciate I do believe there is a strong link between what is going on with me at the moment and the secret to how we have been effected , and I'd think it's quite obvious to say we need the reason why before we decide how to fix .
Can someone please explain why when I was taking lexapro two months ago ( 5 months post accutane my hair was shiny and not like straw , and my face actually produced oil along with my hair but since I've stopped taking it everything is completely dry ?
I've had severe heated and cold body pains since withdrawing from lexapro a drug which is an anti depressant so in turn suppresses or interacts with the nervous system acting as muscle relaxant ( I think this may be useful in small doses to those with muscle pains ).
The reason I stopped taking the lexapro was was that towards the end of my course of accutane I was urinating 17-22 times a day and became severely dehydrated , but since I've stopped in now retaining water and my bladder is bloated and swollen ?
does the theory that lexapro has anti histamine properties explain that since ceasing it I've been getting severe flushing back like I did on accutane ?
Has any one else lost severe amounts of weight on this drug this is what scares me the most I lost 15 kilo's in a year and I'm begging for an explanation as to why , it feels as if I will eat and within twenty minutes it's like I haven't eaten in two weeks , I'm cronically I'll as are many of you and I know many of you have your own problems but I would just like to gain any ideas I can to bolster my hopes of recovery , also did any one loose mass facial fat on his drug , my cheeks feel empty and my nose has literally shrunk I've lost that much fat or collagen I'm presuming , scary shit I know but I think the realisation of me been in a while chair for the day has made me so fucking mad I just need hope or at least answers
My mum took me to the best physician in Perth last week she's that worried because of how she has seen it destroy me , the fucking twat laughed at us and said I looked severely depressed and that 200 dollars later there was nothing he could do , just reinforces to me the fact that we are in this by ourselves and some of us are lucky enough to have the support of our loved ones like me , for others of you that don't my heart bleeds , I'm sorry to burden you all but I feel there is far more sense floating around here than the doctors office they are fucking useless :@@@@@@
They put me back on the psych ward because I threatened to jump off next doors roof , I'm not insane I may sound it but I'm not , like many of you I've been made insane , and in a sense I'm not even suicidal I'm just sick of fucking living and need help to at least be able to work out some of why this is happening to me it's terrifying
No signs of anaemia no diebetes no lupus just one fucked body , feels as if I have aids
Peace and love to you all
If anyone on here is from Australia just drop me a message please inneed someone to call or Skype No one understands and I'm sucking of feeling alone in this
My derm said that Accutane is fine and not to listen to you guys. He said that it has only minor side effects and that I'm a perfect case for it and that I will look and feel good in a few months. He almost convinced me to take it until I read the side effects on here.
You are lucky to still be in the position whether to decide to take it or not. Its basically like playing russian roulette with your health. Are you going to take the chance of it fixing your acne(likely temporarily) with little to no side effects or put your health at risk and loose it all.
I often imagine going back in time to that exact moment I was about to take my first pill. I clearly remember that moment and saying to myself,"well here goes nothing" (ironically it would have made a lot more sense to say "here goes everything". I too would read these discusion boards. Unfortunately, I paid no mind and assumed it was exagerated and only a very small portion like my dermatogogist said. Man did I pay the price to try and fix a little acne that came back about 6 months after getting off. Basically I took one step forward and 100 steps backwards.
Sometimes I think about that exact moment I took that first pill and imagine going back in time to that moment knowing everything I do now and what it did to me. I would literally throw that pill on the gound along with the whole pack of pills, drench it with gasoline and set it on fire.
So Lucas89, I don't know if you are much of a gambling guy, but it is your life and hope that reading this discussion board and me just saying what I said allows you to make an educated decision.
Peace
I don't want to take it, but on the other hand I've felt like shit for years due to looking like shit. I'm sure thats' not as bad as the side effects people on here experienced, but it's a losing situation either way. Either risk getting bad side effects or look like complete shit for the rest of my life.
Trust me dude, it's probably not THAT bad. How bad is your acne on a scale of 1-10? 10 being severe nodular scaring acne.
How old are you? because the acne will likely go away naturally as you get older.
I would rather have acne and everything being normal than the other way around any day.
By the way, you should try taking zinc. It works for a lot of people and works for my acne that I still have.
Dubya,
I asked the endocrinologist if he was familiar with 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors. He mentioned that he knew of finasteride as being an inhibitor. I told him about reading that isotretinoin may be a 5-ARI. I told him that there are many similar side effects manifesting during or after treatment among the people who took finasteride or isotretinoin such as erectile dysfunction, loss of libido, fatigue, dry skin, dry eyes, etc. I told him about all of you guys ending up with low to no libido, decreased sensitivity, erectile dysfunction and so on. Yet, some have normal hormone levels, some may have high testosterone or low testosterone, and despite balancing hormone levels, it has no impact on these side effects. That maybe the receptors have been affected by isotretinoin by altering gene expression. His brilliant response? Well, lots of people take isotretinoin with no problems. Then he showed me my results and said some of the levels are in the post-menopausal range, but since I am still having periods I am not post-menopausal just yet, but they could stop very soon. He asked me when my mom went through menopause, and I said she was 15 years older than I am. He told me to take bioidentical hormones for three months to raise free testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone to the upper end of the ranges to see if that helps with my side effects as it is supposed to. I told him that I doubt they are going to do anything and then I was inconsolable. He gave me these hormones, and I tried them for several days, yet I started experiencing more digestive issues so I stopped.
Also, I went to the dermatologist when I finally made the connection a couple of months ago. I let her know that the isotretinoin messed me up royally, and I told her about it being used as chemotherapy and it could be a 5-ARI. She said she wasnt aware of all this, and said she would do some research and get back to me. She looked at my scalp, but didnt say anything about what type of hair loss it was, just said wow, you have lost a lot of hair. I told her that I am losing hair all over my body as well. She said that she knew of isotretinoin causing telogen effluvium, but that it only lasts for six months after treatment. I asked her if she ever had a patient coming back months or years after taking the drug complaining of persistent side effects, and she said no, that I was the only one. I questioned the dosage that I was on and she said she normally gives 1.5mg/kg/day to 2.0mg/kg/day for acne. Basically, I let her know how angry I was at her before I limped out of the room.
She did call me back weeks later after I made several complaints to the office manager. She said she researched it and wanted me to come back and test IGF-1, testosterone, estradiol, etc. By this time, I had already found out about my hormone levels and told her that some of them are in the post-menopausal range. She recommended that I try evening primrose oil and an SSRI. That was it.
I used your signature links to report my side effects to the FDA and Rxisk websites. Thanks for having these links and all of your enormous help in raising awareness, attending the protest, reaching out to fellow sufferers, contacting doctors, and so much more.
Eh, not "too" bad of a response from your doctors. You weren't immediately handed a ticket to see a psychiatrist, like so many here who bothered to bring up the Accutane connection. Your endo's response sounds completely useless though. ...WTF was that statment supposed to mean. Lots of people smoke cigarettes without any problems too. Must be something else that gave all those people lung cancer.
Your derm was as clueless about Accutane MOA, and it being used as chemotherapy, as the typical derm. Better than a heated argument about the impossibility of the Holy Grail of Acne Treatment causing your symptoms or abnormal bloods.
Even the best doctors seem to have no clue how to handle our cases... Just strikes me as odd that signs of unusually early menopause, coupled with unusual symptoms that began while using a (more or less) proven endocrine disruptor, don't mean anything to your doctors. You would expect one of the better ones out there to take a stand against pharmaceutical companies endagering their patients' health.
Maybe we are a rather rare bunch, and maybe only the most severely affected bother to press the issue?
Thank you for your words of appreciation and thank you for reporting!
EDIT: I take back my words about your derm not being totally foolish.
When I went to the dermatologist the last time and I told her that I had read about so many people suffering from long term side effects after the treatment. She replied, "Oh, yea, I call that the google of death." I should have had something witty to say, like "do you know what I call a dermatologist who prescribes isotretinoin for acne? I call that the doctor of death." But I couldn't think of it (thank you Accucrap). I just got very irate and asked her what the hell would she do in this exact same situation?
What was her response to being in your shoes?