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I would trade accutane sides with a limb of my choosing. preferably the lower left leg.
On 7/2/2015 at 6:22 AM, pathtorecovery91 said:pathtorecovery91:
He has somewheres around 50,000 subscribers on Youtube. He mentioned several times how he is making videos for the rest of his life because he enjoys it so much.
With the exposure and followers he has, he could easily make an accutane side effects youtube channel and literally have tens of thousands of people to support it.
Here is the link to his channel [Edited link out]
@pathtorecover91
As cynical as this sounds, I hope for our sake that he does start getting side effects. I want people to start realizing the effects this drug can have. Here is a comparison of his hair from week 1 on accutane to week 81:
[Edited link out]
We'll see it progress as time goes on I'm sure.
Thank you so much for linking all those studies about nitric oxide. I do dry skin brushing, sauna, walking, and exercise for lymph drainage. I'll look into using something like L-arginine to help me along. I've seen on two high quality tests that I've been deficient in vitamin C despite heavy supplementation and a diet high in vegetable juices. I think that may also relate to endothelium health and sluggish blood flow. I also have red dots all over my tongue. It's like I have some sort of chronic infection like a virus or something. Maybe the infection is causing me to use all my vitamin C for that instead of other less important things like my collagen production (endothelium health).
@Trapt "I would hold the phone to my ear or lift a fork or spoon to my mouth and in under a minute, my forearm would start burning, as if I had held up my arm for hours."
Really appreciate you sharing your detailed experiences with you muscular pain. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one having that horrible side effect. You described it perfectly. It does feel like lactic acid is just built up in the muscles. I also can't lift my arms up for very long. If I flex any muscle, it feels as if I had just worked out that particular muscle the previous day (which I didn't). I used to work out quite seriously for an hour or two a day six days a week. After accutane, I stopped completely for at least 6 months. I am now just starting back (VERY slowly). I can do something light once a week - But only if I do large body movements that evenly distribute the load to all of my joints and muscles (deadlifts, squats, free weight bench press w/ dumbbells, etc). I can't do movements that try to isolate muscles - puts too much strain on that area. Also, it helps to go EXTREMELY slow.
If others are interested in working out but have loads of pain, check out Body by Science by Doug McGuff (great video is his 21 convention talk). It's about super-slow exercise - very effective and minimizes the force on your body.
Also, paying $100-200 for a full set of Jill Miller yoga balls, Kelly Starrett's Battlestar, and The Grid foam roller have absolutely saved me. HIGHLY recommend these products. Jill has a great book - the Roll Model and Kelly does as well - Becoming a Supple Leopard. Their techniques have minimized my pain greatly. I just roll for about 15min a day. Gets rid of the pain immediately. And it makes long lasting changes in my tissues. I feel a lot more loose. Before I started using myofascial release techniques, I could NEVER exercise. Just turn on some good music or a podcast and roll away your pain. FANTASTIC stress reliever as well. It gives you the same feeling you get after you receive a massage. I do this at night to put me into a calm, parasympathetic state. By the way, everyone here should walk at least 30 min a day. I walk barefoot in the grass for the grounding effects and the cushioned blows to my knees and ankles. Really takes the pain out of it. Oh, and get a standing desk... That was also a major game changer for me. Be sure to use a really cushioned pad to stand on - like an anti-fatigue mat.
EDIT: Couple questions: Oh, and are you able to work or go to school? I had to both quit my job and drop out of college because of my pain. How many months post accutane are you? It's been 2 and a half years for me. Also, do you have any tingling or twitchiness in your limbs or fingers? I get little tics and odd happenings in my limbs/wrists/feet etc. Quite strange. It's like I'm deficient in magnesium or electrolytes or something (but I'm not).
There is probably an infectious component to a lot of our issues. Accutane DESTROYS your immune system. I have the immune system of an 80 year old (I'm 21) as indicated by two Immunidex tests.
If anyone is interested in diagnosing chronic infections and recovering from them, mark your calendar for july 25th (paleo convention berlin). Paul Jaminet (an excellent researcher and fellow accutane victim) will be giving a talk. Paul: "Ill be speaking on the role of chronic infections in our health, and how we can optimize our health in a world full of germs, not all of them friendly. For those who are unwell, Ill give practical tips for how to diagnose and fix what is ailing you."
EDIT2:
Check out my hair loss progress. Thought you guys would be interested. There is hope that things can get better.
Not the best comparison photos but interesting nonetheless.
[Edited link out]
I am 5 years post Accucrap and I have not been able to work for a long time now. I have muscle spasms/twitching all over my body (I thought it was my blood vessels at first) which started about a year ago. Also, I have muscle spasms in my ears according to Google when I searched 'clicking sounds in ears.' The only thing that showed abnormal during that time was that I was low in vitamin D. I have tried taking vitamin D and magnesium, but I have not seen any improvement in my spasms. However, the magnesium has helped me sleep better and I have not noticed any worsening in my side effects with it, so it is the only supplement that I continue to take. Vitamin D on the other hand immediately made my skin drier, increased my skin peeling and increased my bone pain, so I stopped taking it. I have numbness and tingling down my arms, hands, feet, and sometimes my entire legs. It is definitely worse when I am still for awhile like when I am sleeping or sitting down on the couch. Also, I have extremely cold hands and feet and here lately my nose and back are cold. Magnesium seems to help a little with these symptoms.
I too have many of the similar supplements that you have in your supplement graveyard. I have two 6 feet long shelves in my pantry dedicated to trying to fix this mess. Before Accucrap, I had one supplement, a bottle of multi-vitamins that I would rarely take. Now, its just gotten way out of hand. Also, I went down the same route with the whole H pylori thing and SIBO. The only difference was that I tested positive all three times that they tested me for SIBO. However, the antibiotics did nothing for my digestive problems, or made me feel worse. I believe I had tried 10 different antibiotics and even more natural anti-bacterial supplements. In the early stages of this nightmare, my liver enzymes were extremely high and I tested positive for H pylori about one week after finishing Accucrap when I was vomiting and having excruciating abdominal pain. My doctor thought H pylori was responsible for my symptoms (found out later it was actually gallstones caused by the birth control pills required to take along with Accucrap, H pylori was just the innocent victim). However, I felt really good during this time despite the episodes of vomiting and abdominal pain. It was exactly one month post-Accucrap that something went horribly wrong. I just crashed. I woke up feeling tired, bloated, had dry hair, and wrinkly dry skin. It didn't occur to me until earlier this year that Accucrap was behind my above symptoms plus the increasing number of symptoms I have experienced over the years. It was always in the back of my mind throughout these years, but I don't really think I was ready to believe it. What if? Awww nah, can't be. Why do my muscles and joints hurt like I am still taking....oh, no stop it. I guess it was some sort of mental block. All this time I thought my digestive problems were caused by SIBO or the H pylori antibiotics or my gallbladder and that once I fixed my digestive system, all the other symptoms would just vanish. Unfortunately, I got a perfectly fine gallbladder removed end of last year. No gallstones, nothing. I still have this heavy pain behind my right rib cage. I still have all the same symptoms plus my newest symptom, the bat-freaking-crazy tinnitus. Before I got my gallbladder removed, I told the surgeon if its not my gallbladder then its got to be my liver. After he removed my gallbladder, he said he looked closely at my liver and said it could not look any better. Eh, I wish he would have biopsied it.
I thought I had thorough lab testing done throughout the years, but after looking at your test results, mine is nowhere near as in depth to yours. Im very curious about what the doctor had to say about your abnormal blood work, low WBCs, low platelets, high alkaline phosphatase, bone%, liver%, neutrophils, lymphs, etc. What about your high B12? My B12 keeps going up too despite not taking any B12. Did you take any thyroid supplements to lower your TSH? Did you take hormones to raise your testosterone? Did you feel any better with lower TSH and higher testosterone? Did you notice that your muscle pain got worse with higher testosterone? Also, when you were deficient in vitamin A, were you avoiding vitamin A foods? Did you feel any better, worse or the same while raising your vitamin A?
Besides jumping from doctor to doctor to doctor, I did go to a naturopath and a nutritionist who works with cancer patients and athletes and I will go through my huge stack of medical records to see what they recommended to try to help. I didn't try much of the supplements that they recommended because I feel so bad when I take most supplements. I know that the naturopath said I was deficient in zinc and my oxidative stress level was high.
I have attached the reports that I got from the nutritionist and the naturopathic doctor with their recommendations. The naturopathic doctor recommend B12 at the time because it was low 3 years ago, but it just keeps increasing for some strange reason. Let me know if you have any questions or if the nutritionist's report is too difficult to read.
Edit: It's not on here, but the naturopathic doctor gave me a zinc solution which tasted like water to me, so she said I was deficient in zinc. She said I would have tasted something if I wasn't deficient.
[Edited image out]
[Edited image out]
On 7/3/2015 at 10:02 PM, yetanotheraccutanevictim said:On 7/2/2015 at 6:22 AM, pathtorecovery91 said:pathtorecovery91:
He has somewheres around 50,000 subscribers on Youtube. He mentioned several times how he is making videos for the rest of his life because he enjoys it so much.
With the exposure and followers he has, he could easily make an accutane side effects youtube channel and literally have tens of thousands of people to support it.
Here is the link to his channel [Edited link out]
@pathtorecover91
As cynical as this sounds, I hope for our sake that he does start getting side effects. I want people to start realizing the effects this drug can have. Here is a comparison of his hair from week 1 on accutane to week 81:
[Edited link out]
We'll see it progress as time goes on I'm sure.
Thank you so much for linking all those studies about nitric oxide. I do dry skin brushing, sauna, walking, and exercise for lymph drainage. I'll look into using something like L-arginine to help me along. I've seen on two high quality tests that I've been deficient in vitamin C despite heavy supplementation and a diet high in vegetable juices. I think that may also relate to endothelium health and sluggish blood flow. I also have red dots all over my tongue. It's like I have some sort of chronic infection like a virus or something. Maybe the infection is causing me to use all my vitamin C for that instead of other less important things like my collagen production (endothelium health).
@Trapt "I would hold the phone to my ear or lift a fork or spoon to my mouth and in under a minute, my forearm would start burning, as if I had held up my arm for hours."
Really appreciate you sharing your detailed experiences with you muscular pain. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one having that horrible side effect. You described it perfectly. It does feel like lactic acid is just built up in the muscles. I also can't lift my arms up for very long. If I flex any muscle, it feels as if I had just worked out that particular muscle the previous day (which I didn't). I used to work out quite seriously for an hour or two a day six days a week. After accutane, I stopped completely for at least 6 months. I am now just starting back (VERY slowly). I can do something light once a week - But only if I do large body movements that evenly distribute the load to all of my joints and muscles (deadlifts, squats, free weight bench press w/ dumbbells, etc). I can't do movements that try to isolate muscles - puts too much strain on that area. Also, it helps to go EXTREMELY slow.
If others are interested in working out but have loads of pain, check out Body by Science by Doug McGuff (great video is his 21 convention talk). It's about super-slow exercise - very effective and minimizes the force on your body.
Also, paying $100-200 for a full set of Jill Miller yoga balls, Kelly Starrett's Battlestar, and The Grid foam roller have absolutely saved me. HIGHLY recommend these products. Jill has a great book - the Roll Model and Kelly does as well - Becoming a Supple Leopard. Their techniques have minimized my pain greatly. I just roll for about 15min a day. Gets rid of the pain immediately. And it makes long lasting changes in my tissues. I feel a lot more loose. Before I started using myofascial release techniques, I could NEVER exercise. Just turn on some good music or a podcast and roll away your pain. FANTASTIC stress reliever as well. It gives you the same feeling you get after you receive a massage. I do this at night to put me into a calm, parasympathetic state. By the way, everyone here should walk at least 30 min a day. I walk barefoot in the grass for the grounding effects and the cushioned blows to my knees and ankles. Really takes the pain out of it. Oh, and get a standing desk... That was also a major game changer for me. Be sure to use a really cushioned pad to stand on - like an anti-fatigue mat.
EDIT: Couple questions: Oh, and are you able to work or go to school? I had to both quit my job and drop out of college because of my pain. How many months post accutane are you? It's been 2 and a half years for me. Also, do you have any tingling or twitchiness in your limbs or fingers? I get little tics and odd happenings in my limbs/wrists/feet etc. Quite strange. It's like I'm deficient in magnesium or electrolytes or something (but I'm not).
There is probably an infectious component to a lot of our issues. Accutane DESTROYS your immune system. I have the immune system of an 80 year old (I'm 21) as indicated by two Immunidex tests.
If anyone is interested in diagnosing chronic infections and recovering from them, mark your calendar for july 25th (paleo convention berlin). Paul Jaminet (an excellent researcher and fellow accutane victim) will be giving a talk. Paul: "Ill be speaking on the role of chronic infections in our health, and how we can optimize our health in a world full of germs, not all of them friendly. For those who are unwell, Ill give practical tips for how to diagnose and fix what is ailing you."
EDIT2:
Check out my hair loss progress. Thought you guys would be interested. There is hope that things can get better.
Not the best comparison photos but interesting nonetheless.
[Edited link out]
Are you doing anything for your hair? I just started using 15% minoxidil and been doing lllt and taking pumpkin seed oil, fish oil, ashwhaganda and biotin for a month or so. Also using keto shampoo 3xs a week.
I have been literally losing hundred's of hair a day, even on my sides. If by some miricle I see my hair stop falling and regrowth I will post pics to update. I started taking pics for minoxidil progress along with the couple other things I'm doing.
Yes, I realize that. His hair doesn't seem to have thinned. BUT I do believe it will eventually start falling out.
Yes, if you go a few posts back, you will see my supp graveyard. I used TONS of things. However, I think the main thing that helped my hair was diet change and time. I've had zero grains and processed foods for the past two years. Not a single bite. Also, all of the animals I eat are grass-fed and/or wild-caught. The vegetables I eat are all organic and I either cook them or blend them in a Vitamix until liquid for easier digestion. My digestive system cannot handle raw veggies. I eat according to the Wahl's protocol but with more carbs (I'm not in ketosis). I recently reintroduced some grains to get out of ketosis-> white rice. I gave up sweet potatoes, plantains, most fruits etc. because of the oxalate content. My advice would be to slow cook your food in a crock pot and add grass-fed bones for the glycosaminoglycans to heal your gut. We all have chronically leaky guts due to poor collagen formation from the accutane.
"I thought I had thorough lab testing done throughout the years, but after looking at your test results, mine is nowhere near as in depth to yours. Im very curious about what the doctor had to say about your abnormal blood work, low WBCs, low platelets, high alkaline phosphatase, bone%, liver%, neutrophils, lymphs, etc. What about your high B12? My B12 keeps going up too despite not taking any B12. Did you take any thyroid supplements to lower your TSH? Did you take hormones to raise your testosterone? Did you feel any better with lower TSH and higher testosterone? Did you notice that your muscle pain got worse with higher testosterone? Also, when you were deficient in vitamin A, were you avoiding vitamin A foods? Did you feel any better, worse or the same while raising your vitamin A?"
Thanks for sharing so much information! I really really appreciate it.
Regarding the abnormalities with my WBCs: The doc (hematologist) just said that perhaps it was genetic... He wanted to test my relatives to see if they also have low WBCs. But he did indeed say it was low and that there could potentially be something going on. I'm thinking chronic infection. I plan on getting comprehensive testing for chronic, systemic infections. I've already tested my gut multiple times. Now, I'm going to test for stuff like mycoplasma, viral infections, intracellular bacterial infections etc..
The doc didn't say anything about the low platelets. I'm very concerned about that. I'm going to be investigating it further.
As for the alkaline phosphatase, he said I was growing when the blood work was done and that's why it was high but eventually lowered. It's true; I was 17 when I was on accutane and started getting the blood work. Before I even took my first accutane pill, my alkaline phosphatase was high. Accutane didn't cause it to increase. The ALP lowered as I grew older and stopped growing. They measured the bone% and liver% of ALP to diagnose where it was being produced. Most of it was being produced in my bone. That's why he figured it was just me growing and not a problem with my liver.
My high B12 isn't a problem. That's a water soluble B vitamin so it being high isn't dangerous. I just eat a decent amount of meat and occasionally ingest B12 via supps like a B-Complex. I don't think your B12 being high is a problem either.
I did not take any thyroid supps to lower my TSH. It naturally got better as I decreased my stress and ate a higher fat diet. For the past two years, I've eaten more than 60% of my calories from healthy fats. I make sure to eat plenty of saturated fat (coconut oil is an easy source) to optimize hormones. Going a few days without sexual stimulation helps as well. Be sure to load up on Vitamin C to help your adrenals. Once those start struggling, it can fudge everything up. It'll let gut infections flourish (like SIBO) due to lack of S-IGA production.
My testosterone was initially crazy low due to the stress I had on the day of testing. I had just gotten back from going out of town to get the SIBO breath test and it was around 5pm when I drew the blood. I had been fasting for over 24 hours. That was not accurate at all. I later retook the test and did it in the morning stress free and my testosterone was perfect. I don't have low libido so I figured that wasn't a problem anyways. I never felt better or worse when my lab tests showed differences in my thyroid and sex hormones. My muscle pain has never gotten better. It slowly got worse throughout my accutane course until it got to the peak. I've maintained that peak level of pain until now (two years later). On paper, I am getting better in every aspect but in reality, I don't feel better. However, as I look back a year or two, I AM making slight progress - it's just at an extremely slow rate. For instance, my hair. It was coming out in handfuls in the shower. It now does not fall out at all. My energy is better as well. I really think eating farmer's market food and plenty of organ meats, vegetables, and seafood (for the nutrients) all really helped me the most. I don't rely on supplements anymore. Once I run out, I only plan on using a few essentials like magnesium and vitamin C. The main healing will come from my diet and lifestyle.
When I was deficient in vitamin A, I was not avoiding vitamin A foods (though, my diet was a SAD at the time and it probably wasn't that high in vit A anyways). The reason I was deficient was because of accutane. It depletes your body of true vit A and overdoses it on synthetic 13CIS retinoic acid. Ever since I found out about being deficient in vit A, I started eating liver at least once a week. I also dabbled in taking cod liver oil and red palm oil (RPO is one of the few sources that contains beta carotene that is more easily converted to vit A). But be sure to go for the retinol containing foods, not beta carotene. BC is not vit A and the conversion to vit A is very poor. I do know that I cured my vit A deficiency along with several vit A deficiency symptoms like night blindness. BUT I read a lot of people are sensitive to vit A. I haven't found that to be the case with me. Nothing really happens when I indulge in liver. I might even feel better due to the nourishment I receive. Your mileage may vary. I do have plenty of studies that back up the claim that accutane depletes us of vit A. It's scary because logically I would think to avoid vit A but the studies don't support that.
Another thing that is possibly helping me is eating a lot of fiber with fat at every meal. So if you eat a bunch of vegetables with a fat, your body will release bile (along with the fat-soluble toxins and potential other toxicities like 13CRA) into the small intestine which will then bind to the fiber to be excreted. If you don't eat enough fiber, all of the bile (and toxins) will be reabsorbed via enterohepatic recirculation pathway. That's possibly why people get benefits from doing liver flushes - they flush out their intestines right after dumping their gallbladders of all the bile. I've only done one liver flush but I might do more. The video of the guy getting cured by them is too inspirational to just ignore. (A liver flush probably would be worthless for someone who doesn't have a gallbladder as a liver flush is actually just a gallbladder flush).
Hm, I think I touched on most of the major points. Let me know if you're curious about anything else. And I would love to help you as much as possible but my health limits me from doing so (dry eyes, painful to type, brain fog...).
-------
Regarding your zinc test - that's a really common test for deficiency. Zinc deficiency symptoms include: skin rashes, hair loss, diarrhea, immune impairment, impaired wound healing, night blindness, depression, cognitive decline, and behavioral disturbances. Even a mild deficiency can be detrimental to your immune system. I would stop attacking your infections and start working on making your body stronger to naturally fight them off. Balance copper and zinc. For more information, check out paul jaminet's perfect health diet book. He goes into great detail about a lot of vitamins and minerals. I highly recommend purchasing the book for information regarding nutrition and strategies to take to fight off infection. Be sure to balance your copper and zinc ratio. I recommend eating beef or lamb liver for the copper and oysters for your zinc (if trying to get out of a deficiency).
Link to a few sample pages of the perfect health diet book: Refer to pg 308-310 for some info about zinc/copper.
https://books.google.com/books?id=ABnIi7zVTYgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false - select "preview this book"
Thanks for sharing your results. I'm really sorry you had to get your gallbladder removed. That's harsh. Avoid conventional treatments like the plague unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. I'm sure you know all this by now but it's worth repeating.
I think you may be on to something about vit D supplementation causing increased negative symptoms. I may have noticed that at one point as well. If I were you, I'd go sunbathe for at least an hour a day in the brightest rays at mid-day. That's what I do. It's helped me alleviate my D deficiency.
I've been trying to get an appt. with a naturopathic physician. Do you recommend them? Also, if anyone has any ideas about where to get tested for systemic infections, do tell. I'm about to go to the Mayo clinic.
EDIT
*Sorry if my post seems scattered. I'm just trying to load as much info as I can into it.
Oh, and SIBO is HIGHLY correlated with causing fibromyalgia. Great book: Fibromyalgia in a nutshell.
I was disappointed when I tested negative for SIBO. I was hopeful that would be my main problem. You should really eat a low FODMAP diet / SCD to eliminate the bugs. An intestinal cleanse will do wonders as well. Look into colon hydrotherapy or colemas or perhaps oral based cleansers like an oxygen or fiber based one. PM me for recommendations if interested.
EDIT2
Funny how we went down the same route in regards to the H. pylori. I fought that for months thinking that was the problem. Luckily, I only did antibiotics once for it, though it was HARSH. I really screwed me up.
Are your liver enzymes still elevated? And if you keep testing positive for SIBO but cannot rid yourself of it, your immune system is probably too weak to keep it at bay. Please look into this diet: http://www.siboinfo.com/uploads/5/4/8/4/5484269/sibo_specific_diet_food_guide_sept_2014.pdf
If you adhere to this strictly, you may find SERIOUS relief. When you did your antibiotics/herbal programs, did you have a diet like this? If not, I would do the herbs again along with the diet. SIBO is very hard to get rid of. Maybe even do herbs, diet, AND antibiotics (a weak one like rifaximin). Then again, it depends on the type of SIBO. Not sure if you have methanogens or hydrogen producing bacteria. That will determine the type of antibiotic. siboinfo.com (as I'm sure you know about already.
Come back in 10 years when you are stuck on stupid and in even more debt with yourself then. We are not going to start pushing pot as the cure for accutane. It will help you ZIP long term. Go read the story about the lotus eaters. Cannabis is beneficial to our REM stages. Its healing properties are interesting but it will not heal a situation like this, typical cancer yes, anti cancer, no.
Summer is here.
Please everyone,
Do not believe what everyone says each time, or what is new, or even old.
People have good intentions but in my opinion are confused on where to start. It is hard when you're being sold 1000 things each question you have.
The power of the body to heal when simply left alone is amazing.
Fast as long as you can, honestly until you have to quit.
Please everyone,
Do not believe what everyone says each time, or what is new, or even old.
People have good intentions but in my opinion are confused on where to start. It is hard when you're being sold 1000 things each question you have.
The power of the body to heal when simply left alone is amazing.
Fast as long as you can, honestly until you have to quit.
What makes you so sure fasting will cure us? The Loren Lockman video? He believes fasting can cure ANYTHING. I'm not so sure. Did you know he is a Fruitarian? Not so sure I'd follow his advice. I personally did a 5 day fast and nothing happened. Fasting is a major stressor to the body. If you do a fast as long as he advocates, you could have MAJOR problems arise. Just be careful.. It does detox you quite well but only do it if you have built up a strong foundation of health first.
 
Please everyone,
Do not believe what everyone says each time, or what is new, or even old.
People have good intentions but in my opinion are confused on where to start. It is hard when you're being sold 1000 things each question you have.
The power of the body to heal when simply left alone is amazing.
Fast as long as you can, honestly until you have to quit.
 
What makes you so sure fasting will cure us? The Loren Lockman video? He believes fasting can cure ANYTHING. I'm not so sure. Did you know he is a Fruitarian? Not so sure I'd follow his advice. I personally did a 5 day fast and nothing happened. Fasting is a major stressor to the body. If you do a fast as long as he advocates, you could have MAJOR problems arise. Just be careful.. It does detox you quite well but only do it if you have built up a strong foundation of health first.
This is simply my advice, I have had great success with it, I am sorry you did not find anything out of it. Nearly everyone finds something doing a fast at a minimal euphoria! Don't expect it to happen the first flush, yes the body does a good job detoxing but this would be much past 5 days. There is absolutely nothing taxing on the body at all, in fact quite the opposite. Give it another few go's and may you feel better than the last time.
This is simply my advice, I have had great success with it, I am sorry you did not find anything out of it. Nearly everyone finds something doing a fast at a minimal euphoria! Don't expect it to happen the first flush, yes the body does a good job detoxing but this would be much past 5 days. There is absolutely nothing taxing on the body at all, in fact quite the opposite. Give it another few go's and may you feel better than the last time.
Did you detail your fasting experience anywhere? How long did you fast for? What symptoms did it relieve? I just do a 24 hour fast every couple of weeks. That 5 day fast really messed up my hunger hormones for a while afterwards. I may start another multi-day fast at one point but I'll probably include vegetable juices.
Recently watched this video again and it's making me want to give liver flushing another go..
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni5Vvd2K8-M
EDIT
Everyone here who is chronically suffering and would like some hope, check out this fantastic video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLAw4lN0zrs
I'm a bit OCD about improving my health through supplements since diet hasn't done much for me. Unfortunately, most of my mental and physical health issues are probably related to bad genetics that I've inherited from my parents so there's probably not much that I can do about it.
These are what I take frequently on top of exercise, healthy balanced diet and drinking juiced vegetables:
Jarrow Formulas Zinc balance (planning on trying Now Foods L-Optizinc but still unsure since it has 200% RDI zinc)
Now Foods Kelp 150mcg / Pure Encapsulations pottasium iodide 225mcg
Now Foods L-Selenomethionine 100mcg (I only take 50mcg occasionally by splitting the pill in half using Aplex Ultra Pill splitter)
Jarrow Formulas Magnesium L-threonate / Pure Encapsulations Magnesium Glycinate
Swansons Activated B-complex High Availability (planning on alternating between B-complex and Jarrow Formulas Methylfolate)
NutriGold Vitamin k2 as mk7
NutriGold Triple-Strength Fish oil / Dr. Tobias Optimum Omega 3 Fish oil / Viva Labs Krill oil
NutriGold Vitamin D3 1000mg
NutriGold CoQ10 100mg
Jarrow Formulas Dophilus-EPS (planning on trying Renew Life Ultimate Flora Critical Care 50 billion or Now Foods Probiotic-10 25 billion) I used to take VSL#3 but it became too expensive.
I think these should cover all the nutrients that my body needs that's hard to get sufficient levels from food, especially for those with suboptimal gut health like mine. Hope that helps anyone.
Source:
https://labdoor.com/rankings/probiotics
https://labdoor.com/rankings/fish-oil
https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/fish_oil_supplements_review/omega3/#results (must be a member to see it)
John Brisson's ebook "Fix your gut" has good supplement recommendations
[Edited link out]
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/330431/things_i_wish_i_had_known_about_b_vitamins/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/326hti/best_bcofactor_vitamins/
I hope you find out why your platelets are low and that it is nothing serious as well as your WBCs. That is good about the high alkaline phosphatase related to your bone growth. Also, thats good news about your TSH and testosterone. My hormones and libido are all messed up and the bioidentical hormones that I have tried just worsen my digestive symptoms. Im not sure about my steadily increasing B12. I have not been eating more vitamin B12 foods, and for some strange reason, I react negatively to B-complex vitamins. It increases this shakiness feeling that I get and increases my anxiety. Honestly, I am getting worse as the years go on, but my diet has not been consistently perfect for an extended period of time. I react horribly to vitamin A supplements, but I am not sure about the vitamin A in foods. Its really difficult to tell, because my body feels, well, inconsistent, and I have not tried to avoid foods with vitamin A in them yet to see how I feel. However, some days I have yellow skin from eating vegetables the day before.
Thank you for your advice and recommendations. I will get some copper to try to balance the copper/zinc ratio. I did one liver flush too when I first discovered I had gallstones. I felt amazingly well that night (less full, bloated) until the next day. I think it helped get rid of some of the bacterial overgrowth for a short period of time. I tried a 10-day water fast and had to stop because I kept blacking out due to my blood sugar level being extremely low. Yeah, I was really upset about the whole gallbladder ordeal. I really doubted it was a problem for years as I didnt have any more attacks after I took the medication to dissolve the gallstones which I had to literally beg the GI doctor for. She said it would never work, and I went back to her 6 months later with the images with no gallstones in my gallbladder, but she still told me it still needed to come out. I went back to her after it was removed last year in tears telling her that it was not the problem and that I still felt miserable. She just wanted to do a fourth SIBO test.
If you can find a good naturopathic physician, then it may be worth it. It would be good if you can find some unbiased reviews on that specific physician. It would be even better if you could find one that cures patients who have been Accucrapped on. I know, probably impossible to find one in this specialty. The one I went to had reviews on her website and of course they were all good. (I should have realized that any bad reviews would not have been posted on her website). I was not impressed with the one I went to because she was just guessing at what was wrong with me. However, I did appreciate the lab testing that she ordered. She was also into homeopathy which I wasnt interested in. Maybe you can try an infectious disease specialist in order to test for systemic infections? I wanted to go to one, before I just gave up on the doctors, or they gave up on me. After I got my gallbladder removed (but before I made the Accucrap connection), I submitted a request to be seen at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, but they denied the request, stating that I already had thorough testing performed to reach a possible diagnosis.
My liver enzymes are normal, they were only elevated in 2010. I did not follow this specific diet when I was on the antibiotics or antibacterials. I have an overgrowth of the hydrogen-producing bacteria according to each SIBO test, and I will follow this diet strictly and then I may try more antibacterials depending on how I feel after staying on the diet for awhile. I still have every supplement that she recommends on the siboinfo.com website. Thanks again for your recommendations.
Find out if your doctor is on a pharmaceutical company's payolaroll: https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars
The story here: https://www.propublica.org/article/a-pharma-payment-a-day-keeps-docs-finances-ok
I hope you find out why your platelets are low and that it is nothing serious as well as your WBCs. That is good about the high alkaline phosphatase related to your bone growth. Also, thats good news about your TSH and testosterone. My hormones and libido are all messed up and the bioidentical hormones that I have tried just worsen my digestive symptoms. Im not sure about my steadily increasing B12. I have not been eating more vitamin B12 foods, and for some strange reason, I react negatively to B-complex vitamins. It increases this shakiness feeling that I get and increases my anxiety. Honestly, I am getting worse as the years go on, but my diet has not been consistently perfect for an extended period of time. I react horribly to vitamin A supplements, but I am not sure about the vitamin A in foods. Its really difficult to tell, because my body feels, well, inconsistent, and I have not tried to avoid foods with vitamin A in them yet to see how I feel. However, some days I have yellow skin from eating vegetables the day before.
Thank you for your advice and recommendations. I will get some copper to try to balance the copper/zinc ratio. I did one liver flush too when I first discovered I had gallstones. I felt amazingly well that night (less full, bloated) until the next day. I think it helped get rid of some of the bacterial overgrowth for a short period of time. I tried a 10-day water fast and had to stop because I kept blacking out due to my blood sugar level being extremely low. Yeah, I was really upset about the whole gallbladder ordeal. I really doubted it was a problem for years as I didnt have any more attacks after I took the medication to dissolve the gallstones which I had to literally beg the GI doctor for. She said it would never work, and I went back to her 6 months later with the images with no gallstones in my gallbladder, but she still told me it still needed to come out. I went back to her after it was removed last year in tears telling her that it was not the problem and that I still felt miserable. She just wanted to do a fourth SIBO test.
If you can find a good naturopathic physician, then it may be worth it. It would be good if you can find some unbiased reviews on that specific physician. It would be even better if you could find one that cures patients who have been Accucrapped on. I know, probably impossible to find one in this specialty. The one I went to had reviews on her website and of course they were all good. (I should have realized that any bad reviews would not have been posted on her website). I was not impressed with the one I went to because she was just guessing at what was wrong with me. However, I did appreciate the lab testing that she ordered. She was also into homeopathy which I wasnt interested in. Maybe you can try an infectious disease specialist in order to test for systemic infections? I wanted to go to one, before I just gave up on the doctors, or they gave up on me. After I got my gallbladder removed (but before I made the Accucrap connection), I submitted a request to be seen at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, but they denied the request, stating that I already had thorough testing performed to reach a possible diagnosis.
My liver enzymes are normal, they were only elevated in 2010. I did not follow this specific diet when I was on the antibiotics or antibacterials. I have an overgrowth of the hydrogen-producing bacteria according to each SIBO test, and I will follow this diet strictly and then I may try more antibacterials depending on how I feel after staying on the diet for awhile. I still have every supplement that she recommends on the siboinfo.com website. Thanks again for your recommendations.
You're actually lucky you have SIBO, believe it or not. At least you have found something wrong with you on paper. You actually have a direction. I would focus 100% of my energy on your SIBO. Keep doing everything possible to cure that and retest it. You may require prokinetics post treatment to get that migrating motor complex moving. Hopefully you don't have damaged nerve cells (interstitial cells of cajal) that are preventing that peristalsis from happening.
Since you have the hydrogen producing bacteria (luckily), you can use the rifaximin antibiotic which isn't near as deadly as most other antibiotics. It's non-absorbable, anti-inflammatory, and doesn't cause yeast overgrowth. The main benefit is that it's not a systemic antibiotic. If you ever have to go on antibiotics again, be sure it is that one.
Also, the herbal treatment has to be at the very minimum 4 weeks long along with the diet. I'd use a combination of all those herbs she recommends. You can beat this. And walk a lot and exercise if at all possible to get your intestines moving. Drink LOADS of water. You may even want to do an elemental diet if you can't get rid of it. That's what I would do before going on antibiotics again. But definitely try to beat the overgrowth. That can cause SOOOO many issues. It might be your main problem; and once cured, you will start healing (:
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Your acetylation pathway may not be working optimally. That can be the cause of B vitamins giving you strange symptoms. They are not breaking down properly. Or perhaps you do need them and the symptoms are sort of a herxheimer reaction. I'd advise not taking supplements unless necessary. Avoid taking a copper supplement. Go eat liver for it - and oysters for your zinc. But before doing any of that, cure the SIBO. It will keep you malnourished until you cure it. Also, the bacteria can use your nutrients to their advantage. Don't supplement while having an active infection.
You had yellow skin from eating vegetables? What do you mean? What kind of veggies - beta carotene containing ones like sweet potatoes? The yellow skin might be from liver problems (jaundice).
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And don't feel alone in this. Even though you've been through hell, imagine what it'll be like once you FINALLY get through this - all the knowledge you've gained, the experiences, etc..
Thanks for posting more of your experiences and the info about your naturopath. I called one today but they didn't answer. Hopefully they will call me back soon - been trying to get in contact with them for 2 wks now..
By the way, my latest blood test from 2 months ago revealed my alkaline phosphatase is slightly elevated again (but nowhere near as bad as it once was when I was growing). It's 131 now. The results are updated in my signature link below just in case you're interested. It may be possible that I am having some liver issues. Not sure..
EDIT:
Anyone ever heard of this book? http://www.amazon.com/The-Goose-That-Laid-Golden/dp/1463648812
I have so many of the same symptoms as you and others being Accucrapped on, that I am not even sure that I have SIBO. It may have been a false positive as most of the GI doctors tell me since the numerous antibiotics did absolutely nothing. Or I may have SIBO, but the drug destroyed my body so much that I cannot fight the overgrowth. I will try again to see if there is any improvement with the SIBO diet and then may add in the antibacterial supplements for a month.
When I eat raw vegetables like spinach or kale, I notice the next morning my skin usually has a yellowish tint to it (instead of being the usual pale it is these years), but the yellowish tint goes away within a couple hours. I have told the doctors about it, but they just tell me well, you dont look yellow now. I hope your liver is just fine. I dont know if you have had any abdominal imaging done to look at your liver, spleen, etc, but it might be worth it just to make sure everything is okay. I really think something is wrong with my liver, despite normal liver enzymes and normal images of it. These past 5 years, I drank alcohol maybe three or four times. Those times that I drank something, which was very little, I would wake up in the morning with pain where the liver is located. Also, the surgeon gave me some pain pills after my gallbladder surgery, and I took one and I woke up in the middle of the night in pain in that area. When I tried acupuncture, she told me that people who are under extreme stress feel pain there. I dont know about this, but hopefully our livers are just fine. She also told me that the gallbladder is the angry organ, but now that I dont have one anymore, I am still angry, oh I may be even angrier now!
Thanks again for your help.
Find out if your doctor is on a pharmaceutical company's payolaroll: https://projects.pro....org/docdollars
The story here: https://www.propubli...ocs-finances-ok
Well, my dermatologist is on here. I calmed down a bit when I didn't see that dreaded drug listed under payment details. However, there were a few payments that had 'no listed product' next to some of the pharmaceutical companies. The highest payment received did not have the drug listed, so when I searched the drugs manufactured by that specific company....well, there it was...isotretinoin.
The last time I went to my dermatologist, after I made the connection with my declining health and the drug, she was supposed to call some of my doctors and get back to me with what to do. When she didn't contact me for weeks, I complained to the office manager. One of the things that I complained about was that the dermatologist doesn't care about the health of her patients and only cares about getting paid from the pharmaceutical companies. She denied this and said that she doesn't receive any money from them. 
Find out if your doctor is on a pharmaceutical company's payolaroll: https://projects.pro....org/docdollars
The story here: https://www.propubli...ocs-finances-ok
Well, my dermatologist is on here. I calmed down a bit when I didn't see that dreaded drug listed under payment details. However, there were a few payments that had 'no listed product' next to some of the pharmaceutical companies. The highest payment received did not have the drug listed, so when I searched the drugs manufactured by that specific company....well, there it was...isotretinoin.
The last time I went to my dermatologist, after I made the connection with my declining health and the drug, she was supposed to call some of my doctors and get back to me with what to do. When she didn't contact me for weeks, I complained to the office manager. One of the things that I complained about was that the dermatologist doesn't care about the health of her patients and only cares about getting paid from the pharmaceutical companies. She denied this and said that she doesn't receive any money from them.
She might not have taken money. It could have been any sort of gift.
You should leave reviews of this doctor stating the facts that you have at hand.
What is her name, if you don't mind?
No shame in shaming the shameful.
You should leave reviews of this doctor stating the facts that you have at hand.
What is her name, if you don't mind?
Her name is Adrienne Feasel. The total amount of money that is listed as being paid from the pharmaceutical companies to her during that time frame isn't a large amount. I was nosey and looked up a few of the other doctors that I had seen over the years and one doctor is listed as being paid over 10 times her amount. The payment that is listed under her name from a manufacturer of isotretinoin is $500 from Ranbaxy, Inc. I guess it could have been for something else or some other drug as they do manufacture many drugs. I did leave one review previously and I will definitely leave more on other websites.
@ Trapt, -thanks. Could have just been a meal for the office paid for by Ranbaxy. Still sounds like a shitty, dismissive doctor.
Just wondering, Do you guys working on other ways of self improvement (going to the gym, advancing your career) or is your only focus in your life (currently) is trying to repair the accutane damage?
I work out for an hour 4-5 days every week, fought to advance in my career in the past 11 years (but didn't make it very far with that), and earned a college degree while working 48 hour weeks, since taking Accutane
Feeling like shit mentally, not having the ability to feel happiness from accomplishments, and not being able to feel much pleasure from sex or function properly sexually, makes the effort not worth it. Trying to keep my life out of the muck until some way to treat my symptoms is discovered, but fighting the travesty of Accutane "politics" comes above all else.
There seems to be a mistaken impression that the people bashing Accutane are all just lazy belly-achers.
Just wondering, Do you guys working on other ways of self improvement (going to the gym, advancing your career) or is your only focus in your life (currently) is trying to repair the accutane damage?
That's a tough question. It kind of touches on 'purpose' and the 'meaning of life'.
I've managed to barely finish a standard degree, and it only took me 10 years...(I am 8 years post accutane) Really the only value I see from it, aside from knowledge, which is useful, is to get a job for the benefits of health insurance and security. But what is security when everything is seemingly lost? It's kind of like installing ADT into your house after its been broken into.
Exercise and or 'going to the gym' is obviously a big part of health, which is important, especially post Accutane (for me at least). Believe it or not, Accutane has sort of enhanced some aspects of physical performance in a negative way (if that makes sense). The desensitization of my brain coupled with blunted nerves has given me the ability to run long distances without feeling fatigue. I've also lost the ability or feeling to produce lactic acid in my muscles, so they work until failure, not fatigue. The downsides of this is I don't know when to quit exercising. Usually a signal such as stress on the bone or tendon tells me when to stop. Another negative for me post tane is joint and tendon inflammation. As long as I can manage those issues, the sky is the limit for my muscles, as far as definition. However, increasing size and volume is challenging post tane. As far as aesthetics go, I am in superior shape, rivaling athletes and the military. I admit, I do spend countless hours exercising. The pleasure/dopamine release is there, although it is minimal now, not like it once used to be.
I read a study on mice who were social and exercised tended to live longer. So the other year I took initiative and I currently work part time (sometimes outdoors) and have had to rework on all of my old social skills that society commands of you (saying 'hello' to people on a nice day, smiling, conversing with strangers) I understand and see the point of it, and don't mind doing it, although it's more for them, I don't get much out of meeting new people anymore. But, I found this approach better for me holistically for my post accutane anxiety, rather than going the pharmacological route. That is: Exercise and social settings in an outdoor area.
I am still active sexually, although women (who naturally have a heightened sense of feeling and emotion) are unable to get a read on me, and usually think it's my disinterest in them. But I do enjoy their attributes, as well as their flaws, and appreciate them either way. I do enjoy sex, but falling in "love" is not really a possibility. I've been with physically beautiful women, with great minds alike (the past two were law grads) but I easily notice the flaws in them (as all aging humans)...the thinning of their hair, yellowing of the their teeth...Honestly, I just see a hormonally active 27 year old full of life that's ready to procreate and take initiative in their careers looking for whatever it is they are looking for. All this world has to offer.
So, yes some of us have taken initiative, although repairing damage from accutane and finding the meaning of life is sort of the same thing. Maybe I am focusing on it more than I should. Michio Kaku the physicist, suggests that the 'meaning of life' consists of relationships and work. These are two fundamental essentials of humanity. I can see why it would be in everyone's interest to expand in the two. They almost go hand in hand.
Just wondering, Do you guys working on other ways of self improvement (going to the gym, advancing your career) or is your only focus in your life (currently) is trying to repair the accutane damage?
That's a tough question. It kind of touches on 'purpose' and the 'meaning of life'.
I've managed to barely finish a standard degree, and it only took me 10 years...(I am 8 years post accutane) Really the only value I see from it, aside from knowledge, which is useful, is to get a job for the benefits of health insurance and security. But what is security when everything is seemingly lost? It's kind of like installing ADT into your house after its been broken into.
Exercise and or 'going to the gym' is obviously a big part of health, which is important, especially post Accutane (for me at least). Believe it or not, Accutane has sort of enhanced some aspects of physical performance in a negative way (if that makes sense). The desensitization of my brain coupled with blunted nerves has given me the ability to run long distances without feeling fatigue. I've also lost the ability or feeling to produce lactic acid in my muscles, so they work until failure, not fatigue. The downsides of this is I don't know when to quit exercising. Usually a signal such as stress on the bone or tendon tells me when to stop. Another negative for me post tane is joint and tendon inflammation. As long as I can manage those issues, the sky is the limit for my muscles, as far as definition. However, increasing size and volume is challenging post tane. As far as aesthetics go, I am in superior shape, rivaling athletes and the military. I admit, I do spend countless hours exercising. The pleasure/dopamine release is there, although it is minimal now, not like it once used to be.
I read a study on mice who were social and exercised tended to live longer. So the other year I took initiative and I currently work part time (sometimes outdoors) and have had to rework on all of my old social skills that society commands of you (saying 'hello' to people on a nice day, smiling, conversing with strangers) I understand and see the point of it, and don't mind doing it, although it's more for them, I don't get much out of meeting new people anymore. But, I found this approach better for me holistically for my post accutane anxiety, rather than going the pharmacological route. That is: Exercise and social settings in an outdoor area.
I am still active sexually, although women (who naturally have a heightened sense of feeling and emotion) are unable to get a read on me, and usually think it's my disinterest in them. But I do enjoy their attributes, as well as their flaws, and appreciate them either way. I do enjoy sex, but falling in "love" is not really a possibility. I've been with physically beautiful women, with great minds alike (the past two were law grads) but I easily notice the flaws in them (as all aging humans)...the thinning of their hair, yellowing of the their teeth...Honestly, I just see a hormonally active 27 year old full of life that's ready to procreate and take initiative in their careers looking for whatever it is they are looking for. All this world has to offer.
So, yes some of us have taken initiative, although repairing damage from accutane and finding the meaning of life is sort of the same thing. Maybe I am focusing on it more than I should. Michio Kaku the physicist, suggests that the 'meaning of life' consists of relationships and work. These are two fundamental essentials of humanity. I can see why it would be in everyone's interest to expand in the two. They almost go hand in hand.
do you have trouble gaining mass? i seem to be having that too. can't gain a lick