Small personal update:

My digestive system has still seemed off but it has become much better. I have been eating a very healthy and heavy protein diet. Think berries, fruits, lots of greens, and more than my body weight in grams of protein. I am taking Enzymatics 2 week Complete Liver cleanse slightly sporadically, not exactly what the directions say. I cannot say if this is helping or not, too many factors to account for. Anyways, my stomach bloating is gone and most of my digestive woes have cleared.

I'm still left with an embarrassingly wrinkled and aged face though. Reapplying lotion helps but I look pretty weird being this young and wrinkly looking lol.

My hair is alive again and my libido seems to have returned to normal. Why? I have no idea. The only things I've done different is drink more water and get back to playing sports.

Just felt like checking in.

My hair is alive again and my libido seems to have returned to normal. Why? I have no idea. The only things I've done different is drink more water and get back to playing sports.

 

Just felt like checking in.

 

Holy shit, SClippers. How are you doing? That one terrible forum I saw you post on where they told you to put lotion on every day and that would cure your problem caused me to find this forum. Sports and exercise, eh? Seems like something to consider.

 

@Chico: And what if this telomere theory is true, even in part? Not only has the quality of our lives been affected, but our actual lifespan has been diminished. I've been doing some research and keep running into things like, "research that shows that all-trans retinoic acid (abbreviated ATRA which is the final biologically active metabolite that Accutane turns into) down-regulates the telomerase enzyme (pronounced TEE-LA-MER-AZE) and induces telomere shortening and cell death. Accutane causes telomere shortening leading to permanently arrested cell division / proliferation."

 

@Nick Ryan i'm not disputing what you say, i presume the skin proliferation is just on your face and scalp......if it was a telomer thing it would be over your whole body. In my opinion and this is just from my experience...the retinoic acid is still in your body and the areas in which you have increased skin cell turnover are the areas where the retinoic acid is stored. Retinoic acid binds to the vitamin A receptors (when it's stored in the fat cells) and causes the increase in skin cell growth...so instead of the body taking 28 days for new skin cells to be made, the skin cells are being created much quicker. It looks like peeling / dry skin to a dermatogist or untrained professional, sometimes they diagnose it as sebborheic dermatitis, psoriasis etc....it's essentially the same thing, just different dermatologists diagnose it differently.

Heres something that may explain my point, when someone develops hypervitaminosis A from eating chicken liver every single day lets say. The liver gets filled up with more and more retinol everytime that person eats chicken liver. Let's say they're also supplementing with a few tablespoons of cod liver oil as well. Eventually the liver won't be able to hold all the retinol anymore, it'll reach it's limit. So after this point the body will store the retinol coming in from the cod liver oil and the chicken liver in the body fat. The person will start to develop dry peeling skin on their face and scalp. The more chicken liver / cod liver oil they eat, the worse the skin peeling will become. Whats interesting is they won't develop the dry peeling skin until the liver is unable to store the retinol anymore. What this proves is retinol stored in the liver doesn't cause the skin shedding until it's stored in the fat cells, thats when the increased skin cell division / skin peeling takes place.

Now accutane is not stored in the liver so you can bypass the whole story about retinol storing itself in the liver, excess accutane is either removed from the body or stored in the fat.....there is no other way, the body cant store it in the liver to protect itself....so when accutane is stored in the fat cells it causes all these hypervitaminosis style effects. Thats why so many people on this board cant eat retinol containing foods. Hope that makes sense from my stand point and how i see it.

 

Chico, that does make sense... However, what do you have to say about http://www.pnas.org/...4/5111.full.pdf ? Perhaps certain areas of the body are more affected than others, just like certain types of people are more susceptible to the damage in the first place.

At any rate, how is your fasting/detoxing coming?

*UPDATE*

1- Genetically engineered mice specifically to promote cancer through telomerase dysfunction and permanently knocking our tumor suppressors p53 and ptendoes not provide useful data for transient telomerase. This is a non-issue, because later tests in 2011 by Maria Blasco (not TA Sciences) who is an expert in the field suggest no increase in cancer incidence. The study was made to understand the progression of cancer, and does not show that any transient telomerase activators will have the same effect. in the journal Aging Cell led by investigators Maria Blasco and Calvin Harley, the investigators demonstrated that telomerase activator TA-65 elongates telomeres and increases health span of old mice without increasing the cancer incidence (Aging Cell March 2011, pp 1-18)

So we needn't fear using these products if our telomeres were shortened. Just do remember they need to be used for short periods of time and cycled off.

My hair is alive again and my libido seems to have returned to normal. Why? I have no idea. The only things I've done different is drink more water and get back to playing sports.

 

Just felt like checking in.

 

That's very interesting!

I remember reading your posts over a year ago, so it's good to see you're getting better.

I have to say, I'm rather envious!

I already drink a ton of water every day - probably the equivalent of 10-12 glasses a day, if that includes green tea.

How much were you drinking and how much are you drinking now?

In terms of sports, which are you doing? And how often a week?

What's your lifestyle like? Are you working?

How long had/have you been suffering from side effects?

What's your diet like?

What other side effects, if any, did the drug give you, and have these improved at all?

It was September when you last posted, so you must of had a Christmas Miracle or something!

By 'Alive', do you mean your hair has grown in at the sides where it was thinner?

Have you been happier at all, leading up to the growth of your hair?

Had you been focusing on your problems, visiting this site, or looking for a cure every day?

I was wanting to do more exercise, as I've been enjoying badminton each week and figure it'll destress me if anything.

This isn't the first time I've heard of a seemingly spontaneous recovery.

One other person told me of a girl they're friends with recovering without having to do anything (though he said she started going out with friends and stuff before things got better).

Sorry for the bundle of questions, but I'd appreciate it if you answered them all

OK, I think I've figured out where I stand with the Accutane damage.

First, I definitely have intrahepatic cholestasis. It's not complete, just partial. All the symptoms are there - pale stool, greasy floaters when I slightly increase dietary fat content, darkening in color and improved quality when taking TUDCA, inability to tolerate fat, etc.

Now let's zoom out and look at the whole picture. There are three components:

1. Intrahepatic cholestasis, medium severity.

2. Intestinal lining sensitivity, high severity.

3. Intestinal irritation buildup.

Ok, now let's go back to symptom onset.

Looking back, I can say that it was in sophomore year that the biological darkness closed in. I never really saw a break in the clouds until after I quit my job in HK. I remember being a different person, health-wise, in high school. [redacted]

Now in order to understand the subsequent history, one has to understand all the sliding scales involved.

First, Accutane damage doesn't show up immediately or all at once. It seems to follow a sine curve of symptom appearance, gradual worsening, and then a tapering off of additional appearances. This process can take years. That's the first slider - Accutane symptom development. I believe this process is complete for me now.

Accutane functions by targeting fast dividing cells via a synthetic variant of Vitaminosis-A. The toxicity partially shut down my liver, of course. Most of my body was resilient enough to withstand the drying effects. I don't have dry eyes, peeling skin, cracking joints, etc. However, my gut was so lucky. The fast dividing cells of the intestinal mucosal lining were devastated. The thinned lining increased intestinal sensitivity and permeability, leading to Leaky Gut, creating many more food intolerances.

I was able to function at a reasonable level in college due to the fact that college is easy, food was decent, and I had time to recuperate. However, once I started working in HK, I began accumulating irritation buildup due to stress and bad food. This could've eventually led to a more serious condition like IBD or Crohn. Fortunately I took corrective measures, including quitting my job. At present I don't think I have any damage accumulated on this slider.

The third slider has to do with intrahepatic cholestasis and bile production. The less fat you eat, the less bile you produce, and the less fat you can digest. My stable point is therefore at an extremely low level of fat intake. Yet as I continued to reduce my fat intake during my long series of self-experiments, I had to keep chasing ever lower percentages, generating lots of confusion.

I'm now at an extremely low level of bile production, so I am hyper-sensitive to fat. If I switch fish from cod to sole fillet, even if I steam it so that the fat drains, it will still sap me for a day.

So this brings us up to the present. Due to thinned intestinal lining, I can't even tolerate the magnesium stearate in TUDCA, the medicine that would fix my intrahepatic cholestasis. My next angle of attack will be to try two things:

1. Massive probiotic doses, which have helped someone with nearly the same symptom set as me, and

2. Liver-targeting herbs that don't contain mag stearate.

If these fail, I will try L-glutamine and other intestine-support leaky gut type stuff. There are also a number of other potential cures I can look at. The above are the ones currently at the top of my list.

In the mean time, I will reduce fat consumption as much as is feasible, and test whether or not I can tolerate scallops, to clear up an ambiguous prior test.

This was a very complex puzzle to solve, and it still is proving challenging to cure even once the causes are known. I still need to prove out that I can be at 100% on this low-fat meat and rice diet, like I was in [redcated]'s home town. So I'm not going to do any further experiments until I prove that.

Oh yeah, and I figured out that any restaurant meat is no good, because it's marinated. So I can only eat shrimp or steamed seafood (not fish, too fatty), which won't be marinated.

One more thing. I figured out that cycle length for an infraction depends on the amount I eat while I'm down. The more I eat, the faster it moves through. Length is 5 days at max eating and 8-9 days if I have to cook for myself, because I don't have the energy to cook more than maybe once per day, or not at all.

Hey Guys...

Just a quick update.

I started my new job 6 weeks ago.

Ever since, my bosses have been unapproachable and cold.

My last job was very easy and consisted of few duties.

This job has about a dozen of different things.

Anyway...

Today I decided 'I'm not going to remain miserable here any longer'.

I've been coming home totally stressed out and it's not worth it, just for money.

I don't want to become a wage slave.

It's not just the fact I work for a couple of meanies though.

I just feel like I'd be stupid to force myself through full-time work while I'm going through this.

Of course, I'm relying on getting better in order to eventually work full time again, but all I can do is think about the present moment and hope for the best.

And I'm in no state to work 37 hours a week, in a high-stress environment.

I spoke to my agency (as the job was given to me by them) and I've agreed to stay in the job until they've filled the post again.

This should take about 4-6 weeks.

For that length of time, I should be able to bear it.

My plan is then to find a part-time job.

Retail seems like the most likely option.

It's not the dream job, obviously, but it'll do for now, and then hopefully I'll be doing a course in September (music).

I also feel like accountancy is a waste of time anyway.

It's not what I want to do, and I'm just creating a work history that isn't me.

Ideally, I'll get a 3 day-per-week job and then focus on getting happy/healthy in my spare time.

I want to work on writing, and getting fitter (and getting better at music).

My adrenals and hypothyroid aren't going to get better unless I make positive lifestyle changes.

I also don't want my gums to recede further, or some new problem to crop up.

I don't necessarily think Accutane caused my slight gum-receding... not directly anyway.

I looked online and found that both stress and a weakened immune system can cause this.

Luckily, my Mum was understanding about my leaving my job so soon.

So long as I don't sit about every day playing Xbox.

This time, I can't do that. I don't have enough money saved up to do nothing, and I still have a car to run.

I'll keep applying for jobs until I get one, but I'm aware that the economy is awful right now.

But when will it not be, right?

On a side-note, does anyone else get terrible body-odour, no matter if you spray deodrant or anti-persperant?

I remember this being a problem while I was taking Accutane, but it's bad again now.

I assume it's the toxins being released through sweat?

My farts can smell god-awful sometimes too.

(Lovely)

Anyway, SClippers made me feel motivated to do more sport.

I cannot wait for badminton tonight, and as soon as I can, I will fit in more sports.

At the moment, I just don't have a lot of time.

I've also been neglecting going outside and getting fresh air.

I used to walk my dog every day when I was off.

I miss that.

She's fucking cute as hell.

That's all I had to say.

Bye

 

My hair is alive again and my libido seems to have returned to normal. Why? I have no idea. The only things I've done different is drink more water and get back to playing sports.

 

Just felt like checking in.

 

 

That's very interesting!

I remember reading your posts over a year ago, so it's good to see you're getting better.

I have to say, I'm rather envious!

 

I already drink a ton of water every day - probably the equivalent of 10-12 glasses a day, if that includes green tea.

How much were you drinking and how much are you drinking now?

 

In terms of sports, which are you doing? And how often a week?

What's your lifestyle like? Are you working?

 

How long had/have you been suffering from side effects?

What's your diet like?

 

What other side effects, if any, did the drug give you, and have these improved at all?

 

It was September when you last posted, so you must of had a Christmas Miracle or something!

By 'Alive', do you mean your hair has grown in at the sides where it was thinner?

 

Have you been happier at all, leading up to the growth of your hair?

Had you been focusing on your problems, visiting this site, or looking for a cure every day?

 

I was wanting to do more exercise, as I've been enjoying badminton each week and figure it'll destress me if anything.

This isn't the first time I've heard of a seemingly spontaneous recovery.

One other person told me of a girl they're friends with recovering without having to do anything (though he said she started going out with friends and stuff before things got better).

 

Sorry for the bundle of questions, but I'd appreciate it if you answered them all

 

Outside of milk which Ive read is made up of primarily water; I consumed at most 500-1L of water a day. I now drink anywhere from 3-4 L of water a day and the difference is day and night.

I now run and play basketball on top of weight training 3-4 times a week. To put things in perspective, I went from being a sedentary depressed slob to a guy who takes a keen interest in retooling his body and mind. Im pretty much engaged in some form of physical activity at least every day, whether its stretching or playing a sport.

My diet is also much improved in that I consume at least a gram of protein per lb of bodyweight and supplement with Vitamin B-C-D and E.

My prominent side effects were: insomnia, weak joints, worse eye sight, temple recession, memory loss and trouble with retaining info. Im probably forgetting a ton more side effects but if you surf through my posts my main complaints were with my hair and not the other side effects.

And by alive I mean physically and spiritually. My hair is as close to normal as itll ever be and Ive regained my vigor for life. My temples have grown in a bit thicker and the straw like feeling seems to have all but vanished and I have no idea why.

Happier? How cant I be?! Im literally a new man and I wouldnt specifically attribute it my new change to my hair growth or my vanishing symptoms. Sure it plays a part but Ive been doing a lot of soul searching and I must have stumbled upon some earth shattering during my soul searching phase because something broke through. Kinda like the proverbial sun beam breaking through a black cloud.

Have I been focusing on my problems or visiting the site? No. I totally immersed myself in my studies and actually living my life compared to visiting the site and using this thread and others as my personal vent blogs. I do also spend a ton of time gaming and watching movies so Im not this goal driven guy. Im just living my life rather than falling victim to my side effects.

 

My hair is alive again and my libido seems to have returned to normal. Why? I have no idea. The only things I've done different is drink more water and get back to playing sports.

 

Just felt like checking in.

 

 

Holy shit, SClippers. How are you doing? That one terrible forum I saw you post on where they told you to put lotion on every day and that would cure your problem caused me to find this forum. Sports and exercise, eh? Seems like something to consider.

 

 

I'm doing great now lol thanks for asking. I rarely lurk around here anymore now that I'm better but are you suffering from similar side effects?

 

 

My hair is alive again and my libido seems to have returned to normal. Why? I have no idea. The only things I've done different is drink more water and get back to playing sports.

 

Just felt like checking in.

 

 

That's very interesting!

I remember reading your posts over a year ago, so it's good to see you're getting better.

I have to say, I'm rather envious!

 

I already drink a ton of water every day - probably the equivalent of 10-12 glasses a day, if that includes green tea.

How much were you drinking and how much are you drinking now?

 

In terms of sports, which are you doing? And how often a week?

What's your lifestyle like? Are you working?

 

How long had/have you been suffering from side effects?

What's your diet like?

 

What other side effects, if any, did the drug give you, and have these improved at all?

 

It was September when you last posted, so you must of had a Christmas Miracle or something!

By 'Alive', do you mean your hair has grown in at the sides where it was thinner?

 

Have you been happier at all, leading up to the growth of your hair?

Had you been focusing on your problems, visiting this site, or looking for a cure every day?

 

I was wanting to do more exercise, as I've been enjoying badminton each week and figure it'll destress me if anything.

This isn't the first time I've heard of a seemingly spontaneous recovery.

One other person told me of a girl they're friends with recovering without having to do anything (though he said she started going out with friends and stuff before things got better).

 

Sorry for the bundle of questions, but I'd appreciate it if you answered them all

 

Outside of milk which Ive read is made up of primarily water; I consumed at most 500-1L of water a day. I now drink anywhere from 3-4 L of water a day and the difference is day and night.

I now run and play basketball on top of weight training 3-4 times a week. To put things in perspective, I went from being a sedentary depressed slob to a guy who takes a keen interest in retooling his body and mind. Im pretty much engaged in some form of physical activity at least every day, whether its stretching or playing a sport.

My diet is also much improved in that I consume at least a gram of protein per lb of bodyweight and supplement with Vitamin B-C-D and E.

My prominent side effects were: insomnia, weak joints, worse eye sight, temple recession, memory loss and trouble with retaining info. Im probably forgetting a ton more side effects but if you surf through my posts my main complaints were with my hair and not the other side effects.

And by alive I mean physically and spiritually. My hair is as close to normal as itll ever be and Ive regained my vigor for life. My temples have grown in a bit thicker and the straw like feeling seems to have all but vanished and I have no idea why.

Happier? How cant I be?! Im literally a new man and I wouldnt specifically attribute it my new change to my hair growth or my vanishing symptoms. Sure it plays a part but Ive been doing a lot of soul searching and I must have stumbled upon some earth shattering during my soul searching phase because something broke through. Kinda like the proverbial sun beam breaking through a black cloud.

Have I been focusing on my problems or visiting the site? No. I totally immersed myself in my studies and actually living my life compared to visiting the site and using this thread and others as my personal vent blogs. I do also spend a ton of time gaming and watching movies so Im not this goal driven guy. Im just living my life rather than falling victim to my side effects.

 

 

 

 

 

My hair is alive again and my libido seems to have returned to normal. Why? I have no idea. The only things I've done different is drink more water and get back to playing sports.

 

Just felt like checking in.

 

 

Holy shit, SClippers. How are you doing? That one terrible forum I saw you post on where they told you to put lotion on every day and that would cure your problem caused me to find this forum. Sports and exercise, eh? Seems like something to consider.

 

 

 

I'm doing great now lol thanks for asking. I rarely lurk around here anymore now that I'm better but are you suffering from similar side effects?

 

Yeah.. I'm still suffering from the side effects you were suffering from. Perhaps I should start working out a lot and just making sure I drink water, then.

Right, I've had an email from SpectraCell, and despite being US based, their telomere testing is available to the UK as well. Get in! I'm just awaiting further contact to know more information. The original company that proposed UK testing, Life Length, blanked my email, which is very annoying when I am DESPERATE for answers. However, my dad contacted a hospital yesturday who knew about the telomere testing with Life Length (a Spanish lab) and it is not available in the UK yet, but might be later this year. I would like to know if anyone else has had this done (telomere testing) - I asked Nathan and he knew about it, but didn't answer my question if he or anyone else he might know who's had it done. I know you can't 'prove' Accutane is the cause, but you'd have to be an ignorant, drug-loving, doctor worshipper to not see the link, at least in my case. Health doesn't implode without a cause.

I haven't started, or even ordered the B6 yet because I've had such a bad cold this week, which is harder to deal with when Accutane runs me down as it is. I think I'm over the worst now and will get it ordered hopefully this weekend, in hope it helps with with something at least.

Anyway, I'll keep you guys updated on the telomere progessing as and when it happens. Answers need to be found.

I wish I could help you. I was on accutane for a year and not only did it not clear my acne but left me with long term side effects.

 

Of course, this was 7 years ago. I didn't do any research (I was a teenager), there weren't websites like this for acne....

 

How people here can read through these replies and still decide to take this horrible drug just to get rid of their zits is beyond me. Really tempting fate!!

 

"just to get rid of their zits is beyond me" - Do you know why this is beyond you? The answer is simply because you've obviously never suffered from acne the way most of us do. A zit is not just a zit to many of us here, its a life threatening disease which RUINS LIVES. Get it?

Depression

Social phobia

Anxiety disorders

Impaired self-image and self-esteem

Social dysfunction

Reduced quality of life

.. is just some of the MANY psychological effects acne victims have to deal with. Dont you agree that this is a lot worse than having the possible side effects of Accutane?

Some people say its better to go on anti-biotics or topical treatments instead, because you are less likely to catch a side effect. True, but what most people forget is that all of these treatments have side effects aswell. And when you pile them together, the list of side effects are potentially much worse than accutane alone. I.e troughout my five years of dealing with acne, I have been subscribed a total of 8 different treatments before accutane. Tetracycline, Oxytetral, Ery-Max, Fineacea Gel, Dalacin, Retin-A, Salysic acid just to mention some.

To all the people out there,- please dont let threads and posts like this get in your way of clearing your face once and for all. I mean, common, its a prescription drug, not a suicide pill. If you notice any potential serious side effects when being on this drug, then call a professional like a derm and ask him/her about it. Its really not that big of a deal.

 

I wish I could help you. I was on accutane for a year and not only did it not clear my acne but left me with long term side effects.

 

Of course, this was 7 years ago. I didn't do any research (I was a teenager), there weren't websites like this for acne....

 

How people here can read through these replies and still decide to take this horrible drug just to get rid of their zits is beyond me. Really tempting fate!!

 

 

"just to get rid of their zits is beyond me" - Do you know why this is beyond you? The answer is simply because you've obviously never suffered from acne the way most of us do. A zit is not just a zit to many of us here, its a life threatening disease which RUINS LIVES. Get it?

 

Depression

Social phobia

Anxiety disorders

Impaired self-image and self-esteem

Social dysfunction

Reduced quality of life

 

.. is just some of the MANY psychological effects acne victims have to deal with. Dont you agree that this is a lot worse than having the possible side effects of Accutane?

 

Some people say its better to go on anti-biotics or topical treatments instead, because you are less likely to catch a side effect. True, but what most people forget is that all of these treatments have side effects aswell. And when you pile them together, the list of side effects are potentially much worse than accutane alone. I.e troughout my five years of dealing with acne, I have been subscribed a total of 8 different treatments before accutane. Tetracycline, Oxytetral, Ery-Max, Fineacea Gel, Dalacin, Retin-A, Salysic acid just to mention some.

 

To all the people out there,- please dont let threads and posts like this get in your way of clearing your face once and for all. I mean, common, its a prescription drug, not a suicide pill. If you notice any potential serious side effects when being on this drug, then call a professional like a derm and ask him/her about it. Its really not that big of a deal.

 

1. This is a thread for suffers looking for answers regarding thier side effects and a support for us. Not sure why you commented on a post from May

Also I find this interesting ISN'T THIS YOU IN A THREAD OF YOUR OWN JUST TODAY

http://www.acne.org/...blurred-vision/

Hi everyone.

This is my fifth day on Accutane 40mg and besides from breaking out I have noticed decreased/blurred vision both day and night. I actually had to move my computer screen closer because reading got difficult. It feels strange, like I'm living in a dream of some sort, like my brain and eyes are not properly wired . I'm used to reading at high speed but now, it feels like everything is going slow motion and I cannot focus on the same thing for longer periods.

Anyone else experienced this?

Yes, Accutane can cause blurred vision and night vision problems that may not go away when your course is done, read your RX phamplet...google Accutane and dry eyes, do a search here. You think your dry eyes are bad now, just wait.

Hello everyone,

Two days ago I found this board and began reading it out of interest and to see if your experience with accutane is at all similar to my experience of vitamin B5 pantothenic acid.

First of all, let me just say that I am really moved by your stories and my heart goes out to you all. Having to deal with life is hard enough with out this crap that is a result of careless drug pushing in our society. In the last two years I have had my own struggles with depression because of my bad skin and poor health brought on by these medicines. I have become a shell of a person always self conscious and embarrassed avoiding people and socializing in general. But seeing you all reaching out to cheer each other on is truly commendable.

To give you some background, I am a girl, 26yrs old and for the last 6 years I have been getting increasingly bad acne which is also hormonal, cystic, plus folliculitis and seborrheic dermatitis. This is all thanks to being on doxycycline and tetracycline when I had extremely mild acne when I turned 20. God do I wish I had had the sense to do some internet research beforehand!! I did not take these antibiotics seriously and took them on and off for about 3 years. Also been on 3 or 4 different birth control pills to help regulate my hormones and keep my skin clear.

But the antibiotics left me with poor digestions, fatigue, and anemia. Birth control was giving me dry flakey skin, not to mention swelling on my left shin Needless to say I freaked out since I do have a history of blood clots in my family and stopped the BP. I then went the next 3 years without dairy foods trying to fix things holistically by eating right. Since then I have also tried the vegan, gluten free diet and included green jucing, all with little success.

Last year I came across B5 as being this amazing miracle for acne sufferers and decided to try it. I was on it for 4 weeks...taking about 2 mgs a day and went up to 4 mgs for a week... thats pretty mild compared to some of the testimonials I was reading. Well long story short, it cleared my skin for about two weeks and then I began getting severe hair shedding - losing 60% of my hair all over my body, increased dryness on skin and tongue, my mouth sometimes feels rough its very odd and extremely dry and irritated eyes (I do wear contacts). Well turns out B5 (which is supposed ot be water solubale and hence safter than accutane) or the binding agent in the vitamin pill shocked my system and gave me telogen effluvium which can be permanent.

Now, I live in the US and work part time but since the job situation is so crappy I am moving to Mumbai in 2 months and starting anew People in India are way more superficial and blunt about looks and so Ive been worried about that. I have been thinking of resorting to accutane but after reading the experiences of you all, especially Indigorush, Chico, Oil girl and Jmsil I have made up my mind not to touch it. I actually have it with me right now I got it from a dermatologist in India who explained to me that in India they give much lower dosages about 20 mg which is much safer than the way they do it in UK and USA. But it all sounds like crap after reading this post.

I usually just read message boards but I felt compelled to share a few things that have helped me and I hope posting them here will be useful, even if its just for one person. Hopefully I can change the mind of someone like the 14yr old with mild acne by showing that there are alternatives to accutane. These remedies are not miracles but I have seen a 50% improvement in my skin within 2 weeks of using them and they are completely natural.

1) Oil of Oregano It is a natural antibiotic/ antifungal herb that is taken internally and used topically. It has essentially reduced my cystic acne by 60%.

2) Lavender oil use topically day and night and it dries out acne in half the time and reduces redness.

3) Coconut oil used internally and topically has seriously helped with my seborrheic dermatitis and reduced redness almost 70%.

4) Hair growth -not much luck sadly and I will read over the hair loss board next, but I wanted to recommend that everyone get their Ferratin level checked. My doctor insisted my iron was normal but never bothered to check ferretin until I specifically asked for the test. Ferretin should be at least 70 for hair to grow and a 100 for healthy growth. Mine was at 20 thanks to B5.

5) Teds remedies since your all looking into alternative cures I think someone has already mentioned this site but its worth reiterating.

6) Ozone therapy? Ive never tried this but its an alternative treatment for cancer. Essentially its another way to get more oxygen into the body by ozonating liquids like water and oils. I cannot vouch for it though.

I am so happy I came to this board, even though I have not yet taken accutane now Ill NEVER take it. Just wanted to end with a big thanks and say that your all truly inspiring and helping people like me out there by sharing your stories everyday

SClippers,

Thanks for the reply man.

I have some more questions...

What would be your advice to others who are like you were - depressed and unmotivated.

What made you get out of your victim state?

Did you read any particular books that helped shift your mindset?

If you had joint pain, do you now?

Did/Does it make exercise difficult for you?

Did you have low energy before, and has this improved now?

At the moment I'm trying to focus on my thyroid and coming up with a suitable plan to combat it.

Also, you missed this one last time, how long ago did you take Accutane and get the long-term side effects?

It's hard sometimes, after 6 years of this (and counting), to feel like there will ever be a solution.

For me, I'm going to find a part time job and in my spare time, fit in more exercise and 'fun' stuff to keep me in a good frame of mind.

Cheers

Stefan

Another new suicide here in the UK media after someone took Roaccutane (Accutane). I was reading it in The Sun newspaper and although it never mentioned if the girl took any acne medication (it was a very small one column article), I knew instinctively she must of took Roaccutane, and having gone online to find out more, that's exactly what she took.

Full Story: http://www.dailymail...ost_read_module

Hey guys!

Probably dont remember me but I took Accutane for 2/3 weeks, 20mg a day. I started getting erection difficulites (used to shrink inside of expanding weird eh?) stopped taking the drugs and did weights which helped.

Anyway, I'm a bit of blusher, strange that I'm a male eh? However, when I had erection difficulties I couldnt blush what so ever - reckon this is linked.

Not here to say all this, been reading through and noticed that Stefan, amongst other people was suffering from Anxiety socially, and non-verbal I've got something that might help you.

[Content removed]

Hang in there guys!

Hey Man...

I've done the whole hypnosis thing. Relaxing, and good for you, but it doesn't seem to fix the problem.

I don't listen to hypnosis much anymore (if at all) but find that Glenn Harrold is the best. I have a few recordings by him.

Instead, I think it's important to push yourself through things that are uncomfortable.

There are still things that make me feel anxious, such as just walking to the printer from my desk at work (past everyone looking at their computers).

But I don't mind having attention put on me now.

For instance, I used to shrink away and go red when I said something.

Now, I think 'Fuck it, life's too short. Nobody is worried about what I'm doing. They have their own problems'.

Drama has probably helped me feel better, in terms of having people look at me.

I'm planning on doing music and will probably have an audition date soon.

This will make me nervous, because it's just me. Nobody else.. All eyes solely on me.

But hey - That's mainly because it's new.

I want to make a quick recommendation to y'all.

I know for fact that I have hypothyroidism.

(Even the bloodtests picked up on it!)

Anxiety and many of my other problems could be down to my thyroid/adrenals.

A book I'm reading is called 'Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms?' and I keep getting Aha moments, where I'll think 'That explains what might be the problem'.

For example, it talks about how Hypothyroidism can cause low stomach acid/constipation/liver problems.

I'm pretty sure most of you will have Thyroid/Adrenal problems, so this is worth checking out.

Only just started the book, but I can tell the author is behind natural treatments and not drugs.

Hopefully it'll offer some good resources in order to help me/us through this.

I'm focused on eating good food, lots of protein and veggies.

I'm focused on doing fun things, like playing Xbox and seeing my friends.

And I'm focused on getting my body moving in the best ways possible.

Hope these will help, and I think they will given some time.

I don't feel like supplements are much of a help at the moment.

Another new suicide here in the UK media after someone took Roaccutane (Accutane). I was reading it in The Sun newspaper and although it never mentioned if the girl took any acne medication (it was a very small one column article), I knew instinctively she must of took Roaccutane, and having gone online to find out more, that's exactly what she took.

 

Full Story: http://www.dailymail...ost_read_module

 

There was a 14 year old girl who hung themselves around where I live.

Went to the same school as me.

When I heard that it wasn't down to bullying I thought 'Roaccutane', but it turns out it was due to family problems.

Anyway... The news article is of course terrible, and again it points out Roche's bastardly claim that Acne is the cause, when they know it's their drug.

We know that people die because of this drug, and that sucks.

We could easily be added to the list if we weren't being as strong as we are.

This doesn't mean that people are weak to give up.

Heck, some of the suicides are caused because the drug just fucks with your head.

But here we are right now.

We are in the hot seat and we have control.

I feel like I can make some progress now.

Life is a relentless bitch sometimes, and I'm sure there will be more obstacles on the way, but I'm determined to get better.

SClippers has given me hope that we can recover, or at least get better in ways we thought were now impossible.

I think we should all make lifestyle changes which support our health and happiness.

Hey guys. I've been beating the diet drum for a long time. I thought that food was primary, and that after fixing food, you could fix sleep.

Turns out it's not that simple. At least in my case, I have to fix both at once or else it fails.

Circadian disruption alone is sufficient to cause IBS cycle as if I'd eaten bad food, which causes further Circadian disruption and IBS cycles, etc.

I thought in the name of stress reduction that I should allow my body to free run its sleep, so I could recover faster from IBS episodes.

It turns out this is partly wrong too. By far the best way to reduce stress is to sync your Circadian with natural sunlight. It's true you don't want to use alarm clocks - those spike stress. But you can control your Circadian with meal times far more effectively than alarm clocks, without raising stress.

I wrote a blog post about how to do this: http://www.aquatic-ape-diet.com/blog/2012/03/01/the-missing-trigger-and-easy-circadian-control/

This is the missing ingredient in why I was so high functioning on my trip deep into China. Special food was prepared and ready every morning, sunlight poured through the drapes every morning, and there were few distractions at night to prevent early bedtimes.

Actually, though, fasting is a very effective way to induce sleep - the reward being that breakfast will come all the sooner (in subjective time). So I don't find eliminating distractions at night to be necessary. Just don't eat.

I really would recommend you guys look into telomerase activators like:

TA-65

http://www.tasciences.com/ta-65/

(Expensive, but the most proven)

LivLong

http://www.seachangeforlife.com/LivLong_p/livlong30.htm

(Cheaper alternative, basically the same ingredients)

These supplements have been given to patients recovering from chemotherapy.. people suffering from ulcerative colitis, fatigue and people with dry skin etc. By Roche's own admittance, the main damage is telomere shortening. I'm going to continue to look into these and I'll try and keep you guys updated with any results.

Cheers

N

I'm sorry, but after reading the product information of that second link, I'm even MORE convinced it's telomere shortening. Look at the list of health problems on there - bowel, eye, heart, lung diseases. All Accutane problems. Then there's the other other Accutane issues like the hair and joint/muscle problems which are classic old age signs.

I think I've given up thinking I'm ever going to get any sort of life back. I think I'm too far gone - if I was going to get better it would of happened by now. I feel by shutting myself out from the world, I can somehow almost cope/manage a very bad situation, even though I hate living like this. Then, as something Indigo mentioned in a video, when I open to the reality of life, seeing other people just enjoy life, or people going about their day to day lives care-free, without any huge burdens holding them back, I just despair, because I'm never going to be normal like those people again. There was the suicide story this week, and I keep reading people's stories on 'that over' popular Accutane thread especially, of those saying they have also had their lives ruined, where seemingly any possible health problem/disease that exists can strike at any moment. With my problems bad enough as they are, and getting worse, as well as the fear of knowing my health will continue to spiral with new problems - how can any sane person possibly cope with this nightmare? To say I feel absolutely desperate about this would be an understatement.

Nick - You're on the right lines with this, I am sure. By all means try one of the products and see if it helps. Within the next month I should of had the telomere test and the results, and I can''t be more certain it's going to be bad.

I feel like crap.

If someone were to ask me 'Where do you see yourself in 10 years', I could only hazard a guess at 'Dead'.

I mean, really, what the fuck is my future now?

It's unbearably harsh to think that this drug has taken away the rest of my life, but right now it seems like that is the case.

I can't stand the not knowing anymore.

What the fuck is wrong with my body, and what (the fuck) can I do about it?

I'm sick and tired of walking around in a daze, just suffering along.

I don't deserve this. I don't think any of us here do.

Today at work was shit.

And then I come home, and another ignorant fuck-bag calls me an uneducated liar because of my Accutane video.

Just thinking about my current life situation, I feel like breaking something.

Sometimes I feel so terrible, I just want to pierce a pen through my eye.

Fucked up.

Waking up in the mornings though, my Mum brings me a glass of water.

I can never summon the will-power or energy to get out of bed, so then she comes back after 5-10 minutes and says I need to get up.

I'm fucking 21! It's ridiculous.

Meanwhile, I hear her and my Step-dad walking about like they've got a good nights' sleep.

It's the most frustrating thing in the world.

Add to the list: Most middle aged men have better hair than me.

My Dad has thicker hair than me and he's 52.

I can't believe, or accept, that this has all happened to me because I took the wrong drug.

A drug for fucking spots has made me depressed for 6 years, with a whole host of health problems.

Some poor teenager dies in the newspaper because of this drug, and AGAIN it gets brushed off because 'Acne can make people depressed anyway'.

Good God, it makes me angry.

Anyway...

The telomere thing.

I don't even know anymore.

I don't know what to believe.

I just think it's odd that the same guy who has this theory recommends that MMS product that looks a bit of a con.

I don't know who to trust anymore.

I read miracle stories, just in forums like this, about 'Oil pulling' and think 'Are any of these people talking the truth'?

I see The Healing Code getting hundreds of 5 star reviews, and figure 'I'll give it a go if people are saying it got rid of their cancer'

And then, when it doesn't work for me, I can't help think 'Are those reviews real?'

My mind is in a real state nowadays, and I can't do anything about that right now.

Seriously, how hard I've tried... Give me a freaking medal.

I'm still reading the thyroid book I mentioned.

Most people diagnosed with hypothyroid actually don't have a thyroid problem.

They have hashimoto's thyroiditis, which is an immune disorder in which it attacks the thyroid.

What's interesting is, without making the correct changes and taking the correct precautions, this can lead to Type 1 diabetes.

This would explain Jen's sudden attack with this problem.

I feel like I'm running out of time.

If things aren't already beyond the point of return, I fear they will be soon.

I honestly think y'all need to read the book I'm reading.

I mentioned it already.

It explains why many people have hypothyroid symptoms and yet the bloodtests say they're fine.

If I'd of read this book a couple of years ago, maybe I could have got this sorted sooner.

Anyway, now that I know I have hypothyroidism to the degree that it shows up on a bloodtest, it's clear this is contributing to my poor health.

James - How much is the telomere test costing you? Where do you get all the money to keep buying these things? Do your parents help at all?

Like I said, I'm leaving my job soon. I don't have a lot of money, so I'm holding off on spending for the time being.

Will the test show you the average range, and where your result lies within that?

Waiting for your results will surely bring on a lot of anxiety.

I remember getting my GCSE results and being afraid to open them.

With a situation of this kind, it'll surely be worse.

It'll be good, either way, just to get the answer to this, so thank you for doing it on our behalf.

I still think there are too many possible causes for our symptoms.

Reading through congested liver symptoms can make you go 'That's it, that's it'.

For example, premature aging, constipation and fatigue.

Hypothyroid matches me to the dot.

And I know for a fact that that's a problem, so it makes sense.

I still don't know if my liver has actually got any problems, because the blood tests show me to be right in the middle.

Yet, after alcohol I feel terrible.

Who knows.

I think we need to take this one step at a time, because it's too overwhelming.

I feel a bit more calm now (that when I first started typing).

I have 3 days off and plan to spend some of my time reading about health.

I want to read a book called 'Trick and Treat' but it's pretty pricey.

I need to win the lottery or something.

Money would really help my investigations.

I doubt I'll win the lottery though, seeing as I don't partake in it.

As I read the thyroid book, it gets quite complicated.

I start to wonder 'If Accutane is still in my body, will it matter if I do all the right things? Can I not fix this now?'

The number one recommendation seems to be cutting out gluten.

You have to do this forever if you have hashimoto's, in order to stay symptom-free.

Have you been down a gluten-free isle? Fucking pricey!

And it's just a big hinderance.

Nobody I know has to avoid gluten.

I want to enjoy my life and be able to go to restaurants and order a meal without thinking 'Is my thyroid/digestive system going to react badly to this food?'

Bullshit. It really is.

Have you thought what your plan is if it turns out you do have telomere shortening?

When are you folk going to realise we need to fight these bastards.

I'm trying not to forget that SClippers sufferered for what looks like a year and a half, and got better after that time.

It might be small, but it's still a bit of hope.

P.S. The price of the telomere products - They can take their business elsewhere!

The recent posts are more realistic. This is good.

Yes, it is a dark place. But if there is to be progress it must be from reality.

I have a tip or two to share. It's not productive to think this is down to one organ. It's not liver problems, or thyroid problems, or X, Y, Z problems.

The problem is accutane poisoning.

Because it knocks out the whole system in a certain way, a treatment should affect the whole system too.

I feel with reading the latest posts that now there is a greater likelihood of progress.

. I've read several theories into why things like IBS, Erectile Dysfunction and knee problems can occur months or years after stopping treatment.

 

sure,they are just theories, that need to be proven somehow. ive read many things, and it doesnt mean all things written are necessarily true. how can you verify these reports? you cant, so keep an open mind and dont just immediatly attribute any new bodily performance fluctuation to past accutane usage, but dont rule out either,only after you have ruled out all other possible influences, may you come to conclude these are because of accutane. nor am i defending accutane, vitamin a substances are well known to be toxic to the body in high doses. in all fairness, even to accutane, you were ill before you started the medication.

 

. I've read several theories into why things like IBS, Erectile Dysfunction and knee problems can occur months or years after stopping treatment.

 

 

sure,they are just theories, that need to be proven somehow. ive read many things, and it doesnt mean all things written are necessarily true. how can you verify these reports? you cant, so keep an open mind and dont just immediatly attribute any new bodily performance fluctuation to past accutane usage, but dont rule out either,only after you have ruled out all other possible influences, may you come to conclude these are because of accutane. nor am i defending accutane, vitamin a substances are well known to be toxic to the body in high doses. in all fairness, even to accutane, you were ill before you started the medication.

 

Blimey, you've posted quite a few times on this site...

I have to disagree about being ill before Accutane though.

I really don't think Acne is caused my diet. Diet may influence it to get worse once it's started though.

But I never took a day off school, jumped out of bed in the morning and was rarely sick.

If I was sick, it never lasted long at all.

Quite a comparison to my current health.

Did you take the drug?

I'm only asking because of your routine in your signature.

I'm currently waiting on B12 liquid. It should come today or Monday, because I paid the stupid customs fee on Thursday.

Someone I've spoken to from America mentioned this has been a big help to him, and the book I'm reading at the moment talks about how B12 may be depleted during Hypothyroidism.

I did about 30 press-ups, if that, the other day.

My body is just so weak these days.

The last 2 days, my chest has been sore to the touch... Just by a light prod.

Felt like a pensioner big time this morning.

Slowly stumbling to the bathroom, aching.

I've been having back pain every day recently too.

Used to have this all the time, and then it went away for a while.

Could be stress from my job, or having to sit at a computer all day.

Whatever it is, I don't like it.

Really need a miracle right now.

Why can't my life by a Disney movie?

It's got to the point where I would kill to have my health back.

I'm so desperate to feel alive once more.

Hi everybody,

I'm a new member but I've been reading you guys since a while and had a few questions to you because I'm myself on Accutane.

I wanted to know if the side effects appeared during or after the course and if you have the impression that a lower dose would have avoided such bad long term effects.

The fact is that I'm at 15mg/day since 2 weeks and I'm asking myself if it's worth or not to continue the course when I read so bad experiences.

Hi everybody,

 

I'm a new member but I've been reading you guys since a while and had a few questions to you because I'm myself on Accutane.

I wanted to know if the side effects appeared during or after the course and if you have the impression that a lower dose would have avoided such bad long term effects.

The fact is that I'm at 15mg/day since 2 weeks and I'm asking myself if it's worth or not to continue the course when I read so bad experiences.

 

I think everyone here will advise you to throw the pills in the bin, where they belong.

I got side effects like depression, inability to concentrate, anxiety, joint pain, (some) hair loss and dry eyes during treatment.

Afterwards, I got many more problems.

I don't think it's safe to say that a low dose is any better for you, because it's still toxic to the body.

You need to decide what's important to you.

I wish I were in the position to make that decision again.