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Hi this is my first post so it may be sloppy.
Im 14 and I have had acne since I was 8. Its very bad and is everywhere on my face, and its starting to spread to my back. I have tried countless medications, over the counter cures, creams, diets, etc. but nothing does the trick. The only 2 things that worked was doxycycline, which I was severely allergic to, and tea tree oil, which lost its effects after a month. My dermatologist recommended accutane, as well as many other dermatologists that I have visited for second opinions. I am not fearful of the short term effects of the drug on my body, as it is only temporary, but what I am truly fearful of is the long term effects. My doctor said not to worry, as they monitor my body for any side effects that may occur from the drug, but I have heard from other sources that there is much more that they cant monitor. Also, side effects wise, I have heard many different things, such as it causing Erectile Disfunction, Loss of vision, Hair loss, Height stunting, and much more. My doctor said the only side effects of that level are liver problems, which they will monitor for. She also said if it does stunt growth it will only be about 1 inch, and nothing more. Is this true? Is it worth it? If anyone can help me with these answers I would appreciate it.
The alleged side effects are mostly anecdotal and unproven. Depression is very rare and most likely unrelated. The Inflammatory bowel disease link was invented by liability lawyers. Liver enzyme, and triglyceride elevations are almost always insignificant. Birth defects are very real and that's what started all the controversy. Don't believe the nonsense other people are spreading. If you want unbiased information, get it from a credible source. Like the national institute of health. The drug had been around for over 30 years and taken by millions. Believe what your doctor tells you. If acne is the problem then accutane is the solution.
I used with great results and have no regrets. It works better on body acne than anything else.
Good luck with whatever you decide
Yes, by all means, sift through the medical journals throughout the National Institute of Health libraries and come to your own conclusions.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=isotretinoin
Or...just take the Accutane. What's the worse that could happen?
All the horror stories about Accutane had made me so anxious about it that I couldn't take my first pill for almost a week. Every day I was like "No, I'm too scared, I'll do it tomorrow, maybe my acne will magically clear up by itself during the night." Now, I'm on a low dose long term Accutane (5 mg every other day) and it's been almost four months. No side effects, perfect blood tests and great, clear skin. My derm has patients who are on Accutane (ultra low dose) for a few years and nothing happens to them. The only thing you really have to worry about is birth control (if you are female, of course).
The side effects are a real thing and you should know that there is a chance you could have issues down the line but at the same time, everything in life is a gamble. If you have honestly tried everything else:
retinoids
diet changes
AB
Then it may be worth a try. Have your derm try low dose and then increase from there.
Hey! Just read this forum. Okay so I just wanna start off by saying whatever kind of treatment you choose wither that be accutane or not.. Good luck! From my experience being on accutane I would personally say go for it. Yes it's scary. Yes there will be days where you think wtf I'm I doing this for.. But you've got to remember something, Accutane is a type of chemotherapy. The main ingredient in accutane "isotretinoin" is treated for many different types of cancers. Yes in a much greater dose.. HOWEVER if you do the research on what chemo does to the body it has A LOT of side effects similar to accutane. Here's the thing.. You don't always get the side effects. Just like accutane or loads of drugs!! I know there's a lot of stick around about depression and accutane. Truth be told.. You can look on here and other websites and there will always be horror stories about the drug. With the whole title "it ruined my life" and those people are the very few who are less fortunate than others. I will find this blog and attach it, but basically this girl said accutane didn't ruin my life I did. She spoke about how SHE chose to take the drug, SHE didn't do the research, SHE saw some serious side effects but lied through her teeth to her dermatologist because she didn't want taken off accutane. My advise to you.. Do it. I'm on my last month/second last month, yes I was a great bitch at times.. It made me moody and snappy. I can honestly say though I never thought about killing myself once while being on it. This is someone who was badly depressed before accutane telling you this. Yes it might be a bit tough, you might have spells of crying/snappy, could get headaches and sore backs, dry skin but all these side effects can be fixed. I don't care what people say they can. Or you could go on it.. And have the usual dry lips and skin and float by. However if you choose to go on.. And you Develop more serious side effects.. TELL your doctor. They won't keep you on it. Only you can tell them what the side effects actually are. No point in lying just because your desperate for clear skin! Trust me when I say there's other options as well! Sounds silly here but what I'd do if I felt snappy or moody, I would listen to music and write about random things. Vent to that bit paper. Also before I went on accutane my dermo said do the research on accutane because I'm not going to spoon feed you. Which I think was the best thing he said. A lot of the people who are suffering from "long term effects" didn't do the research. They expected the doctor to tell them all the ins and outs about it. But even then.. Doctors don't know the ins and outs of every drug! A lot of doctors only know the basic info and side effects about it. Also if your taking a drug thats so controversial then you'd surely want to look more into it. These people didn't. when truth be told they only have themselves to blame. No one forced them to take accutane. So my advice to you- research so much info. Keep asking questions about it. Try it. Keep an eye on your mind and body. If anything that you think is too much for you tell the doctors. Always keep a strong open mind that your taking a drug that's also treated for cancer so some of the side effects may seem brutal! All the best!
Rachael
My son is 13 and has been on Accutane (Claravis) for 4 months. He should be done in the next 3 weeks. I was very concerned about the side effects, especially the depression and irritable bowl. So far the worst side effects have been super dry lips, lower back ache, headache, and fatigue. Other than the dry lips which are constant, the other side effects come and go. Nothing that hasn't been manageable. I've watched him like a hawk for any signs of depression/anxiety and both of us agree that although he is a little more irritable (or a lot sometimes), he doesn't have any major changes in his mood. Since you're a minor someone should be keeping an eye on your mood. I do have to remind my son when he's over reacting to something to keep in mind that what he's feeling might be the medicine talking and not him. That helps keep his crankiness in check. Side effects are a risk with any medication, so you have to decide what you can live with.