hmmmmmmmmm........... ❓

Hey meltdown what pharmacist do u use? please list his number or email it to me at [removed]. Also do you have acne still? and how long have you been on the treatment.Also.........How long did it take to see results.Shannon

Yeah I heard it was the best ever..Too bad its another discontinued product.....Derms probably saw it worked so well and that they would lose lots of $$ I would love to get my hands on this stuff as well ! I wonder if I can get it here in America without going thru a Derm.

here is something i would be concerned about using this stuff.One of the ingredients is a cortisone steroid,long term use of steroids topically or internal are very damaging to the body!!I've heard of people on this board who put cortisone cream on pimples and it left "dents" in their face.That is why people with rosacea(very inflamatory face condition) are no longer prescribed cortisones or steroid creams for their faces because the benfits are only temporary and the long term damage can be quite severe!

bobo, it is the best ever..and the good news is, with a bit of bother you can still get it and be rid of the acne horror. Just do as I said, I have nothing to gain from this, everyone is free to go to their own compounder and see if they can get a better price than i got.

Believe it or not there are no compounding pharmacists in Ireland, I wrote to 20 in the USA before I eventually got one to make it for me and only on the promise that I would continue to buy from them so they wouldn't be left with ingredients they couldn't sell.

Acne_victim, I am/was a long term cystic acne sufferer, I'm 37 now and started getting cystic acne when I was 15. However when i was about 20 I discovered Actinac and as long as I continued to use it I never suffered from acne. My horror began again when Roussel wa bought over and the product was discontinued. For 2 years I tried everything under the sun and absolutely nothing works as effective as Actinac.

At this stage there is no need for me to give out the name of the phamacist in New York that i use, firstly I don't have permission from them and would need to ask if they would supply others and secondly there are hundreds of compounding phamacists in the states and you should try a local one first.

honey_bee, without debunking anything you've said, I used Actinac for nearly 15 years without any side effects, Actinac was also FDA approved I believe and approved in Ireland where i live. It may well be that most people only have to use the product for a short period and can then stop, cystic acne sufferers cannot

Here is a link to more info on it: http://www.rxmed.com/b.main/b2.pharmaceuti...A)/ACTINAC.html

However, this link lists some possibly dangerous side effects and says you shouldn't use it for long periods of time. Anna

I also just did a search for it on yahoo and in the clinical description of it with the indications etc,near the bottom it mentions the side effects i was talking about, thinning of the dermis and so on of course this (like evrything else in the world ) will effect differant people in differant ways but it's an important consideration for peeps like me who have really delicate skin.It's just always good in my opinion to go into things with your eyes wide open to the good and the bad possibilities. 😉

annalu, I've read that report on Actinac before and sent it to my compounding phamacist to assist him in the manufacture. I can assure you compared to the likes of accutane which most people on this board seem to have tried, Actinac is a mild product. Heres another review:

[removed]

Hi Meltdown, I wasn't criticizing you or anything about that! I think it sounds like something I'd like to try I was just pointing out what that article said. Anna

First of all, it doesnt matter how awesome your product is, don't say that this board shouldn't exist. This board has helped so many people and gives us all a place where we can talk to other people who are suffering from acne. This board is the reason my face is now 100% clear. And before you go knockin Dans regimen for serious cystic acne... I had serious cystic acne before I started the regimen and it's gone now. It may not work for all cases but it does work for some. I'm not down playing your product meltdown, I'm just saying I don't think you should put down other forms of treatment either. And don't knock this site.

Mercer

Funny, I don't remember putting down Dan's regimen, Dan himself has said depending on the severity of your acne you may need a more powerful treatment than just the "regimen".

Actinac is not "my" product, its a dis-continued product made by a French company called Roussel.

I suppose what i actually meant by saying "ths board should not exist" is " this suffering should not exist", the board is a great meeting place and my intention was not to offend the board or visitors. Mercer you do a great job at moderating

annalu, you're right to post that link, before anyone uses a new product they should gather as much information as possible, then make an informed decision.

Hi Meltdown,

Your description and web articles of Actinen have been real encouraging. I was actually contemplating on taking Accutane until I ran across your post. I do have a couple of questions about obtaining Actinen myself. I was wondering if you can go to any doctor/dermatologist to get a prescription for Actinen since its not commercially made? Do you think doctors will be reluctant to prescribe me this medication because of its limited use? Also, would most compounding pharmicists be able to provide me with the necessary ingredients for Actinen?

I have suffered form acne since I was 17. I am now 25 and my condition has been on and off ever since; severe to mild. I am on minocycline and ProActiv currently. This combination has been really effective for the past 10 months but there have been signs that this combination is beginning to weaken as I have been breaking out recently.

Meltdown, I didn't really mean for my reply to sound as bitchy as it did. I think it's cool that you've found this product to help treat acne. And I also think it's cool for you to share it with everyone here. That's what this site is for, to share things that we've found to combat acne. Sorry if I sounded like a female dog. I've had a really really rough weekend.... 😳

Mercer

meltdown what type of acne did u have.Was it mixed comedonal acne with papules or pustules or was it just lesions.People who suffer from blackheads not just in some locations may not do well from this drug.Only a few drugs on the market work for comedonal acne.althoughi suppose it would be worth a try.Anyway,please describe what kind of acne you had..I personally suffer from lots of blackheads which get inflamed and become pimples.Few products/meds have helped with this.I wll be starting glycolic treatments from my plastic surgeon on monday to see if this wont help purge them ...Thanks for the info- Shannon

meltdown what type of acne did u have.Was it mixed comedonal acne with papules or pustules or was it just lesions.People who suffer from blackheads not just in some locations may not do well from this drug.Only a few drugs on the market work for comedonal acne.althoughi suppose it would be worth a try.Anyway,please describe what kind of acne you had..I personally suffer from lots of blackheads which get inflamed and become pimples.Few products/meds have helped with this.I wll be starting glycolic treatments from my plastic surgeon on monday to see if this wont help purge them ...Thanks for the info- Shannon

Acne_victim, while i did have some comedonal acne my main problem was deep nodulocystic acne. Before i started Actinac I did suffer some permanent scarring. Like you said everybody is different and people need to make their own mind up about starting any new treatment.

Warrior, I don't think any doc would have a problem prescribing Actinac as it was FDA approved and sold for many years. Every year hundreds of effective products are dis-continued due to economics. Compounding is also a legitimate business and re-creating/supplying dis-continued products is very common for all compounders.

I can't guarantee that every compounding pharmacist would be willing or able to re-create Actinac for you, you will probably need to contact a few before you get one to make it.

The first step is to copy and print off the ingredients listed above and pay a visit/phone your local compounding pharmacy to see if they are willing to make it. Don't bother going to a doc to get the prescription until you've done that. Also print off the article at RxMed(link is above)

I need to do an update on the ingredients in Actinac. One of the original ingredients(Butoxyethyl nicotinate) is not available in the States and my pharmacist used a substitute ingredient which is common practice. The substitute for Butoxyethyl nicotinate is niacinamide.

This is used as a vasodilator when applied topically as is butoxyethyl nicotinate. The concentrations of niacinamide are much higher to get the same effect for acne lotions, so he incorporated 4% niacinamide.

Hey Meltdown,

I have both cystic and comedomal acne. Most of my cysts are on my jawline and pimples on my cheeks, chin, and forehead. I have suffered from this condition for 8 years as I am 25 years old now. I was wondering if you think Actinac will work for me. I understand that everybody experiences different results with different drugs, but it will be nice to find someone with similar acne history that has tried this drug and has worked for them. Also, I think you stated that it helps almost 99% of the poeple that are on it. Definitly sounds EXTREMELY encouraging yet extermely disturbing that it has not seen commercial sucess! Should definitly be the number one Acne fighting medication if it is 99% effective!

One more thing Meltdown,

I was wondering once you apply Actinac on your face, can you apply a moisturizer/hydrator afterwards. From what I understand, Actinac can have drying effects on your face.

Hi Warrior, its like you said everybody is different, so its not possible for me to say what results you will have. I can only give you my experience as someone dealing with acne for 22 years. I have tried nearly every treatment thats been written about on this board and they all come a poor second to Actinac. I've read your thread where you're thinking about going on Accutane, for what its worth, I think you should try Actinac first. I've never read a bad report about Actinac nor come across someone it didn't work for.

No you can't use anything else after you apply Actinac. You wash off any excess oil then apply Actinac for the night. In the morning you wipe off with a damp facecloth and thats it

_________________

Update: a number of people have written to me asking about locatiing compounding phamacies.

Try here first : [removed]

,then search Google for [removed]

Hi Meltdown,

Thaks for all your replies. It has been helping alot. I think I am going to give Actinan a try for a month or so. Which leads me to another question, does Actinan work right way? Or is it like Accutane where I will experience an initial breakout. Also, do you have oily skin? Because I don't know if I can just wipe my face in the morning witha damp cloth since my skin is pretty oily. Have you ever had problems with oily skin before or now? I guess I am a bit concerned about not washing my face in the morning since I haven't had the priviledge to do that since early high school days. One more thing, say I do need to was my face in the morning, will Actinan be less effective as a result of this since I am washing the lotion off my face?

Hi Warrior, I need to clarify, after you wipe of the Actinac in the morning you wash as normal, whatever you use, soap, water or moisturiser, make-up etc. You don't have any Actinac on your face during the day.

A level of privacy is needed to use Actinac as its a white ceamy lotion, so you end up going to bed looking like you're wearing a face-pack. For years I locked my bedroom door and had a damp facecloth in my bedroom to wipe the Actinac off before coming down in the morning.

Yes I do still have very oily skin, thats why i still get acne if I don't use Actinac nightly. I've tried coming off Actinac for a few months but always ending up going back on it.

Yes, Actinac works right away

No, im my experience you will not get an intial break out(I didn't anyway), Actinac drys up and clears acne very fast.

This is my first time here. I am 29 and have had "adult" acne since I was 23 (I like to blame it on Law School) Anyway, I started thinking about what I am doing differently now then I was 7-8 years ago when my skin was immaculate (not even kidding, I'd get constant compliments, boy do I miss THOSE days) My regime back then, if you can believe this was noxema face wash, rubbing alcohol and occasionally Queen Helen Mint Julep. Only last night I was thinking about that stuff and thought I should give it another try and then I read a message board re: Queen Helene.! Right now I use a 20% Glycolic acid face wash, 20% Glycolic acid face lotion, Renta A micro, Clerosin, Monodox (I think) and some spot treatments. All from the Derm. I also have Mario Badesco drying lotion. I am also on Ortho-Tri_cycline for about one month. I also take doxycycline 2x a day. I take vitamins, A Zinc etc The Derm says to do warm salt water soaks and I use all of the above every day and to tell you the truth I have really not seen any improvement. What am I doing wrong.? It just baffles me how I had such perfect skin and now it is gone yet there is no answer. There has to some answer. I am willing to try anything.

If Actinac is this effect, how come no one is trying to capitalize on it? Sure Johnsons and Johnsons might shun producing it since they'd rather sell 6 different kinds of washes and creams instead of a real cure but companies with no interest in the cosmetic industry should be jumping at the chance of making a cure for a disease that EVERYONE has had. OMG, even if they sell it at 1.99 a bottle they'll still reap billions. Is the formula patented? And who owns it? Call me cynical but I have my doubts about this...no one in their right mind would sit on a gold mine and not try to capitalize on it. Even if they don't want to maufacture it, I'm sure their patent would fetch a pretty penny with other buyers.