I wanted to make a generally positive post on this website because when I was having bad anxiety over my acne I scoured this website looking for someone exactly like me. I looked for some post that would lift my spirits and make it easier to deal with. I didn't really find anything like that so I wanted to help anyone who might find hope in this.
First, I want to talk about hair loss and my recovery. I took Accutane the first time when I was in high school. I lived overseas in Malaysia with my parents so there were less restrictions on the drug in that country. I did not have to do iPledge and my doctor did not really explain to me any side effects of the drug. He didn't even tell me to be abstinent or to use protection when having sex. Luckily I wasn't having any sex. I took the drug (at a low dose) for about 6 months and my acne did clear really slowly and I only had chapped lips and one nosebleed. I didn't even take the drug every day because a lot of the times I didn't care or just forgot. I then started college with clear skin and this lasted for about my first 6 months of college. After that, my acne slowly started coming back.
I went to a dermatologist in America while in college and he put me on really good antibiotics and this kept me pretty clear for about a year and a half. I tried birth control in combo with the antibiotic for about 3 months in the middle, but ultimately I thought the antibiotic was enough and didn't care to be on BC. However, the dermatologist wanted me to try other antibiotics after the year and a half so my acne started getting worse because they did not respond as well to the new antibiotics.
At one Christmas break my face just like exploded with really bad acne, especially on my chin like under my jaw where no one could really see it. But it really bothered me and I was starting to have anxiety attacks about it (but I've always been prone to anxiety). So I freaked out and tried to see my derm as soon as possible to get me on Accutane. It had worked before so I didn't see a problem. However, I started researching it more on the internet and realized how scary it is, so then the whole time I was wrestling with myself if I should even go through with it or not.
So then I started Accutane after doing the whole iPledge thing and waiting 30 days. I only took Accutane for 11 days and I started losing my hair!! At the same time I was on Spironolactone 100 mg and Diane 35 BC. I don't exactly know what made my hair fall out. All of those medications I was on have the side effect of temporary (or permanent in the case of Accutane) hair loss. Plus, anxiety can cause hair loss. I had already had one hair loss episode my freshman year of college when my parents got divorced and I wasn't eating right. I lost my hair for a good 5 or 6 months and then it slowly started coming back to normal after about a full year of regrowth. So obviously I stopped every single medication I was on and started antibiotics again and hoped for my hair to stop falling.
At the same time that my hair started falling, my scalp was SUPER inflamed, like I couldn't even sit there and do my homework and concentrate because my scalp was on FIRE. I think this may have been what caused my hair loss, but I am still not entirely sure. Again, there was about five different things going on in my life that could've caused the hair loss or it could've just been the combination of them all. I don't know.
I am almost 4 months after stopping accutane and my hairloss has really slowed down and I hope it never comes back. I have been running, eating healthy, and just trying to relax. I do stuff for myself that makes me happy like reading good books, seeing my family, and watching good TV shows. This is the best stuff you can do for hairloss. I don't think you should try to get caught up in the supplement game trying to take this and that to cure yourself. I made that mistake and it honestly did nothing. I tried Vitamin E, Taurine, TUDCA, Fish Oils, Biotin, Vit B12. I really just wasted my money on stupid stuff like this.
So instead of reading the internet and trying to fix yourself, trust a doctor and get your HORMONES tested, especially if you are a female who has acne at an older age. I didn't start getting severe acne until age 17 which seemed odd to me, but I tried not to think about it. I am 21 now and I have mild scarring from all of this stuff I've tried and picking at my face. I wish I had tested my hormones sooner because I have a mild imbalance that is obviously causing my acne problems. I also have had problems with dark hair growth recently. So if you have anything like this, don't try to convince yourself it's normal like I did, because it's not!!
After getting my hormones tested, cleaning up my diet, and reducing stress, I have really seen an improvement in my face. I still get some pretty bad ones about the time of my period, so I'm thinking of starting BC again, but I am really more worried about clearing up my scarring now.
My message is this: don't freak out about acne, no one cares about it more than you. Don't freak out about hair loss, it will only make it last longer/get worse. If you have hormonal/adult acne, get your hormones tested by an endocrinologist or a gynecologist and don't take no for an answer. DON'T ever take Accutane because it is horrible for your body. I personally have had horrible luck talking to male gynecologists. No offense, but you really don't understand what it's like to be a girl unless you're actually a girl. So I went and talked to a FEMALE endocrinologist and felt WORLDS better about my health.
I talked to my dermatologist about the hair and the acne and you'd think he'd be smart enough to tell me to go to an endocrinologist, but he wasn't. So take your health into your own hands. And don't let those Accutane success stories convince you that it's safe. Those people are just stupid lucky and they may have worse problems than acne later. I have read so many posts that said I wish I still had acne compared to what is going on with my body now.
i think diane 35 and spiro could have also caused your hair to fall out as i took diane 35 when i was 16 and my hair fell out in ways i couldnt even imagine. This is why i am so reluctant for accutane. my mom almost 70% of her thick hair on diane 35 and i dont care if a doctor says its an anti androgen, we both lost hair on it. my hair came back but i am sure diane 35 caused the issue with you, and the addition of spiro and accutane is so stressful on the kidneys and body. i hope you are recovering well and your post is appreciated. I know endocrinologists get to the root of the problem.
* my mom lost ...
I was on accutane from Nov 2012 till April 2013 on 80 mg/ day. Started noticing hair loss n thinning around the time I came off it. I am taking biotin, zinc, brewers yeast and vitamin b complex but still shedding about 50 hairs a day. My derm said I am experiencing TE and it should stop in few months. Has anyone tried low level laser therapy? It is supposed to prevent hair loss and promote growth but not sure it helps folks like us suffering from accutane induced TE. I m thinking about giving it a try and wanted to check if someone had done it??
Hi guys!
I just came across this forum. Had to respond...
DO NOT TAKE DIANE 35 please.... I took it in high school and lost a good 40 percent of my hair....
I am very worried to take accutane, i have never taken it before but i am considering it... I just really don't want to loose anymore hair.. hair is one of those things thats almost impossible to get back again, and if you do it takes years. 
anyways had to write in that bit on diane cause it was horrendous!
I took accutane in June of 2015. I only took it for one month at 20 mg, I had to come back and post my experience being that many do not repost after the experience. I am here mostly totell the ones who may be contemplating taking this drug. And those who are panicking over the hairloss that may occur, what many don't know is the other possible effects that's are unimaginable! I too suffered the side effect of hair loss, and it was horrible, I guess it happens to more people than reported but what I also experienced was far worse, keep in mind that I only took the med. For exactly 30 days.I also experienced burning, aching, unbelievable pain on my scalp, neck, and hands. Not to mention, body aches and feeling like I had the flu, everyday for 5 months straight. I was completely miserable, I went to 4different doctors, and also the emergency room at the hospital, including the one who prescribed it to me, and all I got was " I'll pray for you!" Not one of those drs. Could help me. Then I made the decision to go to the Mayo clinic, finally, I found a PA who worked wonders, I had no idea that the accutane had effected my central nervous system and all of the pain I was experiencing was due to nerve damage. After receiving a shot in my skull, a nerve block, the pain has dulled significantly. I am just throwing my story out there to tell people that,although this medication is prescribed as a promising change, there are things that can happen and go wrong, and taking a chance is never worth the consequences of the possibility. As for my hair, after 5 months the fallout has finally stopped and I have hair growing back every where. After just one month of taking this stuff, I never thought I would go for 5 months of hairloss, which is the reason I stopped the drug. Take my advice or not, I just wanted people to have a post accutane come back, and hopefully help someone out there , I'm telling you....it's the Devils poison, not worth jeopardizing your health for. Especially when so many physicians do not know how to help you once the damage is done!
It's funny that I stumble across this conversation now months after my own experience. I just finished a 6 month course of Accutane (isotretinoin) and I had a hair loss episode a few months in. I was in the shower rinsing shampoo out of my hair when a lot happened to come cou in my hands. I shed a lot of hair and always have however this was enough to alarm me. I asked my dermatologist about it and she basically brushed it off as more of a side effect of the stress I was going through then. I had had surgery that actually delayed my start of Accutane twice and my father in law was going through heart issues and I was helping to care for him etc. I didn't bother to even research it but I see now it is a side effect many experience. I'm grateful my hair loss was not bad enough for me to stop because I have been clear for several months now and have finished my treatment. I never wear makeup anymore and I truly feel like a new person. I hope all you ladies who commented were able to find a solution to both your acne and hair loss.
get a colon cleanse!!!! The same thing happened to me and it was because the accutane was still stuck in my colon and disrupting everything. Also, take Himalaya liver cleanse vitamins, they are the best to clear out the rest of the accutane still stuck in your liver. Lastly, it is very common to become anemic because of an accutane trial and this can lead to further hair thinning, so try to take some supplements with iron. These steps completely stopped my hair loss and my hair slowly but surely came back to the thickness it was before accutane. Also take some biotin, this will help the hair growth. TRUST ME, do these things and your hair will go back 
I feel like I have given two choices in this life
1-Taking Accuatne for the second time to have a clear skin, enjoy eating food, no wearing make up, sever hair loss, baldness in young age of 26!
2-Not taking accutane,losts of cystic acne on cheeks, eating disorder, don™t want to socialize , hair loss, suicidal thought.
I need HELP!!!
all of my laboratory tests are fine.
Should i try diane35? Or accutane 