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Is it time.. for accutane?

MemberMember
2
(@d4m)

Posted : 06/26/2016 10:50 pm

Well, long story short, I'm an 18 year old suffering from horrendous acne which has not left my soul for the past 4 years or so and I'm contemplating going on accutane. About 2 years ago I decided to go to the derm to receive some hope and he prescribed me epiduo and antibiotics which didn't do anthing for me at all, if anything the BP cmpletely ruined my skin and made it 100 times worse. After he saw how much more destroyed my skin was he prescribed me accutane. I read all about accutance during my cylce on epiduo because I was looking for other ways to improve my acne because clearly this stuff wasn't working. I was horrified and driven away from accutane because of the insane things I read about it and all the extreme side effects it has on you. I'm a major health freak and those side effects really really really blew me away from ever accepting the concept of accutane. 

Well, I walk into the derm's office for the 2nd time as he was checking up on me (this is when he prescribed me accutane) and I took it and I said I was gonna do it because this was getting extremely out of hand and ruining my life. I went to the pharmacy, got my box, then I got home and... I threw the whole box away. I got some hard second thoughts and started to freak out again after seeing all the scary side effects. Now here I am 2 years later, contemplating going on accutane for good now becasue I'm desperate, acne has ruined my life, my mood, my friendships, my behavior, everything and tbh just destroyed me. I am going to post some pictures and I want you guys to judge and see if you could shed any light/advice on what I should/could do because my acne, and skin right now is very very very very bad. I have suffered from immense scarring and hyperpigmentation and my skin looks diseased. 

Please check my pictures posted and help me decide if I should go on accutane or not, I am very concerned about the hair loss, and joint problems, organ issues, and the list goes on and on. Also can you guys advise me on anything regarding the scarring and hyperpigmentation? My skin tone is much lighter but everywhere I've had acne on my face it's much darker than my actual skin tone and I can tell because the places I never had acne the skin is much lighter there. 

Acne has destroyed my life and my mental health day and day and doesn't want to leave me alone, I really want to turn my life around and I truly believe that improving my skin is a big step towards it becasue it affects me mentally big time. Thanks a lot everyone.

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MemberMember
24
(@invisiblenetrix)

Posted : 06/27/2016 2:57 am

Hey mate. I went through exactly what you went through. I'm ahypercondriac when it comes to these things and like you, I threw mine away 1 year ago (but not in the bin and in my draws)

Fast forward 21 days ago, I finally decided to take the plunge and pulled the prescription out. Acne has ruined my life since I was 15 and I'm now 31. Every aspect in life from the food I eat, sports I play and events I chose to go always starts with "will this break me out". So enough was enough, took my 1st pill.

For side effects lips are super dry and so are my eyes. Getting some red dots on my hands this morning.

Apart from that active pimples have slowed down dramatically. I would recommend accutane if you have gone through the holistic and diet method and it didn't work. You will find accutane is super drying to the face so ur surface layer starts shredding fast which also means you're renewing your skin quicker. This might help with the scarring? Either way, you need to deal with the active pimples first and then you have a whole set of options you can try for scarring and hyper pigs.

Good luck mate.

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2
(@d4m)

Posted : 06/27/2016 6:56 am

Thanks man, you're right. I've been drinking close to a gallon of milk a day for the past 2 weeks or so and a lot of milk products and protein. I noticed everytime I have dairy my faces goes berserk mode. I'm gonna try 2 weeks full "vegan" method just to see how is goes and then I'll ease off a little and settle into a comfortable diet. I'm gonna completely eliminate dairy and see where it takes me, if nothing changes I think it's time. Thanks a lot.

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(@invisiblenetrix)

Posted : 06/27/2016 7:16 am

I've been eliminating food types for close to 5 years now. One thing I've learnt is you need much much much longer than two weeks. I'm not sure if that's because the damage as been done and it becomes a slow burn of crazy breakouts till it leaves your body. But every time u try something I would give it minimum 1 month or 2 before u can safely rule it out.

So for me, ANYTHING oily breaks me out. especially the meat that is lattered oil when you go to korean BBQ's.

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(@elee92)

Posted : 06/27/2016 11:29 am

Have you tried natural remedies (green tea, tea tree oil, etc.) and eating a clean diet (no dairy, no flour, no artificial sweets, low salt (which imo is hard on an Asian diet heh) etc.) or upping your water intake (at least 2L of water per day)? Or OTC and/or prescription medications (topicals and antibiotics)? If so and youve seen no results, Id say you should go for Accutane.

 

I tried all of the above and nothing has helped me they all either stopped working a couple of weeks in or left my skin in a horrendous state for months even after discontinuing. Ive had acne since I can remember and I hit a point where I just couldnt make myself waste any more money or time giving these things another go. So I decided to start Accutane (will be starting at the end of this week 0_0).

 

Its a scary and heavy decision to make, but keep in mind that Accutane has been approved for use and prescribed by doctors because the benefits outweigh the risks. If you find yourself considering Accutane despite the risks, I think its fair to say that acne has negatively affected your life *that* much. Thats how it was for me - I was originally terrified of starting Accutane, it wasnt even an option that I had in mind. But then I hit a breaking point where the side effects no longer seemed horrible and even worth it if it meant I had a chance at having clear skinlike I would rather suffer for 6 months with dry everything and joint pains rather than 6 years of acne that have a high chance of leaving permanent scars behind.

 

You also have to understand that the side effects listed arent listed because it happens in 50% of the population. A lot of the side effects (especially the serious ones) happen in a very small percentage of Accutane users and one of the major reason why theyre listed is for legal purposes. For example, theres a warning about depression it doesnt mean that it will cause depression in all users. In fact, there has never been a legitimate study accepted by the scientific community that showed a cause/effect relationship between Accutane and depression. Its a correlation at best. But its still listed as a side effect so the companies can avoid lawsuits. Also, I know there are horror stories about Accutane online and how its not worth it realize that it is much more common for someone to rant about the negatives than the positives. Im not saying it doesnt happen or that theyre lying, but all these users who experience much more negatives than the positives make up a small percentage of Accutane users.

 

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264
(@snarkygirl)

Posted : 06/27/2016 3:08 pm

Hi there...I feel for you because acne really sucks and in many ways does ruin parts of your life. Your reluctance to take accutane is a good thing it means you're thinking carefully and you value your health. But its really a wager, it works well for many people but many get nasty side effects...some permanent. Sometimes the acne comes back as soon as you're done with accutane, somnetimes it stays away for years, sometimes it doesn't come back. I hate to say this but you are the only person who can decide if its worth the risk.
Id advise you to dry elimination diet and natural treatments first, and if that fails, maybe ask for a low dose accutane ( like 20 mg). Lower dosages have less serious side effects. Good luck.

3 hours ago, elee92 said:

Have you tried natural remedies (green tea, tea tree oil, etc.) and eating a clean diet (no dairy, no flour, no artificial sweets, low salt (which imo is hard on an Asian diet heh) etc.) or upping your water intake (at least 2L of water per day)? Or OTC and/or prescription medications (topicals and antibiotics)? If so and youve seen no results, Id say you should go for Accutane.

 

I tried all of the above and nothing has helped me they all either stopped working a couple of weeks in or left my skin in a horrendous state for months even after discontinuing. Ive had acne since I can remember and I hit a point where I just couldnt make myself waste any more money or time giving these things another go. So I decided to start Accutane (will be starting at the end of this week 0_0).

 

Its a scary and heavy decision to make, but keep in mind that Accutane has been approved for use and prescribed by doctors because the benefits outweigh the risks. If you find yourself considering Accutane despite the risks, I think its fair to say that acne has negatively affected your life *that* much. Thats how it was for me - I was originally terrified of starting Accutane, it wasnt even an option that I had in mind. But then I hit a breaking point where the side effects no longer seemed horrible and even worth it if it meant I had a chance at having clear skinlike I would rather suffer for 6 months with dry everything and joint pains rather than 6 years of acne that have a high chance of leaving permanent scars behind.

 

You also have to understand that the side effects listed arent listed because it happens in 50% of the population. A lot of the side effects (especially the serious ones) happen in a very small percentage of Accutane users and one of the major reason why theyre listed is for legal purposes. For example, theres a warning about depression it doesnt mean that it will cause depression in all users. In fact, there has never been a legitimate study accepted by the scientific community that showed a cause/effect relationship between Accutane and depression. Its a correlation at best. But its still listed as a side effect so the companies can avoid lawsuits. Also, I know there are horror stories about Accutane online and how its not worth it realize that it is much more common for someone to rant about the negatives than the positives. Im not saying it doesnt happen or that theyre lying, but all these users who experience much more negatives than the positives make up a small percentage of Accutane users.

 

i agree with most of your post but if you're one of the small percent who gets the unlucky side effects...numbers don't matter much. My boyfriend was suicidal only on accutane but he has it in his family history.

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6
(@elee92)

Posted : 06/28/2016 4:07 pm

On 6/27/2016 at 4:08 PM, snarkygirl said:

i agree with most of your post but if you're one of the small percent who gets the unlucky side effects...numbers don't matter much. My boyfriend was suicidal only on accutane but he has it in his family history.

You're right in that numbers don't matter when you are in that 1% of the population that experience serious but rare side effects and I'm sorry your boyfriend had to go through that. However, I was not saying that just because the numbers are low doesn't mean that these side effects don't exist or matter. My point was that the OP will presumably make his decision based on how negatively Accutane will affect his body, and the best predictor of that is to look at the "true/unbiased" statistics - not the statistics can often get misconstrued and skewed online.

I also wanted him to be aware that just because something is listed as a "common" side effect doesn't mean it happens in the majority (> 50%) of the population. While some side effects may occur in a large portion of its user, sometimes the side effects that occur in 10% of its users are also put under the common side effects list. I was just saying he needs to be aware of that fact when he's trying to determine the probability of him experiencing XYZ effects.

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MemberMember
264
(@snarkygirl)

Posted : 06/28/2016 7:22 pm

3 hours ago, elee92 said:
You're right in that numbers don't matter when you are in that 1% of the population that experience serious but rare side effects and I'm sorry your boyfriend had to go through that. However, I was not saying that just because the numbers are low doesn't mean that these side effects don't exist or matter. My point was that the OP will presumably make his decision based on how negatively Accutane will affect his body, and the best predictor of that is to look at the "true/unbiased" statistics - not the statistics can often get misconstrued and skewed online.

I also wanted him to be aware that just because something is listed as a "common" side effect doesn't mean it happens in the majority (> 50%) of the population. While some side effects may occur in a large portion of its user, sometimes the side effects that occur in 10% of its users are also put under the common side effects list. I was just saying he needs to be aware of that fact when he's trying to determine the probability of him experiencing XYZ effects.

I agree with your data.
I'm just paranoid cause I'm always one to get weird side effects.
One thing I'd like to mention is people on any mned should keep track of their health and note any side effects and if they don't feel right, font be scared to call the doctor or speak to a nurse. You're not bothering them...its their job.
I do agree many have had success with minimal side effects, I hope that for anyone who ius on it. Acne makes a person not mind risks as much, I understand.
My boyfriend is fine today BTW 

On 6/26/2016 at 11:50 PM, D4M said:

Well, long story short, I'm an 18 year old suffering from horrendous acne which has not left my soul for the past 4 years or so and I'm contemplating going on accutane. About 2 years ago I decided to go to the derm to receive some hope and he prescribed me epiduo and antibiotics which didn't do anthing for me at all, if anything the BP cmpletely ruined my skin and made it 100 times worse. After he saw how much more destroyed my skin was he prescribed me accutane. I read all about accutance during my cylce on epiduo because I was looking for other ways to improve my acne because clearly this stuff wasn't working. I was horrified and driven away from accutane because of the insane things I read about it and all the extreme side effects it has on you. I'm a major health freak and those side effects really really really blew me away from ever accepting the concept of accutane. 

Well, I walk into the derm's office for the 2nd time as he was checking up on me (this is when he prescribed me accutane) and I took it and I said I was gonna do it because this was getting extremely out of hand and ruining my life. I went to the pharmacy, got my box, then I got home and... I threw the whole box away. I got some hard second thoughts and started to freak out again after seeing all the scary side effects. Now here I am 2 years later, contemplating going on accutane for good now becasue I'm desperate, acne has ruined my life, my mood, my friendships, my behavior, everything and tbh just destroyed me. I am going to post some pictures and I want you guys to judge and see if you could shed any light/advice on what I should/could do because my acne, and skin right now is very very very very bad. I have suffered from immense scarring and hyperpigmentation and my skin looks diseased. 

Please check my pictures posted and help me decide if I should go on accutane or not, I am very concerned about the hair loss, and joint problems, organ issues, and the list goes on and on. Also can you guys advise me on anything regarding the scarring and hyperpigmentation? My skin tone is much lighter but everywhere I've had acne on my face it's much darker than my actual skin tone and I can tell because the places I never had acne the skin is much lighter there. 

Acne has destroyed my life and my mental health day and day and doesn't want to leave me alone, I really want to turn my life around and I truly believe that improving my skin is a big step towards it becasue it affects me mentally big time. Thanks a lot everyone.

2016-06-26 20.55.51.jpg

2016-06-26 21.00.59.jpg

2016-06-26 21.50.53.jpg

2016-06-26 21.53.34.jpg

2016-06-26 21.54.37.jpg

for hyper pigmentation try turmeric mask, turmeric + milk or yogurt + honey. It will stain a bit so to it before you shower.
id say wait till you're not actively breaking out before you deal with scars.
 

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MemberMember
0
(@anonymous12321)

Posted : 07/06/2016 12:54 am

I am on my final month of Isotretinoin and the only dermatological imperfections that remain are red marks from prior acne lesions and minor scarring. For me, the prospect of clear skin was worth the risk of side effects. The way I see it, Dermatologists would not be prescribing the drug if the side effects were both severe, permanent, and commonplace. I would definitely take it again if my acne starts to return. I have been taking 60 mg a day for 5 months. I hope this anecdote helps you make a decision.

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MemberMember
264
(@snarkygirl)

Posted : 07/06/2016 9:04 am

8 hours ago, Anonymous12321 said:

I am on my final month of Isotretinoin and the only dermatological imperfections that remain are red marks from prior acne lesions and minor scarring. For me, the prospect of clear skin was worth the risk of side effects. The way I see it, Dermatologists would not be prescribing the drug if the side effects were both severe, permanent, and commonplace. I would definitely take it again if my acne starts to return. I have been taking 60 mg a day for 5 months. I hope this anecdote helps you make a decision.

I respect your decision but look how many drugs have been recalled and found to be dangerous...that were regularly prescribed. Remembwr thalidomide? Vioxx? Proton pump inhibitors in the news?Doctors in general are taught to prescribe meds, they often have no real sense of danger until the FDA pulls a drug. That said accutane does work for many people with minimal side effects but to suggest it can't cause serious or permanent problems just isn't true. I know 3 people who took it, two did have lasting side effects and one did not.

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MemberMember
158
(@accuity_drane)

Posted : 07/07/2016 9:48 pm

On 7/6/2016 at 1:54 AM, Anonymous12321 said:

The way I see it, Dermatologists would not be prescribing the drug if the side effects were both severe, permanent, and commonplace. I would definitely take it again if my acne starts to return.

You have every right to do what you want. But the side effects of this drug have been confirmed and acknowledged. By the very nature of the effects of the drug (apoptosis), sometimes it takes months to realize.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25689814

"A 25-question survey was emailed to 7,013 dermatologists included in a proprietary database (MBD, Inc.) and anonymous responses were collected. 591 board-certified dermatologists participated. Thirty-seven percent of the responding dermatologists believe that isotretinoin may cause psychiatric disturbances. "

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15863802

A 4-month treatment trial with isotretinoin was associated with a decrease in brain functioning in the orbito-frontal cortex, a brain region implicated in depression.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15251924

We now show, in a mouse model, that endogenous RA generated by synthetic enzymes in the meninges acts on hippocampal granule neurons, and chronic (3-week) exposure to a clinical dose of 13-cis RA may result in hippocampal cell loss.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC387382/

"This report demonstrates that a clinical dose (1 mg/kg/day) of 13-cis-RA in mice significantly reduces cell proliferation in the hippocampus and the subventricular zone, suppresses hippocampal neurogenesis, and severely disrupts capacity to learn a spatial radial maze task. The results demonstrate that the regions of the adult brain where cell proliferation is ongoing are highly sensitive to disruption by a clinical dose of 13-cis-RA."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3276716/#R173

"Increased concentrations of homocysteine have also been associated with attacks of violent anger. Isotretinoin administration to human subjects was shown to be associated with increased concentrations of homocysteine, as well as decreases in 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate, providing a potential metabolic mechanism by which isotretinoin may promote depression."

"In the case of patients reported to the Norwegian Medicines Agency, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) of the brain was performed in 15 cases who reported lasting neurological symptoms. Altered brain function was seen in all cases involving altered or reduced frontal lobe blood flow. Ten of these patients were evaluated to have organic brain damage."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20708044

"13-Cis-retinoic acid (13-cis-RA) causes depression-related behavior in mice. Hypothalamic dysregulation has been implicated in clinical depression. In fact, apoptosis of hypothalamic neurons may lead to depression after myocardial infarction. . . .We hypothesize that the ability of 13-cis-RA to decrease hypothalamic cell number may contribute to the increased depression-related behaviors observed in mice."

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MemberMember
0
(@quickstrike)

Posted : 07/08/2016 12:52 pm

Id give accutane a try, if nothing else is responding to medication/creams then go for accutane, I went on it 2 years ago and it was one of the best choices I made.

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MemberMember
4
(@dramafan0)

Posted : 07/09/2016 8:36 am

I would advise against accutane there's too many negative side effects and sometimes the acne comes back so I don't think it's worth it.

start keeping a food diary so you can identify what breaks you out.

Also a good moisturiser can help to clear up your skin, I like aveeno and cetaphil

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