Hi everyone,
I've done two courses of Accutane in my life time, one long one and then one shorter one a year later to finish it off. (see older posts for details).
It's been exactly a year since my last pill and I am noticing some definite side effects just kicking in as of recently.
The side effects are annoying but pretty easy to cope with from a day to day basis...
Here are the symptoms I've noticed since stopping accutane:
Dry eyes
Dry skin
Tingles (hands, feet, face)
Dizziness
Tinnitus
Ear problems
Sinus issues (could be allergies)
Dehydration
Constipation
Some brain fog, feelings of stress too
note: theses symptoms usually come in waves and go away.
Now I'm not blaming any or all of these on accutane specifically but I just want to know if anyone else has been experiencing something like this?
I've had a lot going on in my life this past year so I would like to state I could be completely wrong about these being attributed to accutane, however, I have read some interesting stuff on here that matches my symptoms.
Basically now I'm going to start a Topic here where I will post back every Friday for the month of December. I have promised my self all of these symptoms will be gone or I will just learn to deal with it by January, so that is my goal. Also if you have any questions, please ask away. (don't be a negative Nancy either, I'm a positive person and I happen to know a lot about the human body so anyone who's depressed from similar symptoms... It starts with your mindset).
Keep in mind that I was never a good English student, so if theses posts are a little ill structured or all over the place, just bare with me because I'm not doing any editing or proof reading. This is a freestyle, yo.
Anyways, I have a couple dr. appointments coming up and most of these symptoms subside when I'm staying active, drinking lots of water and eating healthy (10 DAYS BEFORE RESULTS), or if there not subsiding then I'm just not thinking about them, which works for me too.
I've read something about liver storage of the drug for years...
Here's my thoughts on this...
Looking back on my first course, I remember developing weird symptoms a year later... They lasted about 6-8 months about the time of my accutane course. Based on my purely anecdotal "bro" science, I think my liver is storing the drug long term in response to the high doses of it that I received, and right now my liver is purging it from my body.
If anyone here's is freaking out because they think Accutane is killing them.
Listen to this:
It's a strong drug, and you signed up for it. The best thing to do is go see a doctor and tell her your symptoms. If you're experiencing anything serious, like fainting, bloody stool, seizures, then it's time to get concerned.
If you're like me and you're feeling "off" mentally and physically, well, you're going to be fine. I'm sick of reading posts all these Negative Nancies in the forums. You have to realize, every time you stress and worry your symptoms are going to multiple 10 fold. This is where your mental strength comes in, and if the strength just isn't there... psychiatry, family, boyfriend/girlfriend, or just make a post here. Just be positive because your mind is a lot more powerful then you think. But, don't take any more drugs of any kind for awhile unless you need it, no SSRI's or any of that crap. If you're staying active often and you haven't been diagnosed with any life threatening condition, you'll be fine.
Cheese ball quote: "whether you believe you can or can't, you're right".
I think that's how it goes.. Either way, yeah.
Anyways I'm going to cut out some common allergens (eggs, wheat, corn, dairy), exercise at least once a day for at least one hour vigorously, drink a shit ton of water, and do the things that make me happy, like guitar, hockey, video games, meditation, spend time with family and friends, dates, ect... And just work on having positive a mindset like your brain is a muscle and everyday is brain day.
See you next week.
dunno what else to say but
i read your last thread:
"dermatologist put me on 70 mg/day does of Accutane for my acne which was considered moderately-severe. My system absorbed this very well and killed my acne completely in a short course of 5 moths. "
this exactly my point. way too high dose for too long = sides . irresponsible derm who is too moronic to google. you only need max 20 mg of this drug until clear. the science is clear on this.just google if u want more studies
Safety and efficacy of fixed-dose 10mg daily isotretinoin treatment for acne vulgaris
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jocd.12268/abstract
Efficacy of fixed daily 20 mg of isotretinoin in moderate to severe scar prone acne
I had a full response written and I accidentally hit the back button lol so I don't feel like typing it out again...
Basically I'm not too worried about the dosage at this point, I'm aware it's a moderate-high dose and I wouldn't recommend it.
Max dose should be 1/2 mg per kg body weight, and that should be considered high. Where as I was about .9 mg per 1kg.
So I agree with you but my main intention here isn't to raise awareness of the dangers, although I do think that's important so I'm not dismissing you completely.
Okay anyways, updates:
Everything is fine
My health is basically at a peak right now because I re-prioritized my life with health being at the top.
Apple a day for fiber, no dairy (I'm sensitive), and low carbs, high fat, with lots of fruits and veggies.
Apple cider vinegar and garlic capsules every day may have had some impact too.
Most importantly I'm doing minimum 30 minute fast pace runs with no breaks.
I think this physical stress is necessary in that it can have a huge positive effect on your ability to deal with mental stress.
By the way if I had to say what's causing all my symptoms I would lean towards mental stress... (for at least 90% of them)
Given that the more relaxed I am, the more tamed my symptoms are; I think this is a fair assessment, unlike my old hypochondriac tendencies.
Every single one of those symptoms I listed have either gone down significantly or have disappeared. (maybe it was the dairy a little too?)
Anyways my point is that if you are like me and are experiencing symptoms, doctors are telling you they have no idea what the cause is, it's probably due to mental health. And really try not toever feel like you're trapped and you've made som horrible life changing mistake, cause I can relate to that, and it's not easy to dig your way out but it's definitely doable. Take a look at some of the stuff I've done so far and try it yourself for a couple weeks (with consistency!). Make a blog post and tag me, I'll read it. There is a peace of mind in knowing you're not out of the ordinary and there's people supporting you.
It's pretty cool the progress I've made since just accepting all this, and giving myself perspective that I'm lucky to be even alive and born in a first world country. And if you've read this far, well, your brain still works so do you're best at optimizing it.
Finding hobbies was huge for me too!
good luck
Going on week 3 here...
Health is in top shape, have hardly been thinking about the symptoms as of recently.
I'll be honest in admitting I can still feel some awful side effects from time to time, but mostly very mild. The main thing is a buzzing, or shaky feeling in my extremities along with sensations of warmth.
As I stated before: I'm pretty confident this caused by the anxiety which I developed post treatment accutane.
I had extreme vertigo a month ago... I'm very happy to say that is completely gone, I convinced myself the tinnitus was in my head and I begun intense exercise, that's gone as well. I've decided the culprit being anxiety or allergies.
My social behavior is at peak...
I just want to say here, I made these changes by a major lifestyle change not just taking supplements and crossing my toes.
I run 30 minutes a day minimum, I cut down carbohydrates by 50%(this includes wheat sugar,... basically most things that aren't pure fat), I cut down lactose by 90% (10% accounting for accidentally eating it), caffeine by 50%(don't go cold turkey with this, ease off it), and I re-developed a confident mentality towards everything I do, easiest way to do this is smile whenever you can. Just try smiling in a social situation with other people and you'll notice you instantly start to feel better... If it's appropriate timing, don't be weird about it.
Also being recently single I've been asking plenty of girls on dates, it's not easy to do at first but it builds character. The last thing that major thing I've done is distract myself every time I think about the symptoms or just attempt to not let it effect me, because I notice this makes it worse every time. That last part I noticed helped a lot with paranoia that I think I may have had a hint of. Also I've been sleeping 7-8 hours a night as opposed to 6 and I think it's started to make a difference, noticeably after 10 days.
As I guy I find it extremely benefitial to life heavy weights to let out
a testosterone release, could be just as helpful for girls too.
To conclude my mental and physical health was clearly going in one direction, 3 weeks of life style changes and I know can sense it moving in the opposite, more favorable direction. I'm hoping in 2018 I can forget everything about acne and accutane and move on with my life.
PS: Just as a side thought,maybe this drug just ages you;I'm experiencinga few common side effects of aging in my 20s? I could make peace with that idea.