Accutane help please?
 

Hey everyone,

Now that I got your attention, I need your help if I should go on accutane or not.

I have to go back on tuesday to get my final bloodwork and pregnancy test and then on wednesday my doctor is going to write the script for it providing that everything checks out ok.

So I am having second thoughts about it now. I am currently on amoxicillin and I was told that staying on it while taking accutane might help with the initial breakout but that is why I am so afraid to take it.
I dont want to look awful for the entire time I am on it because even though my face isnt clear now I only have about 5 active pimples on my skin and I dont want to have 10-15.

Also, I was told to eat low sugar while on accutane, not drink alchol, avoid the sun and something about watching fat intake because it raises tri-glyceride levels. Is that true?

Since summer is about to start I cant imagine giving everything I enjoy up just for clear skin. I mean this is very very important to me but I am not sure what to do. I had a foto facial done recently and was going to go back for more if I dont get the accutane because I heard it can shrink your pores which I am hoping will help my skin. Does everyone have to take accutane for 5 months though? I was thinking it would only be 3?

So what do all of you think? Is the risk worth it? My derm was going to put me on 40mg then 80mg every other day for a combined 60mg dosage but that much scares me. I heard that if you start out at a lower dosage that you might not have the bad breakout in the beginning.

Thanks so much in advance!

Get it.. you will not regret it.. it is worth it..

period.

I don't think you should take it in the summer.

Really? Why not? Whenever I started accutane years ago.. that is actually when they put me on it.. in the summer.

Because, Dorf, it makes your skin extremely photosensitive. She could potentially get much more sun damage than if she took it in other months.

If you do it, take it very seriously. This is not a drug you can screw around with (miss doses, miss labwork, etc.) It's very powerful, but very dangerous.

Our of curiousity - have you tried other non-RX stuff? ProActiv? I don't mean to scare you, but it's just a really powerful med.

Yeah I have heard so much about it and that is why I am so scared to try it. My husband took it about 14 years ago and he was fine but now you hear so many more things.

I used proactiv for years and then all it did was make my face dry and red. I then have tried retin-a, retin-a micro, duac, klaron lotion, cleocin-t,
akne-mycine and glycolic acid. I am currently using the biomedic line which is really helping the cystic acne on my chin but it seems that they have now shifted to the sides of my face by my ear. Its so odd. I never used to get them there. I try to keep my hair away from my face but I wonder if the oil from that is making it worse.

I was on minocycline for a while and it did work for a little bit and then it did nothing so that is why I was put on amoxicillin. Its such a pain to spend so much money on this crap.

So about 3 months ago I started taking ortho tri-cycline again and I think it is helping a little bit but not enough for me to be happy about it. I am the only one out of all of my friends that has bad skin. Since I am 28 and everyone I know is in their mid 30's they dont have any skin issues at all.

I think the problem is that my pores are huge. I am going to try switching to that mineral makeup also to see if that will help. I am using mac studio fix right now and while that basically covers everything but I want something that is lighter.

Make no bones about it - this is a really hard drug to use :( The side-effects are killer...

I would try other alternatives before going to this step, but if you already have tried other things - then do it. Like Brandon said, you won't regret it - but it is really hard on you while you are on it, and I am still feeling some of the effects months later...

About not going on it during summer, it is a valid point, and remember you cant go into the sun for very long periods, so chances are you will have a very boring summer.

The drug does work though, I have been off it for just over 6 months and it has done a world of good for me :wavey:

I guess I never took it seriously whenever I took it.. still a teenager. All of the extreme side effects are very rare. But I do suppose they could still happen to some people. The largest concern, I do know, is for women who are sexually active and looking to get pregnant.. that is a BIG no-no when on accutane.

Wow.. I suppose I was really lucky when I was on it then! I never had one side effect.. other than dry skin.. and even THAT wasn't really bad! I even wear contacts and the doctors warned me that I might not be able to wear them while on accutane, because I might have dry eyes.. but it never happened.. :shrug:

That makes no sense whatsoever. No matter what anyone uses, they'll still get more photodamage in the summer.

spf 15.. cetaphil moisturizer.. derm recommended.. especially when on accutane.

Were you on a low dosage?? I had dry skin (my skin peeled off like scales), dry lips, dry eyes, sun sensitivity, tired muscles, sore body among other things, and even got the occasional bouts of depression :(

maybe you should re read.
Also, I, personally, think Cetaphil sucks.

That might be the reason why. I started out on 40 mg.. and then moved to 60 mg.. that was the highest that I ever went. What about you?

Hmm.. I suppose to each his on.. But cetaphil is in my daily skin care routine, more than once. And it keeps my skin clear and smooth. I use the cetaphil daily face wash, then a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide and then the cetaphil moisturizer. The three-step system works for me.. But I have heard some people who say that also don't care for Cetaphil products. The product that I can't stand is Neutrogena.. BLAH! Even their concealer sucks! Bobbi Brown is the way to go (in terms of make up) ;)

wish I could be of more help...only thing I know about this is it chaps your lips something terrible.

My dosage was the same :eek: :laugh: Just goes to show how it effects people differently...

:lol:

I guess so! The ONLY thing that I had a problem with was getting dry lips.. other than that.. it was like I was popping Asprin everyday.. no biggie for me.

Personally, I would exhaust your antibiotic choices first...tetracycline, azithromycin, clindamycin, etc. While each of these has their own side effects, Accutane is pretty scary stuff. But as a last resort, I would say go for it...just be smart and follow the recommendations for blood tests, 2 forms of birth control, and minimized sun exposure.

Brad

I have been on Accutane 3 times now. If you have exhausted your antibiotic choices first, I say go for it. Do take it seriously, though. Yes, it can and will raise your tri-glyceride levels, as well as your cholerstrol. So watch what you eat while on it. Make sure to apply moisturizer with sunblock daily, a couple of times a day if you do take it in the summer. I have been on it 2 times in the summer. Yes, it's a bear, but if you keep the sunblock on, you won't have a problem. Just keep sleeves on, stay under a hat or umbrella, AND USE SUNBLOCK!!! I figured this out first hand. While you're on it, drink pleanty of water, also. Be sure to use 2 forms of birth control at all times. That is very important, because it causes major birth defects. Also, keep up on Visine and lip balm. You will absolutely not want to be without either. Also, it can affect your night vision. I had a hard time all 3 times driving at night. It wasen't like I was blind, but it makes things blurry. Like I said earlier, I have been on it 3 times since I was 19 (I'm now 28) and it really is the miracle drug. I'm not going to tell you that my skin is flawless, but compaired to the acne I've lived with, 1 or 2 pimples during your monthly is great! Good luck. It's not a decision to take lightly. But, if you're willing to go through 6 months of dry, cracked skin, I say go for it! Let us know what you decide!

On edit: I just wanted to add one more thing... I went off accutane last September, and I'm still trying to get my cholerstrol levels down. I went from 170-something up to 240-something. So, please keep that im mind. It's been 8 months now.

Well after all of your posts I think that I am going to skip the accutane for now. I am so scared of going on it and I am thinking that a summer away from the sun wont work out too well especially while at the beach.

I will go back to the derm on tuesday and see if they have something else for me to try. Its not really that bad now which is good. This time when I had TOM, I only got 3 new pimples and they do seem to be drying up now but I did hear something about tazorac? Has anybody used that with good results?

I hope we didn't put you off. It reacts well and badly with different people. But for me, even though I had some side effects - the benefits out-weigh the negatives - but I would try everything else before you try accutane :)

Drugs have different effects on different people. I took it in 1993. Yes it TOTALLY cleared my face up, but It was SO dried out, and I was SO DEPRESSED!

Worst year of my life, I choose not to dwell on it much. The pills put me in a deep depression. However looking back I would take them again. My face has never been that bad since.

I've had all kinds of struggles with different antibiotics. I feel like I've tried them all: minocycline, tetracycline, doxycycline...eventually amoxicilin, which I found to work really well for me, paired with a perscription rinse called Rosanil. But I eventually stopped taking the pills, to see if I still needed to take them, and I also switched to an over the counter face wash...all was fine until just a few months ago, and my face started to break out again. So I've since gone back to the Rosanil, which I think really works well. I have an appt with my derm next week to see about getting the amoxicilin again.

So yeah...all that info probably wasn't that helpful...but maybe look into Rosanil. From what I remember, its not that expensive (with our insurance, that is) and one bottle lasts a while.

Josh,

Thanks for the info regarding Rosanil. I will check into it. I am using akne-mycin right now along with the biomedic line of cleansers and toners and it really seems to be helping. I would love something to completely clear me up though. It is frustrating for sure. My skin was clearing up really well before and then it just went nuts again about 2 months ago and now it seems to be getting better but I still have some scars.

I just started using glycolic acid and that also seems to be helping with the scars but I am impatient and want them gone right away. Its amazing how people with clear skin just take it for granted. Its so unfair.

I do appreciate everyones input on the accutane. As much as I want to go on it, I am just too scared of the side effects. I am going to call my derm and see what she has to say. If I do try it, it might be a very low dosage to see what happens but I would hate to get on it and have my face go nuts again. I didnt realize how harsh the stuff until I read all of the side effects. It freaks me out!

That is the truth....

Im telling you - the side-effects are not that bad. I was just like you, and really scared to go on it at first, but trust me - when I did accutane, I wondered why I had not done it years earlier...

Yeah, just try it after summer. I, too, had no side effects at all except for the extremely dry, chapped lips.
It was actually awesome, I swear I would've never had to wash my face or hair, my body was producing no oil at all. Those were the days.

That was a HUGE positive of being on accutane. You don't ever have to wory about getting an oily face :laugh: And 6 months later I still produce very little oil...

I also found that cutting soda out of my diet completley (well...with the exception of the tiny bit of coke one finds in a Long Island Iced Tea) also has helped my face to clear up.

I think accutane was a huge positive, period. I don't have to deal with awful zits and pimples daily. And,if I had to go on it a fourth time, I wouldn't think twice about it. I would do it again in a heartbeat.