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Acne

Dear god, i have just started reading the possible side effects fo Accutane which i have just been put on, and man its scary. Anyone out there on it to tell me what its like?

Reply 1

john171

11

Evil-Tuna

Dear god, i have just started reading the possible side effects fo Accutane which i have just been put on, and man its scary. Anyone out there on it to tell me what its like?

Trust me on this, Accune works without a doubt as you probably know. But It's a bit*h on the lips, that's the only problem I had a long time ago (buy something for your lips). And also dry skin, its a problem. Or am I talking about Roaccutane?

Reply 2

kingslaw

14

Evil-Tuna

Dear god, i have just started reading the possible side effects fo Accutane which i have just been put on, and man its scary. Anyone out there on it to tell me what its like?

I had a friend on it a few years ago.

He had awful mood swings.

Reply 3

john171

11

Forgot to mention, the thing about it causing depression is a load of crap, it was a random suicide thing in the past. I look fantastic now. Acne cleared up in 3 months and scars in 6-12 months.... :biggrin:

Reply 4

Daveo

16

Evil-Tuna

Dear god, i have just started reading the possible side effects fo Accutane which i have just been put on, and man its scary. Anyone out there on it to tell me what its like?

were you not warned about the potential side effects by your dermatologist?

Reply 5

Evil-Tuna

OP

2

I was but i dont think i was fully paying attention.

Reply 6

Daveo

16

Evil-Tuna

I was but i dont think i was fully paying attention.

That was clever! If you're worried consult you're dermatologist.

Reply 7

Evil-Tuna

OP

2

Well, i've been taking things like lymecycline and erthromycin for about 3 years and it worked a bit then stopped, the side effects he was saying range from person to person so its just teh wide range of things that made me a bit worried.

Reply 8

Lauren Hart

3

a mate of mine was on roaccutane (dunno if its the same) and i think they cleared up and then came back. and it caused her to gain weight and possible depression. but really, how can you measure what causes depression in teenage girls????

Reply 9

Spider

What?? Accutane gets rid of scars???

I never even knew anything did that! Can anyone explain what happened to the scars - did they just shrink, or vanish, or change colour?

Cheers!

Reply 10

Ollie87

1

I've been on roaccutane for nearly two months, I think. I personally haven't noticed a change in my personality and neither have my parents. It's really cleared up my face because I had terrible cystic acne and it's still improving. It's by no means gone yet, but it should be within the next month or so. It's absolute hell on the lips and I also find that the inside of my nose is constantly blocked and dry so I have to breathe through my mouth which makes it even worse!

It was a major decision for me to go on it because my mum works in the NHS and she strongly advised against it, but the acne was terrible and roaccutane was a last resort, really. Just make sure you have regular blood tests and you should be ok.

Reply 11

ChariK

5

Ollie's advice is brilliant - while Roaccutane (otherwise known as Accutane/Isotretinoin) can cause dry lips/achy joints/mood swings its most potent side effect is on the liver. It is a Retinoid, Vitamin A derived which means you are increasing your Vitamin A intake to very very high levels. If you've ever read in SAS Survival Guides, it says never eat the liver of a polar bear (yes, it really does :P) because it contains dangerous levels of Vitamin A and will kill you. Accutane contains much lower levels, but it is still a very very high dose and so it is absolutely IMPERATIVE that you have regular blood tests and liver checks.

For this reason DO NOT buy Accutane over the Internet, the after care service could save your life if your liver becomes intolerant to it.

However, as many have stated, Accutane is very effective in clearing up cystic acne, but personally I would advise you only to go on it for severe acne as the benefits have to outweight the potential side effects. If you have mild to moderate acne, a less aggressive regimen of Benzoyl Peroxide may be more appropriate.

But on Accutane: it MUST be taken under dermatologist supervision!

Reply 12

Chris.

1

john171

Forgot to mention, the thing about it causing depression is a load of crap, it was a random suicide thing in the past. I look fantastic now. Acne cleared up in 3 months and scars in 6-12 months.... :biggrin:

Please ignore this ill-educated rubbish.

Reply 13

keyka

My boyfriend was on it and it worked really well- he didn't have any negative effects and his lips always felt pretty good to me! :wink:

Reply 14

IjustlovetheIB

I've never even heard of it but I'm just curious, what are the possible side effects?

Reply 15

Lecter

12

Cystic acne? Those bloody big ones that grow under your skin, look really red, leave the worst scares and hurt when you touch it? i have one now but my side burns/beard covers it.

Reply 16

JudeX

Chris.

Please ignore this ill-educated rubbish.

Why ill educated rubbish? Just because it obviously worked for him and he wasn't suicidal whilst on it?

Who made you the expert?

Reply 17

karloszm

i was on roaccutane and had really dry lips as well as dry skin on my face. When i went to the optician's they said i had something slightly abnormal with my eyes that would correct itself with time that was probably cos of roaccutane. Having said that it has really cleared up my skin even though i have been on it for about 10-11 months now.

Reply 18

andy5788

14

Trust me on this, Accune works without a doubt as you probably know

Does it indeed? After 10 months mine wasn't entirely done. It does have a very high success rate, but it still is not 100% do remember that.
Nonetheless it helped my Acne greatly.
Side effects I got: VERY dry skin/lips, mood swings, better night vision (vitamin A remember).

Reply 19

Evenstar

13

i went on roaccutane when i was 16 'cos i'd had really bad acne since i was about 11. it cleared it up fantastically, but i suffered from depression while on it and tried to kill myself! i have no idea if the two things were connected, i was after all, a hormone-crazed teenage girl, but i didn't find out 'til a few years later about the apparent connection to depression/suicide. i wasn't warned about it 'cos when i started taking it, no-one knew that.