Acne / Roaccutane

hi all,

i've been on roaccutane twice now (22 years of age had acne since the age of 14). in 2011 i had a course of 6 months at 20mg per day (bodyweight at that time was about 60kg).

then it returned about 3 months after finishing that course. i then had a second course from the start of this year to june, 30mg per day. i finished this course in june of this year. i was also told that they had given me all the treatment they could and would be discharged from the clinic (NHS).

after a few months of good skin, a few spots have now reappeared! :frown:

one thing i'm panicking about is that they make a big thing about taking it after a meal. at uni i often ate breakfast around 9 or 10 am, and sometimes didnt take the pills until around 12 midday. i've done some research and found out it is essential to eat a certain amount of fat before taking the isotretinoin so that it is effectively absorbed into the body.

i was planning on making a private appointment with a dermatologist, which would cost £150 for an initial consultation, plus £80 follow ups, to see what he would recommend. has anyone had any experience going down the private route? i really am at the end of my tether! :frown:

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

Im currently on roaccutane and at my last appointment my dermatologist was calculating something after I had been weighed and said the next time I see you, you will be nearly at the end for your weight. Im assuming you can only have so much I think for your body - regardless of if you go private or not. Its virtually unknown to be on it more than twice, as its not worked you should see if you have any underlying conditions that is causing the acne to come back even after the roaccutane. I know a girl who went on it twice, came back and they investigated and found out she had PCOS.
Good luck, I know how distressing acne can be and treatments not working.

Reply 2

rachel.h

I don't have any experience of the private route - but did they really not tell you you should take Roaccutane with food?

If/ when my acne returns, I will be going straight to a private dermatologist. I ended up on Roaccutane for a solid year because of the NHS f*** ups.

Reply 3

Nurein

Acne is mostly caused due to the oily skin and even due to the food habit also so taking an proper diet should be important and necessary too.

Reply 4

Anonymous #1

Original post by Anonymous

thanks

Original post by rachel.h

Original post by Nurein

Acne is mostly caused due to the oily skin and even due to the food habit also so taking an proper diet should be important and necessary too.

thanks guys, i'll try home remedies in the next few weeks, then i think although it looks like i can't take more roaccutane, i'll see if there are any private solutions!

rachel, your meant to take roaccutane with food, the higher the fat content of the food, the more isotretinoin your body absorbs, so its more effective! i hope you get the skin you want with roaccutane, it cures something like 60% of people permanently, and for the rest it may come back, but less severe :smile:

Reply 5

Omega3!

Original post by Anonymous

When I was 18 I was on roaccutane (isotretinoin) for 5-6 months.

Some doctors will start you on a lower dose and increase it if you don't have any side effects or if it isn't working properly, usually up to a dose of 1mg / kg of body weight (example: if you're 80kg, you take 80mg a day).

Some doctors will just go ahead and start you on the 1mg/kg dose (my doctor did this, I weighed 70kg and was started on 70mg a day).

Honestly, some people only have to have treatment once, some twice and some even three times, I would ask the NHS again through your GP and if they don't do anything then I'd probably go private if it bothers you that much.

Ignore anyone that tells you acne is caused by eating habits / diet / personal hygiene or any other bull****. It's a physiological illness in which the root cause is excess oil production from your sebaceous glands. It's like saying a better diet will improve your ex ma or chicken pox.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 6

rachel.h

Original post by Anonymous

rachel, your meant to take roaccutane with food, the higher the fat content of the food, the more isotretinoin your body absorbs, so its more effective! i hope you get the skin you want with roaccutane, it cures something like 60% of people permanently, and for the rest it may come back, but less severe :smile:

I know, one of the first things they told me was that I needed to take it with food... that's why I'm asking did they not tell you?

I finished my course of Roaccutane last month, so I will just have to wait and see what will happen.

Reply 7

bettinakovacs

Original post by Anonymous

Hello girl,
I have been taking roaccutane for more than 5 years. This year, I thought that something was going on in my body since acne came back when I stopped the medication. This has been going on for more than 4 years. I thought that isotretinoin would be the answer for curing acne forever, but it turned out I have PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). And that's why acne always came back after my treatment.
You do not have to fill all the conditions to know that you have PCOS. I have normal weight, no diabetes and no excess hair. I just have acne. BUT I found out I also had polycystic ovaries (my gynaecologist checked with ultrasound) and a little bit higher testosterone levels than normal.
I have been put on Metformin since July (for regulating my hormone levels) and have continued Isotretinoin ever since. My internist said it was fine to take isotretinoin for a long time, but then with lower dosage.
I have gotten on BC pill 3 times but never worked so I'm never gonna take that again (mood swings, crying - it was messing with my feelings basically).

Btw, dermatologists never told me to take it with food. I think every medication is better with food tho.

Let me know if you have any news!
Good luck on that :smile: