thinking about roaccutane

LegacyUser

Hi,

I'm thinking about going on roaccutane.

The resaon i'm only thinking about it is because of all the negative information i've been reading about it on the web.

I've tried everything else over counter tuff,antibiotics,lazer etc... and no results and i'm in my mid 20's.

My derm. has recommended it but i have my doubts and he is the same guy who said lazers would cure it, so my fate in him is not great.

So can I have feedback from people who have actually been on roaccutane only please?

Did it work, how long where you on it, how long are you off it, side effects ,long term problems, age bracket, how long until problems caused by the drug finished.

Thank you.

Victor

I'm not sure what information you are going to get here that isn't publicly available.

It works for some, not for others. Some get severe side-effects.

Smiley :)

like u i tried everything possible before trying roaccutane. origionally i was only supposed to be on it for 3-4 months, but ended up spending 6-7 months on it.
i didnt have any serious side effects except it made me pretty moody! id also advise you to keep plenty of vaseline and a good moisturiser handy as it dries the hell outta your skin and lips.
its been known to cause depression in some people and thats why theyre getting really strict about prescribing it.
i went on it a few yrs ago and it did wonders for me. ive had no problems with my skin since so id definitely recommend it if nothing else has worked.
good luck

Doper Than U

I've been on Roaccutane twice, spanning 3-4 months one year, and 3 months the next year. I've been off it for about 10 years. There is no doubt it works really, really well. But the side effects can be pretty severe. The dryness of the mucous membranes is a nuisance, so the vaseline advice is a good one. You will need it. Your skin can look a little cracked while on it (and a little while after) but honestly, it's not that bad.

I have had long lasting effects on my sight, in that I have extremely dry eyes due to the natural oils not coming back. I have also had to get glasses (don't know if that's due to Roaccutane, but I can't help suspecting it might be). I now wear contacts, as they've got new ones out that work with dry eyes. So, the vision thing doesn't bother me that much.

The most important things while on Roaccutane are alcohol, pregnancy and depression.

Alcohol : Don't drink while you're on it. It will kill your liver. Seriously. Some people take a drink or two a week, which is probably fine. And if you can stop there, then you should be ok. I don't drink anyway, so abstaining totally from alcohol wasn't a problem for me. My friend had different opinions on this, and now her liver is well and truly f*cked. She's only young too. If I were you, I just wouldn't bother drinking at all. And the odd binge will do just as much damage as prolonged drinking.

Pregancy : You will cause massive defects in the foetus if you take Roaccutane while pregnant. So if you're young enough, and don't have regular (or any) sex, then you should be fine. I was young, so sex wasn't an issue. I still had to sign a waiver saying I wouldn't get pregnant, even though I was technically underage. If you're a guy, you're obviously clear on this count

Depression : If you're prone to depression, be careful about going on Roaccutane. People do kill themselves because of the side effects of this drug. I was not depressed ever while on it, in fact I felt bloody great that finally, I was doing something about my acne. Just monitor yourself, get your family and friends to monitor you and be honest about any depression you might feel while on it.

Personally, for me, Roaccutane was great. The side effects I had/have were worth it to be honest. Would I do it all over again? Yes. Definitely. It's tough while on it. Your skin looks like sh*t, and it feels like sh*t too. But if your acne is bad enough to need it, then your skin probably feels like this anyway. I was lucky and didn't get pockmarks from acne, so now my skin is pretty much crystal clear.

The only caveat I can give is don't get lax about your routine and the rules. Don't break the alcohol rules or sex rules becaus you just couldn't be arsed.. or "once won't hurt". Yes it will. If you're not 100% committed to doing things properly while on it, don't bother.

Best of luck to you.

Oh, and get a new derm if you don't have faith in your current one. I can't help feeling extremely suspicious of ANY derm that promises a treatment will 100% work. Also, my own two excellent derms have doubts about the efficacy of lasers for acne. There isn't enough evidence that the N-lite works. I am fortunate in having the two best derms in the country, they are expensive, but worth every single penny. If the N-lite worked, they would have it in their offices. I can give you their names by PM, but like any specialists there is a waiting list. If you decide to stay with your derm and go ahead with Roaccutane, you should be fine.. it's fairly foolproof provided you follow the rules and get the monthly required check ups and blood tests that go with it. If your derm doesn't arrange these appointments for you upon you taking the drug, ask why, and get him to make them. Your liver needs to be monitored while on this drug.

LegacyUser

i just started taking roaccutane yesterday, if you wanna give me your email ill keep you posted with how its going

Smiley :)

just to make a point about what Doper than U said. you dont neccessarily have to go to a dermatologist, my GP treated me.
after all roaccutane will work well for some and not for others, whether you go to a dermatologist or not. you could save yourself the money and the wait if you go to your GP.
then again some people might feel more secure going to a dermatologist.....different strokes for different folks me thinks.

bbbbb

There have been other threads on roaccutane on boards, have a look.

In terms of advice, I'd tend to go with the professionals, not with the internet Every drug has side effects, so you'll always find bad stories on the web (I researched laser eye surgery & got some scary results!).

I've been on roaccutance 3 times, late teens & twice in the late 20s. Each time it did dramatically improve my skin (but obviously not totally eliminated). I definitely felt the drying effects (need lip balm), another thing is alcohol tolerance. Technically you're not supposed to drink at all, but as a more "mature" person my doctor said I could drink a little. I did have 1-2 incidents where I had too much to drink (6 pints, not a huge amount) and got very violently ill.
Normally they ramp up the dosage, & the second time I was on them, my skin reacted badly at the begining (very bad out breaks), so I had to go on steroids for a short time to counter this.
In terms of effect on mood, strangely it only affected me the third time. Sometimes you'd be on major downers but as you knew it was due to the drugs you could rationalise it away (might be more difficult to do this as a teenager?). This was counter balanced by the upswings of having much improved skin (so bit of a roller coaster basically!).

Hope none of this scares you, I had tried many other treatements & nothing came close to roaccutance. Never regretted going on it, only maybe not going on it sooner, or staying on it for longer.

Talk to the professionals (yes, I would go with a dermatologist, even if a GP can perscribe it, which I doubt)

HTH

RC 05

Was on roaccutane when I was 16. I also had tried various antibiotics previously but had no success. It usually takes between 3-4 months - after 18 weeks my acne was nearly cleared completely. 2 years on the acne has vanished

The only trouble I had was the skin dryness. My face flaked up quite a bit but trust me its well worth it in the end! Havent had any long-term affects whatsoever.

I didnt take any alcohol while on roaccutane - its not worth chancing.

I would insist on seeing your derm. every month, as it is vital that he/she sees how you are coping and to keep an eye on the bloods.

Best of luck!

galwaydude

i would be wary of going on roaccutane.

For some people it works for others it does.I was on it twice in the last 5 years, the last time 3 years ago. It made my skin bearable at first but as soon as i was off it i got them back ten fold and did i menation scars as well.
The other side affect i got was that now my skin is very sensitive, for ages afterwards if i was in a pub/nightclub my skin would flare up bright red and become all falkey.Its very embaressing when someone asks you are you all alright after you become bright red.You can counter this with a good moisturisor for the flakeyness. Now my skin cant handle hot weather at all, just goes bright red so i try and avoid situations where that can happen.
Talk to your derm as they will know best, try not to get pushed onto roaccutane until you know all the facts.

There are other alternatives out there, like that n lite treatment in the body clinic in wicklow street. Its expensive but it works to a certain degree. You can pm if you want as at this stage i feel like an expert when it comes to acne.
My skin is ok now apart from the scars i got from the roaccutane and i suffer from the odd breakout but a good diet should help. I would love to have smooth skin and get rid of the scars but there doesnt seem to be anything effective on the market today without it costing you an arm and a leg.

Talliesin

need advice wrote:

So can I have feedback from people who have actually been on roaccutane only please?

The problem is, they aren't going to be able to tell you how it's going to work for you. If you have a sibling that was on it then that would give you a bit of something to judge from, since the chances would be higher of you having a similar experience, but even that still isn't going to really tell you anything.

Juicy

Hi I have never been on Roaccutane but I have been on Dianette, Minocin, Vybramycin, Differin, and this rolly sponge-thing that I can't remember the name of at the mo. I then made an appointment to see a dermatologist but had to wait 4 months to see her. In the meantime my Minocin perscription ran out so on the advice of someone I started taking Evening Primrose Oil tablets. 1000mg, twice a day, one in the morning, one at bedtime and it worked brilliantly. In fact I have completely clear skin at the moment. And believe me I had very bad acne for the past 5-6 years, I used to refer to myself as The Leper.

It only took a few weeks but the acne went away completely, and it was defo the Eve Primrose that did it. I am delighted, and cancelled the Dermatologist appointment a few weeks ago. The GP indicated that I would probably be put on Roaccutane had I gone through with the apointment. I was v worried about going on it too, and luckily I didnt have to. But I'd defintely recommended Evening Primrose Oil for the original poster. I am a 25 year old female. Best of luck with everything, Acne is a curse, it won't kill you, its not even painful, but it can cause bad depression and low self esteem believe me I've been through the whole range of emotions.

galwaydude

where can you get the evening primrose tablets?

Juicy

You can get Evening Primrose in any Pharmacy or health food store. I am using a brand called Sona, about €9.99 for 60 capsules. A damn sight cheaper than the Minocin! You can also buy Seven Seas Eve. Primrose Oil in the likes of large-ish Tesco/Dunnes in the vitamins section. And I have also seen it on sale in Lidl although I'm not sure of the quality of the stuff they sell. Overall though its not hard to find.

Have a poke around on the Sona site http://www.sona.ie/product.asp?id=379 and google it as I don't now if it would work for guys since acne can be a hormonal thing.

pants on fire

Ah no...only messin about the junky thing.
I took it for about 5 months last year.
If you go on the big R, you will experience effects like flaky skin on your face, really dry lips and I got bit of a rash on my arms. Its not all that bad.
Apparentley, there's a really small chance of something worse.

But if you dont have problems with other medications, you should be grand.

My advice is..go for it. Every time you step out of your house, you risk being killed in some horrible way. Life is all about mathematical chance.
Take one

fischerspooner

I think it's a wonder drug. I took it when I was 20, for just 2 months (it was prescribed for 3 but I went away in the middle of a course for a year). Never had a problem with acne again. The only side effects I had were dry lips, and I think I had a very light nose bleed once or twice. I drank heavily on it though, so maybe my liver will be fecked when I'm older.

Newaglish

I used to have fairly bad acne, and I was put on everything under the sun; Tetralysal, Minocin, Differin, By-Mycin and a few others that I can't remember. None of these did anything for me so my dermatologist put me on Roaccutane for a course of 6 months.

There are side affects that pretty much everyone is going to get - my twin brother was on it too, and we suffered from the usual incredibly dry skin & lips, rashes on the hands/forearms, I had dry eyes and the inside of your nostrils also dries out often resulting in nosebleeds and general discomfort - I had to get eye drops and my brother got his left nostril cauterised. I didn't drink any alcohol (I was only 16 at the time), but I did think at the time it was making me a little moody. It was only when I was taken off the tablets that I realised how happier I was - it does take a toll on your general mood & mental well-being so it's worth it to keep a check on how your dealing in that respect.

Overall though, I now have the clearest skin ever since I was taken off the tables at 17, not a single spot or anything on my face, and the odd one now and then on my back never lasting longer than a day. I also get comments from people on what good skin I have which is a great confidence boost. If it works well for you, it can be a real miracle drug.

If you are going to go on it, the most important thing is to invest in a tub of E45 cream for your face and a tub of vaseline for your lips, as they will crack and bleed. Otherwise, wash your face at every opportunity you get and don't ever pick at your spots because that's what gives you permanent scars.

I do have slightly sensitive skin now, and I have to use sensitive shaving foam otherwise I come out in a slight rash. I have no problems at all in the sun though. Personally, I'd definitely recommend it.

RC 05

I would recommend using Cetaphil to clean your face while on Roaccutane if you have sensitive skin or skin that flares up easily. It works wonders because you dont need to use it with water - just apply it morning and night like suncream or moisturiser, it doesnt irritate your skin at all.

Skin will be dried up enough with Roacc. so the last thing needed would be hot water thrown over your face. I still use it now it keeps spots away and keeps your pores really clear. Should be able to get it from any good pharmacy for about a tenner.