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[DeKaFu]

Yeah, Accutane is a teratogen, which means if you take it while pregnant your baby will end up deformed. Think thalidomide.

My parents tried to pressure me into going on it a while ago, but the side effects sounded way more horrifying than the prospect of a bit of acne. No thanks.

[Helmaroc]

All that aside, don't get pregnant I remember there being layer upon layer of packaging with warnings. Of course, that doesn't affect me though.

Good luck!

Not going to be an issue for me, but you're right, the box has a dozen or so pregnancy warnings on it...I have to see that creepy baby illustration each time 

Unfortunately, I'm one of the people that got stuck with digestive issues.

Constant diarrhea is a small price to pay for a beautiful face though.

-Consider the risks, those ads aree true about the digestion problems, I definately have spells of terrible irregularites, I think it was worth it because I had really really bad acne... like big pus filled ones that would randomly decide to burst and bleed...

When they do the blood test each month, I believe they're checking to see if I could develop digestive issues, and if they catch the numbers going up they can take me off the drug immediately and everything will return to normal without causing permanent damage, at least that is what I've been told.

[smigenboger]

I read the best cure for acne on Reddit the other day: Changing your pillowcase every single day. Regardless of how many times you wash or apply ointments. Sleeping on a dirty pillowcase is equivilent to sleeping on the seeped-in grease of all the previous nights you've slept on it.

Lots of replies to that thread indicated that this was a largely unknown, but suprisingly effective solution. You should try it before resorting to drastic measures.

I may actually try this. I notice when I change my pillowcase, my acne clears up for a week or two. Soda makes it bad too.

[Captain Man]

When they do the blood test each month, I believe they're checking to see if I could develop digestive issues, and if they catch the numbers going up they can take me off the drug immediately and everything will return to normal without causing permanent damage, at least that is what I've been told.

I'm not too sure about that... If they told you that then yeah but I think it may have been for something else, idk. You said your acne didn't go away to creams and stuff, I was in the same boat. It's so great to not have to worry about it anymore, wish I would have done this before I developed scars all over my back, shoulders, and chest.

[stuntaneous]

Shotgun! I hate the stuff and for very good reason, here begins my experience.

Essay removed for long term privacy.

[Helmaroc]

long post

First of all thanks for writing that out and I'm very sorry about what has happened to you, and I wish you the best of luck in the future.
Stories like yours make me nervous, but in most of the studies I've looked at, only about 10% of those tested experienced serious issues while or after taking the drug...I know quite a few people in real life who have taken it without any issues besides minor common side effects. You said that you took the drug for 8 months, my doctor has told me I'll be done with it in 5. In most of the cases I have read about severe adverse effects the patients had been taking it for 8-9+ months, some for years(!). I can only assume that the shorter amount of time I take it the less chance I have of developing severe side effects. What dosage were you on? 40mg?
I think it was wrong of that doctor to simply advise you to keep with the program, but that was seven years ago and Accutane has gotten a lot of attention recently and I know (hope) that my dermatologist will be more careful and more willing to take me off of the drug if problems arise.
I suppose I'm just trying to reassure myself. I'll keep stories like yours in mind and won't be afraid to quit if side effects become too serious.

[stuntaneous]

lol @ "quote: long post"


While you could very well come out the other side happy with the results, my point was I don't think it's worth the risks. If it doesn't work out for you, it's not as if you'll be left with slight disappointment. It can be horrible and life changing Anyway, I'm glad you're weighing things up.

As for the dosage, I assume it works as it did back then - it's dependent on your weight. I'm 6 4 and weighed about 80 kilograms back then. Generally in metric units, you'd be on the course for about a month per 10 kilos. I realise dosage would affect this system I vaguely remember, but I'm very sure it was proportionate to your weight. So, I don't think how long you're on it is that much of a risk factor rather it's that you're on it in the first place. Also, in my travels finding people with post-accutane problems on the internets I've found some who've had issues without even finishing the course. And, I should add after I went back to my doctor to complain about the impact it was having on me I negotiated down to a lower dosage. I don't remember exact quantities, it was 2003 but I remember being on about half of what I was previously on. This didn't change my outcome.

I just suggest you do a bit of googling, be wary of what your doctors say or sell you and hopefully make the best choice for you ;P

Oh and I've seen a huge number of doctors. Don't be blown away by credentials and a reassuring smile. Opinions vary wildly for any given topic, especially this. Likewise competency, isn't something you can judge by a face.


ps- My last stab at the beast before I leave you: for trivia, the drug is basically an altered form of Vitamin A and you take a huge overdose. It came into being largely unknown in its workings. It was like, we overdosed this guy on massive amounts of Vitamin A and his acne disappeared! Lets keep it ;P Also, the google I speak of - a) check out the size of Wikipedia's adverse effects section as well as b) class actions in the works, I originally planned to sue but later turned down my legal action at the end of the statute of limitations because I wasn't mentally prepared for a length court case and c) forums such as Dry Eye Talk and the number of post-accutane sufferers there.

[Astral]

I've been having some issues with dry eyes and didn't know about the connection with accutane (or, in my case, a somewhat larger than normal Vitamin A supplement prescribed by myself to myself). Guess I may look into eye drops or something similar, because it can be a bother some days more than others, but my acne has more or less cleared itself up (if not other skin issues which I continue to have; one step at a time is nice though).

[forsaken1111]

I took it years ago, my acne cleared up after several months and stayed gone forever. No side-effects at all aside from the occassional dry/chapped lips and some very mild dandruff which an anti-dandruff shampoo and some lip balm cleared up. Best money I ever spent.

[smigenboger]

So, doctors don't suggest taking some vitamin A before overdosing you on it?

[Nivim]

 It sounds incredibly like it's poisoning everything on and in your skin, being unable to differentiate what's harmful, benign, beneficial to you, or what's you.

, only about 10% of those tested experienced serious issues while or after taking the drug...

  10% is pretty (unacceptably) big when you're talking about permanent bodily damage. Haven't you ever played some rogue-likes with the numbers available?

[Astral]

So, doctors don't suggest taking some vitamin A before overdosing you on it?

Technically, the stuff is derived from Vitamin A, so they synthesize it using some sort of method, but it's not the original stuff.

[smigenboger]

So, doctors don't suggest taking some vitamin A before overdosing you on it?

Technically, the stuff is derived from Vitamin A, so they synthesize it using some sort of method, but it's not the original stuff.

Now, I'm not a certified chemist, biologist, or practiser of medicine, but I'd think it would be better to make that oil be more watered down/less cloggable than removing it outright. If only biology worked that way.

[drkpaladin]

Stuntaneous did a better job than I could warning you about the worst side effect: Depression.  But I'll chime in and say that yes, it really does/can cause depression.  I was on the stuff for a long time, and even after you get off it, it stays in your system for years and years.  If you are feeling depressed *at all* before you start taking it, even if it doesn't lead to suicidal thoughts, long term use can have it stay in your system for a long time.  Don't get me wrong, it'll clear up your skin, but I agree with the sentiment "that shit should be illegal".

The thing with depression is that it isn't always obvious when you are suffering from it, especially when your on a drug that gradually heightens the feelings of it.  If I could go back in time 10-12 years to when I started taking it in high school, I would stay far away from it.  I hate looking back over the last decade and wondering how much my feelings and actions were affected because of it. Its easy to give good advice, and hard to take it, but the benefits do not outweigh the cost.

[Helmaroc]

As for the dosage, I assume it works as it did back then - it's dependent on your weight. I'm 6 4 and weighed about 80 kilograms back then. Generally in metric units, you'd be on the course for about a month per 10 kilos. I realise dosage would affect this system I vaguely remember, but I'm very sure it was proportionate to your weight. So, I don't think how long you're on it is that much of a risk factor rather it's that you're on it in the first place. Also, in my travels finding people with post-accutane problems on the internets I've found some who've had issues without even finishing the course. And, I should add after I went back to my doctor to complain about the impact it was having on me I negotiated down to a lower dosage. I don't remember exact quantities, it was 2003 but I remember being on about half of what I was previously on. This didn't change my outcome.

That would make sense, I weigh about 56 kilograms at the moment and am on a five-month plan.

Stuntaneous did a better job than I could warning you about the worst side effect: Depression.  But I'll chime in and say that yes, it really does/can cause depression.  I was on the stuff for a long time, and even after you get off it, it stays in your system for years and years.  If you are feeling depressed *at all* before you start taking it, even if it doesn't lead to suicidal thoughts, long term use can have it stay in your system for a long time.  Don't get me wrong, it'll clear up your skin, but I agree with the sentiment "that shit should be illegal".

I have never been depressed before and am a relatively cheerful person, so I think that if I began to feel differently it would be fairly obvious to those around me and we could stop before it became too serious. Depression is one of the things they look out for very carefully with Accutane patients now.

Oh and I've seen a huge number of doctors. Don't be blown away by credentials and a reassuring smile. Opinions vary wildly for any given topic, especially this. Likewise competency, isn't something you can judge by a face.

I understand what you are saying, but as I mentioned in my first post the dermatologist who prescribed it is someone I knew beforehand and trust. He is aware that there are risks but he believes that the benefits outweigh the dangers. You and drkpaladin believe otherwise, but of course you understand that you would be biased (as you have the right to be). There are also many people who have taken the drug and have come out just fine, is what I am getting at. Should I not try something that could solve a large problem of mine forever that would otherwise linger on for 5-10 years, because a small percentage of those who did the same thing had severe complications? I am not trying to make what has happened to you and everyone else affected seem any less terrible than it is, but I think I am going to go with the odds here, pray and hope for the best.

The way that my doctor has planned this out, I will be monitored closely and I believe that if anything suspicious begins to develop we would simply quit. Thanks, I'll update if anything comes up or if all goes well, when I am finished.