Accutane - Cures acne, can cause horrible death. Worth it?
300 replies, posted
Out of curiosity, are you SURE what you have is acne and not Keratosis Pilaris?
It works great, face is all cleared up and no blood problems. Don't do stupid shit if your on it (like drinking alcohol)
[QUOTE=paindoc;30488036]My dad, being an anesthesiologist, knows all about this kind of thing. He says 90% of those severe symptoms are utter BULLSHIT.[/QUOTE]
No offense but I'd trust a dermatologist over an anesthesiologist for this, for the same reason I'd trust a mechanic to fix my car over a plumber
You're severely killing your body for the rest of your life just for cosmetics, did you use your brain when you even considered to use such drug?
[QUOTE=BackOnCrack;30369825]Yea definetly sounds worth it, become a vegetable cause you couldn't take having a pizza face for a couple years[/QUOTE]
that whole "couple years" thing isn't for everyone. I've had acne since I was 11 years old, I'm 18 now, and it's not letting up at all. I know people that have had it well on into their 20s.
[QUOTE=Trunk Monkay;30504433]that whole "couple years" thing isn't for everyone. I've had acne since I was 11 years old, I'm 18 now, and it's not letting up at all. I know people that have had it well on into their 20s.[/QUOTE]
I've had mild acne since I was 13, I'm nearly 21 now and it's still there.
Not bad enough for me to consider accutane but if it was painful or really bad I probably would.
Just a heads up people, don't take it.. I took it for about 8 months, and sure enough all the pimples went away and I looked like everyone else. I stopped taking it about a year ago. No problems except really dry lips when I took it. As of the last few months, I have (and never before this has this happened) been experiencing pretty intense pains in multiple organs. I need to see a doctor before I die. At least I can give my own share of experience in hopes some kid won't do what I did. Shit wasn't worth it.
I took it for awhile, it helped. Then I stopped because I thought it wasn't worth it. Turns out milk is causing me to break out, so I'm avoiding it, and I have less acne now then I've had in years.
My boyfriend took accutane. He still has acne. It is NOT gaurenteed. But that was 3 years ago, and he doesn't have any side effects... that we know of. He is borderline diabetic now though.
But it never cleared up his acne. It made him dry out to the point that his skin was flaking off. Then after he finished he hydrated again. and the whole time, acne.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhM0N7C_XUY&feature=player_embedded[/media]
That looks incredibly painful.
[QUOTE=papu2;30494063]Look, You guys. I shouldn't be doing this since its against my etique.
99% of people have acne because they almost literially have shit on their face, If you would just quit being so lazy hobo you wouldn't soon find yourself crying over your hideous acne craters.
Now lets go through some theory here before we take action: Zits don't come out of nowhere.
Zits need certain conditions inorder to ruin your day from the start, THe certain conditions i am talking about is having a oily face. And this is where it all starts, With the oily face you'll have blackheads and bacteria. You see when you do your daily routine and all you get all kinds of bacteria to your face, Mainly by touching it. Most of the people with acne keep touching their faces without paying much attention to it. If you quit touching your face you're half way there. but you still got to take care of your personal hygiene. Accutane and other similiar products can help but i personally wouldn't take the risk for something that's this easy to solve.
And now let's take some action:
1) Every fucking morning, wash your face with an actual product which is meant for oily skin. Never use cheap soap on your face no matter how hobo you are, You will regret it.
2) After this apply some moisturising cream on your face.
3) When you're going to sleep, Remember to wash your face.
4) To prevent using your pillow as a backup for all the shit you had in your face just put a fresh towel on it.
Now about the blackheads, For a while you'll have to get rid of em manually but soon you'll notice that you no longer need to do this as often.[/QUOTE]
99% of people? No. What about cystic acne? you think people with cystic acne make up 1% of the total amount of people with acne?
Is it safe to take Echinacea/Golden Seal Complex while on Accutane? I can't find a fucking answer. I want to up my immune system since the antibiotics weakened it and I think it'll help me from getting IBD or something. The book said don't take herbal products with it but I think it may be bullshit.
[QUOTE=Chicken_Chaser;30513221]Is it safe to take Echinacea/Golden Seal Complex while on Accutane? I can't find a fucking answer. I want to up my immune system since the antibiotics weakened it and I think it'll help me from getting IBD or something. The book said don't take herbal products with it but I think it may be bullshit.[/QUOTE]
If it says not to do something right on the medication obviously don't do it
[QUOTE=Dan2593;30369790]
[b]Common Reactions to Accutane[/b]
Pain and swelling of the lips
Severe itching
Alopecia (hair-thinning/hair-loss/baldness)
Fragile and weaker skin
Vision problems
Decreased night vision (onset may be sudden)
Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
Contact lens intolerance
Dry mucous membranes (dry nose, lungs, bladder, anus)
Peeling skin on palms/soles
Nail changes
Nosebleeds
Photosensitivity (sensitivity to light)
Elevated triglycerides in the blood
Elevated liver enzymes (indicating liver damage)
Tinnitus (ringing in ears or buzzing in ears)
Joint pain and muscle pain
Back pain
Depression
[b]Serious Reactions to Accutane[/b]
Depression
Erectile dysfunction (difficulty in maintaining erection) :dong:
Violent behavior/aggression
Psychosis (seeing or hearing things that are not real)
Suicidal ideation (rare)
Suicide attempts
Hearing impairment
Pseudotumor cerebri (swelling pressure in the brain)
Osteopenia/osteoporosis (loss in bone mass and strength/weak and fragile bones)
Hepatotoxicity (liver damage)
Anaphylaxis (rapid and deadly allergic reaction)
Allergic vasculitis (inflammation and damage to blood vessels)
Major birth defects
Cataracts/corneal opacities (can cause a decrease in vision and lead to eventual blindness)
Premature epiphyseal closure (short stature)
Neutropenia (low white blood cell count, which makes the body vulnerable to bacterial and fungal infections)
Agranulocytosis (a serious condition in which white blood cells decrease in number or disappear altogether) (rare)
Rhabdomyolysis (potentially fatal disease that destroys skeletal muscle) (rare)
Inflammatory bowel disease (inflammation of the intestine and resulting in abdominal cramping and persistent diarrhea)
Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas, an organ important in digestion)
Vascular thrombosis (heart attack)
Stroke
Seizures
So it could, in theory. Make me blind, disabled and deaf. It could turn me into a vegetable. :byodood:
[/QUOTE]
I'd say from all of that, that it's not worth it. I'd wait it out for a little longer, and chances are there could be a better alternative.
I'm thankfully mostly free of acne, save for a rogue zit every now and then.
Forget about Accutane- Go for a slower, but non-lethal alternative.
[img]http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/public/XJtHvc5qDOTyewDp4SbgsuLAxOaynCErG4uN67ACIY80UBIpZsJd4xRU2dX-uyB49PF1iJSRdykryXB0sZ6ySzjZtuA1hJ-22B49Tya_7LQUl2F23u5FKDVKrpH45ToRw3cj0Lr763PJO4Y72m1fFGnu-vmSWz9a58QykNTALHwKHw0Ry-OKmxXN1xiYZdU4WKw[/img]
[QUOTE=ZombieWaffle;30517951]Forget about Accutane- Go for a slower, but non-lethal alternative.
[img]http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/public/XJtHvc5qDOTyewDp4SbgsuLAxOaynCErG4uN67ACIY80UBIpZsJd4xRU2dX-uyB49PF1iJSRdykryXB0sZ6ySzjZtuA1hJ-22B49Tya_7LQUl2F23u5FKDVKrpH45ToRw3cj0Lr763PJO4Y72m1fFGnu-vmSWz9a58QykNTALHwKHw0Ry-OKmxXN1xiYZdU4WKw[/img][/QUOTE]
That's not going to cure the problem.
[QUOTE=Hexxeh;30484944]If you're in the UK, you'll find it pretty hard to get this on prescription anyway. So here's a little bit of advice from someone who's been through all the hoops with a dermatologist on the way to getting this stuff.
If you go to your local GP, they won't just give you this. They'll probably start you off on Doxycycline, which is an antibiotic. They'll probably give you a cream/gel with this too, probably Differin or something similar. This will also contain benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, which are also available over the counter and just dry the skin out basically. They can also make your skin feel like it's burning, which is pretty irritating (no pun intended).
You'll get stuck on that for and told to come back in 2-3 months. It can literally take that long to start having any effect, so it's pointless to go back to your GP within this time. If that didn't work, they'll try another similar treatment, maybe Tetracycline, rinse and repeat for this stuff, another 2-3 months at least.
You'll go through several of these antibiotics, if they work, great, carry on taking them. If not, and if your skin hasn't improved enough for you to be happy, they'll refer to you a dermatologist. They will really spin you around on different antibiotics for a long time before they do this, for me it took around 18 months.
When you get your referral, they make an appointment with the dermatologist for you (which depending how fucked your local hospital is, could be for maybe 4-6 weeks later than the date you booked it). Once you go to see them, they'll look at what you've had so far. [B]Then they'll give you something a bit stronger. Nope, still not Accutane. Dermatologists are permitted to prescribe drugs that GPs aren't, so you'll get something off of their list, whatever they deem most appropriate.
[/B] [/QUOTE]
This isn't necessarily true, I don't know whether it was because of the severity of my acne or something my GP said, but when I first saw the nurse they offered it me straight away.
She said something like, "You have two options with where to go, you can try something a bit stronger than what you had before, or you can go straight on the drug accutane, but I will tell you about the side effects before you make a decision"
I also went straight onto a 6 month course, and then reviewed after 6 months, but did have a lot of blood tests in the first few weeks (mostly because the NHS kept sending them to the wrong hospital or losing the results)
[QUOTE=matt.ant;30523340]This isn't necessarily true, I don't know whether it was because of the severity of my acne or something my GP said, but when I first saw the nurse they offered it me straight away.
She said something like, "You have two options with where to go, you can try something a bit stronger than what you had before, or you can go straight on the drug accutane, but I will tell you about the side effects before you make a decision"
I also went straight onto a 6 month course, and then reviewed after 6 months, but did have a lot of blood tests in the first few weeks (mostly because the NHS kept sending them to the wrong hospital or losing the results)[/QUOTE]
It does depend on the severity of your acne, and rules in your local PCT. Some trusts are stricter than others. As a general rule though, UK NHS isn't anywhere near as quick to offer it in most cases whereas US etc hand it out like candy.
[QUOTE=Hexxeh;30484944]If you've any questions about this whole process feel free to ask, I've know quite a bit about it. Essentially, if you're actually going to get Accutane, it's probably going to take you at least 2 years for them to give it to you. Unless your local primary care trust is fucking lax, in which case you might find it easier, but this is just my experience. This stuff only applies in the UK, in the US they'll hand it out like candy.[/QUOTE]
Best post man, HUGE help.
I've done everything here UP TO the dermatology appointment. My appointment is not in a hospital but a local health clinic. I'm going to strongly suggest they prescribe it to me. Going to play the "Poor me, can't enjoy summer as I'm scared in being seen in light, it's keeping me inside and ruining my life" card.
Think that'll help?
Did the stuff the derm-o give you help?
See if you can find Monodox(Doxycycline Monohydrate). I'm on it and it does wonders. I've suffered no side effects from it and it works great. A month ago my chin was terrible and now I have almost no acne.
[QUOTE=AnalDestroyer;30512222][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhM0N7C_XUY&feature=player_embedded[/media]
That looks incredibly painful.[/QUOTE]
Oh my god. I didn't know that was even possible.
[editline]17th June 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=ZombieWaffle;30517951]Forget about Accutane- Go for a slower, but non-lethal alternative.
[img]http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/public/XJtHvc5qDOTyewDp4SbgsuLAxOaynCErG4uN67ACIY80UBIpZsJd4xRU2dX-uyB49PF1iJSRdykryXB0sZ6ySzjZtuA1hJ-22B49Tya_7LQUl2F23u5FKDVKrpH45ToRw3cj0Lr763PJO4Y72m1fFGnu-vmSWz9a58QykNTALHwKHw0Ry-OKmxXN1xiYZdU4WKw[/img][/QUOTE]
This is what I use. It works wonders.
Just be normal and take Minocycline or some variant. Go for slow/extended release to minimize the drowsy/nausea side affect and succeed where genetics failed.
[QUOTE=Dan2593;30527849]Best post man, HUGE help.
I've done everything here UP TO the dermatology appointment. My appointment is not in a hospital but a local health clinic. I'm going to strongly suggest they prescribe it to me. Going to play the "Poor me, can't enjoy summer as I'm scared in being seen in light, it's keeping me inside and ruining my life" card.
Think that'll help?
Did the stuff the derm-o give you help?[/QUOTE]
No problem, glad to help. Dermatologist is a dermatologist, doesn't have to be in a hospital, just the place near me they use since it's a massive complex. They're all the same and have the same treatments available to them.
As far as I'm aware, pushing specifically for it doesn't help. In fact, it's probably better that you don't really mention it. If you get the questionnaire like I did, then this will influence any decisions they make. They calculate what's called an APSEA score, here's an example of the sheet you'll probably be asked to fill in: [url]http://pmj.bmj.com/content/82/970/500/F2.large.jpg[/url]
Might be helpful for you to read that and have a think about your answers before you're asked to do it. They may not ask you to, I suspect not all PCTs do, there are a few different systems and questionnaire systems in use so you might even get something different.
But yeah, I kinda got the feeling that the dermatologist isn't going to put too much weight in what you've said to them. They'll have a good look at how bad it is, and take your questionnaire into consideration when you go back, but that's pretty much it as far as I know.
The stuff they can give you that's not Accutane can help, and did make an improvement in my case, but the side effects were pretty harsh and so I didn't think it was worth it for the mild condition I had. Of course, if they do cause any side effects, tell them and they'll give you something different.
Even if they do find something that works and you're happy with, at the end of the day they're antibiotics and you'll eventually build up a resistance to them. They might work great for a while but then they'll gradually stop having so much of an effect.
Best way to get them to give it to you is to let them do their normal thing of going through different stuff first, keep insisting you're not happy with the improvement if any, then they should eventually give it to you if they're ever going to (like I said, if they don't deem it bad enough, they may never).
Medications for acne cause a shitload of problems. Try strideX, though. works good for me.
[QUOTE=Hexxeh;30532630]No problem, glad to help. Dermatologist is a dermatologist, doesn't have to be in a hospital, just the place near me they use since it's a massive complex. They're all the same and have the same treatments available to them.
As far as I'm aware, pushing specifically for it doesn't help. In fact, it's probably better that you don't really mention it. If you get the questionnaire like I did, then this will influence any decisions they make. They calculate what's called an APSEA score, here's an example of the sheet you'll probably be asked to fill in: [url]http://pmj.bmj.com/content/82/970/500/F2.large.jpg[/url]
Might be helpful for you to read that and have a think about your answers before you're asked to do it. They may not ask you to, I suspect not all PCTs do, there are a few different systems and questionnaire systems in use so you might even get something different.
But yeah, I kinda got the feeling that the dermatologist isn't going to put too much weight in what you've said to them. They'll have a good look at how bad it is, and take your questionnaire into consideration when you go back, but that's pretty much it as far as I know.
The stuff they can give you that's not Accutane can help, and did make an improvement in my case, but the side effects were pretty harsh and so I didn't think it was worth it for the mild condition I had. Of course, if they do cause any side effects, tell them and they'll give you something different.
Even if they do find something that works and you're happy with, at the end of the day they're antibiotics and you'll eventually build up a resistance to them. They might work great for a while but then they'll gradually stop having so much of an effect.
Best way to get them to give it to you is to let them do their normal thing of going through different stuff first, keep insisting you're not happy with the improvement if any, then they should eventually give it to you if they're ever going to (like I said, if they don't deem it bad enough, they may never).[/QUOTE]
Do they prescribe something on the day? What did they give you? Did you ever get the Accutane?
[QUOTE=Dan2593;30537786]Do they prescribe something on the day? What did they give you? Did you ever get the Accutane?[/QUOTE]
Yep, they'll give you something, I got Trimethoprin. I never got Accutane because I got pretty fed up with the entire process and just gave up really, cleared up normally mostly in the time it took them pissing around.
Ive been taking accutane for about a year now and I havn't had any side effects bar picture perfect skin.
[quote]Stroke
Seizures
Major birth defects
Cataracts/corneal opacities (can cause a decrease in vision and lead to eventual blindness)
[/quote]
Do I need to tell more?
What the hell is even in this shit?
[QUOTE=Hexxeh;30541313]Yep, they'll give you something, I got Trimethoprin.[/QUOTE]
I've heard a lot of people get this with a cream. They usually get a choice between antibiotics or Accutane though.
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