so, ive been reading this message board for the past 2 years and thought it was finally time i posted some stuff. i have had persistent acne for the past few years and for a while my skin was doing "ok". then about a month or 2 ago i got this huge pimple on my chin and it hurt so bad. then like the next day i woke up and had like 10 of them all in the same spot, no joke. it felt like there were pimples on top of pimples and i could barely open my mouth to eat because it hurt so bad. then i got a ton of them on my forehead. i guess they are cystic acne. i dont know, its nothing i have ever gotten before. so i went to the dermatoligist last month and he gave me erythmyocin(250mg 3x a day) and retina (.025. told me to put the retina on at night and 10%benzoyl peroxide in the morning. i told him it would work because i have taken these medications before and it did absolutely nothing. of course he didnt listen. so a week later i was really depressed and called the derm. a nice lady called me back and we spoke for a while. i made an appointment with the other derm. in the office. when she saw my face she agreed that what he prescribed to me will probably not work. she asked if i would consider accutane and i told her i have been reading about it for a long time and would definatly try it. she said she could guarantee that by the time i am done with my 5 month course that i will not have acne. i told her i was concerned with the initial breakout and everything and she told me that she starts her patients out on a small dosage and they do not experience the horrible breakout. so anyways, i got on birth control and had my blood tests done. i plan on starting the accutane in 2 weeks. i am glad i made the decision to take it bacause i have continued taking the erythmyocin pills along with the retina and bp and my skin has not showed any improvement whatsoever. i cant wait.
I agree..don't use Accutane. The last poster is right it can leave you with horrible side effects that can last your whole life!!! Please try something else.
ashley, i also had cystic acne. but i bet it was a lot worse than yours. i was an ugly sight. there were cysts all over my cheeks and i didnt even bother to count them. i was really depressed until i tried out this sulphur soap by Derma Klear. in less than 2 weeks, my cysts were flattened out and gone! so sulphur is what id recommend. accutane seems too risky for me, but if you are decided, good luck to you and i wish you clear skin. but watch out for those side effects, ok?
DA
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acne, the greatest battle ever fought
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acne, the greatest battle ever fought
what are some of the major long lasting negative effects that accutane could have on your body? ive read so much information on it for quite a while now and i just think its my last resort. my face hurts so bad and i am just embarassed to go anywhere. i wish i could quit my job so i dont have to see so many people in a day. i should be starting my accutane at the end of this week. i know a couple people who have taken it and it worked great for them. i hope it works good for me. i know it is a risky drug but i have tried just about every drug possible and my face is not improving. its making me miserable, its all i think about all day. ill let you guys know how it goes.
For every one or two people who bi+ch and moan about how horrible Accutane is, there are hundreds more who love it! If you'll notice, most of the people who warn you about Accutane have actually never even used it! There are *NO* permanant side effects other than clear skin. Your doctor will monitor your lipid levels and liver to make sure that there is no damage being done.
Accutane is a life saver. It is *AMAZING*!!! It was the best thing I have *EVER* done for myself, and in five months, you won't have a single zit! Just imagine!
Namaste!
[This message has been edited by ShivaShakti (edited 08-25-2003).]
Shiva, what are you smoking? Accutane can do some nasty stuff, I've never taken it so I'm neither encouraging or discouraging it, but both my brothers have taken it and it causes horrible rashes and blisters, and besides that it can cause diseases and depression, I guess?
I've taken Accutane 5 times and decided not to ever take it again after doing research & found out about the possible permanent side effects. It has been almost 5 months since I started this regime w/out oral medication, and my skin has been 100% clear for almost 2 months. It's just getting better & better each day. Pls. read my post w/the topic, "Finally beautiful skin w/out oral medication". Best wishes to all of us.
just take accutane, you will be so much happier. The people that shoot it down are the few people that had bad experiences with so they came back to this board looking for something else.
I'm not smoking anything. I've been on it three times, and I know many people who have been on it multiple times, as well. I challenge you to find *ONE* person who has had one long-lasting side effect after discontinuing Accutane; other than clear skin, of course. You're simply proving my point that the people who speak poorly of Accutane the most are the people who have never used it.
[This message has been edited by ShivaShakti (edited 08-25-2003).]
well just because a few bad things have happened to people while taking it i wouldnt make such a big deal about it. if you look at most medications the side effects can look pretty bad. but like the other person said the doctors do monitor your condition very closely. you have to get a blood test every month or they wont let you get it refilled. when people start screwing around with it and missing pills and so on is when things get messed up. and as far as depression being a side effect..... acne itself is very depressing, so to blame it on accutane is ridiculous. ive done alot of research on it and have decided to take it. i am starting tomorrow.
Accutane is dangerous!!! I have taken it. Think about it:
1. you have to sign a waiver eliviating the doc from responsibility.
2. It causes the most severe side effects than any other drug I've ever seen. (depression, mood swings, dry eyes, nose, mouth, high cholesterol...)
3. The blood work is so they can monitor your kidneys and liver.
4. My cholestersol was 82 when I began and shot up to almost 300 in about 6 weeks and my regular doc took me off of it immediately...
5. The acne with come back. ***Try Proactiv, it works for me and everyone I know that uses it.
Ok here it is. I have been off accutane for over 2 months after a 6 month course. I must say I absolutely love Accutane. It truly has changed my life.
Let me tell you a little about my experience.
I took my first pill in December of 2002. I have had moderate persistent acne with cysts on my neck for several years. I also had a really bad case of back ance. I did go through the "initial breakout" and it
was pretty bad. For me personally it lasted 12 weeks. At 12 weeks literally I woke up one day and it was gone. I still had the scars, but the inflammation was gone. I was shocked because everyone had talked about that miracle moment and it actually happened to me. That was in March and for the first time in years I am acne free.
I did have some side effects, but they were all the norm. Dry lips, dry skin, and some muscle aches. I can tell you to use Aquaphor for the lips and Cetaphil for the face and you should be fine. All of mine went away within days of stopping Accutane and I have not had any of the after effects that people talk about. My Dr. did bloodwork every month and it always came back fine. I had extremely low cholestrerol to start and it actually got a little lower!
I am so happy I took accutane. My skin is beautiful. I don't have any permanent scars and I have not had once zit since March. I had a very positive experience on it and I think most people do. Good luck and keep us posted.
Yes, I agree with one replier who says "try everything before you use Accutane." There are many remedies in medicine that can help with your acne. I suggest these medicines before you go to your last resort which is Accutane. I know you have said that you've tried benzol peroxide and with to no avail. But, I do recommend Duac or Benzaclin as extremly effective medicines for treating acne. Although, I do suggest you use Duac first. Benzaclin tends to dry the skin more. Another product is Erythromycin. I know you have taken the oral medicine but the topical cream will be more effective than the oral. Oral antibiotics can help, but in many cases only for a while. Another product is called Bactroban. It doesnt contain benzol or clindamycin but a medicine called mupirocin. Bactroban can be the best for those who are skin sensitive to benzol peroxide. It may cause greasiness to the effected area but that usually goes away. I recommend these meds as choices for you to help fight your acne. If these products do not help I suggest the last resort, Accutane. Hope this helps. Good Luck!
Yes, someone committed suicide while taking Accutane, but whether it was depression or actually the drug that did it, we don't know. The reason it got so much publicity was because the father of the victim was a govenor/senator something like that. I have heard amazing things that accutane can do, and a few extreme cases were it went wrong, but you'll have that when dealing with drugs and everyone's skin is different.
hey everyone...... 
