Our Accutane experience

[orangedaisy]

The percentages my dermatologist gave were something like 95% of the time, the first round of treatment works and you don't need to go on it again in the future. If you do need to do another round, 90% of the time the second round of treatment works. (Round of treatment = 5 month course of Accutane) Also, as far as the side effects go, she said in the 20 years she's been prescribing Accutane, only once did she have to take someone off of it because of an increase in triglycerides and she only witnessed a few cases where patients became depressed or became more depressed than before treatment.

I am really hoping for the best for him...what he went through emotionally and physically because of acne, well needless to say, as his mother, it was hard to watch. His self esteem and confidence were so low, and he was avoiding social activities all the time. It's hard enough being a teenager without having to deal with something like this on top of it.

We are in our 6th week and it continues to get better.

[technostar]

Can I take it even though my acne's not that bad?

[orangedaisy]

Originally Posted by technostar

Can I take it even though my acne's not that bad?

It's really up to your dermatologist. I think the general idea is that if they think it's severe enough, they'll prescribe it.

[MissyMeg05]

Most dermatologists will make you try everything else first. The side effects from Accutane can get pretty gnarly, and for females, there's an awful lot of hassle before you finally get your script. I personally have had to change my entire diet for the past two months (and hopefully only 2 more!) because it made my cholesterol skyrocket.

Bottom line: if you want to go on Accutane, you have to try a bajillion other products first. I used pretty much all of my over the counter products, plus duac and differin, benzacline, Retin-A, Retin-A Micro, some weird medicated pads, hard core benzoyl peroxide wash for my back, plus two different kinds of oral antibiotics...and only then did my derm start the Accutane process. Once I started the process, I think it was about 2 months before I actually got the prescription. Every month now, I go get blood drawn, then go to my monthly appointment. My derm enters the information in the iPledge program. Then he gives me a prescription. I then go home, answer a set of comprehensive questions online, and then I'm authorized to get my prescription filled. I bring my iPledge card to the pharmacy so that they are able to get my information and authorization to dispense the medication...

It's a last resort.

[orangedaisy]

As I said, my son was on antibiotics and tried everything else before this was prescribed. Our family doctor finally referred him to a dermatologist because she knew it was time to step up treatment. His acne flare up was severe and this was the ONLY thing that made it stop.

Everyone is different - some people may experience more serious side effects depending on other health conditions, etc. The statistics presented to me by our dermatologist were promising so we took the chance. Luckily, my son has not had any serious side effects and Accutane has been a godsend for him.