opinions on accutane please

MT2 · 02-16-2007, 03:14 PM

Hi everyone - I am a 43 yr old female with what I would call mild to moderate cystic acne. I ahve had acne since my teen years to varying degrees - smetimes just a little and other times a lot. I started seeing a derm last year and she put me on Clindamycin (sp?) in the am and retin a at night(first the creme then the gel). I find if I follow this regimen my skin gets really dry, flaky and uncomfortable so I end up using these meds every other day. Like I said my face I have some pimples and others are hard cysts under the skin that take a long time to go away and I do have some scars as well. I also have somewhat large pores on my face. At my last check up (last week) she rec. accutane and I said that I thought it was pretty controversial and I'm not so sure. She said it has been around 25 years and is a "miracle" drug and then talked to me about the Ipledge thing and using 2 forms of birth control, etc. Anyway I took a pregnancy test and am sched in March to go back for another test and then start taking the accutane. My reluctance is possible side effects (liver, cholesteral, vision, etc.) I have read tons on the web but I don;t know what the statistics are for bad side effects (for example. less than 1 % have liver issues??). I would feel better if I knew what the statistics are for people who have bad side effects.

It sounds like it is beenficial for a lot of people and I would love not to have acne anymore. On the other hand I can live with some acne but not with a damaged liver, etc. As an aside I am in excellent health - excellent blood pressure, cholesterol, don't drink, good weight, quit smoking (6 weeks ago!) and I exercise! Thanks for any opinions or advice. Maureen

DS · 02-16-2007, 11:28 PM

All I know is that Accutane SAVED MY LIFE

well not really but it made me a MUCH happier person, cleared up my moderate acne really fast, I never had the dreaded "initial breakout" everyones afraid of, and the only side effects I got was overall dryness of my body. Like I had a dry nose, eyes, skin, lips, etc. But I just bought some moisturizers and stuff and it was fine. It is true that accutane is hard on your liver, but just don't do a lot, if any, drinking while your on it.

My opinion is that accutane is the ANSWER to acne, and while it obviously wont give the same results for everyone, I HIGHLY recommend it. Just do your research and talk to your doctor of course.

littlebigeyes · 02-16-2007, 11:44 PM

It worked for me, twice, the first time for about a year and the second time for about the same. But the acne came back in FULL FORCE.

It is a short term fix for most people. But I understand how acne can ruin your life and outlook, and sometimes people need a short term fix. If you're relatively healthy and are not going to have kids in the future, then I could understand how you would want to try it. Everyone who knows acne should have the right to take Accutance to see for his/herself, but don't get your heart set on it being a miracle drug - otherwise it hurts too much emotionally when the acne comes back.

airheadtwirler0 · 02-18-2007, 02:19 AM

Personally, accutane was a godsend for me. I took it my senior year of high school, and it cleared up my acne 100%. I had the normal side effects...dry skin, chapped lips, nosebleeds, etc., but it was well worth it. After a few years my skin started to get more and more oily like before, and my acne started getting worse, but the only problem now are the new restrictions on accutane. I went to 3 different dermatologist to try and get put back on accutane, and all 3 said that they don't prescribe it to female patients at all now.
However...since I wasn't able to take accutane it made me look for more options, and I found one that works like accutane...but better. It's called the Smoothbeam Laser. It works by decreasing the oil production of your sebatious glands just like accutane does, but without the effects on the rest of your body. It also helps with acne scars as well. It has worked WONDERFULLY for me. Before smoothbeam laser I was taking minocycline for my acne along with tazorac gel and all sorts of cleansers...now I wash my face with cetaphil and use cetaphil moisturizer...and my acne is approx 90% improved after 3 Smoothbeam treatments.
I would highly suggest looking into smoothbeam before you start accutane. Mine costs about 300$ a session (not covered by insurance unfortunately), but it is well worth it not to risk all of the side effects caused by accutane...and to get the same results out of it.

DS · 02-18-2007, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by littlebigeyes

It worked for me, twice, the first time for about a year and the second time for about the same. But the acne came back in FULL FORCE.

It is a short term fix for most people. But I understand how acne can ruin your life and outlook, and sometimes people need a short term fix. If you're relatively healthy and are not going to have kids in the future, then I could understand how you would want to try it. Everyone who knows acne should have the right to take Accutance to see for his/herself, but don't get your heart set on it being a miracle drug - otherwise it hurts too much emotionally when the acne comes back.

I really disagree with this post. How do you know accutane is only a short term fix for most people? Its been a miracle drug for me, my acne has been gone for 3 or 4 years now and I really don't think its coming back. But your right, its not a miracle drug for EVERYONE.