What are the real side effects of accutane?

[pnt68]

I was on Roaccutane (im guessin its the same thing) for 4 months and it worked like a miracle for me and my face has remained clear for nearly 2 yrs. The only side affects i suffered were dry skin and nasal passages. It can have many side affects but after it cured by fairly severe acne after 9 years of suffering, pain and bullying, i cannot speak highly enough of it. Just gotta be sure you have deep pockets or good health insurance. I was with BUPA and did it all privately, they used to cover the cost of the treatment as they did for me but dont any longer and its not cheap. My 4 months worth would have cost us around £800.

[falcone]

I was on roaccutane (I tihnk its just the difference between US and UK names) for around 4 months to. This was about 3/4 years ago.

Surely there are no long term side affects are they?

I was told nothing about all this blood stuff

Can anyone enlighten me as to long term effects if any?

[EddieDean]

I'm 28 and have been on Accutane twice....once in early high school and again right before I graduated.

My biggest side effect was dry lips.....they gave me some special balm to try and it did absolutely nothing. No matter how much chapstick I put on, they were incredibly dry.

The other big issue that drove me crazy was that it dried my poop out. I know it's really gross, but it was soooo painful to take a dump. Honestly, I've had some stomach problems ever since and that was when things went sour....I don't really BLAME Accutane for this, but it does seem awfully ironic.

I haven't eaten red meat since the 5th grade and have always had incredibly low blood pressure and cholesterol. I had my cholesterol taken on Accutane and it was something like 350, which is unbelievably high. I had it taken back in college and it was back down to 170 after I went off the Accutane, but that's another thing to keep your eye on.

Honestly, with all these horrible side effects it really doesn't seem worth it. That being said, it completely cleared my skin up back then and gave me my self confidence back, so it sure felt worth it at the time! It's a personal choice.....I never had any hair loss or depression, FYI.

[wakkochic17]

My biggest side effect was really dry lips.. I had to use a prescription ointment, chapstick and the like did NOT help. My hair did dry out a little but I had not hair loss. It can cause problems with the liver so be sure your doctor is monitoring you. I had blood tests done once a month. My liver stayed normal, but my cholesterol shot through the roof (it came back down after I was off of it.. and unless you have other problems, this isn't really dangerous).
As for giving blood.. you have to wait a certain time until after you are off of it to give blood. I believe it is 2 months. I have given blood multiple times through the Red Cross since I've been on accutane.

[catie111]

Hi all - i've found all your posts really interesting - I've taken Roaccutane (or Accutane in the US I guess) twice - I was prescribed it on the NHS so I recommend you all (in the UK!) try and go through your doc first - i think they will (or used to) prescribe it for free if your acne is severe enough although I guess it depends on your doctor, where you live etc. The side effects I had were similar to all yours - really dry lips, nose, eyes - my friends called me 'The Fly' for about a year which was nice..ha ha. Anyway apart from that I didn't have any other side effects - check ups and blood tests all ok (although never tried to give blood at the time). Certainly no depression and apparently my liver is functionig fine (and i did drink before, throughout and since the treatment) Its been about 11 years since my last course and nothing long term has cropped up (must be a good sign?!). I would say that it totally changed my life and would definitely recommend it - I'm 29 now and my skin is far from perfect but having the odd zit compared to what it used to be like is fine with me! Good luck all.