Accutane?

[Flabbibulin]

I took accutane about 10 years ago. I was on a fairly high dose for quite a while, but no deleterious long term effects after I went off. There were minor side effects while I was on the drug similar to what everyone else has mentioned- I dried out like crazy, would sweat a lot, and face would get very red.

The good news is that it works for most users. Proactiv didn't do squat for me.

That being said, with all the info coming out, Im not sure I would do it now given the risk. Acne sucks, but long term health problems are worse.

[Minnie]

The mind ####ery potential alone, of Accutane, would have me seeking every other possible avenue of treatment.

[automaton 3]

I went through one course of Accutane when I was 18. I had some cystic acne which topical applications and antibiotics didn't seem to touch.

It worked like a charm. The downsides were the blood tests, not being able to drink and really dry skin and lips.

I still have fairly dry skin on my face, and use a moisturizer daily. The dry air here and hard water don't help, as I don't need a moisturizer out at the coast. Otherwise, no ill effects I can think of and it pretty much eliminated my acne.

[saskflames69]

Epiduo/Tactuo has worked for me. It sometimes causes my skin to get dry and flaky but I find that's nothing a little moisturizer can't fix.

[saskflames69]

Bump.

I have just started taking Accutane as of this morning. Won't go into too much detail, but finals are over and I really want to drink this weekend. Would a couple of beers be safe? Any first hand experiences regarding this exact dilemma would be mighty helpful.

[Flabbibulin]

If you only started taking it this morning, I would wait a while before you start fooling around with the prescription warnings. I would wait a week or two and see how you actually react when you do follow the guidelines. What is your daily dosage?

That said, I was on accutane for a long time ass time, while in university, and I have a hard to thinking I went the entire time without a drink- can't recall though. I believe there may be allowances for extreme moderation, but I would check with your doctor. You don't want the effectiveness of the medication to be decreased or to experience any deleterious side effects because of the interaction with alcohol- particularly with your liver.. Either way, see how you react over the first few days.

I was on accutane when I was around 21 and the medication definitely worked, but I still experience minor flare ups 10 years later. Not nearly as mentally distressing now as it was then.

[saskflames69]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

If you only started taking it this morning, I would wait a while before you start fooling around with the prescription warnings. I would wait a week or two and see how you actually react when you do follow the guidelines. What is your daily dosage?

That said, I was on accutane for a long time ass time, while in university, and I have a hard to thinking I went the entire time without a drink- can't recall though. I believe there may be allowances for extreme moderation, but I would check with your doctor. You don't want the effectiveness of the medication to be decreased or to experience any deleterious side effects because of the interaction with alcohol- particularly with your liver.. Either way, see how you react over the first few days.

I was on accutane when I was around 21 and the medication definitely worked, but I still experience minor flare ups 10 years later. Not nearly as mentally distressing now as it was then.

They currently have me at 40mg/day and I'll call my doctor tomorrow morning to clarify any allowances. He never specifically said I wasn't allowed to drink, but it wasn't even brought up in the first place.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by saskflames69

Bump.

I have just started taking Accutane as of this morning. Won't go into too much detail, but finals are over and I really want to drink this weekend. Would a couple of beers be safe? Any first hand experiences regarding this exact dilemma would be mighty helpful.

You're not going to find any real answer. Both can cause acute and chronic liver injury. Because of this, and the risk of it being additive, it's strongly discouraged.

Add in the fact that liabilities are assumed and due to the nature of this drug, warnings will be abundant but lacking much evidence.

Long story short: Dunno. Might be OK, but it's probably not a good idea because probably is not a good gamble with your liver

[pylon]

I took it when I was a teen, and besides my skin falling off, and getting 3rd degree burns from my nightlight, I turned out fine.

[saillias]

Yup, I went on it for 6 months at ages 23-24 as well. I first had acne at a very young age, 10 or 11, and it seemed to get worse in adulthood. Accutane killed it for good. I get the odd whitehead here and there but nothing like before.

The monthly blood tests are inconvenient. It doesn't mix well with alcohol. It may have made me felt kind of ****ty, but hard to say if that was the drug or just being in a rut at the time.

The dryness was the immediate side-effect. I needed a constant supply of lip-balm and nasal spray/gels, eye drops and moisturizers. In the dry Calgary winters a nose bleed was a daily thing for me, and blowing my nose would guarantee it.

I would recommend it if you've exhausted all other options because bad acne really sucks. Meeting an old friend a year after being on it and being told "woah. you are much more attractive now" feels pretty good.

[Coach]

I had a buddy go in a coma and lose the first 16 years of his life taking accutane. The explanation given to him was that he had a very low body fat content and instead of attacking the fat, the accutane targetted grey matter in his brain. Had to re-learn everything from writing to math and still can't remember anything before it happened. He's now 26.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by MattyC

I had a buddy go in a coma and lose the first 16 years of his life taking accutane. The explanation given to him was that he had a very low body fat content and instead of attacking the fat, the accutane targetted grey matter in his brain. Had to re-learn everything from writing to math and still can't remember anything before it happened. He's now 26.

Wow. I've never heard of this before. Was it definitely the accutane?

[Flabbibulin]

Street Pharm, doesn't it make sense for teenagers simply to see if the acne runs its course and then only resort to accutane if it is still an issue into their 20s. Seems like a big risk for teenagers given how harmful it can be. I would think acne does eventually go away for the majority of teens. I know it causes a lot of psychological scar issue, but still...

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

Street Pharm, doesn't it make sense for teenagers simply to see if the acne runs its course and then only resort to accutane if it is still an issue into their 20s. Seems like a big risk for teenagers given how harmful it can be. I would think acne does eventually go away for the majority of teens. I know it causes a lot of psychological scar issue, but still...

It needs to be last resort for sure, and prescribed when a thorough discussion of benefits vs risks has been done. It cannot be a "never before 20" issue as that would be arbitrary and there are risks to not treating. At the end of the day, these side effects while serious, are rare. Many may view acne as a minor cosmetic issue, but it is not experienced that way by all, and the patient, not the public at large should be the focus

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Wow. I've never heard of this before. Was it definitely the accutane?

That combined with his low body fat content (like, really low).

Not sure how the science works out on the whole things but that's what was explained to him.

[burnin_vernon]

I had terrible acne on my back from about age 15 or so. It would break and bleed all the time and stain my shirt. I didn't take my shirt off in public until age 25, after using accutane. It worked amazingly and never returned. The only side effect I had was extremely dry lips.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by MattyC

That combined with his low body fat content (like, really low).

Not sure how the science works out on the whole things but that's what was explained to him.

Just sounds weird. Accutane doesn't attack fat, though it is lipid soluble and is often stored in fatty tissue.

I can't find a case report or scholarly article describing any sort of acute brain trauma.

[Bindair Dundat]

I "dealt" with SEVERE cystic Acne in my youth. After seeing the post-facto effects of accutane in some of the testimonials posted in this thread, I am truly glad that I never "went there". The other side of the coin is that I "treated" my Acne with sunlight. It works. But woe to you if you think you'll get out that easy. Sun bathing helped with moderating the occurrence of outbreaks but NOW I'm on my way to the Cross Cancer Institute for excision of malignant melanoma...likely the result of my "time in the sun".
Hey?
At the least?
I was a musician. I looked good and scored hard with the "barbies", back when there was still a bar scene.
But now I'm paying the price for my chosen course of treatment. More food for thought, in a thread which is full of good ideas and comments.

I'm turning 50 this coming summer; the last "serious" cyst was about 6 years ago. Go away bitch, I've paid my dues to you....

[SHOGUN]

For anyone who wants to safer solution for their acne, try taking 50 mg of Zinc daily. Less oily face = less chance of breakouts.

[Machiavelli]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

Street Pharm, doesn't it make sense for teenagers simply to see if the acne runs its course and then only resort to accutane if it is still an issue into their 20s. Seems like a big risk for teenagers given how harmful it can be. I would think acne does eventually go away for the majority of teens. I know it causes a lot of psychological scar issue, but still...

Acne, especially if severe, can lead to serious psychological issues in those who suffer from it. Nodulocystic acne in particular (for which Accutane is used primarily) can lead to horrible scarring which in many cases can be permanent.