hobo

Well, I was on it once before, like a year ago, and it worked great. I had pretty bad acne, on face, neck, back, chest and it all just went away. I had none. After being off it for a while, I've got acne on all the places again, although not quite as severe as before. I have the option to take Accutane again, and this time it may make the acne permanently go away. There is however the side effects to consider. I don't really care about skin dryness or possible "depression" (why get unhappy about being acne free?) but there is also some small chance of liver damage. My uncle recently got liver cancer so my family, who didn't object to Accutane the first time, but actually praised its effectiveness, are now scared that I might damage my liver.

What should I do? Should I take the Accutane or not? I know I originally planned to but my mom's worrying is making me doubt my decision. I had no problems in my blood tests from the previous use of Accutane so the chances of liver damage are really slim. I personally don't want to live with acne forever (i've got uncles with quite a bit of acne in their late 30's, early 40's so i know mine won't go away as i get older).

Is my family's worries about Accutane reason enough for me to not take it?

Sleepyjack

I think that it's your body and your decision. Despite their best intentions, if you're still worried about it. It's all about weighing up the risks and pors and cons and how bad and self concious you feel about it. I took accutane as well, back when i was 16-17 cause i was incredibly self conscious about it, such that it became part of my life (in that i constantly had to deal with it). If acne has become part of your life like that, so to speak, i think it'd be best to get rid of it. I don't think you're family fully understand how bad acne can be, especially when it start to become excessive and more prominent than anything esle.

How long were you on accutane the first time?

here is a list of side effects i found and their probability:
Chapped lips 90%
Dry skin and itching 80% - the use of daily alpha hydroxacids will help prevent this side effect.
Dryness of nose, mild nosebleed 80%
Irritation of the eyelids and eyes 40% - Vitamin E 400 IU each day may lessen this side effect.
Joint and muscle pains 15%
Temporary hair thinning 10%
Rash 7%
Intestinal symptoms 5%
Urinary symptoms 5%
Headache 5%
Increased sensitivity to sunburn 5% - the use of daily sunscreen will help prevent this side effect.
Decreased night vision <1%
Depression, thoughts of suicide <1%

I think i only really got dryish skin, not even chapped lips, really....

meepa

Well if your chief concern is the liver damage, you DO go in monthly for blood-checks to make sure everything is in working order (or at least I had to... I assume it is standard procedure). If you were really worried, you could probably make them test you twice a month, but I reckon it would cost more.

hobo

Well for the first time I was on it for like 5 months. The only side effects I got were chapped lips and a dry skin on my face. It could get so dry that it started to peel, but I countered this with Oil of Olay lotion.

Anyways, I saw the doctor and he told me that if I didn't have serious side effects the first time, my chances of getting them during a second trial of Accutane would be even lower. Based on that reassuring statement, I agreed to go back on it. Like meepa mentioned, they do do blood tests so if there is any problem they'll tell me immediately and take me off the drug. I hope this turns out well.

Thanks for the responses.

jmad

I used accutane for 6 months, twice, when I was 16 and 17. I did get acne afterwards but not as severely. The second time almost did the trick, but not quite. Even though I was on it an extended amount of time, I didn't even get monthly blood checks the second time around because I never had problems the first time. That shit is a blessing though, because I can't image what my face would look like w/o it, maybe a domino's pizza or something .
Oh and by the way, if your face gets really dry and chapped after being off the stuff for a while, that proactiv stuff works wonders.

hobo

the 2nd time almost did the trick? do you mean like your acne went down to a number that could be counted on 1 hand? i'm sorry but i don't really know what you mean so its hard for me to compare it to me.

Sleepyjack

How do they prescribed the doseages? isn't it by weight or something? just wondering about the varying months?

Anyway, i was a bit lighter back when i was 17 or so, had only been working out for 6 months or so, so i was only 'bout 75-76 kg. Anyway, my prescription was for 8.5 months, in which (i am pretty sure these numbers are right?) i took 2 20mg tablets daily. One at night one in the morning. It's been a while, but i recall that was the actual doseage?

Mine has never come back, in that i never have had any bad break outs since. My acne really wasn't that bad in the first place, but it's just nothing else was working so i got onto that. I didn't like the idea of scarring to much either

hannukah harry

i was on accutane twice when i was in high school... the first time it came back after a little while, second time destroyed it. haven't had a break out since (although i'm past that stage). anyways, your body didn't have a problem with accutane the first time you were on it, and five months is a long time. you're body "should" react exactly the same. if you're on a higher dose, the side effects you had might be worse, and it's possible to have other ones because of the upped dose, but not very likely.

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Nimbletoe

I'm thinking about going back on it myself, it worked so well and its starting to come back a bit. If normal washing doesn't take care of it, then I will.

By the way, there is no medical proof that accutane causes depression. I wouldn't worry about it. If you start to feel down and you don't know why while your on it, then stop taking it and see if it stops. Easy as that.

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jmad

yeah, second time did do the trick. First time, I could count the acne on both hands, then after the second time around, on one hand. Now I get maybe a few a month, but nothing I can't handle

hobo

The dose is the same so in theory it will go like last time, only the acne will stay away when I'm done. Yes, it is prescribed by weight. It's nice to hear your stories because it is reassuring to know that it has worked on many people. As far as I know, serious side-effects almost never happen and when they do, it is caught early enough from blood tests that it doesn't do any permanent damage. I figure I'm safe. I can't wait to be rid of my acne (no way i'm gonna be depressed with CLEAR SKIN!).

Golgothas

Man accutane left my lips and asshole (yeah I didn't expect that) ungodly dry. Worked wonders though.

onetime2

A close friend/coworker's husband was the big cheese for Accutane with Roche. He's an MD who was always going to Washington to testify about the drug and side effects. He is steadfast in the use of Accutane (even now that he's the Chief Medical Officer of another pharma company, he's a proponent of Accutane) and would recommend it to even his own family members. I have little doubt that the allegations that Accutane is responsible for depression and suicide are BS. As far as the concerns over effects on your liver, did you discuss the family history of liver problems with your doctor prior to taking the drug the first time? If yes, what did he/she say? If not, tell him/her as they need to know this to know whether the drug is right for you.

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VitaminH

Tapping into my student pharmacist knowledge, I can say that Accutane is relativly safe for your liver. If your concerns are that much, just make sure you are seeing your doctor monthly for liver function tests. Your uncle's liver cancer shouldn't really put you at any more or less risk as far as I know. The big real concern for accutane is in girls because it causes major birth defects if she were to get pregnant. I don't think you have a problem here

So I say go for it, and clear up that acne.

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Nimbletoe

You have to get a blood test every other week to check your liver and other vitals, so like someone said, if a problem does develope, it will be caught before it becomes a serious problem.

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Dostoevsky

I used accutane in high-school. I was supposed to stay on it for 6 months but I quit after 4 because I started to get frequent nosebleeds that freaked me out. I started getting acne again a few months later and even though I'm now 23 I still have problems every now and then. I really wish I had just toughed it out another couple of months. If I were you I would probably go back on it. Good luck.

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