Accutane not working for me?

[HelpPlease]

I'm 21 years old. I've taken Accutane two separate times now (as in two full cycles.. finished one and went back 6 months or so later and still had acne so I started on it again). I thought for sure that the 2nd time would get it (it did clear up when I was on it, but when I got off it came back eventually), and my derm. said that a very low percentage actually have to take it again, but I guess I did. Now it's probably been 6 months to a year since I finished my 2nd run at it and I have pretty bad acne again. Actually it wasn't that bad, but I went to see him anyway and he gave me duac and torazac (sp?)along w/ an antibiotic.. and now after taking it for a few weeks my acne is actually much worse than it was when I started. I know it's supposed to get worse when you first start it, but for some reason I 'm thinking this isn't going to work since accutane didn't (and i've tried this before too).
Is there any other option? I kind of feel like I'm wasting my money trying the same things that aren't working.

[Colin Harper]

HelpPlease wrote:

I'm 21 years old. I've taken Accutane two separate times now (as in two full cycles.. finished one and went back 6 months or so later and still had acne so I started on it again). I thought for sure that the 2nd time would get it (it did clear up when I was on it, but when I got off it came back eventually), and my derm. said that a very low percentage actually have to take it again, but I guess I did. Now it's probably been 6 months to a year since I finished my 2nd run at it and I have pretty bad acne again. Actually it wasn't that bad, but I went to see him anyway and he gave me duac and torazac (sp?)along w/ an antibiotic.. and now after taking it for a few weeks my acne is actually much worse than it was when I started. I know it's supposed to get worse when you first start it, but for some reason I 'm thinking this isn't going to work since accutane didn't (and i've tried this before too).
Is there any other option? I kind of feel like I'm wasting my money trying the same things that aren't working.

I actually haven't taken accutane yet but I plan on very soon. If your acne was clearing up when you were on accutane then it is likely that you have acne because of oily skin so my suggestion would be to do what i do by a very concentrated benzyol wash like 10% wash morning and night(unless you have very sensitive skin) and Moisturize A LOT do it as much as possible because this Really dries out your skin and if you don't use moisturizers you will pay the price. I just started doing this about 2 weeks ago or so and its improved my face by at least 50% I would say. Anyway hope this helps!

[HelpPlease]

hm, I'll try that. I had some other cream from the doc once that was benzyol somethingoranother. Is what you referring to that, or something different?

[Fran]

Colin Harper wrote:

<quoted text>
I actually haven't taken accutane yet but I plan on very soon. If your acne was clearing up when you were on accutane then it is likely that you have acne because of oily skin so my suggestion would be to do what i do by a very concentrated benzyol wash like 10% wash morning and night(unless you have very sensitive skin) and Moisturize A LOT do it as much as possible because this Really dries out your skin and if you don't use moisturizers you will pay the price. I just started doing this about 2 weeks ago or so and its improved my face by at least 50% I would say. Anyway hope this helps!

I know what you mean, poor thing!

Unfortunately, acne is a stubborn and rather permanent disease for many people. I too have been a victim for over 2 decades!

I've tried the cream, and although it improves it temporarily (Tazorac actually worked for me), it always comes back once I got off the topical meds. Antibiotics, same thing!

The first time I tried Accutane, acne returned a lot faster than the average people's "5 years" or so. However, I'm hearing more and more stories like yours, where first treatment only keeps them clear for about a year or two the most.

I'm on my second course of Accutane 6 years after my first treatment. Day 16 today, and amazingly, my face has been cleared up for 2 weeks now. It wasn't like that the first time - I broke out for 2.5 months! This time, something is different - so don't get discouraged - keep trying!

[Andy]

I'm wondering if there would be side effects on taking very low dose accutane such as 10mg in every three days for a long period of time for maintenance purpose.

[RioT2461]

Andy wrote:

I'm wondering if there would be side effects on taking very low dose accutane such as 10mg in every three days for a long period of time for maintenance purpose.

You should read the "buying accutane online thread" on this site. the first 10 pages have answers to that...

[Petty]

Hey hun,
your dermatologist should have kept you on accutane after you were done since you have had problems with it coming back the first time. in other words, a small dosage to maintain your acne-free face (for example 2 40mg pills/week). Also, Retin-A a couple of times a week to keep your pores unplugged the way that the Accutane unplugged them and kept your face clear. This is what my dermatologist is going to do with me. My friends were put on the same regimen and their face is still clear.
Also make sure that as many products as you use on your face/body are labelled NON-COMEDOGENIC and/or NON-ACNEGENIC which means they are very unlikely to clog your pores and cause acne.
Hope this helps! And all the best to all of us in this war against acne! xoxox

[Petty]

p.s. i almost forgot. my dermatologist also keeps stressing that it is important to make sure that your accutane is by Roche and not any other company! http://www.rocheusa.com/products/accutane/

[silverado]

Petty wrote:

Hey hun,
your dermatologist should have kept you on accutane after you were done since you have had problems with it coming back the first time. in other words, a small dosage to maintain your acne-free face (for example 2 40mg pills/week). Also, Retin-A a couple of times a week to keep your pores unplugged the way that the Accutane unplugged them and kept your face clear. This is what my dermatologist is going to do with me. My friends were put on the same regimen and their face is still clear.
Also make sure that as many products as you use on your face/body are labelled NON-COMEDOGENIC and/or NON-ACNEGENIC which means they are very unlikely to clog your pores and cause acne.
Hope this helps! And all the best to all of us in this war against acne! xoxox

"your dermatologist should have kept you on accutane"

This is irresponsible advice.

You wouldnt have acne and have to resort to a chemo rat poisen if your diet was not filled with things like hormone laced milk, sodium chloride, highfructose cornsyrup, hydrogenated oils i.e "liquid plastic", over 4000 toxic food additives in processed food, 1000s of body product chemicals that absorb into your skin and blood stream and most importantly tons of dammaged molecules from the effects of HEAT on protiens, carbs, cholesterols, fats and oils.

Just because you slam your oil glands shut that are responding to your INFLAMMATORY DIET does not mean that the inflammatory molecules have disappeared.

They are still circulating in your lymph, blood and tissue and you have only made it harder on your body to remove these by destroying one of three elimination channels next besides the kidneys and liver.

You wont have acne if you eliminate the harmful toxin sources and switch to a raw food way of life. You will either do this or you will get cancer and other major diseases associated by the effects of HEAT on the derranged, distorted, denatured molecules your body cant recognize and break down with its enzymes that eventually damaged the celluar engine and start the cancer process.

[kelly]

I have had all sorts of acne for years and even the scaring acne which was very dissapointing , Proactive or Accutane didn't even work, now im living life again , don't miss out on this!

All Natural Cure For Stopping Acne In 3 Days!

http://www.acnezine.com/...

[ethan g]

HelpPlease wrote:

I'm 21 years old. I've taken Accutane two separate times now (as in two full cycles.. finished one and went back 6 months or so later and still had acne so I started on it again). I thought for sure that the 2nd time would get it (it did clear up when I was on it, but when I got off it came back eventually), and my derm. said that a very low percentage actually have to take it again, but I guess I did. Now it's probably been 6 months to a year since I finished my 2nd run at it and I have pretty bad acne again. Actually it wasn't that bad, but I went to see him anyway and he gave me duac and torazac (sp?)along w/ an antibiotic.. and now after taking it for a few weeks my acne is actually much worse than it was when I started. I know it's supposed to get worse when you first start it, but for some reason I 'm thinking this isn't going to work since accutane didn't (and i've tried this before too).
Is there any other option? I kind of feel like I'm wasting my money trying the same things that aren't working.

I'm 16, and have tried everything, had severe and moderate acne since I was 13. all my mates that had acne and all went on roaccutane, and BAM! they were all 100% clear, I've been on it for nearly 6 weeks. I'm sick of this, nothing's happened. I have scars everywhere and literally hate people looking at me because I know my skin is all they're looking at and thinking about.

[kaysee]

I know exactly how you feel!I've been on accutane for four months straight now and no improvement..the worst side effect i've gotten is dry skin,but i'm on 60 mg per day.i did notice that it was better when i was drinking more water.maybe both of us should try that.water cleans out the toxins in your body so that could help.I hope you see some improvement soon!

[carl]

I've been on Accutane for 6 weeks now. I first started to get rid of some deep zits on my back (there was hardly any on my face!). However, the initial breakout period was terrible! It felt like my face was bubbling up and melting off! I tried to endure it, but a couple of days ago, I got tired of just depending on a little pill (80mg/day by the way) to get rid of my acne, so I started using salicylic acid in moderation, despite my dermatoligist's advice not to use any topical treatments. The results have been fantastic! My skin is a little drier, but that is nothing compared to the way my face is healing. It's incredible how fast it started working! So, if you are feeling like accutane isn't working fast enough for you, try using just a little salicylic acid after consulting with your dermatoligist (unlike me). I checked online, and the only drug interaction was increased irritation of the skin. Good luck!

[carl]

I also found that drinking a lot of water helps too