Accutane Side Effects Exposed: Side Effects of the Miracle Drug...

[maghi85]

pinkie wrote:

Hey I started accutane 10 days ago.. I am in the middle of tryouts for the university hockey team. I can't sleep because my head is so itchy from the dry scalp and I have a really sore back.
Would it screw everything up if I stopped taking the pills for 5 days until tryouts are over??

pinkie just stop taking it... you can clear your acne by simple diet changes... go to dr mercola's website and do a search on acne treatment
this medicine will destroy your liver on top of that it will give you alot of mental disorders

[maghi85]

pinkie wrote:

Hey I started accutane 10 days ago.. I am in the middle of tryouts for the university hockey team. I can't sleep because my head is so itchy from the dry scalp and I have a really sore back.
Would it screw everything up if I stopped taking the pills for 5 days until tryouts are over??

Heather you don't have to use medicine to get rid of acne... simple diet changes can get rid of your acne without any side-effects... goto dr mercola's website and do a search on acne... it'll save you the liver damager and the mental disorders that follow

[maghi85]

Heather wrote:

Hey! I am about to start Accutane in two days. Reading this made me excited but mostly scared of side effects. Is there anything I can to ahead of time or during the trestment to make them a little less harsh??

Heather you don't have to use medicine to get rid of acne... simple diet changes can get rid of your acne without any side-effects... goto dr mercola's website and do a search on acne... it'll save you the liver damager and the mental disorders that follow

[SonsMom]

Don't come on here and give people false hopes. My son has always eaten extremely well and it seems the better he eats, the worse it gets. No connection with food and acne. Sorry, go sell that somewhere else, this thread is for those of us who use and support each other taking Accutane.

[Oli Girl]

I have to laugh at thoose who think Accutane is the end all for Acne. It's a very dangerous drug and I read tons of people who Accutane didn't work for or thier acne eventually came back.

Try being damaged by this chemotherapy and then still having acne.

Accutane is not a miracle, and yes diet can help and being healthy, people are just lazy and looking for a quick fix so they will posion themselves.

[Bob]

Sorry to tell u but any derm will tell u that what you eat can cause acne for instance if u eat alot of fried or greasy foods. WATCH OUT PLANET X IS CLOSING IN!! DECEMBER 21 2012...

[paige s]

I am now 34 & I took accutane in college while getting my masters. I had great results from it! I would do it again. I had no side effects. My skin really cleared up & I had a lot less oil. I used to feel like I had to powder my face every hour. My face really never got that oily again like it was before accutane. I can powder my face like 2 x day even now. VERY GLAD THIS MEDICINE WAS AN OPTION FOR ME!

[Facts]

Look everybody is talking about Accutane does not cause depression is crazy. Does anybody even know the mechanics of Accutane or how it actually affects your body and overall system before speaking? It overflows your body with Vitamin A (yes you CAN overdose on vitmains) to the point it stops your oil glands. Your LIVER metabolises all vitamins through the body. By pushing all of this through your liver it can affect all of your organs and mind IN GENERAL. Which is all linked to your nervous system. If you don't get it, how do you think you get drunk? Your putting POISON in your system more quickly than your liver can process it so it enters your blood stream and it affects you. We've all seen the horror stories of alcohol. Which leads me to my point. This medication is SO NEW. Clearly sometimes peoples bodies can handle it and sometimes they cannot. It is affecting you in general and sometimes it is just going to create depression. So all of you shallow people who are not educated on how the body/mind works, need to save your opinion to yourselves because you are potentially putting people at risk. Just because these side effects have not happened for you does NOT mean they are ridiculous and do not happen to people in general and they are just "suceptable" to it. Everyone works differently. One person could smoke for 10 years and not get cancer the other COULD. That does not mean smoking does NOT cause cancer and the person who gets it, just would have gotten it anyways. COME ON!!!!!

I personally have been on Accutane for 2 months. I have only had dry lips and maybe 10 percent more edgy. Other than that I have not had horrible side effects but that does NOT mean people who are wanting to take this medication dont need to consider the side effects because they are REAL and HAPPEN and they could happen to you. Do not think you are just the exception because you read some psycho babble BS that these people post here. This is a fairly new medication treatment and the studies are NOT too extensive on it. I know you have seen those commericals for the law officers that go "if you developed Lymphoma (a very serious cancer) or this side effect or that side effect from taking this medication call now for your lawsuit." Well guess what those are REAL. And drugs can affect you in more ways than you could imagine. Always balance that before deciding on the treatment. I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavor of fighting this horrible thing called acne that effects your self confidence, how your physical appearaance is and also your mental.

[Brian]

maghi85 wrote:

<quoted text>
Heather you don't have to use medicine to get rid of acne... simple diet changes can get rid of your acne without any side-effects... goto dr mercola's website and do a search on acne... it'll save you the liver damager and the mental disorders that follow

I love you people that say diet and exercise will cure acne. I was preparing for the San Francisco Marathon when my acne starting flaring up. Acne is a medical condition. My dermatologist told me that one patient out of however many had suicidal thoughts but was already depressed prior to treatment, so he or she was taken off. Also, these side affects come with any drug you are taking, my wife is a scientist who tests these drugs, and the majority of these newer drugs, or older come with a long list of possible side affects depending on the person. So please dont discourage people because your one pimple cleared up by using the elyptical at the gym and drinking aquafina a few times.

[mesia]

I have had severe joint aches and pain, chapped lips, and dryness. The improvement in acne has improved slightly. I have been on the meds since August 2008.

[concerned husband]

My wife was on accutane for two months, and the results were amazing.Her acne cleared up almost immedietly. At first she just had the common side affects; dry skin, very dry lips, thirsty etc. However, after about two months she started to develop anxiety, and within a week she was mentally a mess. I should mention that we recently had our second child and she developed post partome depression. She had been completly recovered from the post partome for at least six months before she started the accutane. However, we now realize that this drug was probably not for her. She has been off accutane for three weeks now and is still very bad mentally and is under care for that. I am not writting this to scare anybody, but just use common sense.(something we did not), Look if you are susceptible to some of these serious side affects you should probably not take it. Because dealing with any kind of mental illness is FAR worse that acne TRUST ME.

If anyone has any helpful thoughts please comment.

[Sandra]

Donna wrote:

I really want to take accutane to clear me up, but I am alittle scared and the cost is crazy. The pill is around 600.00 a month for a 30 day supply. I have seen it online for less but is it safe to buy drugs online and how do you know if it is real.

Hi Donna,
O ordered isotretinoin, generic accutane twice from http://gotothehealth.com . One month supply costs about $120. I'm taking 20mg twice a day and it works quite well for me.

[Katie]

I had depression all throughout grades 7-12. I was on anti-depressants for about 3 years of the 6 with depression, however I went to therapy throughout all 6 years. It has been 3 & 1/2 years since high school and since I have had any depression. My brother was on accutane for a month (stopped due to college aka drinking) with no side effects other than dry lips and skin, and I have been on it now for 2 weeks. I haven't had ANY depressed feelings. I am happier than ever! I have started to have some joint pain within the last day or 2, but I ordered Biocell Collagen 2, which has collagen, hyaluronic acid, and chondroitin. I have heard it helps with joint pain because it restores moisture and lubrication to the joints. I've been on vitamins since I started which consist of:
Vitamin D 1000 IU
Vitamin E 600 IU
Stress B Complex (Nature Made brand)
Triple Omega 3 (Fish, Borage Seed, and Flax Seed oils. CVS brand)
I suggest that EVERYONE take these vitamins if they want to go on accutane. Check with your derm, but they should only help. I hope this helps people and I hope that if you had depression but don't anymore, you can see that you may not be affected at all by the possible depression side effects. You will have symptoms fairly soon on this drug and if you do and are concerned, stop taking it. But it is worth a shot.

[rob]

For all of you thinking about going on accutane, check out Doug Bremner's study on accutane and brain activity... his study found that the average patient on accutane experiences a 21 percent decrease in brain activity after four months of the treatment. If that's not scary, I don't know what is.

[Justin]

Hey all,
Accutane can be a really great solution to major acne. I had terrible acne from age 14. I am now 19 and I am almost done with my treatment. 2 more months! however, i think that i am going to ask my doctor on my next visit if we can stop the treatment. ive been on the accutane for quite a while now. longer than most people because i started at a lower dose. I think everyone experiences the dry skin and chapped lips. Some people really take badly to the accutane and must stop taking it immediately! I had a good experience with accutane but i think that ive been on it too long now. I was a 4.0 student in my first semester of college. I am now just barely passing my classes because I cant concentrate anymore. I can hardly sleep and I never want to eat and I used to love food! I am constantly thinking things that i never thought i would think. like i said before, accutane is a wonderful drug but people need to understand their own limits. I decided to stop taking my accutane for about a week and I felt absolutely wonderful at the end of that week! everything seemed to rush back to me! i aced a math test and i was eating all kinds of food again and my friends saw a drastic change! they all urged my to not take the accutane anymore because they saw what it can do to some people. after the week of not taking it, i got the courage to take it again. i really did not want to but i decided i could tough it out another couple weeks. i do not feel great like i used to. im sick in the morning and i never have motivation to do anything. i am so glad that i took the accutane however some of the side effects are just not worth it for some people. please just be smart about this drug. i hope my story helps!

[mom]

my son was on accutane about 1 year ago. he started experiencing lower back pain which the dermotologist recommended advil. we recently went to an orthopedic surgeon to have the continued lower back pain analyzed. It turns out my son has 4 desiccated spinal discs. that means that 4 of his discs have dried up. i am trying to find out if anyone else has had their back pain evaluated via MRI or Xray.

this appears to be a permanent and painful problem. he is only 17 and is facing a future of constant back pain.

[Jenna]

Justin--I couldnt agree more. accutane is a toxic drug...it really is. I had so many side effects including depression, dry/chapped lips, hair loss, liver damage, and cholesterol problems--even though I was a cross country runner. I had to take meds that only fat, old people have to take and get my blood drawn every few days to make sure my organs werent shutting down. I paid for accutane completely on my own, even though I was still in high school. I also took accutane in the 90's when the drug was still very new and even more expensive than it is now. All I have to say is it is worth it. Completely. I finished my first round of accutane and had good skin for a month or two and then re-developed a less severe form of my prior acne, and had to have a second round. I restarted accutane in a without a second thought. I was miserable having the horrible scarring acne and after completing treatment I felt beautiful. Now, 8 years after completion of my 2nd treatment (at 25) my skin is perfect. I never wear face makeup and no one believes me when I say how bad my acne was. Now I literally do not wash my face. at all. ever. Not even in the shower. My skin is completely normal...never shiny, never flakey.
Please just be careful stopping your meds before you finish your treatment course. Obviously if you are experiencing major depression or simply cannot continue life while on accutane, listen to your body but talk to your dermatologist too! If the side effects suck, but arent life changing, consider seeing accutane through. I just dont want you to regret wasting 3 months of hell, to only develop acne all over again and need another round of accutane or have to go back on your oral/topical drugs.

At the very least, please talk to your dermatologist before stopping/restarting you meds. Accutane is potentially a very dangerous drug. Im even a trauma ICU RN now and am in awe of how toxic this med is. Please dont mess around with this drug. Its playing with fire!

[Jenna]

calm down please, and quit acting like everyone who has an opinion is dumber than you are. This site is full of people's emotions and belief's....you dont need to put people down for feeling the way they do. and i promise you that you are not the only educated person on here. Please. Just stop judging.

[Jenna]

sorry the above post was for "facts" not the rest of you!

[Tiffanie]

I am 25 years old, and started Accutane in July. My face wasn't terrible but I just thought I was too old to still have pimples, when I never had trouble in high school. I am getting married in July 2010 and I was DETERMINED to have clear skin, so that is why I started Acutane. From the very beginning my lips were soooo dry!! OMG...it drives me nuts!! I am a teacher and constantly talking and it was killing my lips. I did learn that Carmex works the VERY best on your lips, trust me I tried EVERYTHING!! My eyes are starting to get dry now after 4 months, my nose has been dry during the past few months, but nothing I couldn't tolerate. My lips have been the worse. I have had bad aches and pains in my joints and muscles. These aches only occur at night after a long day. Once again nothing I can't handle. Accutane has cleared up my face a little, nothing as dramatic as the pictures I see. I would take Accutane again, however for females especially it is such a hassle. The blood work is expensive, and going to Dr. office once a month and blah blah blah....I have recently had to stop taking Accutane for two weeks due to high cholesterol and high lipid counts! I am not sure if I am going to start taking it again after the 2 weeks are up or not.I can't decide if it's worth it, and if I want to keep risking it!! HELP...what's your opinions!!??