girls taking accutane

[emily]

hey i'm a 17 year old girl and i'm starting accutane tomorrow. it seems like most of the people who take accutane (at least on this forum) are guys. so can any girls just give me advice or tell me what to expect? i know the side effects are different for everyone, but i'm just wondering if there's anything that girls experience more than guys. i'm kind of worried that this is going to change me a lot and i really don't want it to effect my school or relationships. has that happened to any of you??

[CA Girl]

Emily,
Count your blessings you have access to this drug atyour age. My parents couldnt afford when I was probably 14, I am now 34 and had to resort to last year buying it on the web.

Ive never been more confident about my appearance then I have in the last year. I am outraged at the IPledge program in the US, at those who had a bad experience suing the drug maker, and I am angry I spent half my life hiding because of my acne while buying every product known to mankind.

If you begin the treatment and physically suffer aches, pains, hair loss, or become mentally off balance you should seek advice from a doctor not this board. I am writing a post as we speak to air the highs and lows Ive had on and off this drug.

At 17 your faced with lots of problems, but I cant see any that would be a result of taking acutane. I would kill for the last 20 years back without acne, I have broken dates, cancelled plans, hurt peoples feelings because I didnt want to leave my house. Good luck

[Paul]

Hey Emily.

The # 1 thing for women to remember while taking accutane is do not get pregnant.

Everything else about taking accutane should be similar for men and women.

You'll probably experience an "initial breakout" at around the 2 week mark. Your skin will get worse at first but then get progressively better.

Get eye drops, skin moisturizer, lip balm, gentle spf 15 lotion, anti-dandruff shampoo, and moisturizing shampoo. Be sure to drink lots of water.:)

Good luck.
__
Paul Michaels
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
www.AcneTreatmentJournal.com

[Kali]

I am an 18 year old female and considering accutane. I understand most of the side effects, and the fact that i must not get pregnant. but what i am wondering is how you feel during the process, how long do you have to be on the drug, and will is help my acne, and acne scarring? I have talked to a few guy friends but not many of my girlfriend have tried it. I'm also really nervous. so i could really use some advice and encouragement!!!

[Danielle]

Kali wrote:

I am an 18 year old female and considering accutane. I understand most of the side effects, and the fact that i must not get pregnant. but what i am wondering is how you feel during the process, how long do you have to be on the drug, and will is help my acne, and acne scarring? I have talked to a few guy friends but not many of my girlfriend have tried it. I'm also really nervous. so i could really use some advice and encouragement!!!

I was on accutane in my teens and experienced virtually no side effects except for dry lips. Now i'm 27 on it again and I've been experiencing joint pain.... but the symptoms seem to subside when i skip a few days.... my skin looks great though.... just try it and worse case you stop if you don't like it.

[Kali]

Danielle wrote:

<quoted text>
I was on accutane in my teens and experienced virtually no side effects except for dry lips. Now i'm 27 on it again and I've been experiencing joint pain.... but the symptoms seem to subside when i skip a few days.... my skin looks great though.... just try it and worse case you stop if you don't like it.

graduation is approaching, and i was just wondering how long your redness/dry lips lasted because i am considering do start before graduation so its clear by college!

[Tania]

CA Girl wrote:

Emily,
Count your blessings you have access to this drug atyour age. My parents couldnt afford when I was probably 14, I am now 34 and had to resort to last year buying it on the web.
Ive never been more confident about my appearance then I have in the last year. I am outraged at the IPledge program in the US, at those who had a bad experience suing the drug maker, and I am angry I spent half my life hiding because of my acne while buying every product known to mankind.
If you begin the treatment and physically suffer aches, pains, hair loss, or become mentally off balance you should seek advice from a doctor not this board. I am writing a post as we speak to air the highs and lows Ive had on and off this drug.
At 17 your faced with lots of problems, but I cant see any that would be a result of taking acutane. I would kill for the last 20 years back without acne, I have broken dates, cancelled plans, hurt peoples feelings because I didnt want to leave my house. Good luck

is hair loss a common side effect? That really worries me.

[Danielle]

Kali wrote:

<quoted text>
graduation is approaching, and i was just wondering how long your redness/dry lips lasted because i am considering do start before graduation so its clear by college!

Well they dry lips pretty much last the whole time you're on it.... but it's not noticable by other people because i use chap stick - and the red lips actually look like i'm wearing lipstick all the time - you should just go for it....
But you prob won't be able to start in time for graduation because there's a 30-day waiting period once you register with the i-pledge program before you can start.

[jacqueinla]

Over the past year since begining accutane the only side affect that would be outwardly noticable was chapped lips. Again, I took 20mg maybe twice a week.

Taking more seems crazy to me, but Im not a doctor and not under thier supervision so its hard for me to say they are over dosing people but knowing 40mg a week cleared my skin up I am very hesitant to increase my dosage.

I havent gone nuts, bald, my skin isnt peeling off my body. Im not a big fan or RX's, I will suffer for hours instead of taking a tylenol, and I dont touch anything not prescribed to me.

[Stephanie]

I'm 17 and have been on accutane for our months, going on my fifth next week, well was suppost to but today i got a call from the doctor saying i had to immediatly stop taking it because my bloodwork showed liver damage. not to scare anyone but it shows how much water u need to drink ( i drink anyways from 8-10 bottles a day... no exaggeration)

now my doctor wants me to stop taking it for a week until i get bloodework done again, will this make me break out again ? anyone know

[Danielle]

Stephanie wrote:

I'm 17 and have been on accutane for our months, going on my fifth next week, well was suppost to but today i got a call from the doctor saying i had to immediatly stop taking it because my bloodwork showed liver damage. not to scare anyone but it shows how much water u need to drink ( i drink anyways from 8-10 bottles a day... no exaggeration)
now my doctor wants me to stop taking it for a week until i get bloodework done again, will this make me break out again ? anyone know

No, you won't break out again - you will be fine. It would take at least 3 weeks for your oil to come back then prob a month or 2 before you see any break outs.

[Judy]

Hi.. I'm on my fourth day of claravis and my skin and lips are very dry. Does anyone know how long it takes for you to actually see results after you start recovering from new breakouts? im aware that i wont have beautiful skin immediately. Im a little scared about any damages this can cause my body but im also anxious to see results??? I noticed that im breaking out more and i have graduation in 3 weeks. And how much water should i be drinking?? oh..is it better to drink the med with fatty foods? THANKS!!!

[Danielle]

Judy wrote:

Hi.. I'm on my fourth day of claravis and my skin and lips are very dry. Does anyone know how long it takes for you to actually see results after you start recovering from new breakouts? im aware that i wont have beautiful skin immediately. Im a little scared about any damages this can cause my body but im also anxious to see results??? I noticed that im breaking out more and i have graduation in 3 weeks. And how much water should i be drinking?? oh..is it better to drink the med with fatty foods? THANKS!!!

you should notice an improvement before graduation - just drink as much water as you can... like always have a bottle with you and make sure you moisturize like crazy - it helps the old breakouts to heal faster. Don't take it with fatty foods... this stuff is so powerful it works no matter what you eat so why gain weight while your trying to clear your skin?

[Judy]

i feel a lot more optimistic. Thank You sooo Much!!!

[Amy]

Hey, My name's amy, and I'm fifteen. I'm supposed to start my accutane for the first time tomorrow at 80mg a day and I'm kind of worried about the initial breakout.. I have to go to school and my acne is already pretty bad but I don't want to have to deal with it getting any worse. How bad was any of your first breakouts witht this stuff?