Accutane - Good or Bad?

[starshine]

I just want some information on Accutane?

I know it was mentioned before in an acne thread.... but I just wanna know if anyone has had personal experiences, and if it's been bad or good?

My mom is under the impression that it will make me phsycho... but I'm willing to take the chance, honestly.

I tried getting it in early November iirc, but my doctor told me that a few pimples doesn't constitute as "acne." So if he doesn't give it to me again I'll just get it from someone else, and at the last result I'll just get it from one of my moms friends. Because it's bs.

I've gotten acne, since like - October, and it's really, really bad. I've never *ever* in my entire life had acne this bad. And I'm ready to kill my face over it. I feel like a horse.

Thanks guys! =D :grouphug:

 

[Fire_lupine06]

Post a pic of how bad it is...It cant be worse then the Cystic Acne I have on my back...and BTW Accutane is bad for girls...esp if you wanna have kids...google it .

 

[CarKid]

It clears it up totally.

BUT IT IS HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE FOR YOUR HEALTH

You have to get blood tests done every month to make sure it isn't causing your liver to fail. And has a whole bunch of other nasty side effects.

When I had horrible acne, the doctor talked me out of even trying it because of all the risks. He said it is only used as a last resort.

So we tried another antibiotic and that worked pretty good.

If I were you, I'd talk about other alternatives with your doctor.

And besides, if that is actually you in your avatar photo, you dont' need it...

 

[Dawes]

Dude, I'll punch you in your dong if you try to get that!

While doctors often tell us stuff that pisses us off when we think otherwise, it's one of those things where, when in doubt, we should do as they say. While the acne can be bothersome or aggravating, it's best to look into some other non-prescribed options for control of acne. From what I've seen, Abby, it's a drug meant for those with that ridiculously horrible acne -- you know, the kind that looks almost like a rash.

Best not to put something in your body when you don't necessarily need it. There might be some really effective topical creams out there you can use, so when you go back to the doctor, I'd ask him. If Accutane has any chance of altering your personality as a side effect, it's not worth it -- especially if not prescribed, and especially if you don't need it.

 

[kitty0230]

Abby, ask for Evoclin and combine it with proactive, that is what i did and it cleared up my acne really nicely, now i have to do it again cuz it came back but it works quite well.

 

[Pramrider]

A Dermatologist suggested it for our daughter because she has a severe case of acne. After carefully weighing all the pros and cons, the cons being possible side effects, she chose to deal with acne in other ways. However, friends of ours have had their kids on accutane and it helped clear their acne up. Since I don't have any first hand experience all I can say is, get ALL the facts about the treatment, read them over real good, and then make an informed decision as to using it or not based on what you've read.

~Pramrider

 

[harris]

I took it when I was in 8th grade (nine years ago). It can cause mood swings and liver damage (they monitor your blood monthly for the latter), but I think there might be a correlation and only some causation. I'm told I was moody while I was on it, but bear in mind that I was also thirteen. What thirteen year old doesn't have mood problems? Since I had pretty bad acne, I think it was worth taking it.

 

[Charlie]

I've gotta agree with Rance: if the doctor says no, then NO.
I don't know anything about Accutane, but I do know that you shouldn't be taking something that you've haven't been prescribed...

 

[Pojo]

If you still have acne after a few more years, then I'd try to ask about it again, but you're still a teenager. Some take a while to "outgrow" the acne, and some never really do. How do you take care of your face?

 

[starshine]

Weeeeel, see, that's the thing. I'm still a teenager, but I've already went through puberty - I've grown. I'm done growing. I shouldn't be getting this crap on my face. My mom had it real bad, but I got lucky. So much for luck >.<

And taking care of my face - I wash it day and night. I also got some stupid skin cream stuff to use. One for the day - the other for the night time. I do pop my pimples which is bad I've heard. I can't stand to look at it if you can see the pussy stuff though. Popping them makes me at least satisfied.

And yeah - that is me in the picture. You can't see that well though. I mainly have two spots, one on each cheek, that gets really bad. It's so sick. And my mom keeps telling me how gross it looks and stuff. I dono, I think it's hurt my self-esteem more than anything.

Maybe I'll try proactive. I thought of doing that first - but accutane is free, and I'd rather not drop money I don't need to spend.

 

[Pojo]

Proactiv sucks. It works for a short while, but then it just stops working. It also bleaches your clothes, and it ruins some people's skin. As for your acne, like I said before, I wouldn't be worried about it until you're in your 20's. Like you said, your mom had it bad, so it might run in the family.

 

[daria7483]

And taking care of my face - I wash it day and night.

I don't mean to discourage you...but do you mean you wash it all the time, or that you wash it twice a day, once in the morning and once at night? Because washing your face excessively can aggravate acne. Our faces really aren't that dirty, particularly if you make an effort not to touch yours, and if you wash it more than twice a day you're just going to irritate the skin and maybe cause it to dry out in some places.

Also, different things work for different people, but I've been using Noxema for facewashing for years and am pretty happy with it -- seems to have the right balance of getting rid of the excess oil and cleaning my skin without drying it out.

The fact that you indicated that your doc recommended against the accutane, but you'll just get it behind his back if he won't let you have it, is troubling to me. I don't have any firsthand knowledge of accutane, but from what everyone else is saying and what I've heard about it, it's serious stuff, and you should be closely monitored when on it. If your doc doesn't recommend it and you really think it'd benefit you, then get a second opinion from another doctor rather than getting it underhanded and taking it unsupervised. And of course, make sure you read the directions carefully and read through all the side effects before using it.

 

[starshine]

I meant once in the morning, and once at night. I don't really have time to wash it more than that, lol.

Let me clarify - too... I'm not going to go to some drug dealer to get it. My moms a nurse, So I meant I'd go to one of her doctor friends. Since I can't just go get a new family doctor, I'd talk to one of her friends who would meet with me no problem to try to get it. Basically a second, or if necessary a third, fourth or fifth opinion from a medic.

 

[Matrix Blade]

I took it last year around this time. As a few people have already said, it works. It is the only thing that cleared me up completely. Not Proactive, not Lubiderm, not nothin but Acutane. It is some powerful stuff.

While I took it, I never had to wash my face. However, you have to get blood drawn monthly, or they take you off of the program. I think this is because it has some depression side effects. The only other HUGE thing to worry about is that it makes your skin super sensitive to the Sun.

Personally, I think it was positive for me. However, I'm not a doctor.

 

[BabyMullet]

Alright, so let me first talk about what makes a pimple in order to explain accutane. Skip this bit if you want, I just like showing off my smarts.

In all of your pores is something called a sebaceous gland, it secretes sebum, your natural oil that lubricates your skin and keeps it soft. Also with this gland and pore, there is some bacteria. They have a fancy name, but I can't recall it at the moment, so I'll them Williams.

Williams are a natural part of all of our bodies, like the bacteria in our gut/mouth/everywhere. They provide defense for our skin, in a rather simple fashion. By taking the sebum produced by the cell, they turn into a fatty acid, that then covers a skin. This helps fight invading cells. Plus, the fact we're covered in fat and acid is amusing!)

However, when the sebaceous gland is overworking it blocks your pores. Williams keep making fatty acid though, and this causes pressure. (A blackhead at this point.) If the blockage grows, it becomes a white head. If their is inflammation, there is a pimple.

**

So accutane works by killing your sebaceous glands, to be precise it stops testosterone from binding to the glands, but it effectively kills them. Since you have already gone through puberty, you may be having a spike in testosterone production. While on accutane, the following will most likely happen.

-Dry skin, as in scaly dry skin. (Always carry lotion with you.) Dry Eyes, Dry lips (Carry tons of chap stick.)
-Your spine will ache when you are lifting stuff, or bent into certain poses. For me this was the most annoying symptom, as it persisted a few weeks after getting accutane. It's very important to look out for flu like symptoms while on accutane, as the spinal pain will cover up the main symptoms of meningitis.

I also had mood swings, sometimes. I felt mentally different than I usually do, I found it rather interesting. The other major side effects, depression, night vision issues, I honestly feel are isolated incidents. Accutane is treated the way it is because a bunch of crying mothers pushed for it, and its tough to say no to a crying mother.

Looking back, I would do the process again. I wish I had taken the first month slower, that's my only regret.

Aside from that, it's up to you. If your doctor is saying you shouldn't take it, I would honestly follow his advice. I started to take it for my back, my sheets were causing things to pop or burst, and they would have streaks of blood on them. Not the best thing to wake up over.