Roaccutane

[tonysioux]

Hi...first a little about myself. I am 39 years old and have acne which got bad about 3/4 years ago. My face isn`t covered in it but i am never totally spot free. Some of the acne has left scarring on my face and i have spent loads of money on various creams etc but nothing helped. I have also been to my GP who has prescribed various creams, tablets etc which did nothing. It was me who asked about Roaccutane and my doctor referred me to the hospital. I went just before Christmas, was given quite a few blood tests and told to think about it and go back in a few weeks. The most common side effects connected to this drug are mainly dry lips, the inside of nose dries up and mood changes. I found a website (i wish that i hadnt!) and it was for people who had been on Roaccutane and their experiences. The majority of people warn against using it because of the side effects...the most serious being risk of suicide.......although not totally proved to be the cause of the drug. I have thought and thought about it and over the christmas period my acne seemed to get worse so i decided i would try it out. I went back to the hospital on Monday and started my treatment. For the moment anyway i feel ok........no dry lips yet but i keep applying vaseline.
I just wondered if anyone is interested in reading about my experiences (if any) whilst i am taking Roaccutane because before i decided to go on it the list of side effects nearly did stop me but the effect my acne has on me is just as bad.

 

[Pinklili]

I think if you use it savely and correctly you will be fine. I have used it while I was still at school. And it is fab stuff. It really does work, but my boyfriend also used it and he got violent outbursts from it if he drank alcohol. just be carefull.

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Just be aware that being on it is a contra indication to quite a few treatments and products, Nimue being one of them!

I'd be interested to see how you get on, perhaps you could run a "dear diary" in the journals (under Shtuff at the top of the page)

 

[tonysioux]

Thanks, i have put it in the Journal section, i didnt realise that was there

 

[NoticeableNails]

Just thought you'd be interested in my hubbys experience with this medication.

Hi I took this drug when I was 17, as a teenager I was plagued with acne and it was getting me down. I saw a specialist who suggested the same drug. I had to have blood tests, before, during and after. I was warned of side effects, but was also advised on how to deal with them. The medication was recommended to me as all other channels to control my acne had failed.
Whilst I was on it I had dry/chapped lips, nose bleeds, dry skin. I had to use Vaseline, lip balms, moisturising creams etc. It wasn't nice but after a few weeks you started to notice the difference significantly. I was on the drug for around 2 -3 months and after this period my acne had cleared completely.

Yes I did suffer with mood changes, depression etc. However I was a teenager at the time so I couldn't say if these changes were due to the drug. The most positive thing I can say to you is that it works, you start to see the acne clearing, it makes you feel happier about your own appearance and gives you more confidence in yourself. My advice is to stay active, remain positive and keep yourself busy. If the drug was that bad then the medical board would not prescribe it. Although these web sites may highlight problems, they tend to overlook those people who have been successful on it. I would also advise you keep in regular contact with the doctor/specialist. I would see him quite regularly to make that not only was the treatment working but that I was well and not having any serious problems with the drug.

Good luck

 

[IllumeGirl]

have you tried the contraceptive pill?some of them are wonderful for acne,as well as zinc supplements.it may take up to 6months to notice a difference but they worked wonders for me.

 

[elfprincessem]

i agree melody jayne, i suffer with acne too and was prescribed the contraceptive pill 'dianette' and it definatly cleared it up, it can take a few months though! x

 

[pippadoodle]

My son was prescribed this when he was 14, he was very conscious of his skin, he had the anti-biotics, creams etc etc...this was the only treatment that worked for him. Within a few weeks his skin had a dramatic improvement.

Yes he did have very dry lips after 3 weeks of being on the drug and he did have nose bleeds. He also had to have regular liver function blood tests. He did have mood swings, but this is normal for a 14/15 year old...you know the Kevin syndrome.

However, what a huge difference it made to his skin, he is now 17, been off the tablets for over a year...It made such a difference to his confidence. My hubby got loads of advice from the consultant, as he also works at the hospital, as he too was concerned about the side effects after reading on the web about it. Also have a friend, she is 37 who takes it too and she also is fine and has made a big difference to her skin. Even her acne scars have been reduced...Good luck with the treatment and if you need any advice just pm me...and I will do my best to help..xxKaren

 

[jenny34]

hi i suffer with acne roseaca and have done for the last 7 years i also used creams prescribe by the docter but non of them worked i even was referred to hospital and was put on roaacatane and was on this for over 12 months and their wasn't any improvement, from marchof last year i decided to stop taking it as it was causing me to have a lot of migraines and left my skin really dry. i don't take it now.
I have started to eat a well balanced diet and on my face i use cleanser tomer and moisturiser with added essential oils chamomile, which i looked up onthe internet and found that you you buy the items online for about £25.00 which i thought was dear, so i decided to add essential oils to them and within a few months i noticed the difference with in my skin i still get the od spot now and again but nothing like it was about 6 months.
I wouldn't recommend this to any one as it only works for a few months and then the problem can reoccur.
I f you would like help on which oils to use then let me know as i am a qualified aromatherapist ([email protected])
hope this helps
thanks jenny

 

[Rach]

I know 2 people who were on Roaccutane at university, and for both of them it had unbelievable results. They both had severe acne. I remember that they were not meant to drink alcohol, and i think were told just to wash their face (or affected areas) with water and use no skin care products.
They did get dry, chapped lips and dry skin on their face too.

I dont recall either of them having side effects such as mood changes.

 

[ZOE!]

Hiya, when i was a teenager i hadbad spots on my face. I went to the doctor and was prescribed something which i cnat remember what it was called and my spots disapeared. But when i was about 17 and first started going out with my now boyfriend they started coming back. They were very bad and i started losing my confidence. I would hide my face with my hair and apply make up in the morning before my bf saw me. i went back to the doctor and i tried everything and nothing worked. Two years ago i was prescribed roacutine(spelling) and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I had no bad side affects apart from severe chapped lips and dry nose and face. My skin also looked quite red. The first few months i didnt notice a difference, so i was prescribed a higher dose. After 6 months my face was totally free from acne. Imean there was not one spot on my face. I looked ten times better and my confidence soared. I have mild scarring on one side of my face, but i can cope with it, and i never have had spots since. I just get the odd one or two (touch wood) at period time. My skin is soft and smooth when i touch it,but when before it used to be bumpy and horrid. Im so glad i took it.

 

[EllaX]

i agree melody jayne, i suffer with acne too and was prescribed the contraceptive pill 'dianette' and it definatly cleared it up, it can take a few months though! x

same here - although it didnt work for my sister and she used roaccutine but i thought they had withdrawn it now since there was a few suicide attempts?? dont quote me on that, she was fine and has lovely skin now, while she was taking it hough she couldn't drink alocohol and had to use loads of e45 everday as her skin did go very dry espicialy on her lips and eyelids xx

 

[paula1973]

Don't have any waxing done either, it's in the contra indications, a friends client forgot to mention the she had recently started taking it and ended up with an extra set of scab eyebrows after an eyebrow wax, she now gets tweezed and her skin is looking great

 

[tonysioux]

Thankyou all so much for your comments. I don`t feel so scared about it now, i felt as though i was just waiting for a side effect to happen.....how mad is that? I suppose that`s what happens when you spend hours on the Internet looking into it too much.
For anyone thats interested i have started a Journal which i will use to let you know how its all going.
Thanks to all of you again.