Anyone been on Roaccutune?

Question

What was your experience of taking it? Side-affects? Benefits?

Answer 1

I am 26 and I have currently been on it for 3.5 months. I have no bad side effects. I have chapped lips. I had painful, scarring cystic acne which is now cleared up. Antibiotics, creams, diet changes etc did not work for me. At 26 it was unlikely that my acne would be outgrown (it was much worse at 26 than it was at 15!). It was to the point where I was so self concsious that I didn't want to go anywhere or speak in front of groups of people. Acne was having a serious impact on my life and it was time to pull out all the stops to make it go away. I think accutane has gotten an overly bad rep the last few years. Yes, it is serious medicine, and should be a last resort for serious acne sufferers. But some people make it sound like everyone has horrible side effects, yet the fact is most people have very minor (chapped lips, dry skin, etc) side effects.

Answer 2

I was on Roaccutane when I was 18-19 yrs old. I got taken off it after about three or four months because of the side-effects, however I was on a very high dosage. Knowing what I do now, I would give it a wide birth. I am yet to meet someone who has taken Roaccutane and not had bad side-effects. I find it surprising that it has not been banned, but then I suppose that is the power of large corporations.
Perhaps a lot of other people take it without any problems - I don't know.
It stopped red spots appearing on my skin while I was on it, but then so does something like Oxy 10 cream. I didn't notice any great change in my skin condition, and as I grew older my complexion cleared up by its self.

Feel free to drop me a message if you want to ask more questions about it.

Answer 3

Roaccutane has a pretty bad rep.

It is usually prescribed only in severe cases of acne because it poses so many side effect problems.

It can also initially cause your acne condition to get worse in the short term before seeing improvement.

As others have mentioned it has been associated with depression for some people and you would need to get back to your MD/GP quickly if you found this to be the case.

I would always personally prefer, and advocate, taking the best natural measures you can before resorting to highly toxic, side-effect ridden, chemical support like Roaccutane.

This might invlove a major revision of your diet and daily personal care habits - with a focus on getting any and all synthetic chemicals out of all areas of your life as a start. This is not easy (and not always cheap) but at least you are not poisoning yourself to try and resolve a problem which is often - at the root - caused by your sensitivity to the toxins in your environment and diet.

A useful article explains this better than I can here at: http://www.gonando.com/treatment-for-acne.html

One source - which I have attached below states (quote):
"...The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.

Dry skin (causing inflammation, scaling, itching, increased skin fragility)

Dryness of the mucous membranes, eg lips, eyes (causing irritation, conjunctivitis), nose (causing nosebleeds) and throat (causing hoarseness)

Headache

Increased liver enzymes

Disturbances in the composition of the blood (eg increased cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar; decreased red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets)

Pain in the muscles and joints

Mood changes, strange or abnormal thoughts, anxiety, depression, suicidal feelings

Hair loss (alopecia)

Visual disturbances (eg blurred vision, cataracts, colour blindness, decreased night vision)

Inflammation of the surface of the eye (keratitis)

Breathing difficulties due to a narrowing of the airways (bronchospasm)

Nausea

Inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis)

Abnormal reaction of the skin to light, usually a rash (photosensitivity)

Bone disorders

The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer..."

See also additional detailed info on Roaccutaune:
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/100002288.html

Answer 4

My best friend took it. I was prescribed it at the same time, but my folks didn't have medical insurance, or the money to get it, so I went without. Instead I went on antibiotics.
My friends skin cleared up remarkably, by she got very photosensitive, and would burn and peel easily in the sun.
We both experienced dry skin, but hers was far worse than mine. Also Ro-Accutan, puts the liver under constant pressure, because it is so high in Vitamin A, leaving the liver with little time for anything else. When we went to a party and had a few drinks, I got tipsy, but my friend threw up, and was nauseous for the rest of the evening. (Before going on the meds, she generally had a stronger stomach and head for drinks than me.)
In the end, she ended up amongts the unfortunate 2% for who Ro-Accutan doesn't work, and she still struggles with pimples. My antibiotics, worked slightly, I still get some pimples, but I don't have the severe acne I had as a teenager.
I've seen Ro-Accutan work on 3 other people who I went to school with, but like the comparison between my friend and I proves to you, there are many, less harmful drugs, that you can try, before Ro-Accutan.

Answer 5

I live in Trinidad. My dermatologist recommended this. He told me that the only side effect is Dry mouth. LIAR! The UK Medical Control Agency (MCA) released figures back in February 2001 stating that since the introduction of the drug in 1982, 1,795 adverse reactions have been recorded on their database, of which 23 were fatal, 14 being actual suicides. More than 200 of the adverse reactions were psychiatric with 20 reports of suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts. There were 80 reports of depression and 13 reports of mood swings.

Other side effects (listed on the web site of Roche, Roaccutane's manufacturer) include depression, psychosis, acute pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease and vision and hearing impairment. And in 1990, the FDA estimated that since the drug's introduction in 1982, there had been 11,000 to 13,000 Roaccutane-related abortions, and 900 to 1,100 Roaccutane-related birth defects

Answer 6

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Answer 7

An ex boyfriend of mine took it as a teenager and became VERY depressed - be careful. It can depend on how old you are though - a lady I work with took it as an adult and didn't notice any side effects. It may be that teenagers are more prone to depressents anyway because of all the weird stuff going on at that age - you need very little extra added to your chemical balance to really fcuk with your head. If you are a teenager or prone to mood imbalance anyway, I really wouldn't recommend it - a friend of mine at sixth form saw a Chinese herbalist and his skin cleared up on some herbal tea she gave him. There are other options out theere!

Answer 8

I used to take roaccutane from about 15 til 18 I stopped using it because he gave me so many nose bleeds and I felt awful on it. I have been taking dianette for 10 years now. it works really well, and I feel fine on it. my tips for spots are as follows: if you dont wear any make-up, don't wash your face as it balances out itself and the spots reduce down in size. never pick! although if you have painful boils try using apin to realise the pressure. when you do need to wash your face wash with moiturizer as it helps the oil slick control. without making you too greasy. also some hair conditioners can make your skin greasy. over the years to come it will prob keep reaccuring, however I have noticed having a balanced lifestyle and putting on a little weight have helped the breakouts.

Answer 9

Have you done a search on Roaccutane? It's pretty bad when most of the stuff that comes up are action groups for people who have suffered severe adverse reactions.

The side effects are horrible and everyone suffers from at least one thing on the list. This has a really good list of the side effects--not from the drug manufacturer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roaccutane

Answer 10

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Anyone been on Roaccutune?
What was your experience of taking it? Side-affects? Benefits?