Roaccutane

[gonzales]

Well I have just got back from the Docs and they have decided that they are going to start treating my acne with something stronger than hoping and praying. I have been through the usual topical lotions and anti-boitic treatment to no avail so they are now talking about Roaccutane. As much as I like the thought of clearing my skin up I am more than a little freaked out by trying Roaccutane.

I have heard and read several accounts of people having very bad side effects to the drug. Googling isn't really helping as most people only seem to have negative things to say about the drug and how they are suffering from using it several years later.

So what I want to know is it is worth it, the liver function tests, the cholesterol tests and every other type of test every month? Any what form do these tests take? I have to go back and see a dermatologist in a couple of weeks to give the final go/no go and I want to be more informed than freaked.

Cheers.

[E21_Ross]

back in secondary school a mate of mine was on this. he regularly complained on joint pain (but he was a runner....). he didn't have many good things to say about it. it did, however, clear up his acne!!!

[TJW]

I was on Roaccutane for 6 months prescribed from the dermatologist. The only side effect I noticed was VERY dry lips, I had to carry around Vaseline which doesn't do you any justice in the pub! lol. Which leads me onto liver damage etc - you're supposed to stay away from alcohol - I Didn't, and far as I can tell it hasn't given me any liver malfunctions. after my 6 months I took 'Milk Thistle' which is meant to detox/flush your liver, it's very popular with oral steroid users to clear the liver of any toxins. As for my skin, it's a year later and my skin is clear as ever - done the world of good for my confidence too.

[BliarOut]

Have you tried sunbeds? My dad had terrible acne (i can remember it as a kid) and nothing touched it until he started working in Saudi. Few months of the sun burned it off never to return.

My younger brother was on Roccutane, he's bald as a coot now!

[gonzales]

BliarOut said:

Have you tried sunbeds?

So my choice here is lumo orange skin a la Dale Winton or red peely off skin a la burns victim. Nice.

[Pints]

Mrs Pints was on a course of the stuff in her late teens and a decade on she has no long term side affects. Did a sterling job clearing up the acne too.

[JakeS]

I was on it for a six month course about 3 years ago Cleared my skin up no end - and my clear skin has remained. Really good stuff but be aware it will utterly destroy your lips so you will need Vaseline otherwise they might fall off . It can make you a bit depressed if you have a tendency to feel that way. But on the whole it is a really good drug!

[BliarOut]

gonzales said:

BliarOut said:

Have you tried sunbeds?

So my choice here is lumo orange skin a la Dale Winton or red peely off skin a la burns victim. Nice.

Suntan or bald... Like I said, my younger brother was on it twenty years or so ago, bloody powerful stuff. Modern beds don't turn you orange thankfully, I'd be inclined to try it before going for the nuke option.

[Biggles111]

I spent most of my teens being given all the regular treatments; antibiotics etc. My acne got to a stage where seriously scarring was taking place so they put me on roaccutane just after it came out. It was the only treatment that ever worked for me. Probably wiped out 90% of my acne in a few months, great stuff.

It can make you very sensitive to sunlight - I remember going to Gibraltar with the cadets and getting cooked beetroot red, but better than being covered in spots!

Since then I have tended to try to work in sunny countries anyway - sunlight/sunbeds are a good natural 'cure' as they dry the skin and the UV's kill any bacteria. Just don't mix sunbeds and roaccutane!

[drfrank]

I wouldn't say that going on a sunbed is the best advice. The risk of subsequent skin cancer following prolonged sunbed exposure is very high. I don't think it is a very fair swap.....acne for malignant melanoma, metastatic squamous cell carcinoma or even a basal cell carcinoma.

Drfrank

[Agrilla]

One of my closest friends was put on a course for 6 months - she couldn't wait to get on it (although she had fully researched the side effects before taking the prescription) and then a few weeks in she couldn't wait to get off it.

She felt like a miserable hag the whole time, and also suffered with terribly dry lips as the other posters have suggested. It has however really worked, and she is now prepared to go out of the house for the first time in 15 years with no make up on.

Her confidence is improved, her skin has definitely improved, and overall she believes that it was short term pain for longterm gain.

OP Good luck!

[Mattt]

My Brother was on it, dry lips as said - but no other issues AFAIK.

Cleared his acne up a lot.

[gonzales]

Thanks everyone.

Having spent most of yesterday researching this stuff it does sound like it will be a short term risk for much better skin. I have gotten to the point now where I look at my face in the morning and wonder if I can call in sick because I don't want to leave the house. I have had acne for over 10 years but it is gradually getting worse and more painful. So I think if I am offered the choice I shall go with the dry lips and peely skin in the hope that after 6 months it will all be over.

[samdale]

gonzales said:

Thanks everyone.

Having spent most of yesterday researching this stuff it does sound like it will be a short term risk for much better skin. I have gotten to the point now where I look at my face in the morning and wonder if I can call in sick because I don't want to leave the house. I have had acne for over 10 years but it is gradually getting worse and more painful. So I think if I am offered the choice I shall go with the dry lips and peely skin in the hope that after 6 months it will all be over.

definitely worth it if it's making you feel like this. i had a 6 month course of it in my late teens. used to get huge, almost boil like spots, after the course my skin was soooo much clearer. (though i still have the scars on my shoulders from how bad they got)
id second keeping a little tin of vasaline for your lips though as they do get really dry. the only other side effect i found was the joint pain but that never effected me day to day, only say the last 5 or 6 holes of a round of golf.

[whitney44]

I was on it about 15 years ago and was fine. I stayed on the wagon for the time I was on it as a precaution, with no problems since. The only warning I would give is the sun sensitivity - I went to Thailand about 6 weeks after finishing the course and after a couple of hours in the shade I looked like a beetroot. Cue loads of Aloe Vera..........

[Four Cofffee]

My wife was ptrescribed it some years ago for a cyst on her face and it did the trick. No side affects as far as I recall.

[C & J]

I had bad acne right through to the age of almost 30. I suffered with boils and carbuncles especially
on my neck and back. Eventually after trying every available cream on the market my doctor advised
a treatment of Roaccutane. The only side affect I had was dry nostrils which lead to nose bleeds now
and again.

The treatment helped to clear up the nasty boils, but I still suffer with facial acne even though I am
now 51!!

Good luck, hope it works well for you.

[5unny]

I was prescribed this about 6/7 years back and my only regret was I wish I had started it earlier.

Went through my teens trying dozens of different topical and antibiotic treatments and nothing worked so was referred to a dermatologist who put me on this for 6 months and my acne has never returned.

Main s/e was dry lips and skin. Had to apply lip balm every other hour and moisturise regularly. It also gives your skin a weird 'shiny' look which is noticeable however it's still 100 x better than the actual acne.

[gonzales]

samdale said:

gonzales said:

Thanks everyone.

Having spent most of yesterday researching this stuff it does sound like it will be a short term risk for much better skin. I have gotten to the point now where I look at my face in the morning and wonder if I can call in sick because I don't want to leave the house. I have had acne for over 10 years but it is gradually getting worse and more painful. So I think if I am offered the choice I shall go with the dry lips and peely skin in the hope that after 6 months it will all be over.

definitely worth it if it's making you feel like this. i had a 6 month course of it in my late teens. used to get huge, almost boil like spots, after the course my skin was soooo much clearer. (though i still have the scars on my shoulders from how bad they got)
id second keeping a little tin of vasaline for your lips though as they do get really dry. the only other side effect i found was the joint pain but that never effected me day to day, only say the last 5 or 6 holes of a round of golf.

Cheers Sam.

Mine are more like hard red lumps just under the skin that never quite come to a head but are there for weeks and are really painful to touch. Hopefully the treatment can sort those out so I don't fee like people are staring at me when I leave the house.

Enjoy your golf

[gonzales]

Just a quick update.

I had my final check up at the Dermatologist today after a 6 month course of roaccutane and both he and I am very pleased with the results. Most of the acne is gone but my skin continues to improve even though I finished my last treatment a couple of months ago.

Side-effects included dry lips, ichy skin and sore knees (but they were shot from snowboarding any ways).

So I just want to say thanks to everyone who replied to the original thread and help put my mind at rest. I no longer despair looking in the mirror at my skin.