Accutane Question

Pharma
1

Hi guys. I recently took accutane, but had to be taken off it due to side effects. Basically both my big toes split along the nail and started to develop A GROWTH along the side. This made walking rather difficult. Also my palms were pealing like a mother, all this on top of regular sides. So my derm took me of it.

Now, the question is, I took 80mg a day for 11 weeks before I got taken off (I weigh in at 78kg). Do you think I will receive the long term benefit? My acne was quite moderate and I have been totally clear since week 6 apart from like 2 whiteheads. I didn’t veen wash my face for over a month, which is prety amazing. For me anyway.

Posting here cause I know there are guys here with more than half a brain and experience of this stuff.

2

I was taking accutane for almost a year, and my pimples went away completely near the end of that period. I have since stopped and have been breaking out slightly… Some people never get the acne again, some will have a problem their whole life.

3

I took Accutane back in the late 80’s (I think it was 1988 or 89) and it cleared up my acne like magic. I have no acne scars on my face either- which I was worried about. You will likely have a few zits here and there- but you can rest assured that your acne is gone and won’t be coming back.

4

Cool. I was concerned cause I didn’t finish out my 16 weeks.

5

[quote]Mad Irish wrote:
Hi guys. I recently took accutane, but had to be taken off it due to side effects. Basically both my big toes split along the nail and started to develop A GROWTH along the side. This made walking rather difficult. Also my palms were pealing like a mother, all this on top of regular sides. So my derm took me of it.

Now, the question is, I took 80mg a day for 11 weeks before I got taken off (I weigh in at 78kg). Do you think I will receive the long term benefit? My acne was quite moderate and I have been totally clear since week 6 apart from like 2 whiteheads. I didn’t veen wash my face for over a month, which is prety amazing. For me anyway.

Posting here cause I know there are guys here with more than half a brain and experience of this stuff.[/quote]

I had some minor skin side effects as well. I played varsity basketball in highschool, and had nasty blisters on the bottoms of my feet. Really bad, blisters upon blisters. I’d never had too many problems with blisters pre-accutane though. But my blisters did cleared up after my accutane cycle.

The main mechanism behind accutane is to (temporarily to a more major degree, and permanently to a lesser degree), skrink the sebatious glands responsible for oil production. Oily skin tends to trap bacteria which leads to clogged/inflammed pores thus causing acne. That’s one of the theories anyways.

So for awhile after your accutane cycle you will produce much less oil on your skin resulting in less acne. But the results will fade over time which is why people sometimes have to take another course of it. I myself had two, four month cycles about three years apart. I still had acne pretty bad afterwards though so it’s not a cure all, although I do think it helped somewhat.

Results will vary from person to person. For some people it’s a miracle drug, and after one course they’re cured. Others need multiple courses to clear up their acne. It really depends on how much you can tolerate the side effects, and how responsive your body is.

If you need to take a second course in the future a lesser dose may be in order. Perhaps 40mg - 60mg. You may be sensitive to the drug, and may be better able to tolerate the side effects at the lower dose.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

6

Thanks Bri

My brother ended up doing two or three courses of accutane (he can’t remeber exactly how many bizarrely).

The response thing is quite interesting. I must have read about 30 of the various accutane diaries floating around the net and practically everyone doesn’t seem to respond until months into the treatment. I couldn’t find anyone who responded as quick as I did. Of course, whether I stay clear or not is another thing. I am one of those people who respond well to drugs of any kind. 3 beers and I’m drunk. One joint and I’m stoned.

My derm also mentioned, like you said, that next cycle would be a low dose one. I have enough pills ro run 40mg for 85 days so I may do that in a couple of months depending on how I’m doing.

I got my fingers crossed though, thats for sure.