Accutane, anyone?!


Question: okay, im SO tired of acne. i dont have SEVERE acne, but its pretty bad. also, its on my chest and back. ive heard about accutane, and only positive results from it. how long does it take to get accutane (like after all the tests) and how long before results show? also...do you have to go to the dermotologist to get it? please please please. i want this nightmare to end :(


Answers: okay, im SO tired of acne. i dont have SEVERE acne, but its pretty bad. also, its on my chest and back. ive heard about accutane, and only positive results from it. how long does it take to get accutane (like after all the tests) and how long before results show? also...do you have to go to the dermotologist to get it? please please please. i want this nightmare to end :(

I completely understand! I had the same problem, and I just finished taking Accutane. I didn't have severe acne either, but it was really frustrating to have in on my back and chest.

If you haven't ever been to a dermatologist, you should go. Unfortunately, they will probably make you try a bunch of other stuff before they give you Accutane, which is annoying because usually the other stuff has only limited results. I was given several different creams to use, and they didn't work. Later I was give antibiotics. They try not to give you Accutane unless it is a last resort because it has so many side effects. I had to take two different rounds of antibiotics (I think for six months). They made my acne worse! They must work for some people, though. And if they work for you, it'll be far nicer to take them than to take Accutane.

So, as for Accutane... If your dermatologist prescribes antibiotics to you and they don't work, go back and tell him/her. I wish I'd done it sooner instead of waiting so long. Of course, you have to try the antibiotics for a couple of months, but if they aren't working, ask for Accutane.

Accutane is horrible to take, not just because of the side effects but because of the annoying system you have to deal with. If you live in the U.S., it'll be this way. It might be different in other countries. Here you have to get a prescription from your dermatologist (and some dermos don't even prescribe it!). This is how it is if you're female. If you're not, it'll be annoying still but less of a pain. (Accutane causes birth defects if you get pregnant while taking it, which is why). You have to get a blood test and then wait 30 days before taking Accutane, and then get another blood test. If both are negative for pregnancy, and you seem healthy, they will give you Accutane. You'll take it for about six months. During that time, you have to go back to the doctor every 30 days to get another blood test and then get a new prescription for another 30 days. You also have to answer questions online before you can get your new prescription filled. But the Accutane WILL work. I'm so happy to have taken it because I am now acne-free. However, it will really dry your skin, lips, and eyes while you take it. I had to use chapstick every hour and lots of lotion on my skin. My contacts were also hard to wear.

After six months of Accutane, you will take one more blood test, and then after 30 days, another blood test. After all of that, you will finally be allowed to not use 2 forms of birth control (which you have to do throughout this process). Ugh! Wait a pain. But it's worth it.

Finally, another thing to think about is that Accutane may cause psychological problems, like depression. If you have any history of that, it's something to be aware of. I never had a problem while I was on it, but since I stopped taking it about a month ago, I've suffered from depression. I don't know if it's related or not.

Overall, I suggest not being too scared away by all of the side effects. It WILL work, and when you're finished with it, you'll be happy you took it.

Accutane is great! I used it and cleared my acne for over 5 years now- I would reccomend it but it is dangerous to women if they get prego- You should see results in one month- go for it! If it gives you any side effects tell your dr and they can adjust the dosage. I got headaches and they gave me a smaller dose and it was better and still worked...I would do it again if it came back. Yes you have to go to a dermo to get it. Good luck!

You say you do not have severe acne. Accutane is not recommended for every type of acne. It may be effective in all forms. The drug has certain adverse effects and should only be used under the supervision of a doctor.

Mild for of acne can usually be well controlled with local Adapalene with or without local antibiotic cream. Acne will not disappear overnight. Please be patient.

Accutain requires a prescription from your doctor. While it was fairly popular during the 90's, the side effects observed in some (such as clinical depression, dry lips/mouth, nosebleeds, and thinning hair) is common enough that it's certainly not the first line treatment for acne unless other safer options have not been exhausted first. It also works for certain types of acne and can cause very serious complications if you may be pregnant.

Please go see a dermatologist who can tell you about the most effective and safe options to deal with acne.

You might want to consider ALL of the risks, not just the deformed babies, dry skin, nosebleeds, thinning hair and extremely dry painful eyeballs.

Here's an aricle that covers the whole thing, verfyable with Roche's own documentation about the drug. A 46 page document, over 35 pages relate to adverse reactions...
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...

If you have acne on your chest and back, then Accutane is definitely a treatment to consider. Topical medications don't work well on these areas because clothing rubs them off so easily. Antibiotics are sometimes prescribed, but they are not as effective as Accutane. You don't always have to endure other treatments first, especially if you show the doctor/dermatologist your chest and back acne at the appointment. If you try to hide it, then you are likely to receive less aggressive treatment because they won't know you need a strong medication.

The side effects of Accutane are over-hyped. They can be serious, and you will be advised of the potential complications, but if you read the side effects of *any* medication, they all sound scary. I took it four times -- which is very unusual, but I have extremely oily skin. You typically only hear from the people who had bad experiences -- bad news travels fast, but good news doesn't spread easily.

The results from Accutane come *very* fast ... typically within the first month, and they are long-lasting. You can review this link from WebMD to help you decide if Accutane is right from you (below). Good luck!





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