teen with cystic/severe acne

[Anonymous]

Hi,
My 14yo daughter has very severe acne. We've started the process to start her on Accutane after the bloodwork and pregnancy tests are completed. My concern is the side effects of depression. My daughter isn't majorly depressed, but she does have periods of depression and anxiety. I've been trying to find a psychiatrist to meet with her, but everyone seems booked up - even for tele-appointments. I'll keep trying.
Has anyone had experience with Accutane and depression/mood swings?
Thank you.

[Anonymous]

I know that you didn’t ask this, but I also struggled with cystic acne and as it turned out I had PCOS. Before you go down the Accutane path it might be worthwhile to have your DD checked for PCOS because Accutane isn’t necessarily effective in girls with PCOS.

[Anonymous]

My kids were less depressed because they didn’t have acne. You should definitely watch out for it but don’t assume there will be a problem.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you for the mention of PCOS. I can have her Gyn check that out. This is a hereditary condition as my ex and his siblings have the same skin issues.
I will have my daughter checked for PCOS and I saw other threads where dairy contributed to skin problems, etc.
TY all for responding. I am very concerned about the anxiety and depression.

[Anonymous]

I also came on here to say check for PCOS. I had severe cystic acne as a teenager - so did my dad when he was a teenager - and what helped was honestly going on birth control. And staying on birth control. no dietary changes (dairy, sugar etc etc) have every helped me. Birht control helped almost immediately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids were less depressed because they didn’t have acne. You should definitely watch out for it but don’t assume there will be a problem.

Same with my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids were less depressed because they didn’t have acne. You should definitely watch out for it but don’t assume there will be a problem.

This. It actually boosted DS's self esteem. We watched him closely and he was fine. Biggest issue were body aches (took Advil as needed and didn't stop him from Varsity soccer/swimming) and dry lips (found Eucerin lip balm the best.) He has been off it for a year and so far so good. It was of the best decisions we made and we kick ourselves that we dragged our feet so long trying OTC stuff before going to the dermatologist and getting started on that path (no, Accutane wasn't the first course of action, but we needed to go through those before getting to the Accutane.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi,
My 14yo daughter has very severe acne. We've started the process to start her on Accutane after the bloodwork and pregnancy tests are completed. My concern is the side effects of depression. My daughter isn't majorly depressed, but she does have periods of depression and anxiety. I've been trying to find a psychiatrist to meet with her, but everyone seems booked up - even for tele-appointments. I'll keep trying.
Has anyone had experience with Accutane and depression/mood swings?
Thank you.

I was on Accutane as a kid and it definitely caused depression and passive suicidal ideation. It wasn’t worth it - the acne was better than the cure. It made me feel like my parents didn’t care that I was miserable as long as I looked pretty. I would never do it to my kids after having gone through it myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also came on here to say check for PCOS. I had severe cystic acne as a teenager - so did my dad when he was a teenager - and what helped was honestly going on birth control. And staying on birth control. no dietary changes (dairy, sugar etc etc) have every helped me. Birht control helped almost immediately.

Same, birth control was the only thing that helped

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi,
My 14yo daughter has very severe acne. We've started the process to start her on Accutane after the bloodwork and pregnancy tests are completed. My concern is the side effects of depression. My daughter isn't majorly depressed, but she does have periods of depression and anxiety. I've been trying to find a psychiatrist to meet with her, but everyone seems booked up - even for tele-appointments. I'll keep trying.
Has anyone had experience with Accutane and depression/mood swings?
Thank you.

I was on Accutane as a kid and it definitely caused depression and passive suicidal ideation. It wasn’t worth it - the acne was better than the cure. It made me feel like my parents didn’t care that I was miserable as long as I looked pretty. I would never do it to my kids after having gone through it myself.

This happened to my nephew too. I won't put my older son on it. He doesn't seem to care too much about the acne. Not self-conscious. Could be the all-boy HS.

[Anonymous]

I have depression and took Accutane. It didn't affect the depression.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I set up a gyn appt for my daughter and told them what everyone said about PCOS. Thank you!
My daughter is upset about her acne. She doesn't want to end up looking like her dad and aunt and uncle. The acne makes her very insecure. My goal is to help her with this. Knowing about PCOS is very helpful. I'll make sure it's not that, or see if it is that, before we pursue Accutane. TY again!

[Anonymous]

There are new laser options for acne if you don’t want to do the accutane route

[Anonymous]

Please let her go on accutane. I was depressed and anxious before taking accutane. It is so hard to be in high school and have cystic acne. My depression 100% resolved once my face cleared up. It’s the truth that people became friendly and nicer to me once my acne cleared up. Even adults including teachers seemed friendly. It’s uncomfortable to look at really bad acne. It might just be my perception since I became so much more confident with clear skin but no way was I imagining that people were put off pre-accutane.

[Anonymous]

I was on Accutane many years ago before they recognized the connection between the medication and depression/suicide. I was 19 and a freshman in college. I don't remember much about how I felt, but the change was enough for my mother to recognize even though we only talked on the phone about once a week (thanks long distance). After a month she told me to stop the medication and I did. Later in life I did have episodes of depression so I may have been sensitive to that side effect.

If I were you I'd do the medication but keep a close eye on your daughter. At the first sign of behavioral changes, stop the medicine. I will say that even after just a month, my cystic acne did improve and it was never as bad as it was before Accutane. Good luck.