Accutane?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have any personal experience with this drug for acne? Has your teen been on it? My DD has very stubborn acne on her chin area and is already on or has tried just about every other acne regimen. She's seen the same derm for years, so maybe a second opinion? If you have a great derm who's treated your or your teen's acne, please share.
Thanks.

My daughter's derm just prescribed a new topical treatment, Epiduo. Too early to tell if it is effective or not. You might want to ask your daughter's doctor about this.
I personally completed 2 courses of Accutane for severe cystic acne.
I completed one course at age 34 and did well for several years. Then the cystic acne came back , along with rosacea and I completed a second course. It truly is a miracle drug, but I would try every thing else before considering putting a teenager on it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would think long and hard before putting a teenager with bad but run of the mill acne on accutane. I have heard of permanent side effects (like possible liver damage, depression, etc).

http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=503887

Have you had acne? You cannot imagine what it does to a teenager. There are side effects but the side effects of acne are deep and last a lifetime. I remember someone telling me, "You would be so pretty if you didn't have acne." Even now that it is a known fact that neither chocolate or fried foods do not contribute to oily, acne prone skin, so many kids are made to believe it is their fault because they don't have a healthy diet. I weighed around 100 lbs and a little under 5'5" so my diet did not consist of chocolate, fried food, or bread.

[Anonymous]

My brother had acne and went on accutane. It made his skin very dry but did clear up the acne. However he did get very depressed from being on it. Once he was off it, the depression cleared but he has had episodes since. It is impossible to know if he would have gotten depression even if he had never taken accutane but being on the accutane definitely triggered it. So just keep a close keep on your daughter's mental health while she is on it and watch for signs of depression. As others have said the acne was hard on his mental health as well so it is 6 of one, 1/2 dozen of the other.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who took it in college or high school and her acne returned. Not as bad as before but still a fairly bad case.

[AngryTeacher]

I was on it twice in my 20s when it was very experimental. On it, I had high triglycerides but they were under control once I cut out all fats (not a happy time but I did drop some pounds). I used a nog-greasy moisturizer, too.

Other than that, I had no negative side effects. Although I have a few breakouts now (I'm in my 40s), my oily skin is clear for the most part.

It was poreless on the Accutane! absolutely beautiful!

[Anonymous]

OP here.
DD has been on Retin A, Epiduo, Differin, Tazorac, and one other retinoid I can't recall. Also antibiotics Monodox, Keflex and a crazy expensive one Solodyn, which was the most useless. She also has washes with Benzol peroxide, sulfur stuff and I don't know what else. She hasn't been on a topical antibiotic that I can recall. Anyway, I'm going to seek a second opinion as to where she should be headed and wanted to hear others experiences with Accutane. I know they check pregnancy every month, but do you have to be on birth control?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
DD has been on Retin A, Epiduo, Differin, Tazorac, and one other retinoid I can't recall. Also antibiotics Monodox, Keflex and a crazy expensive one Solodyn, which was the most useless. She also has washes with Benzol peroxide, sulfur stuff and I don't know what else. She hasn't been on a topical antibiotic that I can recall. Anyway, I'm going to seek a second opinion as to where she should be headed and wanted to hear others experiences with Accutane. I know they check pregnancy every month, but do you have to be on birth control?

Yes, she will have to be on birth control pills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
DD has been on Retin A, Epiduo, Differin, Tazorac, and one other retinoid I can't recall. Also antibiotics Monodox, Keflex and a crazy expensive one Solodyn, which was the most useless. She also has washes with Benzol peroxide, sulfur stuff and I don't know what else. She hasn't been on a topical antibiotic that I can recall. Anyway, I'm going to seek a second opinion as to where she should be headed and wanted to hear others experiences with Accutane. I know they check pregnancy every month, but do you have to be on birth control?

Yes, she will have to be on birth control pills.

Not true. I just finished a course of Accutane in December and I did not use BC. Your daughter will have the option to pledge to abstinence. As an adult I think it was easier for my doctor to be ok with that decision since I was not in a relationship. I would be somewhat concerned about hormonal teenagers, but that would be a decision that you two should make.

OP, you didn't mention it above but has your daughter tried BC pills? Some acne can be controlled through BC pills because the hormones are under control. If you are worried about the side effects of Accutane and have not tried BC you might want to explore that option first. She will need to be on BC pills for a few months before she see's a difference.

[Anonymous]

If it's non-cystic acne, perhaps your derm /doctor could prescribe a birth control pill (e.g. OrthoTri, Yaz) to see if the pill helps improve her skin. Maybe give that a try first? I think (from personal experience) Accutane is amazing for severe cystic acne. Even though I had no issues with depression or memorable side effects while on Accutane, it is a seriously powerful drug that affect one's whole body: I remember having blood work each month to check my blood and liver function (as well as pregnancy). My derm also required that I visit an opthamologist before I started the course of treatment. OP: I wish you well in deciding what's best for your daughter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
DD has been on Retin A, Epiduo, Differin, Tazorac, and one other retinoid I can't recall. Also antibiotics Monodox, Keflex and a crazy expensive one Solodyn, which was the most useless. She also has washes with Benzol peroxide, sulfur stuff and I don't know what else. She hasn't been on a topical antibiotic that I can recall. Anyway, I'm going to seek a second opinion as to where she should be headed and wanted to hear others experiences with Accutane. I know they check pregnancy every month, but do you have to be on birth control?

Yes, she will have to be on birth control pills.

Not true. I just finished a course of Accutane in December and I did not use BC. Your daughter will have the option to pledge to abstinence. As an adult I think it was easier for my doctor to be ok with that decision since I was not in a relationship. I would be somewhat concerned about hormonal teenagers, but that would be a decision that you two should make.

OP, you didn't mention it above but has your daughter tried BC pills? Some acne can be controlled through BC pills because the hormones are under control. If you are worried about the side effects of Accutane and have not tried BC you might want to explore that option first. She will need to be on BC pills for a few months before she see's a difference.

Really? I had to call an 1-800 line and answer a bunch of questions every month about the forms of birth control I was using and carry a special card to get the drug from the pharmacy. If your doctor allowed a pledge of abstinence I think he/she was breaking FDA rules. Accutane use is highly controlled because it can cause major birth defects.

[Anonymous]

I took accutane in the mid-90s too. I had NONE of the depression side effects, but I did have very dry skin for a while... actually stopped taking it a few weeks short of the end of my "cycle" because I could literally peel the skin off my lips. Never had another problem with acne, however, and would do it all over again a million times. Saved my 17-year-old self!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would think long and hard before putting a teenager with bad but run of the mill acne on accutane. I have heard of permanent side effects (like possible liver damage, depression, etc).

http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=503887

Have you had acne? You cannot imagine what it does to a teenager. There are side effects but the side effects of acne are deep and last a lifetime. I remember someone telling me, "You would be so pretty if you didn't have acne." Even now that it is a known fact that neither chocolate or fried foods do not contribute to oily, acne prone skin, so many kids are made to believe it is their fault because they don't have a healthy diet. I weighed around 100 lbs and a little under 5'5" so my diet did not consist of chocolate, fried food, or bread.

The newest thinking is that some people are sensitive to too much sugar in their diets. You spike your insulin (hormone) high and that in turn releases other androgenic hormones. I know for sure my acne was influenced by hormone fluctuations, and when I restrict sugar, my skin is much clearer. It may not work for everyone, but it's worth a shot. Try a low sugar (including dairy sugars) diet for a month and see if your skin improves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would think long and hard before putting a teenager with bad but run of the mill acne on accutane. I have heard of permanent side effects (like possible liver damage, depression, etc).

http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=503887

Have you had acne? You cannot imagine what it does to a teenager. There are side effects but the side effects of acne are deep and last a lifetime. I remember someone telling me, "You would be so pretty if you didn't have acne." Even now that it is a known fact that neither chocolate or fried foods do not contribute to oily, acne prone skin, so many kids are made to believe it is their fault because they don't have a healthy diet. I weighed around 100 lbs and a little under 5'5" so my diet did not consist of chocolate, fried food, or bread.

The newest thinking is that some people are sensitive to too much sugar in their diets. You spike your insulin (hormone) high and that in turn releases other androgenic hormones. I know for sure my acne was influenced by hormone fluctuations, and when I restrict sugar, my skin is much clearer. It may not work for everyone, but it's worth a shot. Try a low sugar (including dairy sugars) diet for a month and see if your skin improves.

This was when I was a teenager. Now I've had two treatments of accutane, years apart, and no more problem. Whatever the new thinking, and this can change again, it is beastly to blame a teenager and tell her/him it is their fault for having acne because they aren't eating properly. I was in a boarding school and a dietitician planned our meals. Also, no vending machines and very little access to candy, soft drinks, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
DD has been on Retin A, Epiduo, Differin, Tazorac, and one other retinoid I can't recall. Also antibiotics Monodox, Keflex and a crazy expensive one Solodyn, which was the most useless. She also has washes with Benzol peroxide, sulfur stuff and I don't know what else. She hasn't been on a topical antibiotic that I can recall. Anyway, I'm going to seek a second opinion as to where she should be headed and wanted to hear others experiences with Accutane. I know they check pregnancy every month, but do you have to be on birth control?

OP- my sister had very bad acne (they suspected hormonal causes as she has PCOS) and what eventually helped control it was taking spiro (can't spell the full name). I believe it's a blood pressure med but also helps with acne. Perhaps you could look into that as well. She was also considering Accutane but the spiro helped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
DD has been on Retin A, Epiduo, Differin, Tazorac, and one other retinoid I can't recall. Also antibiotics Monodox, Keflex and a crazy expensive one Solodyn, which was the most useless. She also has washes with Benzol peroxide, sulfur stuff and I don't know what else. She hasn't been on a topical antibiotic that I can recall. Anyway, I'm going to seek a second opinion as to where she should be headed and wanted to hear others experiences with Accutane. I know they check pregnancy every month, but do you have to be on birth control?

Yes, she will have to be on birth control pills.

Not true. I just finished a course of Accutane in December and I did not use BC. Your daughter will have the option to pledge to abstinence. As an adult I think it was easier for my doctor to be ok with that decision since I was not in a relationship. I would be somewhat concerned about hormonal teenagers, but that would be a decision that you two should make.

OP, you didn't mention it above but has your daughter tried BC pills? Some acne can be controlled through BC pills because the hormones are under control. If you are worried about the side effects of Accutane and have not tried BC you might want to explore that option first. She will need to be on BC pills for a few months before she see's a difference.

Really? I had to call an 1-800 line and answer a bunch of questions every month about the forms of birth control I was using and carry a special card to get the drug from the pharmacy. If your doctor allowed a pledge of abstinence I think he/she was breaking FDA rules. Accutane use is highly controlled because it can cause major birth defects.

I'm the PP that just finished a course of Accutane and trust me my doctor was not violating FDA rules - he wouldn't have that option because without iPledge approving my abstinence every month I could not fill my prescription. Abstinence is an option under the iPledge program but I suspect it is not widely advertised because everyone assumes you will not be able to control yourself and will still have sex during the course of treatment. When you call the 800# or enter your information every month online it is an option for your primary BC. You then do not need to select a 2nd form of BC. As an adult I know I could control myself and not have sex during the treatment period. If my child ever needs Accutane as a teen they will absolutely take BC.