Accutane?

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

We're in the same situation. After much handwringing, my DD will begin Accutane next month. I feel that we've exhausted every other known treatment to no avail. She is well aware of the side effects and is determined to take it. She brought it up with our dermatologist and he spent a long time talking about the pro and cons with her (Dr.Kirkland with Kaiser Capital Hill Center). She's started taking birth control pills ( a requirement) and between that and the relief of knowing she can start accutane, her skin has started to clear up. I'm confident that we made the right decision. I wish you the best of luck.

[Anonymous]

PP, is your daughter's acne cystic? I am the OP and my DD has small cyst like ones on her chin, and these are the one's that just keep coming. Her face is super oily, too. I am just wondering what other patients' faces are like when they go on Accutane. I know it's really meant for the major cystic type that can scar, and DD's face is not like that. It just will not clear up. When she first started all this stuff, she was on antibiotics, at least 3 kinds over the years, and only one worked for a year or two. She's not on any oral meds now.

[Anonymous]

DD was on Accutane for 7 months and it completely cleared up her acne. I wish we had done it sooner. She was on the pill and had to have a pregnancy test every month before her prescription could be renewed. We saw a dermatologist at Georgetown and used their lab for DD's monthly blood work. It was a hassle, but well worth it.

[Anonymous]

I was on accutane in HS and it changed my life, as well as many of my friends. I had done every pill/cream/lotion/facewash for about 4 years. At that time they were stillworried it was causing depression etc, but I had the opposite effect. Because my face was clear I was more confident and made my last 2 years of HS much more enjoyable.

I did have to do the mandatory pregnancy test everytime I went in, but as a non sexually active 15 yr old it was no big deal. I recommend it 100%

After one cycle (4 months or whatever?) I have never had a problem again. And my face cleared up in a matter of weeks

[Anonymous]

OP here for another question: what about dryness as a side effect? I remember years ago, an adult I worked with was on Accutane and her mouth was so chapped and her skin was peeling. This was in the early 80's, so maybe they use milder doses?

[Anonymous]

PP here. DD's mouth and skin became very, very dry. She kept well hydrated, used tons of moisturizer and chapstick. Accutane is extremely strong and dries out your skin and mucus membranes, but it absolutely works.

[Anonymous]

7:22 poster here... i remember severe drying for the first couple of weeks... but not through the entire cycle. Like the PP said-- lots of moisturizer (your derm might even prescribe some) and she should be fine

[Anonymous]

21:43 here - No, my daughter doens't have cystic acne. It's pretty run of the mill, but it's persistent and it sometimes leaves scars.

[Anonymous]

I did it in my early 20's and I don't regret it one bit. It changed my life.

I wish my parents would have let me have it in high school. It would have saved me from a lot of scarring.

Anyways, get a huge tub of aquafor for moisturizing. Her lips will be so dry they will peal. I found the little containers of Carmex were best for the lips. She needs to stay out of the sun this summer....seriously. Also, absolutely NO WAXING! It'll rip your skin right off to the point of permanent scarring. Your skin becomes so thin and brittle on that stuff. It goes back to normal after the treatment though.

[Anonymous]

I took Accutane in the 90s as a teen. My initial dose was too high - the drying was crazy. However, after reducing the dose (I want to say from 60 to 40, don't remember what unit that's in) things got much more bearable. I looked AWFUL the first two months on it - way worse than before.
Not a permanent fix for me, though - I have had mild but persistent acne on a few areas of my face my whole adult life. However, before Accutane I had some cystic acne on my face and back, and that has never returned.
The only thing that has stopped the remaining acne was not menstruating for 24 mos and counting (pregnancy + bf'ing).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here. DD's mouth and skin became very, very dry. She kept well hydrated, used tons of moisturizer and chapstick. Accutane is extremely strong and dries out your skin and mucus membranes, but it absolutely works.

Yes, that's right.

I took Accutane in the mid-90's, when I was 33yo, for horrible acne. It cleared it up, all of it, and it never came back. Miraculous.

[Anonymous]

I took Accutane in 2000 when I was 33 years old. I had had persistent acne since I was 11 and it just never stopped. It was not generally the deep cystic acne, although I did develop one of those every so often. Not on any regular basis.

I was on it for 7 months because the typical 4 month regimen (or whatever it was) was not long enough. I have always had some trouble with low-grade depression (dysthymia) over the years, and this was the first time in my life that I felt suicidal (not to the point of doing anything, but thinking about it constantly). I am certain it was the drug, because nothing else had changed in my life. And after I had been off the drug, I felt like my regular self. I believe this was just before any association with depression had come out, but I'm not sure.

I also had dryness, but no peeling. However, to this day my lips, hands, and feet are MUCH dryer than normal and I have a lot of trouble with that. No lotion or lip balm seems to do the trick.

Having said all of that, I'm very happy I took it. I still get a pimple every now and then, but it's like a normal person. When I get my period, etc. Not 20 of them all the time all over my face and chest, with no relief.

I wouldn't take the drug (any drug) without a serious reason to consider it. And I'd pay very close attention to body and mood changes. But it's like anything else. Way the risks and benefits. To me, it was worth it, despite the side effects.

[Anonymous]

I took it as a young adult and it worked, but it really dried out my skin! It would just start peeling no matter how much I put on. I wouldn't take it unless the acne was serious, but it did work for me.

[Anonymous]

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).

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