Tips for teens beginning Accutane

[Anonymous]

My DS was finally approved to start taking Accutane. What moisturizer, lip balm, and other general recommendations do you have for starting it? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Vitamin E stick for lips.

Stay out of the sun! I was on it and my teen dd was on it and we both became super sensitive to sun - like could get burned in 20 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vitamin E stick for lips.

Stay out of the sun! I was on it and my teen dd was on it and we both became super sensitive to sun - like could get burned in 20 minutes.

Thanks. My DS was on an antibiotic last summer and he also got burned so quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS was finally approved to start taking Accutane. What moisturizer, lip balm, and other general recommendations do you have for starting it? Thanks!

How long did it take to get approved? What steps did you have to take before getting there? DD has a dermatologist appointment on 2/25, and I'm curious what the progression of treatment options looks like. (FWIW, her acne just started in December but looks cystic to me. Deep under the skin, not whiteheads. The two that cleared up on her nose left behind red spots and indents in her skin. And then a new one appeared right next to where the original ones were. Ugh.)

[Anonymous]

Aquaphor lip balm.

[Anonymous]

my son seems to have a lot of side effects so here is what he does:

super dry lips - constant carmex and aquafor- he probably has 20 of those little tubes in all places around the house
dry nose/nosebleeds - saline nose spray and little aquafor inside of nostrils
dry red eyes - limited contact usage; systane drops incl the gel drops if very dry/hurt
humidifier in bedroom for all of these issues
lots and lots of drinking water
itchy dry flaky scalp - DHS shampoo several days/week

After 4 mos, he is starting to get dry on his hands, too, so has been using a hand balm ointment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:my son seems to have a lot of side effects so here is what he does:

super dry lips - constant carmex and aquafor- he probably has 20 of those little tubes in all places around the house
dry nose/nosebleeds - saline nose spray and little aquafor inside of nostrils
dry red eyes - limited contact usage; systane drops incl the gel drops if very dry/hurt
humidifier in bedroom for all of these issues
lots and lots of drinking water
itchy dry flaky scalp - DHS shampoo several days/week

After 4 mos, he is starting to get dry on his hands, too, so has been using a hand balm ointment.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS was finally approved to start taking Accutane. What moisturizer, lip balm, and other general recommendations do you have for starting it? Thanks!

How long did it take to get approved? What steps did you have to take before getting there? DD has a dermatologist appointment on 2/25, and I'm curious what the progression of treatment options looks like. (FWIW, her acne just started in December but looks cystic to me. Deep under the skin, not whiteheads. The two that cleared up on her nose left behind red spots and indents in her skin. And then a new one appeared right next to where the original ones were. Ugh.)

His first appointment was two years ago this March. He started off using BP face wash, clindamycin, and another topical I can't think of right now. The acne started on his forehead but spread to his cheeks, back, and chest over the next 6 months using those topicals. After that was a few other topicals (Aczone and azelaic acid) and then acne continued to spread to his nose and neck. Then it was 3 months of doxycycline which cleared him up about 80%. He stopped taking it after 3 months ended and the acne came back with a vengeance. That's when they finally gave him the go-ahead to start Accutane. So it has been nearly two years since he started. He is about to turn 16. The doctor said many insurance companies require a certain progression prior to prescribing Accutane.

[Anonymous]

This was a few years ago, but I insisted on options before Accutane. It is a harsh drug, but it works. For females, you need a pregnancy test each month and both boys and girls require monthly lab work. My DS was on this med for 6 months. Trying to remember how many Blistex tubes went thru my washing machine. 😊

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was a few years ago, but I insisted on options before Accutane. It is a harsh drug, but it works. For females, you need a pregnancy test each month and both boys and girls require monthly lab work. My DS was on this med for 6 months. Trying to remember how many Blistex tubes went thru my washing machine. 😊

OP here. He tried other treatments for nearly 2 yrs. I took Accutane in my 20s. I wish I had taken it much sooner so I wouldn't have the scars I have. He only needed initial bloodwork. Nothing monthly (and neither did I).

[Anonymous]

My DD is on her third month of accurate, it’s going well. She does need blood work each month and it’s a small timeframe from bloodwork, to monthly doctor appointment to refill. If you miss the timeframe you have to skip a month. So my tip would be schedule the bloodwork/dermatologist a month out so you are not scrambling at the last minute.

[Anonymous]

I was on it about 5 years ago and I used Cerave face wash and their lotion and cream. Bag balm for my lips was the only thing that worked and would stay on for hours. I also took VitE and Fish Oil supplements to help with aches and pains.

I’m surprised the doctor isn’t monitoring his blood monthly as Accutane increases your cholesterol.

[Anonymous]

So I took accutane when I turned 17, back in the 90s. And it was a game changer. I had incredibly bad cystic acne and it cleared up entirely within weeks.

And while all the other posters are correct about the physical/health cautions you need to take, i would also advise you pay attention to your kid's emotional state.

It was really strange for me when it cleared up. The acne had become part of my identity. I was the kid with the pizza face. I was the kid that always had the hoodie up, or the baseball hat pulled down low. I was the kid always trying to grow a splotchy teen aged beard to hide.

And in a matter of weeks, that was gone. And not only that, once it was gone, it was the first time any girl any showed any interest in me. Which, I was both happy about, and also kind of pessimistic about. To make matters worse, I was actually a good looking kid at 17, but nobody would like twice at me because of the acne. Once that was gone, I started getting asked out on dates and invited to parties with other groups.

and I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay with my real friends, which I did, and I'm happy I had the emotional fortitude to do that. But it was a very strange time.

All in all, I'm very happy that I took it. I can't overstate how much bad acne impacts a young person's life. But emotionally, it was a very strange time.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for sharing your experience PP. I'm a woman and was a bit taken aback after taking Accutane that men (I was in my mid-20s when I took it) would talk to me. In my mind, I was that girl with the awful skin that no boys wanted to talk to. I wasn't used to positive attention so it took time to get used to!

[Anonymous]

My advice is to stay very diligent in the appointments, call in pharmacy, testing, etc. When I took it (as a 40 year old) if I didn't quickly move the prescription along, it would be nullified and cumbersome to get set up again.

Accutane resolved my acne very quickly and it was a very low dose so I didn't have many physical issues. I was and still am very pleased with the results.