Anonymous wrote:

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.

Don’t you worry about scarring?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What skincare is she using? I found when I switched to a very mild/clean cleanser/topical that my acne disappeared! The harsh chemicals cause more inflammation.

For severe acne, it’s not a "just use cetaphil" issue. What you are calling "acne" was not what you actually had.

+1
Cue all the “cut out dairy, “use proactive” posters. They just don’t get it.

Anonymous wrote:What does your DD want? If her acne is depressing her, it might be worth a try. I think my kids were only on Accutane for 6 months. She will be closely monitored—monthly pregnancy tests and bloodwork and a derm appointment. All the monitoring can be difficult when kids are away in college. It’s much better/easier to deal with this during the high school years.

Agree with this. We waited too long like a pp. Recommend just doing it and monitoring.

Both my daughters

I took Accutane, as have big my daughters. Their clear skin has made a marked difference in their confidence. I had PCOs. The only med that worked was Accutane for all 3 of us. I did not suffer depression on meds. Both my daughters already had anxiety, treated.

My DC used a Pantothenic Acid supplement. Much safer and cleared skin up

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What skincare is she using? I found when I switched to a very mild/clean cleanser/topical that my acne disappeared! The harsh chemicals cause more inflammation.

This doesn’t work for cystic acne.

Yes it sure did.

My son was on accutane at the age of 14 for about 6 months. Best decision we could have ever made with him. He was involved in the decision because it meant monthly blood draws and seriously dry/chapped lips.
He was ready for clear-er skin and did well. He still gets breakouts which are on par with normal occasional teen break-outs. He does not have the severe acne that he had before. There is absolutely a difference.
He had to go to the dermatologist and try using retna-A and other topicals for 2-3 months before he was prescribed Accutane.

No regrets. We did hear the horror stories and see the youtube videos on how Accutane had wrecked so many lives by side effects. It wasn't his experience. We talked over those videos and horror stories with his dermatologist and felt confident that he was in good hands.

Anonymous wrote:What skincare is she using? I found when I switched to a very mild/clean cleanser/topical that my acne disappeared! The harsh chemicals cause more inflammation.

This doesn’t work for cystic acne.

Anonymous wrote:Its really hard to believe that after all these years, we still just have the Accutane. My dc has Crohn's and her gastro doesn't want her on Accutane. Her acne is terrible. I went thru two rounds of Accutane in my teens so its genetic. The lasers don't seem to have a lot of research/evidence (maybe I'm wrong?). I just wish there was SOMETHING!

Agree.

Anonymous wrote:What skincare is she using? I found when I switched to a very mild/clean cleanser/topical that my acne disappeared! The harsh chemicals cause more inflammation.

For severe acne, its not a "just use cetaphil" issue. What you are calling "acne" was not what you actually had.

What skincare is she using? I found when I switched to a very mild/clean cleanser/topical that my acne disappeared! The harsh chemicals cause more inflammation.

Its really hard to believe that after all these years, we still just have the Accutane. My dc has Crohn's and her gastro doesn't want her on Accutane. Her acne is terrible. I went thru two rounds of Accutane in my teens so its genetic. The lasers don't seem to have a lot of research/evidence (maybe I'm wrong?). I just wish there was SOMETHING!

What does your DD want? If her acne is depressing her, it might be worth a try. I think my kids were only on Accutane for 6 months. She will be closely monitored—monthly pregnancy tests and bloodwork and a derm appointment. All the monitoring can be difficult when kids are away in college. It’s much better/easier to deal with this during the high school years.

Anonymous wrote: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.

Nobody wants to look at someone when they have pus and blood oozing down their face. At its worst, two old ladies stopped me to ask if I'd been in a fire. So embarrassing. I have lifelong depression, and the acne and how people treated me because of it just made that a thousand times worse.