for the first time in years. I am 28 and have been dealing with acne since I was 12. It worsened as
I reached my late teens / early 20s and I continue to have flare ups. I have been on Antibiotics and
Sulfur pills, as well as many different topical medications. I hate taking the antibiotics because I have
allergies and sinus problems, which commonly lead to infections – now Amoxicillan doesn’t work at all for me
anymore when I get an infection…I am tired of taking pills for stuff and becoming immune to them. This trip,
the dermatologist mentioned Accutane as an option, but said she wants to see what happens after 6 weeks
on Minocycoline and a topical sulfur medication. I have done this before and not had success, but I will
try it again. If it happens to help, I really do not want to stay on antibiotics for years. I am already
thinking about and researching Accutane and the side effects. I fear the liver problems and high cholesterol
issues, as well as the dryness issue…I am always thirsty, using lip balm, and lotion due to taking AllegraD
(the decongestant part causes dryness). I may need to stop taking the decongestant and have also heard that
many people can’t wear contacts…I have worn contacts since I was 11….glasses would be yet another
adjustment / change. I have not heard about sun exposure yet, however I am thinking you need to be careful in
the sun when using it. I also understand that it gets worse before better – some of the postings in this site
seem to say that. Another option I have heard of is to simply try going on the pill – Orthotrycycoline or one
of those..Have you heard that could help a great deal? Another option my Dr. mentioned briefly is a
topical Accutane – she said most people stop it because it is so painful – the company swears it should not
do that…Neither pharmacist I asked has heard about the topical either.. One pharmacist did the Accutane
pills 8 years ago and her skin looks just beautiful…flawless. She was very happy with her treatment and
mentioned it is just most important to not get pregnant.. and to carry chapstick at all time.
If you can please settle any concerns or answer any of my questions, I would appreciate it. I plan to do research on
the net to learn more…I have awhile before I need to decide, but I want to begin gathering info and
thinking about it now.. Also, are you aware if there is really a 97% success rate for the treatment?
Thank you for your assistance.
2 Comments
hi
ok I know that accutane sounds great and im
sure Roche swears that the topical one wont cause any
pain….but then again this is the same company who said
accutane pills dont cause depression or variosu problems
with organs. And we all know now that they have had to
go back and eat some of their words. The point is
DONT BELIEVE THEM! All they care about is the almighty
dollar.
As far as dry skin goes….well it never goes away!
I was on accutane like over 5 years ago and i still
have the dryest skin ever. I have a large collection
of lip balms and moisturizers. (btw.. the best to
use are aloe for skin and bath and body works lip
balms…any flavor:))
As a result of accutane my
health went downhill.
I now suffer from IBS which is
irritable bowel syndrom…not fun to deal with! Plus right
after I got off accutane I got a number of serious
colds. The dr’s couldnt even find out what kind of cold
it was. I had a fever of over 103. I just thought it
very peculiar that like 2 weeks after coming off
accutane that i would get so sick. It turns out I was
going through drug withdrawl
And I still have cystic acne and my skin isnt that much better then
before I started. So in my opinion it isnt worth it.
Have you tried pro-active solution? Its one of those
ones they ad on tv for. From what i’ve heard it seems
to be a good choice. Another thing is that you may
as well try just using the pill cause if you go on
accutane they will make you take the pill anyway.
Thank you for the feedback and sharing your
story…I am sorry to hear about the difficulties you have
experienced. I am going to try the minocycoline for 6 weeks
then go on the pill for awhile to see if it will help.
Then I will take a look at Accutane…I just want to
research all options… I did try Proactive and like most
meds, it worked for awhile and then it didn’t..one
product they sell that works well though is the Skin
Lightening Lotion – it helps lighten the redness and
scarring, however I think it makes the skin peel a bit
more… it contains glycolic acid. Thanks for the thought
though…I just have been dealing with acne since I was 12
and I am now 28 (almost 29)…I just am ready to make
a change and really try to take care of this..I
just want to research anything before I get involved
with it, allowing me to make an informed
decision…
Thanks again,
Lori