acutane

[zorra_chiflada]

i've been meaning to do this, but i've been putting it off for ages.
anyone been on acutane? i'm interested to know how it works, and more importantly, what are the hormonal repurcussions.

[HOTWIFE]

It really is a big decision...I took it about 2 yrs ago(I didn't even really need it my dermatologist would do anything for an extra buck). I had lower back pain(!) , joint pain, and alot of my hair fell out after I stopped taking it. And although I haven't had a damn pimple since...not one! I wouldn't take it again.

edit-how it works: it shrinks your oil glands down to the size of a baby's, which means you'll have very dry skin while on it. After you stop taking it your glands will get slightly bigger, but never as big as they were before.

[b i o n i c]

i think acutane is birthcontrol under a different name - just go on the pill

[DipDipDive]

I've heard it can cause some serious kidney problems and severe depression, as well. I have horrible skin, but I would never consider taking it.

[Lyman Zerga]

my kidneys are shit and my depressions couldnt be any deeper so give me that godamn stuff already!

[zorra_chiflada]

the pill is not an option for me. i can't take it.

[cosmo105]

i think acutane is birthcontrol under a different name - just go on the pill
nope, it's a super high dose of vitamin A. throws your kidneys and liver all out of whack.

don't take it, zorra. just watch your diet and increase your zinc intake. and use a good (non-sodium lauryl sulfate-containing) cleanser, toner, and moisturizer every morning and night.


trust me. if i didn't do those two things, i'd have horrible, horrible skin. i did for years.

[Loppfessor]

the pill is not an option for me. i can't take it.

Too scared to tell your parents that you have become sexually active?

[zorra_chiflada]

um no, i just can't go on the pill. i don't want to go into details. but it is a physical problem.

i have seriously tried everything since i was 11 years old, cosmo, my mother is a dietician, so i know all about eating right and all that. and the shit you put on your face doesn't do anything at all for me. it's really just the last resort for me.

[Loppfessor]

Oh cus I was going to say you don't really have to tell them....just leave used condoms around the house or in their bed, or forget to take your home made porn movies out of the VCR when you know they're going to watch something later.....trust me they'll catch on quick (y)

[b i o n i c]

sounds pretty bad. i could be wrong. try pro-active - i know of someone who it worked for

[enree erzweglle]

I remember reading about that accutane had side effects like severe depression and onset of or increases in suicidal thoughts? ...something like that. Something about teenagers who'd had no history of depression going on accutane for acne and then either getting depressed and committing suicide or threatening to do so. :(

When I hear of things like that or when I hear of someone pushing any new drug (something that hasn't stood the test of a lot of time), I think that it's not worth the risk.

Have you tried using Clinique's three-step soap/astringent/moisturizer? I've known several people who took heavy-duy medications (prescription drugs) for acne who had much better luck/success with twice-daily use of those clinique products.

[zorra_chiflada]

i'm on depression medication anyway, so that aspect of it does not worry me.

[beastiegirrl101]

Have you tried using Clinique's three-step soap/astringent/moisturizer? I've known several people who took heavy-duy medications (prescription drugs) for acne who had much better luck/success with twice-daily use of those clinique products.

I use this...for about a year now and I am also on the pill, the combo of both is amazing but I still do get the occational break out around my cycle.

Zorra you posted a thread on something like this before and Q posted in great detail about accutane. I am pretty sure he has had good results.

http://beastieboys.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=54433

[zorra_chiflada]

i'm gonna do it. or at least go to the dermatologist and get some kind of treatment.

[enree erzweglle]

zorra, are you reading this? If you are seriously considering accutane, before you go to the dermatologist, google "accutane suicide" and you'll see stuff like what I've copied/pasted below. There are so many accutane-related lawsuits that there is or has been an accutane class action lawsuit and there are lawyers who specialize in accutane-related suicides. :( :(


http://www.rense.com/general32/scu.htm

Congressional Committee
Finds Accutane Causes Suicide
By Steve Mitchell
UPI Medical Correspondent
12-12-2

WASHINGTON (UPI) -- A congressional oversight committee's two-year investigation released Wednesday has found the acne drug Accutane frequently has been associated with suicide.

The investigation also made public an internal FDA memo from 1998 recommending the drug be taken off the market due to its potential to cause birth defects.

Staffers on the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on oversight and investigations spent hundreds of hours culling internal memos, reports and e-mails obtained from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as from Accutane's manufacturer, Roche U.S. Pharmaceuticals, part of Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., of Nutley, N.J.

More than 200 people have taken their lives while taking Accutane -- and perhaps many more -- but neither the FDA nor Roche has ever publicly admitted the suicides were due to the drug.
[...]



http://www.adrugrecall.com/accutane/suicide.html
Accutane and Suicide

[...]
Parents and families have voiced their concerns regarding the possible occurrence of Accutane suicide. Witnessing changes in behavior including depression and psychotic symptoms, parents fear the acne medication triggers Accutane suicides. Although the manufacturer has maintained Accutane suicides do not occur, the FDA has tried to more strictly regulate Accutane.
[...]

[zorra_chiflada]

yeah, still, not an issue for me, seeing as i have been medicated for depression for the past four years. it's not going to make a difference.

[enree erzweglle]

I use this...for about a year now and I am also on the pill, the combo of both is amazing but I still do get the occational break out around my cycle. I've been using Clinique nearly exclusively since 1982 and wouldn't use anything else. I use their three-step cleansing stuff twice a day. I also use their SPF, 7-day scrub cream, and occasionally will use the mask because I like the look of it after it's on and when it's drying.

I buy Clinique when they're having promotions so I'll usually get the moisturizer for free, sometimes other things that I actually use too, but most of the promo stuff is throw-away because it's too much makeup.

[enree erzweglle]

I don't know that I'd compound existing problems by introducing such a controversial drug, but good luck with all of that.

[hpdrifter]

um no, i just can't go on the pill. i don't want to go into details. but it is a physical problem.

i have seriously tried everything since i was 11 years old, cosmo, my mother is a dietician, so i know all about eating right and all that. and the shit you put on your face doesn't do anything at all for me. it's really just the last resort for me.

THis is/was me too. The only thing that helped was accutane. Its extremely powerful and it worked for me almost immediately, like, within a couple of days. It hard to find a doctor who will prescribe it around here, you almost have to have Acne that's so bad its disfiguring.

ANyway, it causes your skin to get very gummy, I didn't notice a lot of dryness. You have to be careful to stay out of the sun and you can't get anything waxed.

It causes and/or exacerbates depression in some so if this is a problem for you, be very aware of that.

ANother treatment that I tried is Spironolactone when I had a less severe recurrence. That was after the accutane, though.

[beastiegirrl101]

I've been using Clinique nearly exclusively since 1982 and wouldn't use anything else. I use their three-step cleansing stuff twice a day. I also use their SPF, 7-day scrub cream, and occasionally will use the mask because I like the look of it after it's on and when it's drying.

I buy Clinique when they're having promotions so I'll usually get the moisturizer for free, sometimes other things that I actually use too, but most of the promo stuff is throw-away because it's too much makeup.

I love their skin care products but I am not to thrilled with their makeup. The colors are not that great, although I would try their foundation possibly. The majority of people I meet that use Clinique have been on it for years and I always hear good results. They have IMO the best makeup remover ever!

I'm a #3, what are you?

ha...lame.

[beastiegirrl101]

ANyway, it causes your skin to get very gummy, I didn't notice a lot of dryness. You have to be careful to stay out of the sun and you can't get anything waxed..

what do you mean by gummy?

Before I went on the pill I was on all sorts of topical treatments that I wasn't able to wax with because my skin would literally come off with the wax...it was so bad.

[hpdrifter]

No offense, people, but some people's acne is genetically predisposed and severe and the traditonal methods just don't work. I tried everything, special soaps, bc pills, antibiotics, all of the things they typically prescribe, none. of. it. worked. Not even a little bit.

It sucks, but accutane was the only thing that made any kind of difference. And I wouldn't change that I took it. I am prone to depression but did not have problems with that at all when I was on it. That doesn't mean zorra won't, but I didn't.

[hpdrifter]

what do you mean by gummy?

Before I went on the pill I was on all sorts of topical treatments that I wasn't able to wax with because my skin would literally come off with the wax...it was so bad.

Exactly what I mean by gummy. And I remember my lips were really... strange. Like if I chewed on the inside of them (as I tend to do), big pieces of skin would come off.

Sorry, overshare but true.

[zorra_chiflada]

yes, it is a genetic predisposition. my mother had dealt with acne and was put on the pill. this consequently caused some kind of hyperpigmentation in her skin in which she had to get burned/peeled off.

[enree erzweglle]

I love their skin care products but I am not to thrilled with their makeup. The colors are not that great, although I would try their foundation possibly. The majority of people I meet that use Clinique have been on it for years and I always hear good results. They have IMO the best makeup remover ever!

I'm a #3, what are you?

ha...lame.I had to look it up because I only know it by color. :) I'm a #1. I used to be #2 but my skin shifted around a few years ago.

I agree with you about their makeup...it's on the garish side--especially stuff for lips. I wear mascara and some lip coloring sometimes. Their mascara used to be great--it was called "Swimmer's Mascara" and it stayed on well and didn't clump. But a few years ago, they changed the formula and the new stuff isn't so great.

When I first started with Clinique, they had this water-based foundation that was so perfect. It was very light--not light in its shade but in its consistency and how it was easy to apply and didn't make you look corpsey so I used it, but they discontinued that and when they did that, I think was the last time I wore makeup other than mascara and maybe some lip color. I like to play around with the stuff they give you in the promotion bags. I sometimes don't know what some of it is for. :o

[zorra_chiflada]

its not stress related by the way. that's what a lot of people are telling me.

[cosmo105]

ah. well, i hope whatever you choose works out for you, zorra. best of luck...and your mom's a dietician? omg, awesome!

[monkey]

what about super duper retin-a? my ex-bf had really bad acne in his youth and retin-a micro helped him SIGNIFICANTLY. granted, he couldnt go in the sun without spf100058, but he never spent that much time in the sun anyway.

[HOTWIFE]

Zorra I forgot to mention that there's no dermatologist that will put you on accutane if you're not on the bc pill. Accutane causes horrible birth defects.

[beastiegirrl101]

Zorra I forgot to mention that there's no dermatologist that will put you on accutane if you're not on the bc pill. Accutane causes horrible birth defects.

but that's only if your trying during that time right? And I believe they instruct you not to.

[HOTWIFE]

but that's only if your trying during that time right? And I believe they instruct you not to.
I went to 2 dermatologists and told them that I hate being on the bc pill, and they weren't having any of it. I told them I'd use other methods of birth control and they still wouldn't put me on it without being on the pill. Oh and they check your blood every month when you're on accutane to check your liver function and to make sure your cholesterol doesn't go up too high. I wasn't sure if they checked your blood for the bc pill so I took it the whole time:(

[fucktopgirl]

Did you try with herbs, some herbs can help purified your blood and such.

[HOTWIFE]

Did you try with herbs, some herbs can help purified your blood and such.
I did not. I stopped taking ALL supplements while I was on it because accutane is so taxing on the liver as it is. I didn't want to overwork my liver and kidneys with a bunch of different supplements. The only thing I took was vitamin E for the dry skin.

[hpdrifter]

Zorra I forgot to mention that there's no dermatologist that will put you on accutane if you're not on the bc pill. Accutane causes horrible birth defects.

I forgot about this, this is true. And they won't accept any other methods, and I belive they do check your blood or something to make sure you're taking it.

And I also forgot that I had to use Vitamin E oil religiously, so I guess I did get some dry skin.

I bought those oil capsules you take like a pill and squeezed the oil out directly onto my lips and the backs of my arms (which were the dryest, oddly enough).

[HOTWIFE]

I bought those oil capsules you take like a pill and squeezed the oil out directly onto my lips and the backs of my arms (which were the dryest, oddly enough).
I used Aquaphor on my lips and they stayed pretty moist, considering. I have a friend who took accutane years ago and his lips got so dry and cracked he still has a scar!! This pill is NO JOKE.

[zorra_chiflada]

ugh, with the whole bc pill, that's gonna be a big pain in the ass for me. there is no chance whatsoever of me getting pregnant - i can't. it is impossible. some doctors don't seem to understand this.

[HOTWIFE]

ugh, with the whole bc pill, that's gonna be a big pain in the ass for me. there is no chance whatsoever of me getting pregnant - i can't. it is impossible. some doctors don't seem to understand this.
the last thing any doctor wants is a lawsuit on their hands because some girl got pregnant on accutane they prescribed. I don't even think you could get by w/out the pill if you had documentation saying there's no way you can get pregnant.

[zorra_chiflada]

the last thing any doctor wants is a lawsuit on their hands because some girl got pregnant on accutane they prescribed. I don't even think you could get by w/out the pill if you had documentation saying there's no way you can get pregnant.

yes, i could. i have a condition. nobody wants to fuck with it. that's all i'm gonna say.

[HOTWIFE]

yes, i could. i have a condition. nobody wants to fuck with it. that's all i'm gonna say.
we'll see

[DipDipDive]

and use a good (non-sodium lauryl sulfate-containing) cleanser, toner, and moisturizer every morning and night.

Will you explain that for me, please?

I use Thursday Plantation tea tree face wash, and one of the inactive ingredients listed is tea-lauryl sulfate. I can't figure out whether that's good or bad. :o

[HEIRESS]

sodium lauryl sulfate is a foaming agent, really not that good for you especially since it is found in almost all shampoos except for natural ones

tea lauryl sulfate is a only slightly less harmful derivative of it that is still used for its detergent properties

its not good for you because it strips hair/scalp/skin of its natural oils especially in cheaper brands because people equate lotsa bubbles with a good shampoo

[skra75]

/\/\/\
the fact that you're posting this at 10:30 at night on th message board when you really should be out on a thursday night makes me laugh out loud.
I guess I'm just as bad for reading it.

[cosmo105]

sodium lauryl sulfate is a foaming agent, really not that good for you especially since it is found in almost all shampoos except for natural ones

tea lauryl sulfate is a only slightly less harmful derivative of it that is still used for its detergent properties

its not good for you because it strips hair/scalp/skin of its natural oils especially in cheaper brands because people equate lotsa bubbles with a good shampoo
thanks sugartits. i've been told that some SLS isn't all that bad depending on from where it's sourced, but i know that it just doesn't agree with my skin. and my skin is mad oily - it overdries it, causing it to produce more oil. not good.

[Loppfessor]

Can we PLEASE stick to the subject! Anyway my mom gave me some condoms and had "the talk" with me when I was like 15 or 16 cus I was dating this girl that was 18 and had a car. It was actually a special bonding moment. Zorra I'm sorry your parents aren't as open with you

[beastiegirrl101]

http://suntimes.com/output/health/cst-nws-acne21.html

[HEIRESS]

/\/\/\
the fact that you're posting this at 10:30 at night on th message board when you really should be out on a thursday night makes me laugh out loud.
I guess I'm just as bad for reading it.

people go out on thursday nights???

thanks for rubbing it in btw

[zorra_chiflada]

yeah, i've actually changed my mind now that i've found out what it actually does. maybe i'll try anti-biotics.