Roaccutane?

[Chocolateorangegoblin]

Wasn't sure where to put this. Have been offered Roaccutane for my acne. Just wondering if anyone has taken it and could share there experiences. Thanks.

[Beewhisperer]

There was a thread on here that went into quite a lot of detail not long ago.
Dh had it before the side effects were widely publicised and had very nasty depression. We only realised what had caused it when I happened to watch a BBC documentary called 'dying for clear skin'.
He also had awful bleeding and cracked lips.
Going by the other thread it is either brilliant or awful. You should be able to find it with a quick search.

[FishlessCake]

Lots of threads on this over in style and beauty, I was ask to get this moved over

[Beewhisperer]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/2756967-roaccutane

[Handbag101]

There is a lovely young girl on you tube called Katie Snooks who records her experiences every month with the drug. Take a look.

Hope this helps.

[TheUterati]

I was on it. Had very dry skin and had to use lip balm all the time, but it was fabulous and worked brilliantly for me. Dry skin was the only side effect I had. I was monitored closely by my dermatologist with monthly consultations and blood tests to check on liver function.

[Chocolateorangegoblin]

Bump for the evening!

[taybert]

I'm on it. It's working really well, only side effect is dry lips and it's manageable.

[Newbrummie]

Skin is amazing, absolutely lovely after years of suffering. Would only let my daughter take it once she's completed her education or on a gap year and under my roof. Wasn't the best 3 months mentally or physically

[ChickenVindaloo2]

Here is my list of side effects that I kept while I was on it. However, it was basically a miracle cure. So you makes your choices!

I would do it again. Buy aquaphor lip balm in bulk. PM me if you have any questions. Good luck x

Side effects:
Pounding headache & diorrhoea the second day
Face dried up and spots disappeared within 1 week
Arms - skin went red in sun, & had dry patches,
Hands dry and itchy, went scaly, round fingernails v dry
Face red
Lips dry & peeling,
Moodiness, tiredness,
Inside of nose bled,
Scalp less greasy, - had bad dandruff at one point, in my eyebrows as well
Hair possibly fell out more than usual
Eyes – weepy/dry/poor night vision?
Sweating more than usual?
Ankles v stiff

[Whisky2014]

I was prescribed it but have not taken it due to the severity of side effects. I can be quite down anyway so didnt fancy the chances of becoming even worse with it.

[hotdiggedy]

I took it a long time ago, maybe 25 years ago. I know that it made my skin very dry and my lips too, though noone really bothered to buy me any moisturiser to help with it so maybe it wouldnt have been so bad if they had.

My hair dropped out a lot, I went from having quite thick wavy hair to quite thin hair.

I was having a miserable time at home anyway so I'm not sure if that was it but I did feel very unhappy an awful lot, like a dark cloud was permanently hovering over me. However, I was a school and was around 14 years old.

After a couple of years it all came back again. Hmm.

[Babyiwantabump]

I took it maybe 10ish years ago.
Worked wonders for my skin but dried out my joints .

I am now under a consultant as I have restricted movement in my hips especially and they believe this is down to the roaccutane .

I'm in awful pain everyday and the acne is slowly creeping back.

If I knew then what I knew now I wouldn't take it. For me it hasn't been worth it but I know lots of people are very happy after taking it.

[cathyandclare]

I took it at 40 after 25 years of acne. It changed my life. I had dry skin, lips etc, but was proactive with moisturiser and balm and it was manageable. I wish I'd taken it in my teens.

[lurkingfromhome]

It was absolutely life-changing for me and I would take it again in an instant. I had more than 20 years of hideous adult acne, cycle after cycle of endless antibiotics for two decades, regular two-week doses of penicillin as my face got so infected with spots, utter misery. I had to get my hair cut into a fringe for my wedding as my forehead was covered in huge cystic spots and I couldn't bear anyone seeing them. It was grim.

Six months of Roaccutane three years ago and I literally have not had a single spot since. I had the following side effects:

• Dry and peeling lips (only lips, the rest of me didn't feel any different)
  
• Sore joints and muscles for the second 3 months - but never so sore that I needed to take any painkillers, it was perfectly bearable. Wasn't allowed to exercise, though
  
• Fell asleep on the sofa in the evening quite a bit. Managed work, going out etc quite happily but I did need regular snoozes after dinner.
  

The side effects all cleared up completely within a week of finishing the course.

Even now, 3 years on, I look in the mirror every day and am so incredibly happy I took the roaccutane. The acne was making my life so so miserable and honestly, I have never looked back. The side effects were not bad at all, I was well monitored for the 6 months and to have constant clear skin after decades of painful misery is just so amazing I can't tell you.

[Iizzyb]

I had it 15 ish yrs ago. I had dry skin and dry lips. Dermalogica skin soothing cream & Carmex lip balm were my friends & I am now slightly more prone to burn in the sun I think so use higher spf. Did have a bit of backache at the time. No lasting effects except clear skin. Can't recommend enough. Dsis also had it at school. Similar experience to me except no acne in her late teens/20's - I was 30 when I had mine. Good luck whatever you decide x

[Mari50]

I took it 10 years ago for cystic acne. My skin has been settled ever since which is amazing. Immediate side effects were bearable, very dry lips and nose, eyes weren't too bad. Few nose bleeds. Hair was great as it didn't get greasy (the side effect I miss the most). I did get some significant shoulder pain which lasted a few months after the treatment and which I needed physio for.
Downside is that my skin is now incredibly thin and crepey and has been since I used the roaccutane, my décolletage has looked 50 since I was 32. That said I don't know how I could have carried on with the acne as it was horrific so I can accept it.
I have come across two young men through the course of work who have ended up severely visually impaired which has been attributed to using roaccutane - would it have put me off if I'd known before? Doubt it. It can work miracles with your skin but, yeah, it's really nasty stuff ultimately. However I remember how desperate my acne was making me and I'd tried everything else so I was at a point of accepting the risks.

[ScattyHattie]

It was nearly 20yrs ago that i had a course of roaccutane so i don't recall much in detail, although the dermatologist didn't seem to do as many checks for safety as they do nowadays, was just told i must avoid pregnancy.
My acne was awful and i had tried all sorts of antibiotics & ointments (can't take oestrogen pills) during my teenage years till took R. It was so bad at college i had strangers staring & kids commenting about my face, it made me very self conscious.

I've had depression before taking it & since, but can't remember now if i was also on anti-depressants while taking Roaccutane. It didn't have much of a negative effect mentally or physically that i noticed. I did get the common dry skin, constantly cracked lips and occasional nosebleeds but it was managable.

I still get occasional spots but its very mild outbreaks in comparison and i suspect sugar/dairy may cause it to flare up as its been lovely & clear on a low carb diet where i cut both out and after i've fell off the wagon over xmas i've gone spotty & bit itchy.