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Original poster

Acne - looking for positive Roaccutane stories

38 replies

Notcontent · 29/07/2020 23:07

My dd has just started a course of Roaccutane. Her acne is not terrible and we had been managing it for about a year with various topical creams but we decided we wanted to nip it in the bud before it got worse. I did lots of research etc so I am aware of the side effects but just wanted to hear from anyone who has benefitted from taking it.

OP posts:
Confusedcorona · 29/07/2020 23:12

No personal experience, but I have patients who take it (prescribed by another health professional).

It is a long journey, but can be very, very effective. It's often the last line of treatment in acne though.

The skin will become very dry and sore, so she should ensure to stay hydrated, use some hyaluronic acid serums and be very careful in the sun.

JaJaDingDong · 29/07/2020 23:17

Both my DD and I used Roaccutane. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Your skin, lips, eyes and inside of nose get very very dry during the treatment, but it's very much worth putting up with for 6 months or so on the treatment.

I don't know how old your DD is, but they might insist she takes some contraception. I know of a lesbian who was make to take the pill before starting to take the drug. It does horrible things to a foetus - she must absolutely not get pregnant while taking it.

Gormless · 29/07/2020 23:24

I took a course of it about 20 years ago after all other treatments had failed. It made my skin extremely dry - I remember having painfully cracked lips- but persisted and it did clear the problem up, never to return. I didn’t suffer mental health problems with it either- I know there have been reports of that. In short, for me it was a tough drug to take but ultimately did its job very well. I don’t regret it. It does take a little persistence and patience to deal with the dryness though.

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Pantsomime · 29/07/2020 23:37

Worked for me- had pump bottle of E45 and put mounds on my face regularly in the day to combat the dryness. Luckily I didn’t get nose bleeds or mental health problems. Always remember a pregnancy test every time before the next prescription and even though I wasn’t having sex at the time they still made me do a test every month- well worth it

Chimchar · 29/07/2020 23:41

My teenage ds took it over quite a long period. It didn't really appear to work that well on his bad acne... it cleared a bit but not completely until he had finished the course. It carried on working and now, 18 months or so on, his skin is completely clear.

He had a few side effects like others have mentioned, but also a horrendously dry scalp. His dermatologist prescribed stuff to help with that though.

He had to have regular blood tests while he was on it.

Overall, it was really worth taking. Good luck to your Dd.

teabaseddiet · 29/07/2020 23:49

I had awful skin and ended up taking roactutane 20+ years ago for around 4 months. It did make my skin very dry, but it cleared up my skin incredibly well. Never had any problems with my skin since.

cwtchesandprosecco · 30/07/2020 00:01

I took a four month course of it when I was about 14 for horrendous acne and it was the best thing I’ve ever done. I don’t remember it being too bad, I think a bit drying and I remember burning my lips so make sure she’s got some good sunscreen for lips this time of year.

I did have to go on the pill and have a pregnancy test every month which was a bit weird as I hadn’t had sex at that point! I didn’t suffer any mental health issues, if anything I was being so badly bullied and depressed about my skin it probably helped!

One think to say is get her on a good skincare routine once she finishes the course, it’ll help. Also, I remember a great side effect being that my greasy hair dried up and I didn’t have to wash it everyday, though sadly that didn’t last!

Original poster
Notcontent · 30/07/2020 00:15

Thanks very much for posting.

She has been allowed to opt out of the pregnancy test as she is only 14 and sex is definitely not happening!

Acne is so horrible isn’t it, and only people who have experienced it really understand.

OP posts:
PreviouslyZeus · 30/07/2020 04:14

I'm another happy roaccutane user. Cleared my skin up really well. I would avoid her reading the side effects and just keep an eye on it yourself as they sound scary. If you don't have this already get her a good quality matt finish moisturiser with a high SPF. I wore this even in winter as the skin is so delicate it's prone to burning.

Beautiful3 · 30/07/2020 07:41

I took it around 14 years old. It cured my severe acne on my face and body. It was like a miracle drug. I had one nose bleed, that was the only side effect.

Regulus · 30/07/2020 07:49

She is 14 not 4, sex might be happening or just around the corner.

Make sure she wears sunscreen everyday that was the worst side effect getting burnt v easily. Watch out for personality changes, my DB had to come off it as it was changing his personality.

edwardson · 30/07/2020 08:08

I took it at 14 (and 5 more times) for horrendous cystic acne. I also got to opt out of the pregnancy tests and birth control, which made sense as sex was a long way off for me.

It was well worth it. The other thing I would say, is that it is worth getting her checked for PCOS as well if possible. Turned out that had a big role to play in my acne but they refused to test me because "I wasn't fat" which is ridiculous, because of course you don't need to be fat to have PCOS. Ugh - anyway, roaccutane made my teenage and early adult years bearable. No side effects except dry skin and worsened acne for the first 2 weeks. Implore her to use sunscreen every day - I didn't quite get the importance of the sunscreen until I had my first bad sunburn on it. Ouch.

cathyandclare · 30/07/2020 08:11

I had it at 40 when I realised I wasn't going to grow out of acne. I'd have had it 20 years before if I'd known. It changed my life. Both DDs have had their skin transformed too. DD1 had a history of severe depression and anxiety but was fine on the treatment.

Go in early and hard with moisturisers. We all used 8 hour cream liberally, it's expensive but goes a long way and really helps with lip/nose cracking and dryness.

cathyandclare · 30/07/2020 08:13

The DDs' derm slowly built up the dose which seemed to help with the initial flare.

wentawaycameback · 30/07/2020 08:16

My son took it at 17 for 6 months. He had struggled with acne which sounds much like your daughters since he was 13. No success with over the counter preparations or anti-biotics. His mood was fine throughout, a bit more tired (but he plays rugby, and swims). The main side effect was dry skin, dry lips and sun sensitivity. She needs to take great care in the sun - he took it over the winter and still became quite red. Cleared the acne in 4 months - highly recommend.

Titsywoo · 30/07/2020 08:21

I took it at 16 and it cleared up - only side effect was very dry lips. Dd has been prescribed it but appears to have some sort of pill phobia and can't swallow them without having a panic attack so we are a bit stuck!

Original poster
Notcontent · 30/07/2020 10:16

Thank you so much for the encouraging stories. Dd is pretty good with sunscreen and skincare as she developed an interest in looking after her skin when she started having problems with it.

Interesting point about PCOS - I will bear that in mind. Dd has not started her periods yet, so that might be something to investigate in the future.

OP posts:
IckleWicklePumperNickle · 30/07/2020 10:24

I took it 10y+ and it worked amazingly. I had dry eyes and skin. If I remember right I took it for 4 months. I had to take a pregnancy test before each course of tablets was given.

IckleWicklePumperNickle · 30/07/2020 10:26

*10y+ ago

Dfg15 · 30/07/2020 10:32

In some cases there is a very very rare chance of developing Vitiligo after taking Roaccutane. My dd took it at about 15 and started to get Vitiligo when she was 19/20. There is information about it online - google 'Vitiligo appearing after oral isotretinion for acne'. My dd says she would still have taken Roaccutane knowing this risk because she was so unhappy with her skin with the acne, but it is something to bear in mind

NavyBerry · 30/07/2020 10:38

Sorry it is from a completely different story but I would check her for iron deficiency. Especially if she has heavy periods. My acne has got so much better not I take proper iron all the time.
Roaccutane didn't help much though. Probably my skin was dryer and healing easier but I kept getting new spots.

Original poster
Notcontent · 30/07/2020 11:22

Thank you so much for the encouraging stories.

OP posts:
Polzeathsummer · 30/07/2020 12:05

Fantastic results for 20 year old dd. It was quite a commitment with blood tests, pregnancy tests and it was expensive but worth all the hassle. After 5 months clear skin and can get on with life without the pain of the spots and feeling self conscious. She read to many 'bad' stories so delayed for about a year but she had hardly any side effects and wish she had started sooner. It did get slightly worse before suddenly getting a lot better around month 4. I'd say 'go for it' - it can always be stopped if needs be.

cwtchesandprosecco · 30/07/2020 12:07

Good luck to you DD OP. She’ll be absolutely fine and hopefully sorting it early will mean less scaring.

I’m slightly intrigued as to why some got away without the pill and regular pregnancy tests. My hospital was insistent. I remember thinking how stupid it was at the time, but I was convinced that I’d never get a boyfriend because my skin was so bad.

lurkingfromhome · 30/07/2020 12:32

I finally got put on Roaccutane when I was 46 after literally decades of the worst cystic acne and hundreds of rounds of different antibiotics that would work in the short term but never actually solved the problem. I regularly also had to get put on short-term doses of penicillin as my acne would get so infected.

Six months of Roaccutane completely sorted my skin out. I remember counting the number of spots I had when i took it for the first times, and there were 32 on my chin and cheeks alone. I finished taking it 6 years ago and literally have not had one single spot since. While the antibiotics felt like they were just keeping the acne at bay but not really changing anything, the Roac actually felt like I had been given completely new skin. It's amazing stuff.