To ask what you think about Roaccutane?

[LisaF8]

I got to the pint where Ifeel like giving up on myself. Life has been shit this year, especially since the summer and I'm hanging by a thread. Every single day is a battle and I'm tired of getting up in the morning and on top of all the sh*t thats going on in my life I look in the mirror and see my skint that is covered in acne. It's sore it's itchy it's painful and I could burst into tears.

I am 26 and been diagnosed with PCOS. It's (well I believe) all hormonal. I tried all sorts of things both prescribed and off the shelf from boots/pharmacy. Nothing helps.
I also get very bad migraines so the pill is not an option. Also I was on the pill for about 4 years and I so wish I had never done that. Not for me.
I got an appointment with my GP next week(he is utter rubbish btw) and will bring my skin up again. I'm thinking maybe I ask him if I could take roaccutane. I was so against it before as heard awful stories about it but I don't know what else to do. It's my face and I don't think I can cope with looking like this any longer.

OP I nearly went on it. Then was told to change my shampoo (to head and shoulders), stop using conditioner, spraying perfume anywhere near my face give all my bedding an extra rinse cycle before drying.

Turns out it was my conditioner and perfume causing my acne!!!! It was going all over my pillow and on to the rest of my face and somehow causing it. Horrible all over cystic acne that was so so painful!!!

Have had maybe 10 spots in the past 12m. My skin is still scarred obviously, but you'd never know I had it with makeup.

I had Roaccutane when I was about 14/15. It has been life changing, I only get the odd couple of ‘pimples’ around my period. They are very strict about contraception, they made me go on the pill and asked me every month whether I’ve had any pill errors and I had to take a pregnancy test at every appointment. I was so embarrassed, I hadn’t even had a boyfriend at that point and my mum was with me for the appointments!

Another pro for me is it made my hair so much less greasy. I can get away with only washing it once a week if I have to

Definitely consider the copper coil. I’ve had two and they’re amazing. Normal cycles, no hormonal side affects and very effective.

Good luck. Don’t bother asking GP about roaccutane just ask directly for a referral to a dermatologist.

I've been on Roaccutane twice for cystic acne. First was mid-late teens. Amazing stuff! Be prepared for it to get slightly worse before getting better but it's totally manageable (and totally worth it). It works by getting rid of the cause from the inside out rather than just focusing on the spots themselves, so naturally it will get worse on the outside as the drug is doing its job of pushing it all out from the inside.

The only side effects I can remember were dry lips and skin. All managed by Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream. It was so so bad beforehand that the side effects were barely an inconvenience.

Acne showed it's face again when I was in my late 20s and I opted to take Roaccutane again. Lower dose and shorter time as it wasn't nearly as bad as my teens. Cleared up to fab skin again. Don't remember any side effects.

So on to contraception: first time round I had to take the pill and take regular blood tests to prove I wasn't pregnant. It was a new drug back then and there was a lot of negative press surrounding it so dermatologists did everything by the book.

Second time round, however, I refused to take the pill. I stated I would be careful and signed a document to say I understand the risks and that if I were to become pregnant it was my responsibility and (as far as I can remember) that I would need to have a termination. Can't remember the exact details but it was removing the hospital of all responsibility. They were happy with that. Acne cleared up again for years and I've only been getting the odd spot on my chin and neck since I've had my second child. Time of month related!

Def get a referral to a dermatologist and discuss your options with them.
Good luck!

Brilliant stuff! 100% would recommend

I was on it years all ago OP and it was one the best decisions I ever made. I struggled with acne from the age of 12 to 29. 6 months on it and haven’t ever had an issue since. I used to wake up with pain in my face due to infected acne and was mortified if anyone saw me without my make up on.
The depression possibility is a factor though, so ask someone who knows you very well to keep a close eye on you and to check in with you

I am being offered it. One derm is happy to give it to me but the other is a little hesitant due to my MH.

My husband is really worried about me going on it too because my anxiety and OCD hasn't been great recently.

DH has had the snip and I can't take the pill. I will get another copper coil if needed. That's if I decide to go on it.

I wish I had taken roaccutane sooner, it cleared up my skin within six months and I feel so great as a result. I remember the feelings you describe and looking in the mirror at clear skin is just wonderful.

You will probably have to agree to some sort of contraception. I had the Mirena coil, the implant was an option too.

I had monthly dermatology appointments to take a pregnancy test and get a fresh prescription. We experimented with the dosage slightly each month to get it right.

I got stiff joints as a side effect, I used to take a cod liver oil tablet daily and it cleared up after I finished taking the tablets. I also didn’t drink while on them, as they are pretty rough on your liver.

I didn’t find the dry skin too severe, handled it all with a decent moisturiser and a medicated lip balm no problem.

Good luck OP, persevere with your GP. You may find you need to jump through those annoying hoops like contraception and proving that you have tried alternative treatments but it is completely worth it in the end.

Roaccutane was a miracle worker for me. I took it a few years ago now, when I was about 22 and was constantly getting large, painful spots that took forever to heal. It dries everything out - I got nosebleeds and I went through multiple lip balms - and it definitely affected my mental health for a time, I don't think I got properly depressed but I did feel quite down. However that was only for a couple of months and I knew I might feel that way, so it felt and still feels like a price worth paying. My skin isn't perfect now, I still get the odd spot, but it's so, so much better. I'd advise telling those around you that you're taking it, just so they can look out for you if you do start feeling low.

Roaccutane is great. Just brilliant. I took it in my 20s and had to take another course about 10 years later, now I am late 40s so out of the woods I hope. In the first week your skin will get worse, it's kind of like it's purging itself. Gross but hand in there. Then it will get a bit peely and sore. Then this smooth porcelain skin emerges. Your pores vanish!

Yes it can make you feel a bit depressed, but not half as bad as bad acne can. You are not on it forever. The half life is about 30 hours so if you have a really bad reaction to it, it will be out of your system within a week.

Winter time is a great time to take it due to the photosensitivity. The skin care range I found helpful when on it was Cetaphil - they make a shower gel/face wash in a pump, and a nice moisturiser. This was recommended to me by the dermatologist. Available in Boots.

It’s wonderful. I didn’t have acne as a teen but got terrible hormonal acne in my early 20s, made me feel awful. Went to a private dermatologist and finally got prescribed it when I was 25. Amazing stuff and I now get the odd spot at 35 but it’s never come back. As others have said, really dries you out but I had no other side effects.

Tips to get a sure fire GP referral - take photos of your skin when it's really really bad, to show the GP. (It's just my luck that my skin will always clear up right before a doctor appointment) Take a list of all the things you have tried that didn't work eg antibiotics, glycolic acid, benzoyl peroxide etc.

Also burst into tears (not hard for me after years of suffering with my skin), and tell the GP the acne is affecting your mental health and your career (it probably is, but be sure to spell it out, as these are triggers for them to have to act).

Please read up on Inositol before committing to Accutane. It has been the subject of several medical studies as a successful treatment for hirsutism and acne in women who have PCOS. One capsule a day of D-Chiro Inositol (600mg) has given me—save for one small pimple, say, every four months—completely clear skin. (And I have had adrenal- and PCOS-related acne since I was 12.)

@LisaF8 - how're you getting on?