experiences on roaccutane please?

[mad4mybaby]

I have had acne since just after having my son and been on cerazette so about 14 months. I have been on every single anti biotic given by gp and eventually went to dermatologist before xmas. He said really can only give me roaccutane but that if i got pgn on it i would HAVE to have an abortion. No reason mentioned! And at the time dh and i were planning on ttc beg this year so the dermatologist put me on a diff anti b which i have been on for 1 month and no diff. My gp said give it a couple more weeks and if no change come off it.

Would have to be on roaccutane for 4 months so now considering putting off ttc till summer and going on it but dont really want to. What are your experiences on it? Any good? He told me was 80% success rate and not sure i want to really go on MORE stuff esp will being paranoid about not getting pg esp as i came off pill 3 months ago to see if that was giving me acne as didnt have it before ds

My brother was on it for several months last year. All I can say is proceed with caution.

It made him very, very depressed. Also he had very dry eyes and was unable to wear his lenses, and still suffers from scratchiness now.

Yes, his acne did clear up beautifully, but me and mum were very worried about his mindset at the time, and very pleased when he came off it.

Would really, really research it before you take the plunge.

I would be really careful before going near this drug. I have not taken it but nearly did and have a close friend that did.

Roaccutance causes terrible, terrible birth defects. They will make you go on the Pill before prescribing it. They will also tell you not to TTC for several months after you finish. I was shown some pictures of the type of birth defect and it was horrendous. They very fact it could do that to a developing child made me ask whether I wanted it near my vital organs.

It also has lots of side effects for you. One of them is depression and anxiety. In fact there have been worrying numbers of suicides from teenages on this drug. My friend who took at age 18 has suffered from severe depression every since. We don't know that roaccutane is responsible but she suspects there was a link. She also had issues with bone density as a side effect.

On the bright side my friend's acne disappeared and never returned. But then I went on dianette and mine disappeared too.

Sorry to sound so negative. I know how horrible acne is. Maybe there will be people with more positive comments to balance mine out.

That isnt great news. Have recently came off citalopram for PND....He didnt mention any side effects..

If you have had PND then I would really be careful about going on Roaccutane. Here is an article about the link with depression. My friend regrets going on roaccutance so much as she really beleives it caused her depression - which has stuck around even after she stopped taking the drug.

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article643127.ece

Also you cannot TTC for at least 6 months after your last dose of roaccutance.

I am currently 2 months into a 4 month course of Roaccutane and my skin is already hugely improved. I decided to try it after spending many years on Dianette. The Dianette did help but you're not allowed to stay on it forever and antibiotic treatment wasn't effective.

Side effects have been very dry lips, nose and throat and a bit of muscle pain (nothing severe, just a twinge in my back for the last couple of weeks). For me the side effects will have been well worth it. However, I have no intention of getting pregnant again and I have no history of anxiety or depression either for myself or in my family.

I would be extremely wary of Roaccutane if you want to ttc any time soon (as artichokes said, it causes severe birth defects) and also with a history of PND. If I were you I would try Dianette for now - I had no trouble conceiving within 1 month of coming off it.

Sorry if that's not what you want to hear. It is a bit of a wonder drug but also pretty toxic.

i cant go on dianette as its combined pill which gives me migraines so can only go on POP from now on..

oh, sorry. Still it might be better to wait - you absolutely must not get pregnant while on Roaccutane or for some time after. Plus the PND could be a risk factor - mood swings are another possible, and occasionally severe side effect of the drug.

just dont know what to do. He said nothing else can do about it but the roaccutane. dont really want to go on it.. Tried everything. Getting me down.

If I were you I would continue with my plans to TTC and once I had the baby I would re-assess my skin. If your acne was triggered by having your son then it could change again with subsequent pregnancies. It may even settle down - hormones have a very odd effect on the skin (e.g. mine was bad in pregnancy but brilliant while breast feeding).

Once you have finished having kids you could reconsider roaccutane if your skin is still bad. At that point you wuill not have to worry about birth defects and may be at less risk from slipping back into PND.

I know it is really horrible having bad acne. Especially as an adult when everyone seems to have outgrown it. But don't let bad skin lead you to taking risks with your family or your mental health.

thing is i talked myself out of wanting to get pg again so soon that now i am doubting it! So stupid i know but my head keeps going round and round and it keeps me awake at night 'do i try for another baby now of not' sorry to moan!

I have taken roaccutane twice

i had some of the milder side effects - dry skin, lips and nose as well as increased sensitivity to sunlight

the first course cleared my skin up but then it flared up about 2/3 years later, so i had the second course and never been troubled by acne since

just to echo what others have said - if you go on roaccutane you will have to go on the pill as it does cause terrible birth defects

think Artichoke's last post has sound advice

I have had depression previously and had roaccutane about 5 years ago.

I had the very dry skin, eyes, nosebleeds and cracked lips but it didn't affect my mental health. Having clear skin was a real boost to my confidence.

Unfortunately I'm one of the few people who's acne returns and I'm about to embark on 3 months of dianette to see if that helps before being rereferred to the dermatologist for roaccutane.

i had an exp who used roaccutane. He was convinced that it lead to mental health problems , I would steer well clear. It also stays in your system for years. Look at other methods like wheatgrass, face peel etc

cosima - what do you mean by "it stays in your system for years"

mrs pnut - i had the two courses and i was also one of the few whose acne returned

after the second course (7 years ago) i ahve not had acne since

I was put on roaccutane when I was about 17, it didn't work and I suffered dry lips nose etc and nose bleeds.

what about wheat grass cosima?

wheatgrass is like a super super food that you drink as a little juice. Loads of nutrients and enzymes which re allign your toxns in your system. Can't guarantee it will work for acne but surely natural methods for health has got to be better than these crazy drugs. Also if you live in london there is a place called the Hale Clinic where you can get all sorts or treatments like they check your sensitivities to various factors. Its about 70 quid for initial consultations so bit pricey but they are good.

It did clear my skin up when I was fifteen and I had tried everything else. I still would get some teenage spots though till I was about 21! But it does clear up the huge boils or rashes so it is good. But awful effects if you got pregnant, so you must not take it if you think you'll get pregnant.

The only side effects I has was the dry, red skin for a few weeks, and also quite a few nosebleeds.

I have been reading these posts and as a current user of Roaccutane I wanted to give my opinion of the drug.
I cannot stress to people how amzing this drug is - its has changed my life beyond all recognition. I suffered with acne for years (from the age of 9 years old) and nothing worked for me.
Despite several trips to the doctors and dermatologists over the years I was constantly told I could not go on this drug because of the cost to the NHS.
I finally got prescribed roaccutane when i paid to go to a private clinic when i was 24. I suffered no side affects other than the expected dryness of the lips and skin, but that passed once the acne had cleared up.
Unfortunately I am of the minority of the population that needs to continue to take a very low dose in order to keep my spots away completely. I have therefore been taking this drug for almost 4 years (I am nearly 28 now) and as i say i have not suffered with any depression of any kind.
The drug can cause birth defects so you have to ensure you do not get pregnant on the drug. I was recommended to use two types of contraception to ensure accidents do not happen. Most people need only be on the drug for 4 month anyway, as I say I am the minority.
My littel sister who is 15 years old started a course of this a month ago and she is so happy with the results so far with no side affects. It is an unbelieveable drug it really is.
Anyway I just wanted to give my personal view as I feel this drug has a bad reputation that I do not agree with myself.

I echo what other posters have said. I had a male friend who took this and ended up attempting suicide. He was mildly depressed before and should never of been given this drug

I took this at age 21 and stayed on it for only two months as it made me feel foggy in the head, felt listless, lifeless etc. It did clear up my cystic acne though and it has never returned to those levels (it used to be painful). I do still get spots, but I discovered Panoxyl, which is a benzoyl peroxide 2.5% gel. This always works if I get a bad breakout, as it prevents any more spots, but does make my skin itchy, red and dry so I only use it if needed. I read about it at www.acne.org. Also just want to say that I have a lovely 8 month old DS, so I'm sure it doesn't stay in your system, as he was born in perfect health!

littlelentil, I would like to echo your recommendation for panoxyl. I am 40 and suffered acne since I was 14. Tried anitbiotics, and the pill, and every over the counter cream etc. I developed really annoying cystic acne in the last 10 years, and the panoxyl has totally changed that. I still get the odd pimple and blackhead, but no more painful lumps (which were a constant presence before). I use the 5 % panoxyl, and combine it with the oil cleansing method (which has helped with the dryness).

mad4mybaby

I can only speak for myself (of course) but I have ONLY positive things to say about roaccutane. I have been on it twice, about 6 years apart, when in both cases nothing else was working for my cystic acne. And I mean nothing - had tried it all.

Roaccutane not only worked, it worked fast and it worked completely. Yes, I did get a recurrence 6 years later, but until the acne broke out again after 6 years I did not have a SINGLE cyst. And now it has been 4 years since I took the 2nd lot and I have not had a cystic spot since (touch wood!)

I wasn't depressed - I was more depressed by far about my appalling skin!! - but I am aware of the info around that says it can cause depression. FWIW I have suffered depression in the past so my dermatologist was careful to mention this possible side effect to me. I didn't have a problem in the slightest.

Yes, it was also made clear to me that you CANNOT be pregnant on this drug, I was advised to use 2 kinds of contraception while on the drug.

For me, it is a miracle drug, nothing short. As I say, this is only my experience, but I wanted to let you know. Good luck!