Roaccutane / Isotretinoin

[Earthsandwhich]

I've just stated to take this - finally - after my skin effecting my self esteem for some time.

I wondered if you've taken it how long it took to work? What were your side effects? Any tips?

It's been 7 days now and I am noticing dry eyes and dry lips - I wear contacts so worry that will be a problem. My skin seems worse and have lots of spots coming through that I can feel but hope it clears soon ... it's been so long since I had clear skin, I am worried I've put too much hope on one product! Having tried everything else it feels like my last shot and decent skin

I was prescribed Roaccutane in my early teens and my mum hid the advice leaflet...I got a lot of the side effects without knowing what to expect.

Stock up on Vaseline for your lips, eye drops, moisturiser etc. You might lose more hair than normal so maybe invest in intensive conditioner. It's extremely strong and I had bad side effects including joint pains that put me in a wheelchair for months.

On the plus side, it bloody works and I have good skin now, even 20 years later!

I did one six month course and had awful side effects. My lips were so dry it was ridiculous. I had a lot of nosebleeds because the inside of my nose was so dry, and I couldn’t wear my contacts at all.

Don’t use vaseline as a moisturiser, use it to lock in whatever moisturiser you use. Put lipsalve on literally every five minutes. Have one in every pocket and next to your bed. Have one to use inside your nose as well.

My skin purged at first too and I had a lot of new spots. They cleared up fairly quickly. I did a second 6 month course and that was it. Be aware that it won’t fix the scarring left by your acne - I was expecting miracles which I didn’t really get.

Make sure you go for your blood tests regularly and make sure you are massively careful with contraception. I can’t emphasise that enough.

hi i've been on it 3 times in the last 5 years

my tips:
think logistically about your bloods and your next month prescription - i ended up spending the day waiting at hospital rather than doing 2, 2 hour trips days apart for bloods then prescription as both of mine had to be done at hospital
you only pay for your first prescription
lip balm - go to home and bargain stick up and put it everywhere you work, car, all hand bags etc
moisturiser is a big one - you will need to moisturise like you have never had to before and my face needed a more liquid foundation as it dries out

I have been very lucky and have had very few side effects apart from very dry lips and thinner hair. Stock up on lip balm and I recommend Origins overnight moisture mask (quench the thirst or something like that!). My skin cleared up pretty quickly and this is probably the clearest my skin has been since I was 12! I finish my course soon and am just hoping my skin stays like this.

I couldn't wear my contacts (was actually told not to) but otherwise had very few side-effects. Worked very well but then had a return of acne years later. These days I manage acne with diet and supplements, & salicylic/glycolic acid serums.

How’s it going for you? I am very interested as it has been recommended for my DD

I was on it for 6 months in 2010. My skin was beautiful by the end of the course, but the effects weren't permanent. In regards to side effects, my hair became a lot thinner and it took a lot longer for my skin to heal from grazes and cuts. I'm currently pregnant with my second child and my skin has been absolutely dreadful 🙁 So sadly, it did not have a lasting effect for me. I was on the pill dianette for 15 years before I fell pregnant, and it's that pill that has helped to keep spots at bay on a day to day basis.

So would you recommend it. My daughters dermatologist said it is the last option. Personally I don’t think DD’s skin is that bad. Mild/moderate but persistant. We are private as NHS would never offer it to her.

I don’t want the acne to be affected her self esteem but also don’t want to put her on highly potent drug for minimal benefit.

Ds2 had a 6 month course of roaccutane at the beginning of the year. The dermatology consultant warned us that his spots might get worse before they got better - he actually started d2 on a slightly lower dose to begin with, because he said his spots were so bad that he was trying to avoid that initial worsening!
Ds2 suffered a few nosebleeds, his lips and eyes got really dry - we had tubes of Carmex all over the house - and he got headaches. He also found the monthly blood tests and hospital visits a complete pain.
However....the results have been absolutely brilliant. Family and friends have all been amazed by the difference in his skin, and on our holiday this year he happily messed about in the pool with ds1 and dsd, sunbathed and wandered about in his swim shorts - last year he wouldn't take his tshirt off at all as he was so self conscious about his back and chest.
His face is now completely clear too, and obviously I'm biased, but he's such a good looking young man!
He says it was totally worth it, but he's also really glad that 6 months was enough for him, as it was a pretty unpleasant 6 months.

I took it when I was younger. I remember lots of my hair coming out for quite a while. My hair is now fairly thin. To this day I think I’m hooked on Vaseline and can’t seem to go half an hour without putting more on. Sadly I had no one to buy me moisturiser or hair conditioner or anything else that would have helped so Vaseline was all I used and as I was around 14 at the time there wasn’t much I could do about it,no internet to research it. It worked for a few months then it all came back again but no one took me back to the doctors. I’m not sure if I would recommend it to be honest .

I clicked on this link without realising I was the OP

I think it's been great on balance. It's been two months this week, which have gone like this:

• Sore lips and nosebleeds - pretty much right away, but have been more than manageable - I just carry blistex in my pocket and a tissue (the bleeds aren't that bad and usually only when in a hot bath or shower)

• Terrible TERRIBLE skin about 3 weeks in, sore, awful acne cysts all over my face and around my jaw. 'Twas a dark time. I wanted to hibernate. Also face covered in blackheads which was unusual. Sadly for me this time also coincided with bumping into an ex. Sad for me.

• After about 5 weeks I realised I hadn't had a new spot in a little while, but the face got very very dry and I still had the marks from the bad skin from a couple of weeks earlier. In many ways this was the hardest point as due to the dry skin I couldn't wear my normal concealer as just looked worse with peeling etc.

• About this point I also noticed the change in my hair - much drier, and for the first time in my life can go 2 days without washing it. Am not complaining.

Then ..

• About week 6 I realised that when I did get new spots they were barely there at all. I stopped wearing concealer and it didn't seem to matter. The skin isn't as dry, but I had to start from scratch in terms of my regime and use different products etc. Lips still dry but don't notice as much/used to using blistex.

And in the last couple of weeks I have felt better about my skin than I have as long as I can remember. My skin looks pretty good - the only marks are the ones left over from the third week of doom plus a couple of old scars.

I do recommend it. I wish I'd taken it earlier, before I'd let my skin get so bad I'd have scars. Once the course is over I am keen to look into permanent scar removal as well to see how that goes.

But - the self esteem benefits are great. My skin is still not so good under my jaw (where it has always been worse) but my hair covers that now and am less self-conscious about it.

Happy to answer more questions! I am hoping that I can get a further three months worth to push it out to 6 months, as find the side effects fine.

Having got to the end I can see that you’re getting on fine OP.
I was just coming on to say that eight hour cream was my saviour when I was on it. I’ve had two courses, both with minimal side effects really. Though neither have been permanent fixes, probably because my courses have been interrupted and cut short because of staff shortages in my local derm dept. I’m hoping it will soon become consultant lead but shared care with GPs so I can get another course and do it properly next time!

Thank you all so much. This is so much more positive than something’s you see online. Definitely time for a trip back to the dermatologist

My DD is just completing her second course, and funnily enough CantChoose, she uses the Elizabeth Arden 8 hour lip gel and finds it the best.

Her side effects have been quite bearable, drier skin than normal all over her body, the odd nosebleed and dry ear lobes (???)

Although her skin isn't perfect, it's a lot better than it was, and she is very happy to take the drug.