Did you have to do roaccutane more than once?

[MuffyDoon]

Hi all

I've suffered with acne since I was 12 and I'm now in my 40s. I finally took the plunge to do roaccutane last year (wish I'd done it years earlier!) and the effects were almost immediate. My skin was the clearest it's ever been and I felt so much happier and confident in myself.

I'm now 2 months post roaccutane and already feel like the dreaded acne is coming back. I can see bumps under my skin on my cheeks and a little on my forehead. Feeling so down about it.

Would love to hear from any other roaccutane users. Was once enough to solve your acne? Did you have to do it again and how long before you were allowed to do another course?

Any advice welcome! Thank you

Hello
I used it for 7 months on a relatively high dose and it worked really well ( touch wood)

What doseage were you on and for how long? I found a calculation Online that showed how many mg you should take over the length of the total course, dependant on your body weight.
I was short of this total amount after my 6 month course, and had read acne can come back if you didn’t meet the total so I stayed on accutane for the extra month, making 7 months.
It’s absolutely fantastic and I’m so glad it was available as has transformed my life.

I am however still living with side effects years later
(Very dry sling on hands and body, dry hair, clunky joints and joint pain, dry lips easily, mild tinnitus on and off and severe dry eyes)
But realistically I still would have taken it, regardless of this, as the results were worth it in my opinion

I had it at age 10 or 11 I can't remember which and that got rid of the really dreadful massive £2 coin cysts on my face, again at 15 and then at 20.

It's coming back again now at 26 but for some reason not on my face.. it's on the nape of my neck and chest. But yes they will let you do it again, if you ring your dermatologist they might squeeze you in sooner to have a review. I didn't finish my last course because I was doing my nurse training and my hands were shredded with all the washing!

It's a brilliant drug but I'm not sure I'd do it again, although the lack of hair washing was awesome! Some of The side effects haven't even gone away yet with the dry eyes and lips- i went onto a cream version of it afterwards that helped a lot.

I think I was the youngest person in the uk to take it at the time- but it was dreadful when I was 10. I'd already had 2 years of antibiotics, and creams and acids. You can't see my face for all the redness from
The cysts.

I found out whilst in hospital recently for a bone issue that I still have growth plates, I stopped growing on it so that's a bit awkward! I have size 9 feet and I'm 5 foot 2. It's a crazy drug and I'm not sure I'd do it again

I've had two courses, a couple of years apart. I think I will need a third at some point though it isn't bad enough yet. My first course was quite low dose and stopped a little early as I moved house so they couldn't transfer my care in time. My second course was horrendous on a practical level, the local hospital doesn't have a derm dept so I had to travel almost two hours round trip and I had to chase every single appointment so frequently went days and days without the medication which I felt was adding to the risk. I'm hoping they bring in joint prescribing with GPs by the time I next need it. I'm hopeful that when I do need another course it will work permanently as it should be the right dose for the right time!

I tool a course of it in 2010 for around 6 months. It was a fairly low dose to begin with and really did the trick. Like other posters, at the time and since then, my hair thinned and my lips were/are incredibly dry. Whilst on the tablets, my skin was amazing - glowing in fact, but the results were short lived and within about 6 months after stopping the course, the redness etc started coming back. My skin is currently awful (I'm pregnant) and the only way I can control it usually is by taking the pill Dianette. I wouldn't go back on Roc as I believe my immune system has been worse since then, and scars have never healed well either.

Thanks so much for the quick responses. Sounds like everyone has had such different experiences.

Christmastitis - amazing that you had it at such a young age, but I really feel for you suffering with acne at such a young age. It's just not fair is it! I don't think anyone really understands unless they've been through it too!

I was on it for about 10 months - I think the first month on 20mg and the rest on 40mg (I think). At my final check up the nurse did say I'd had the maximum dosage for my weight etc. I guess I will need to wait for it to get worse before being referred back.

Congrats on your pregnancy MrsP. My skin was at it's absolute worst during my first pregnancy. I certainly had none of the glow you hear about! Hopefully your skin will settle again once the baby is here: