Roaccutane prescription?

[g0bbledyg00k]

Anyone been prescribed roaccutane (or similar)? I have a referral at the hospital coming up but looking at Instagram #roaccutanejourney , my skin is nowhere near as bad but I've been struggling with it for years and years and waited months for this appointment. Don't want to get there and be told I don't need it :( what kind of things are looked at with the dermatologist and does anyone have any tips for how to communicate the need for it! Thanks

Hi! I've had roaccutane about 4 times over about 6-7 years. I have also been rejected after waiting a really long time.

From my experience if you have a few spots here and there and not severe acne they won't prescribe you. They usually rate it from moderate to severe.

They look at potential scaring as that is the main concern to try and prevent it further.

I think in recent years they have become much stricter with dishing it out willy nilly.

Hope you get the treatment you need 👍🏽

Mine wasn't that bad, but it was relentless, resistant to other treatments and, at 40, I wan't going to grow out of it!

I think they look at the treatments you've had, your skin, and how its affecting you. DD2 had very few pustules or cysts, but she had sandpaper acne, with loads of under the skin bumps. It's a type of acne that is difficult to treat, so she was given roaccutane at an early stage.

I’m on it at the moment on a low dose. It’s my second course of it. My acne before the first course was moderate but getting worse. Lots of pus filled spots big red angry ones. Antibiotics and topical meds were keeping it under control (probably mild acne) before my second course but they were happy to prescribe it again for me as each time I tried to stop the antibiotics my acne quickly worsened :-(

Oh and I believe dermatologists want you to have tried two types of antibiotics first before they will prescribe roaccutane.
I found it useful to write down everybtreatment I’d been on (oral and topical) and how many years I’d been suffering from acne and I also had some photos on my phone of it at it’s worse because it’s sods law it’ll randomly clear up a bit before your appointment!

@Troton yes! I've had topical antibiotic cream and oral antibiotics, I've also changed my whole skin care routine as the dr recommended (soap and oil free), to no avail.

As mentioned above NHS derms will require you to try other things first. I would recommend trying Spironolactone.

Mine wasn't that bad, compared to all of the before and after photos you see online. I'll try and attach a pic of my skin.

I had acne for over 10 years and was on roaccutane for a few months, around 2-3 years ago. I've had beautifully clear skin ever since. It was absolutely life changing for me.

@MustardMonster amazing! Really happy for you I can't imagine how much better you must feel!!

Ok it looks quite bad looking back at it (it doesn't even seem real that it was my skin!) but compared to all of the photos you see online, it didn't seem THAT bad at the time. If that makes sense!

@g0bbledyg00k I really hope you get it. It's hard going but so worth it. Even just small things like being able to nip out to the shop in the morning without having to plaster my face with loads of makeup to cover it up, are amazing. I still don't take it for granted now!

My 14 year old is currently on a waiting list to see a dermatologist, but in the meantime the antibiotics have made a massive improvement. I also had a look at that Instagram # and hers were nowhere near as severe, but at her worst, she had spots everywhere except her eye sockets! They were even in her hairline at the sides. At one point she ran out of antibiotics, and the spots started to come back immediately.
She's fed up on tablets, and it worries me she's so young to be on daily medication. She has some dark red scarring and marks that won't shift. I'm hoping the dermatologist will be able to offer advice on that, but I hope they don't think we are wasting their time, as to look at her now, (on antibiotics), she doesn't look like she has acne. One of the girls on insta was suffering from hair loss on roaccutane, and another said she has liver damage. It just feels like a never ending nightmare.

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My DS has antibiotics for acne for about a year and a half at 14. He eventually grew out of it and we stopped the antibiotics and it has never come back. There is hope for your DD if the antibiotics work.

My DD had a years worth of treatment at 11 for terrible acne, it started when she was 9. The antibiotics oral and direct made no difference at all. She eventually went on the pill (Dianette/Co cyprindiol), which is the only thing that keeps acne at bay (for her and me). The GP was going to refer her at 11! for Roaccutane if the pill didn't work. Her skin was that bad!

OP have you tried the Pill or can you not take it?

@Tinty both types of antibiotics didn't work for me unfortunately. The hormonal coil (Jaydess) made it worse. I've just been prescribed marvelon pill which is apparently good for acne but can't see much online about it ...

@g0bbledyg00k Ask your GP for Dianette or Co-cyprindiol, from all the research (online and talking to fellow sufferers), I have done over the last 25 years (yes I have been on it that long), it is the only pill that keeps acne at bay. Sadly when you come off it the acne comes back.

DS is about to start roaccutane- may I ask, do you have any tips for alleviating side effects? I gather he will need a god moisturiser and lip salve- any recommendations? Thank you!

Lansinoh is the best thing I’ve found (the stuff you put on sore cracked nipples while bf!) it’s obviously not very manly so i would advise decanting some into a little pot! Second best has been blistex in the blue tube. I’ve only been on 20mg so not suffered dry skin but it’s dried out slightly if using my normal oily skin face wash so I’ve swapped to cetaphil and it’s fine now.

Thank you Troton, will get some.