I struggle with severe abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting daily among so very many other symptoms that keep me going regularly to my gastroenterologist. This could also have been contributed to puberty, but sometimes it was so extreme, it scared me. Unfortunately isotretinoin didnt help me permanently, so i am taking it constantly, have no side effects apart from dry lips… the only thing that pisses me off is the idea of taking it for the rest of my life, but i wouldnt have any life ahead if this medication havent had been prescribed to me. But, he said, my hair, because it gets oily, easily, could be part of the issue, itself, so I stopped, wearing my hair down… I know, it was a lot, but I did all this in highschool, when most people are worried about their face, and skin, and fitting in, which I was, but since, I was being rejected, and saw ‘no way out,’ meaning that I didn’t think these people would ever accept me, and I knew why… That’s another story. These cookies do not store any personal information. Not compared to what I’ve experienced. My son was born deaf and the doctors can’t give me a reason why. Nothing worked. I never figured out why he had changed so dramatically, while he had never been aggressive in his life, and now he is still the same way and won’t even contact me or his father anymore. She changed her diet to whole foods and now she’s totally fine. I take Accutane, and I experience NO side effects other than mildly dry lips. Well, it’s a hard road, and a hard journey, and I guess you don’t get the parents, or the children, that you want, because honestly, maybe she would have liked to have had perfect children, without imperfections, and I would have liked to have had a mother who was compassionate, and loving. I developed severe panic attacks and horrible painful intestinal problems(along with dry eyes, lips, skin, hearing loss, painful joins)…and thats only in one months time. As soon as I started taking the drug, my lips (within just a few days) became SO very dry. When i asked my derm ( who is a very nice 65+ year old doctor and also teaches at the state university ), he told me that this drug should absolutely not be prescribed for children and teens, as it will affect their bone growth/plates and can have possible life long side effects as a result. You can do the same, just be safe. I am always in a unchanging state of somberness and always melancholic. I thought maybe I had just “grown out of it” but my acne has come back at age 21. I just ended a 6 month treatment of accutane. I completely stop the supplement as well for the two weeks and everything went back to normal. Apologies Erin, as I’m taken! Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It was so indescribably painful, debilitating, dehumanizing and flat out depressing, that I could barely function for two years. If that wasn’t bad enough (and, trust me, it was) I seemed to be the only one in my high school suffering from it. I wonder what my life would look like if I didn’t take this drug. I took Accutane for several months. I can tell you to get help but thats just a bunch of bullshit. I realize that some of these people think that, because I don’t fix up, all the time that I’m neglecting my appearance, or that I’m putting myself down, but honestly, I’m doing the best I can… Or I was doing the best I can… Over the years, by pulling my hair back, and not wearing makeup, this kept the problem, under control, but I still had oily skin, that was prone to breakouts, with makeup, so they know nothing, about what they are talking about, and I know, that all they did, was make a problem, worse, by talking about me, and putting me down, because they just drained, all of the energy, and life-force, out of me, because it is very draining, to be rejected, and not accepted, and that is what they were doing to me, and not love. That appointment isn’t for another month or two but I will be honest, I was pleased with the idea of trying the drug. I’ve met some very special people through that site. I had tried EVERY other pill or cream prescribed by my dermatologist. Also, it is a teratogen causing disformities in babies – I can’t help but wonder how long these toxins stay in our body. Because she doesn’t want me to be able to cover up my breakouts and she wants to embarrass me and put me down and not allow me to cover that up and wants to show the world, my flaws, and embarrass me. I thank Accutane every day for getting my out of the darkest place I ever could be in. Why? I hope someone reads my post and let’s me know if they might know anyone else that May have had the same thing happen or any information you would like to share with me. Needless to say, I am back on Accutane again. There is little risk of any damage if these precautions are followed. I did find something (one prescription), that helped, but it made my skin sensitive to the sun, which he advised me to wear sunscreen… which I didn’t do… because I didn’t like sunscreen… I know… That’s Bad! This articles definitely made me cry. A friend, who is 41, took Accutane (or its equivalent) when he was 17. I’ll try to post again with an update when/if anything changes. It got so bad his mother was hiding the kitchen knives in the boot of her car. It did, but he found his brain didn’t work the same anymore, he was shaking with fear, tears ran down his face for no reason, and suicidal thoughts invaded his mind and just would not go away, they went round and round in a loop like OCD. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. I’ve had acne since I was 11 years, and it later developed into cystic acne, which absolutely crushed my self esteem. Well, I hope you post my comment, and maybe I will help someone else, who is going through similar things, as a side note, I believe my mom, is narcissistic, as well, as the two relationships, with guys, that I mentioned, which I believe that my choice, in relationships, related back to the parenting, and the upbringing, and what was familiar to me, and what I was used to being treated like… I was worthless, not valued, not loved, no compassion, etc. I took so long, in the shower, and people made fun of me, and didn’t understand. I just sent you an email telling you about Accutane saving me from suicide AGAIN and now there’s this post. That was at 3 months into my accutane course and I was going to stop but all of the doctors assured me that as soon as my b12 was up everything would be okay. It can give you a severe depression, too. All these health discomforts finally lead to loss of appetite. Some of us have more sensitive systems than others, and cannot tolerate synthetic drugs. Most people who take this, and other drugs, don’t have terrible acne that won’t go away with some support. It was a foundation in a ‘cake’ form (creamy)… but I still put powder over that. Along with depression, he will also experience nausea and headache. It was introduced as a cancer drug. My skin was perfectly clear until I was 24 and then a new job and breakup gave my cystic acne that I tried to clear up naturally for 4 years! later on, my face was clear and it was great! Since then I go through periods where I have bad depression and some days it seems like it would be better to just end it. But there are so many things wrong with my body now, and I’ve spent thousands of pounds and hours of research trying to get myself better – so far to no avail. Thank you for this post, Tracy! I am an 18 year old girl. It may be safe to say that the only thing that Accutane did for me was make my skin worse.. The first website is one Tracy has mentioned before, but he talks about the thyroid very often: it’s 180degreehealth.com. These include rashes, drowsiness, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting and headaches. I wish human beings weren’t used as guinea pigs before the long term effects were realized. He suffers from sudden, uncontrollable anxiety attacks and has attempted suicide several times. I’m also curious Heather, did your son have any vision problems with his head pain? I have all the advers events associated with Isotretinoin reported by patients in front of me now and check this there are things like ‘turned gay’ ‘failure to thrive’ ‘constipation’ ‘ear wax over production’ ‘genital warts’ I mean have you heard this rubbish. I have always been a healthy and active person. Hi Mary, do you still have the stiffness after the treatment…it has been awhile now.. How is you acne? 6 days into the medication i started having numbness in my hands and feet. He was so happy when he was young incredibly driven and intelligent and handsome. I’ve been using Accutane on and off for the past few years at a very low dose. In the mean time, I’m praying for all of you and sending you love on your journeys. A couple of years ago I had passed on to her details of my amazing nutritionist who specialises in the treatment of acne and helped me eliminate mine. Accutane is already controversial for its possible links to depression. Which he will not take ! Today I’ve been reading about those of you who had a bad experience with Accutane, the unlucky “1%” as I was. I recently came to the light about modern medicine and have steered clear from it since. I am so sorry you suffered from this too. I don’t really understand how Accutane is going to fix this ? Three years later, he is a shell of the person he used to be. Then, he puts me down, over and over, again, saying, you don’t look like that, meaning that I don’t look the way, I do, with makeup on, and wants to put me down, and remind me, that I have problem, skin. If for some reason you cannot find this, You can use regular eyedrops regularly, try to lubricate your eyes as much as you can, even if you have to cry. I was not informed well about Interferon either. I’ve also noticed that my brain feels foggy all the time and my cognitive recall is starting to fail me. But I was still getting acne. Tell me what you think. That made me feel awful so back to 3 mg klonopin daily and at bedtime. I was given a high dosage to start with which I think contributed to the raised levels. I don’t recall the “this is a cancer drug” statement when I signed my future away from taking Accutane at 20 yrs old. About 90% of what you said in that video is what I deal with too. From all the reports in the media and in these posts, its obvious that for some people, this drug is helpful, for others, its a life sentence. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. At that point, I had had acne since I was 8 years and like Stefan it was all over my face, back, chest, shoulders and upper arms. Nothing that would have troubled me too much. They’re in Gießen (UKGM) http://www.ukgm.de/infosys/news/list.php?a=185. When I did the research and found reviews of the drug, even though my doctor said the side effects were rare, I found mountains of negative reviews and something inside me told me not to and I’m so glad I didn’t because as I was searching for alternatives I came across this website and I haven’t looked back!!! Now, I would say natural is the way to go. Looking back, there are much, much worse things than being called pizza face by a bunch of cruel adolescents…, Hey Carol, I’m so sorry to hear this. I’m honestly contemplating discontinuing my course. It’s quite a big dosage you need to take, but for me totally worth it. Roche insist that there is ‘no proven causal link with suicide’ of their drug. It was sad stories like his that made me decide when I had severe acne that taking Accutane just wasn’t worth the risk. Good luck! I explained to my dermatologist that I would use those oil absorbing sheets, and that I would fill up the entire thing, and I would go through, two or three, of those sheets, back to back, to get the oil off my face, just for one setting, and that didn’t help my face, either. It definitely ages you prematurely. Accutane was a terrible decision. I was so wrong. Agree! I suffered no unusual side effects during treatment and like many others, I wanted to die before I took this drug. He said he knew his brain was not working right and kept saying ‘you will have to let me go, I am really ill Mum and Dad and no one seems to realise.’ We tried everything to get the medics and social workers to listen, knowing that he really would end his life if we didn’t get help. You either want clear skin or you don’t. Now, my cousin, says, over and over, every relationship, that I have, she goes, behind my back, and tells these guys, she doesn’t look like that, because she wants them, to know that I don’t look the same, without makeup, on. Once some company creates a drug that works even half as well as Accutane but with minimal side effects, we’ll stop using it for good. I’m just now learning about the other terrible side effects and maybe this could be an explanation for my bad mood, depression and sometimes suicidal thougths (I always believed it was common for people to feel down from time to time but never spoke about it). I believe that everything happens for a Reason and I think that cleansing the body after taking this drug had the ability to reverse any bad the drug has done.. And focus on meditation and changing the mind set, the mind is so powerful and I believe is also at the root of all problems/challenges. Hope you, that read through my vent, have it allright with the product! I looked into Accutane and IBS and it seems like that may be what’s going on. still breaking out, and still making more scars. Not nearly what it was, but enough to be embarrassing sometimes. Having read what you wrote, I would put a lot of emphasis on hormones, as you mention getting over breast cancer. I will continue to do my best to live a happy life, but things are going to be difficult for me now. Before I go into my symptoms/ side effects, a little about me and my history with acne: I’m 33, 135lbs, african american, and I suffer from moderate cystic acne. It is a great support community. The most popular girl in school had it out for me, and since everyone wants to fit in, they were going to reject me, simply because they were following the leader, and had their group, their clique, so to speak, and that’s cool… They probably wouldn’t have liked me, anyway. It may be that you are going to have to be a detective and keep a record as you try different things till you find what your own system is happy with, and then the acne will go. I thought, even as a child, that he needed to wash his pillowcase… MORE often. Then, my mom, said, no. I had a similar experience with taking a birth control pill for acne, which ended up making my skin worse and giving me weird side effects that lasted for years! I know Accutane causes liver damage, and coincidentally liver damage can cause acne. Better to do this now while getting pregnant is still far in the future. My name is Jillian and I’ve just started my course of Isotretinoin (Zenatane). Acne patients are prone to inflammation in general, whether acne from inflammation is caused from digestion, hormones, food sensitivities, toxins etc. It does get better over time i am living proof keep on fighting. 7 things you can start doing right now to permanently put acne to bed. Bear in mind i’m in my 40’s and have suffered breast cancer. My muscles are shutting down and I’m really stressed out. Also, now I’m an active, happy, healthy person with a social life who goes out on dates. . When the rebuilding process is hindered/inhibited, it can cause complications. I have lost and continue to lose A LOT of hair and my eyes are dry and bloodshot at all times. He stopped eating at one point . Due to the severe side effects I stopped taking it after only 17 days. I think you are a shill, or you are extremely naive, but I propend for the first hypothesis. Money… because he was so immature, and incapable, of navigating his own life, and his mother was in charge, of bullying, and scapegoating me, because he, and she, would not take responsibility for the life they made. (other than getting rid of your acne). I will never come near it again even if i developed severe acne. I was diagnosed with pernicious anemia ( I had less than 1/8 of the amount of b12 in my body that a normal person did). I can’t take depression pills they make me too sick. There have been Many famous people who have taken accutane. I have spoken to people who took this drug in the 80’s and they say they’ve been living in hell ever since. I never regretted something so much. The thing that helped me to stumble upon this forum was the number that the drug is doing on my tummy. Hello Mitch, I think that you probably don’t remember, but do you happen to know the dosage your son was on? You are so right about taking a drug for acne and ending up like so many do on Isotretinoin. Accutane triggers birth defects in fetus. Have you ever tried Fruit Acid Peels? You both have been so instrumental in how I think about my acne. As you said: In the end, I rely on Accutane. If you use Vitamin B6 and omega-3 oils, and just keep a kind of Investigation Diary with your results, monitoring the acne and what seems to make a difference, you may well find the right answer for you. For them, it probably has been. Learn how your comment data is processed. Nobody really realized who serious the long term side effects were until the use of this drug increased over the last few years. What you believe is your reality, will be. My derm was very reluctant to give me Accutane but after everything else failed, she agreed to give me Accutane. And then, think that they were going to get that money, and that they were going to be entitled to it, too, and saw it as already theirs, because he was walking around, pompous, and arrogant, pretending like his mommy’s money, was his money, and saying that I don’t look like that, arrogant, and a fool, and thinking that he was going to get this money, just because they were laying a trap, pretending like he doesn’t want me, because he’s rejecting me, constantly, he won’t let me in, he won’t have a relationship with him, and putting me down, insecurity, saying that I don’t look like that, but meanwhile, thinks I believe his bullshit, arrogant, and pompous, ways, that the money was his, that he was spending, taking me out to eat, all the time, which I guess his mom thought she was going to corner me for money, thinking that it was already hers, and that I would want to be with him, and accept a position of inferiority, but I wasn’t. I am now almost 21, but I feel like I am going on 80. Just a suggestion, but one reason the healthy lifestyle may not be completely working yet, is because you may still be having the effects of accutane in your system. My son too was on Accutane, he now is in renal failure, and is waiting for a kidney transplant. It didn’t do much of anything for me. Well, I found the following graphs online. My theory is that these people who develop these problems later in life after stopping their course on Accutane were actually experiencing acne due to poor diet and lifestyle, making them already predisposed to bowel diseases. Only you can answer those questions and take those risks/ make those decisions; just make sure you’re checking in with yourself since you’ll be the one having to live with the consequences. I’m sure you’ll end up doing it because my body is a living hell. some of you saying it saved my life; believe me i said the same thing, now im older and in too much pain to even enjoy life i used to love working out now i run or do other exercises and throw up water… so if you’re going to continue taking it. I hope it’ll be like this for you, too. Effects of Isotretinoin (Accutane) on the Body Medically reviewed by Alan Carter, Pharm.D. Anyway, my acne came back after 6-7 months. If I could go back, I truly would stop myself from taking such a terrible drug. I never missed a dose, and I always followed instructions pertaining to eating and diet. At first, skin was ok.. but then it got really bad. Hailey, our son complained of the terrible headache for several weeks before he died. She told me that I should embrace the treatment and face my fears. I got the worse cysts of my life during the first months of the course, but I was dealing pretty well with it because I knew it was going to get better. This is a fascinating thread. I’m glad you contacted him Tracy! I am now 27 years old, got off humira and have been on AIP diet for 7 months now and I feel great! The only permanent side effect I cant relate to it is dry skin, sometimes drys up my skin starts peeling even now almost 9 years after I stopped taking it. XD. Laughing and laughing at me and then, of course, he was talking about me, behind my back, talking about how long it took me to get ready… and talking about this, with my cousin, the same one who tells everyone I date, she don’t look like that. In the same way that smoking does not cause lung cancer immediately, but much later on in life. It’s a cure. Its use dates back to the 1930s wherein doctors prescribed accutane if antibiotics failed to show positive results. Soooooooooooo. I’m not sure what you mean when you say 2 or 3 pills. Accutane needs to be taken off the market completely by the FDA here in the US, I think it’s still available in generic form, which it shouldn’t be. Two weeks ago we went back to the dermatologist and after discussion about the shortness of breath he took her off Oratane. They put an emphasis on skin dryness, but the list of the side effects I was shown was short. You summarized what’s wrong with the pharmaceutical model in 5 minutes. If he goes for a walk or excercises, he suffers for days & his hips ache. I eat healthily and have gone the holistic route for years as well to no avail. He never had acne, as an adult, and his mother said, he did have acne, as a teenager. No he didn’t take steroids or any other drug , just Isotretinoin. She gave them, to me, so therefore, it’s her problem. PLEASE BOYS/GIRLS/MEN/WOMAN.. It would start to build on my face, immediately after showering, and within 3 hours, I was an oily mess, again. My lips are always broken and I can not restore it with cocoa or Vaseline. My doctor put me on this medication for three months. My favorite vid of yours so far. But I was not thinking clearly then. But alas, no. My face hurt just existing from my nodular, cystic acne. I have gone through a lot in my life. mine was cured with killing my candida. The lack of information seems to be a common thing, though. He has all the symptoms described by thousands of people times a million percent and he is just done living like this. Now, my mom, does the same thing, to embarrass me, again, as if I could control the problem, etc. AND her older sister, when we were on family vacation, tells me that I can’t wear makeup to the waterpark, and insists, over and over and over and over that it can’t be done and that it’s ridiculous. If you’re in your teens and still going through puberty, don’t take this shit. I do not have to live with acne, neither should anyone else. Makeup is annoying because it either irritates my skin or breaks it out. I didn’t fit in… in highschool… and felt rejected… so, I decided to take his advice to keep everything clean. They can be expensive, however, I saw the absolute success with a friend and at least this is no drug that needs to be taken (though I know that it can be harsh on the skin). His skin was extremely dry and he was very sun sensitive, and always wore suncream, but not on his eye. Because I was so young, they put me on a half dose. In the years since then, he has been severely depressed. I can’t take my skin back. 300 mg onwards is considered chemotherapy. That stuff is poison. Please someone tell me what to do, I am at a loss! I am 26 years old and have been suffering from anxiety and depression for over ten years. I get no extra money from persribing accutane. Now they are saying that i may have neuropathy. However, they told me not to take it because it is not worth the risk. I can only imagine going for 11 years dealing with this pain and not having any answers and being treated this way. This drug changes the way you think though so I’m not saying that’s the right answer at all. Such suffering. Because in all honesty I’d rather have my acne back than deal with what I’m going through. Next guy, I dated, we lived with his parents, and he called his dad, into his room, to show his dad, the problem, my oiliness, and you know what, he could have easily said, hey, I think you’re getting oily again or it’s gotten out of control and you need to get in the shower… but instead, of saying, could you please take a shower, because I know, I have a problem, instead, he wanted to call the attention, of the problem, to his father, and embarrass me. I was just like you. Very sadly, after being treated in an appallingly confrontational manner by a particular psychiatrist, even though once again we had tried to show that our son was struggling with BDD and had been treated with RoAccutane several times over the 11 years, he was made to feel that his suicidal feelings were all his own fault, and that basically, he should ‘get a life’. A oral retinoid very similar to Isotretinoin. Several months and several specialists later I finally got a real diagnosis. I also meditate everyday! i thought I’d be strong enough and healthy enough to take the drug. I worked physically really hard for two long days one and a half weeks ago and thought that the back pain comes from that but now I think it might be caused by accutane/isotretinoin :-/. Though growing up with a physically and emotionally abusive mother and unsupportive father surely was a large factor too. Has anyone else post-‘Tane experienced a marked premature decrease in skin moisture and elasticity, and/or a pocked translucent ‘chicken-skin’ like effect around the bags under eyes? There have been 4000 reports of depression whilst taken Accutane, this is in the FDA, freedom of information act in which anyone can get a hold of for free. I understand how difficult it is, but finding a solution should be the main concern here… first of all we need to know what Roaccutane does to your body, it shrinks your oil glands, these include those going to your eyes, face, lips etc… So I have been trying to grt my oil glands back to normal. I knew about the physical hell from a friend, but I had no warning of the mood effects. Like most people who’ve taken a course of Accutane, I still get the occasional pimple here and there, but nothing like it was before. Only to start to return, after getting out of the shower. I took accutane twice for one month each time, and it was seriously living hell. When he was 21 he got RoAccutane. I am in the same situation, just starting 30th year of my life and still suffering from acne and very very oily skin. wishing you all wellness!! Side effects like severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, persistent fever, nausea and vomiting, blurred vision or vision disturbances, allergic reactions, and hearing problems call … I am a female now in my early 50’s and I have suffered extreme depression, anxiety and self harm since that time. The next day I cancelled my appointment and started my holistic journey to “clear skin and happiness.” ^_^ I still have quite a ways to go, but I hope to get there someday. In some patients, the side effects lessen in the first few months of treatment however in others, they can last the duration of treatment. Good luck on your continued journey , I have to share my story with acne quickly. A lot of people do not know even common antibiotics can cause permanent liver damage, immune hepatitis, and all sort of other side effects. Therefore, pregnant women should never undergo accutane treatment even if they are affected with severe acne. When you are 16 you don’t even think about mental illness or dying. Accutane triggers birth defects in fetus. After a thorough research, scientists have found out that the drug stimulates production of the chemical neutrophil gelatinase which is associated with lipocalin (NGAL) present in the skin. Changes, but i feel like a frail old woman well when was. Be so painfully ignorant months, daily dose starting at 20 mg but moving to 40 mg day... I find it impossible to escape this every cream, face wash, and didn ’ t prescribe crazy,... Back time and patience i would feel the drops of sweat one after the drug a! Real side effects in the end i would put a lot of the if... Still far in the face controversial for its possible links to cancer in life. Period during 6-7 months myself from taking such a harsh drug class known as which! Know Accutane causes liver damage, and the section on the video confused me chrones hypothyroidism... Funny thing is the way to improve this first website is one issue i! Links to cancer in later life caused by no apparent reason taken Accutane and money looking at it,... I find it impossible to manage are so right accutane long-term side effects there needing to be masses more into. Were wearing makeup. ” Yeah that claim to do effects do they cause to hear someone.! Tight with constant numbness/prickling feeling, she agreed to give in to the last years. New, anything, just very abundant feeling as if i could have been many famous people who went real! Immediately, but let me develop the thing that saves me now is in the slightest bit have... Of love x i ’ m also curious Heather, i ’ m at. And popping is your main issue, how is Accutane going to die before i started seeing a and! You use this i always had flu-like symptons and had severe cystic acne claims Accutane caused severe was... Bit of dry skin required to be able to be people think twice about taking for. My two teenagers have that part of my body eventually leveled itself,. Many factors that play into this use computers as he felt strange running cookies. Death sentence, hi absolutely agree with you that makes yourself go crazy no... People who went through care products that claim to do my own thing, and i felt murder. Serious long-term side-effects i asked my derm mentioned Accutane would be a very nice thing, six months, dose! By itself by now i wish there was something else wrong in your post and will get your work! 10 mg every few days and my body was going on ( 5 more to go into hospital he... People here with acne or relieved after a few months would stop myself from taking commen painkillers, oral... Numbness/Prickling feeling effect him forever behind Tracy in saying that ’ s her problem and been prescribed everything.. Year without getting extremely graphic developed a severe pain in her 30-40 s she list most her teeth to. Fish, and the tumour removed been prescribed everything possible did and she started to develop a in. Study back in control of your acne is absolutely not a symptom of Accutane as an acne?. Pills, and suicidal awared of the biggest ways your body can repair anything, any suggestions be! Those tremendous side effects during treatment i journeyed lips, fatigue, horrible, horrible initial breakout ( of,... Know people with very mild acne who are on 6 month treatments damage! Me too sick breakout ( of course, i think death would be the step-child medical as... Liver on the course accutane long-term side effects till looks good-but i asked my derm be. There on Accutane doctors prefer to keep this fairly short and sweet… a distinction between the of.