Has anybody taken Roaccutane???

Smiley_Mum

You could follow the basic principles of this diet and it may help your skin. I'd be wary of using such strong medication also. Check out this link for info on this liver cleansing diet.

http://www.liverdoctor.com/Section2/08_symptoms.asp

I followed it when I had really bad skin problems/allergies etc and it cleared them up in several weeks, granted I wasn't totally clear but a lot improved to from when I first started on it. Also lost a lot of weight too as the liver burns fat and you're cleansing it so taking all the rubbish out of your system too. I would strongly suggest you have a look at the info on the website and see whether applying the basic principles would help ease your acne. I'd hate to see you go on strong meds if you would be able to alleviate your symptoms with dietary changes.

Minky2Slice

Dianette did wonders for my skin, and i've only been using it for 1,5 months... not so much side effects as roaccutane...of course one treatment doesnt work the same for everybody, but I've had no side -effects, and my skin has changed dramatically!!

Lady_K

My daughter was on Dianette for a couple of years prob more and that helped her loads too, she was prepared to stay on it. But then she moved to university and had to change doctors. Instantly the Doctor said she had to come off Dianette because it was much higher risk for blood clotting than other birth control pills. She was very upset and worried sick because earlier she had tried to come off it for 6 weeks to test out just how much it was helping her skin and the problem had begun to return so she knew Dianette was controlling the problem.

She couldn't cope with the thought of having to go through all that again with her skin. The Doctor would not budge from her decision saying it was better for her and they would deal with any problems that came up if and when it happened and if necessary use topical creams. She spoke to another Doctor within the practise to see if they would give her Dianette and that Doctor said similar but was more understanding and said to try Yasmin as that helps with skin problems but is not as high risk as Dianette. She changed and things have been fine and in the end it was safer.

I just thought it was worth mentioning that because if you have a chance to change to Yasmin it could be a good idea. Some health centers dont give it out though and some surgeries because it is the most expensive of birth control pills

howididit_2

Just to add my experiences of roaccutane. I was prescribed roaccutane about 15 years ago now. It is certainly a VERY powerful drug, and for me it was effective, but as you know there are downsides, for me this was mainly the dry skin, lips, hair, etc. On the more serious side effects like depression, its hard for me to differentiate as I was a teenager at the time so not sure it would be fair to blame that on the roaccutane!

It was the most effective thing I used - and worked - but clearly has side effects, its good you are weighing up the pros and cons before commiting to treatment. I'd say if you do go for it make sure all other aspects of your health are in as good an order as possible i.e. you are exercising, drinking very little (from the points of view of alcohol being a depressant and the additional strain it would put on your liver would not be good - it may well be the case now you are advised not to drink at all when taking it anyway) and generally feeling well in yourself.

Finally - and I tried lots of prescription, OTC, and other products - but the only other one I found to be effective (and it was actually very effective) was something that you could just buy off the shelf in superdrug etc. I can't remember the brand name, but it had some kind of shark bile ingredient in it I seem to remember. If you haven't already, I'd give this ago maybe before trying roaccutane - it was very good for me.

powie69

I can understand you worry as to if roaccutane is the right thing for you. I was prescribed it about 4 years ago, as I had spots similar to boils all over my back, front and neck. I was hesitent in using it at first, but after reading all of the pors and cons, I felt it was the right thing for me to take. I took a course for 6 months, and experienced very sensitive skin to the light, and had very dry chapped lips. However, since I have been off it, my spots only flare up slightly, now and again, and are nothing to what they were used to. Good luck with what ever decision you make.

Dora_the_Explorer_5

I work in a medical aesthetic centre, we do things like laser hair removal,skin treatments and much more....
I would strongly suggest you come to one of our clinics for a free no obligation skin assesment, we have so many Patients with damaged skin and the results i have seen are excellent.
We are using a fantastic product called Cosmedix, its very different from all the others.
It works the papillary dermis were other products cannot reach, the papillary dermis is deep within your skin, were all your NEW skin cells are produced.
Other creams and potions all sit on the epidermis and basically do nothing but clog and irritate the skin.
The products are chirally correct which means they have no harmful, irritating chemicals in that inflame your skin.

It would be sensible to discuss with your GP the pros and cons of any treatment delivered at an aesthetic centre before parting with hard earned cash.
Your dermatologist should have discussed with you the benefits and drawbacks of any proposed treatment, if you have any concerns about side effect etc the consultant or your GP are the best, and most qualified, people to discuss things with.

impy78

Lady_K wrote:

My daughter was on Dianette for a couple of years prob more and that helped her loads too, she was prepared to stay on it. But then she moved to university and had to change doctors. Instantly the Doctor said she had to come off Dianette because it was much higher risk for blood clotting than other birth control pills. She was very upset and worried sick because earlier she had tried to come off it for 6 weeks to test out just how much it was helping her skin and the problem had begun to return so she knew Dianette was controlling the problem.

She couldn't cope with the thought of having to go through all that again with her skin. The Doctor would not budge from her decision saying it was better for her and they would deal with any problems that came up if and when it happened and if necessary use topical creams. She spoke to another Doctor within the practise to see if they would give her Dianette and that Doctor said similar but was more understanding and said to try Yasmin as that helps with skin problems but is not as high risk as Dianette. She changed and things have been fine and in the end it was safer.

I just thought it was worth mentioning that because if you have a chance to change to Yasmin it could be a good idea. Some health centers dont give it out though and some surgeries because it is the most expensive of birth control pills

Good lord!!
I've been on Dianette for 12 years with 1 break of 2 months in which I turned into human pizza again!


**gets asprin out of cupboard***

*Sparkle*_3

Dora_the_Explorer wrote:

It would be sensible to discuss with your GP the pros and cons of any treatment delivered at an aesthetic centre before parting with hard earned cash.
Your dermatologist should have discussed with you the benefits and drawbacks of any proposed treatment, if you have any concerns about side effect etc the consultant or your GP are the best, and most qualified, people to discuss things with.

Dora, i dont know if that's a dig a me but i agree with you.... that yes the general practicioner is the first port of call.
But like previously mentioned the GP doesnt have extensive knowlegde of the skin, like a dermatologist(we also have those working in our centre's), nurse, medical aesthetician does, we also have doctors working in our clinics too.
These guys study and work with skin on a daily basis unlike GP's, we are not a "beauty salon" trying to flog you every cream going, we provide treatments that have medically been proven to work.
We dont try and sell either, we give you all the information and educate our patients(hence the consultations are all free with no obligation) then its up to the patient whether they choose to go a head with the recommended treatments!
And i just want to get the point across that i'm not trying to advertise, i havent mentioned our clinic name at all, i am mearly trying to educate!

Dora_the_Explorer_5

Thanks Sparkle, I wasn't having a dig and thank you for agreeing with me. I was trying to make the point that it's sensible for someone to talk to their gp about any invasive treatment they are considering paying for, and that the OP, who has already spent a small fortune on treatments that haven't been as effective as they hoped, has been referred to an NHS dermatologist and was sensibly asking for other people's experience of Roaccutane.

mae

howididit wrote:

Just to add my experiences of roaccutane. I was prescribed roaccutane about 15 years ago now. It is certainly a VERY powerful drug, and for me it was effective, but as you know there are downsides, for me this was mainly the dry skin, lips, hair, etc. On the more serious side effects like depression, its hard for me to differentiate as I was a teenager at the time so not sure it would be fair to blame that on the roaccutane!

It was the most effective thing I used - and worked - but clearly has side effects, its good you are weighing up the pros and cons before commiting to treatment. I'd say if you do go for it make sure all other aspects of your health are in as good an order as possible i.e. you are exercising, drinking very little (from the points of view of alcohol being a depressant and the additional strain it would put on your liver would not be good - it may well be the case now you are advised not to drink at all when taking it anyway) and generally feeling well in yourself.

Finally - and I tried lots of prescription, OTC, and other products - but the only other one I found to be effective (and it was actually very effective) was something that you could just buy off the shelf in superdrug etc. I can't remember the brand name, but it had some kind of shark bile ingredient in it I seem to remember. If you haven't already, I'd give this ago maybe before trying roaccutane - it was very good for me.

Thanks for this.. Was the product you bought over the counter at Superdrug a tablet or a cream?