Accutane, yes or no?

[Not that Bob]

This thread is an example of what makes Hornfans so "allsome."

Thanks to all of you for your input.

 

[gunnerhorn]

khorn, what do you know about laser treatment following accutane? i know about the timeframe, but how about effectiveness, etc?

 

[P4D]

Like khorn, I too have kept up with the latest literature. If you had a daughter, I would approach with some trepidation. However, your son should not be denied this treatment based on the "opinions" of a few internet posters. The side effects that would be seen in males are reversible, and the half-life of the drug is such that it will be cleared from the body within 10 days or so.

 

[khorn]

khorn, what do you know about laser treatment following accutane? i know about the timeframe, but how about effectiveness, etc?

I assume you mean the light or laser based treatments of acne. I can say that these treatments are new and all the data is not yet in. They appear promising for some patients. There is a blue light treatment called Clearlight that involves shining a very bright blue light on the face for 10-20 minutes. In my experience it works for about 50% of patients with moderate acne. I don't have much experience with the really severe "accutane" type patients but I would not be that hopeful. A more promising treatment is something called photodynamic therapy where a medication called Levulan is applied to the face then activated by a light source or laser. It has promise to be a more effective treatment but still need to be studied. One problem with all the light or laser treatments for acne is that they are still considered "experimental" and therefore not covered by insurance. They do appear to be very safe. Other laser have been tried and there is conflicting data as to whether or not they are effective.

 

[suttree]

I have never taken it. There is no doubt it works, but the amount of warnings accompanying it give me great cause for concern. Like most drugs, it is safe for a majority of people using it. Unfortunately, you don't really know if you are going to be the user it gives depression and stomach bleeding.

I am obviously a little different than most of y'all because I do nothing right now but try Fen-Phen cases. That was a "safe" drug for a period of time.

The risk benefit for your son may mitigate in favor of taking it. If his complexion is causing him depression and anxiety, then obviously the risk of depression is not a factor.

I highly recommend you ask your doctor to copy his/her pages from the Physician's Desk Reference on this drug and read them yourselves. Don't trust your doctor to necessarily have commited it to memory, or to take the time to read it when making the decision to prescribe the drug.

And just as a general word of advice, never take any drug that has been on the market for less than a year. Just look at Vioxx if you want a case study on how little control exists at FDA and the extent to which Pharma will go to push a highly dangerous drug.

 

[khorn]

I agree you should be cautious with any drug and should investigate all side effects throughly. I hate however that drugs are expected to not ever have any side effects. Sadly I think this is mostly driven by lawsuits and trial lawyers.
If a drug company tried to get aspirin approved today it would likely not pass the FDA. Aspirin can cause GI ulcers, hemmorhagic strokes, bleeding disorders, etc. And if it did get approved, there would quickly be a class action lawsuit against it.
Every drug I give has some potential side effects. And some are very dangerous. I warn them and give them all the options. But somethimes to treat a really bad condition you have to pick a drug that will potentially be dangerous.

 

[ldogg53]

In reply to:

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[hook'em_horns]

it worked awesome for me. the only problems i ever had where with dehydration. Horrible chapped lips. Also had a friend whos joints hurt a little because he wasnt drinking enough liquid but it worked great i took it 4 years ago and see very little acne now. deffinatly worth it. If your kid has any scars from acne it has evenn been know to reduce and remove those all together. When you first take it, the first 3 months or so you get like every pimple you'll ever get in your entire life. You break out like crazy then everything starts to clear up till eventually it's all gone.

 

[khorn]

If your kid has any scars from acne it has evenn been know to reduce and remove those all together.

That is actually not true. It does not help with scarring that has already happened.

 

[ACE]

Another success story here. I took two course of it when i was around 17/18...was 99.9% effective, with very minimal side effects such as chapped lips. This was over 15 years ago.

I still get the occasional pimple and did get the occasional very minor localized outbreak after treatment stopped. Whihc leads me toi believe some people's problem won't just go away when they hit 20.

 

[HorniusEternius]

Yes. I speak from personal experience and even with the chapped lips, aching joints, occasional headaches, and having to explain to my dermatologist that it would have to be the second coming of Christ for me to be pregnant, it was totally worth it.

 

[RiceHorn04]

Add me to the big-time "Yes" club.

Started taking it at age 16 when I had bad acne. Within six months my acne was gone, I had great skin, and it hasn't returned (I'm 24 now). The amount of self-confidence I gained was staggering when I felt I didn't have to hide my face anymore.

Definite side effects are the possible liver malfunction (never had any problems), and the dried/chapped lips/nose. My lips peeled off in chunks while I was on it, and my nose was always dry. This wasn't a particularly bad problem until I vacationed in Colorado, then my nose bled for about a week until I got back to the humidity of Houston.

All in all, very pleased with the outcome.

 

[dougm]

YES...i've been on an accutane clone (Sotret) for ~3 months and it has made a tremendous difference. i have had acne flareups on my shoulders, face and neck since i was a teenager and this has dried up most of my oil glands and prevented further break outs. hopefully within 2 months my skin should be clear forever.

there are lots of journals/blogs out there people have made for their accutane/isotretnoin experiences. just do a google search and read their results.

 

[nufan06]

i just started taking this and was wondering if it was ok to have alcohol while on it, to what extent, and what the effects are. i was also wondering if it was ok if every once in a while (like once every month or two) if it was ok not to take a pill on a day i was planning on drinking a lot

 

[Born_a_Longhorn]

nufan, they don't recommend you drink any alcohol while you're on Accutane.

With that said, I got flat out drunk many many times while I was on Accutane (sophomore year of college). It might have sped up my journey to a drunken state but it didn't cause any dangerous side effects (loss of memory, vomiting). Just be good about handing over the car keys after even one or two drinks.

I'm no doctor though, and your case may be different than mine. And I take no responsibility if my advice leads to your injury!

 

[DrunkenMic]

if any dermatologists on here could reply (truthfully) they would be my hero(s)

 

[khorn]

I am the derm BTW. The reasoning for the restrictions on drinking is that Accutane can occasionally affect the liver (which is one reason you have your blood tested). Drinking alcohol can also affect your liver and may increase you chances of getting liver problems while on accutane. To summarize, you should not drink while you are on accutane.