Roaccutane

[smurfchops]

Would you recommend this as a 'last resort' for acute acne? Does the acne return when the course has finished?

[thelewisgang]

I had to reply re this acne drug. I'm sure you have seen all the articles in the press in the last few years and are concerned. My son, now 33 had very severe acne. His back, arms & legs when he was in his teens. The boils used to bleed continuosly and he lost a lot of schooling. After being referred to the hospital consultant they tried all manner of alternatives orally and lotions & potions. All to no avail. He was then prescribed Roaccutane & although its side affects are not good; ie, dry nose which can cause nose bleeds, lips cracking & more he took the course of tablets with great results. It then reared its ugly head again 6 or 7 months down the line so he was prescribed it again and this time, it completely cleared. He is left with an badly scarred skin - his acne according to the consultant was the worst he had seen in his consultancy. There has been talk that people on this drug become suicidal but he most certainly felt depressed before taking these tablets and never looked back. He had an article in a weekly magazine a few years back trying to giv

[thelewisgang]

whoops - pressed submit too soon!

he had an article in a magazine a few years back where he spoke of his treatment & to give others hope. The Acne Support Group were marvellous too. Do hope this helps. I wish you well.

[SizzleSquid]

id consider other options first-if u are really serious about getting rid of acne then u wont mind saving up around �200 for a course of microdermabrasion or laser skin treatment done at a clinic, at least you wont be putting yourself at risk ok. the mentioned treatments have excellent results even on serious acne-at least go 4 a free consultation.

[Richard1966]

I have had Roaccutane and for me at the time it was considered a last resort. I took it for a year and the dry skin side effects are not to be taken lightly.

The acne cleared and remained clear for several years before starting to make a return. I am now on a low dose antibiotic, oxytetracycline, for life. I suspect this is partly to do with cost as roaccutane is not a cheap drug.

I think if the oxytetracycline were to stop being effective i would request to go back to it but would not look forward to the side effects.

[baileybird]

My daughter had a course of roaccutane - 6 months very invasive and cleared terrible acne up a treat. Very few side effectsother than hair coming out and dry eyes, back ache and cracked skin.
Acne reappeared after 6 months of completion. 2nd course of roaccutane was a nightmare. Deep depression and very intrusive feelings. She came straight off it and has been prescribed dionette ( girls only ) and gradually the spots are clearing.
Think VERY carefully as the side effects can be very drastic, but some people get off relatively lightly.

[baileybird]

forgot to mention that my godson also took roaccutane - cleared spots but left him with liver function problems and is is now very yellow.

[ethandron]

my son had one course of it and whilst it did clear the acne up, it returned almost immediately when the course was finished. the doctor suggested a second course but my son decided against it. it has left him with seriously dry skin on hands, face and lips. this was all about 10 years ago. he's been on oxytet for a number of years since, to keep the acne under control (which it has been) but since last october he decided he didn't want to take tablets anymore and stopped. his skin so far has been fine, but i'm not convinced it will stay that way. i too have suffered from acne rosacea since my teens and have taken oxytet almost continuously for the last 10-15 years. occasionally i stop taking it but the darned acne always returns.
you're the only one who can decide smurf, some people handle having acne better than others. as you're probably aware, it can have a devastating effect on a persons life. best of luck.

[smurfchops]

Thank you all so much, it is someting I definitely will not rush into, but I feel I have to leave all options open. Does anything actually clear the acne for ever ?

[Pootle]

I took a course of roaccutance about 10 years ago and reading the previous comments I feel very lucky. I don't recall having any significant side-effects other than a little dry skin, it cleared up my problem skin very quickly and has never returned. I went through a personal hell and a number of products for years trying to solve the problem and yes, roaccutance was for me the last resort. Looking back I was so depressed and lacking in any sort of confidence prior to starting the course that if there were any side effects of that nature, I probably wouldn't have noticed them. From the previous comments, it appears I was one of the lucky ones for whom the drug worked; it had what I can only describe as a very, very positive impact on my life.