Well, I had my final consultation with my dermatologist last week. I’ve just been finishing off the course of Roaccutane over the past while and the difference that it’s made has been noticeable. I get quite a few comments about it from friends/relatives and although it’ll never be perfect, I’m more than happy with the results. Going on Roaccutane was about sorting a problem I had been living with for 10 years. I only saw it as a problem in certain situations but I never need to do that again. Some people talk about the side affects of Roaccutane but I can honestly say that I didn’t experience any serious side affects. Yes, there were days when my mood was all over the place. I will never forget one particularly horrific incident when my skin was peeling badly and I only noticied it when I went to the toilet. 😳
However, it did the job for me. I believe strong drugs like Roaccutane should be monitored and researched constantly to make sure that their positive effects don’t outweigh their negative ones. I’m now more outgoing than I previously was and, although it sounds stupid, I’ve noticied more women looking at me in bars. 😉
117 replies on “Finished the Roaccutane”
I’m nearly through to four months now and I think this stuff is the best. I can really notice the difference in my skin (face, shoulders and back). The worst side-effect for me has been my dry lips. They’ve gotten worse since my dose had been doubled and are cracked on the side of my mouth which is a pain. Vaseline can only do so much until my face is covered in it. Also since my dose was doubled, I’ve started getting “crusty nose”. Mucus dries up and feel like scabs. It’s a tiny bit sore sometimes but nothing massive.
@Jasper: That stuff sounds serious. Before Roaccutane, I was always prone to nosebleeds so I’m not sure what factors cause the ones I have now. I was in Thailand for holiday there last month and I regularly had nosebleeds when I was in air-conditioning. I randomly got a nosebleed while in a car with the air blowing into my face. Around three or four times I woke up in the middle of the night because my nose was bleeding. Regarding the suicidal thoughts, I don’t really have any similar experiences but definitely a case of better safe than sorry.
Hello
My girlfriend has just started using roaccutane and she is obsessed with reading these comments over current roaccutane users/side – effects. she is now really depressed reading all of these stories – is this also a side – effect, to be obssesd and depressed almost before you start treatment?
sincerely
raoul
p.s i still haven’t seen any improvement in her acne; but i still love her anyway 😛
I’m nearly five months through my treatment now and I’ve definitely noticed an improvement, Raoul. It took about 3-5 weeks before I noticed anything, I think.
Roaccutane has a million and one way side-effects, most of which are rare, but I think depression was definitely listed somewhere. I’d say your girlfriend is just anxious to rid herself of her acne like everyone else on the medicine.
If you are considering starting Roaccutane, please dont be put off by the reports of side effects.
Ask youself – are prepared to put up with a few months of inconvenience to give this drug (and the possible long term improvements)a shot?
The blogs about side effects are scary,but blogs ae soemtimes helpful when feeling down and some postings reflect that.
Look after your body (v.little alcohol, so you dont stress your liver!)and be self aware enough to know if you are getting depressed or cant cope with someting and just reduce the dosage.
After 20 years, I am happy to be taking the chance that I could be free of skin problems soon. Who cares that I am going through a phase of being very tired this week, and carry lip balm and a bottle of water everywhere! (Im at 2 months.)
BTW- I reccomend Decleor Baume de Nuit Night Balm on the lips now and again- it is v.expensive, but its helped my dry lips alot). 😉
hi to u all im in my 5 th week the 1st mounth i was on 40mg and really started to see a diffrence in about week 3. iv only got mild acne but i wud say my spots are coming out like zits its horrible but as much as i want to squeeze them i cant cus that will cause scarring so if anyone else has the same dont do it cus u will scare there worse now im on 70mg but i know it has to get worse before it gets better and like everyone else im having dry lips but not to bad as i use jus lip balm menthol i think it works 4 me and moisturise every night and morning i use vasaline body lotion for dry to very dry skin it really does work because befor i started roac i had eczema on the hands and my nails came of but since being on roac my hands have cleard up and the vasaline really does work a treat any one out there that doesnt know wat moisturiser to use try vasaline. its good that this forum is here knowing eveyone is goin thru same thing specially wen uv got mates that dont suffer with acne they dont know wat ur goin thru i hope people keep writing because i love hearin about the good outcums were there acne free. 😛
Hi I have just found this site, I am 34 years old and have suffered with acne most of my life. I was amazed when the hospital provided me with a drug that I was advised would possibly cease my acne completely.
Visiting the hospital every month to provide negative pregnancy tests is a pain and for the first month I was ok then when I was increased to two tablets a day (40mg) I became very depressed. I was crying and became very bad tempered. It is frightening to read that people have committed suicide however even being a single parent with two children nothing seemed to pull me up. I immediately stopped taking them and advised the hospital. Although I have been advised I will have to be on the tablets a year due to the small quantity I can only say its been well worth it (so far). My skin is totally clear and I only get the odd spot that pops up when I forget to take a tablet.
I went to a beauty evening at my local clinic as I have had juvederm fillers and botox without problems. I was advised by them that I must ensure I wear an SPF everyday whilst on roc. Roc exposes your skin to UVA and UVB rays, that can cause brown spots later in life.
The hospital have advised that I must avoid night creams with vitamin A in and I was also advised to stop taking a lot of the health enhancement tablets. Evening Primrose oil is ok but Fish Oil and Cod liver Oil should be left alone to prevent an overdose of Vitamin A which is what happened to me.
The only problem I have noticed lately is really bad pains in my joints. Especially my hips and knees. I wondered if this has been because of the reduction in cod liver oil or because of the roc! I would be interested to hear from other people who have had similar symptoms. I don’t know if it is because the roc is absorbing the moisture from the joints?
Please add your comments, but heres to 12 months down the line when I have completed the course!
I just finished my seven-month stint. I’ve tried a few good treatments but this has been by far the best one. The worst I got was chapped lips and just generally dry skin on my face. It was well worth it for me though.
I think I still have another month before I can start drinking though.
Why can you not drink? I never had to stop when I was on it???
Hi Nat. Been a couple of years now since I was on it but your description of the aching joints brought it all back to me. I’m the same age as you but I used to feel 70 years old in the morning haha. Best of luck for the next 12 months
@Paddy: I was advised by my dermatologist to steer clear of alcohol for the duration of my Roaccutane course as the drug itself is quite hard on the liver.
Yeah, the specialist told me to avoid alcohol as Roaccutane increases risk of liver failure or something like that, so just best not to chance it.
Really? Ok thats really scary coz mine never mentioned it. Well no bad effects anyway so I guess ignorance is bliss:o|
Hey all, while doing my seven months treatment, I took daily pictures. I made a video of it and uploaded it to YouTube if anyone is interested, particularly people contemplating whether to go on Roaccutane.
hi all well i got 2 months left i can see a big diff. these last 2 months iv gone up to 80mg iv still got few spots still, my derm tells me im inpationt hahaha but like some of you my back is aching and shoulders i feel so old in the mornings trying to get out of bed my lips are dry nuthink bad thou i vasaline them about 15 times a day so i surpose they dont get chance to lol my hands have started to get dry lookin like exczma but i can cope with it all because i can see roac working so ill go through this jus to be acne free at the end.
hey all,
i have just started about 3 weeks ago…
i have noticed the dry skin all over and dry lips, i have a very dry scalp so there for bad dandruff, my hair seams dryer.. and i think i have sore heels… thats all so far but apart from that i feal normal…. i hope this works for me because i have also tryed everything.. due for a cheak up in a few weeks…. 😉 i am 20, im on 20mls 2 tablets a day so 40 altogether weigh 60kg. il keep posted
I have been on roaccutane for two months now and I cant tell you how emotional I have been, I am an emotional person but it seems like serious depression has kicked in and my tears stream at any calling. This is the first time I have read up on anyone’s treatments and to see how they have coped and it has really given me hope. I know that my physical side-effects are not as bad as others and that now that summer has arrived getting some fresh air will clear my skin too, I really have been hiding from the world my poor partner has had a lot to deal with! Thanks guys for inspiring me almost half way there through my treatment!!!
Hi,
It is really nice to hear that people have had happy experiences with Ro-Accutane.
My experience was of Acne throughout my teenage years. A strong daily Antibiotic for years prescribed – with all the nasty side effects it brought and this was around 1987- 1992 and of course no side effects were then acknowledged from the anti-biotics then by GPS – My GP told me it was my fault I had repeating thrush.
And so miserable and desperate I went onto the Pill (for acne control) and non of it worked throughout. I then asked my GP for Ro-Accutane and thought I was so lucky to be referred for it. Maybe when I was around 20 in 1995.
Well – the acne went – fabulous – and so did my twenties – yes all of my twenties! The pain was unbearable – made worse by GPs who knew nothing of Ro-Accutane and decided it was in my head etc… I could not recommend this drug to anyone and feel it should be banned.
Here is what I wished would have happened instead. Also throughout my teens you should have seen what I was brought up on – Crisps and coke! Fizzy galore! Chips, fatty fried stuff. I had already been given poor self esteem from my parents as I grew up in an unhappy household.
I dearly dearly wish I had never swallowed even one anti-biotic pill – let alone the damage that the Ro-Accutane caused me. I wish that had tested myself for food allergies and followed an excellent nutrition plan- understood the deeper cause of acne… I wish I had of tried the multitude of things not currently available through the NHS – Kinesiology, Herbal medicine, Reflexology, Hypnotherapy healing, Past Life Regression, Reiki, Meditation, Acupuncture, Homeopathy (which can be got sometimes via NHS), and goodness what else there is available…..EFT, TFT now I think is available… 💡 So much ….so many other options without such a risk….
I feel strongly that this would have worked and I know of a Doctor who was completely cured of her acne by a Reiki/Aromatherapist massager…amongst many others I have heard of along the way.
I was not monitired correctly. I was not informed by any Doctors of all this other choice available … I was never asked for this feed back by the ones dishing out the stuff at the specialist hospital suggesting their records of the percentages of problems with this drug are not accurate.
I am still suffering symptoms from the Ro-Accutane- although much improved with time and utter persistence and determination with those methods described above…
Love and Luck, Carol.