File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
Anyone else been on this, and how badly did you suffer the side effects?
>> Anonymous
I've been on nearly 2 months now, just make sure you have a fuckton of chapstick at hand, and depression, there's no chance of that once you see that it really is fucking great, my skin is probably about 4 times clearer than it was before i started. Basically, benefits far outweigh the risks.
>> Anonymous
Excellent, I just started a couple of days ago. How do you find the drying effect on the rest of your body, or does it mostly just affect your face? I generally have quite dry skin anyway, so I'm hoping it won't just make it unbearable... stocking up on moisturiser, ugh.
>> Anonymous
the sides of my lips start cracking to the point where it peels back and is no longer my lips but chapping on to my cheeks. No one knows the solution, so I have to stop every now and then for a week to let it heal back to normal. But on the up side, great skin.
>> Anonymous
What dosage are you on, out of interest? Since it seems lower doses = less side effects. I've been put on 40mg/day.
>> Anonymous
>>38010
use lipstick and drink LOT of water thats the solution
stopping with it sounds little stupid
>> Anonymous
ive been on two 6-month courses of roaccutane, seperated by 18 months. ages 16 & 18 (now nearly 20).

both courses i was on 20mg pills, 1/day for the first month, 2/day for the next 3 and 3/day for the last two months.

first time around it took a month to turn my lips to a solid surface which painfully broke when i ate. i learned chapstick dramatically reduces this (however my lips constantly peeled.. i was red and scabby for ages).

i started getting pretty consistant headaches towards the end of the treatment so i cut back.

afterwards i had no acne but light scarring.
i wasnt depressed but i certainly changed - no longer creative or energetic, nor optimistic whereas i would have been beforehand.

after a year my acne returned. another six months and it was back bad. i went back on roaccutane.

again, lips were the first to go. then i had dry skin - dandruff like - around the mouth/nose area like someone else in this thread has mentioned.

i didnt get headaches and didnt cut back on this course, believing a 95% completion the prior time was the reason for my acne returning.

i did get - and still feel - rather glum* a lot of the time. im reluctant to blame the drugs for this though; being a hormonal teenager seems more likely, combined with usual live-stresses etc. to me blaming the drug is a cop-out.

* i really dislike the D-word. glumness includes: reluctance to communicate with other people, unending jealousy/suspicion of others, and a large degree of indifference. and thanks to 4chan i _like_ when things get fucked up - if theres a bad outcome to something i genuinely prefer it. again, dont (baselessly) blame the drugs! im probably just fucked up (or a /b/tard)
>> Anonymous
>>38010
I'm on 80mg a day.

And trust me, I've tried everything. Lots of chap stick, lots of water, sleeping with a heavy layer of ointment, etc. My dermatologist is the one who told me to stop whenever it gets unbearable. No worries though, my skin still looks great.
>> Anonymous
>>38040
forgot to outline results of 2nd course:

its been a little more than six months since i stopped taking roaccutane. i do still have acne. the effectiveness for me was less the second time around, and the resulting 'clear period' was shorter.

its definately less dramatic now, though - could be settling hormones (damn puberty) and all that. could be the drug has had a lasting effect. eh.

im currently on doxycycline cause that keeps me fairly regular. my main concern is scarring which is much worse than my first 'clear period'. i feel as if i still have terrible acne because of this, only theres no easy drug-fix for me now.
>> Anonymous
I had mild acne on the face and back, even though i don't need something like that. Told my doc that accutane is the best option for me since i'm 21 and it's not going away.

After just a month, i was completely cleared no acne on the face or even the back. I did get really chapped lips but moisturizer made it less worse. Sometimes you get mood swings though not because of it but it indirectly makes things easier. Just don't think about it and you will be fine.

It was worth it. just get a good lip balm and face moisturizer. drink lots of water
>> Anonymous
Thanks for all the input!

I'm hoping it'll clear mine up since it's not massively severe compared to some - it's just persistent (6 years now, I've tried everything up to this point) and since I'm 21, it didn't seem like it would go away on its own.

I also only have it around my chin/jaw - which may mean it's hormonal, but hopefully the accutane will still help. I'm on dianette anyway, so maybe combined...
>> Anonymous
40-80mg/day? Some doctors clearly don't know what they are doing. I myself took 20mg/day for 10 months at 110 lbs. Only suffered from the usual minor side effects like dry skin and stuff. Lips were the worst easily, but it was totally worth it, my acne never came back.
>> Guil
>>38089
Obviously not everyone is skin and bones and short?
>> Anonymous
>>38089

...actually, as it says in the medication's leaflet, the usual dosage is 1mg for every kg you weigh. Generally you start lower than that, but that's the basic guide.
>> Anonymous
>>38091
Not everyone is 300 lb or more either to justify 80mg.
>>38092
Actually the consensus is that, if you have "average" acne, your final dosage should be 1 gram per kg. You don't have to reach it as fast as possible. Myself and others I know have been more successful with a low dosage therapy than with high dosage. And there's less side effects, of course.
>> Anonymous
>>38096
final as in cumulative
>> Anonymous
>>38096

Exactly, so how do you know who has "average" acne to justify saying they should be on a lower dosage?

40mg/day is lower for me that 1mg/day, so it seems a fair starting point. Also it depends on the length of your course; 40mg/day over 4 months may well produce the same effect as 20mg/day over 10 months.

tldr; leave it to the doctors.
>> Anonymous
I took it a long time ago. I had the dry skin and the bleeding lips big time. I also sunburned very easily (it was football season, too.) No issues with mood.

It wasn't fun, but it cleared my acne up for good.