Who knows about Accutane for acne treatment?

Parent Cafe
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<p>I agree Accutane is a wonder drug but very dangerous, and everything else should be tried first. My twins were on various treatments for years (Aczone, Dapzone, Differin, Azelex, Tazorac, doxycycline, etc.) to no avail.</p>

<p>My 18-year-old daughter took Accutane for 6 months, finishing right before she started college this past fall. </p>

<p>PLEASE BE AWARE that there are serious systemic effects that include tooth decay! Here’s the thing…the excess vitamin A dries out your entire body, which means very little saliva is being produced, which can result in the aforementioned decay.</p>

<p>Why is this on my mind right now? Because DD, who’s had maybe 1 cavity in her life as an elementary-age kid, just had her first dental checkup since finishing Accutane.</p>

<p>NINE cavities. I just paid $1,365 on Friday for the work. </p>

<p>It’s possible that, had she been more scrupulous than usual (though she’s attentive to her oral hygiene), she might have ended up with fewer cavities. But you can also find reports of Accutane users ending up with 20 cavities and the like.</p>

<p>So please be aware of the dental concerns! </p>

<p>Having reported all that, DD is very happy with how clear her face is. Her main side effect on Accutane was incredibly dry/chapped lips that were very uncomfortable. She swiped Vaseline on her lips constantly for six months. The monthly blood tests weren’t fun either, but she dealt with it.</p>

<p>Her twin brother’s acne isn’t great, but he is opposed to Accutane, having seen how uncomfortable his sister was during her treatment.</p>

<p>Instead, he’s considering trying a blue light photodynamic treatment (BLU-U) that his dermatologist recommended. It requires frequent visits to the dermatologist for five weeks, so he plans on trying it over the summer, when he’s home from college.</p>

102

<p>My son is on his last month of accutane and it has done wonders for his skin. He was on several topical creams, then several antibiotics but his acne was stubborn. Other than dry skin and chapped lips, he has not had any other side effects. I think this was entirely worth it if does permanently solve the acne problem.</p>

103

<p>Kelsmom, your post was one I could relate to. D’s acne seems to be related to hormones and your D’s meds are what we are looking into. She is oos so we have to wait til May.</p>

104

<p>A girl in our town died this week - after complications from taking a generic version of Accutane. This excerpt is from a New York Times article about consumers being unable to sue manufacturers of generic drugs:</p>

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<p>And this one discusses her recent death:</p>

<p><a href=“http://rockville.patch.com/articles/bullis-senior-remembered-for-humor-strength-smile[/url]”>http://rockville.patch.com/articles/bullis-senior-remembered-for-humor-strength-smile&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

105

<p>Accutane treatment helped…for several years. S is back where he started again as a senior in college. Hoping to see some improvement before his wedding this June, he returned to the dermatologist last fall. To our surprise, they began again with doxycycline and benzamycin. It takes patience…</p>

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<p>DS started on Accutane (well a generic since Accutane isn’t on the market any more). It is helping and so far, so good on any side effect. He started on a low dose combined with prednesone. He goes back in a couple weeks for his first check up and she plans to increase his dose to the full dose then.</p>

107

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<p>Ditto. I believe, though, that statistically 70% never need more than one dose.</p>

<p>Daughter is now taking a second round of Accutane. She had a year between rounds and then her skin started breaking out again. She hesitated to take Accutane the first time but jumped right in this time around. She had no side effects the first time and as of mid-round this time. Her skin looks better each time I see her - home for monthly doctor visits - and she always seems happier when she looks good - as did my son who also took Accutane, with minimal side effects (dry lips, nose, eyes). Any changes in behavior/personality at this house were on the positive side. I’m truly grateful that the drug is an option for those who can take it because nothing else worked. We have a good dermatologist who is knowledgeable and cautious; he says that too plays a part in prescribing the drug. </p>

<p>Good luck to your son, SteveMA. I hope he experiences few side effects and has great skin in several months.</p>

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<p>Forgive me for not reading the whole thread but I am a veteran acne parent with YEARS of hard earned experience and just wanted to pop in with one tip that may be helpful to some. My D struggles with very stubborn acne from age 11-18. It was horrible. She did the Accutane route with little success and tru=ied sut about every other teatment out there. She is allergic to the minocycline and penicilin groups of antibiotics so our options were limited. </p>

<p>We finally found the right doctor who put her on Yaz birth control, Tazorac topical cream and a very, very small dose of Spironolactone (a diruretic that is in Yaz). This combination has been working beautifully for over three years.</p>

<p>I know the Yaz combo won’t help the boys who are suffering but if there are any parents of girls who have had no success in treating there acne, it might be worth investigating this treatment. Our doctor is excellent and is renowned in treating the particular type of acne that my D suffered from.</p>