[Northern Wastes]

There have been numerous threads on skincare and acne, but this one is going to be specifically about Accutane. There is already an accutane thread but its over 4 years old and had a bunch of misinformation/turned into a broscience fest.

Other Acne/ Skin Care threads:
thread-3781.html
thread-57389.html
thread-6326.html
archive/inde...27878.html
thread-41016.html
thread-34108.html

Accutane: The Final Solution

What is Accutane?
Accutane, Formerly known as Isotretinoin is a Vitamin A derivative used to treat Severe Acne, and sometimes skin cancer. It was marketed as Accutane by the Swiss Pharmaceutical Company Roche. It was eventually taken off the market after a bunch of lawsuits for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. They released the patent for it and now it has many different generic labels, but most people still call it Accutane.

How does it work?
The way that Isotretinoin works is by shrinking your oil glands and halting sebum production. Upto 80%! It also prevents acne causing bacteria from forming and slows down skin cell production in your pores.
Once your pores shrink it forces the sebum and pus out in the only way they can go, your skin. This is referred to as the “Initial Breakout” and almost all patients experience this. The first 1-3 months can be brutal.

How to get a prescription?
Whew boy here he go, it’s easier to score drugs in the United States The only way in the US to get an Accutane prescription is through a dermatologist. They will do some blood tests and check all your levels to confirm you are healthy enough for it. Depending on the doctor they may have you do it monthly, but most do it for three months and stop after that.
After that you have to be registered in the iPLEDGE system. Back in the day a bunch of teenagers on this stuff got pregnant and the babies came out all goofed up. Now to get this drug you have to check in to the system every month, either by phone or online and have the doctor give you the go ahead through monthly visits.

If you’re female (you shouldn’t be on this forum in the first place) you also have to do monthly pregnancy tests on top of the blood testing. And by signing the iPLEDGE contact you agree to use 2 TYPES OF CONTRACEPTION each time you’re banging. You can never make sure a girl is taking Birth Control so I make sure the condom is on well and pull out.(Or try too) Sorry Rawdoggers. Also too if you’re boning on this drug and get a girl pregnant abortion is the only real solution, so if you decide to do the deed be ready for this worst case scenario.


Side Effects:
There are a plethora of side-effects associated this this drug. The most common are:
Dry Skin
Extreme Dry Lips
Increased susceptibility to sunburn
Mood Swings
“Brain Fog”
Nosebleeds
Rashes

Less Common:
Hair Loss
Gastrointestinal
Depression
Suicidal Thoughts

Disclaimer:
I am not a doctor or trying to sell accutane. For Severe Cystic Acne this drug is an incredibly powerful tool to fight it. Now I am not advocating Accutane if you have a few pimples.This is an incredibly powerful drug and the decision to go on it should not be taken lightly. Get an appointment with a dermatologist is the best advice for anyone struggling with this I can offer. There are numerous other options from a medical standpoint you can try before Accutane; Topicals and Antibiotics are all great places to start. Other things can help you manage your Acne also such as...

Diet:
Diet is one of the leading causes of acne in the body. Acne can be caused from inflammation, hormone imbalances, ect.. Many guys on this site suggest cutting out foods in your diet which is great advice. Dairy, Gluten, Sugar, Processed Foods, these are all major triggers for many people. Food allergies have also been related to causing inflammation and acne in the body. Try cutting food out or take an allergy blood test to see if you have any allergies/insensitivities. As you keep track and experiment you will notice triggers. Personally dairy and sugar are both big triggers for me, therefore I avoid them.

Alcohol: Side note, Accutane is incredibly hard on your liver, doctors suggest limiting yourself to one drink or none while you take it. That being said I drank quite a bit, I definitely noticed myself getting drunk MUCH quicker. I stopped drinking this winter and also noticed I have almost no taste for alcohol. Your liver is already working overtime, give it a break.

Skincare Routine:
archive/inde...57389.html
This is an excellent post by Markgras about skincare. Start here if you’re at the stepping stones of your Acne journey. r/skincareaddiction is a good place to start also. Many types of acne can be treated without going to the doctor, some absolutely cannot.

Cost: If you have healthcare great, if not prepare to pay a pretty penny. Accutane is incredibly expensive, especially when you are on a high dose. Before I got it covered I was paying up to 1,000 dollars a month.

My Experience With Accutane:
I’m 19 6’3 and 195-205lbs, tons of food allergies and high testosterone. Severe acne all over my body, back and face especially.
My daily dosage was very high.
90mg daily for the first 4 months and 120mg since then. I’m going on month 7 right now.
I have had acne since the 9th grade, it got progressively worse. In 11th grade is when it really got bad. Huge blow to my self esteem, although I didn’t realize it at the time. It took until the fall after I graduated high school for me to really realize how depressed i was over it. After doing a-lot of self reflection I realized I had to take care of this. In January I went to the dermatologist and he said I was in the top 25% of worst cases he has seen; got put on doxycycline an antibiotic for 4 months, it had minimal effects.
Starting May I went on Claravis, a generic form of Isotretinoin. Due to my job I was sunburnt as fuck almost immediately and my face is still pretty red. It was my decision to keep working and because of it my hands and face my be permanently red but I don't regret it. The first 3.5 months were awful, between my face and the sunburn I felt like a leper. I’d catch people staring at me out of curiosity.

Around the 4th-5th month it started getting much better. Now month 7 I am almost totally clear, decent amount of scarring, especially on my chest from when I used to pick at it and tons of hyperpigmentation. Luckily I’m young and there are tons of different ways to treat scars, I’ll work on that about a year after I’m completely finished. I’m not done with my course yet so I cannot say what effects it has had in the long term but I plan on updating this.

Side effects I experienced:
Extreme Dry Lips (use aquaphor)
Extreme sunburn (neutrogena 100+ spf + hat+hood)
Very Dry Skin (
Finger nail infections (glacial silt)
Chronic Styes in my Eye. (Dry eyes)
A few bouts of depression (caused by the acne itself)
Brain fog

Overall I am incredibly happy I went through this. My self confidence has surged immensely. My only regret is not doing this sooner, and also picking at them when I was younger.

If you are struggling with severe acne this might be for you. If you are dealing with even moderate acne see a dermatologist.

Don't forget to drink a fuckton of water. r/accutane is a great resource.

Accutane is not to be taken lightly, it is considered a last resort for many reasons. For me it was the only thing that worked, that is including diet changes.

Feedback/questions appreciated. I hope this datasheet can help someone the same way this forum has helped me.

Cheers.

[Repo]

Good info, some is a bit dated since I took it.

1) Where I live, you will take weekly blood tests for a couple months, then biweekly, never monthly. Chplesteral levels are a big side effect for some people.
2) The depression is not due to acne unless you already had it before accutane, Accutane fucks up your hormones
3) Seriously just don't fucking drink if your taking more than a minimal amount, and even then one beer tops
4) I had to carry around a card pledging that I would not get anyone pregnant due to risk of birth defects. Incredibly useful to keep as you can imagine.
5) If you try to do this yourself which is of course not recommended, get blood tests before you start, weekly as you do it, have a clean diet, and slowly ramp up the dosage, do not start at a high dosage till you see how you react

[Hell_Is_Like_Newark]

I did Accutane when I was 19 years old (middle age now). That stuff was a cure. I had horrible acne for years, but had to go through treatment that my doc told me wouldn't work. He had to go through them before he could put me on Accutane. Six months later, zits gone.

[HighSpeed_LowDrag]

Can co-sign on everything above. I had aggressive nodular acne (the worst kind) throughout high school and managed to get a prescription through a dermatologist. It took six months of treatment, but it completely cleared it away. Would absolutely recommend to anyone suffering from the same issue.

[Hell_Is_Like_Newark]

(01-11-2018 08:21 PM)HighSpeed_LowDrag Wrote:  

Can co-sign on everything above. I had aggressive nodular acne (the worst kind) throughout high school and managed to get a prescription through a dermatologist. It took six months of treatment, but it completely cleared it away. Would absolutely recommend to anyone suffering from the same issue.

I had that in places also. I used to use a pin to drain and remove them daily, cleaning everything up with witch hazel. This is the only reason I don't have the deep pit scarring that so many people who had bad acne have.

Edit: I had cystic acne, not nodular.

[Steelex]

I've used it. I had horrible acne as a teen and still deal with it as an adult. Accutane stops the real problem which is excessive oil production.

Some people can get away with topical remedies or changes in diet. Others need accutane.

I've never experienced bad sides from accutane other than cracked lips.

[captain_shane]

I wouldn't take it.

I had horrendous acne as a teen, and I still get the occasional breakout here and there.

I took everything and anything under the sun outside prescription meds to remove my acne, and absolutely nothing worked.

It ruined my confidence, absolutely destroyed it to the point where I'm still picking aways at those portions of myself.

My best and sincere advice: Stop eating shit foods and drinks. Cut out sugar immediately if you haven't. Cutting out sodas removed 90% of my acne.

Don't destroy your liver guys, get your diet fixed first and then at the very last option seek medical help for pimples.

Please, please, please fix the diet first. Acne is terrible for confidence, don't trade it for a liver disease.

[Repo]

@Captain

Yeah of course fix diet first, but many of us including me did that and it didn't do shit. Deep cystic acne is a real bitch

Also,you should maintain a clean diet when on it to, to minimize side effects

[Northern Wastes]

(01-11-2018 08:37 PM)captain_shane Wrote:  

I wouldn't take it.

I had horrendous acne as a teen, and I still get the occasional breakout here and there.

I took everything and anything under the sun outside prescription meds to remove my acne, and absolutely nothing worked.

It ruined my confidence, absolutely destroyed it to the point where I'm still picking aways at those portions of myself.

My best and sincere advice: Stop eating shit foods and drinks. Cut out sugar immediately if you haven't. Cutting out sodas removed 90% of my acne.

Don't destroy your liver guys, get your diet fixed first and then at the very last option seek medical help for pimples.

Please, please, please fix the diet first. Acne is terrible for confidence, don't trade it for a liver disease.

How old are you now? How does your acne look? When I was working retail I could tell instantly when much older guys came in with deep pitted scars from having terrible Acne as a youth.

Has your confidence improved with age?

[captain_shane]

(01-11-2018 08:46 PM)Northern Wastes Wrote:  

(01-11-2018 08:37 PM)captain_shane Wrote:  

I wouldn't take it.

I had horrendous acne as a teen, and I still get the occasional breakout here and there.

I took everything and anything under the sun outside prescription meds to remove my acne, and absolutely nothing worked.

It ruined my confidence, absolutely destroyed it to the point where I'm still picking aways at those portions of myself.

My best and sincere advice: Stop eating shit foods and drinks. Cut out sugar immediately if you haven't. Cutting out sodas removed 90% of my acne.

Don't destroy your liver guys, get your diet fixed first and then at the very last option seek medical help for pimples.

Please, please, please fix the diet first. Acne is terrible for confidence, don't trade it for a liver disease.

How old are you now? How does your acne look? When I was working retail I could tell instantly when much older guys came in with deep pitted scars from having terrible Acne as a youth.

Has your confidence improved with age?

29

Virtually zero acne scars.

Use a daily scrub and cleaner. That's it.

Confidence has improved tremendously, but with work. Try Psycho-Cybernetics if you have self-image problems.

[Northern Wastes]

(01-11-2018 09:48 PM)captain_shane Wrote:  

(01-11-2018 08:46 PM)Northern Wastes Wrote:  

(01-11-2018 08:37 PM)captain_shane Wrote:  

I wouldn't take it.

I had horrendous acne as a teen, and I still get the occasional breakout here and there.

I took everything and anything under the sun outside prescription meds to remove my acne, and absolutely nothing worked.

It ruined my confidence, absolutely destroyed it to the point where I'm still picking aways at those portions of myself.

My best and sincere advice: Stop eating shit foods and drinks. Cut out sugar immediately if you haven't. Cutting out sodas removed 90% of my acne.

Don't destroy your liver guys, get your diet fixed first and then at the very last option seek medical help for pimples.

Please, please, please fix the diet first. Acne is terrible for confidence, don't trade it for a liver disease.

How old are you now? How does your acne look? When I was working retail I could tell instantly when much older guys came in with deep pitted scars from having terrible Acne as a youth.

Has your confidence improved with age?

29

Virtually zero acne scars.

Use a daily scrub and cleaner. That's it.

Confidence has improved tremendously, but with work. Try Psycho-Cybernetics if you have self-image problems.

Glad to hear you're doing well man. Sounds like you probably could of used the Tane when you were younger. It's good to hear you've rebuilt your confidence. When it hurts to look in a mirror you end up feeling pretty low about yourself.

[Jura]

+1 here. I went through 6 months of treatments (if I remember correctly) when I was 20 years old and have been cleared since. Best decision of my life and a major major self-confidence booster. The extreme dry lips and occasional nosebleeds sucked but it was a minor price to pay for getting a clean face.

As for my diet back in the day, I wasn't eating shit like most teenagers do. And while I'm sure I could have found less drastic or more natural solutions (or just wait for those rough years to pass), I eventually got tired of looking like a slice of pizza and said "F it!"

[Australia Sucks]

I used Roaccutane years ago. It reduced my acne by 70 - 80% (my subjective opinion) and it’s been maintained at that level ever since. My acne has never gone completely away but it’s pretty under control now with a typical week being 1 or 2 pimples (if I really wanted to I’m sure I could eliminate that with a 100% clean diet). Apart from dry lips I did not suffer any side effects when I used it (for 6 - 9 months).

[Northern Wastes]

I think too many people assume that acne is something you will eventually age out of. The main reason so many teenagers experience acne of some kind is due to hormone changes in the body as they approach puberty. Plus teenagers are never known for having clean diets.

These hormone changes end usually around 17-21. Many people experience it in their "awkward" years and it mostly subsides. Most of my friends who are in that range who have acne it could probably dramatically reduce it through diet/proper skincare technique. But if your 21 or older and have acne you should see a dermatologist. Shoot there are adults in their 50's and that have to deal with this shit.

Some people just get blessed with some shit genes and produce more oil. For people like us Accutane is the only thing that really works.

[Steelex]

I will say this.

Those with adult acne very often have enormous potential in the pursuit of bodily strength.

[Northern Wastes]

An important thing I forgot to mention is to take the pills with high amounts of fat. Accutane is absorbed though the fat cells in the body, the FDA recommends about 50g of fat. Peanut butter, avocado, and olive oil are all good ways to get get good fat in your system.

[Travel Museums]

Accutane works but has side effects. Derms will tell you diet has nothing to do with it which was bullshit for me. Cutting out dairy got rid of all my pimples.

Try restricting dairy for a month or two before trying accutane. That means all milk, yogurt, ice cream, cheese etc. it’s not the milk itself but the hormones in the dairy.

It’s rare to see papers on this link. Nor are doctors going to tell you this. They get sued by the dairy association. Even at 36 if I have a bowl of ice cream I usually get a small pimple the next day. And that’s after Accutane.

[Steelex]

(01-22-2018 01:11 PM)Northern Wastes Wrote:  

An important thing I forgot to mention is to take the pills with high amounts of fat. Accutane is absorbed though the fat cells in the body, the FDA recommends about 50g of fat. Peanut butter, avocado, and olive oil are all good ways to get get good fat in your system.

50 grams of fat? No.

Where does the FDA reccomend this?

I think you're making shit up off the top of your head.

[Repo]

50 grams of fat is only 450 calories, and on a 3000 calorie diet that represents only 15% of your daily intake. Completely reasonable for people who work out regularly.

[Steelex]

I'm aware of the caloric value of 50g of fat. I'm sceptical of the notion that you should take 50G of fat with a 40 MILLIGRAM dose of accutane.

[Repo]

Perhaps elaborate? Dosage is based on bodyweight, if you weigh 200 lbs than 40 milligrams is a mild dose.

See:

https://www.drugs.com/dosage/accutane.html

[Ouroboros]

I took Roaccutane (Australian brand name for Accutane) and it really did change my life for the better.

Acne really messed with my social development between the ages of 14 and 23 - it made me too insecure to hit on girls and I'd often miss parties or lectures. It wasn't the only issue I had but it was a major one. It was even worse at uni than in high school because no one else seemed to suffer from it. I was a thoroughly depressed, socially reclusive virgin. I tried cutting out all sugar from my diet (for several years), to very limited effect, tried various skin treatments, then I finally went to the doctor about it, which I ought to have done far sooner. He prescribed me with antibiotics, which I ended up taking for nearly a year, again with limited effect (every time I went off them it came back). So finally I bit the bullet and went to the dermatologist. About 6-9 months and several hundred dollars later, I finished the treatment. The only side-effect I got was extremely dry, cracked lips.

I haven't had cystic acne since. 100% cured, for the past two and a half years. It might not seem like much, but it's such a massive weight off the shoulders, and a massive confidence boost. Banged my first girl soon after; now in the (still relatively modest) double-digits. It's no longer anywhere near as difficult to attend social events, go to lectures or job interviews, or enjoy nightlife. I can eat what I want without fear of facially disfiguring repercussions, for the first time since childhood.

The side-effects of this treatment are potentially severe, although the worst symptoms affect a relatively small proportion of users. Despite this, I would wholeheartedly recommend it if you are in a similar situation and you've already tried all the main alternatives to no avail.

[Steelex]

(01-24-2018 12:48 AM)Repo Wrote:  

Perhaps elaborate? Dosage is based on bodyweight, if you weigh 200 lbs than 40 milligrams is a mild dose.

See:

https://www.drugs.com/dosage/accutane.html

Yes but it's typically administered twice a day, so it'd be 80mg.

[Mig Picante]

I've taken Roaccutane twice for a period of >12 months. When 19 and again when ~30.
What the medical sector has figured out between those points is that what matters regarding treating people is the cumulative dose. So a low repeated dose over a long period will have the same effect as a higher dose over a shorter period but without the side effects.

It's nasty stuff and will cost you something. You have to make the decision whether it's worth it for your particular circumstance.
I have no doubt that Roaccutane is the only thing that will treat severe acne.

It cost me a lot the first time. Blistering lips and nostrils, joint pain, depression, lethargy, etc.
The second time it wasn't as bad. If I was giving someone advice it would be get as fit as possible prior to treatment and be as easy on your body as possible during the treatment as you will not be as physically active due to lethargy/joint pain etc.
It could take 18 months or more. Go in with the mindset that you are giving yourself a low-grade poison and treat yourself with respect.

[Northern Wastes]

(01-23-2018 07:53 PM)Steelex Wrote:  

(01-22-2018 01:11 PM)Northern Wastes Wrote:  

An important thing I forgot to mention is to take the pills with high amounts of fat. Accutane is absorbed though the fat cells in the body, the FDA recommends about 50g of fat. Peanut butter, avocado, and olive oil are all good ways to get get good fat in your system.

50 grams of fat? No.

Where does the FDA reccomend this?

I think you're making shit up off the top of your head.

Depending on the dosage 50g could be overkill if it is interfering with your dieting regimen. Studies have shown that 20g is acceptable in doubling the absorption rate.

"For optimal absorption, isotretinoin must be taken with high-fat, high-calorie meals. The FDA defines “high fat” as 50 percent of total caloric intake of the meal, while “high calorie” refers to 800 to 1,000 calories (150 from proteins, 250 from carbohydrates, 500-600 from fat)."

http://practicaldermatology.com/2014/01/...tinoin-101


"So what kind of meal should be eaten when taking Accutane, and how much dietary fat should it contain? So far only 2 studies have been performed. The first asked participants to ingest approximately 20g of fat (2 poached eggs, toast with margarine, plus 8oz. of skimmed milk), and found that this was enough to approximately double the absorption of Accutane. The second asked participants to ingest 50g of fat (1 bagel, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, 5 slices of bacon, 6oz. of apple juice, and 1 donut), and found that this was also enough to approximately double the absorption rate. Further research is required to determine exactly how much fat one must optimally ingest to reach maximum isotretinoin levels in the blood, but suffice it to say that isotretinoin must be taken with a meal which contains dietary fat to deliver its full potential. Based on the research thus far, it is prudent to ingest at least 20 grams of fat when taking a daily dose of isotretinoin."

https://www.acne.org/accutane.html

Takeaway is you should take it with a lot of fat.