Adult Acne Woes
I need advice from someone. I've had acne problems since the 8th grade. My mom always told me it was just puberty and eventually, it would go away, so I never got treated. Well, 12 years later, I'm still having problems. I've been on tetracycline, minocycline and Solodyn (which I believe are all the same thing) for the past two years and my acne is not getting better or going away. Today, my dermatologist said I could have the option of going on something called "Accutane", which has good results with acne patients but it's a harsher drug and of course, she warned me about the birth defects and other side effects. I told her I would try it but now my sister is making me worried because she's telling me that it's an awful drug and it'll mess up my body, etc.
I've googled for info about Accutane but I'm not sure how to tell the good info from the bad info. What do you think? Does anyone know of a friend who has taken the drug?
my counseling points
To be on the drug, your doctor (or usually your pharmacy) will have to enroll you in this program. However, the website has a lot of info for patients. https://www.ipledgeprogram.com/PatientInformation.aspx
The treatment is twice a day for 4-5 months.
The good:
1) Accutane now has generic forms, so it's cheaper now
2) It's very effective at treating acne and for longterm control
The bad:
1) You have to be on 2 forms of birth control (it will cause major birth defects), because it decreases effectiveness of oral contraceptives
2) You have to fill your prescription within 7 days of getting it, you can't have refills on it (so you go to the doctor every month), and make sure your doctor puts the little sticker on the prescription
3) It can have very nasty side effects, and the ones I've heard about the most are: aching joints (16% of patients), headache (13%) really dry skin, chapped lips (90%), conjunctivitis (20-43%), dry nose or nosebleeds (up to 80%), light sensitivity, back ache, anemia (<10%), and increase in cholesterol (25%). If you wear contact lenses, you may become intolerant to them during tx.
I don't have a verdict for you. I myself have acne problems and would love to take it and never deal with acne again, but I've been too afraid to, because I tend to be sensitive to medication side effects in general. I know people who have had no problem whatsoever, and people who had back pain so severe they had to stop the medication. It really has to be your choice. I don't know how sensitive you are to drugs, usually. You will have side effects, but they may be as simple as just having dry skin.
If you are really nervous about the Accutane, have you tried anything other than the antibiotics you mentioned? They're all in the same class, so trying both won't do you any good. You could try Retin-A (also a vitamin A derivative like Accutane, but topical, and also can cause a lot of skin irritation) and azithromycin (another type of antibiotic, you only have to take it once a week).
Hope that helps!
Two people I know
Have taken it and swear it is magical for acne, and dried their skin out fiercely, with no other issues.
I know two people that took it
1) I took it many years ago. It drys out your skin like nothing, and you have to get monthly blood tests to check your cholesterol and your liver function. You also become more sensitive to light, so doctors tend to recommend you take it during the winter (usually you are on it for six months). I didn't have any problems with it, other than dry skin, and it helped my admittedly not very bad acne.
2) A friend from OSU took it. She didn't do as well as me, and her cholesterol skyrocketed. They had to take her off it, and I believe it took quite a while for her cholesterol to get back to normal.
But IANAPOAPS (I am not a pharmacist or a pharmacy student), so hopefully Nat will chime in here later tonight once she is back from work.