Accutane: what age is enough enough?

[Wild Cat McCane]

Hey peeps,
I have been on accutane in the past. I had seriously huge cystic acne on my face. Massive suckers.

So after tons of crap I finally was put on accutane. i think at age 17.

all good.

Then one year later, on it again. Had to stop because it was drying up the skin on my genitals severely. on it for 4 months.

My question. at age 23, is it too much to ask for no more of these big suckers that don't pop or go away? I still find myself dependent on Duac, which is loosing its effects i believe....

Is 3 rounds too much? am I going to die later in life?

I know some people deal with acne their entire life, but is the large, unpoppable acne part of this?

[BFGUITAR]

Hey peeps,
I have been on accutane in the past. I had seriously huge cystic acne on my face. Massive suckers.

So after tons of crap I finally was put on accutane. i think at age 17.

all good.

Then one year later, on it again. Had to stop because it was drying up the skin on my genitals severely. on it for 4 months.

My question. at age 23, is it too much to ask for no more of these big suckers that don't pop or go away? I still find myself dependent on Duac, which is loosing its effects i believe....

Is 3 rounds too much? am I going to die later in life?

I know some people deal with acne their entire life, but is the large, unpoppable acne part of this?

From what I recall, 20% of all people who used accutane went on a second cycle, and like 5% went on a third.

Now you only went on it for 4 months, not the complete 6 months. I was on it for 5 but upped the dosage. Dry skin is a sign that you may not be drinking enough water. If at 23 you still have cystic acne, chances are it will never go away. My grandfather is 73 and still gets moderate acne. My mom is 44 and gets acne still. I had severe acne and went on accutane and that cleared me up 100%.

I say, go on it again, drink a lot more water this time. There is no better medication for severe acne than accutane. If after 6 years it has not gone away you will have it for ever.

As well, going on another cycle after a year seems pretty close, but I know you may have not been ready for one if you got the rashes. It has been a while since you were on it, go for another go.

If all fails, you might want to try and look at your diet and see if you have an allergy. Really you could do this now but the longer you wait the most scarring you will get.

[Wild Cat McCane]

Scarring hasn't been an issue at all.

I go and get the cysts shot with the steroid injection. but at 15 dollars a shot, the pain of them, the having to do it all the time...
i just stopped getting them...

I think I actually got advice from you on my second round of accutane....hahaha. perhaps it was not that long ago, but it has been a few years since doing the second round.

anyways, maybe I will make an appointment.

Since I have taken it, I swear I heard the fda was going to pull it because it was too damaging...

To make everyone laugh, I was dating a girl when i was on my second batch. And i found out half way through the relationship that she did drugs. and slept with a ton of guys. like 40. and then i started to get a rash..
I was like I am f'ed

[bjohnso]

I'm 23 (almost 24) and still have acne. I did a cycle of accutane when I was 18ish, although I can't remember how long the cycle was. I've been yo-yoing between deciding to go back on and staying off - the whole liver damage thing doesn't exactly give me cheery thoughts.

[RedSpikeyThing]

Sounds like you need another round of it. I used for 8 months in high school and, fortunately, haven't used it since. IMO talk to a dermatologist and see if you can get another prescription.

EDIT: I still have acne, but it's nowhere near as bad and it isn't cystic. I assume I'll be dealing with acne for many years to come, but I'm not too woried about it

[PhilsterT]

What were your dosages? I find a lot of people are being underdosed.

I would do another cycle.

[skydeaner]

Liver damage is a nonissue, especially if you drink every once in a while. Any whoser... I was on accutane while i was 16-17.5ish. I still have cystic acne. I really don't think anything will ever stop it. Oh yeah i am 23 now.

[Indifference]

<=== underdosed multiple times. Although it eventually cleared me up each time it still came back (3 or 4 cycles I was on). Now im on differin and I was pretty skeptical since Id never had a topical work... but sure as **** after 3 months I pretty much dont get anything on my face. Its the most amazing thing after having acne since I was 13 and now being 21.

[cphafner]

I used accutane at around 19. My did the same same as well. Luckily it worked well for both of us. Over 10 years later we get the occasional blemishes, but nothing bad. We have both agreed we would never put ourselves thru that harshness again. I can't imagine being on it for 3 cycles! Everyone that I knew on it cleared up well, and stayed cleared up.

[PhilsterT]

Well, if it's 3 cycles of underdose it shouldn't be that bad.

I don't enjoy it, but I am finishing up month 5 on 80mg (g?) and I can't say it's excrutiating in anyway. My nose is annoying; that's it though.

[MillerTime1485]

I had a friend who went on accutane for 3 cycles and from what I know didn't have to much of a problem, minus the super dry lips all the time.

[Jorge Sanchez]

What were your dosages? I find a lot of people are being underdosed.

I would do another cycle.

I went on it and I was definitely underdosed. It cleared me up really well for about a year, but then I started to get acne again -- not as bad, but still persistent. Like you, I`d often get really frustrated and wonder if it would ever go away, especially since I had been almost completely clear for a year or so. When I was on my course, I told myself that I wouldn`t take it again, but I did think about it a few times, afterwards. I went back to my dermatologist a few times to get topical treatments that never made a difference.

In the end, I ended up finding a face cleanser that keeps me almost completely clear, so I'm really glad I didn't resort to another course -- although, I might have had I had more faith in my dermatologist.

Edit: I should not that I didn't get any cystic acne after my first course.

[PhilsterT]

Yeah, I find that accutane doesn't hit me as hard as some people; it's bloody annoying (literally: in the nose), but besides that and bad DOMS I find it's liveable. I have had some weird emotional responses (no way to fact check this; my belief only), but almost done, and happy.

80 mg (g?) a day for 6 months, which first month on 40.