Skin Care Review: Roaccutane (Accutane)

Rating
Good

Benefits
It got rid of my spots after about one month!

Drawbacks
I suffered from tension & my migraines were more frequent. Depression.

Details
I had dry skin throughout my 20s but had a nervous breakdown @ age 31 and developed acne overnight, which persisted. I tried every over-the-counter rememdy, but these just irritated my skin, aged it & made it dry. I tried the contraceptive pill, which made it worse, then antibiotics, which worked while I was taking them but eventually (ie after several years) made me very run down and ill with internal problems. Eventually I was forced to stop antibiotics & go on a yeast-free diet for a bit to sort my insides out. So Roaccutane was the last resort. A month after beginning Roaccutane at 40mg/daily my acne was gone and my skin completely different, no open pores or oiliness - not a spot to be seen - it changed my life after 6 years of heavy make-up! However, as I was by now 38 I stopped the Roaccutane after 3 months of taking it. By then my skin was fine, & as you know you can't get pregnant while you are taking it; my age was against me & I didn't want to stay on Roaccutane & remain childless all my life. When I stopped taking Roaccutane I experienced all the side-effects that I thought had been invented by the media. I was suicidally depressed, it was awful. I am only glad I was told to come off it gradually and not just stop overnight, or I dread to think what would have happened to me. So be careful & come off it GRADUALLY. About 2 or 3 months after I stopped taking Roaccutane, my spots suddenly re-appeared overnight. This was a big surprise .. unfortunately now they are about as bad as they ever were, which I am very down about, but I have decided this is not the right time for me to go back to Roaccutane .. but I know that it does work & maybe some time in the future, I will take it again, for longer this time. I have been advised by a doctor to start the dose off high to kick the acne into touch & then reduce the dose if taking it long term. I think this is good advice; but in the meantime, I am going to explore laser therapy.

Conclusions
Roaccutane works while you're taking it and for a period after you stop taking it.

Price (paid by reviewer)

Where to find it
on prescription from GP