Anyone have any experience with accutane? Dosages, side effects, effectivenes? I am thinking of starting (with a derm) but I have read some groups saying that it halted muscle growth. thanks for any input.
r100proof,
I was on Accutane last summer for three months. Dosage was 40mg ED.
My main problem areas were back, chest and some face. This cleared me up quite nicely. I will still get a few pimples now and again on my chest or face but it is very minimal.
I can’t say if a lower dosage would have been as effective but I don’t believe a higher dosage would have been necessary.
As far as gains in strength and size go I had no problems while on Accutane.
I have heard stories about joints aching while using Accutane but I did not have these problems. I did not supplement with Glucosamine or other joint aids either.
The main problems were extremely chapped lips and a dry face. Other than that there weren’t really any side effects and it did not adversely affect my lifting/gains.
If your acne is AAS induced you might be in a different situation than I was and dosages might need to be different. I am purely speculating though and this is something you could discuss with your dermatoligist.
If you have any more questions i’ll pop back once in awhile and check on this thread.
Adios
EBL
Accutane rocks, plain and simple. I used to have excruciating acne, now, all gone. Like the man said, dry, peeling skin and dry cracked lips are the side effects. But the goal of a clear face from then on is much mor eimportant.
A sign of high T-levels is oily skin…accutane results in extremely dry chapped skin…hmmmmmmmm
Ive never taken it, but for the sake of my future NFL bound spawn, I too would be interested in some research.
I’ve been on accutane twice. Once when I was 17 and the second when I was 20.
Most of the side effects weren’t too big a deal. I got the occasional nose bleed and had to put vaseline up my nose due to the extreme dryness, as well as some minor skin problems (blistering). To this day I have to put vaseline on my lips due to their persistant dryness at the age of 27.
The worst side effect I had experienced was depression, both during treatment and afterwards. There have been anecdotal reports of depression and suicide although no cause and effect has been verified. There is a warning with the drug that accutane may cause depression and is contraindicated for people who have experienced depression previously and/or people who have a family history of depression.
For me I don’t think it was worth it. I still struggle with acne and had experienced some depression for awhile afterwards as well. Something that I don’t wish on anyone.
Accutane is a harsh drug. It is quite hard on the liver. A test for liver function needs to be carried out monthly and is a requirement at least in Canada I believe in order to continue therapy.
Although there are some serious side effects with accutane it is the best thing out there do treat acne. You basically have to weigh the pros and cons and make an informed decision.
I think making changes in your diet is just as effective. It has to do with imbalance hormonal system. I’ve read that taking virgin coconut oil works quite well as it supposedly helps keep the hormonal system under control. I just don’t really believe in medication because it’s like trying to fix a car that needs an oil change by putting a black piece of tape over oil change warning light on the dashboard and eventually it’d lead to major problems. My point is focus on inside-outside, not outside-inside. Pretty much all health problems are related to nutrition and 90% of foods are junk so I’m pretty sure that’s what causing the problems. All we have to do is make changes in our diet, not rely exclusively on medications which don’t really fix the underlying cause, just the symptoms. I realize it’s easier said than done. Sometimes making changes in diet is like pulling teeth so that’s why it’s so easy to just take medications because all you have to do is open your mouth and swallow pills in matter of seconds! I guess that’s the way it is with this country as long as those big food and pharma businesses play tricks on us.
I’ve used Accutane three or four times over my lifetime. The first time was miraculous…initially your acne may get worse, but that change is short-lived and is followed by an almost total cessation of outbreaks. For me, each treatment period is good for a couple of years, sometimes longer. I’ll usually know it’s time for a tune-up again when I start seeing some outbreaks on a regular basis.
As for side effects, I never experienced depression (quite the opposite, as I was so thrilled to be rid of acne’s curse!), and some of my best all-time powerlifts were done during Accutane cycles.
I did get the horrid dry lips, however…I’m still somewhat affected by it now. I learned to carry a tube of lanolin around, and to keep a tub of Bag Balm in my car, bedroom, etc. (I found that vaseline or other “artificial” balms just made me worse in the long run). I was also very sun-sensitive, and would fry even on cloudy days unless I smeared on sunscreen (which tended to sting, since my skin was sensitive to any type of chemicals). I also found that I developed a short-term sensitivity to smells.
Other than the somewhat-chronic dry lips, all the above sides went away once the cycle ended. And believe me, as bad as they sound–take that with a grain of salt, as I tried to give you a very thorough picture of every possible thing you’d encounter–it was all well worth it.
34…were you taking 40 mg once a day or twice. If you don’t mind me asking what was your body weight at the time.
What dosages, body weight, and length of time was everyone on for? Thanks. Sorry for all the questions. Just getting sick of useless antibiotics.
r100proof,
In response to your question I took two(2) 20mg tabs every day.
So the total daily dose was 40mg.
At the time my bodyweight was 175 lbs.
Like the other gentleman said, depression was not an issue at all while taking Accutane. I was delighted to see my skin get clearer every day.
Perhaps having a positive lifestyle and working out regularly helps the mental posture.
- Mark
I took 90mg on the first course and I believe 60mg on the second. Each course lasted for 4 months.
The worry about depression is primarily for those with a genetic predisposition towards it, as was in my case. If no one in your family has ever had it, I wouldn’t worry about it.
About the comment regarding diet’s role in acne, I would have to disagree. In my case I’ve pretty much exhausted all avenues for nutritional manipulation with no success.
A list being:
Fats
- Correct omega fat ratios 1:1 to 1:2
- Low sat. fat and trans fat
- High, moderate, and low fat macronutrient ratio’s
Carbs
- High, moderate, and low macronutrient ratios
- Low GI
Elimination diets
- Dairy
- Wheat, oats, and other grains
- Low iodine
- stimulants (caffiene, ephedra)
Supplements
- High B5
- Multivitamin/mineral
- Zinc
- Magnesium
- Calcium
- Liver cleanses
- Anti-candida supplement
- Probiotics
Drugs
- Accutane
- Tetracycline, minocycline
- Vitamin A acids
- Salacylic Acid (sp)
- Benzol Peroxide
- Differin gel
- 2% clindamycin in 8% glycolic acid solution
Some avenues that I am considering further is:
- Pushing the envelope in trying to lower candida levels if that is a problem at all.
- Trying to be more strict on lowering all grains at once which I haven’t fared to well on in the past. I have hypoglycemia and don’t tolerate low carb diets well at all.
- Lowering total carbs for longer periods of time which I am not a fan of due to the same reasons as #2 and I frankly just feel like garbage on it. I’d rather eat a little more carbs and have more acne, rather than no acne and feel like shit.
For me I think my acne is mostly hormonally related. I can tell during certain times of the year when my acne is worse. I’ll have greater gains at the gym, have a higher sex drive, and a greater subjective well-being which seems to indicated higher testosterone levels although I haven’t verified that with lab results.
An addendum to my last post,
I’ve used virgin coconut oil in the past for awhile with no abatement to my acne. It also upset my stomach something fierce.
And my weight was between 200 and 210 lbs during both times. I’m 6’3.
10mg a day of pantothenic acid a day for 2 weeks and then about 2 grams a day after that worked pretty good for me. Some people complain of stomach problems with it but i have been fine.
I have been on Accutane twice. At age 20 I was 180lbs and my dosage was from 80 to 120mg daily. I was a late responder to the drug so they used an extremely high dose and a longer than normal dosing schedule. I had deep cystic acne that didnt always show up as black or white heads but hurt like hell. That was gone half way through treatment and has not returned. I had a minor case of regular acne during December of last year so my Derm put me on a low dose treatment of 20mg 40mg alternating days. So far so good and I have one month left. My side effects were typical with dry skin, lips, nose bleeds, and sun sensitivity. With my monthly blood work to check liver enzymes and cholesterol I also had my test levels monitored and they did not vary from normal for me. No side effects that altered or inhibited by training gains. Just a side note to those who think that you just need to change your diet to alter a medical condition like acne…GET A FUCKING CLUE! Until you have walked in these people’s shoes you dont know shit. Looking at medical treatment by pharmaceuticals as a band-aid is idiotic. I will agree that major drug companies do not always conduct business for the pure good on mankind, but chemical and technalogical advancements has and will continue to give people a higher standard of living and save lives.
Ok…I will now step off my soap box
Thank You
your soapbox must be only an inch high… Couldn’t see you there.
[quote]badmoon wrote:
I have been on Accutane twice. At age 20 I was 180lbs and my dosage was from 80 to 120mg daily. I was a late responder to the drug so they used an extremely high dose and a longer than normal dosing schedule. I had deep cystic acne that didnt always show up as black or white heads but hurt like hell. That was gone half way through treatment and has not returned. I had a minor case of regular acne during December of last year so my Derm put me on a low dose treatment of 20mg 40mg alternating days. So far so good and I have one month left. My side effects were typical with dry skin, lips, nose bleeds, and sun sensitivity. With my monthly blood work to check liver enzymes and cholesterol I also had my test levels monitored and they did not vary from normal for me. No side effects that altered or inhibited by training gains. Just a side note to those who think that you just need to change your diet to alter a medical condition like acne…GET A FUCKING CLUE! Until you have walked in these people’s shoes you dont know shit. Looking at medical treatment by pharmaceuticals as a band-aid is idiotic. I will agree that major drug companies do not always conduct business for the pure good on mankind, but chemical and technalogical advancements has and will continue to give people a higher standard of living and save lives.
Ok…I will now step off my soap box
Thank You [/quote]
I saw you on the soap box, and I agree. The right nutrition is not a panacea. Sometimes you just have to turn to drugs.