I know I already made a thread a while back but now I have different questions.

I've done 5 antibiotics courses so far. Each lasted about 6 to 7 months during which my actual acne (infections and red pimples and such) did clear up but my skin remained unclear, lots of blackheads and clogged pores etc... And then after the 6 or 7 months I had to take a break from them (you're not supposed to keep on taking them throughout. you need to stop with them for 3 to 4 months because it's not healthy).
Every time I stopped my acne came back and I had to go on antibiotics again... Of course that's not good because you become resistant to it.

Any way. Now 8 days ago I started my break (I took Minocyclin for 6 months) and I already see some new (still tiny but you know...) red zits (whitehead like but very small) appearing, more bumps etc....
Wnet to the dermatologist and she said if it does get worse in a couple weeks and the acne does come back I'll be starting a low dose of accutane. I realize most people wouldn't think my skin is bad enough for accutane (even at it's worst) but the derm says that if it does come back it's just clear that antibiotics aren't working for me so accutane is basically the only thing let for me to try.

She said with low dose accutane the side effects are minimal. Does anyone have any experience with this?.

I'm also interested in long-term effects: have any of you used accutane and then had a baby because I'm worried about fertility.

Hai. I got psychosis on accutane. Bad too. And I was seriously depressed. And I got suicidal impulses. I'm normally a really happy person, so this really fucked with me. But I stuck with it because I was so tired of having shitty skin and now my skin is wonderful.

Other less serious side effects were dry skin/lips and trouble sleeping.

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cheeseburger lips!

were you on a high or low dose?


I'm afraid of the depression thing... I've heard things about this before, but other dey that it's true...

I'm a little worried because I am already having some mental/emotional problems.... I don't want to kill myself!

I was on it for 6 months when I was 14/15. Not sure what dosage though.
Best thing I ever did!
Its kind of wearing off recently. They told me it would alst for 10 years!

And I don't think it makes you infertile, it causes birth defects if you get pregnant whilst on it so be careful.

They'll start you on a low dose, and then work up to a higher dose usually.
I was on like a medium dosage.

I mean, as long as you tell your doctor about your emotional status and keep him/her updated, you should be okay.

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cheeseburger lips!

ok. thanks

I will not build up my dose though. I'll stay on a low dose because my skin condition is not severe...

Its interesting to see the differences between European doctors and British ones. I was on antibiotics for my skin, at a high dose (doxycycline) for three years and no one ever suggested I took a break from them. I did take a break for 8 months but I started it again last month because my asthma had got really bad off it. I'd kind of resigned myself to live on antibiotics for life....

oh yea. that's not good. you need to take a break.

especially on the higher doses. I took Doxycycline for 8 months and then really really really had to stop;

And Tetracycline I could only take for 4 months

Did you have any side effects? Cause I've been fine, never had any problems except when I was off it!

I sometimes had some nausea.

but the thing is you get resistant after prolonged use and there more chance of liver damage/problems

Did you have monthly blood tests?
This is the reason I had them, also because I was so young and you're not supposed to go on it until you are are 18. At least thats what the doc told me.

you're not supposed to go on antibiotics until you're 18?! I didn't know that! I've been on them since I was 15.

didn't have monthly blood tests though... they only do that with accutane because it's such a strong med but with antibiotics it's the prolonged use that is dangerous for the liver...

oh. does anyone know whether you need to take pregnancy tests?

I read that somewhere you need to take them monthly at the doctor's office

i mean, that's just embarassing for me because I'm not even getting laid. Can't I just tell the doctor that?

No. The doctor told me accutane is a last resort because it is so strong and harmful to you so they usually wait till you are 18 and have tried all the other meds before. I had done this by 14 so they said it was fine.
It may have just been her though, but they were very cautious with me taking the blood tests and monitoring my liver. Had some pretty severe side effect so maybe I was on a high dose. I would do it all again though because its the only thing that worked for me.

My friend who is on accutane has to have a pregnancy test done monthly when she goes to get her liver function check. In the UK they also make you sign a contract promising that if you do fall pregnant on accutane you will abort the child because of its tetragenic effects. Its pretty amazingly hardcore stuff.

These are covered with the blood tests. Accutane is SERIOUS about not getting pregnant. I got a whole binder full of shit. And you have to answer all these questions before the pharmacist will fill your prescription. And you have to claim two forms of birth control. Abstinence can be one of them, but you have to pick a second, like the pill. They even make girls who haven't gotten their period yet get monthly pregnancy tests. It's totally ridiculous.

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cheeseburger lips!

I was on high-dose accutane twice, at 18 and 21. I had to start using a moisturizer with sunscreen [a good habit I still stick with] and a good lip balm. I also had to start eating shiitake mushrooms every day to keep my blood cholesterol down. Not too many, just 5 a day and I would stir them into soups. My cholesterol was actually better after the accutane because of this; I highly recommend eating these if your cholesterol becomes an issue [as it does for many people - it's a really common side effect]. As for the medication itself, it's probably the best thing that's ever happened to my appearance. I used to look like I'd just been stung by a bunch of bees and now I have skin that Scarlett Johannson wishes she had. And I can say that because I worked hard and went through hell trying everything to get rid of my horrible acne. Make sure you're on the pill or be very prepared to say, "I am abstinant due to my xhardxcorex religious faith" because they're dicks about that shit now.

I've been on the pill for years now and I don't have a bf and am not dating so yea....

I'm a little scared though.

I think I'm gonna have to go back real soon to get started on it because my face is starting to break out. ugh... I don't wanna go to uni full of acne!!!!

more questions:

- did you have an initial breakout?

- what were the effects on your hair?