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This page is a list of E-mails received regarding various topics from encouragement to helpful information regarding how to help with the side-effects of Accutane. I thank everyone for all their encouragement and interest in helping us deal with the fight against acne. Keep the information comming so I can add it to this site ! Every bit helps ! I wasn't sure how to put it all together, so I think I will sort them by topic, and add new messages to their appropriate topic as I receive them. Any other ideas are always welcome.
Useful Products while using Accutane & help w/Side-effects:
Having trouble going #2 ? Editors Note: Drink lots of WATER!!!
omg!!!!!!! i hate this! my skin is sloooooooooooooowly
improving...great...but im having a hard time doing the big thing in
the restroom...i told my doctor and she told me it is natural since
it would be extra dry down there as well...it's been bleeding a lil
bit and she said to take softner pills...and those seem to work
well...but i hope i'm not dependent on those pills...
caution: my doc told me to tell her IMMEDIATELY if im bleeding A LOT
and the color is really really dark...that means u are bleeding
internally and you have to get off of accutane asap! serious stuff u
guys...so dont be afraid to tell your doctors about your problems!!
and if u're having trouble, try doucolex (i think that's the
spelling) it's over the counter and easy to swallow!!! good luck!
60mg, wk10
Nov.8, 2004 source: Yahoo Group (Accutane_Acne_Support)
Re: Do you know where I can find a Multi-Vitamin (WITHOUT Vitamin A)?
I found my Mulitvitamin WITHOUT Vitamin A at kirkmanlabs.com. It was the only place I was able to find them. Hope this helps!
Received from an E-mail Nov. 13,2004 Re: "Warnings using Vitamin "E" with Accutane"
A Warning was published on the news in Maryland regarding the use of Vitamin "E" while taking Accutane, and the reverse effectiveness of Accutane it may cause, and other issues. Many accutance patients have been using Vitamin"E" supplements over the years. Some in very high doses of over 1000IU's. I do not know if this was due to recommendations made by their dermatologist, or there hopes of the more they take the better the results. Anyways, here is a copy of one study that has been passed around on the internet in response to: "Should I continue using Vitamin "E" supplements?"
Here’s the story: (Always talk with your dermatologist, before using Vitamin"E" or any supplements!)
results of a new analysis from Johns Hopkins University suggest that taking daily doses of vitamin E that exceed 400 international units (IU) can increase the risk of death. The researchers arrived at their conclusion after analyzing death rates in 19 unrelated clinical trials that studied vitamin E supplementation for various health conditions. The trials took place from 1993 to 2004 and all together included more than 136,000 patients in North America, Europe and China. The vitamin E doses used in the different trials ranged from 15 to 2000 IU per day; the average daily intake was about 400 IU. The technique used to arrive at the Hopkins’ results -- called meta-analysis -- can only raise questions, not answer them. Vitamin E has no known toxicity, except for an anticoagulant effect that is usually desirable. The analysis found that taking a daily dose of 200 IU per day presented no increased risk of death and suggested that it might benefit health. However, the researchers found an increased risk of death at daily doses exceeding 200 IU; for those taking daily doses of 400 IU or more the risk of death was about 10 percent higher than among those taking placebos. But the analysis also revealed some seemingly contradictory data. For example, one of the studies showed that among people who had had a heart attack, taking vitamin E was correlated with a lower risk of a second heart attack. Despite this encouraging finding, the patients taking the vitamin E were more likely to die than those taking the placebo. It is important to know that most of the patients all of the trials analyzed were over 60 and had pre-existing health problems such as heart or kidney disease. The Hopkins researchers conceded that because of the age and compromised health of the study participants, their findings might not apply to younger, healthier people. The study results were presented on Nov. 10, 2004, at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in New Orleans. They were simultaneously released on the Web site of the Annals of Internal Medicine. My feeling is that the health status of the study participants could be the problem here – perhaps the vitamin E had some unpredictable bad effect on their pre-existing conditions or didn’t mix well with certain medications. The researchers also may have overlooked controlling for the form of vitamin E used in the various studies. Natural vitamin E in the form of mixed tocopherols can possibly provide different benefits than synthetic versions limited to alpha tocopherol. We’ve seen in the past that under certain circumstances supplements can have unexpected, negative effects. For example, two major studies have shown that straight beta carotene supplements led to more, not less, lung cancer among smokers. Based on what we know now, my advice is still to take supplemental vitamin E in doses up to 400 IU a day but not exceeding that. Avoid dl-alpha-tocopherol and look for products that include all four tocopherols, not just the d-alpha form. Better yet, try to get the whole vitamin E complex: four tocopherols plus four tocotrienols. But, as always, be sure to discuss with your physician any supplements and medications you take – over the counter or otherwise.
Andrew Weil, MD
Experiences using Accutane & words of Encouragement & Advice:
Nov. 7, 2004 source: e-mail
Hello, well I know that many people react differently. One thing that I recomend is to keep your son's mind busy because in the begining the initial break out when the oil glands are starting to dry everything
comes to the surface even in areas when you wouldn't even think. If
you look in the mirror you would think that it's never goign to go
away and I think that's when depression plays a role. I'm 21 198lbs
I'm on 100mg a day. I don't have many break outs but at some point it
started getting out of control. I experienced a really bad initial
break out during my 2nd. week no I'm on my 4th and everything is gone
and is drying out, I mean you can tell the difference. Have him eat
oat meal at night and morning to keep his cholesterol low, his body
wont feel the same, he himself will notice a difference in the way his
body is workign after a while, is only for 5 months :) You probly
heard this from your son's dermatologist but I thought I share that
with you. Good luck with his treatment and if you have any questions I
would be mnore then happy and try to give u an answer.
Nov. 6, 2004 source: e-mail
Anyway, hope all is doing well with you and your son. As for me, i'm just entering by second month (yes, with a little apprehension). My dosage was just increased from 80 mgs a day to 80mg every other and 120 mg every other. I was told the second month is where things can get pretty bad. I was taking prednisone to help with the inflammation and infection the first month, but as i was weened off of it, things started to worsen. My derm did mention that if things get really bad, she will put me back on the prednisone for another month. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed and looking to month # 3.
Best of luck,
Nov. 4, 2004 source: My Acne Message Board
Re: Your experiences using Accutane:
Very dry lips & sometimes my hands would break out in a rash. Other than that, it worked like a charm. THE BEST!!!
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