I was browsing through the site today and I found there aren’t many accounts of people who have been through “relapses” of acne after being on roaccutane. i think it’s very important to undertstand that this CAN happen , although it’s unlikely, and I wanted to share my story from the point of view of the person for whom roaccutane was unfortunately not the everlasting miracle cure.I am currently just starting my 5th week of treatment for the (very unfortunate) THIRD time. Here’s what happened….
I’ve had pretty bad skin since I was about 12-13, and I went through th usual antibiotics and topical treatments (erythromycin to start, many, many months of tetracycline and numerous creams and gels which i’m afraid I can’t remember the names of now) Like most roaccutane users, these had no effect whatsoever on my skin. Literally nothing at all. So, when I was 15 I was put on the combined pill (which again made no difference to my skin) and after an arduous 18 months waiting time I saw my dermatologist who started me on a full dose course of roaccutane (50mg)
Unlike most accounts I have read, my time spent on roaccutane was generally uneventful - no mood changed, hair thinning, joint pains etc nothing at all except dryness (not a major issue - easily hidden with a basic moisturiser) and not having to wash my hair. Success! I can’t remember the week-to week changes I experienced but my skin cleared up and a few months after I stopped taking it I had perfect skin - all blemishes, red patches (hate those! You think the spots are gone and you’re left with them too!!!) and scarring (which I had very little of) had disappeared. Confidence sky-rocketed and I was very happy!
However, 2 years later when I was 17 I started university and things began to deteriorate. the spots came back, gradually at first and then back into the old red blotches and bumps. This time i hid behind thick make up to cover them (which I’m still not convinced is the best policy) Needless to say I was very, very disappointed as i believed I was clear for life! So, a further wait to be seen by a dermatologist (only 6 months this time following an NHS waiting list shake-up, hurrah!) and I was put back onto roaccutane. I was so relieved to be back on it as I knew I hadn’t reacted badly before and I’d seen the amazing results 1st hand. This time I spent a month on 25 mg before moving up to 50mg for a further 3 months.
However, after about 2-3 months, I suffered a blinding headache, my left arm went numb, my vision became wildly distorted and I was naseous, dizzy and ill for about 7 days afterwards. At this time I assume there was less of a big deal made about the association of these side effects with roaccutane because I never associated the 2.
About a week later i saw my dermatologist anyway and mentioned to her just as I was leaving. She promptly had a mini freak out and I found myself sent up to neurology with all sorts of wierd and wonderful tests being initiated (all credit to the prompt action by the NHS) After about 2 hours of being prodded, it was concluded that it was NOT benign cranial hypertension (sometimes a side effect of roaccutane which “shrinks” the brain) but infact just an aural migraine inherited from my father. Again - success! Although I was booted off roaccutane “just to be careful” and also had to come off the combined pill which is counter-indicitave to people who suffer migraines. Apparently.
I was pretty gutted, not only was I just given a life sentence of crazy headaches but my skin hadn’t cleared by this point.
Not allowed to make another appointment for a few months later I was out the NHS system and had to go back to my GP once my skin had got “really bad” again.
Heavy make up, shying away from photographs, hiding away from social events on bright/sunny days, general lack of confidence all ensued.
There’s been a slight difficulty finding a suitable contraceptive since the combined pill is a no-no for me. I’ve tried quite a lot of different methods but the only ones that I’ve managed to stick with are progestoron based which usually has a negative effect on acne.
So my skin did indeed get “really bad” again. I have just turned 20 and was put back on roaccutane (after a 7 month wait this time) a month ago.
Again, I’ve been suffering very few side effects in comparison to some of the horror stories I read about here: I’ve got dry skin and lips which isn’t much of an issue yet, but this time around I’m getting slight joint pains in my wrists when I’ve been rock climbing. Understandable though I guess. I’ve seen no change in my skin at all, I remember from last time it took about 2 months for me to notice a difference.
I’ll follow this up with photographs throughout the course and maybe, just maybe this will be my last course of roaccutane I’ll ever need!!!!
