Accutance side effects...destroy my life

[quan31]

Hi Doctor,

I had Accutance course of 6 month with 10mg/daily a year ago. I cleared up my acne ( under neck and jawline ) but i start to have have them again but less severe. However, I have many post-accutance side effects

1)  I have flushing cheek and nose on my face which i never have before and sometime with whitehead but quickly disappear after a few day. ( some post said accutance in duce rosacea ...is it true ? how can i fix this?)

2)  I feel tiredness all the time, i was very healthy before :(

3)  I am  constantly feeling heat/burning behind of my neck , make me can't concentrate to work or do anything else.

4)  My eyes felt hurt, then i went to eyes doc, they said i have drys eyes

5) I also have feeling of going to pee all the time or feeling good inside penis ( i went to doc to check , but after they used tool to see any wrong inside they couldn't find any thing... these problem still on and off !
I'm feeling so stress, like living in hell. Accutance did clear my acne for only few months...but now i still have acne and these weird side effects....almost destroy my life... I dont know what i have to do now... the doctor you put me on on accutance, seem doesn't care... when i told him...so i hope Doctors on Medhelp can kindly help me do something....maybe finally  i figure out why Accutance make people have suicidal thought because these side effects my feel dont want to live any more.... not the med itself .

Should I take accutance again??? so i can make the most of it...because since i still have many side effect but not grow out of acne yet... i already paid so much price for this powerful med... should i do it again ? ( i still have acne again and flushing like rosacea which accutane can help too )

Thank you so much all Doctor on Medhelp !

Sorry for my English which is not my first language!

[lps712]

I have been using Retin A until I found that I'm pregnant. I didn't know that a pregnant lady shouldn't use Retin A. Now, I'm 10weeks already and I stop using it when I was 5 weeks. What should I do? would it harm my baby?
What are the birth defect that would cause to my baby? Please reply asap as this is very urgent to me. Thanks a million.

[Pullavatlashiv Prasad, MD]

Dear quan31 ,

Thanks for writing in.

First of all, please remember that the effects and side effects of accutane will last only for 6 months. So you don't need to bother about it too much.

Side effects like dryness of eyes occur only while you are accutane and not after many months of withdrawal of drug.

The flushing in your case may be due to acne rosacea which could concomitantly occur with acne vulgaris or after many months.

You need to have a battery of tests like liver function tests and a lipid profile to find out if you have experienced any serious side effects of accutane.

Finally tetracycline or minocycline are other options for acne and rosacea. So we should consider exercising them in consultation with your dermatologist/

Hence, you need not worry about the side effects of the drug. Please explore other options with your dermatologist. If Accutane has not affected your liver function and your lipid profile, then we need not be unduly worried.

Thank you for using MedHelp's "Ask an Expert" Service, where we feature some of world's renowned medical experts in their fields. Millions have benefitted from our service to get personalized advice for them and for their loved ones.

Best Regards,
Dr. P V S Prasad