Accutane ? DURATION/AMT

[marksdiman123]

Hi.  I am 19 and have had moderate acne/oily skin for 2 years.  Antibiotics and other topical have not worked well enough and the dermatologist is recommending that I go on accutane.  I have an app. about it in several weeks. My father had severe acne until he took accutane for 3 months at a high dose without recieving any negative side effects, which cleared up 90 percent of the acne.  My mother didnt have acne.  I am ready to go on accutane, but the thing is that I do submission wrestling.  If the accutane permanently damaged my joints or hindered my athletic performance I would be devastated.  
My question is, how long should I take accutane and at what dose?  Are there any things I can do to decrease the chance of permanent side effects, notably joint pain?
I am not necessarily looking even to clear my skin perfectly, just to make it very manageable.  Newer, safer treatments will appear soon.  6 months at 80 mg seems too risky to me.  And would it be possible to continue wrestling through accutane without hindered athletic performance?  
Thank you very much

[Jonathan16]

Take accutane, i'm 17 now and went on it when I was 16 and it worked wonders and keeps tje acne away, I had moderate acne and oily skin too....I play Major Junior hockey and it didn't affect my play in a negative bodily way, it boosted my confidence if anything!......I did a 4 month treatment of it on a lower dose so I would reccommend that, higher doses are for sever cases like grade 4 or between 3 and 4.....hope this helps a bit if any

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
There are some effects of accutane on the joints which include joint stiffness, joint pain, muscle aches, decreased blood cells and bone marrow depression. I suggest you to discuss these side effects with your dermatologist before you start with the treatment.
It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[Idurning12]

I am currently in my fourth month of Accutane and have had very severe joint pains along with the common side effects. There was even a time when I worked a seven hour shift hosting at a restaurant and went home in so much pain from running around I got sick. My doctor never told me about that effect! Be sure to bring it up with your doctor if you are an athlete.

[JackHarnum]

Did your dad take Accutane before you were born or was it after? Please let me know. Thank you.