Accutane/very tired

[XxBIGPxX]

I have been on accutane for a long time now..about 2 years...I did 5 months of a 80mg course...everything worked great..but then my acne slowly returned about two weeks later so I decided to self medicate myself and I have been taking 80mg of accutane for about two years now a day...I get my blood checked all the time...and I'm about to go in a couple days to get it checked again...I know taking accutane for this long is probably not the best thing...but my life has been wonderful since I have been acne-free..I'm able to do so much more...however as of late I have been tremendously tired every day...I'm sure this has something to do with the accutane...I'm getting good sleep and eating well...yet I still feel sluggish everyday..so I was wondering what I could do to combat this or if this could be serious...thanks doc.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I haven't any idea.  If you don't feel well, you should ask your general physician.  I can't see any connection with your Accutane treatment.  Having said that, I don't approve at all of your taking Accutane for 2 years.   I don't understand how you self-medicate.  Long-term Accutane treatment has been associated with problems with bones of the spine.  Your medical behavior is not appropriate, and I advise you to stop and get proper medical care.

Dr. Rockoff

[gppretty]

Hello
I am not sure where you are located , i am based in vancouver ,BC.
I work in medical esthetics personally and have seen some acne that is very difficult to treat.First off , It is important to understand that there is no cure for acne.Acne can be controlled temporarily and very well. You need to get off accutane. Long term use of accutane can be very damaging. If you have had acne for long then it will take a long time to correct acne, sometimes 6 months to a year to completely control the acne. There are some great medical line of products combined with mineral masks that will give you very good control of acne. These products are available at oakridgelaser.org. If you wish to have a consult via email ,the nurse will be happy to help you. All you need is the patience during the treatment course.
All the best.
gppretty