CS, Accutane issue !

I just read your acne topics , I have sister with acne and I wanted to help her , it contains a lot of amazing info .. I think ironically no dermatologist know about that !

the problem is that I had a severe acne couple of years ago and went to a c**t of a doctor and he gave me a high dose of accutane (like 300 mg a day) for I think 6 months , the acne stopped but left some scarring .. what is the risks I placed myself in taking this crap and what can be done to correct it ?

I searched here before I post but couldn't find info about this particular situation , man I wish I knew this site before that

AboDi - The exact mechanism of action of Accutane/isotretinoin (13-cis retinoic acid) remains unknown, however there are a few important considerations.

(1) Accutane may bind to vitamin A receptors, and essentially create a severe deficiency in vitamin A. It is after-all, a retinoid, which is structurally related to vitamin A. Besides potential night blindness there are a number of disturbances, including brain changes (see studies below).

Also Accutane increases lipids (fats) except for HDL, and also results in low biotin enzyme activity via the liver.

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/162/5/983

http://dermatology.cdlib.org/95/letters/isotretinoin/danby.html

Also Accutane elevates homocysteine levels significantly.

When 74 patients were studied, their blood levels of homocysteine were assessed before and after 45 days of Accutane 'therapy.'

They found that homocysteine levels are elevated in patients using Accutane and the study authors say that it might be be due to either the inhibition of cystathionine-beta-synthase, an enzyme required in the metabolism of homocysteine, by the drug and/or the liver dysfunction.

It is recommended to take extra B12 and folate (not folic acid) to get homocysteine levels down and also because Accutane lowers levels of B12 and folate.

See study below: (Decreased plasma folate concentration in young and elderly healthy subjects after a short-term supplementation with Accutane.)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18181979

Thanks CS for your help ..


man this is scary the brain thing freaked me out , so is it reversible , or wear off with time ?


I will supplement with folate and b12 but I dont know about the doses , which one of those would you recommend ? and for how long should I supplement considering that I took accutane some year and a half now ?


http://www.iherb.com/Metagenics-Intrinsi-B12-Folate-180-Tablets/19482?at=0

folate 800 mcg and b12 500 mcg

or separate with higher dose:

http://www.bestvite.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=513

B-12 (Methylcobalamine) 1000 mcg

http://www.bestvite.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=511


I noticed 2 forms of b12 Methylcobalamine and Cyanocobalamine


sorry man for any inconvenient but this is mind boggling !

AboDi - The bestvite versions are no good.

Use the first link.

CS .. you are the man

I've been looking for a B-12 supplement and keep finding that tablet or sublingual B-12 is apparently useless due lack of absorption, is it only worth taking in patch or injection?

Accutane is bad stuff.

20 years out and the side effects are still with me.

Im sorry to hear that KeepGrowin, i took it 7 years back and only just recently pin pointed alot of the things going on with me down to accutane. Have you fount any relief to your sides through supplements or diet, im trying to get to grips with how i am going to approach this to see if i can undo any of the damage.

Can anyone give recommendations for a quality B-12 supplement please?

danny1988 wrote:Can anyone give recommendations for a quality B-12 supplement please?

It's recommended to take folate along with B12, preferably an activated form.

http://www.iherb.com/Thorne-Research-B-Complex-12-60-Veggie-Caps/18126