Roaccutane story from England

I found this interesting BBC article on roaccutane and it’s effect on one person that tried it.

Roaccutane works for thousands of acne sufferers in the UK every year – nearly 12,000 prescriptions for the drug were handed out last year.

The leaflet you get with the tablets warns about depression and even suicidal feelings.

It can also cause physical side effects like exhaustion, aching joints and severely dry lips and eyes.

It is licensed in the UK as a last resort for patients with severe acne who have already tried two other forms of treatment.

But top skin doctor Tony Chu says this isn’t happening.

Roaccutane hidden information

“An awful lot of people are being offered Roaccutane almost as a first-line treatment,” she said.

“It’s bad medicine. You know with Roaccutane you can get patients clear and off your books in six months rather than go through the mill and try them on a variety of things until you hit on the thing that will actually work for them.”

Dr Chu says doctors have no way of knowing which patients will get mental health side effects.

But it can take many months to find the right combination of alternative treatments like oral antibiotics and skin creams which is frustrating if acne’s ruining your life.

Different treatments instead of Roaccutane

After spending two years trying different antibiotics and creams 22-year-old student Charlotte Bowser from Truro was desperate to try Roaccutane.

“When I heard about it I was like: ‘Wow! Give it to me now’. I’d tried so many different lotions from my GP.

“I had one that bleached my hair and clothes. And I had another one that was like pouring lemon juice on a cut. That was horrible. I hated it.”

Roaccutane gave Charlotte bad mood swings, but it did get rid of her spots. It also worked for 17-year-old Luke from Hereford.

He said: “I didn’t feel depressed but what I definitely did get, and what a lot of people do say, is that your energy levels are so incredibly low. I always wanted sleep.