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Accutane info and other ways to stay acne free!

Mike Singletary

Mike Singletary

Member
Sep 8, 2010
92
29
There have been quite a few posts as of late regarding acne..... Not just on this board.... but on a few others also. I figured i would just take the time to let everyone know what I do to stay acne free while on and off cycle.....

Lets get a few things straight..... there are different levels of acne. When you goto a dermatologist..... they look you over and classify you. I was considered to have "severe" acne. Just about as bad as one can get. This was also before i even so much as looked at anything anabolic! I was just one of those unlucky kids with HELLA bad acne!

Acne treatments..... Which one do i use? This is a personal choice..... a lot of people say not to jump the gun and go straight to accutane..... while quite a few people condone the use of accutane right from the start. In my honest opinion..... you should decide which treatment/s you are going to use based on the severity of the acne.... and the scenario you put yourself in. By this i mean..... Are you going to cycle AAS? Are you active in sports? Do you naturally sweat alot? You need to look over your situation and decide which route is best for you.

There are many different treatments out there for acne..... ranging from pills to soaps and creams.... While some of you may not know all of the treatments.... im not going to go over them all. There was a rather lengthy post on each treatment so if you want to know the other drugs that i do not bring up in this post..... simply run a search and im sure you can find it.

Now..... lets talk about what you can do to clear up your acne.....

The absolute most effective way to clear up acne is to take Accutane (isotretinoin). I stand by this drug 100%. I know from personal experience and from hearing stories from others... that this drug is truely a miracle. I must caution you tho..... Many users of accutane have claimed to have gotten side effects. The 3 most common side effects are:
1 - Cracked dry skin
2 - Depression
3 - Sun burn (you burn easier while on accutane)

How can we reduce these side effects? WE TAKE A LOWER DOSAGE! The common dosage of accutane from a dermatologist is 80mg's a day. When you goto a dermatologist and get prescribed accutane.... they send you for regular bloodwork. Accutane can be very harsh on ones body..... if your bloodwork comes back not looking soo pretty..... the dermatologist will either cut back the dosage or take you off the accutane all together.

REMEMBER: YOU ARE NOT A DERMATOLOGIST!...... and if you happen to be one..... why the hell are you here? It would not be wise for you to take 80mg's a day since most of you can't read your own bloodwork..... and thats even if your able to get blood work on a bi-weekly/monthly basis.

Will taking a lower dosage effect how the accutane works for me? In a sense.... yes. Instead of clearing your acne up in a week or 2 - it may take just a little bit longer. But this short ammount of time is well worth the moisture in your skin..... and the safety of your liver. Not to mention the money you'll be saving.

What dosage do you recommend i take? No matter how severe your acne is, unless it's not bad at all.... in which you don't need accutane, I suggest taking 1/4 of the Dermatologist recommended dosage. Since the recommended dosage by a dermatologist is 80mg's/day - i suggest taking 20mg's/day. At this dosage your skin will slightly dry out.... but not NEARLY as bad as it would with a higher dosage. I personally don't have any depression problems at 20mg's/day.... but i can not speak for everyone... as everyone is different.

Accutane will work while on or off cycle. I've run 20mg's/day while i was on... and while i was off..... and it just destroyed the acne. The only difference is while you're on cycle..... you might need to stay on the accutane for a longer period.

If im taking an oral steroid..... should i take accutane? NO! Like i said before.... accutane is harsh on your body, including your liver. Many people claim accutane is more liver toxic than Dbol or Anadrol..... I personally do not believe this HOWEVER i would not run 2 orals together in the first place.

What do i do about acne from an oral steroid then? You must remember there are other treatments available to you. Im going to mention 2 that i find effective in reducing acne.

If you are on a liver toxic steroid..... you have 2 options that i recommend.
the first option is Vitamin B5. (pantothenic acid)
Many studies have shown that Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) reduces acne.... and can even get rid of it all together. B5 is great because you can not over dose it either..... if you have too much.....your body will flush it out.

What dosage would you recommend? This is going to vary from person to person..... but here is what i find to be sort of a happy median for everyone.
If your going to cycle AAS: Start running 2500-5000mg's Vitamin B5 daily 1 month prior to cycle. Then once you start your cycle - run 10g's B5 daily all the way through PCT.

NOTE* Acne may get worse for a week or so when taking B5 as it pushes the remaining oil to the surface of the skin. After that tho..... your acne should start to clear up.

Whats the other option? you said you had 2....? The other option is Retin-A. (tretinoin) Retin-A is more or less a topical accutane. It doesn't work as fast as accutane does tho. I would start it 1 month before cycle and continue all the way through PCT. Just rub the cream on the affected area.

LASTLY..... whether you used a treatment that i talked about or a treatment you found on your own..... i suggest taking a daily shower (which i hope you do anyways.....) and scrubing the affected area with an anti-bacterial soap and a wash cloth. Possibly shower 2 times a day..... depending on your daily activities and the ammount you sweat. ALSO REMEMBER: Change your sweaty clothes ASAP.

ooooo wait..... Mr. Acne..... where can i buy these products?
Be still young grasshopper..... i was just about to tell you......

Hazard
 
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pux888

pux888

MuscleHead
Oct 1, 2010
1,256
65
Dont forget to put your name on the donors list for a liver once you start this medication.
 
Youngstunna

Youngstunna

Trenja Turtle
Oct 21, 2010
829
42
I have used it b4 when I had some pretty horrible breakouts besides chapped lips and nose bleeds worked great no complaints
 
usa

usa

MuscleHead
Dec 24, 2010
272
33
I personally don't care how much acne you have. Stay away from accutane. It was pulled from the market a year or so ago for good reason. It has been linked to Crohns disease, Ulcerative colitis, and other inflammatory bowel disease. If you wanna take a chance at having to shit through a bag attached to the lower part of your chest the rest of your life go ahead and use accutane. Just my humble opinion!^#(^
 
Zomb131

Zomb131

MuscleHead
Jan 31, 2011
1,125
264
I was on UGL accutane for 5 or so months. Did nothing for me. In the beginning i felt joint pain and had dry spots on my face. After 2-3 weeks it went away. Started with 40mg/day then slowly increased to 80mg/day by the 5th month. Did absolutely nothing to my skin. I also used B5, 10g/day and that only gave me the shits.

Possibly i needed US pharm grade, instead of UGL shit.
 
Dangling Unit

Dangling Unit

MuscleHead
Jan 2, 2011
678
82
I was on UGL accutane for 5 or so months. Did nothing for me. In the beginning i felt joint pain and had dry spots on my face. After 2-3 weeks it went away. Started with 40mg/day then slowly increased to 80mg/day by the 5th month. Did absolutely nothing to my skin. I also used B5, 10g/day and that only gave me the shits.

Possibly i needed US pharm grade, instead of UGL shit.

You had crap UGL stuff. Mine cleared me right up. B5 never did anything for me, either.
 
Dangling Unit

Dangling Unit

MuscleHead
Jan 2, 2011
678
82
I still have some left over from prescriptions and whenever I see a breakout coming, I start taking 10-mg eod and it goes away without sides. I was, however, taking 40-mg/d when I first started taking it. My liver was always fine. Of course, I was taking 4-g milk thistle a day, too.
 
PillarofBalance

PillarofBalance

Strength Pimp
Feb 27, 2011
17,066
4,640
My younger brother (no anabolics) was on accutane. Other than looking like a crackhead from the chapped lips that would crack and bleed he can't stop shitting now. IBS like a Mofo. The risk/benefit hardly seems worth taking this stuff. If I suffered severe acne from the gear I would sooner give up the gear than take this stuff...

But I appreciate the write up bro. Thanks for taking the time :)
 

SHINE

Friends Remembered
Oct 11, 2010
5,047
600
Here are a few facts of accutane that you might find a bit disturbing, if your gona use it use it sparingly for short periods.

Taken from some Med files I have,

How accutane works:

Retinoids are drugs that are relatives of vitamin A. Retinoids control normal cell growth, cell differentiation (the normal process of making cells different from each other), and cell death during embryonic development and in certain tissues later in life. Retinoids effects on the cells are controlled by receptors on the nucleus of each cell (nuclear receptors).

There are two major classes of retinoid nuclear receptors: retinoic acid receptors (RAR) and retinoid-X-receptors (RXR). There are also subtypes within each class. Each of these types of receptors has different functions in different tissues. The different retinoid drugs work by binding to different receptors; which, in turn, affect cell growth and differentiation.

Retinoids are relatively new types of anti-cancer drugs. They have been used alone or in combination to treat a variety of cancers such as skin cancers, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, acute promyelocytic leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, and head and neck cancers. Retinoids have also been used experimentally in an attempt to prevent certain types of cancer. There is ongoing research to determine their role in both cancer treatment and prevention.

Just give you an idea how strong accutane is!

Notice the effects, especialy thyroid supression.
Retinoids have been associated with side effects such as skin problems (dryness, peeling, itching, sun sensitivity), reversible elevation in liver enzymes, temporary abnormal lipid levels, low thyroid levels (hypothyroidism), and headaches. Taking supplemental doses of vitamin A may increase the side effects. Vitamin supplementation should be discussed with your physician.

Fact is accutane has been used w/ RAI in cancer pts to speed up the deteration of thyroid
 
ozzy69

ozzy69

MuscleHead
Apr 5, 2011
497
69
accutane is in a huge class action lawsuit for a ton of bowel diseases---and i think the fda pulled it
 
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