I am so sorry I have been MIA for quite some time. Today, I was more than motivated to blog, as I want to RANT! I have been so disgruntled lately with the 'news' on short bursts of current affairs on the BBC and of course hypeuptheproblem Daily Mail. Everyone and their uncle is trying to highlight the dangers of Roaccutane.
Having been prescribed the drug myself (I think for a 6 month course) I am a living testament of what a miracle these pills are. Yes, there are side effects hence why it can only be prescribed by a dermatologist. He or She monitors the patient very closely on the course of the prescription (every 3 or 4 weeks). Also, you are told of the negative outcomes; including depression and how a small statistic of patients have committed suicide, which was probably due to the drug. Not only does the dermatologist lists the side effects but you are also required to sign a waiver, saying you have been told of the side effects, you understand and agree to go ahead.
During my final months of the prescription, I was on 70mg a day. This is a rather high dosage but the doctor prescribes on the the basis of how well you have been coping with drug (emotionally and other side effects); how the progress of trying to clear the acne is going and height and body weight. I didn't feel I was effected in terms of my emotional health, my main side effects were extreme dry and sensitive skin and very achey achey joints. Nevertheless, my dermatologist always made a point of asking how I was feeling emotionally.
Roaccutane saved my life. I know I would never have been able to do well in university academically as well as socially. How does acne effect your studies??? Simple, I wouldn't have had the confidence to participate well in group work or even talk to lecturers without being self conscious and insecure.
Yes, I understand some young adults have died from the nasty side effects of this drug. However lets not forget everything in life has risks, surgery has risk, would we stop operating on people due to 1% of those patients unfortunately die? no. I wish their parents would stop campaigning for Roaccutane to be banned. It's none of their business, this drug in my personal opinion does more good than bad. Banning this drug would mean that thousands of young adults who could take the drug and only have minor side effects like me, can't have the desired, insecure and self conscious free life they could.
If you are a sufferer of acne, choosing the the best course of action is ultimately up to you and your body. There are many different treatments for this awful skin condition and if it has been long term, I would suggest speaking to your GP. I was told at 16, that I would grow out of it, I didn't and had to suffer years of waiting for the miracle day I would wake up with clear skin. As a result of that, I have a few prominent areas of scarring and terrible memories of being insecure and ashamed.
It feels quite sad and superficial to say that a skin condition has held me back in the past. Should I have embraced my flaws instead of feeling sorry for myself? It's hard to say, maybe I could have been a little less negative and focused on all the positive aspects in my life. Nevertheless, my acne is gone and I have to thank Roaccutane and my dermatologist from the bottom of my heart.
Hi Susie,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Thanks for commenting on mine too. I think it's really important that all sides of the "Roaccutane debate" are put out there for people to inform themselves with and make a decision accordingly.
I still personally feel that it's a little too risky for my liking, although this is based on the fact that - no matter how small - there's still a percentage of people who develop mental illness as a direct result of taking the drug and there's really no way of predicting the outcome. It's such an interesting and tricky debate and I really appreciated your input on my blog.
Sascha xx