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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 15 of 15. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Janice1 on January 10, 2001, at 19:41:42
Hello Everyone,
I'm just wondering (and highly doubting) if anyone has tried this combination of medications. The one side effect from my lithium is really bad cystic type acne. Nothing works to clear it up but antibiotics, which I've been on for years now. I don't like being on these but feel I must.
One doctor I asked told me she wouldn't put me on Accutane (I hope I am spelling that right) because I was on lithium. But from my very superficial research that I've done, the only reason I could see for her reasoning would be that the Accutane could possibly make me depressed. Since I'd be on the Accutane only a few months, I'm willing to take that risk.
Does anyone have experience with this medication Accutane?
If so, did it make you more moody or depressed?
Anyone on lithium take this medication?
thanks,
Janice, still stable and happy :+)
Posted by judy1 on January 11, 2001, at 0:34:59
In reply to Lithium and Accutane...and moods...and depression, posted by Janice1 on January 10, 2001, at 19:41:42
Hi Janice,
First I'm so happy to see you well- you're an inspiration for me. There was an article recently on Medscape implicating Accutane not only in birth defects, but depression and suicidal ideation. Also recently there were some lawsuits where teen(s)? committed suicide after taking accutane and there were no other pre-existing psych conditions. Sounds like some nasty stuff. Take care- Judy
Posted by judy1 on January 11, 2001, at 0:41:23
In reply to Re: Lithium and Accutane...and moods...and depression » Janice1, posted by judy1 on January 11, 2001, at 0:34:59
I just re-read the article- apparently since 1982, there have been 42 suicides linked to the drug. The FDA is really blasting it and warning the American Acadamy of Dermatology to warn patients- Judy
Posted by JahL on January 11, 2001, at 10:43:39
In reply to Lithium and Accutane...and moods...and depression, posted by Janice1 on January 10, 2001, at 19:41:42
>One doctor I asked told me she wouldn't put me on Accutane (I hope I am spelling that right) because I was on lithium. But from my very superficial research that I've done, the only reason I could see for her reasoning would be that the Accutane could possibly make me depressed. Since I'd be on the Accutane only a few months, I'm willing to take that risk.
Hi Janice.
It is generally only prescribed for a few months anyway. Rpts of Accutane-related depression relate to these short courses of treatment.
> Does anyone have experience with this medication Accutane?
>
> If so, did it make you more moody or depressed?
>
> Anyone on lithium take this medication?Both pdocs & dermatologists elected not to prescribe this to me on the grounds that it had the potential to severely exacerbate my depression-Lithium or not (despite the fact that acne itself does depression/self-esteem etc. no good). Luckily I no longer need the stuff.
There was a report (about a yr back) on national TV over here in the UK documenting several cases of severe Accutane-related depression.
Be careful.
Jah.
Posted by Sigolene on January 11, 2001, at 10:59:17
In reply to Lithium and Accutane...and moods...and depression, posted by Janice1 on January 10, 2001, at 19:41:42
I personnally had accutane together with lithium. There was no problems. I wasn't more depressed with accutane, i'm usually depressed with or without accuntane. You should just try an see how you feel...
Sigolène> Hello Everyone,
>
> I'm just wondering (and highly doubting) if anyone has tried this combination of medications. The one side effect from my lithium is really bad cystic type acne. Nothing works to clear it up but antibiotics, which I've been on for years now. I don't like being on these but feel I must.
>
> One doctor I asked told me she wouldn't put me on Accutane (I hope I am spelling that right) because I was on lithium. But from my very superficial research that I've done, the only reason I could see for her reasoning would be that the Accutane could possibly make me depressed. Since I'd be on the Accutane only a few months, I'm willing to take that risk.
>
> Does anyone have experience with this medication Accutane?
>
> If so, did it make you more moody or depressed?
>
> Anyone on lithium take this medication?
>
> thanks,
>
> Janice, still stable and happy :+)
Posted by Melanie on January 11, 2001, at 17:56:46
In reply to Re: Lithium and Accutane...and moods...and depression » Janice1, posted by JahL on January 11, 2001, at 10:43:39
Hi Janice or anyone else that this post maybe of help of any concerns regarding this issue
I took accutane when I was 15 for 6 months because I had really bad acne. It was all good becasue it cleared it all up, except for my cheeks were red where I had the acne and were left scars. I had lazer surgery done which removed all the redness and most of the scarring even though there is still some there. It's not too noticeable. I had 3 visits within a year. That was horrible becasue it took forever to heal and see any results from it. Now at 21 I'm depressed. I dont' know if it was from havign poor self esteem becasue having bad acne, the lazer surgery but after I had the accutane I was severely anemic and I was diagnosed with Chrone's disease. I dont' know if I had it before takign accutane but I was never told I had it till after I took the medication. Now I dont' know if I got the dpressions becasue of accutane of what but I ahve ti now and its not easy to deal with. I have goen thru so much its no wonder I am I think I ahve been for a long time jsut didnt' know what to untill I was sick of it and went to the doctor about it. I even asked the doctor about accutane and depression but he souldnt' tell me much. I don't know if anyone really knows. I saw a news update about Acutane maybe causign depression but did they have it before the they took the medication or did it make it worse. There is nothing I can do I already took it, but I 've been doing reasearch ont he net about it and I wish I had doen more research about it before I went on it but I was only 15 I didn't know any better what possible long term affects takign the mediaction has. I have no proof of anything but it is kind of werid that all this started happenign after takign accutane. Hope this helps you.
Melanie
Posted by JahL on January 11, 2001, at 18:54:06
In reply to Re: Accutane...and moods...and depression, posted by Melanie on January 11, 2001, at 17:56:46
> > It was all good becasue it cleared it all up, except for my cheeks were red where I had the acne.Another (common) nasty side-effect of Accutane. My pdoc considered this reddening to be potentially as socially disabling as the acne itself. In his (& mine) opinion Accutane should generally be reserved for severe cases of acne that don't respond to conventional treatments.
> > I saw a news update about Acutane maybe causign depression but did they have it before the they took the medication or did it make it worse.
Both, as far as I know.
Jah.
Posted by stjames on January 11, 2001, at 19:32:35
In reply to Re: Accutane...and moods...and depression, posted by JahL on January 11, 2001, at 18:54:06
Accutane has always carried warnings for depression and birth defects, reciently the
depression warning was strengthened. I had a friend who took in and broke out so bad she could not leave the house. The end result was good, just be warned that if you look bad now you could look much worse while on it. Accutane often raises
cholesterol(fat in blood, ie LDL, HDL and trigl)
dramatically while on it. It is derived from vit. A, so don't supplement with vit A while taking it due to toxic issues. Women need to be on birth control if they take Accutane.James
Posted by Phil on January 13, 2001, at 11:08:00
In reply to Re: Accutane...and moods...and depression, posted by stjames on January 11, 2001, at 19:32:35
Posted by Janice1 on January 13, 2001, at 18:21:18
In reply to Re: Accutane...Link, posted by Phil on January 13, 2001, at 11:08:00
suggested, then come back and reread your responses.
Sigolene, I would love to hear if your acne was caused by the lithium and whether the Accutane managed to clear it up permanently.
As you can tell by my tone, I am really desperate. I can't take antibiotics all my life, and I certainly am a lifer for lithium. If I do it, can find a doctor to give it to me, I'll make certain I'm monitored very closely. It's getting some pretty stiff warnings.
Thanks everyone, Janice
Posted by Jackster on January 16, 2001, at 14:57:05
In reply to thanks everyone...I'm going to go to the link Phil, posted by Janice1 on January 13, 2001, at 18:21:18
THere is actually a chat board for people on Accutane (it may be under the name Roaccutane) - sorry I can't remember the URL. The thing with this drug is the total amount you take - not the daily dosage. So you could go on a high dosage for a few months, or a much lower dosage for a much longer time. Your body may be able to tolerate the lower dosage. It is a very toxic drug. Hope this helps.
Posted by Helena on March 23, 2001, at 9:29:22
In reply to Lithium and Accutane...and moods...and depression, posted by Janice1 on January 10, 2001, at 19:41:42
> Hello Everyone,
>
> I'm just wondering (and highly doubting) if anyone has tried this combination of medications. The one side effect from my lithium is really bad cystic type acne. Nothing works to clear it up but antibiotics, which I've been on for years now. I don't like being on these but feel I must.
>
> One doctor I asked told me she wouldn't put me on Accutane (I hope I am spelling that right) because I was on lithium. But from my very superficial research that I've done, the only reason I could see for her reasoning would be that the Accutane could possibly make me depressed. Since I'd be on the Accutane only a few months, I'm willing to take that risk.
>
> Does anyone have experience with this medication Accutane?
>
> If so, did it make you more moody or depressed?
>
> Anyone on lithium take this medication?
>
> thanks,
>
> Janice, still stable and happy :+)Dear Janice,
a strong word of warning-i took accutane while also taking effexor for moderate depression, the results were near deadly for me. suicidal urges that I have never experienced before turned in to action and I almost died. the details are still too real to talk about but I lost alot of blood and spent 2 days in ICU. in my darkest days of depression i never felt like actually acting on any feling of self-harm like I did the week i took Accutane. Be very careful-Dr's scribe this stuff w/o thinking and the consequences couls be deadly. try any other acne leds you can-I am using good old tertracyclin and it is working well. Good luck helena
Posted by Helena on March 23, 2001, at 9:29:30
In reply to Lithium and Accutane...and moods...and depression, posted by Janice1 on January 10, 2001, at 19:41:42
> Hello Everyone,
>
> I'm just wondering (and highly doubting) if anyone has tried this combination of medications. The one side effect from my lithium is really bad cystic type acne. Nothing works to clear it up but antibiotics, which I've been on for years now. I don't like being on these but feel I must.
>
> One doctor I asked told me she wouldn't put me on Accutane (I hope I am spelling that right) because I was on lithium. But from my very superficial research that I've done, the only reason I could see for her reasoning would be that the Accutane could possibly make me depressed. Since I'd be on the Accutane only a few months, I'm willing to take that risk.
>
> Does anyone have experience with this medication Accutane?
>
> If so, did it make you more moody or depressed?
>
> Anyone on lithium take this medication?
>
> thanks,
>
> Janice, still stable and happy :+)Dear Janice,
a strong word of warning-i took accutane while also taking effexor for moderate depression, the results were near deadly for me. suicidal urges that I have never experienced before turned in to action and I almost died. the details are still too real to talk about but I lost alot of blood and spent 2 days in ICU. in my darkest days of depression i never felt like actually acting on any feling of self-harm like I did the week i took Accutane. Be very careful-Dr's scribe this stuff w/o thinking and the consequences couls be deadly. try any other acne leds you can-I am using good old tertracyclin and it is working well. Good luck helena
Posted by Bill L on March 25, 2001, at 20:09:23
In reply to Re: Lithium and Accutane...and moods...and depression, posted by Helena on March 23, 2001, at 9:29:30
I like your doctor's advise. I have read that Accutane can cause depression. Also, if there is any chance at all that you might conceive while on Accutane, that has been implicated in causing birth defects. I would stick to the antibiotics.
If the antibiotics cause diarhea (I can't spell that word) then ask your doc about taking acidophilus with the antibiotics.> > Hello Everyone,
> >
> > I'm just wondering (and highly doubting) if anyone has tried this combination of medications. The one side effect from my lithium is really bad cystic type acne. Nothing works to clear it up but antibiotics, which I've been on for years now. I don't like being on these but feel I must.
> >
> > One doctor I asked told me she wouldn't put me on Accutane (I hope I am spelling that right) because I was on lithium. But from my very superficial research that I've done, the only reason I could see for her reasoning would be that the Accutane could possibly make me depressed. Since I'd be on the Accutane only a few months, I'm willing to take that risk.
> >
> > Does anyone have experience with this medication Accutane?
> >
> > If so, did it make you more moody or depressed?
> >
> > Anyone on lithium take this medication?
> >
> > thanks,
> >
> > Janice, still stable and happy :+)
>
> Dear Janice,
> a strong word of warning-i took accutane while also taking effexor for moderate depression, the results were near deadly for me. suicidal urges that I have never experienced before turned in to action and I almost died. the details are still too real to talk about but I lost alot of blood and spent 2 days in ICU. in my darkest days of depression i never felt like actually acting on any feling of self-harm like I did the week i took Accutane. Be very careful-Dr's scribe this stuff w/o thinking and the consequences couls be deadly. try any other acne leds you can-I am using good old tertracyclin and it is working well. Good luck helena
Posted by Bill L on March 25, 2001, at 20:17:50
In reply to Re: Lithium and Accutane...and moods...and depression, posted by Helena on March 23, 2001, at 9:29:30
I like your doctor's advise. I have read that Accutane can cause depression. Also, if there is any chance at all that you might conceive while on Accutane, that has been implicated in causing birth defects. I would stick to the antibiotics.
If the antibiotics cause diarhea (I can't spell that word) then ask your doc about taking acidophilus with the antibiotics.> > Hello Everyone,
> >
> > I'm just wondering (and highly doubting) if anyone has tried this combination of medications. The one side effect from my lithium is really bad cystic type acne. Nothing works to clear it up but antibiotics, which I've been on for years now. I don't like being on these but feel I must.
> >
> > One doctor I asked told me she wouldn't put me on Accutane (I hope I am spelling that right) because I was on lithium. But from my very superficial research that I've done, the only reason I could see for her reasoning would be that the Accutane could possibly make me depressed. Since I'd be on the Accutane only a few months, I'm willing to take that risk.
> >
> > Does anyone have experience with this medication Accutane?
> >
> > If so, did it make you more moody or depressed?
> >
> > Anyone on lithium take this medication?
> >
> > thanks,
> >
> > Janice, still stable and happy :+)
>
> Dear Janice,
> a strong word of warning-i took accutane while also taking effexor for moderate depression, the results were near deadly for me. suicidal urges that I have never experienced before turned in to action and I almost died. the details are still too real to talk about but I lost alot of blood and spent 2 days in ICU. in my darkest days of depression i never felt like actually acting on any feling of self-harm like I did the week i took Accutane. Be very careful-Dr's scribe this stuff w/o thinking and the consequences couls be deadly. try any other acne leds you can-I am using good old tertracyclin and it is working well. Good luck helena
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