13-cis-Retinoic Acid (Accutane)

[Marksanchez397]

Yea I'd never suggest anyone starting it, I was just so intrigued by how specific it was to some of the brain regions we focus on. However, if anyone has tried it, I'd be curious to see what happened. In the same way, if it does do permanent damage in that way, then maybe an SSRI would be something that could help this people with post-Accutane problems? Not that an SSRI would be something I'd ever suggest for anyone...but in theory.

Accutane/13-cis retinoic acid/Isotretinoin left me with permanent blunted emotions, a numb penis, low libido, and ED. I had chronic fatigue and joint/muscle pains for over a decade after taking the drug too. It's an atrocity.
...Just a friendly warning.

Also, judging by anecdotes on post-Accutane sufferer's discussions, SSRIs do not help us with depressive symptoms.

SSRIs and Accutane both decrease the oxidative activity of certain 3a-HSD enzymes. Perhaps the resulting dihydroprogesterone deficiency can trigger permanent sexual side effects of both drugs?

So dubay. You never took any ssri?
I have seen many people with persistent sexual problems after taking accutane but, do you have any specific forum like this?

[Dubya_B]

I wanted ask you once...are there any recoveries from post accutane?

There seem to be quite a few recoveries from physical side effects of Accutane, such as bowel and digestive problems, dry skin and eyes, and joint pains.
On the other hand, the people with sexual and mental side effects after Accutane seem to be stuck with them forever. There have only been a couple purported recoveries I am aware of out of hundreds I have been in contact with, and they both recovered in the first year after stopping the drug.

So dubay. You never took any ssri?
I have seen many people with persistent sexual problems after taking accutane but, do you have any specific forum like this?

There was once a forum like this with over 5,000 post-Accutane patients, but it disappeared around 2010/2011. I was told about 1/3 to 1/2 of those people claimed to have sexual side effects.

The Accutane forum on lastingsides is about all we have left:
https://www.lastingsides.org/groups/accutane/forum/

There is also a long thread on acne.org:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/ ... /?page=506

[rnrmf]

I took two courses of Accutane about 6 years before I ever took an SSRI.
I never recognized any neurologic symptoms of Accutane.
Obviously it dries you up because that's what it's designed to do.
In general, it cleared up cystic acne I had for 6 to 8 months after I had ceased the final course of Accutane.
The weird part, the part that I could physically feel, was the DAY that my body reversed it's previous positive response to the treatment.
This was about 6 to 8 months after I stopped Accutane, and I was out with my girlfriend and had a very strange feeling come over me, and the following morning, acne returned, although not in as serious as it had been, previously.

I always had anxiety, which was why I sought out an SSRI about 6 years later.
It's approaching 11 years with PSSD.

[continue]

instead of taking accutane, why don't we just eat beef liver, which has plenty of retinol?

it also has plenty of copper, which remarkably improves PSSD.

[magnilo]

i realized i did have a period in which i felt pretty real and sexual some months ago. it was a period when: i was taking nsi189, was smoking weed and was off isotretinoin (accutane). I've been taking accutane at a low dose for year and just now that i stumbled upon this thread i realized it has major implications in neurotransmitters and hormones... and BDNF...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC387382/ this is relevant, because NSI triggers neurogenesis in the hippocampus so combined with the removal of accutane in that period it might just have given my brain some fresh air. i think i will switch to tetracyclines (minocycline) for my acne as it is proven to increase negative symptoms of schizophrenia (cit: Negative symptoms include blunting of affect, poverty of speech and thought, apathy, anhedonia, reduced social drive, loss of motivation, lack of social interest, and inattention to social or cognitive input.).

[continue]

i realized i did have a period in which i felt pretty real and sexual some months ago. it was a period when: i was taking nsi189, was smoking weed and was off isotretinoin (accutane). I've been taking accutane at a low dose for year and just now that i stumbled upon this thread i realized it has major implications in neurotransmitters and hormones... and BDNF...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC387382/ this is relevant, because NSI triggers neurogenesis in the hippocampus so combined with the removal of accutane in that period it might just have given my brain some fresh air. i think i will switch to tetracyclines (minocycline) for my acne as it is proven to increase negative symptoms of schizophrenia (cit: Negative symptoms include blunting of affect, poverty of speech and thought, apathy, anhedonia, reduced social drive, loss of motivation, lack of social interest, and inattention to social or cognitive input.).

the problem with Accutane is that its altered vitamin A form causes long term vitamin A deficiency in the body.
it could be that PSSD is also a vitamin A deficiency. I'm taking 1 large beef liver a week and noticing improvements.

antagonizing serotonin DOES GOOD to the body. If Accutane did only that, that would be good to the body. Serotonin is the STRESS NEUROTRANSMITER, it raises cortisol, causes inflammation, cognitive impairment, hypothyroidism, white hair, heart fibrosis, liver cirrhosis and cancer. Serotonin researches are bad done due to pharma industry.

[omar90]

So I'm guessing this is why metergoline is worth a shot? I'm going to try beef liver too

[Glitch]

I hate liver but I would eat that shit 5 times a day if it would give me a proper boner.

[continue]

just my experience from taking weekly beef liver twice: I feel sad the day after but it increases my anhedonia.

feeling sad is good, because it means it is blocking the serotonin release. but my anhedonia is being cured with sodium+copper and a little magnesium... so I don't know if this anhedony caused by beef liver is long-term positive or negative. I believe it is positive... but I didn't want to feel anhedonic again...

[magnilo]

I have stopped taking ro Accutane (and switched to Minocycline which is much weaker) about ten days ago and now my acne is Coming back. I guess this means it's getting out of my system and there might be something to say soon