In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by Christopher Bowes on November 18, 1997 at 06:50:45:
Thanks Christopher. Someone had to say it. I'm another individual who has and always will subscribe to a healthy lifestyle (diet/rest/aerobics). I am also suffering from cystic acne. Been on accutane for 2 months and am experiencing dramatics results. Accutane might not be the end all cure but it is the only thing I've found so far that works! Good luck to you.
In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by Jack on November 18, 1997 at 10:19:50:
I'm wondering if the success of the drug has anything to do with if your a woman or a man it seems men reported more recurring breakouts over the years and liver abnormalities!I've been taking accutane for a month now, and I know I won't see an improvement until I completed the course but I'm worrying about having trouble with recurring breakouts even after i've completed a course of accutane!
In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by Lauren on November 10, 1997 at 10:11:22:
I think that Accutane is great, but be prepared to have your skin become terribly dry. My skin was so dry and was irritated by the fact that I started treatment in January of this year. My lips cracked and peeled. I constantly had chapstick on my lips. The inside of my nose had a crack that would bleed at what seemed like the most inopportune times. My skin had raw patches and little scabs. I slept with Vaseline on my skin for much of the beginning of treatment. The first few days my muscles felt like they were sore too, like I have been lifting weights.The thing is, I would not take any of that back for the skin that I have now. I would do it all over again.
In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by D on October 09, 1997 at 03:11:22:
I've been on accutane 3 xs. I've had bad systic acne since about 14. Each time I went on it, I pretty much cleared up. But after I got off, the acne would come back. So now I am on a third time, doesn't seem to be doing too much this time around. Can one become immune to it? The side effects I have experienced inclued sever dry lips, hands, bloody noses , and a slight rise in my cholesterol level, and trigleserol level.
In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by D on October 09, 1997 at 03:11:22:
hi,
im a 16 year old, and i am also under accutane. AS an adolescent
best puts it "IT SUCKS" but it is getting my skin much cleare.
In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by Christopher Bowes on November 18, 1997 at 06:50:45:
Hi Christopher,
>>-Healthy people do not have Acne. This has been known for
>> nearly 100 years.
> Really? Last I looked I was pretty healthy. I workout, I
> eat right, avoid fatty foods, etc. Guess what? I have
> acne of the cystic sort. Have since I was 13. It wasn't a
> question of health then, and it isn't now. I consider
> your statement an insult to the intelligence of anybody
> who reads it.
Congratulations on your success with Accutane!
I'm not the doctor, I'm his son (I maintain the website).
The doctor is away til Monday. But I feel moved to respond.
I know nothing about cystic acne as opposed to other forms
(I had a nasty case as a teen, and my dad (at the time a
very conventional physician) prescribed tetracycline
capsules which didn't work :) My point is I don't claim to
be a doc; just reacting to what I read.
When I read your post I was reminded of my interaction with
an eye doctor about ten years ago. I have very dry eyes
and was waking up
around 3-4am most mornings with my eyelid
stuck to my cornea. I would blink and tear a bit of my cornea - very painful I can tell you. I went to three eye
docs before I found one that seemed to know what was going
on. She told me I had blepharitis and prescribed a regimen
of hot wet compresses. I did just as she said and saw no
improvement. So she told me to do it more often. After
another week of no improvement, she told me to do even
longer (now up to an hour twice a day). I told her I was
not going to do that! She got mad and walked out. She
came back in a few minutes later and apologized, but I
already knew I'd had enough of her. Since then I have
adopted my own regimen of twice a day going over my eyelids
with a q-tip, and have trained myself to let my eyes get
lubricated for a few secs before yanking my eyes open in
the morning, but my lids are always quite red - I never did
solve my problem completely, though I learned a workaround
that elimin
ated the worst symptoms.
I believe my eye problems are mostly due to a lifestyle
choice. I have spent a LOT of time in front of computer
screens since the late 70s, playing and working. I won't
make the lifestyle change, and my body is sending warnings
my way, and my effort is around turning off the alarm
instead of getting out of bed.
I exercise, sort of. I do Tae Kwon Do (test for black belt
in a few months) and classes can get pretty energetic. We
have two classes a week. I do NOT get "20 minutes of
sustained aerobic heartrate, three times a week". I guess
this means I get some benefit, but not optimum benefit?
I am a vegetarian, sort of. I eat sugar when I feel like
it, and I love dairy products. I'm 6'1" and 185 pounds.
I'd like to weigh 170 (or 180 with more upper body mass).
I sometimes wonder what I would feel like if I ate a true
strict whole foods diet, eliminating sugar, white flour,
and stuff like that. I meditate, sort of. Once or twice<
br>a week I have time for a morning 20 min meditation, and
I do long OMMMMs on the 10 minute drive to and from work,
when I think of it. I do not do twice a day, and I am
not confident that I reach an alpha state (I took Silva
Mind Control years ago).
I'm a healthy, active person. But, I wonder (quite
frequently, reading all these posts every day) what I would
feel like if I put the time and energy into doing everything
correctly. I wonder if symptoms I've had so long I forgot
them would disappear, or my chance of chronic problems in
old age (artheriosclerosis, digestive problems, cancer)
might dramatically lessen, or I might find myself more
excited about living, period.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to write.
Bill
In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by Christopher Bowes on November 18, 1997 at 06:50:45:
Dear Christofer,
Be careful being insulted bysomeone who knows what he is talking about.
I notice that you make no mention of the most important thing for any acne sufferer to do (of the 3 things needed).
That thing is an effective skilled relaxation technique practiced at least 20 minutes twice a day.
When one does a healthy diet, that gives him/her 3 points of benefit. If aerobic exercise (3 points)is added, that makes the point total 9 (not 6).
Then, adding the skilled relaxation makes a point total of 27. These three main things magnify each other's effects. It is not additive.
I would recall to your mempry the story of Maslow (a genius who lived at the turn of the century) who decided to look for a healthy human being. After more than 10 years of looking he had to admit defeat. There was no such thing as a healthy human being. For you to classify yourself as "healthy" is a mark of how much you have yet to learn about what health really is.
There are a lot of people who would rath er die than learn something new. Some people would sooner have cystic acne than learn something new. One hopes that you are not one of those. But, if you are, I wish you luck since you are going to need it.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by Jack on November 18, 1997 at 10:19:50:
Dear Jack,
I invite you to read my response to Christofer. The fact that you say "rest" tells me that you don't know as much as you think you do (like most of us).
Isn't it interesting that both you and Christofer have the same kind of acne & neither one of you know anything about skilled relaxation?
The stress hormone imbalance, caused by the continuous readiness of the chronic storage of fight or flight in the hypothalamus, is one of the major things that creates the peculiar hormonal situation needed for the development of chronic acne. Why do you think acne normally begins at the same time that hormones are seeking a new balance at the time of puberty?
I would also like to ask you what you think I would gain by putting out false information when there is no possible way I can profit by anyone following my advice? My only purpose is to open doors for those people who care enough to learn something new.
At worst, I would look like a fool. At best, I would have the satisfaction of seeing peopl e get rid of their vexing problems.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by Walt Stoll on November 12, 1997 at 10:36:22:
I am also concidering the use of Accutane but am interested in any other suggestions. Accutane seems like a big step. I noticed you made a comment that acne and arthritis may be related, how so? For years I have experienced knee pain with a change in the weather, but it does not slow me down from jogging.
In Reply to: my skin after Accutane posted by Hayden Ferri on November 19, 1997 at 15:11:51:
Dear hayden,
You have found one of the many short and long term complications of Accutane therapy. This likely will change back to your usual experience in a year or so. However, that is about the time that you will experience a relapse if it is gong to happen.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by Dee on November 20, 1997 at 16:37:44:
Dear Dee,
Before I learned that the knee problem was resolvable, I was told that I would have to have plastic patellae surgicaly implanted since I had been a jogger for 10 years & my originals were wearing out. Once I learned why I had that problem it was asymptomatic within a year &, now, 20 years later I still have no sighn or symptoms of that problem.
To understand what I meant about the basic causes of acne & arthritis being linked, you would need to read a copy of my new book (link below). This 200 page book is designed to begin the needed journey for ANYONE to become an expert in their own conditions & their connectedness.
Once you have that under your belt, write again with any questions you might have. As you get well, please share your experiences with the rest of the BB participants so others might learn that they DO have options not being offered by the conventional medical monopoly.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by Walt Stoll on November 20, 1997 at 13:40:19:
O.K. Your response hits home, mainly due to your reference to stress and the hormonal imbalance it causes. After evaluating all possible causes of acne I always end up at the same conclusion. STRESS. I am very interested in hearing about your "skilled relaxation" techniques. How about posting this data on the website. If what you profess is true, it could save a lot of suffering.
In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by Denise Neilson on November 24, 1997 at 14:53:16:
Hi Denise,
Accutane has been a popular subject on this website recently. You might want to go to Dr Stoll's Search Engine and search for accutane. You will get dozens of posts including people's experiences and Dr Stoll's responses.
I think a good summary is that many people have had miraculous results, many have had unpleasant side-effects (mostly around extremely dry skin), and the acne came back when accutane was discontinued. There are some lifestyle changes that should eliminate the acne in 6-12 months.
Good luck,
Bill
In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by Jack on November 24, 1997 at 15:16:51:
Hi Jack,
Dr Stoll wrote an article about Skilled Relaxation that is right here on the website. Here's a link to it.
Bill
In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by Jack on November 24, 1997 at 15:16:51:
Dear Jack,
Go to my home page (link on this page) & read especially the articles about "Modern Medical Interpretation of Stress", "Immunity & Stress" and "Skilled Relaxation". Of course, these are very brief introductions that are covered in greater detail in my book (link on this page)>
Let us know how you do.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by Kevin on November 24, 1997 at 22:13:41:
Dear Kevin,
Whoever prescribed it to you is the one to ask those questions. Accutane works differently for each person & the person prescribing it should know enough about you to be able to predict for YOU.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Accutane + Dilantine posted by Walt Stoll on November 10, 1997 at 10:45:01:
Dear Walt,
I have taken Accutane for 20 days ( 40 mg per day )
However, I don't see any improvement or change on my face except my lips are drier.
my friend started at the same time with me ( initially, he had a worse condition ) but, now he's face is drier, and cleaner.
I think I should wait little more, am I right?
thank you for your time.
In Reply to: Accutane : How long does it take ? posted by Shin on November 28, 1997 at 01:18:54:
Dear Shin,
Since every person responds differently to Accutane, the only person who should know the answer to your questions is the physician who prescribed it. If s/he didn't figure out what kind of physiology you had BEFORE prescribing it, you are going to the wrong doc.
Lost of docs just look at the acne & prescribe the drug. That is the quickest way to get the person out of the office & get to the next patient for another office charge. This should be considered malpractice but, because it is the "standard of practice" no one does anything about it.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: my skin after Accutane posted by Walt Stoll on November 21, 1997 at 10:44:00:
I have been off accutane for 3 months and my skin is getting very oily again. I have gotten 2 cystic pimples since I have been off this drug, which isn't bad. But, it has happened recently when my skin began to get oily again. I am very nervous that my skin will go to the way it was. Also, I have Rosacea. Could this be linked to the accutane?
In Reply to: Re: my skin after Accutane posted by Randi on November 29, 1997 at 23:27:26:
Dear Randi,
You are a good example of what I have been saying about Accutane.
I would suggest you read the other responses I made today about this subject.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by Walt Stoll on November 20, 1997 at 13:28:49:
Sir, frankly i am disgusted. The man was right in responding to such an ignorant, generalized statement. To say that 'healthy' people do not have acne is absurd. You yourself use a quote which brings to light the fact that 'health' is an elusive hardly defined concept. Who is healthy? We can only define health as what we know it to be, not what we imagine but as a species have never seen attained. If this man says he is healthy, he is making such a statement based on standards of health set forth by the general majority of people, of doctors, most more intelligent than you i should hope. More importantly based on the fact that he takes measures to ensure health, fitness, nutrition, etc. Acne in my opinion is more a product of nature than of nurture. Sure, there are people out there who dont take care of themselves or thier skin, and may suffer from it. But for every one of those people there are another two who take every measure possible, take every medicine, change thier lifestyle in any way possible, foll
ow every myth with the hopes that cutting chocolate out of thier diet for example might proove effective as rediculous as they know it is,and the acne does not clear up because it is GENETIC. Its like being born with maturaly kinky, frizzy hair. Not pretty, not the norm, but not unhealthy. You deal with it. You use accutane or you use good hair products. Whatever. But to have someone suggest that you have acne because you are not healthy? That healthy people dont have acne? Its simply outrageous. And let me tell you, however insignifigant the relevance, ive seen alot of unhealthy people with fantastic clear complexions. Acne or the lack thereof does not determine health. The fact that you would support such a statement does wonders for your credibility. SIKE
In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by Robyn Williams on November 13, 1997 at 15:51:49:
I have been on accutane for 12 weeks. I have not yet seen a difference. I was taking 40 mgs twice a day. My doctor upped that to three times a day. I have not missed any doses, but occasonally I only take it with a glass of juice, not food or milk? Is this why I am not seeing results?
In Reply to: Re: Accutane posted by Walt Stoll on September 25, 1997 at 12:12:54:
been having severe back pain after taking accutane twice
daily for about two weeks. any possibility of a connection?