Comments on: Treating Rosacea with Low-Dose Accutane

By: Amanda

Amanda — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 06:39:59 +0000

Thanks for letting me know, Sam. Much appreciated

By: sam

sam — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:29:21 +0000

Hi Amanda I saw Dr Hsu at Lumina Cosmetics in Balcatta 9240 8955

By: Amanda

Amanda — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:58:36 +0000

Hey Sam, what are the contact details of your Perth derm, please? Cheers!

By: john t

john t — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 07:52:39 +0000

I am in the UK so can’t help with a dermatologist. All I know is I tried the lot – the dermatologist photographed the contents of my brief case – he couldn’t believe it. Loook at the responses above everyone tolerates the Roaccutane differently – I was ok
although I didn’t like the dried lips but I came off it and back came the Rosacea – it was then he put me on to Finacea and it’s been great. Twice a day in the area where it used to flare up and nothing now – nice clean healthy skin. Cleanse;Finacea;sunscreen/moisturise. Easy.
I urge you to try it before going down the Accutane route.

By: Caro

Caro — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 04:34:19 +0000

Thanks John. I have been reading up on the use of low dose Accutane. There are dermatologists that openly recommend low doses for acne as well as rosacea. When Roche was developing a new formulation back in 2000 one of the papers detailing the rationale for the formulation made a number of assertions that the current (then and now) dosage recommendations for Accutane were too high.
I am still not sure my doctor will open to a long term low dose solution.
If anyone knows of a dermatologist in Australia that would be open to a long term, low dose solution I would love to hear from you. A supportive doctor would be a great Christmas gift!

By: john t

john t — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 22:10:10 +0000

Before you do it try Finacea – it worked for me -it takes about 4 weeks to kick in. Much better bet than Accutane.

By: Caro

Caro — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:21:20 +0000

I was treated with Roaccutane about 20 years ago for acne. I stopped my treatment early because the medication exacerbated my rosacea. I was left with flushing and some acne and it was only in the last five years that the flushing subsided. Unfortunately my acne and to a lesser extent my rosacea has returned. I would like to try low dose Accutane as antibiotics are no longer effective. I am prepared to take a low dose long term. I have weighed up all other options and this seems the most attractive option and I would like some quality of life back. My dermatologist is talking about starting me low and working up which I know will cause the flushing to and sensitive skin to return long-term. My question is how do I convince him of the long term low dose option? I desperately want a better outcome than the one 20 years ago. I would appreciate views and any ideas

By: April

April — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:27:04 +0000

Aleks, sorry to hear you are having some issues with getting the drug and some side effects. I am in the middle of the USA and here the drugs are very expensive and government controlled. I was lucky enough to go through the 5 month regime of 20mg 1st month daily and then 40mg daily for 4 more month’s. I had some drying side effects and my skin became redder as the treatment proceeded, but within a6 weeks of stopping the drug my skin looked and felt amazing.
As far as the cost here, 40mg daily for a month without insurance runs about $1,200 dollars. With Insurance I was able to pay $580. I had met my deductible on the insurance and they picked up the rest, so I only paid for 1 month. But the insurance here is expensive too. Here, very few pharmacists are chemists and they are not allowed to make the drug. The government has a I Promise program, we have to do testing every month, women have pregnancy tests and liver enzyme tests. an Dermatologist appt. Doc, goes on-line and reports test results and appt. then I go on-line and answer a bunch of questions about drug side effects and birth control. Then my pharmacist goes on-line and checks to see if all that happened before they can dispense the drug. This happens every time you get a prescription refilled.
I hope you get relief soon. It was the best course for me and I firmly believe that the anti-histamine Zyrtec really helps with the flushing.
Take Care.
April

By: aleks

aleks — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 09:45:02 +0000

Sam, thank you so much. You have helped me a lot, should I decide to go on a third course in near future (which is very likely). Belconnen is in my neighborhood by the way, which is very convenient. I had wonderful results with 20 mg/day, although I’m convinced less is more when it comes to isotretinoin and rosacea for most people, although not for everyone. The results for me lasted only a couple of years, before things started going wrong again. This was accompanied by serious gastrointestinal problems that persist even today. I have no evidence of the direct link between my health problems and roaccutane, but I am otherwise very fit and healthy, and the evidence about the link between roaccutane and bowel-inflammatory diseases out there is quite overwhelming and disconcerting. In any case, I would go on a third course if needed, despite everything. That’s the extent to which rosacea affects my self-confidence and quality of life – I’m willing to take huge risks. I’d rather enjoy life and take risks than be safe and depressed. I wish I had a more competent dermatologist though who could have first recommended a much lower dose to begin with (since I respond very quickly and very effectively to the therapy) and second would have advised me about maintenance doses once I finished the second course, which, based on the anecdotal evidence, work very well for so many people, helping them stay clear and redness-free for many years, if not continuously. Seeing a dermatologist (or other specialist) in Canberra is more difficult than seeing the prime minister. I had to wait long 6 months for my last appointment, only to be given 5 minutes of time by her when she finally saw me. Disappointing. Good luck and please keep posting on your progress.

By: sam

sam — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 07:55:09 +0000

Aleks some further info to try and help you track this dosage down. My local Terry White Chemist in Warwick (Perth) wouldn’t give me the information when I asked but they did say there is a Terry White in ACT – Belconnen Level 1 (means nothing to me sorry) and a phone number 6251 5125. They should be able to get it for you and if they have problems they can call Warwick and get the distributor details from them. Hope this helps