Accutane a trigger for Psoriasis? - Urgent advice needed!
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Posted Fri 6 Oct 2017 04.01 by behindnick (edited Fri 6 Oct 2017 22.29 by behindnick)
Hi there, I’m looking for some urgent advice.
My name is Nick, I’m 19
My story -
(Skip to the end if you can’t be bothered reading)
Prior to the following, I had always been 100% fit & healthy. Late 2015 I started accutane (Isotretenoin) treatment for acne, around the same time I endured a very stressful period. A couple/few months after starting my accutane treatment, I developed guttate psoriasis. After seeing numerous doctors & dermatologists, I was repeatedly told it would have been triggered by the stressful event I had experienced, they re assured me it was not caused by the accutane (although I remained skeptical about this.)
The psoriasis was minor-moderate, it covered my arms, legs, and parts of my torso, although not my face. I was given topicals to treat however after researching I found that they were pretty useless & harmful.. I started to look towards diet.. and ate strictly for a couple months, no sugar, fresh vegetables, no nightshades, acids, etc… during this time I developed psoriatic arthritis & also intermediate uveitis in my left eye.
After 4 or so months with psoriasis & arthritis, it randomly disappeared.. the uveitis has remained however it has been at bay and have had no troubles since. I am unsure whether the diet cured me, however I’m guessing most likely not as I went back to eating normal straight afterward.
Now flash forward after a year and a half of batting with depression, then anxiety (triggered by the psoriasis) I am now starting to see symptoms of guttate psoriasis again, this time there is a common connection.
My acne had begun to creep back over time, so 3 weeks ago I decided to go back on accutane (having faith in the doctors & derms. re assurance it definitely will not cause psoriasis)
I now have guttate like psoriasis spots on my face, along with acne. I am incredibly confused, I have booked another appointment to see my dorm however I am somewhat sure it is psoriasis.
I no longer trust medical professionals as they seem to give me textbook answers very confidently. Which scares me as this auto immune disease reads to be somewhat mysterious, no one really knows exactly how it develops & how to treat it, there are so many different stories and from what I now take, treatment is very subjective.. what works for one may not work for another... I read there are many different alternatives which may or may not work.. I just need to be led in the right direction.
side note - I have been told as well as read that ‘accutane can be used to treat psoriasis.’ Again, this reinforces my point that treatment is subjective.
I have many questions & would really appreciate advice on the following -
Should I discontinue the accutane? Or should I continue the accutane hoping it clears the acne so I only have to deal with one problem instead of two?
Could the facial-guttate-psoriasis like marks be an initial reaction to the accutane? Or perhaps anything else?
Should I go back to dieting?
I would really appreciate any advice I could get, as this truly means a lot to me.
Any words to lead me on the right path or inform me would be cherished..
Posted Fri 6 Oct 2017 22.23 by thin-skinned
Irascible septuagenarian fed up with the psoriasis constantly at me :wink:
If you are unable to type without swearing then I think you are asking in the wrong forum and hence the lack of replies!
Posted Fri 6 Oct 2017 23.06 by jojo17
Hi Nick, have you tried sunbeds? Used carefully it would clear your acne and psoriasis. Believe me it will work..I've had psoriasis all my life and always comes out with stress . Really hope this will help you. Good luck 🍀
Posted Sat 7 Oct 2017 10.03 by thin-skinned
Irascible septuagenarian fed up with the psoriasis constantly at me :wink:
I agree that sun light certainly helps some people to some degree and artificial sun light is better than none, so its worth trying with caution because in severe cases of acne light treatment is usually offered under the NHS and the same can be said for our dreaded P .. BUT in IMHO not for long enough.
UV light devices can be bought or hired and various sizes are out there waiting for customers from small hand held lamps right up to full body length types fixed to tilting frames. I am constantly saving up for a 5ft multi tube job (8) but the saving pot always gets raided for more pressing bills; however I'll get there one day :thumbup:
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Posted Sun 7 Jan 2018 21.05 by Twoshoes
Hey Nick, I'm new to this site and just replied to another query earlier very similar to yours.
I think your diet worked. Think of it like your body cleaning itself out. And then after you detoxed you started to eat normal again - This over time built toxins up in your body again (over 1.5 years) poss leading to your anxiety depression and acne too. Just read about the gut connection with psoriasis and a whole list of ailments. Not that we can't relax again on our eating regimes but cleansing giving our bodies a break especially to clear our skin. I'm no doc by the way but I think there's something in it. Book by Dr John Pagano is a good read
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Posted Tue 5 Feb 2019 01.11 by NOCNOC
Late reply here as I just found this site. My brother developed psoriatic arthritis after a course of accutane. I believe accutane was the cause/trigger. He has had joint symptoms and nail involvement. He has had this now for almost thirty years. He was told at the time that something triggered it and they did not know if accutane was the trigger but we all believe it was. There has been no other family member with psoriasis of any kind. I have always had guilt about this as at the time he had bad cystic acne and I encouraged him to use accutane and even helped him pay for it.
Posted Wed 6 Feb 2019 02.05 by Jeannette50
Check on Drugs.com for accutane side effects - can create 'rashes' apparently. I guess though it could still produce psoriasis if you have a genetic tendency. Did you have a flu jab prior to break out? See : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3870220/ I also saw this break out scenario (on other links) could occur a number of weeks after vaccination.
Posted Sun 28 Apr 2019 01.09 by Kate7 (edited Tue 11 Aug 2020 15.23 by Kate7)
Hi all,
Not sure if this will help anyone - i am on roaccutane 60mg per day for almost 3 months and i developed skin rash (radically) within last month that is itchy and looks a lot like psoriasis.
Have taken pictures and will see my dermatologist in 2 weeks.
Just an update 10/08/2020:
Psoriasis was gone when i finished the treatment cycle. I agree that it should be included in the side effects. I also had severe sore throat at the time for more than a month and medical staff wouldn't acknowledge it comes from this.
Some people say that Rosehip oil helps but for me it broke me out even more.
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Posted Thu 2 May 2019 22.17 by june
Hi Nick,I heard loads of people saying that blueberries help psoriasis ,I have started eating half a cup of blueberries each day and my psoriasis have started to calm down,some people have had a complete cure I hope this helps you
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Posted Sun 7 Jun 2020 11.07 by albustruong
Hi, I was on Isotretinoin treatment for a few months. After the oil and acnes were clear, I stopped the treatment. A few weeks went by and the oil and acnes seemed to come back. So I decided to go back on the treatment and have been keeping taking 10 mg of isotretinoin per day. Long story short, I've started to develop psoriasis. My brother was also taking isotretinoin and he also developed psoriasis. There must be a link. I have decided to stop the treatment and see how it goes.
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Posted Thu 11 Jun 2020 21.36 by Jgp
Yes ,i m doctor and in medical science there is no relation between psoriasis and isotretinoin..but but as my experience thre is strong relationship between them... isotretinoin leads to dry skin and dry skin is risk factor for psoriasis so indirectly isotretinoin inccreases psoriasis risk....
So pls dont go for isotretinoin treatments...use topical treatment for acne...but never go for isotretinoin..its my advice bcoz i m same person like you who is suffering from isotretinoin induced psoriasis..
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Posted Wed 5 Aug 2020 12.23 by glcostanza (edited Wed 5 Aug 2020 12.54 by glcostanza)
To behindnick and everyone else who confirmed the link between Accutane and psoriasis via their personal anecdotes:
Thank you very much! I thought I was alone in this. It turns out this is definitely a thing. Thank you to everyone for the tips, as well. There needs to be a warning with Accutane: "may encourage psoriasis in some people." I should mention that I have reported my situation to https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/index.cfm
I will look into this discussion further in the future but for now, I'm very grateful for happening upon this talk via a Google search.
Posted Tue 11 Aug 2020 07.42 by Terminator247
Nick I have suspected this for decades. I never had any signs of psoriasis until I completed my second treatment of Roaccutane. When a lesion appeared on my left temple. I was diagnosed with Psoriasis. An old family doctor wouldn't immunise me against a childhood disease because he was convinced it could trigger Psoriasis. So even he suspected certain drugs could trigger the disease. I'm convinced there's a link and more research is needed.
Posted Thu 12 Nov 2020 14.57 by SIMONSAYS
I am almost positive Accutane has also triggered Psoriasis inside my ears. It is very uncomfortable to deal with and I have reason to believe my Derm is aware of this because she labeled it instantly. There was a length of time in between Accutane treatments where I was not seeing her and I had been examined by multiple GP & RN 's that couldn't even give me a guess as to what was happening with my ears. I kid you not, she barely even looked at them and immediately diagnosed and prescribed topical steroid liquid (i cant remember name right now). However she didn't let me know it was linked to Accutane, I've only recently put two and two together. This particular Derm has had so much cosmetic procedures she resembles those type of ladies that try to look like cats. She also handed Accutane out like candy and looking back on it I dont feel as if this Derm should be able to hold a license. She never even showed me the safety that are required pre-treatment. She also never requested that the mandated tests for for my liver during my 2nd round of treatment.
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Posted Thu 12 Nov 2020 15.20 by Jgp
Don't apply any steroids ..it will flare up much much psoriasis..i am victim of it
Posted Thu 3 Dec 2020 17.30 by SIMONSAYS
What was prescribed was Clobetasol propionate. It worked very well actually and I had only applied it a few times and them didn't need to for a long time. However now I am again having issues and do not have a prescription.
I'm still a strong believer Accutane has caused this long term effect. It is a very miserable condition to deal with. The insides of my ears are constantly super itchy and dry. I have not found a home remedy that alleviates any symptoms relating to my ears. The texture and skin composing my ear is extremely irregular and just strange.
Can someone explain how Psoriasis is sometimes manifested as arthritis? I come across this during online searches but don't quite know or understand how they are related and the likelihood hood of developing both in conjunction- let alone how arthritic Psoriasis is diagnosed.
Posted Fri 4 Dec 2020 06.36 by Tony226
Please check this out: https://www.fairleewell.co.uk/hypnotherapy-clapham/
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Posted Wed 6 Oct 2021 03.29 by Bentley101 (edited Wed 6 Oct 2021 03.32 by Bentley101)
Hello,
I took accutane for 1 year for my cystic acne on my back. During my treatment I saw the normal side effects which were dry chapped lips and dry skin, and bloody noses.
At some point during the end of my treatment, I started to develop what my dermatologist suggested looks like mild eczema on my right leg.
Fast forward a few months and I’ve developed a rash that looks like psoriasis all over my body and scalp. The rash keeps spreading and getting worse each day. It’s itchy and they bleed if I pick at them.
They have prescribed multiple topical steroids for me and none have actually helped with my skin. I stopped treating my skin after they told me this looks like psoriasis because I was concerned that they were giving me misinformation. I wanted to get a second opinion.
I am currently almost positive this was the result of taking accutane. No where did it say this was a possible side effect and the dermatologists’ have tried to reassure me that this is not caused by accutane, but by stress.
I know that’s not possible because I was actually not very stressed at all when this drug was finished. My acne was gone and in fact I was feeling quite well to be done with accutane.
It’s to my knowledge that there is definitely a correlation between accutane and psoriasis and accutane may actually be a factor in causing psoriasis.
This being said, I think it would be in our best interest to discuss amongst eachother the best solution to not only treat this lifelong condition, but to help prevent others from making the same mistake in taking the drug known as accutane.
Or, at least provide people with the knowledge that this drug can actually cause psoriasis in patients who take it.
If anyone is able to read this and can get back to me I would appreciate it, as I am considering taking this to the FDA and even possibly considering a class-action lawsuit.
Thank you for your time, and good luck to all of you struggling with this awful condition.
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Posted Thu 14 Oct 2021 21.32 by glcostanza (edited Thu 14 Oct 2021 21.50 by glcostanza)
Bentley101:
I agree with what you’ve said. I'm sorry you (and all of us) are going through this.
Accutane caused my psoriasis, too. I am interested in your idea of pursuing this with the FDA and class action lawsuit. I believe in order to get the lawsuit to happen, we need to get a dermatologist or doctor (an "expert witness") to attest to this correlation.
If you are putting together anything about Accutane/psoriasis and are interested in collaborating, I’d be interested in partaking.
Thank you very much.
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