I took Accutane for six months when I was 17, and now four years later I still have many side effects as if I'm still taking it. My symptoms are dry eyes, skin, lips, nostrils, throat, and fatigue-- the last of which I found is linked to my gut health and has been immensely helped by Ray Peat's teachings and Hans, who frequents this forum. My dryness has been killing me, and as I learn more about health it seems that I have to strike a balance between my overall health and managing the dryness. I do what I can that is safe for dryness; I try to drink about a gallon a day of water, and I supplement 6,000 IU vitamin A, some vitamin E, and 12mg astaxanthin. However, I also have been implementing different PUFAs in the form of black currant seed oil, fish oil, and flax seeds. So far the fish oil seems to help the most with that dryness. I'm also passionate about singing (which has been greatly effected by my Accutane use by the downregulation of saliva and healthy mucosa production), and have been taking Cevimeline for more saliva (though it makes me feel sick to my stomach), and I've been looking into different Iodine compounds like Domiodol and Iodinated Glycerol for increased mucosa production... though now I've learned that Iodine can be detrimental to thyroid health. So my question is, is there a way to heal secreting mechanisms/glands in my body to fix dryness at the root, without some of these unhealthy options? So far the only options I seem to have to help with dryness from within is with PUFAs, Iodine, and Cevimeline, but these have side effects and risks that I don't like taking on my health. What else can I do? Thanks a ton in advance, I'd love to hear this forums take on this issue.
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Post-Accutane Dryness-- Balancing PUFAs and Health
- Thread starter AndyMan
- Start date
Stop supplementing vitamin A (and E) but especially A, which includes beta carotene and astaxanthin. It's contributing to your dryness and people get enough vitamin A from diet. You definitely shouldn't be supplementing vitamin A as a former accutane user.
Improving androgens and overall metabolic health should help heal the dryness. To do this, I'd continue to follow Han's work (Home » MENELITE) and watch his YouTube videos. You may do well on a lowish vitamin A diet as well. Red meat, organ meat (minus liver), chicken, rice, potatoes, low vitamin A fruit (pineapple, apple, blueberries, grapes), chocolate, maple syrup, oysters, scallops etc. are some ideas.
I'd stop the Cevimeline since it makes you feel bad.
I'm not sure there is a quick and easy fix to recover from Accutane (I took it 14-15 years ago and made me feel like crap but you can recover).
Improving androgens and overall metabolic health should help heal the dryness. To do this, I'd continue to follow Han's work (Home » MENELITE) and watch his YouTube videos. You may do well on a lowish vitamin A diet as well. Red meat, organ meat (minus liver), chicken, rice, potatoes, low vitamin A fruit (pineapple, apple, blueberries, grapes), chocolate, maple syrup, oysters, scallops etc. are some ideas.
I'd stop the Cevimeline since it makes you feel bad.
I'm not sure there is a quick and easy fix to recover from Accutane (I took it 14-15 years ago and made me feel like crap but you can recover).
In TCM, dryness syndrome (sjogren's syndrome or sicca syndrome) is highly correlated with "yin-deficiency". Yin is responsible for moistening and cooling bodily functions, so "yin-supporting" foods are good for you.
Foods to Help Nourish Your Yin
If you’ve been diagnosed by your Acupuncturist or Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (TCMP) as having “Yin Deficiency”, then this article is for you. Yin in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is vital to your health. It has functions of nourishing, moistening and cooling the body. But...
Sjogren's syndrome is found among people who take Accutane. Primary symptoms are dryness (dry mouth and dry eyes), pain and fatigue. Elevated Th1 and Th17 cytokines are involved in the onset and progression of Sjogren's syndrome.
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This is helpful, thank you for the reply. How long did it take for you to feel better after Accutane? Anything in particular help speed up the healing process?
This is a fantastic resource, thank you! I did a blood test and was negative for Sjogren's. Does this mean it's more of a damage to secreting glands that needs to be healed, or an immune response that needs to be addressed?In TCM, dryness syndrome (sjogren's syndrome or sicca syndrome) is highly correlated with "yin-deficiency". Yin is responsible for moistening and cooling bodily functions, so "yin-supporting" foods are good for you.
Foods to Help Nourish Your Yin
If you’ve been diagnosed by your Acupuncturist or Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (TCMP) as having “Yin Deficiency”, then this article is for you. Yin in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is vital to your health. It has functions of nourishing, moistening and cooling the body. But...www.shenspace.ca
Sjogren's syndrome is found among people who take Accutane. Primary symptoms are dryness (dry mouth and dry eyes), pain and fatigue. Elevated Th1 and Th17 cytokines are involved in the onset and progression of Sjogren's syndrome.
Hard to say - I honestly didn't realize Accutane had such severe side effects until I started researching it years later when my health crashed due to many other reasons. I think it was maybe 6-8 months after my second course I started feeling pretty good again.
The only things I am aware of that speed up the healing process are good nutrition (make sure you get all your vitamins and minerals, but especially b-vitamins, magnesium, zinc), lots of sleep, exercise/lifting weights, sunlight etc. . I wish there was a magic bullet...but everyone's situation is always different.
I'd specifically read Han's articles on boosting testosterone and optimizing digestion - he has more than a few. Those contain lots of good info on how to improve your overall health.
One thing that might specifically help with the dryness is oral Hyaluronic Acid (not topical). The companies Renue by Science and Do Not Age both sell this and have some info on it on their websites. Other vendors also sell it, you just have to make sure it's high molecular weight. May be worth looking into.
A hyaluronidase inhibitor such as myrrh may also be worth looking into.
This is a decent product, for example:
Amazon product ASIN B000S86T5EView: https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Way-Myrrh-Gum-Capsules/dp/B000S86T5E/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MNJ3CXI913M3&keywords=myrrh+natures+way&qid=1646419562&sprefix=myrrh+natures+way%2Caps%2C197&sr=8-1
This is a decent product, for example:
Amazon product ASIN B000S86T5EView: https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Way-Myrrh-Gum-Capsules/dp/B000S86T5E/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MNJ3CXI913M3&keywords=myrrh+natures+way&qid=1646419562&sprefix=myrrh+natures+way%2Caps%2C197&sr=8-1
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