ATTN: "ACCUTANE" MEMBERS

[Dubya_B]

There seems to be many of you who are still regular readers of Propeciahelp, who aren’t active on the ATM or acne.org forums.

Momentum has been building over the past couple weeks.

http://www.allthingsmale.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?8-Accutane-Sufferers-Forum
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/295030-repairing-the-long-term-damage-from-accutane/page-206

U.K. Ro/Accutane sufferers have been asked to contact their lawmakers regarding any life-altering side effects.
The parents of several young people in the U.K. who have committed suicide as a result of severe symptoms after Roaccutane are taking steps to ban or put serious restrictions on the use of this drug.

There are also a few of us in America who are committed to taking additional action early in the coming year.
Hopefully others will join us.

RxISK.org, a patient advocacy group, has recently posted a story about sexual side effects as a result of Ro/Accutane.
http://wp.rxisk.org/category/stories/
Please leave a comment.

Accutane and Propecia side-effect sufferers have also been encouraged to file a report through RxISK’s online system:
https://www.rxisk.org/Explore-Side-Effects/About.aspx
as well as their national drug regulatory agency.

[Oscar]

Why don’t you start AccutaneHelp ?

[Len]

i think oscar has a good idea here … just think if the accutane, ssri victims etc. were as organized as propeciahelp … at some point, the foundation may want to reach out to these people, it would be great to to have it all organized for them

they are plenty of victims out there, and organization and a strength in numbers could be huge

[braziliandude]

this is so touching, guys somehow fina and roacutan damaged the same brain area that controls mood and sexuality…good thing is, this is reversible, I dont know till what extend but I can guarantee you I am now able to live my life, normally, like going out and having a good time. My penis hasnt been the same, nor my libido, but this is improving over time, do not lose hope people.

[Gelhead]

@Len

i think oscar has a good idea here … just think if the accutane, ssri victims etc. were as organized as propeciahelp … at some point, the foundation may want to reach out to these people, it would be great to to have it all organized for them

they are plenty of victims out there, and organization and a strength in numbers could be huge

If there can be unity together in our cause and in donations to the PFS Foundation, all of our chances will be improved. There are already numerous Accutaners who donate to the PFS Foundation. As people who took 5-AR inhibitors, this link needs to be built upon immediately.

[Oscar]

Accutane IS NOT a 5a-reductase inhibitor. Also, Accutane people may not join this forum (something you ignored/don’t care about, Gelhead).

To prevent confusion for people that have actually used Finasteride, it is better you find your own space to organise.

[Len]

@Oscar

Accutane IS NOT a 5a-reductase inhibitor. Also, Accutane people may not join this forum (something you ignored/don’t care about, Gelhead).

To prevent confusion for people that have actually used Finasteride, it is better you find your own space to organise.

it inhibits type 1 if i understand this thread correctly …

viewtopic.php?t=4541

[Oscar]

Nobody has ever found anything calling Accutane (Isotretinoin/13-cis retinoic acid) a 5a-Reductase inhibitor. Not type 1 or type 2. Not in that thread or anywhere else. However there are papers that state otherwise and explain why there are hormone changes.

nature.com/jid/journal/v105/ … 0794a.html
Activity of the Type 1 5alpha-Reductase Exhibits Regional Differences in Isolated Sebaceous Glands and Whole Skin

Finasteride and 13-cis retinoic acid were poor inhibitors of the enzyme with 50% inhibitory concentration values greater than 500 nM. These data demonstrate that in the skin from older patients without acne the type 1 isozyme of 5alpha-R predominates, its activity is concentrated in sebaceous glands and is significantly higher in sebaceous glands from the face and scalp compared to non-acne-prone areas, and the action of 13-cis retinoic acid in the control of acne is not at the level of 5alpha-R.

archderm.jamanetwork.com/article … eid=549304
Effect of Isotretinoin on Serum Levels of Precursor and Peripherally Derived Androgens in Patients With Acne

isotretinoin produced depressions in the serum levels of DHT and 3 α-diol G in women and in 3 α-diol G in men. These decreases are believed to be the result, rather than the cause, of a reduction in the size of the sebaceous glands : The magnitude of the observed decreases may represent the amount of tissue-derived androgens that sebaceous glands normally contribute to the circulating pool.

[spstriken]

if you google the molecular structure of Fin and betasitosterole you will see they resemble to Testosterone
and due to this mimicry they bind 5AR enzymes easily with them, but Accutane looks totally different.
I have had asked the same question in the past many times but nobody answered.
if the end result is the same (I mean both Accutane and Fin have the same effects on our body) then
this means we should look at our porblem from different angle.

[Oscar]

@spstriken

if the end result is the same (I mean both Accutane and Fin have the same effects on our body) then
this means we should look at our porblem from different angle.

Are you seriously suggesting people should only look for things that apply to both Finasteride and Accutane? Or that discoveries should be ignored because they don’t apply to Accutane? Or anything needs to change to make Accutane ‘fit’. I hope not.

Now, there might be some similarity somehow. But there is no need to confuse things, there is no need to make any concessions to Accutane. Doing so will only make a confusing situation already more confusing. It will also help Accutane people to focus on their own issues.

Please; Symptoms of ‘PFS’ are not the same as Accutane!!! And to be honest the symptoms are highly subjective, and there’s already so much disinformation and hypochondriacs we don’t need any more. Unless you’re suggesting everyone with sexual dysfunction should ‘join in’?

[Dubya_B]

Oscar, thanks for bumping the thread.

I agree with you on two of the points you have made.

*After reading much of the available scientific literature, I have noticed isotretinoin’s anti-androgenic effects go far beyond just 5-ar inhibition.
In fact, the 5-ar inhibition and reduced androgen levels observed in some of the more recent studies are secondary to those effects.
This is even stated in the same studies and theory papers, although shrinkage of sebaceous glands is also said to be secondary to the
anti-androgenic effects since androgen insensitive people don’t produce sebum.
Hopefully you give some weight to the authors’ professional opinions in these articles when forming your own.

• We should have our own “AccutaneHelp” forum for PFS-like symptoms after Accutane. Our symptoms extend far beyond simply “sexual dysfunction” and ED,
  but often don’t include the most common physical side effects associated with Accutane.
  This thread was meant to direct anyone suffering after Accutane who is still lurking on this forum towards active discussions on the
  topic, where they will no longer be aggravating you or skewing the data.

spstricken, there is no evidence that suggests isotretinoin or any of its metabolites are a competitive inhibitor of 5-ar enzymes the way finasteride is.
It effects 5-ar activity on totally different levels.

[Len]

androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation androgen deprivation …

androgen ablation

accutanehelp etc. is an amazing idea … oscar is a genius

[Second_Amendment]

@Dubya_B

• We should have our own “AccutaneHelp” forum for PFS-like symptoms after Accutane. Our symptoms extend far beyond simply “sexual dysfunction” and ED

If Accutane affected your life so severely, why not go ahead and make a website with its own forum for Accutane side effects, namely the sexual ones. I’m sure Mew would be willing to assist if you need help.

[spstriken]

…

[spstriken]

@Dubya_B

spstricken, there is no evidence that suggests isotretinoin or any of its metabolites are a competitive inhibitor of 5-ar enzymes the way finasteride is.
It affects 5-ar activity on totally different levels.

you are telling me lol?I have been suffering for almost five years and know what I am talking about. Please reread my all posts, from the very first day I believe Accutane is not like Fin/SP, even I wrote it’s chemical structure is different. What I mean is both Fin and accutane are causing the same effects from different routes.

[Still_Here]

Some of us unfortunately enough have taken both and are struggling with both sets of side effects. Any research and donations to the PFS Foundations are going to be helpful.

[Dubya_B]

@Oscar

Why don’t you start AccutaneHelp ?

Because Roche has already registered it: http://whois.domaintools.com/accutanehelp.com

[Len]

too bad … is there another name that can used?

accutane-help
accutanesides
accutancepoision

anything?

the more of these somewhat organized patient groups the better

[Gelhead]

@Oscar

Nobody has ever found anything calling Accutane (Isotretinoin/13-cis retinoic acid) a 5a-Reductase inhibitor.

Retinoic acid (RA): an inhibitor of 5 alpha-reductase in human prostatic cancer cells.

In cells growing as monolayers as well as in cell homogenates RA causes a dose-dependent inhibition of the 5 alpha-reductase activity, thus preventing the conversion of testosterone into its hormonally active metabolite, dihydrotestosterone.

Evidence for decreased androgen 5 alpha-reduction in skin and liver of men with severe acne after 13-cis-retinoic acid treatment.

It is concluded that 13-cis-RA therapy in men with severe nodulocystic acne did not alter gonadal or adrenal functions, but it did induce … deviation of the liver androgen 5 alpha- to 5 beta-reduction pathway.

Interactions of retinoic acid and androgens in human prostatic tissue.

The conversion of testosterone to DHT by 5 alpha-reductase was reduced in the presence of retinoic acid.

[Oscar]

Retinoic Acid (RA) is different from 13-cis-retinoic acid (Accutane).

Isotretinoin aka 13-cis-retinoic acid, is a synthetic analogue of Retinoic acid. And even in the papers you quote it clearly states inhibition was indirect and “… the severe toxicity of RA precludes its systemic use as a 5 alpha-reductase inhibitory drug in humans…”.

Still nothing says Accutane is a 5alpha-reductase inhibitor. Your ignorance of your own problems highlights why you need to focus on Accutane’s unique mechanisms of actions.

Recommended reading; Behavioral and Neuronal Changes Due to 13-cis-retinoic Acid Treatment books.google.co.uk/books?id=Rh5V … s-&f=false