I have been struggling very much with something recently and I feel the need to share my conclusion as advice (warnings) against what I have discovered with experience.

I begin taking accutane 2 weeks ago. Oddly, about one week ago I noticed my adderall was having no effect anymore. I begin feeling immensely sedated, non-stop. I searched and searched and spent hours on this damn forum trying to figure out why suddenly my medication was not working. I discontinued any use of caffeine, took it on a completely empty stomach, even upped my dosage moderately. Nothing.

Then (what probably appears obvious to all of you) it finally dawned on me it could be the accutane. Duh, right? I found a similar forum devoted to accutane and discovered this drug has terrible side effects; especially weakness, fatigue and drowsiness. (Among very serious other effects!!)

Additionally, I posted about this on that forum and had some responses with fellow ADDer's which all agreed that their stimulate Rx do not work during the majority of the accutane treatment. (Apparently, it comes back near the end, but who wants to wait at least four months to start functioning again??)

Basically I suppose I just wanted to let everyone know that although their is no listed drug interaction between the two, I would strongly advise against mixing them as it has effected me in such a debilitating way.

Accutane from what I understand makes people severely depressed and is only prescribed when all else has failed, that explains the effect you describe.

Wow my face is pretty clear but I have heat bumps so I figured I would go on Proactive maybe that would be bad what do think?

Wow my face is pretty clear but I have heat bumps so I figured I would go on Proactive maybe that would be bad what do think?


Proactiv is a topical treatment; so no, I do not think it would be bad at all. Accutane is PO, therefore it produces systemic effects.

I'm so disappointed in myself for not researching about this drug more extensively prior to taking it. There is a whole forum which represents a support group for those who have been off accutane for years, and are suffering from severe and permanent side effects. Depression, psychosis (between schizophrenia and biopolar disorders), permanent vision loss, myopathies, headaches, so much more. Interestingly, it was originally marketed as a chemotherapy agent during its initial release to the general public in the 80s.

I'm just still so nervous these awful feelings are not going to go away..

Accutane should be more tightly regulated, IMNSHO. And the NA doctors should use it the way the Europeans doctors do. (half the dose for twice as long)

Proactiv ROCKS, but I could only use it about 3-4 days in a row. (Serious Desert face.)

A book I recommend reading is Dr. Perricone's book. He covers how food reactions affect skin and how this have never been scientifically studied as a link to acne (except by the Meat and Dairy and Junk Food companies).

FFAs (free fatty acids) and sebum production and inflammatory hormones seem to be triggered by certain foods/drinks in acne-prone people.

Ah, if i could only give up dairy...

reL #4

A lot of acne is "internal" (inflammatory hormones; sebum production; internal hormones) though.

No external or topical thing like Proactive will "cure" our acne.

External treatments are just another form of "management" of this condition.

I think getting hormones checked is wise (women can take the Pill to lower Acne; cyproterone acetate).

So is exploring supplements (e.g. zinc; other vitamins) and knowing what to avoid food (iodine-rich foods like kelp/sushi) and bad habits to stop (no touching face) and product-wise (e.g. avoid topical products with mineral oil in them, etc; "don't go to the cosmetics counter w/o me" book), etc.

I prefer multiple management strategies. This should all be taught and tried before Accutane. (Another example of Pills being used by MDs, before Education and Skills. Grrr.)

Just had to chime in here. The post was about how adderall doesn't work when used at the same time as accutane. I don't know if this is true, because i've never taken them together, but it would be very helpful for the original poster to get information on that particular subject if anyone out there has taken the two together, or knows of any good sources of info.

On the subject of acne/accutane in general, not to go off topic, but I will just say this to anyone who thinks management of acne is an easy thing. If you are a person who gets a few pimples here and there and can clear it up with a supplement or over the counter product, count your blessings. Persistant, cystic acne is a very serious condition, and it does more than just make one look bad. It had lasting damaging effects on self-esteem and can wreak havoc on one's life. I know, because I began breaking out at the age of 9 and tried EVERYTHING: supplements, a bunch of differnet birth control pills, antibiotics, not touching my skin, not wearing makeup, changing my pillow case every day, using only fragrance free detergents, eating a special diet, trying every product in the drug store. I read EVERY book in the library and could practically have earned a dermatology degree with all the studying and research I did, and nothing that I read worked for me to any degree. It was awful and it was everywhere. There wasn't one spot on my face that didn't look red and inflamed, and it wasn't until I was in my early 20s and given accutane that I was able to look at myself in the mirror without feeling like practically crying.

Some people have acne that cannot be cleared up with diet, exercise and thinking happy thoughts, and even though I have great skin now, just hearing someone say it can be managed through lifestyle changes is enough to bring me right back to feeling like an ugly freak with no self-esteem. Accutane was not offered to me until I had failed with EVERYTHING else possible, but if it had been offered to me earlier, it could have helped me to see that I was not a freak. Looks aren't everything, but when you have a severe case of acne, believe me...just believe me, you can't know what it's like unless you go through it. Now people tell me I'm beautiful and it's so humbling to hear, and I know what's really important in life, but I was not able to fully experience those important things when I had severe acne because of the damage it caused to my self-esteem.

So my point is, no, some acne cannot be managed without serious intervention.

Accutane, like adderall, is not evil. Some poeple have bad side effects from it and some don't, JUST LIKE ADDERALL. Certainly you should learn the facts on it before using it, but don't avoid it if you need it out of fear. I used it not once, but TWICE, the highest dose available, and I haven't had any adverse effects, not then and not now, 7 years later, and my skin looks like I've never had a pimple. (For the record, I broke out a bit a while back from taking provigil, tried Proactive and broke out much worse. Now I just take fish oil and it works great. My skin is back to being good. But fish oil didn't work on my old, persistant acne. Nothing did.)

Anyway, back to the subject at hand, dalitwil, I'm so sorry that accutane negates, or appears to negate the effects of your adderall. That really stinks, because for me accutane was a wondeful thing that worked when absolutely nothing else did. You don't say how persistent your acne problem is, so I'm assuming it's probably not as bad as mine was, but I truly hope you will talk to your doctor about what options you have, and don't be nervous about continuing accutane until you do discuss it with your doctor. As I said, I have not had a single bad side effect, and nor have any of my family members who took it, or several other people I know. There are risks, and you should certainly know about them and weigh those risks for yourself, but, just like with adderall, your response to accutane will differ possibly from mine or anyone else's. Good luck!

Accutane, like adderall, is not evil. Some poeple have bad side effects from it and some don't, JUST LIKE ADDERALL.

I most certainly agree with you. I apologize if my original post was persuasive of anti-accutane; I had just wanted to share my experience that for some very odd reason, took me longer than I would expect to resolve.

I also very much agree with serious acne being a very debilitating condition. Many of my friends with such a condition had had wonderful results from this drug; thus my decision to try it--although my condition is rather far from serious. I suppose I was one of those rare cases in which the side effects became extreme, and very quickly. In all reality, it had nothing to do with losing effect of my adderall. It effected my entire body in such a way that nothing could counter it. Most especially, it retarded my mentality. Today, I am 2/3 past the half life of this drug, and I feel almost completely recovered.

The majority of my research of this drug has come from similar forums, dedicated to individual experiences throughout the course of therapy on accutane. Being a progressive member of health care, I am almost sad to state the most valuable information I have found about varying medical related things have come more from here (and there) than what my doctors can really provide (and even some of my professors). Nothing beats experience.... and now I'm way off topic.

On the subject of acne/accutane in general, not to go off topic, but I will just say this to anyone who thinks management of acne is an easy thing. If you are a person who gets a few pimples here and there and can clear it up with a supplement or over the counter product, count your blessings. Persistant, cystic acne is a very serious condition, and it does more than just make one look bad. It had lasting damaging effects on self-esteem and can wreak havoc on one's life. I know, because I began breaking out at the age of 9 and tried EVERYTHING: supplements, a bunch of differnet birth control pills, antibiotics, not touching my skin, not wearing makeup, changing my pillow case every day, using only fragrance free detergents, eating a special diet, trying every product in the drug store. I read EVERY book in the library and could practically have earned a dermatology degree with all the studying and research I did, and nothing that I read worked for me to any degree. It was awful and it was everywhere. There wasn't one spot on my face that didn't look red and inflamed, and it wasn't until I was in my early 20s and given accutane that I was able to look at myself in the mirror without feeling like practically crying.

Some people have acne that cannot be cleared up with diet, exercise and thinking happy thoughts, and even though I have great skin now, just hearing someone say it can be managed through lifestyle changes is enough to bring me right back to feeling like an ugly freak with no self-esteem. Accutane was not offered to me until I had failed with EVERYTHING else possible, but if it had been offered to me earlier, it could have helped me to see that I was not a freak. Looks aren't everything, but when you have a severe case of acne, believe me...just believe me, you can't know what it's like unless you go through it. Now people tell me I'm beautiful and it's so humbling to hear, and I know what's really important in life, but I was not able to fully experience those important things when I had severe acne because of the damage it caused to my self-esteem.

So my point is, no, some acne cannot be managed without serious intervention.

Accutane, like adderall, is not evil. Some poeple have bad side effects from it and some don't, JUST LIKE ADDERALL. Certainly you should learn the facts on it before using it, but don't avoid it if you need it out of fear. I used it not once, but TWICE, the highest dose available, and I haven't had any adverse effects, not then and not now, 7 years later, and my skin looks like I've never had a pimple. (For the record, I broke out a bit a while back from taking provigil, tried Proactive and broke out much worse. Now I just take fish oil and it works great. My skin is back to being good. But fish oil didn't work on my old, persistant acne. Nothing did.)
This post could not be any more TRUE. Unless you have dealt with the persistent pain and suffering that real, cystic acne can cause, you do not know the half of it. Thank you, Desperate1 for bringing this up and sharing your experience.

Personally, (an i am not going into detail here), without the help of Accutane, I WOULD NOT BE ALIVE TODAY. I am almost 100% certain of that. Being hit with incredibly severe acne at 17, I contemplated suicide multiple times and had plenty of plans to follow through with. When my doctor finally put me on Accutane--a decision that was put off for FAR too long, it was the only thing that even made a dent in my acne. Accutane, along with huge diet changes and regular visits with a facial aesthetician, I eventually saw results. That was 4 years ago, and I still break out to this day, but nothing like the heartache and suffering I went through my senior year of high school. Those memories forever irk my mind, and I will always be sure to enlighten those who do not understand what a profound effect this condition can have on an individual. Accutane saved my life.

I am sorry to the OP, I don't have anything to add regarding the mixing of Adderall and Accutane, as I was not on Adderall when I took Accutane back in 2004...

I just wanted to say that I am currently on tane for the second time and have not noticed it nullifying my adderall at all. I take on average 30 mg/day and the only side effect is occasional dry lips and an increased disposition to scarring. I think its better to try a lower dose, especially if your acne isn't severe. I'd also like to say that by all means accutane should be avoided if at all possible, you should only consider it if your are desperate, whether or not your on adderall. In terms of innability to functon, Acne>ADD, no question.