This story is absolutely terrible and of course depression is something that shouldn't be taken lightly, but is Roaccutane really to blame?
I shared my experiences in some of my previous posts; I was depressed before I started taking R and I know from some of my messages I have received on here that a lot of people have been, this is something that we should share with our doctors as you shouldn't be taking this medication if you. I didn't tell mine because the thought of not being able to take this (what I too thought as a) miracle cure was devastating; I had tried everything else and I felt this was my last option. But had anything gone wrong and I was to fall into a deep depression this would have been my fault.
Before giving me my prescription every month I had to have a blood test, a pregnancy test, and my doctor asked me how I was feeling and whether I was depressed. Every month I said no even though sometimes I felt terribly sad.
I kept a diary and most importantly my parents knew I was taking it so they kept a close eye on me; the parents of the boy the article is discussing did NOT know he was taking it. The hardest part about R is feeling alone and like no one knows how you feel, that's one of the reasons I started this blog. He must have felt so alone and like he was having to hide something.
I also remember that when I first went to see my dermatologist he warned me about the risk between R and depression/suicide, he also told me to thoroughly read the list of side effects in the packet and would ask me about any symptoms each month. Maybe it's the fault of some consultants for not pointing this out or telling people to research exactly what it is we are taking before they prescribe it.
However, for all the bad that can be said about R it has changed some people's lives for the better. Have you taken it? What are your thoughts? Even though it didn't have the results I had hoped for I wouldn't have changed my time taking it, in fact I often find myself wishing I could renew my prescription.
There's a documentary being shown on BBC3 on 26th November called "Dying For Clear Skin" which approaches this subject, for me the most interesting thing will be to see the difference in opinion from those who have taken it and those who have not.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this and I hope you're all well!
- Natalie
