When I was a teenager, I had terrible acne. When I was in college, I had terrible acne. When I was a young adult, I had terrible acne. When I got into my mid-twenties, I had terrible acne. At age 27 I went to see a dermatologist and said something seemed to be wrong with me. Why did I still have terrible acne? (It was never like some of the horror stories out there where it's all consuming, but it was constant and consistent and made me feel terrible. There were days when I simply wanted to hide in my house because I felt I looked just so terrible. Acne is a traumatizing disease.)

So, my dermatologist agreed that I had a recurring acne problem and prescribed Accutane for me for about 6 months in 1997. The stuff was like a miracle drug. It cleared up my skin like nothing else I'd tried. To this day I have much, much, much clearer skin than I ever knew was possible for me. It totally changed my outlook and my own sense of self. It was wonderful.

So I'm not sure what to make of this article detailing the possible depressive side-effects of the drug (although I do feel the article was a bit overdramatic and not being completely even-handed in its assumptions and biases). I was given those same warning when I took the drug, but I didn't suffer any depressive episodes at that time (although I was also on Prozac for my OCD, so that may have buffered me). I have always viewed Accutane as this great savior, and it was for me, and I hope it will be for others. As with any drugs, there are side-effects, I just hope that suicidal/depression isn't such a major one for some people who take Accutane.