Women and Roaccutane

[Lee Penman]

Anyone out there used this whilst still being able to train hard?
Accutane is famous for bone, muscle and joint pain and intense exercise is deemed unadvisable by doctors.
All Accutane experiences welcomed for future article on this drug.

[badgergrl]

Anyone out there used this whilst still being able to train hard?
Accutane is famous for bone, muscle and joint pain and intense exercise is deemed unadvisable by doctors.
All Accutane experiences welcomed for future article on this drug.


I did a 5 month course of accutane last year during my prep for the North American. My doctor did tell me to stop heavy lifting and intense workouts, but I told him I was prepping for a show and wasn't going to stop.
I was totally fine for the first four months. I did have sides (ie: really chapped lips, dry skin, occasional bloody nose), but they were all bearable.
Just a few days before the NA, I tore my hamstring doing a split (just a partial tear), which was something I had done a thousand times before without any problems. I am almost certain that the accutane played a role in that injury. Thankfully, I was done with my training and cardio, and I was able to pose well enough with it for the show. Actually, it wasn't until after the show that I really f'd it up. I thought I was healed and went back to heavy squats when I tore it completely. It took over five months for me to be able to fully train my lower body again.
Just a few months later, I broke my humerus lifting an atlas stone at the Arnold. I did question wheather the accutane may have weakened my bone since it was such a freak accident. How does a bone just break like that?? Shit sometimes happens though, and I don't like to get too caught up in the "what-ifs."

That said......did it do the job? Eh...I'm not super impressed, but it did work better than any other Rx or OTC product I've tried. Most of my acne was on my face...I never had bad body acne. My face still breaks out, but I don't get the really bad, deep kind like before. My skin is just naturally very oily, and I actually liked being on Accutane for that reason....you won't be oily while taking it.
My derm has suggested that I do another round of it, but I wouldn't do it a second time.

[The Prodigy]

I struggle with acne as well and I talked with my dermo about accutane and he suggested I not take it due to bodybuilding. Instead he put me on aldactone and said coupled with my bc pill it would block the hormone receptors that cause hormone induced acne. I have been on it for a few weeks and things seem to be getting better!