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How could beta-carotene supplementation alleviate Accutane symptons?
Quote from
Navid on April 19, 2024, 6:54 am
Hi everyone,
I recently came across this thread on acne.org where someone is talking about long-term side effects from Accutane use. A little lower in the thread, the original poster states that they have been supplementing with beta-carotene, and this has alleviated some of their symptoms.
I'm relatively new to the vitamin A scene and still trying to wrap my head around it all. What could be the explanation for why supplementing with beta-carotene would alleviate symptoms? Could it be that this individual was in "detox mode" and then the supplements put them back in "storage mode"?
Hi There,
I have been supplementing with Beta Carotene and it has been incredible for overcoming Accutane side effects in the long-term. Since taking the drug in '91, I have suffered from anxiety and depression, sexual dysfunction, joint pain...the list goes on. Because of the fact that Isotretinoin or Accutane is a vitamin A derivative and is responsible for all of the miserable side effects that have plagued me for years, I never thought that supplementing with vitamin A was a good idea. However, many of my side effects I found out were similar to vitamin A deficiency! Poor night vision, leukoplakia, irritability, low energy, etc. Since taking Beta Carotene in doses ranging between 10-40,000 IU per day, all of the psychological and sexual symptoms have improved a great deal. I still have some joint pain but I am taking other supps for this that really help. Beta C. is not a miracle cure-all, but it will make your life better than anything else I believe. I take a food based form that is made from carrot concentrate, lemon grass, spirulina. Somehow, just eating carrots on their own hasn't been effective in the same way. Please consult your Naturepath or MD to confirm my findings, but I wanted to share with you my experience so that others might benefit and not have to suffer any more from Accutane's long-term effects.
Health and Best,
Matt Doszkocs (AKA Chiron)
Hi everyone,
I recently came across this thread on acne.org where someone is talking about long-term side effects from Accutane use. A little lower in the thread, the original poster states that they have been supplementing with beta-carotene, and this has alleviated some of their symptoms.
I'm relatively new to the vitamin A scene and still trying to wrap my head around it all. What could be the explanation for why supplementing with beta-carotene would alleviate symptoms? Could it be that this individual was in "detox mode" and then the supplements put them back in "storage mode"?
Hi There,
I have been supplementing with Beta Carotene and it has been incredible for overcoming Accutane side effects in the long-term. Since taking the drug in '91, I have suffered from anxiety and depression, sexual dysfunction, joint pain...the list goes on. Because of the fact that Isotretinoin or Accutane is a vitamin A derivative and is responsible for all of the miserable side effects that have plagued me for years, I never thought that supplementing with vitamin A was a good idea. However, many of my side effects I found out were similar to vitamin A deficiency! Poor night vision, leukoplakia, irritability, low energy, etc. Since taking Beta Carotene in doses ranging between 10-40,000 IU per day, all of the psychological and sexual symptoms have improved a great deal. I still have some joint pain but I am taking other supps for this that really help. Beta C. is not a miracle cure-all, but it will make your life better than anything else I believe. I take a food based form that is made from carrot concentrate, lemon grass, spirulina. Somehow, just eating carrots on their own hasn't been effective in the same way. Please consult your Naturepath or MD to confirm my findings, but I wanted to share with you my experience so that others might benefit and not have to suffer any more from Accutane's long-term effects.
Health and Best,
Matt Doszkocs (AKA Chiron)
Quote from
tim on April 19, 2024, 8:47 am
@navid
Accutane is 13 cis retinoic acid. It's not vitamin A, it's a vitamin A metabolite with a short half life in the body.
Accutane can induce VDR resistance so it can probably induce retinoic acid receptor resistance too.
Large doses of vitamin D can improve symptoms for those with VDR resistance so it's plausible that increasing retinoic acid levels could improve symptoms for those with retinoic acid receptor resistance.
Kind of like getting a hearing aid when one is partially deaf.
@navid
Accutane is 13 cis retinoic acid. It's not vitamin A, it's a vitamin A metabolite with a short half life in the body.
Accutane can induce VDR resistance so it can probably induce retinoic acid receptor resistance too.
Large doses of vitamin D can improve symptoms for those with VDR resistance so it's plausible that increasing retinoic acid levels could improve symptoms for those with retinoic acid receptor resistance.
Kind of like getting a hearing aid when one is partially deaf.
Deleted user has reacted to this post.
Quote from
Navid on April 19, 2024, 11:15 am
@tim-2, I might be missing something. I thought the crux of Grant's work is that all forms of vitamin A eventually turn into retinoic acid. So by that logic, shouldn't high beta-carotene supplementation lead to similar symptoms as Accutane? Are you implying that carotenoids are not harmful?
And I don't know much about the retinoic acid receptor. I'm not quite sure what role RAR resistance plays here.
@tim-2, I might be missing something. I thought the crux of Grant's work is that all forms of vitamin A eventually turn into retinoic acid. So by that logic, shouldn't high beta-carotene supplementation lead to similar symptoms as Accutane? Are you implying that carotenoids are not harmful?
And I don't know much about the retinoic acid receptor. I'm not quite sure what role RAR resistance plays here.
Quote from
tim on April 19, 2024, 10:05 pm
@navid
Retinol is either used for vision or metabolized into retinoic acid.
Retinoic acid has a short half life in the body. The only reason retinoic acid levels can be chronically high is due to retinol stored in the liver being metabolized into retinoic acid. If you take a large dose of exogenous retinoic acid i.e. Accutane it doesn't get stored in the body. Before it gets metabolized and excreted though it can cause all sorts of damage which may include affecting retinoic acid receptors long term.
If retinoic acid receptors are destroyed or dysfunctional more retinoic acid will be needed to exert the amount of genetic expression that would normally occur from lower levels of retinoic acid.
Beta carotene supplementation could relieve symptoms while simultaneously causing more harm. Similar to how diabetes works. The body produces more and more insulin to get nutrients into cells but the pancreas is harmed while doing so.
@navid
Retinol is either used for vision or metabolized into retinoic acid.
Retinoic acid has a short half life in the body. The only reason retinoic acid levels can be chronically high is due to retinol stored in the liver being metabolized into retinoic acid. If you take a large dose of exogenous retinoic acid i.e. Accutane it doesn't get stored in the body. Before it gets metabolized and excreted though it can cause all sorts of damage which may include affecting retinoic acid receptors long term.
If retinoic acid receptors are destroyed or dysfunctional more retinoic acid will be needed to exert the amount of genetic expression that would normally occur from lower levels of retinoic acid.
Beta carotene supplementation could relieve symptoms while simultaneously causing more harm. Similar to how diabetes works. The body produces more and more insulin to get nutrients into cells but the pancreas is harmed while doing so.
Deleted user has reacted to this post.
Quote from
Navid on April 22, 2024, 2:55 pm
@tim-2
Thanks, that makes more sense.
@tim-2
Thanks, that makes more sense.
tim has reacted to this post.
