Ye Ol' Accutane Logeth

Hello -

Just took my first pill today, and am both nervous and excited.

I am a 21 year old female (will be 22 on January 21st), 5'10, and 150lbs. My dermatologist prescribed me 40mg, and said to alternate between taking it once a day and twice every second day. He thinks he will keep me at this dosage for the entire course (which he only expects to last sixteen weeks), but we all know that can always change month to month.
I have mild/moderate acne, but I have had it since I was 14. I have tried many different topical treatments, as well as three different kinds of antibiotics. None of these did much of a noticeable or lasting improvement - the only thing that has ever made a significant difference was switching to Yasmin birth control about a year ago. Yasmin has helped my face a little, and since being on it I get less cystic acne, but in general my acne is still persistant. My dermatologist finally decided even though my acne was not severe, I would be a good candidate. I have researched the side effects and read personal logs of Accutane for years, so even though I am a bit intimidated by the next four months I am also very optimistic about the outcome.

I have worn contact lenses since grade seven, and hate the idea of having to wear my glasses all the time on top of experiencing more severe breakouts, so I hope I don't experience too much eye dryness and discomfort. To be on the safe side, I went and had my eyes checked the other day and ordered a new pair of frames that I don't hate as much as my current ones. I am also stocked up with some eye drops. Has anyone here found they could still wear their contacts often without a problem?

Since I have seen a lot of people here praise it, I ordered some Aquaphor for my lips. Wish I could just buy it in a store, but it does not seem to exist where I live in Canada. Until that order comes in, I will keep using Vaseline and various chapsticks. I am worried about dryness in general, as I am already pretty dry in my skin and lips (even though I am also very shiny), especially during the winter. I am already having nightmares of trying to put makeup on extra flaky skin and looking like some sort of frightening dragon lady.

I took some before pictures without makeup (I never leave the house without makeup, which is a sad thing), but they are trapped on my camera until I buy another SD card reader. Eventually I will post some, along with progress pictures.

I could have started my Accutane course before Christmas, but decided to wait until today since there were so many holiday plans that involved drinking. Last night my purse was stolen from a New Years celebration, so it was not a very good start to 2009. Here is to hoping the pill I took today is the first step towards changing that