sarah h's isotretinoin log

Well, it is almost approximately 1.5 years after I had to suddenly stop taking the Sotret because of severe joint pain. My dermatologist had told me that if I had stayed on another 2 weeks, I probably would have never had an issue with acne again in my life. And for the most part, I have remained acne-free since coming off the medication.

Lately, however,...

hm, i have NO idea if anyone even reads this, but I thought I would give a short update.

it has been 90 days, 3 months, since i stopped taking sotret, and i am realizing it left me with a lot of hyperpigmentation... i know a lot of people say their acne scars drastically fade once they stop taking accutane, but this has not been the case with me, so...

not sure if anyone still checks in on my little blog here, but i thought i'd post an update since it's been a while.

actually, i haven't had any zits since my last entry, and i'm feeling really good about that! i am pretty sure i'll have little ones pop up right before my period... but please, that'll be nothing i can't...

since stopping the sotret prematurely, i have had 2 zits right below my lip, and one is still hanging around.. it's taking forever to go away!

as far as the side effects...... i don't need to use aquaphor anymore, just the occasional chapstick. i have my energy back completely, which feels great. my mood has improved. but still some joint pain,...

so last night i visited my derm, and he put me on an antibiotic (solodyn) and some cream for my face, a version of retin-a. since i'm getting married in 44 days, i was worried about the acne coming back since i had to stop taking the sotret early, so this is his solution.

we'll see if i can keep the acne at bay by using the antibiotic and topical...

so this is my fifth day of being off the sotret, and i gotta admit, not much is different. my joints still hurt like a mother effer, my lips are dry, my skin is dry..... but hey, at least i'm not breaking out!

in fact, here is a picture that i took yesterday, with makeup.... so you can see i'm still pretty smooth. here's hoping i stay that...

well, today is DAY 106, and I have news....

my joint pain was just getting to be too severe. EVERY TIME i get up from either laying or sitting down, i need to stop for a minute to adjust to the pain. it's absolutely debilitating, and i couldn't take it anymore, so i called my dermatologist and he advised me to IMMEDIATELY stop taking the...

HOORAY! I'VE MADE IT TO ANOTHER IMPORTANT ISO-MARKER - I'm officially 2/3 done with my treatment!

dose: 60 mg Sotret
acne: NADA!!!! i even started my period this week and only had that one minor whitehead on my jawline... nothing else has popped up since. signs that the...

dose: 60 mg Sotret
acne: one new whitehead on my jawline this morning, but i'm due to start my period soon, so i'm sure i'll get a few more zits over the next few days, hopefully nothing major.
side effects: still the same, mostly problems with the joint pain. right knee is especially bad today.

i haven't posted pics in...

dose: 60 mg Sotret
acne: still 100% clear. still lots of scarring and red spots, though
side effects: so many bad ones!
- chapped lips - this is major. i wake up several times during the middle of the night from it and have my huge tub of vaseline on my nightstand, so i slather more on.
- fatigue.... absolutely NO energy
- inside...