37 replies to this topic

[kevy]

I'm 22 and I just started accutane yesterday (took first pill yesterday) at 20mg a day. I have about 30 pimples total, mostly on my lips and moustache region, some on my chin, and some on my cheek/jawline. I've been reading that most people take 40 mg or higher a day and take two pills a day. I was just wondering if there's anyone out there who has/is taking 20 mg in one pill a day, and could you tell me how well it's working. I'm afraid my dermatologist is trying to have me avoid bad side effects and in turn sustain the acne for a longer period (one person said they'll be on 20 mg for a year, I can't do that). Unfortunately I live in Brooklyn, so she doesn't have time to answer my questions as there's too many people in the waiting room. I'm taking accutane to get rid of it forever, not to take it for a year like all the other medications I've been on for 7 years.

[imogen_]

Hey congrats on starting tane... Well i'm on 20mg too, and think i'll be staying at this dose till the end of the course, though i think most people get bumped up later on (you can check out my log if you wanna know about my experience).

good luck with your course!

[Bob Smith]

Usually they bump your dosage up. They need to let your body adjust a bit before they give you the max dosage. 20mg does still sound a little low though the general rule of thumb is 1-2 mg/kg (of body weight). I started on 40 and just went to 80 a couple days ago.

good luck,
bob

[localhost]

20mg is fine enough for a moderate acne . No need to up it i am on 20mg too, it might take longer but atleast the risk of side effects are lessen...check this link out low dose IsoTre..

[kevy]

localhost: That's a really good link, but still, I don't really mind the side effects if it means being on accutane less time and getting rid of acne sooner. Thanks for the advice though.

Bob Smith: My brother was on 80mg a day from day one to finish, and he went through a bad experience. I wish you lots of good luck.

imogen: Hey, I checked out your log and it seems like accutane has been doing everything it's suppose to do for you, which is fantastic. It really inspired me not to up my dosage to anything extreme, but I'm probably going to go to 40mg just to be safe. I look forward to seeing how your progress goes, it'll be like seeing into the future!

xoxo4489: Wow, it's really exciting to know someone with the same dosage taking it almost at the same time. I'll make sure to keep up with your log, could you post the link for it? Thanks!

Day 3

So it finally kicked in. I'm definately getting a dryer face and breaking out a little bit more than usual. But there's this weird tingly feeling in my face that I've never felt before. Most people would go insane from this, but it makes me so happy to know the accutane is doing something!

I got really depressed at a party last night when this drunk guy came up to me and said, "Hey, what's wrong with your face," and then pointed at my acne. Everyone at the party had clear skin and could drink, while I was just sitting on a couch, acne ridden and completely sober. I forgot how retarded we look when drunk, as I am usually also drunk. It makes me wonder why I liked drinking so much. I wanted to leave, but my roommate knew all the people there and we stayed for like 4 hours. I cried a bit when I got home, but after that I was like, hey, fuck that guy! Now I'm fine, just happy knowing it will all be over in the future.

[imogen_]

kevy,

just remember -- your face will be clear in a few months' time. i love your positive attitude, and i hope it'll stay throughout your course

[kevy]

Thanks imogen, I'm definately never giving up.

[color=#FF0000]Day 4

One major thing I've noticed is that within a mere 4 days, my acne does not hurt as much as before. Before I started accutane, I was losing sleep because the pain was so unbearable. I do get a sudden jolt of pain every day (and unfortunately last night), but its not all day, and thats a huge improvement.

The pimples on my cheeks seem to be calming down and there are a few less ones on my upper lip. I still have huge ones in the corners of my lower lip and a handful on my chin. New bumpy zits with no whiteheads are popping up on the outside of my chin. Haven't had those kind since I took tetracycline in high school.

Only side effect I'm getting is dry lips, but I just lick them and they're fine, no need for chap stick yet. My oil production is a bit less.

Sorry if this is so detailed, I just want to know exactly how I'm improving day to day.

Hooray for 20 mgers

[kevy]

Day 5

Was up all last night, couldn't go to sleep because of how itchy/painful my face is. I woke up this morning and had the most pimples I have ever seen on my face. I didn't even bother to count. They're everywhere except below the jawline and forehead/nose.

I really want to up my dose to 60mg a day right now so that I'll only be on this 5 months total instead of who knows how long with only 20 a day, but I have to wait until oct. 6 when I have my next derm appoointment. I'm really mad at my dermatologist for not telling me how much a day she was putting me on or explaining anything. I've learned a lot from this web site and plan to use it to argue getting my dose upped. She doesn't even return my phone calls.

I'll survive though.

[localhost]

hey i have started just 2 days before you on 20mg i am the problem with itch myself it isnt that much on my face but my chest becomes very itchy...and redness is really bothering me too...but it did worked on my pimples i havent had any major breakout on my face ever since i started.... well best of luck to you

[kevy]

Localhost: I'm not really getting it on my chest at all, my back is breaking out a little, but it doesnt bother me. You're lucky you haven't broken out

Day 6

Still have whiteheads all over my face, but I took some pain killers last night to ease the itching/pain. I slept at normal hours for the first time since I started accutane. My lips are chapping, thats the only new thing to report.

[kevy]

Day 7

My chin has a lot less whiteheads than the last 6 days, although my cheeks and moustache region have broken out a lot. Best news: No more pain. Maybe I've gotten use to it or it's a calm before a bigger storm, but i'm not in pain anymore and slept like 9 hours. On top of that, the first week is pretty much over. Only five more weeks of "the worst part."

[kevy]

Day 8

Wow, first week is over. Starting to break out on my cheeks/moustache region like I did on my chin the first few days. Basically my entire face is covered by whiteheads and/or scabby old whiteheads. I'm getting sore muscles and dry eyes, still have chap lips, but honestly the only thing that bothers me is the acne. The side effects are totally worth it knowing I'll be acne free in a few months.

[kevy]

Day 9

Now that the initial breakout is moving from my chin, the time is flying by faster. My chin hurts a little, but nowhere near as much as a few days ago. It also has only half the pimples it did a week ago, and they are smaller. The same thing is starting to happen on my lips and moustache, but my cheeks and sides of my nose are going through the breakout still. I look like crap, but not as crappy as a week ago, and any improvement makes me happy.

[kevy]

Day 10

Finished my first set of pills, hizzah! I don't have any pain anymore, but my face itches like crazy every couple of hours a day. The pimples are starting to become less frequent, but my face is still covered in them. Hopefully I can get on 60 mg/day and finish this thing in 5 months total rather than 6 or more, but for now I'm hanging in there.

Side effects: Sore muscles, it's harder to carry groceries home. My chap lips calmed down, but I'm betting thats only temporary. Face is starting to flake a bit from being dry. Way better than I was a week ago, even a few days ago. Did anyone else get their IB a few days after they started taking accutane?

[localhost]

same here dude we have started together i guess....and my face is very itchy too specially under my lower lip...redness is pretty bad as well.....no new acne for me either.....few of them try to grow and die ....just the forehead which is very messy with old left over scars....

any ways best of luck

[kevy]

localhost, I'm still getting pimples all over my face, it's just nowhere as bad as the beginning. I hate the itchy face as much as I think you do.

Day 12

So my face is starting to flake from being dry, which I guess is a good sign. Otherwise, same amount of pimples. My plan is to up my dose to 40 mg/day next month and then 80 mg/day for 3 months, that way I'll save a few hundred dollars by not having a sixth month. Hopefully my derm will let me do it, otherwise I'll be living without heat in February.

Still have dry lips, but no more sore muscles.

[kevy]

Day 15

So my skin is comepletely covered in white flakes of dead skin. I haven't been in pain for a few days, but the itching is crazy. The area I first broke out in has maybe 1/3 of the pimples it once had, and the ones that are there are small. Still breaking out on my cheeks and jaw line, but they are starting to go away in remote spots. I'm getting a few on my forehead, which hasn't happened since 8th grade. My back is breaking out as well, but not terribly. I'm hoping accutane is just going from pore to pore and fixing the problem one step at a time. I definately look way better than day 3, but still worse than before I started accutane.

And I'm so sick of people asking about my face and having to explain accutane to them. I think I'll just start telling people I have a contagious blood disease so they stop talking to me.

[kevy]

Day 18

I have one tiny pimple on my lips. When I began I had about 8 big ones. I have 4 spots on my chin with 3 or 4 smallllll pimples. When I began I had so many that I couldn't tell where my skin was. My moustache region also had tons of zits, but now is completely clear. My cheeks are becoming more spotty, but still have a lot of pimples. My jawline's zits are getting smaller. I am pretty much back to how much I was breaking out before I started accutane. It's really incredible that the 20 mg seems to be working so fast, but I shouldn't get ahead of myself. I may have another massive breakout in my future.

Side effects: I don't get sore anymore, and the itching only remains in the most recent areas I've broke out in. Still getting flaky face, but I can cover it up with moisterizer when I go out with my friends. Still have chap lips, some days bad and some days really bad. And now that the pimples are going away, I'm seeing how red my face has been this whole time. But that makes the scars blend in with the skin, so it's not too bad.

And I've been drinking a lot, but not enough to get drunk or anything. It'll probably show up on my blood test and I'll have to stop all together.

Feeling much better about myself every day.

[kevy]

Day 23

Just saw my derm today, and she said there's no way she would up my dose. I would have been disappointed, but she told me it was because I looked like I had been on a higher dose this whole time, meaning my acne was improving at a good rate and my face was as dry as someone taking 80 mg/day. And she said I'll only be on it for about 19-20 more weeks, which means I won't go broke.

The pimples on my cheeks and chin are getting smaller and less frequent, while the huge breakout I had on the top of my cheeks is starting to die down, but at a much slower pace than the rest of my face. And my back is breaking out like crazy, which is weird cause I never got more than one or two there.

Side effects: The dry, white, flaky skin is always there, as are the extremely chap lips and dry eyes. But my friends don't care about it, so why should I? No pain, and itching is minimal. Every day I'm getting a bit better.

[dublin79]

Day 10
Did anyone else get their IB a few days after they started taking accutane?

Ye i got mine around the 3rd day, i'm on day 9 now and my face itches like crazy. I'm only on 25mg a day