37 replies to this topic

[Tim1986]

Hey my name is Tim im 20 years old. I just wanted to start a log on here of my progress, side effects and possibly get feedback and advice from other tane users.

Alittle backround about my acne

Well I think I first started getting acne when I was in 8th grade, it started out mild then got alittle worse. Id say my worse years were when I was 15-19, now its just pretty mild, wont ease up so I know im not growing out of it anytime soon.

My dosage

Well my doctor originally wrote my prescription for 40 mg for the first 2 weeks and then 20 mg after the 2, my insurance would only cover 30 pills and he wrote it for 40. So the pharmacy gave me 30 pills of the 20 mg, saying it will last 2 weeks and I would need a new prescription. So having been fed up with I-pledge im just gonna take 20 mg a day for a month until I go to my doctor and see what he says, if he wants to stay at 20 a day or 40 w/e well see.

I was never really worried about the side effects up until I got the I-pledge binder, I mean I did tons of research on the drug, but until I saw all these warnings of depression,psychosis, that really made me think about taking this drug. Having a history of depression I really have to keep track of my moods, although im not gonna think about it every single second because that would make it worse. I thnk I can handle the basic side effects like dry lips/skin, I took my first pill today and have yet to pick up some chapstick, so any suggestions on what I need to get to be prepared? Thanks in advance.

Does anyone think 20 mg a day is a low dose? im 6'0" about 197 lbs. I should be on it for 5 months, hopefully 6 because I want to get all I can out of this treatment. I think I will have low side effects because it is 20 mg, I heard someone on here is at 100? wow.. well hopefully I can get some pics on here soon!!

[varisha]

hi tim...wanted to wish u good luck on ur treatment!
i think the dose depends on the severity of ur acne as well as ur weight
i have acne vulgaris..in between mild-moderate and i'm on 40 mg
i guess if ur not starting to see changes by the end of month 2 u shud speak to ur derm about increasing ur dosage..

[Tim1986]

Day 2

Today my face is the same obviously, just bumps, redmarks and clogged pores on my cheeks.
last night I couldnt sleep at all, prolly not related to accutane.

Side effects
Minor headache last night seems better today

[HyperSniper]

You'll probably be getting headaches off and on for the first 2 weeks. Be sure to drink lots of water.

[Tim1986]

day 3

Well I feel pretty good, my face looks like shit today, more than usual, and I am feeling a breakout coming on my chin area. I doubt this is Tane related, I really cant wait til I start seeing something to let me know the drug is doing its thing.

Side effects

As far as the side effects my lips get alittle dry at night time before bed, also my mouth gets dry, nothing bad at all, cant notice it during the day.

People say to drink lots of water, but I drink lots of coke, like 2-3 cans a day, this shouldnt interfere in my treatment right? its just so hard to stop, and water is boring. I cant wait to go to the doctor next month, I wanna talk to him about upping my dose, maybe 40 at first and 60 after, 20 is cool, but im not even gonna be close to my cumalitive dose. Plus I want a greater chance of remission/cure.

Id love to hear feedback, also check out my profile for pics!

Later

Edit: pics

leftside

rightside

front shot

[Tim1986]

Day 4

Wow so im getting alittle breakout, its weird my skin/complexion is starting to look just like it did when I started retin-a. deff getting a breakout on my chin area.

Side effects

Lips arent really dry, my face feels weird, like I get a tingling feeling, and it just feels diff, like a gross feelin. Is this normal, anyone experience this? plz let me know. Also I have lower back pain, but that could be because I only drink water with my pill and the rest pop.

[Tim1986]

Day 5


So im writing this a bit late, I cant seem to sleep at night lately, its not tane related for sure.
Couple new little white heads, and I can feel acouple of bumps coming up, I can wait until I get deeper into treatment.

Side effects

Lips and mouth are fine, not as much lower back pain, but itching alot on my arms and thighs. Also my face tingles and feels odd, but all is well.

[SemenSkinRegimen]

start moisturizing every morning and every night. if you wait till the rash comes it will be too late and your doc may have to take you off for a month until it heals. it all starts with itching . . .

you can use aveeno calming skin moisturizer that works for me. for face use cetaphil cream in the tub (not lotion in the bottle).

if you do get the rash or bumps use olux foam (clobetasol propionate) or luxiq foam (betamethasone valerate). they are drying steroids so follow with moisturizer. for face use the cetaphil mixed with a tube of triamcinolone. your doc has to prescribe that and the pharmacy compounds it. works great.

good luck and be proactive. get the prescriptions and fill them so you have the medicines just in case you need them. dont let anything get in the way of finishing your course without interruption. this is especially important since it is winter and the dry skin side effects are likely to happen.

[Tim1986]

start moisturizing every morning and every night. if you wait till the rash comes it will be too late and your doc may have to take you off for a month until it heals. it all starts with itching . . .

you can use aveeno calming skin moisturizer that works for me. for face use cetaphil cream in the tub (not lotion in the bottle).

if you do get the rash or bumps use olux foam (clobetasol propionate) or luxiq foam (betamethasone valerate). they are drying steroids so follow with moisturizer. for face use the cetaphil mixed with a tube of triamcinolone. your doc has to prescribe that and the pharmacy compounds it. works great.

good luck and be proactive. get the prescriptions and fill them so you have the medicines just in case you need them. dont let anything get in the way of finishing your course without interruption. this is especially important since it is winter and the dry skin side effects are likely to happen.

My doc said within the first week my face might start peeling, is this what you mean when you say "rash".
Also should I use moisturizer even my face isnt dry right now? its just itchy, and I hate the feeling of putting moisturizer on a breakout. I will keep note of the products you recommended, thanks.

[SemenSkinRegimen]

i know how u feel. i hated putting on moisturizer cos i felt it made me break out. i had to change pillowcases every night and never touched my face.

once accutane starts to work u can worry less about all that. u can start using moisturizer on your face morning and night. you can change pillowcase 1-2 a week.

try moisturizing once a day (or not at all if you feel you really dont need it), but if your skin starts to feel tight it needs to be moisturized.

the peeling is not the rash. i peeled and flaked and my nose became sandpapery as all the sebaceous filaments (clogged pores) came out around week 4.

the rash started for me around week 6-7. starts with little red bumps around back of hand and forearm. can be on knees, legs, back, trunk. different people get them different areas.

if not addressed within a few days with aggressive moisturizing and a topical steroid it can get really bad. spread all over get inflamed the bumbs turn into vesicles, pop, and ooze yellow stuff, crust, and force your to take a month break.

i'd get those prescriptions filled so you can have it on hand if you notice it. check skin every day for any red bumps. the olux foam is great for men because we are hairy. you just spray it on and gently massage it in. the alcohol carrier in it can be drying but u follow up with moisturizer immediately and ur fine. the drying effect is actually somehow beneficial on the rash i've found since it causes the bumps to flake off quicker.

dont let ur doc prescribe a steroid cream, ointment, or lotion. if you are hairy they dont go on well and also force you to rub too hard causing more irritation.

[Tim1986]

Day 6

Wow day 6 came so fast. Im getting so frustrated because I think some damage has been done as far as scarring, I wish I knew about accutane much sooner, sometimes it seems I get scars where there is no active acne. I dont know whats up with that.

Side effects

Nothing besides itching, I itch every where, I tried some aloe lotion, and that works alittle.

[flowerburn]

My doc said within the first week my face might start peeling, is this what you mean when you say "rash".
Also should I use moisturizer even my face isnt dry right now? its just itchy, and I hate the feeling of putting moisturizer on a breakout. I will keep note of the products you recommended, thanks.

I hope you are using a moisturizer, and a heavy lip balm... I feel it's better to start this early than have problems with cracking skin later. Also you should be using a moisturizer anyways, even if you have oily skin as it doesn't cause your face to produce so much oil because your skin is already hydrated. Find something light, and that claims it 'won't clog pores'.
Just thinking about not using a moisturizer makes me cringe.

Best wishes.

[S2000]

Hey my name is Tim im 20 years old. I just wanted to start a log on here of my progress, side effects and possibly get feedback and advice from other tane users.

Alittle backround about my acne

Well I think I first started getting acne when I was in 8th grade, it started out mild then got alittle worse. Id say my worse years were when I was 15-19, now its just pretty mild, wont ease up so I know im not growing out of it anytime soon.

My dosage

Well my doctor originally wrote my prescription for 40 mg for the first 2 weeks and then 20 mg after the 2, my insurance would only cover 30 pills and he wrote it for 40. So the pharmacy gave me 30 pills of the 20 mg, saying it will last 2 weeks and I would need a new prescription. So having been fed up with I-pledge im just gonna take 20 mg a day for a month until I go to my doctor and see what he says, if he wants to stay at 20 a day or 40 w/e well see.

I was never really worried about the side effects up until I got the I-pledge binder, I mean I did tons of research on the drug, but until I saw all these warnings of depression,psychosis, that really made me think about taking this drug. Having a history of depression I really have to keep track of my moods, although im not gonna think about it every single second because that would make it worse. I thnk I can handle the basic side effects like dry lips/skin, I took my first pill today and have yet to pick up some chapstick, so any suggestions on what I need to get to be prepared? Thanks in advance.

Does anyone think 20 mg a day is a low dose? im 6'0" about 197 lbs. I should be on it for 5 months, hopefully 6 because I want to get all I can out of this treatment. I think I will have low side effects because it is 20 mg, I heard someone on here is at 100? wow.. well hopefully I can get some pics on here soon!!

Don't u have public aid ?

[Tim1986]

Hey my name is Tim im 20 years old. I just wanted to start a log on here of my progress, side effects and possibly get feedback and advice from other tane users.

Alittle backround about my acne

Well I think I first started getting acne when I was in 8th grade, it started out mild then got alittle worse. Id say my worse years were when I was 15-19, now its just pretty mild, wont ease up so I know im not growing out of it anytime soon.

My dosage

Well my doctor originally wrote my prescription for 40 mg for the first 2 weeks and then 20 mg after the 2, my insurance would only cover 30 pills and he wrote it for 40. So the pharmacy gave me 30 pills of the 20 mg, saying it will last 2 weeks and I would need a new prescription. So having been fed up with I-pledge im just gonna take 20 mg a day for a month until I go to my doctor and see what he says, if he wants to stay at 20 a day or 40 w/e well see.

I was never really worried about the side effects up until I got the I-pledge binder, I mean I did tons of research on the drug, but until I saw all these warnings of depression,psychosis, that really made me think about taking this drug. Having a history of depression I really have to keep track of my moods, although im not gonna think about it every single second because that would make it worse. I thnk I can handle the basic side effects like dry lips/skin, I took my first pill today and have yet to pick up some chapstick, so any suggestions on what I need to get to be prepared? Thanks in advance.

Does anyone think 20 mg a day is a low dose? im 6'0" about 197 lbs. I should be on it for 5 months, hopefully 6 because I want to get all I can out of this treatment. I think I will have low side effects because it is 20 mg, I heard someone on here is at 100? wow.. well hopefully I can get some pics on here soon!!

Don't u have public aid ?

Please dont come in here with rude questions, dont appreciate them.


Day 7 ,8 and 9

So I went to Springfield, IL to visit my bro for a few days, though not many changes I did drink yesterday, quite heavy. Anyways I bought carmex and some cheap body moisturizer for now, Im still looking for a good face lotion, before my face starts to get dry.

Side effects

Slightly dry lips (barely anything). Itching it better, thats it for now.

[Tim1986]

dAY 10

Wow I cant believe I finished my first pack, many more to go lol. I only have acouple active spots on my chin and mustache area, the rest are red marks.

Side effects

Just itching really, my hands are dry and my face gets slightly dry, but that doesnt bother me at all.

[Tylor]

day 3


People say to drink lots of water, but I drink lots of coke, like 2-3 cans a day, this shouldnt interfere in my treatment right? its just so hard to stop, and water is boring.

Soda, alcohol. sugar or anything with caffiene in it will make you further dehydrated. Too much sugar in the blood will make you urinate more to rid the excess sugar. Drink water sucks but acne sucks more. Good luck, i'm on accutane too.

[Tim1986]

Day 11

No new active, although my skin seems alittle better today.

Side effects

None really just the minor itching.

[Tim1986]

Day 12 & 13

My face seems alittle more flaky, so I went and bought some moisurizer and it took care of that, also got some carmex as my lips were sorta dry.

Side effects
Itching , minor dryness on chin, and peeling lips.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

[Tim1986]

Day 14

Wow 2 weeks really went by quick, and I got many weeks to go yet. Hope everyone have a good Christmas!

Face

I woke up this morning with a lil cluster of pimples on the side of my chin, I think it may be because I used Aveeno calming cream. Or maybe its an IB I dont know, but Im gonna stop using it for now, my face is flaky a bit.

Side Effects

Flaky face, slightly dry lips, hardly noticeable. Weird chest discomfort, feels like pressure on my chest, only when I bend down, and it lasts for like a minute.

[Tim1986]

Day 15

So I have 1 bump on my forehead, acouple that are going down on the side of my chin, and red marks scattered every where on my face. My complextion deff sucks ass, but im just playin this waiting game, im hope that this clears me finally.

Side effects

My face is getting more flakier every day, also my lips are slightly dry and peeling.