99 replies to this topic

[yowasup]

hey, my derm told me that it was ok to keep using my topicals for the first few days, then to stop. I was also on tazorac and it seemed to keep my skin under control throughout the switch from tazorac to accutane. I kept using tazorac for about 5 days, then stopped and my face didn't get that dry at all and my skin was looking pretty good. I was only on 20 mg. and i just used as much moisturizer as possible with the tazorac. Since ur son is on 40mg, i suggest stopping the tazorac as soon as he feels an increase in dryness. it should be nothing to worry about because, either way, your son is going to end up with clear skin. if he ever gets mad about his acne just remind him that it will all be gone soon enough.

[sakul]

Day 4 - December 22, 3006

Well today is the last day of school before holiday break, so this is good news. Some kid just had to make an acne remark to my son yesterday. What an idiot... I can't wait until that doesn't happen anymore. I'm not even sure how much this happens, but I hate it.

So far no real side effects. His skin is not excessively dry. He isn't breaking out horribly yet. He has the big zit on the upper lip at the corner, but aside from that no new breakouts have surfaced. I 'm sure they will, but nothing broken through yet. I have been putting a little duac on the active zits just to try and keep things under control. Thanks yowasup for letting me know your derm told you it was alright to stick to your topicals for a few days. I guess the only real reason they tell you to stop is for the dryness issue, so until he starts showing some signs, I think I'll still have him use something. He likes those Olay cleansing clothes and they are super mild, so that is working out ok.

Thank you Heather for your comment about the Uncle Dan's balm! And congratulations to you! Wow, it must feel incredible to be done! You have a lot to celebrate this holiday! I hope that my son does not have scarring in the long run. I know if he continued on the way he is, that he would have it. I had acne too, but at the time there was no accutane. I remember though. I do remember. That's maybe why I'm obsessed with this now.

Until tomorrow, have a good one!

Sakul

[sakul]

Snooping around today and found the below abstract. Guess I'll go get the kid some vitamin E!
Sakul

Clin Exp Dermatol. 2006 May;31(3):430-4.

Does the plasma level of vitamins A and E affect acne condition?

El-Akawi Z,
Abdel-Latif N,
Abdul-Razzak K.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jordan University of Science and Technology, School of Medicine, Irbid, Jordan.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin A and E are lipid soluble antioxidants that are necessary for our health. Deficiency in these vitamins can cause serious diseases. Administration of vitamin A and E to patients with acne was shown to improve their acne condition. AIMS: To test the relationship between plasma vitamin A and E levels and acne.

METHODS: Plasma vitamin A and E concentrations were determined by high performance liquid chromatography in 100 newly diagnosed untreated patients with acne and were compared with those of 100 age-matched healthy controls. Patients were carefully graded using the Global Acne Grading System. RESULTS: We found that plasma vitamin A concentrations in patients with acne were significantly lower than those of the control group (336.5 vs. 418.1 mug/L, respectively) P = 0.007. We also found that plasma vitamin E concentrations in patients with acne were significantly lower than those of controls (5.4 vs. 5.9 mg/L) P = 0.05. In addition, we found that there is a strong relationship between decrease in plasma vitamin A levels and increase in the severity of acne condition. Patients with severe acne had significantly lower plasma concentrations of vitamins A and E than did those with lower acne grade and the age-matched healthy controls.

DISCUSSION: Based on our results, we conclude that low vitamin A and E plasma levels have an important role in the pathogenesis of acne and in the aggravation of this condition. "Based on our knowledge about the anti-inflammatory effect of vitamin A, we suggest that insufficient plasma vitamin A concentrations might aggravate acne in patients, as low plasma vitamin A concentrations can influence the acne process through increasing the size and the activity of the sebaceous glands that produce much of the sebum, which leads to a significant increase in the growth of P. acnes. This enhances inflammation by increasing the levels of toxic oxygen metabolites and neutrophils accumulation in the affected tissue. Low concentrations of vitamin A also increase cell shedding, keratin production and the 'stickiness' of cells in the follicles, which helps in the development from comedones to more severe inflammatory lesions and thus increases the disease duration.4,712 This suggestion is in agreement with our results, which showed that acne is more severe among patients with low concentrations of plasma vitamin A compared with controls. There was an obvious and significant correlation between plasma vitamin A concentrations and acne severity. The decrease in plasma vitamin A concentrations was associated with an increase in the severity of acne. ......

......The expected reason for low plasma vitamin E concentrations in patients with acne, besides low intake, might be the consumption of vitamin E as an antioxidant agent in the maintenance of normal immune function in patients with acne. It protects the immune cells from reactive oxygen species produced during the inflammatory process and prevents the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the skin of those patients. In general, exogenous factors such as smoking have been reported to decrease plasma concentrations of vitamins A and E."

[sakul]

Day 5, December 23, 2006

Hi everyone,

Just a quick note today. I think his face is a bit pinker but other than that no noticeable side effects. He has a bit of break out but again, I cannot say it is more or less than normal. His dad, though, did comment yesterday that he thought his face looked better. I'm sort of holding off an opinion for now. I keep reminding him to put on lip balm. His lips are not dried out, but just to get him used to doing it on a regular basis.

I bought the Vitamin E and he's started taking that along with Nicomide and Omega 3 capsules for his supplements.

We have lots of family coming into town for the holiday so it will be interesting to see if they notice anything. Again, I don't think it is better or worse right now.

Have a great day!

Sakul

[sakul]

Day 6, December 24, 2006

Good morning!

I've sent my family off for their traditional trek Christmas Eve morning. They go see holiday displays in department store windows, and churches in our city and have breakfast. I continue to clean and cook to ready for a big crowd for tonight.

My son's skin is not very dry at all and so he's not been using moisturizer on a regular basis. I did have him take his lip balm to put on several times since they'll be outdoors for awhile. His godmother saw him last night and said she thought his skin looked better than last time they saw him before Thanksgiving. It actually doesn't look too bad at all. No whiteheads and just a few red bumps, and the old pink/red marks from flare ups of old. No side effects that he's noticed. It is hard to get all these pills in everyday - accutane, nicomide, amoxicillin, Omega 3, Vitamin E, Zoloft. I try not to give the nicomide with the antibiotic because I read they can cancel each other out.

Anyway, if I don't make it here tomorrow, for those who celebrate Christmas, have a wonderful holiday! And to all else hope you are also having a great holiday season.

Sakul

[BJ'sGuRL]

Day 6, December 24, 2006

Good morning!

I've sent my family off for their traditional trek Christmas Eve morning. They go see holiday displays in department store windows, and churches in our city and have breakfast. I continue to clean and cook to ready for a big crowd for tonight.

My son's skin is not very dry at all and so he's not been using moisturizer on a regular basis. I did have him take his lip balm to put on several times since they'll be outdoors for awhile. His godmother saw him last night and said she thought his skin looked better than last time they saw him before Thanksgiving. It actually doesn't look too bad at all. No whiteheads and just a few red bumps, and the old pink/red marks from flare ups of old. No side effects that he's noticed. It is hard to get all these pills in everyday - accutane, nicomide, amoxicillin, Omega 3, Vitamin E, Zoloft. I try not to give the nicomide with the antibiotic because I read they can cancel each other out.

Anyway, if I don't make it here tomorrow, for those who celebrate Christmas, have a wonderful holiday! And to all else hope you are also having a great holiday season.

Sakul

Merry Christmas!!! hope all continues to go well for your son
XxOoxX

[sakul]

DAY 8, December 26, 2006

Oh, troops, I need some help! My son is more anxious and his intrusive thoughts/words are back strongly. This coincides with starting accutane but i cannot be a hundred percent sure it is accutane. The derm, however, told me to consider everything to be related to the accutane.

He thinks it is the pills and is getting afraid of them.

I am so disappointed because I know he needs this drug. His face and self esteem have no other chance of cure. And his skin is actually looking fairly good. I had real hopes for him with Accutane.

I was thinking of giving him his 40 mg every other day and keep him on what would be an "average" of 20 mg a day to see if that helps. I have three weeks of pills left and don't want to toss them. Don't think I can return them for 20's even if the doctor called the pharmacy.

The other option is to up the anxiety drug. He's on low dose of Zoloft for Anxiety/OCD.

HELP! Any advice out there on this?

I hope you all had a great holiday! I have been unable to sleep over this, worried that I've caused him a set back psychologically when what I wanted to do was help him desperately.

Sakul

[lostinmyface]

DAY 8, December 26, 2006

Oh, troops, I need some help! My son is more anxious and his intrusive thoughts/words are back strongly. This coincides with starting accutane but i cannot be a hundred percent sure it is accutane. The derm, however, told me to consider everything to be related to the accutane.

He thinks it is the pills and is getting afraid of them.

I am so disappointed because I know he needs this drug. His face and self esteem have no other chance of cure. And his skin is actually looking fairly good. I had real hopes for him with Accutane.

I was thinking of giving him his 40 mg every other day and keep him on what would be an "average" of 20 mg a day to see if that helps. I have three weeks of pills left and don't want to toss them. Don't think I can return them for 20's even if the doctor called the pharmacy.

The other option is to up the anxiety drug. He's on low dose of Zoloft for Anxiety/OCD.

HELP! Any advice out there on this?

I hope you all had a great holiday! I have been unable to sleep over this, worried that I've caused him a set back psychologically when what I wanted to do was help him desperately.

Sakul

Hi there! I am in no way an expert, this is just some friendly advice. Reducing the mg could help! Especially in the beginning while he is adjusting... maybe after he gets more used to it, you can raise the dose again. Also, a friend of mine was on accutane years ago. His condition was different but he was on Zoloft for depression when he started the accutane. His dosage was raised a couple of times throughout his treatment due to the affects of the accutane. This may be a good idea.
Side note: He took his accutane almost ten years ago and is still perfectly clear!!!
Good luck to you and your son. He is SOOOO luck to have you!

[sakul]

Day 9, December 27, 2006

Jbuscemi, thank you for your reply! I am going to talk to both doctors about this. His dose of Zoloft is ridiculously low anyway, so I might just bump that by 25 mg a day. I did not hear his "words" yesterday, but he still seemed a bit anxious. His dad said he kept checking under the seat when they were at the movies yesterday afternoon....

He did not get his 40 mg dose yesterday. I will give it again today. and just try to ease it in more.

No other side effects. A few active pimples but nothing large and massive. The pink/red marks from past acne still evident. His face is not overly dry and we aren't even moisturizing. His lips are ok too.

He's been enjoying his new Wii console and games and keeping occupied.

More tomorrow.

Enjoy!

Sakul

[Molapro Andrew]

I haven't even thought about accutane since I got my Wii two days ago. The thing is great.

[Foomph]

Yes, I would increase the zoloft. I was on one of: Paxil, Celexa, and Effexor (and I think one other) while I was on accutane the first time. Although I did not have OCD, I did have intrusive thoughts (but I don't think the same kind) and under monitoring I was fine. I had depression (what else is new? lol!) but I was fine.

I hope this helps! let us know what the Drs say!

[sakul]

Day 10, December 28, 2006

Thank you Foomph, for sharing your experience! He seems to have mostly the "obsessive type" of OCD where he gets this intrusive thought (a word) and then has to say the word. I didn't hear him say the word yesterday, but he said he felt "about the same".

I gave him his 'tane in the morning after skipping the day before. Today, I will give it to him in the evening, so the time table is not actually two days apart but more like 32 hours a part.

He said he's noticed that he misses school. This is odd I know, that a 15 year old is on winter break and misses school. I think the structure and routine really help him and possibly with more time on his hands, the "word" is intruding more. I talked to him about this and suggested it is highly possible that this is the reason that he feels more anxiety vs. the accutane and he agreed that it was possible.

So, his skin is about the same. A few active pimples and the marks from past break outs. I might start get him back on a topical because he is not drying out yet.

Molapro Andrew ---> my son loves his Wii and has Zelda and also Call of Duty. He hasn't done much with Call of Duty yet, but thinks the Zelda is awesome.

Sakul

[sakul]

DAY 11 - DECEMBER 29, 2006

Not much to report today. The anxiety is better. Yesterday, he rated it as a "5" on a scale of 1 - 10, where 10 is high anxiety. The day before it was a "7". He claimed it was a good day. So that is a relief! We will be busy today so I am hoping for a very low anxiety day. I will give him the ammisteen at dinner time and then skip tomorrow, then give him one Sunday AM. After that, if anxiety remains somewhat low, I'll go back to every 24 hours instead of the approx. every 36 hours. I have no idea if it made a difference or not. I also have been giving him an extra 25mg of Zoloft at night. The doctor's office did not call back so I just did it. I know it is still an extremely low dose so I'm not worried about that.

Skin is about the same. A few pimples, no serious dryness, nothing I'd call an IB yet.

Have a great weekend!
Sakul

[sakul]

Day 12 - December 30, 2006

Things seem to have settled down here. His anxiety is lower (yesterday he rated as 4 on a scale of 1 - 10, with 10 being high anxiety). The psych. called back and it is ok to give a slightly increased dose of Zoloft, so I am doing that. He took his Amsesteem last night. Skin is not excessively dry and he's not breaking out much, just a few. Skin quality to me appears better.

Sakul

[sakul]

Day 13, December 31, 1006

He seemed to have a good day today. The whole family went out to dinner and to a movie last night and I thought to myself that his skin actually does look better! We have not had any serious initial breakout going on. He does have a few pimples, mostly on forehead where there has been a lot. One breaking out on his chin, but the overall quality of his skin seems better to me. The red marks from past pimples do not seem as noticeable or large. They are still there but I don't always ask if he wants a bit of coverup on them. Seems quick to me, but I know we can still get that IB given his dose of Amnesteem is pretty low (40 mg). Anxiety seems much better than last weekend.

Be careful tonight everyone!

Sakul

[Foomph]

Sounds like he's doing pretty well! Happy new Year! (early)

[sakul]

DAY 14 - January 1, 2007

Happy New Year!

And thanks, Foomph, for stopping by. Yes, I would say he IS doing well! Yesterday when I asked him to rate his anxiety he said it was a TWO! This is very very good. He said, "Hey, mom, I guess I was just adjusting to the new medicine, do ya think?" I just replied maybe. Or other things combined with that could have caused that surge of anxiety. Or (and I didn't say this), perhaps the extra zoloft has taken the edge off. Whatever, he is now doing well it seems. Please pray with me that this continues because I'd hate to take him off his accutane.

So, he had a pill yesterday AM. I'll give him another one tonight or maybe I should just try to get him on regular schedule in the AM. He asked for chapstick, so I noticed his lips were a bit dry. He just got up and I see today they are also. So, we will have to use the lipbalm all the time now it seems. He also noticed a patch on his hand that looked like it had carpet burn. He said he itched it and that's what happened. I'm not sure what to think of that because when he was highly anxious a few days ago he picked several areas on his hands and made them bleed. There are scabs now, so perhaps this was more of that, or perhaps not. He has a few pimples, one on left side of chin, one on left side of nose below eye, several along jaw line. Forhead is not too bad and the ones there look like they are retreating a bit. He goes back to school tomorrow.

Have a great day all!

Sakul

[Josh8]

Wish you guys loads of success!

Really hope your son is gonna just go from strength to strength both physically and emotionally, especially emotionally!!!!!! I haven’t had experience with Accutane, but my mate started it when he was about 17 (after trying everything from acupuncture to BP) and within 12 months he was getting chicks telling him they wanted his skin!!!!!!!!! Haha I hope it does a real good job with your son too! You said you had acne – was it severe? Did you grow out of it? Does your son shave yet?

[sakul]

Day 15 - January 2, 2007

Ok, so NOW we have a rash! Who knows about RASHES?? Please help! It is contained on his hands and arms. Nothing on trunk. It is red spots and blotches and a bit itchy. I am going to call the derm today but thought you folks probably know about the rashes? Is this the accutane?

He went back to school this morning. Overall face looked pretty good except for one large pimple brewing on the cheek and one on lower face, and a few on jaw line. His lips are dry and he's been using the aquaphor at night and lip balm during the day. Skin itself is not really dry at all. It was much dryer with topicals.

Anxiety continues to be low so hopefully we have solved that issue for the entire course.

Josh8 - yes, he shaves. I had acne that I rate as moderate. No accutane back then so I have minor scarring and also STILL get breakouts (minor) and you don't even want to know how old I am!

Please let me know if you've heard of rashes and accutane?

Thanks everyone!
Sakul

[JustinJ]

Accutane was the CURE for my depression....seriously. It was the only thing that elimintated the acne, and that alone was enough to rid of the depression for me.

Now Im breaking out again, unfortunatly. Not as bad as before, but im debating going on Accuatane again. If the acne gets much worse, it will be effecting my life in the same manner it did 3 years ago, again...so I will have no other choice but to go back to Accutane.