4 replies to this topic

[keith.]

Hello everyone. I'm just going on week two of accutane... and could really use some positive support right about now. I'm just starting to get a little dry..chapped lips.. dry skin.. etc. I'm feeling very emotional and not so confident about accutane right now. I tried to come online and look at some online diaries of people who are on it.. and unluckily the FIRST one i read in my time of need was a bad one about a girl who was having bad hair loss and stopped the drug early because it wasnt working for her. Not the kinda story I needed to hear at this time. I'm just scared of everything right now. And I really dont feel like having hair loss problems at this time in my life. Im only 19.. and it seems like hair loss is some what of a common side effect. Well if anyone has any positive input they can give me I'd love to hear it, I could really use some support right now. Thanks everyone

[Yvette2]

Hi there,

What dose are you on? Is your acne mild/moderate/severe? Is your skin sensitive or normal?

I was totally afraid of taking Accutane because of all the risks I read here and on other sites. I started 4/27. My Derm. mentioned Accutane last Fall but I was too scared. I'm totally GLAD I did it. The results are amazing to me! My acne is mild, but from the end of month one, I haven't had much acne at all - smooth face and pores are clearer and cleaner. My face is dry, eyes a little drier, and lips. Use gentle cleansers and good moisterisers, eye rewetting drops, and Aquaphor for lips. I use Kinerase cream at night. All work good for me without any problem. I started very low dose in May at 10mg day. Then month 2 to present 20mg a day. I have had some achiness and moodiness but compared to clear skin - it's totally worth it. If you have some pain, my Derm. said occassional Tylenol or Advil is fine. I may have a little anxiety here and there but I keep it in check. Going to the gym for mild workouts and for walks help a lot. I did ask my Derm. about hair loss and she said the higher the dose - this can happen. She said if I see this happening to let her know and she would lower the dose. I haven't had a problem - my hair is dry but not coming out in clumps. I do wash every other night now and do hair masks to keep it shiny and less dry/scalp itchy. I totally recommend that. I also recommend you DON"T go over 1mg per KG of weight on Accutane. Especially, if you have thin, sensitive, or skin conditions.. You need to go lower dose. Higher dosages can cause more side effects - you don't want that. Rosacea (permanent skin redness and flushing) is something that can occur on too high dosages of Accutane.

Take it one day at a time and be gentle to yourself and skin. Many have good results with Accutane. It is a committment and there are some downsides, but I can't tell you how happy I am now in month 4.

Good luck and let us know if you have questions.

Yvette

[ScoobyDoo]

Hello everyone. I'm just going on week two of accutane... and could really use some positive support right about now. I'm just starting to get a little dry..chapped lips.. dry skin.. etc. I'm feeling very emotional and not so confident about accutane right now. I tried to come online and look at some online diaries of people who are on it.. and unluckily the FIRST one i read in my time of need was a bad one about a girl who was having bad hair loss and stopped the drug early because it wasnt working for her. Not the kinda story I needed to hear at this time. I'm just scared of everything right now. And I really dont feel like having hair loss problems at this time in my life. Im only 19.. and it seems like hair loss is some what of a common side effect. Well if anyone has any positive input they can give me I'd love to hear it, I could really use some support right now. Thanks everyone

I was really scared to take accutane because of all the horror stories I had read. One thing to remember when you read these boards is that the vast majority of people who have a positive exprience do not post to the message boards.

I'm 6 months post tane and my time on here is so much less than it used to be. As time goes on, I'm sure I won't be on here much if at all.

I haven't had a breakout in 9 months.

According to my derm, hair loss only happens in less than 10% of patients and that it is temporary.

I did have some mild hair loss, but it stopped as soon as I stopped the meds. It started growing back right away. My other side effects were mild, liveable, and all went away within 2-4 weeks of finishing my course.

My only regret with taking accutane is that I didn't do it years sooner.

Read my signature for more info...

[keith.]

Thank you both so much for your responses. I just looked at the package my pills come in.. and it says 40 mg on the package, which kind of scares me since you all started out on lower doses.. I'm not sure why my dose is so high maybe I should call my derm and ask. And my acne is probably id say...moderate to severe.. I think its horrible...but I also know it could be worse. I weigh about 165 lbs... is 40 mg too much?? Well I'll post back soon and thank you again for the responses. Any more success stories would be greatly appreciated.

[smidgy]

Hi Keith,
I'm 6 months post-tane and I found it both effective and easy!
I had moderate acne for 15 years, and in the year coming up to my treatment it was getting increasingly worse. I took 70mg per day ( so a higher dose than yours) for 4 months(I'm 140lbs) During this time I had dry lips, an occasional dry rash on my hands whe I didn't moisturise them enough,and that was about it. No hair loss, in fact all that happened was that my hair got less greasy which was good. My acne got about 70% better during the course ( improvement starting about 6-8 weeks in). By a month after treatment I was clear, and have stayed that way.
You will hear some negative things on this board, because people tend to post the things they are worried about, not so much when things are going well.
For me, I don't regret it at all. When I saw my derm he said he had taken Roaccutane and his only regret was not doing it sooner. I feel the same
Wishing you luck with your treatment.