24 replies to this topic

[woteva]

Okay it's been about 1 month now since I finished my course of Isotretinoin. I'm starting to get greasy hair again but my hands and lips are perfectly fine again now, and most importantly, my acne has gone!

Overall, I'm really glad I took this drug. I used to hate people looking at me so obviously that made it really difficult for me to do a lot of stuff, even just talking to people. But my skin doesn't bother me at all now, it's just nothing, acne is completely out of my mind! So I'm a lot more confident in myself and I feel like I can do way more stuff and not feel awkward about it. Acne really affected how I lived before.

Personally, knowing about all the side effects of the drug didn't influence my decision to start the course at all. I didn't really care what it did to me as long as it gave me a chance to have clear skin. But I do recommend to anybody reading this who may be thinking about taking Accutane that they should seriously consider how the drugs affect you. The most significant side effects I noticed were (and how I controlled them):

- Very, very dry lips (use vaseline on them every night, and lip balm during the day)
- Dry, flakey skin all over face, mostly where you get acne (apply moisturiser once/twice a day)
- Dry hands, especially when it's cold (E45 cream/moisturiser, or just let them heal naturally)
- Occasional headaches which don't last long but hurt (drink lots of water)
- Hair falling out a lot quicker (can't do anything about that but don't let it worry you)

Do consider that you may have to endure these problems for up to 6 months or potentially longer. And please do not even think about taking Accutane if you've got only mild acne.
I hope somebody gets something out of reading my log, if you do, please let me know!

Thanks to those who gave me suggestions and words of encouragement, you really helped me.

If you do decide to start taking Accutane, good luck and stay positive!

[bleh]

hey man, im really glad you got the results you wanted.

just wondering though, what was your mg/kg cumlitive dose for the entire course?

[woteva]

hey man, im really glad you got the results you wanted.

just wondering though, what was your mg/kg cumlitive dose for the entire course?

Thanks, I weigh about 65kg and took 60mg/day for about 5.5 months, so that's approx. 9900mg overall, so about 152 mg per kg? Does that sound about right?

[woteva]

So it's been about two and a half years since my last post. It's interesting to read my blog again after so long. It was definitely a tough journey, going through the effects of such a potent drug.
I'm happy to say that since my skin cleared up all that time ago, it's stayed virtually the same. For the first year or so (roughly) I think I got fewer than ten spots OVERALL on my face, which is incredible considering that I would get SEVERAL A DAY before Accutane. Nowadays my skin is absolutely fine. I maybe get one or two spots a month on my face, back or neck but I usually just leave it and it goes away by itself relatively quickly.
One thing that has remained is the dryness, but to a much lesser extent. My hands are quite prone to dryness so I sometimes use a hand cream, and I usually apply moisturiser to my face after showering.
Going through years of horrible acne is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Today I am much more confident and happy with the way I look, but while the physical healing was relatively quick, mentally it takes a long time to recover. I have to say though, I am a more sympathetic and considerate person, and I don't judge people on their appearance. It's so important to treat people equally regardless of what they look like. Even the way you look at people can have a massive effect.
I hope those considering/taking Accutane have found my blog useful.
I know how important it is to have some sort of support when you're going through hard times. This will probably be my last post (unless somebody asks me something) but if anyone has any questions or just wants to send me a message I'd be happy to help. Good luck.

[jhonyguy04]

iam glad ppl that cleared up come back and dont dissapear!!