130 replies to this topic

[RealTalk]

A little about me...

RealTalk...I've been struggling with acne for 10 years...10 years! And I've tried everything....Murad, Pro-active, clearasil, oxy, astrigent, different soaps, washes, cleansers, exfoliaters, nature's cure, differin, tazorac 1% cream and gel, duac gel, retina micro, benzaclin, aczone, acnepril pills, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, facials, doryx 150 mg, I quit smoking, changed my diets, drank mad water, tried numerous home remedies, different herbs, vitamins and oils, 3 day acne free detox, hours of research, plus more. Been seeing a dermotologist for 3 years and when all else fails what do they prescribe??? ACCUTANE! Now I don't have cystic, nodule, or horrible, unbelievable acne. I have moderate to somewhat severe acne vulgaris. But for 10 years!!! Like come on already. Its fn old man. Like seriously! Granted, during those 10 years there were shortlived time periods when I was about 70% clear. That only last 3-4 weeks tops. But they were the happiest 3-4 weeks of my life. I could be myself and live life for once with some confidence. But most of those years my face was covered with multiple belmishes or ugly ass pimples. Dark red spots that would last for weeks on end. When I break out I don't want to go out, don't want people over, don't want to go to work or school....nothing!!!. I didn't even want to go upstairs to see my parents to eat dinner. I just wanted to sleep. Sleep is where I can get away from all of this. Hoping that I would wake up and things would be better.... But they never were. I'm in the prime of my life and I haven't done sh*t because acne has held me back and kept me down. I'm depressed. I let it get the best of me and I'm sick of it! I've researched ACCUTANE and know what it does and what it can do in regards to side effects. I've seen videos of progress and other people's journals. I know the risks. I have a derm appointment on Tuesday. She gave me 5 days to think about if I want to start ACCUTANE. The choice seems pretty easy. If it means that I could possible live my life the way I want to and be myself and not have to hide from myself and other people anymore...then I'll take that risk and deal with those side effects. As long as I have all the right friends in all the right places then I'll be alright. I'm looking forward to starting my life! RealTalk

Edited by RealTalk, 11 March 2010 - 09:27 AM.

[RealTalk]

Feb 23 2010, 12:42 PM

So I had a derm appt today and just got back. I decided to begin my accutane adventure after days and days of research. I filled out the form. She drew blood and wrote my a prescription with 2morrow's date on it. She said not to fill it until she calls me by 1PM 2morrow with the blood results. She also said that I should not go through the initial brek out stage because I have been on tazorac 1% for so long. I guess tazorac is a topical form of accutane. So that's cool. Really looking forward to this and am not nervous at all. Just gotta stay positive and think of living a happy and ance free life.

[RealTalk]

Feb 24 2010, 03:56 PM

So I got my prescription filled and just took my first pill. As soon as I swallowed the pill my face immediately cleared up and I'm all done now. I'm so happy. Accutane is the best.


Yea Right!


Wouldn't it be awesome if it was just that easy.


A list of things I bought when I got my prescription filled that I will be needing is..

-Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser (to clean)

-Cetaphil Daily Mosturizer (to mosturize)

-Genteal Eye Lubricant for moderate to sever dry eyes. They also have it for severe eyes and for regular. I'm expecting dry eyes so I jumped right in to the moderate to severe.

-Blistex for severe dry lips. Again, I'm expecting really dry lips so I go with the severe stuff.

-Also got 400 IU's of Vitamin E. I read somewhere that vitamin E is good for the skin as far as the healing process goes. And also read that it keeps your insides mosturized like. Because Accutane dries your insides and everything out I'll take the Vitamin E to keep my insides lubed up I guess. This should also prevent joint pain and stuff.

-1000 mg of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is good for the skin as well as the immune system. I've been taking that just bought another bottle though.

-I bought one of those water filter things that turns tap water into clean water so I dont have to keep buying cases of water, ya know? (Smart thinker I am!)

-I also bought on line pure emu oil, a mosturizer with emu oil and vitamin E, and a sunscreen thats like SPF 100. I read somewhere that emu oil is good to hydrate dry skin. Also read that Jojoba oil is good too but I didnt but any of that.

So I'm pretty well stocked for now. I'll keep posting everyday and let ya know how things go. My skin as of right now.....On a scale from 1-10.....I'd say I'm at about a 7 with 10 being the worst. The topicals that i was using (Tazorac 1% and Benzaclin) just gave up on me. So I had a recent breakout a few days ago that I'm still trying to heal.

Actually I took my first pill about an hour ago and I can feel my self getting warmer. It's as if I can feel this stuff running through my veins. It's probably just all in my head to be honest with you. But IDK.

Edited by RealTalk, 01 March 2010 - 02:33 PM.

[RealTalk]

Feb 24 2010, 05:36 PM
SO I know that drinking alot of water makes you pee because I normally drinking a lot of water throughout the day, ya know. I'm trying to attack this whole dryness thing before it comes so it won't be that bad so I really been drinking alot of water. But water...like.....really makes you pee....alot. I pee'd like 3 times in an hour. Just to give everyone a heads up. Watch your water intake throughout the day. Be cognizant of where you have to go throughout the day or when you plan on going to sleep at night. You don't want to drink a gallon of water and then lay down for bed cuz it just won't happen.

I heard that Pedalite is good to for staying hydrated. They give it to babies but heard it's good for adults n stuff too.

Also. its very easy to drink water that is not cold. I can chug room temp water like nothing. BUt if the water is cold it doesn't go down as smoothly. Helpful hint!!

Edited by RealTalk, 01 March 2010 - 02:58 PM.

[RealTalk]

Feb 25 2010, 10:48 AM
Ok.....so day 2.....nothing new and I don't expect anything to happen quite yet. No new marks, pimples, blemishes, redness, dryness, or anything really. Hope i dont get any new breakouts. I'm still spot treating the marks i do have with the tazorac to hopefully speed the healing process up a bit. I'll probably stop doing that once i see or feel the acutane kick in.

I dont even think about the side effects when i take the pil. Someone posted on here that the worst side effect is thinking about the side effects. Which is totally true. I just think about gettin better and I'm all good.

[RealTalk]

Feb 25 2010, 09:42 PM
So I work the midnight shift. (which is good for me because not many people get to see my face). But anyway, tonight, is picture night. They were planning on taking pictures of our group and I called off and made up some BS excuse to get out of taking a picture because my face is all f'd up right now. N that f'n pathetic. i mean.....wtf, ya know. So I'm probably just going to sit home, like a f'n loser and do absolutely nothing but watch a bunch of clear skinned people on tv. Which is just another typical night for me. So f'n depressed right now about this whole situation. I f'n hate acne like seriously.

But whatever....on theplus side.....

2 days on accutane. Haven't had any new breakouts. But like my derm said, I been on Tazorac for so long she doesn't think I will have that initial break out. It's just the recent break out that I did just suffer from isn't healed up enough for me to be comfortable with going out into the public. And especially not taking no f'n pictures. FUCK THAT!!!.

Trying to stay positive here....ehhhmmm. Soooo. no new breakouts....thats good. No side effects, yet, andhopefully at all. Thats good. I have noticed that the recent breakout I've had is clearing and fading relatively fast. Now is that accutane related with only being onit 2 days??? Could be.. Is it because i still spot treat with the Tazorac??? Could be. Possibly because I been drinking mad water and cut dairy out of my diet??? OR because I been taking like 2000 mg of vitamin C and recently started 800 IU;s of Vitamin E which is good for the Skin???? That could be it? Maybe it's cuz I changed my cleanser and mosturizer? Who knows. All I know is what I see and things seem to better getting better faster than usual. Which is good, I guess.

I can only deal with so much, ya know. Like a minor breakout....Yea whatever....I'm use to it....BUt like the f'n redness and the dried up scab like marks n shit, and the bumos al over that makes me ook like i got a fucking disease like leporcy, or lepordcy, or leporsy, or whatever the hell that disease is with all the spots all over. Makes me look like a fucking meth addict that picks at his skin cuz he's tweaking out on meth or heroin or whatever. Like WTF is up with thatman. Thats fn disgusting and makes me feel like a fucking scumbag when I'm NOT. Ok I'm ranting and ya probably haven't even made it down this far cuz I wrote so much. I can write for hours. feels good to vent.

[RealTalk]

Feb 26 2010, 12:58 PM
So it's day 3 of my Accutane adventure. No new breakouts still and hopefully won't have any at all. Got 2 little guys on my left cheek that were aready coming in pre-accutane. The recent breAKout i had before i started is drying out n slightly fading. No muscles or joint pains. No trouble sleeping or weird dreams. Not drying out all crazy at all. I been mosturizing my lips since before i started so i dont know if they're really dry or not. So far so good. But then again it's only day 3, ya know.

The only thing is my head kinda itches every now and again. I can only think that it's because it's drying out. It doesnt bother me because its not bad but i do notice it. My face kinda itches too a little bit. Dont know if its because I'm drying out or because I'm still spot treating my recent breakout. Im not scratching or anything though.

No complaints. No concerns. Getting better. Feeling better.

I know there has been cases where accutane has caused depression. Im not gonna argue that or say that the people that have it are lying but I just can't see it happening. ACNE causes depression! If accutane clears acne wouldnt one think that accutane is an anti-depressant. I know it's not but logically it makes sense. i personally believe its all mind control and all how you think.

I pray that everything fades and stays away within the 1st 2 weeks. And with the way things are going that looks quite possible.

Edited by RealTalk, 01 March 2010 - 02:42 PM.

[RealTalk]

Feb 27 2010, 02:47 PM
So this is day 4 already. My scalp and face are stil itcing a bit. It's nothing all crazy to where I'm scrathcing like a dog with flees or anything but I can feel it. I'm guessing its my skin drying up and me losing all my oil or whatever cuz I never itched like this before. But ike I said It's not constant or annoying or anything but I can feel it. I still dont have any new breakout and am hopin not too . The marks I had pre-accutane are continung to drry up and fade as the days go by. The are no more marks to spot treat with the tazorac anymore so I stopped doing that. My lips are not chapped or all dry yet but I've been combating that since before accutant. I'm sleeping fine, eating fine, and dont have any pain or cramping or anything anywhere. I dont feel dehydrated at all and overall I'm pretty happy. OR i should say not as depressed. But then again, it's only day 4. SO we'll see what the future brings but if I things continue the way they are going then it should be a good March. I'd like to do some home remedies or treatment to speed up the red mark fading process but dont want to irritate my skin due to the sensitivity from the accutane. I may just spot treat the red marks with some lemon juice or a potato slice on my 1st day off from work just incase something does go wrong I'd have some time to treat and hopefuly repair what I f'd up. I need to find something to put on my head to keep it mosturized. I'm using a good shampoo but I'd like to add a little something, something to it. 'm gonna scope out this site and see whats good.

[RealTalk]

Feb 28th 7:05 PM

So Canada beat US in OT in the gold medal game from the Olympics. That sucks. Especially when US tied the game with 24 seconds left. O well I guess. At least Im a Chicago Blackhawk fan.

Anyway...Day 5.....40 mg. Nothing real noticeable yet. I got one new little pimple on my right cheek. That's it. No new belmishes. I'm still battling the pre-accutane breakout i had trying to get them f'n red marks to fade away. It sucks because I have no pimples or whatever you call them on my face but i have smooth red marks. Like WTF!!!. My lips are fine. Not dry or chapped at all. Still mosturizing them just to prevent and prepare. My face is staritng to get a little, very, very little bit dry....but ONLY after I wash it. Then it gets back to normal after a short period of time. Also, its only day 5 so im not expecting to see drastic results yet. I usually drink a lot of water but have increased it since the accutane and all of the uriniating because of it is becoming annoying. Like really annoying!!! I'm sleeping fine, eating fine, no muscle or joint pains at all and hopefully i won't get any. I got work 2night and then 3 days off....hopefully i can get rid of these f'n red marks before i go back.

other than that things are the same. Just these damn post acne red marks really piss me off.

Edited by RealTalk, 01 March 2010 - 02:46 PM.

[RealTalk]

Ok......so I just took my 6th pill. Almost 1 week in and it went by pretty quick. I noticed my nose was dry 2day and it sucked but then I realized my humidifier that was connected to my furnace was turn down a bit. So after I adjusted that according the temp outside, its all good now. Thought it was from the accutane but nope. Not yet at least. Hopefully not at all. I did notice that my lips feel funny. By funny I mean they are trying to get dry on me but I won't let them. Been battling that since day 1. They feel like.....uhmmm.....i dont know. Lips trying to get dry...I said I had one new pimple on my right cheek yesterday....that little motherf*cker brought 2 friends with him. I told him not to invite any guests but he did anyway. One up my my right temple which is his bodyguard cuz hes pretty big and one right next to him which is probably his girlfriend cuz she's alittle smaler then him. BUT I dont believe this is part of the initial breakout. Ya see these suckers were kinda already lurking in the deep before I took accutane. I'm sure the accutane just brought it out which is good. So I cant say that I broke out from the accutane. OR maybe I can. Either way, the showed up yesterday, I been spot treating them with the Tazorac cream 1% along with some Acezone and they seem to be going away. The post breakout marks from the pre-accutane breakout are fading. I actually been spot treating them with Cetaphil MOsturizer. My whoe theory on that is why try and bleach the marks with lemons or potatos or whatever other people, myself included, have been doing when you can just keep the marks mosturized and let your own body heal it for you. Seems to be working quite well. I am very satisifed actually. My skin is still dry after I wash my face but not seriously, all crazy, peeling type of dry. I have noticed that my hands are dryer than usual. And my scalp still itches. Not unbearable type itching but it itches from time to time. Im waiting on my order for jojoba oil to treat that. A few drops when I shampoo my hair should help with that. Other than that, Im not dehydrated, I sleep and eat good, no weird dreams, no suicida thoughts, no joint or muscle pain.....then again its only day 6.

I got 3 days off from work so hopefully I can get my shit together and go back 1/2 decent. Until next time....Keep it Real, family

[FeelsGood]

Hey, you'll probably start feeling the effects in about 4 days. At least from my experience, I felt it about a week and a half after I started taking accutane. I started on 40mg too and increased to 60mg, and then 80mg to end my course. I didn't experience any IB throughout my course on accutane. The blackheads on my nose started purging out and my pimples flattened. This all happened 3 weeks after I started taking accutane. Make sure you take your pills with a good meal. If you have problems with your Cetaphil Moisturizer, you can try Aveeno Daily Moisturizer, it works really well. Oh yeah, watch out for the side effects, accutane made my left nipple shrink. Good luck bro.

[RealTalk]

Hey, you'll probably start feeling the effects in about 4 days. At least from my experience, I felt it about a week and a half after I started taking accutane. I started on 40mg too and increased to 60mg, and then 80mg to end my course. I didn't experience any IB throughout my course on accutane. The blackheads on my nose started purging out and my pimples flattened. This all happened 3 weeks after I started taking accutane. Make sure you take your pills with a good meal. If you have problems with your Cetaphil Moisturizer, you can try Aveeno Daily Moisturizer, it works really well. Oh yeah, watch out for the side effects, accutane made my left nipple shrink. Good luck bro.

The only problem I have, somewhat, is that it makes me look really shiny/greasy looking. I'm guessing because my skin is not really dry yet. Any suggestions or comments on that? Did you have the same experience with the Cetaphil? And does the Aveeno not make you look greasy like. Its weird because on the Cetaphil bottle it says non-greasy. I think it's cause I'm putting it on skin that is still oily.

[RealTalk]

WoW! One week already....Time flies when you're on accutane. The first fews days of taking it I was a little worried ya know but now I just pop the pill like nothing. Not worried about anything. And that's how it should be taken. If I worry about all the crazy side effects then I'll just freak myself out. I just stay postive and pop that bad baby and let it "Do Work Son!" The pre-accutane breakout is clearing up very nicely. I actually may leave the house 2morrow and keep my head up. The post breakout red marks have drastically faded by about 75%. I owe that to my spot treatment method (which can be found on the red mark post topic). My scalp still itches a little bit as I'm still waiting for my jojoba oil. My face is slightly dry but not alllllll crazy like. My hands are a bit dry but manageable. No aches and pains, no sleep or diet issues, no suicidal thoughts, nosebleeds, or stomach pains. Hopefully I wont get any but then again its only been 7 days. As previously stated my lips want to get dry but I wont let them. I've been attacking them with Bliztex severe dry lip ointment since day 1. It hard to explain the way they feel. It's kinda like having peanut butter on your lips when you open and close them...but not really. IDK

I have to say that things have gotten better since day one as I expected. My derm told me that since i have been using Tazorac 1% cream, which is a topical form of accutane, for so long that I should not get the initial breakout. I have not. Well, I kinda did I guess. There were small blemishes already there pre-accutane that I guess got brought out because of the accutane. But I have not had anything new come up. So hopefully it will be a smooth ride from here on out and I can better each day. I just hope that my eyes dont dry up because i want to have tears of joy to cry out the day I wake up with not 1 mark on my face.

Anybody play RockBand??? I been trying to up my game to the hard level but that extra key really makes the game alot harder. LOL.

[FeelsGood]

I'm not sure if Aveeno made my face look shiny but Accutane plus a moisturizer made my skin feel sticky. It felt like these was an invisible sticky film on my face. Like the stuff on top of soup when you leave it out for a day. Whatever works for you though. I haven't used any other moisturizer besides Aveeno. I did try Eucerin but once I read that it had petrolatum despite the label saying it won't clog pores, I stopped using it. The aches and pains will come and go while on accutane. Your lips are going to be really really dry on accutane. There was one side effect where I had some weird shit on my hands and arms, I forgot what it was. It went away about a week later and never happened again. Good luck bro.

[Tha Caveman]

Best of luck man.
Check out my log too!
We'll stay in touch

[RealTalk]

To "It hurts to look" Thank YOu
To "Tha Caveman" Thank you and I will!!

[RealTalk]

Day 8....Nothing new. Plain and simple.

Check out the tread.......or is it thread??.....tread or thread.....check out both of em....the one I started on how to fade post acne red marks. Thats all I've been doing today and these past couple of days and it works.

See you 2morrow.
Go Chicago Blackhawks!!!

[Tha Caveman]

Keep that head up bro.

[c'est la vigne]

Moved to the Accutane Logs board.

[RealTalk]

Moved to the Accutane Logs board.

Thanks. I was going to ask if you can move me. I realized I posted it on the wrong board a few days ago when I checked into the Accutane Log board and it wasn't there. Sorry