218 replies to this topic

[Gutterflower]

Thanks Jennifer! I don't think I could forget to take it! I'm reminded every time I look in the mirror. Plus I have waited so long just to be on it, so I can't foresee myself forgetting to take it. I'm all of two and a half days in... it feels like forever. I'm like "Aw man, you mean I have to continue to have a life in the meantime?!"

Oh! Also, are you still clear now?

Edited by Gutterflower, 27 September 2011 - 10:52 PM.

[Gutterflower]

Day 3

Nothing huge to report today, my face itches (so hard not to scratch...) and a few new spots have appeared but nothing major. My existing spots look a bit angrier (AND. THEY. ITCH.) and my skin is nice and oily, a little bit oilier than usual. Yasmin makes me ravenously freaking hungry all the time. I have a feeling I may need to switch birth control pills sometime during my course or I'll end up clear skinned but morbidly obese by the time it's done.

[Gutterflower]

Day 5


Okay, so technically I don't take my fifth pill for another two and a half hours, but I'll update now anyway... I think I'll just do this in dot points from now on so it's easier to keep track of. You know, for me.

• Flushed cheeks. Really, really annoying.
  
• Itchy skin. Nothing too bad.
  
• Lips and eyes are a little dry. I think I will need to acquire some eye drops today.

Aside from that I am happy with where I'm at. Yasmin is making me really irritable, as it always does, so I might struggle more with staying on the birth control during my course. My skin is still really oily but I haven't really broken out. The spots I did have are healing really quickly. I imagine I'll probably be hit in the face with a breakout when my dosage is put up. I think I'd rather be on a lower dose for a longer period of time than a higher dose for a shorter time.

[Gutterflower]

Day 6


Almost a week in... the flushed cheeks seem to be kind of sporadic and don't torment me too often so I'm alright with that. My lips are pretty dry, but my skin is still so oily you could fry an egg on it. It's kind of gross. I am digging the eye drops. Makes my life much easier...

Ugh, I know people bitch and moan about having really dry skin but can I trade this overload of oil for at least marginally dry skin now? I don't even care if it's flaking off. It's like my whole face is melting ala Persistence of Memory.

I still hate Yasmin and if it were a person I'd punch it in the kidney.

[ahasegawa]

Why dont you switch to a lower dose birth control pill? Yaz is so strong and in my opinion isnt necessary
I would never go on Yaz because I have had friends with awful side effects!

[Gutterflower]

I'm definitely thinking about it. My dermatologist prescribed it to me at the same time as Accutane. I'm just not sure which one to switch to.

[ahasegawa]

Honestly there is a million different kinds of low dose general birth control pills that are the same effectiveness as Yaz. I dont know why anyone takes high doses of BCP. I think some people claim that higher doses help reduce acne but that has been a bunch of BS for me. It never helped me...

[Gutterflower]

Well, given that I'm on Accutane, I don't really need it to control my acne. I'll likely go see my doctor this week and see if he can suggest one that's a bit less difficult to deal with. I'm not really having any trouble with the Accutane, but the birth control just makes me feel so flat and grumpy and bloated. Are you on BC? I assume you are since you're on 'Tane, which one are you taking?

[ahasegawa]

I actually have an IUD ^^;; Its great because I don't have to worry about anything for 5 years! And its such a low dose of hormones that i don't even know the difference!

[Gutterflower]

Oh, I've considered getting one of those. So you don't really notice any side effects from it?

[accushame!]

Hey Elle! The oil should go away pretty soon. My face was so disgustingly oily for the first 2 weeks and then it started getting dry, and now I'm getting dry patches! (1 month in) So I say give it another week tops and your skin should be back to normal

PS: I recommend ortho tri-cyclen lo for BCP! I just started 3 months ago and so far no issues. Just go with what your body tells ya, some BCPs are hell

[Gutterflower]

Thank you! Geez I really hope so. I'm toughing it out. It's just gross that my lips are all dry, and so are my eyes, but the rest of my face is on a downward slide. Ew.

Yasmin definitely sucks. I hate BC in general. I thought the abstinence option was a good one, my boyfriend did not share my enthusiasm.

[accushame!]

Hahahaha. Oh, men.

[ahasegawa]

HIGHLY recommend the IUD! You dont have to remember silly pills! I am very sensitive to the pills and frankly they made me feel loopy! But now since I have started the IUD I havent had any issues at all.

And about the Absitinence thing...My husband would laugh in my face if I asked him that LOL

[Gutterflower]

Day 8


Well, the first week is over and I'm a day into the second one. My skin isn't too bad at the moment, obviously still breaking out sporadically, still really oily, but my lips and eyes are barren like a desert. I've also got a few large nodules cropping up along my jawline including one on my chin which is really sexy and making me look lopsided. It also hurts like hell and I scratched it accidentally earlier... so it decided to bleed everywhere and now it hurts even more. I guess all I can do is ice it and hope it goes away. On the plus side, it's on the underside of my chin so the ugly red mark and possible scar the bastard is going to leave won't be as evident. Sigh.

Making a doctor's appointment this week sometime to talk about getting an IUD. I've also been considering a nuva ring as I have heard decent things about them. The birth control is making Accutane harder to deal with. The 'Tane makes me slightly tired and lethargic, and the pill makes me want to eat like a horse, so by the end of my course I'll have clear skin but I'll be so friggin' fat I won't even fit through the doorway.

[Gutterflower]

So tired this morning. Seriously, sitting at my desk, praying for death... I think half of this is lack of decent sleep, but Accutane definitely contributes to the lethargy. This is probably going to be the most frustrating thing for me because I'm finding it hard to rustle up the motivation to exercise because I'm just so tired 90% of the time. It's 9:18, the coffee shop opens at 9:30, so I'm just staring at the clock waiting for sweet salvation.

[Jamie Ann]

Good luck! It's a crazy journey but definitely worth it.

[Gutterflower]

Jamie Ann, on 03 October 2011 - 04:53 PM, said:

Good luck! It's a crazy journey but definitely worth it.

Oh, absolutely. I'm just moaning here because I figure, well, there's probably no better place to vent my frustrations... I really just hate being so tired. I think I need to make more of an effort to sleep enough hours to at least reduce the tiredness a little since a nap isn't exactly a feasible considering I work from 9 to 5.

[ahasegawa]

Is it possible your BC pills are contributing to the lethargy as well? I think the lack of decent sleep is a BIG player! If I dont get at least 8 hours I am grumpy and tired all day

[Gutterflower]

Quite possible. It's frustrating not really knowing which medication to attribute my side effects to. Obviously the dry lips and stuff is Accutane, but I'm so moody, I feel absolutely flat and it's like I don't enjoy anything anymore. I'd not go as far as to say it's depression, it's damn frustrating and I doubt it's the 'Tane, but it's making me so paranoid. Once I see my doctor about switching to an IUD, hopefully it makes things more bearable... it's kind of a real double whammy trying to deal with both things at once.