17 replies to this topic

[lveen]

I decided I'd jump on the Accutane log bandwagon to track my progress (hopefully there'll be a lot of this) and side effects (and not so much of these).

I've been on Accutane for almost two weeks now. I was expecting the initial breakout that a lot of people get but I've actually seen my skin get slightly better. Some big clusters of zits have dried up. I have gotten some new pimples and these seem to be harder and bigger than the ones I usually got but I'm not sure if it's not just my imagination because I was expecting my acne to get worse.

The only side effects I've really experienced have been the usual dry eyes, dry skin, dry lips. This doesn't bother me a whole lot because it's winter and my skin and lips always get dry around this time of year... and my eyes have always been a bit dry too (makes wearing contacts really fun...) I've been having some painful bowel movements but I'm not 100% sure it's because of the Accutane.

Info

Age : 22
Dose : 20 mg/day
Weight : 170 pounds
Current skin regimen : I wash day and night with Philosophy's Purity cleanser (doctor told me not to use anything medicated/formulated for acne) and a Clarisonic brush. In the morning I moisturize with a Clinique moisturizer that's SPF 25 and at night with argan oil.
Previously tried : Salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxyde, sulphur, ProActiv, minocycline, birth control pills, Retin-A micro, a bunch of other stuff.

Here are some photos I took on the day I started taking Accutane. I think they make my skin look better than it actually was.

http://i40.tinypic.com/1o0h15.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/2ajvmsy.jpg

And some awesome peeling on my jawline! http://i43.tinypic.com/rw78n9.jpg

[blahdeeblah]

Hey! Good luck with your course, I'm on day 11 so we must be pretty close. You're on a pretty low dosage so you might luck out and avoid the dreaded IB. I, unfortunately, am not so lucky and currently experiencing it...boo!

Keep us posted how things go with your Clarisonic brush. I've really been anxious to try one but am a bit nervous now that I've started my course.

[lveen]

Well, I'm definitely having a breakout now... I usually get clusters of red pimples and today when I woke up I had five new whiteheads spread out over my cheeks and chin. Not fun!

As for the Clarisonic brush, I like it. My skin feels softer and my moisturizer definitely sinks in faster than it used to before. Some of the reviews for Clarisonic are extremely positive, with people swearing that the brush alone got rid of their acne. I've been using it for two weeks so it's too early to tell if it's going to be that good for me. I would recommend buying one from Sephora because their return policy is amazing and they'll let you return it after using it if it doesn't work for you or you don't like it.

[slowandsteady]

good luck! i;ve just started month 3 of accutane and im just starting to see my skin look better since the IB. i really hope you dont get one as bad as mine! im 120lbs and on 40mg by now, wil u be upping your dose later on?

and about the painful bowel movements, make sure youre drinking LOTS of water, its probably due to the dehydration from the tane. also try eating some milled flax seed, its high in healthy omega 3 fatty acids and fibre. i have barely had ANY problems with joint pain on my course and I think it's due to my high intake of fats since starting accutane. although it might slow the process down a bit by causing more break outs I would rather that than ruin my joints. jjust my 2 cents

[lveen]

I've definitely been trying to drink more water. It's just hard for me to force myself to drink when I'm not thirsty, and also my urine is almost clear, so it doesn't look like I'm dehydrated. I've been pouring Benefiber into every glass of liquid I drink and I got some stool softeners, so hopefully that'll help a bit too! If it doesn't I might go back to 10 mg/day until I can see my doctor.

[hotburrito]

Good luck! It's nice that your derma put you on a low dosage to start off with - taper off the side effects (which are awful) a bit. Hopefully the positive effects of the drug kick in soon

[lveen]

Today marks three weeks since I've been on Accutane, so I decided to post some progress photos. I don't see much of a difference - no real improvement but no horrible breakout either, so I can't really complain too much! My skin's not really as red as it looks in the head-on photo, though. It was often that red when I was using Benzaclin, but I haven't noticed it as much with Accutane.

http://imageshack.us.../39/006kva.jpg/

http://imageshack.us...812/008nxc.jpg/

http://imageshack.us...705/009oeq.jpg/

Sometimes I'm really tempted to use some Retin-A micro on my nose, which is basically covered in blackheads. Would this be a terrible idea? And do I have to stay away from foods that are high in Vitamin A?

I counted the pills I have left and realized I'm going to have to go in for blood tests and a doctor's appointment early next week instead of in the New Year (I'll be out of town from the 19th to the 26th). I am absolutely terrified of needles, so this is not a fun prospect. Ugh.

[Hopeful*]

lveen, on 08 December 2011 - 11:13 PM, said:

Today marks three weeks since I've been on Accutane, so I decided to post some progress photos. I don't see much of a difference - no real improvement but no horrible breakout either, so I can't really complain too much! My skin's not really as red as it looks in the head-on photo, though. It was often that red when I was using Benzaclin, but I haven't noticed it as much with Accutane.

http://imageshack.us.../39/006kva.jpg/

http://imageshack.us...812/008nxc.jpg/

http://imageshack.us...705/009oeq.jpg/

Sometimes I'm really tempted to use some Retin-A micro on my nose, which is basically covered in blackheads. Would this be a terrible idea? And do I have to stay away from foods that are high in Vitamin A?

I counted the pills I have left and realized I'm going to have to go in for blood tests and a doctor's appointment early next week instead of in the New Year (I'll be out of town from the 19th to the 26th). I am absolutely terrified of needles, so this is not a fun prospect. Ugh.

You should stay away from doing anything harsh that may increase sensitivity or dryness while you're on the pill. You shouldn't use the Retin-a along with accutane. It will increase the peeling & redness and sensitivity. I also read that you use a clarisonic brush? I also don't think u should use that while you're on accutane. It can also make your skin more susceptible to damage and irritation. Your skin is very sensitive while on this so.. be careful with that. And Good Luck with your course

[lveen]

Today I had my first monthly blood draw... Actually, I'm hoping that my doctor will agree to let me do the tests every six weeks instead. It would make the difference between 5 tests left to do and 3. She wasn't at all clear about the blood test requirement - when she wrote me the prescription she said I would have to do one test a month into my course. (I had a blood test done six weeks before she prescribed it to me as part of my annual physical, so I didn't have to get blood drawn specifically to see if I was okay to take Accutane.) I found out later it would have to be a regular occurrence. I think I would have chosen not to take Accutane if I'd known, because I have an intense phobia of needles. Nobody seems to understand that when I say "phobia" I mean it - it's completely irrational and out of my control. I was worried about it all last week and whenever I told a friend they would say something like, "Just don't look while they do it" or "It's just a pinprick!" but to me it's a terrifying procedure that leads me shaking and in tears.

Anyway, I am going to stop before everybody here realizes what a wimp I am!

I really hope I can get an appointment with my doctor this week. I made an online request for an appointment on Saturday night but I have yet to hear back from the clinic. I'm leaving town on Saturday and I'll be away until the 27th. I have half a pack of 10 mg pills left, a full pack of 40 mg, and my dosage right now is 20. Which means that unless I see her and she renews my scrip for the 10 mg, I'll have to either halve my dosage over Christmas or double it. The doctor originally told me to start at 10 mg and increase my dose up to 40 whenever I felt comfortable. I'm 78 kg, so even 40 mg is on the low end for me, but given the side effects I had when I switched to 20 (really painful bowel movements and rectal bleeding, how fun!) I'm really wary of increasing it again.

[lveen]

My doctor's appointment is on January 3rd. I've been taking the 40mg pills for three days now and I haven't noticed any unpleasant side effects (I'm taking care to drink lots of water and get enough fibre). I've noticed I can go longer without washing my hair because it doesn't get greasy nearly as fast. Today I wanted to wear my contact lenses and had to take them out after a few minutes because my eyes ached so much - twelve hours later they're still a bit red! So that wasn't fun.

I don't altogether mind the contacts issue though. My skin definitely looks better! There are two patches of pimples on my outer cheeks that have been there for months and they're slowly diminishing and drying out. I haven't gotten any new pimples in the past few weeks apart from small bumps, even before/during my period - usually I get a fair number of pus-filled pustules.

So. Things are going well here and I'm looking forward to a clear-skinned 2012!

[lveen]

Today I had my follow-up after my first blood tests. My doctor said everything looks fine! There was a very slight in my cholesterol, but apart from that my numbers are virtually the same as they were in the blood test I did before I started taking Accutane. Doctor wants me to continue at my current dosage of 40 mg. She said she definitely sees an improvement in my skin. I have virtually no whiteheads now, although the small red spots are taking their time healing. I'm not too worried. I'm looking forward to seeing further progress in my complexion!

[lveen]

Well, today was exciting! I did my second round of blood/urine tests on Thursday and this morning my doctor called to say the tests show that I'm pregnant.

I knew it's 99.999999% impossible for me to get pregnant, but it was still alarming news, so I got to the clinic as fast as I could and did a bunch of pregnancy tests with a nurse. She determined that I am definitely not pregnant and that the lab mixed up my urine sample with someone else's (how freaking hard is it to read the label on a jar full of pee?!). I'm extremely relieved, but also worried for the woman who IS pregnant and doesn't know it... I hope she's not taking any teratogenic medication herself!

[blahdeeblah]

lveen, on 23 January 2012 - 02:25 PM, said:

Well, today was exciting! I did my second round of blood/urine tests on Thursday and this morning my doctor called to say the tests show that I'm pregnant.

I knew it's 99.999999% impossible for me to get pregnant, but it was still alarming news, so I got to the clinic as fast as I could and did a bunch of pregnancy tests with a nurse. She determined that I am definitely not pregnant and that the lab mixed up my urine sample with someone else's (how freaking hard is it to read the label on a jar full of pee?!). I'm extremely relieved, but also worried for the woman who IS pregnant and doesn't know it... I hope she's not taking any teratogenic medication herself!

Oh my gosh! I would be HORRIFIED to get that phone call....especially in the middle of your course. Happy to hear it was a false alarm but share in your concern for the girl who is pregnant! Simple mistakes like this are relatively harmless - but reminds of my doctors being careless and operating on the wrong person or imputating the incorrect limb. Human error is a terrifying thing!

[lnymphl]

HOLY MOLEY! I'm glad you aren't pregnant (while on accutane of course). Geez, I can't believe they got things mixed up! I'm glad everything worked out for you and hopefully no more false alarms.

My acne is similar to yours, but worst =( I hope we'll both be clear by the end of this accutane journey. GOOD LUCK

[lveen]

PMalaska, on 23 January 2012 - 10:27 PM, said:

Simple mistakes like this are relatively harmless - but reminds of my doctors being careless and operating on the wrong person or imputating the incorrect limb. Human error is a terrifying thing!

My husband was actually surprisingly nonchalant about it, once everything was cleared up. He said, "Everybody makes mistakes, and now everything's fine." I find it very hard to see it that way... when so-called medical professionals make stupid mistakes like it, it can have a serious impact on a lot of people's lives. It's not as bad as operating on the wrong person, but still! Imagine if they mix up someone's blood sample and that person doesn't find out that they have serious liver damage or that their cholesterol increased to a dangerous level.

lnymphl, on 24 January 2012 - 12:51 AM, said:

HOLY MOLEY! I'm glad you aren't pregnant (while on accutane of course). Geez, I can't believe they got things mixed up! I'm glad everything worked out for you and hopefully no more false alarms.

My acne is similar to yours, but worst =( I hope we'll both be clear by the end of this accutane journey. GOOD LUCK

I'm glad I'm not pregnant, Accutane or no Accutane!

Good luck to you too. I hope your skin clears up soon with no bad side effects.

[titoziot]

I was liking the diary aspect of this! I'm curious how it's going now? It's been a few months since you posted, just curious

I started my treatment about 10 days ago. This Clarisonic product keeps cropping up everywhere! Is it worth it? DId you derm say anything about not using it while on Accutane

[lveen]

titoziot, on 25 January 2012 - 02:26 PM, said:

I was liking the diary aspect of this! I'm curious how it's going now? It's been a few months since you posted, just curious

I started my treatment about 10 days ago. This Clarisonic product keeps cropping up everywhere! Is it worth it? DId you derm say anything about not using it while on Accutane

I posted a little update just a few days ago!

I like the Clarisonic brush, but it depends if you can get it at a good price. I got it from Sephora because they emailed me a great coupon so I got a discount on it. It definitely made my skin softer, which in turn made it absorb moisturizer more easily, but since I started using it just before I started taking Accutane I can't know how much it would have helped my skin just on its own. I haven't asked my doctor about using it.

In your case, I'd give the Accutane a few more weeks to see what it does to your skin before adding the Clarisonic if you decide to get it. I hope your treatment goes well and you don't get any of the bad side effects!

[isisrising]

titoziot, on 25 January 2012 - 02:26 PM, said:

I was liking the diary aspect of this! I'm curious how it's going now? It's been a few months since you posted, just curious

I have been using my Clarisonic Mia since I started Accutane, and I am starting my 2nd month. I had to go back to the sensitive brush since my skin is a lot drier once the Accutane kicked in. Before that, I used the deep pore cleansing brush which is a little rougher. I am still using it twice/day. I may just use it at night to make sure I wash off all of moisturizer and sunscreen.