139 replies to this topic

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MONTHLY RECAPS (will update as they come)

Month 1 - 40mg
Month 2 - 80mg
Month 3 - 80mg
Month 4 - 80mg
Month 5 - 80mg
Month 6 - 80mg

Pics are scattered throughout, but I'll put them together at the end.
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Hello all, === here, figuring I'd do my part and start an Accutane log of my own. 17, male, white, around 5' 11" 150 pounds (or, if you prefer, 180cm, 68kg). I'm a bit long-winded with these things...

Background
The typical teen zits were the source of my frustrations from age 12 to 15. Nothing out of hand; a constant of two or three whiteheads, blackheads around the nose, etc., save for the case of a bad breakout. In retrospect, I probably had it slightly worse than the majority, but I got by just fine with occasional OTC use.

Age 16 was a different story. The acne had taken it's hold, so I decided to take more consistent measures. After a few aimless attempts with 10% BP, Proactiv, and salicylic acid pads, I moved on to Dan's Regimen around summertime (2011). It was successful, at least compared to what else I had been doing.

Then came the breakout... around September/October 2011, I had a breakout, very unusual for me in that the acne I got was too small to form a head, and instead was just a reddish, hilly mess. All over my cheeks. I recall that I had been slacking on the Regimen for the week prior... so I was pissed, but brushed it off. Okay, I figured, time to get serious again, and clear up this face once and for all.

Nnnooopeee. See, prior to this breakout, all my acne would more or less have disappeared a few weeks after it came; no post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), no scarring, nothing. I may have been pinkish there for about a week, but really, that's it. Well, even after it was long gone, all of this breakout's acne left a cruel reminder of our time together on my face. Since early fall of 2011, my cheeks have basically served as evidence as to how much PIH/mild scarring sucks.

I've tried my share of stuff for the redness, particularly tea tree oil in numerous forms... it just doesn't help much. Meanwhile, I've still been getting new spots, and many of them are scarring or leaving behind pigmentation, too. Some of my PIH still does have a bit of a bump to it.

The Derm
So, around early March, I come to terms with the fact that I can't self-treat this problem anymore, and I go to the derm. He's quite frank: he tells me he'll prescribe me 200mg/day of minocycline, and there's a 50/50 chance it will work; if it fails, he'll suggest Accutane. He also adds on the BP/clindamycin phosphate topical for good measure. I take the two meds for six weeks; predictably, they help pretty well with new spots, but that's it.

On to Accutane, then. It took me a month longer than necessary to get my prescription because of a liver test result. (My liver is actually in great shape, one thing was just elevated due to the fact that I'm still growing.) Well, I'm on day four now! Currently 40mg/day of Claravis, should bump to 80mg starting the second month.

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Now, for the actual log! I've saved some minimal notes of my first few days.

Day 1 (6/27/12): Took the pill after dinner, felt completely fine heading to bed. Put on Burt's Bees chapstick; the pharmacist suggested that I try to get ahead of the dry lips.

Day 2: Randomly woke up a bit early with a headache, probably not Accutane related. I think my lips felt chapped just because I was thinking about my lips feeling chapped, heheh. Tried Aquaphor; that stuff is straight up superior to the Burt's Bees stuff. Felt fine going to bed, no physical changes.

Day 3: Finally, signs that this stuff is working! In the evening, I notice my nose is peeling a bit, and my lips do feel a bit dry. Getting out of the shower, I see that my face is unusually red. More Aquaphor in the morning and evening.

I'll update tonight with day 4, and hopefully add some pics.

Edited by ===, 09 December 2012 - 09:12 PM.

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Day 4

Well, not much new. Lips were obnoxious in the morning... just had to apply Aquaphor and take my mind off them. Seems like my side effects in general have been worse in the morning.

I couldn't manage to take good pictures, considering I'm using a camera phone I can't hold still and have only indoor lighting to work with at 11:45 PM. These don't really do the severity of the acne justice... oh well.

Attached Thumbnails

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Day 5

Peeling a bit more widespread, also a bit less noticeable. Aside from that, nothing visible. The chapped lips and dry skin haven't been too bad for me, but I've had my share of headaches. Meow

Went paintballing with an old soccer team today. That is not a particularly acne-friendly activity, especially when you're using a rental mask. Had another headache afterward, but I would tie that to dehydration sooner than I would to Accutane. Also, I learned that I suck at paintball.

Edited by ===, 02 July 2012 - 02:50 AM.

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Day 6

Lips getting a bit more chapped now, and I notice peeling has moved along to my cheeks. A bit of activity on my forehead, which is unusual because my forehead was generally fine pre-Accutane. Definitely not IB bad, though, at least thus far.

EDIT: Just came out of the shower, oh god the peeling

Edited by ===, 03 July 2012 - 01:30 AM.

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Day 7 | Week 1

Boom, first week done! Had my first day of work while on Accutane today, I left my Aquaphor at home, which was not pleasant. I kept sorta rolling my lips against each other to prevent me from licking them... which worked, but now my entire upper lip area is red and sensitive.

Not much new to report otherwise. The peeling seems to get a bit more widespread daily, but I'm using CeraVe and it manages that relatively well. Not sure what I should do about the dry skin: should I use a washcloth to buff it off, or just let it stay?

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Day 8

Same old. Peeling sucks right now.

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Day 9

My brain woke me up at 6 AM this morning to have a nosebleed. Plugged my nose up for 5 minutes then went back to sleep. I had another spontaneous one at work (internship, rather) today too. I should point out that I sort of have a predisposition for nosebleeds, I've just always tended to have them more than the regular person (not nearly this often, of course, but more often nonetheless). Thank god I'm not taking this during the winter, at least, when the air's super dry. Also lucky to say that my early side effects haven't been compounded with an IB thus far.

[ginanutrition]

Oh no. Nosebleeds suck. I haven't had one, but the insides of my nose are often chock full of dried bloody boogies. Haha ew, I can't believe I just typed that. Anyways, it's gross. Have you tried putting Aquaphor up your nose? It's the only thing that works for me.

p.s. your acne doesn't look that bad in those photos!

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Oh no. Nosebleeds suck. I haven't had one, but the insides of my nose are often chock full of dried bloody boogies. Haha ew, I can't believe I just typed that. Anyways, it's gross. Have you tried putting Aquaphor up your nose? It's the only thing that works for me.

p.s. your acne doesn't look that bad in those photos!

My thread is no longer lonely! I haven't really tried anything to prevent the nosebleeds yet, but I think I'll have to try that out. I'm also considering putting a humidifier in my room and putting it on at least during sleep to get some general moisture.

Those photos definitely aren't so bad. A lot of what I have is just red marks, which have the benefit of not being as noticeable indoors. Small whiteheads too, which the phone cam didn't pick up. The minocycline actually helped pretty well with cysts... I'm still bumpy, but I'm at least I'm not mountainous .

[Forever*young]

Hi I'm on my third week of accutane and I'm thinking we could take this journey together since I'm pretty new to this accutane med :S I'm 21 and I've had acne for the past few years but I thought it was all part of puberty and didn't care much about it. However it got extremely serious since the beginning of this year, I started having breakouts on both side of my face which I never do, I usually get pimples on my forehead/chin area. I've tried so many facial products but it just got worst I was recommended by my doctor to start accutane and I'm on 20mg per day, not sure if my dosage will go up later on but it seems like my dosage is low compare to most people :/

[LastDitchEffort]

Day 9

My brain woke me up at 6 AM this morning to have a nosebleed. Plugged my nose up for 5 minutes then went back to sleep. I had another spontaneous one at work (internship, rather) today too. I should point out that I sort of have a predisposition for nosebleeds, I've just always tended to have them more than the regular person (not nearly this often, of course, but more often nonetheless). Thank god I'm not taking this during the winter, at least, when the air's super dry. Also lucky to say that my early side effects haven't been compounded with an IB thus far.

Wow, I'm on day 9 aswell right now. What a coincidence! Keep up the good updates, so I can compare my side effects with yours

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Day 10

Another day, another bloody nose. Lips are predictably worse-- they're not peeling, so I've instead got a layer of dry, itchy, hot skin there. I'm also getting a lower back ache. On the bright side, joints didn't hurt after running, and I managed to not get burnt despite being out in the sun for an hour.

Hi I'm on my third week of accutane and I'm thinking we could take this journey together since I'm pretty new to this accutane med :S I'm 21 and I've had acne for the past few years but I thought it was all part of puberty and didn't care much about it. However it got extremely serious since the beginning of this year, I started having breakouts on both side of my face which I never do, I usually get pimples on my forehead/chin area. I've tried so many facial products but it just got worst I was recommended by my doctor to start accutane and I'm on 20mg per day, not sure if my dosage will go up later on but it seems like my dosage is low compare to most people :/

Heck yeah. We're pretty similar; used to have mild acne, then randomly got terrible breakouts on the sides of our faces. If you're on 20mg at the start you'll probably be bumped up (iirc I'm supposed to take 80mg/day starting next month), but a lot of it has to do with mg/kg anyway,

Wow, I'm on day 9 aswell right now. What a coincidence! Keep up the good updates, so I can compare my side effects with yours

Sweet, sweet. You should make a log too!

Edited by ===, 07 July 2012 - 02:02 AM.

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Day 11

Started blister pack deux. No nosebleed today, but goddamn my lips are getting annoying. Does that symptom tend to improve with time? I really hope so.

Edited by ===, 08 July 2012 - 01:52 AM.

[Forever*young]

First two weeks I didn't feel many side effects except for really dry lips and skin, but my acne actually got worse when I see my doctor after the second week. I had painful break outs like I never had before and my skin felt irritated when I wash my face but it's starting to get better now that some of the redness is going away and I'm starting my fourth week. I haven't had any nosebleed yet but there are some blood when I sneeze into a tissue, I think it's probably from the dryness that accutane has caused. I tried sticking up some Vaseline up my nostril with a q-tip and I think it's working that it's has kept me away from blood-like nasal mucus.

[B552299G]

get some aquaphor and slather that stuff on thick at night, and a thin coat throughout the days as needed. That thick coat at night has saved my lips thus far (im in the middle of month 2). I even slather it on if I know I'm gonna be at home for a while. It's a common lip balm for accutane users, and trusted by a ton of us.

Good luck brah

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Day 12

Got a minor nosebleed and had dry lips today, so nothing out of the usual. I notice that I have a lot of dandruff, or at least what appears to be dandruff, when I run my hands through my hair. I've also got something cystic and angry evolving below my lips... but really, I think I can safely say that I have seem some overall improvement already since starting Accutane.

Oh, and I used a humidifier last night. Not sure whether it helped much.

First two weeks I didn't feel many side effects except for really dry lips and skin, but my acne actually got worse when I see my doctor after the second week. I had painful break outs like I never had before and my skin felt irritated when I wash my face but it's starting to get better now that some of the redness is going away and I'm starting my fourth week. I haven't had any nosebleed yet but there are some blood when I sneeze into a tissue, I think it's probably from the dryness that accutane has caused. I tried sticking up some Vaseline up my nostril with a q-tip and I think it's working that it's has kept me away from blood-like nasal mucus.

I'm gonna have to try the Q-tip thing out, you and Gina both suggest it. Good to hear the irritated skin feeling is going away for you, that's one side effect I haven't experienced.

get some aquaphor and slather that stuff on thick at night, and a thin coat throughout the days as needed. That thick coat at night has saved my lips thus far (im in the middle of month 2). I even slather it on if I know I'm gonna be at home for a while. It's a common lip balm for accutane users, and trusted by a ton of us.

Good luck brah

Thanks d00d. I've been applying Aquaphor constantly, but that heavy layer sounds like a good idea-- in the morning, I feel like I have to play catch up with my lips since they become so much drier overnight. Random, but I noticed while reading your thread that you had epididymitis and were taking meds-- has it improved? And for long before were you experiencing it? I think I have either that or just a painful varicocele... afraid I might have to get surgery.

[B552299G]

Day 12

Got a minor nosebleed and had dry lips today, so nothing out of the usual. I notice that I have a lot of dandruff, or at least what appears to be dandruff, when I run my hands through my hair. I've also got something cystic and angry evolving below my lips... but really, I think I can safely say that I have seem some overall improvement already since starting Accutane.

Oh, and I used a humidifier last night. Not sure whether it helped much.

First two weeks I didn't feel many side effects except for really dry lips and skin, but my acne actually got worse when I see my doctor after the second week. I had painful break outs like I never had before and my skin felt irritated when I wash my face but it's starting to get better now that some of the redness is going away and I'm starting my fourth week. I haven't had any nosebleed yet but there are some blood when I sneeze into a tissue, I think it's probably from the dryness that accutane has caused. I tried sticking up some Vaseline up my nostril with a q-tip and I think it's working that it's has kept me away from blood-like nasal mucus.

I'm gonna have to try the Q-tip thing out, you and Gina both suggest it. Good to hear the irritated skin feeling is going away for you, that's one side effect I haven't experienced.

get some aquaphor and slather that stuff on thick at night, and a thin coat throughout the days as needed. That thick coat at night has saved my lips thus far (im in the middle of month 2). I even slather it on if I know I'm gonna be at home for a while. It's a common lip balm for accutane users, and trusted by a ton of us.

Good luck brah

Thanks d00d. I've been applying Aquaphor constantly, but that heavy layer sounds like a good idea-- in the morning, I feel like I have to play catch up with my lips since they become so much drier overnight. Random, but I noticed while reading your thread that you had epididymitis and were taking meds-- has it improved? And for long before were you experiencing it? I think I have either that or just a painful varicocele... afraid I might have to get surgery.

I felt the same way in the morning. Puting it on like obnoxiously thick at night helps this for me for sure. Just be careful to get it only on your lips. If I'm not careful it gives me those little annoying whitehead around my lips.

And on the epididymitis; The course of antibiotics had me pain free in about 4 days, and after the 10 days all the swelling was down. This was impressive because I could barely walk before this. Ouch. Mine came up in the space of time between stopping my antibiotic for acne, and starting accutane. I beleive it was a condition that was lingering, but came out full force after stopping minocycline. Go have a doctor check it out. Kinda awkward, but they see it all the time. Just be careful because they will most likely prescribe Doxycycline (a common acne drug ironically) and this CANNOT be taken with accutane. It can cause brain swelling and scary shit like that. I took Levofloxacin and it worked wonderfully. There's many causes of Epididymitis, and each antibiotic works different for different kinds. I think mine was caused by urine being pushed back into my epididymis from straining from powerlifting in the gym, which was why the levofloxacin worked so well.

Talk to your doc, there's plenty options available for meds that are good with accutane so I would try those before taking a break from accutane, which they may recomend if they really want you to take doxy.

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Day 13

The whitehead on my chin has become monstrous, I haven't had one this bad in a while. If I didn't know better, I'd have already popped it. The heavy Aquaphor application before sleep definitely was beneficial, my lips have felt almost normal today!

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Day 14 | Week 2

Busy busy day today, eight hours of work and four hours of volunteering... No complaints, it helped me take my mind off of side effects.

Lips have settled down a bit more, presumably because my Aquaphor usage has increased. I do have some minor, and probably passing, sadness (I don't think it merits the term depression), but it's due to an outside source, and I seriously doubt it's due to Accutane. Not much news on the skin, but that whitehead seems to have collapsed in on itself and there's a... yellowish collection of I-don't-know-what in its place. (That makes it sound a lot worse than it looks.)

Around week three seems to be when a lot of IBs start to occur... I'm on my toes! I should point out that I'm currently doing nothing (other than Accutane, hurrr) for my face aside from very occasional moisturizing and applying suntan lotion. Is that bad? A lot of people on here seem to be using cleansers and whatnot.

Edited by ===, 11 July 2012 - 02:33 AM.

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Day 15

I accidentally squeezed my pill today ._. For anyone wondering, Claravis pills are neon orange on the inside.
I realize that I haven't really mentioned any changes my acne as a whole since going on Accutane... there hasn't been any yet. Some whiteheads forming, some going away, still lots of blackheads on and around my nose... patience is a virtue.