20 replies to this topic

[racerj]

Howdy all, I've been browsing through these boards a long time and a lot of what has been said here has convinced me to give accutane a try. My acne is pretty much cleared up on my face, but my back/shoulders/chest still leave something to be desired. Hopefully I wont have to be on it too long, as i'd like to be off of it by the time classes start up again in September, but who knows.

Anyway, just dealing with insurance stuff now, and I'll be popping the first pill tomorrow morning. They got me on 40 mg's twice a day, so hopefully things'll start clearing up pretty soon.

What kind of stuff would you guys recommend for body dryness, chapped lips, and things of that nature? Also, can I still do a little social drinking from time to time while on this drug? I kinda forgot to ask my doctor these questions when I went in earlier today.

Gonna be a hell of a few months...but hopefully worth it

[WalkTheWire]

Hey, welcome aboard! I'm not sure about social drinking, but for your lips, I would recommend Eucerin "Aquaphor." It's like vasiline, but it works wonders. For body dryness, I would recommend Cetaphil or any other non-comedegenic moisturizer that doesn't irritate the skin, yet soothes and calms it. Anyhow, enjoy and keep us posted on your progress!

[racerj]

Day 1

So far, so good (obviously). I picked up my prescription at the pharmacy and instead of paying a couple hundred for actual Accutane, I decided to go w/ the generic brand. Amnesteem i think it's called. Oh well, the doctor said it's the exact same thing as regular Accutane, it just metabolizes differently. Plus, it was only $15 for a month's supply, so that's definitely good . The stupid package it comes in takes forever to open... whatever though. I stocked up on Cetaphil moisturizer, Aquaphor somethin or other, and some Burt's Bees as well. I'm sure my body's pretty pissed that I just switched from doxycycline to this stuff overnight, but whatever. Fuck you body, you'll take it and you'll LIKE IT!

Lemme give yall a little more info about me... I'm a 19 year old male, livin in Texas. I'm a junior at the University of Texas, class of '08, majoring in Electrical Engineering. I play a ton of guitar in my spare time, and I go golfing whenever I have the money to. I started with proactive when I was about 16, and that didn't really do much for me at all. I went to benzacline, and that seemed to be keeping my face in check for awhile. Eventually they gave me this expensive ass body wash, which really didn't do much, so I just stopped using it. A year or so later, I got the doctor to put me on doxycycline, and i've been on that ever since. My dosage has varied wildly through the course of things, and I think now that my body has become used to the drug, so it has lost most of its effectiveness. Decided that I didnt wanna be jumping from medication to medication and finding that nothing would really work, so i just decided why not jump to the strongest stuff they got out there? Accutane's really the only thing that i've heard of that works 99% of the time. I've had friends on all sorts of medications and stuff, and nothing seemed to work for them. Everyone that i've known that's been on accutane, however, have great skin now. That's about it for that... if there's anything else, dont hesitate to ask.

I'm headin down to Austin tomorrow morning for a couple of days to see some friends and what not, so i wont be updating until i get back. Hopefully all goes well while i'm down there with this stuff. Hope everything's goin well for everyone else out there... see yall when I get back.

[racerj]

Ok, just got back... interesting couple of days

Day 2

Still, nothin too bad. My face apparently is pissed off that I'm off of doxycycline, so it's starting to break out a little bit. Nothing untolerable, though.

Day 3

Hmm... my face is starting to get cracked and dry. My nose has a few spots on it where some skin is peeling off, and my forehead looks sunburnt. I went out and did some stuff outside for an hour-ish around when the sun went down, and i'm pretty sure that murdered my face. When i got back to my friend's apartment, my t-zone (middle forehead, nose, and areas right under my eyes and on the sides of my nose) were really, really red. Now my dilemma is this: I hate sunburn pain. That is what this was starting to feel like, and I cant stand it. I had one real terrible experience with sunburns, and now even a small sunburn pisses me off like none other. The other side to this is that i hate having greasy, oily stuff all over my face. So, putting on this Aquaphor stuff and Cetaphil moisturizer all over my face REALLY bugs the crap out of me. I NEED my face to be dry to go on with my day, so I dunno what imma do about this.

Day 4

Oh god my face. On top of this breakout, my skin is dry, cracked, red, peeling, and in all sorts of sunburn-like pain. My forehead is where it's really bad. Right in the center, sort of from the middle of my eyebrows inward, is very red and is peeling. To anyone else I'm sure this is a pretty humorous sight, but to me it's really annoying and is making me very self-conscious. I was outside for about 20 minutes in the Texas sun, and all that sweat just made it worse. On top of all this, i've got very slight psoriasis, so around my hairline and eyebrows are starting to crack and stuff. Day 4 is the worst day i've had so far... painful, itchy, irritating, and humiliating. Blah... at least I leave here to go back home tomorrow so I can seclude myself in my house for a day and apply moisturizer after moisturizer until this shit goes away. Before i went to bed, i rinsed my face off with water since i didnt have any soap, applied some psoriasis ointment and some of that Aquaphor moisturizer stuff on top of that, cuz i figured it wouldnt bother me that much if i'm sleeping. After heavy consideration, I decided to have a few drinks tonight. I'm sure just a small amount of alcohol isn't gonna murder my liver, so why not.
This is kinda weird/gross maybe, but whatever, this IS an acne message board: my ears normally have a bunch of dead skin in them, which could be the result of whatever, but either way i've noticed that it's a lot more prevalent now as well. Guess this drug really does mess with your skin. Ugh, crappy day... hopefully my skin gets better tomorrow.

Day 5

K not NEAR as bad as yesterday, but still pretty crappy. It looks like i've been sunburned on my t-zone, which really sucks. The rest of my face is starting to peel, but that's easily fixed with some Cetaphil. My lips really haven't been chapped or anything yet, which i guess is good b/c chapped lips annoy me as well. I spent most of today driving back to my house, so there was little human interaction. To me, the way i look and feel right now, is definitely a good thing. Normally it would be the opposite, but i'm pretty self conscious about my appearance, so the fact that my face is red and peeling kind of makes me want to be a recluse for a couple days. Blah, summer classes start tomorrow too, and I have to go apply to some more places for a summer job. Guess I'll just have to live with the fact that my face is gonna look like shit for a couple more days. Ugh...


To sum things up, accutane is a pretty shitty drug right now. My acne is worse than it was before, and on top of that my face is a warzone. I'm really hoping my body will get used to this in a day or so so that I can get back to normal. I can handle the initial breakouts, the fact that my contacts bug me more often now that i'm on this drug, and the fact that it seems like i'm more tired than usual throughout the day, but i cannot deal with my face being cracked and dry.

A couple questions for you guys... Will my face get better with time/moisturizer? Is there any sort of special treatment that yall have specifically for extreme dryness on your face? Am I going to see any sort of BIG initial breakout, or is this the worst it'll get?

[Arista]

Hi there. I actually asked my derm about the drinking thing. She said that as long as I wasn't going out and getting hammered every night, it wouldn't any more damage than it already would. I drink maybe once a month and usually only have one or two beers, so meh.

Understand about the chapped lips thing. Mine aren't chapped, but they seriously feel like they're on fire!! Regarding your face, I dunno what to tell you. I did see the redness you speak of, but I'm not peeling or 'cracking.' Hmm. However, I moisturize morning and night. Maybe mine's just not gotten bad yet? I'm on day 35 total, but have only been on my full dose for 4 days.

Anyhoo, everyone is going to react differently to a degree. Good luck with the Accutane! Hope things only get better from here!

[racerj]

Hi there. I actually asked my derm about the drinking thing. She said that as long as I wasn't going out and getting hammered every night, it wouldn't any more damage than it already would.

yessssssssssss

maybe this summer wont suck as much now

Day 6

well, skin's gettin better moisture-wise. it's not near as cracked and chapped as it was before, but instead the rest of my face is beginning to peel. I'd much rather prefer this because my skin looks normal as opposed to looking sunburnt, and it's a lot easier to just throw on a bunch of moisturizer and stuff before i head out. my summer classes started today... at 7:30am no less . Things were goin fine until around 11ish when my face just started itching like mad. I didnt wanna scratch it too much because i knew that would just make my face peel even more, so i sat there fidgeting for the last 45 minutes of class. Really, a pretty good day overall. I think that the 20 minutes i spent outside in the sun/heat on Saturday might have actually sunburnt my face...which is really odd. Oh well, I guess i'll just have to start applying sunscreen on my face as part of my morning routine if i'm gonna be outside at all during the day.

The acne on my back is clearing up a little bit, which is good because it's the reason i'm on this drug in the first place. Nothin too crappy yet, but i'm sure 'll get my IB soon enough... yay . On top of all that imma head into a hotel tomorrow to see if i can get a job there, so i dont want my skin to be all chapped, gross, and broken out if im gonna be dealing with people all day. Ah well, who cares. My lips are starting to get a little chapped, but that's nothin that chapstick cant solve.

Pretty good day... I'm almost starting to hope for some of the depression side effects so I can write some good guitar music


Quick question: What should I use for my face after I shave? I like using a regular razor, but that's pretty harsh on my face already, so i'm sure if i used it now it'd be murder. I have an electric razor, but i hate using electric razors. I'm thinkin maybe just throw on some moisturizer afterwards?? Lemme know what you guys think.

K a few more things about all this:

Morning routine:
Wash face w/ Cetaphil moisturizing bar
Apply a bunch of Cetaphil moisturizer on arms, legs, and face
Put Aquaphor on any places that are really cracked and peeling

Evening routine:
Wash face again w/ Cetaphil bar
Put Aquaphor all over my face and neck

throughout the day i apply burts bees as necessary. my stupid ex used this stuff all the time, so every time i put it on it reminds me of her. and her constant nagging and bitching. maybe i should switch chapsticks...

[Arista]

throughout the day i apply burts bees as necessary. my stupid ex used this stuff all the time, so every time i put it on it reminds me of her. and her constant nagging and bitching. maybe i should switch chapsticks...

[soozicee]

Hey, I know what you mean about the itchiness! I went through that last week, but oddly enough, my skin still hasn't really dried out. Def put sunscreen on when you go out. It's amazing how sensitive our skin is on this stuff. I'd like to help with the shaving question but I'm not sure if I know enough about it. I know that you should moisturize in general, so mosturizing after your shave seems appropriate. I use the Cetaphil face moisturizer with SPF 15. You can get your sunblock and moisturizer in one!!

[racerj]

I use the Cetaphil face moisturizer with SPF 15. You can get your sunblock and moisturizer in one!!

Well I'll have to go pick up some of that! My face like, changes colors throughout the day... when i woke up this morning i had just a slight tinge of red in my face, but after getting out of class this morning my face looks sunburned and more red. Stupid face, stay one color dammit! I'll probably update this again after the day's over...

Anyone listen to Jane's Addiction? I'm listening to Summertime Rolls right now... one of my fav songs

[Arista]

My face like, changes colors throughout the day... when i woke up this morning i had just a slight tinge of red in my face, but after getting out of class this morning my face looks sunburned and more red. Stupid face, stay one color dammit! I'll probably update this again after the day's over...

Yes, mine does that as well.

Anyone listen to Jane's Addiction? I'm listening to Summertime Rolls right now... one of my fav songs

I've been listening to Jane's Addiction for years and years. *looks around* I actually remember when their self-titled debut came out.

[racerj]

Day 7

Hmm, more of the same. I really wish my face would stop being so damn dry. It's starting to itch at random intervals throughout the day, too, which is even more annoying. I THINK I'm starting to get everything under control, but then i'll look in the mirror and see that my face is completely red and cracking, so who knows. I really hope my face doesn't look like this throughout the entire treatment, because it's gonna be kind of embarassing having a permanently "sunburned" face to have to deal with every day.

Or maybe my face is actually getting sunburnt. I'm not out in the sun for more than 10 minutes each day, but maybe that's aggravating things just enough so that my face actually does burn. I'm gonna go out tomorrow and buy some of that cetaphil with SPF 15, so maybe that'll help fix the problem. Other than that, no real complaints except for the two cysts that wont go away on my face. I'm praying that i dont get an IB, especially if i start working soon, cuz that might kill some self-confidence. Lips are becoming more and more chapped, but again that doesnt really bother me.

Redness + Dryness + Itchyness =

Also, my face feels really "tight" throughout the day. Like, I need to stretch the skin on my face almost because it just feels weird. Maybe this is cuz my pores are getting smaller?? Who knows


omg i'm through ONE WEEK OF ACCUTANE!! If i'm only on this stuff for 3 months... that's like 1/14th or 1/13th of the way done! I'm really hopin my face gets back to normal or at least close to its normal color soon, because that's really my only big issue with this drug. Everything else is starting to clear up slowly, so lets hope it stays that way!!

[soozicee]

Hey there, I haven't had to deal with the red face issue yet, but that's probably b/c I was super oily to begin with and haven't really dried out too much yet. Congrats on finishing your first week! Whoop!! I really hope you don't have to deal with the IB, maybe since your face is drying up so quickly you won't? Who knows with this drug! Yay! We're half way through the week!

[racerj]

Hey there, I haven't had to deal with the red face issue yet, but that's probably b/c I was super oily to begin with and haven't really dried out too much yet. Congrats on finishing your first week! Whoop!! I really hope you don't have to deal with the IB, maybe since your face is drying up so quickly you won't? Who knows with this drug! Yay! We're half way through the week!

Thanks, I'm hopin the rest of this treatment goes by just as fast. And this week needs to end already... as does this summer. It's funny, in high school summer was awesome, but in college, summer sucks ass



STUPID FACE STOP ITCHING

[racerj]

Day 8-9

things are FINALLY getting back to normal. My face is one color for about 90% of the day, and the huge cysts that formed when i started takin this drug are going away. Accutane's a pretty good drug right now . Not too much else to say about it, just same ol same ol. My face is still peeling a little, but that's easily fixed with copious amounts of moisturizer. That Aquaphor stuff is amazing. I put that stuff on my face wherever my face was cracking/peeling/burning, and in about 2-3 days it fixed everything. Not just for your lips i guess. I got some new contacts today, so hopefully these ones wont piss my eyes off as much as my old ones did now that i'm on accutane.

Quick question for you guys...
How easy is it for you to get acne scars from picking/popping zits and stuff when you're on accutane? I know it makes your skin thinner, so does it make it easier to scar? I have a real bad habit of picking/popping things, so i guess i need to just force myself not to.

Oh... and GO MAVS!!!

[soozicee]

Hey Hey.

I wouldn't pick anything on this drug. Everyone hast me super worried about my skin being thin that I think it sort of brainwashed me into not picking. haha. It's a good thing. I was super bad at that. I have noticed that by not picking my newbies, they go away much quicker.


DON'T PICK!!

[racerj]

Day 10-11

Man, things are movin now. My face is really clearing up, and the blackheads that dominated my nose are slowly disappearing... things are great . Some of the other side effects of accutane are starting to kick in, though. My scalp is super dry, itchy and even painful. The dandruff that i have long had under control is now back out in full force. Certain muscles and areas on my body are more sore than normal, such as my lower back. My face is still peeling a little, but it's nothing too bad. Lips are chapped, but burts bees helps that.

One concern of mine are my contact lenses. They're normally pretty dry, but now it's almost unbearable at times. I have to carry eyedrops with me around at all times, and sometimes it seems they dont even help. What kind of eyedrops do you guys use for this problem? It's really been buggin me lately

[racerj]

Hey guys, havent updated in a couple days...

Days 12-16?

Things are rollin along real nice. My face is clearing up, except for the occasional zit that decides to pop up. My back is looking really really well. If I had to guess, i'd say that my back is 30-40% clearer than it was when i started accutane. For me, that's awesome because i've only been on this drug for 2 weeks, so hopefully i wont have to be on it for any more than 3 months. Starting to get used to the chapped lips and dry scalp/face, but there are still a few things pissing me off. One is the dry contacts. Some days they're fine, but others days it seems like no matter how many rewetting drops i put in there they still get dry 5 minutes later. I wear Optix O2 contacts (the ones you can sleep in), so maybe i just need to start taking them out more often before i go to sleep. Who knows.

The other annoying thing is the muscle soreness. My lower back is consistently sore. On certain days, my entire back up through my neck is sore. The only part that's truly unbearable at times is my lower back. When i lay down to go to sleep, my lower back hurts. When i work out and lift weights, my entire back from the middle down hurts for a moment, then the pain goes away. What the hell is this? I like working out, it's something that keeps me in my routine throughout the week. But i find that im less and less inclined to go work out simply because i know after each set i'll have intense pain in my back muscles. Well, only whenever i do exercises that require at least a minimal amount of stress on my back muscles. My other muscles, arms, legs, chest, abs, etc dont hurt at all. It's really just my back. Blah. I suppose if i switched to machines i wouldnt have to use my back muscles near as much so the pain *might* go away, but that doesnt give me as good of a workout as i want.

Can anyone who currently lifts weights on a regular basis give me some advice on this? I really dont want to just stop lifting for however long i am on this, because i hate starting over. Any advice on any of this would be real helpful. Thanks

[Jen121]

Hey! I just read all of your log... good job on hanging in there Good to hear that your are starting to clear up. About your eyes, i would use artifical tears when they feel dry. And about your muscle pain, alot of people take omega 3*6*9 supplements and fish oil to help with joint pain.They are also good to take with your accutane pill because it increases absorbtion. Hope that will help and keep up the good work

[Nazario]

Hey Racer J , i started about the same time as you man, so try and help each other along, i live in the U.K, so far only taking 20 mg twice a day as im 60 kg, im gunna start taking it 3 times a day ( with meals ) so that it ties in with my weigh (60mg/ 60kg)

hang in there man, and also, i don't think the drinking thing is a good idea for preasure on liver, id be extra careful while on tane, im not taking any supplements that i used to for bodybuilding, which was things like creatine, protein shakes, nitrix etc... taking nothing...... although i am injured so that may be one reason although even if i recover im not taking any supps, or drinking for that matter

gd luckl

[racerj]

Days 17-19

oh man... Edgefest baby. Got to see Buckcherry, Toadies, and 30 Seconds to Mars, as well as a bunch of other bands. mmmmmmmmmm GOD i love concerts. only problem was i was out in the hot texas sun for 9 hours... im sure my skin loved that. In between each set i put suntan lotion on, and that still might not have been enough to stop me from burning. Oh well, guess i'll find out tomorrow. Whatever, it was well worth it . My only concern is that on my shoulders and upper back, it's all red and spotty. Now I was wearing a shirt that covered all of that area, but yet somehow it still looks really weird. Could this have been because of all the sweat? Or could I have somehow gotten sunburnt through my shirt?? . As for everything else... it's all good thus far. My lips are dry as the Sahara, but that Aquaphor stuff works magic. Burts Bees helps me out too whenever i need it, which is like every hour. The only new thing i've noticed so far is that my arms are just starting to crack and peel. I havent really been putting moisturizer on them previously, but i guess i'll start doing that now. Regarding the acne... my face looks GREAT. This is the clearest it's been in years, but i still get the occasional huge pimple and what not. My back is looking awesome as well... minus these red splotches all over the place currently.

Accutane rocks . So do concerts... gonna go see Beck on wednesday as well. I REALLY wanna see Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Tool, but none of them are coming anywhere close to Dallas

keep on keepin' on!