My first Accutane log, where should I begin??? I am glad that I finally got on Accutane/Claravis, I supposed to get my prescription last Friday, however, my dear doctor wrote the date wrong, so I couldn't get my prescription until Monday.

Current Situation
My primary physician prescribed me 40mg, once a day. She said that I would be very likely to stay at this dosage the entire course due to my size and weight, we will see. My insurance reached to the cap, so I have to pay Claravis out of my own pocket... luckily new school year start this late Sept., so my wallet doesn't have to bleed for too long. So far I am paying $134 from Costco. It is the cheapest generic brand I can find around LA.

My Acne Background:

I always have little pimples since I was 14 or 15...but always just one or two, here and there. Until recent years, my pimples become more and more severe, specially around my jaw line, a lot of cysts acnes. I went to see derm at my school, I had tried Differin, Duac and Doxycycline together. They were great. My face was super irritated, but my face was cleared within three months. i was so tired of my super sensitive face, and the strong side effect of Doxycycline, (I puked one time after taking it with just a little salad in my stomach), as soon as my face was cleared, I stopped using the medications. As you all have predicted, my acne came back again. I had also tried Bactrim, Yaz and spironolactone. I didn't try this combination for very long though, only one month. My face did become a little bit less oily with the help of spironolactone, but I wanted to try Accutane so badly so I didn't continue taking it. I like the theory of how Accutane works and high successful rates that I saw from this forums. I just want to finally end my acne problem for good. I am really tired of it after all these years...and I hate keep on taking different medications, feeling like a dependent druggie... Man, all I want is clear skin!!!!


I did do a little bit research about Accutane before I get on, and I am aware of all the possible side effect. I use lip balm all the time, and I apply moisturizer on my arms and legs on daily basis already, so the dry skin and chap lips don't bother me as much, but we will see how bad the dryness problem will get...

Nothing special yet, I put a little bit of Dan's benzoyl peroxide all over my face tonight since the accutane won't kick in for a while. I am going to a friend's wedding this Friday..Don't want to go in with all the acne stars and flaky skin...( so far I can still use Clarisonic skin care brush to clean my face, it works like wonders to remove flaky skin. I hope no new zits pop up in the next few days...( I'll be so sad to go to her wedding with flaming red zits on my face...Even though MAC studio finish concealer can help me to hide the color of the pimple, but it is hard to ignore the "little hills" on my face...awwwww...
picture of me before going on accutane.

I can definitely feel that my lips are getting dryer from Accutane now. I thought it was just temporary, the dryness won't kick in so early yet, I guess I was wrong. My nose also started to have little dry patches too, so far the cetaphil lotion is still able to take care of it. My face is a little bit less oily (maybe, I am not really a sensitive detail person, can't tell the differences yet)

From the attached pictures, you can see that my face is a little bit clear, the inflammations are less noticeable. I have a tendency to pop my pimples...I know it is a bad habit, but I just can't help it...my hand will be touching my face whenever when I don't pay attention....awww...

I think I'll go buy some heavy duty lip balm in a bit..the one I am currently using seems not moisturize enough anymore. My lips feel dry from inside out...(

hey, just stopping by to say good luck with your course! your skin doesn't really look that bad, and I'm sure the accutane will clear it up fast. you'll be clear in no time:-)

Hi there, thank you very much for your support. My skin is alright compare to some of the more server cases here. But my acne is SUPER resistant, I can never get rip of them. I had tried so many stuff...sometimes my face got clear a little bit(like right now), then come back with a whole bunch of new ones again...so depressing.....We will see...Thank you again for stopping by..Good luck with your course too!

Accutane is definitely having an effect on me, just not my face yet. My lips are definitely way dryer than I ever experienced. I also have sour throat, make me want to drink water all the time. My scalp is also very dry, itchy, make me want to scratch it, I never had this problem before. My nose bled a little bit in a morning.
My face seem a little bit less oily, less shiny, but still have pimples popping out once in a while, here and there, but not as bad as before I started Accutane. So far Aquaphor was able to help me to sooth my lips, but I have to constantly applying it even after drinking water a few times. I'm glad that I found this website and found out a lot of useful information, everybody has been very supported to each other. I'm happy.
I'll upload my progress pictures in a few days. P

ps: just checked out other people's tane log and notice about dandruff shampoo, I guess I'll need to go to pharmacy stores to get some head and shoulder. No more shinny and healthy hair...(

I don't want to update so frequently, but I do find my skin and my body is changing a little bit from Accutane. I am a slow person, I didn't think my dry scalp was result of the Accutane until I read other people's log. My face is not really getting oilier than it used to, but I do notice my pores look bigger, a lot of blackhead and dirty stuff seems to coming to the surface, make my nose look kinda bigger and dirtier. I guess that explains why I got a few pimples pop up in the last couple days. My lips are still very dry, need to apply lipbalm all the time, but my body skin is ok, not as dry as I expected yet. I'll take some pictures of my face this weekend.

Day 20

OK, I am definitely experience more side effects now, not just my skin, but more internally. Last night I had a hard time falling asleep, my stomach hurts. I kept on turning around and changing positions. There was some energy inside that really bothers me,( not gas)..I don't know how to describe it. I tried to go to the bathroom, but nothing came out..hehe..sorry..P I also started to experience chest pain more frequently these days, which I rarely experiences in my life before. The chest pain is very light, doesn't bother me as much, but it happens quite frequently, it got me a little bit worried. I googled it and found out that a few less common side effects for accutane include: bowel inflammation and pain, chest pain, decreased night vision. Bingo!!!

Reading that also remind me of helping my bf to look for street sign when we were driving one night, and the sign was very blurry even when we were very close..I am a little bit near-sighted, but I don't rely on glasses on daily basis. This is the first time I had problem with my night sight. The same freeway I used to drive at night all the time, now I actually had to use high beam at some part of it, and I was like, " how come they turned off the light here"...now i know why....it wasn't because they turned off the street lights, it was me..

OK, after reading other people's log and I realized that I also have tiredness problem, I slept way more these days..I'll take like 3 hours nap during the day..P

Damn, this is a powerful drug!!! It makes me realize again how weak human beings could be in front of the nature....We are capable of doing a lot of things, but little things could also destroy us easily. My body is not as strong as I thought it was..

My skin was getting a little bit better, no big zits coming out, just lots black heads and some small white heads..

Here are some pictures of me when I was on day 16..

I started about two weeks before you, and trust me it gets better. I got mild headaches when I first started and had chest and back pain for about 2 weeks, mainly when getting in and out of my lowered civic which is like 2" off the ground. It'll go away. Every once in awhile I have a sleepless night, but that's usually because I took my college 5 hour nap during the daytime BUT, I took naps everyday of college last year from like 2-4 p.m., but didn't this summer, so I DO think accutane makes you more sleepy, just have to stay active, go ride a bike, get out and move around and you'll sleep like a baby when you get home. Also, keep on with the lotion and what not because I'm peeling like crazy right now on my arms and it's too late to really stop it. As far as the vision, that should get better, but I can't say honestly that it has affected me that much, but I did notice it slightly when staring into the high beams of others.

hmm...I start to think if my sore back is related to the accutane too after you mentioned it.. I also notice I start to have sore back quite often lately. I don't usually have hard time falling asleep...I can easily fall asleep within 5 minutes in general, only when I'm in pain, then it'll take me a while...
Thank you for the suggestion of keep on using body lotion..I haven't really notice dry skin on my body yet, we will see in the future.. I still think using the lotion now will help, you just need to apply it more frequently, and using an effective lotion..some lotions doesn't last very long or not moistruizing enough..

I am going to see my primary doctor again on Wednesday, the earliest derm appointment I can get is the end of the month..so screw that..so far I am doing OK..I was worried that I had to be on my period to be able to make appointment with my derm again, and later I found out that I just need to be on my period for the first month only..oh well, good to know, but I wish I knew earlier, so I don't have to worry about the period come on time or not.

Let me see, nothing is new. Dry lips, dry scalp..I did a little test, didn't wash my hair for a few days...4--5 days, and my hair is still not oily or feel dirty at all..this medication is amazing.. I still feel tired easily, but it doesn't effect me very much. My chest pain is still there, very light chest pain, but it looks like it occurs less and less now..My face is getting dryer, so I switch from Clinique moisturizing gel to Cetaphil moisturizing lotion. Cetaphil lotion does an awesome job to take away the dry skin, and keep my face moist, doesn't feel tight. I am also happy that people here recommend Aquaphor, my lips are dry, but doesn't crack because of it..My face is getting clear, compare to the oldest pictures I have here, you can see some acne and marks are fading away..but, still some new acne coming out though... My pores were getting very big, and look dirty, now it is getting slightly smaller again...we will see how it will goes in the next few months...

wow.. ur skin improves a lot.. just after 1 month

It has been a while since last time I updated my log. My face has stayed clear most of the time, even there were one or two painful nodules, but they become less inflamed without applying any topical.

I thought my chest pain was fading away, but it was actually not. I told my doctor about it, but mention it was fading, so he let it pass. I noticed my chest pain still occurs after seeing him. My last blood test show that my cholesterol level was very high-- around 270, he said if it went over 300, he'd have to stop proscribing me Accutane. I asked him the way to reduce cholesterol, he gave me a sheet with the list of the food to avoid and to eat. Man, all my favorites are on the "food to avoid" list.

I started to go on more healthy diet according to the list and the research online. I try to eat less red meat and more vegetables, avoid any cream, cheese, fried stuff. I also pay close attention to the food labels on the box b4 i buy. I don't feel like I can't enjoy my life anymore with the diet. I like and I also want to eat healthy. After eating healthy for a couple weeks, I do feel better. I actually feel that my chest pain occurs less and less, almost not noticeable anymore. I guess maybe it was associate with my high cholesterol level. My super dry throat also feel a little bit relieves these days.

This is the second month, I do started to feel Muscle pain. It feels like I haven't worked out for a long time and suddenly started working out again, my muscle feel very sore, specially my foot and my thigh. It is uncomfortable but it is not like sharp pain, so it is alright. I also started to have little headaches sometimes, it does feel like the dehydration headaches, kinda bothersome, but not a biggie either.

Man, I thought I was quite healthy and strong to start with, I shouldn't experience much side effects from Accutane except dry lips and dry skin, but I guess not..so far all the listed side effects have happen on me...awwwww...glad that none of them is seriously effecting me though.

Last thing, my skin do feel thinner, when I pop my pimples, I do feel that my skin got so easily peel off if i push it a little bit hard...I also started to have some dry patches on my body...

I'll update my photos by the end of the 2nd month.

It has been a week since I saw my doctor, I was amazed by my blood test result!!! My cholesterol level dropped from 270 to 190! Even my doctor was surprised by it too. I guess the hardcore diet was worth it. It was extremely painful to watch my friends eat desert and I can only have 2 bites.. I am a little bit loosen up on my diet right now, but I'll go on strick diet again one or two weeks before my blood test. It doesn't mean I eat like trash right now, I am still watching out my diet though, maybe not as hardcore, but I still watch what I eat.

It feels so good to have my health insurance to cover my medication again. I am happy to only pay $15 for Sotret than paying $130 for Claravis at Costco. My skin feels still the same, rarely any new pimples coming out(2 lately), pretty much stable, but still dry, dry, dry... kinda lazy to take fish oil right now, but I guess I'm going to eat healthy, less fat intake, I should continue taking my fish oil to help adsorption of accutane. From the pictures below, my face doesn't look much different than the previous ones, but it feels much smoother than it used to, and when I touch my face sometimes, there is nothing for me to pop or pick on, which is great.

The soreness on my ankles still there, happens once in a while, when I stand up and walk somewhere, I can feel the pressure and tension a little bit. I talked to my doctor, she said we'll keep an eye on that since it does not happen regularly.

I start to have accutane rashes...( there are dry reddish patches on different part of my body...I guess I'll go and get some hydrocortisone cream..

Month 3 --Day 13

I don't know what happened, maybe because of the wildfire here, my nose bleed 4 times in the past 3 days... I guess it is finally the time for me to have nose bleed...after reading other people's log and notice it is one of the common side effect from accutane....I'm waiting to see if I have any more other side effects to come...

Acne: so far, no active ones, just post-acne marks...not happy with it, wish my face is super clear without any acne or scars, but hey, it is better than having inflame acne though.

I have been very tired lately, not good for my school though...feel lazy and don't want to study......

4 months and 10 days!~ 50 days to go!!!~~

I am really tired of taking all the pills, and I always have to make sure to eat some food before I take accutane. My skin remain completely clear for the past 2 months( that's why I haven't been on here for a while). Too bad my happiness doesn't last very long, there is a cyst on my cheek!!~~ BIG RED ONE!!! I tried so hard not to pop it, because the acne scar during accutane takes FOREVER to fade away!~ I used to pop my zits all the time, the acne scar normally fade away within a few weeks..but since I got on accutane, my scar was super persistent, it is fading, but extremely slow....so, people, don't pop zits while u are on accutane..only when the pimple is super super ready to pop, like white stuff on the surface waiting for u to pop. I used to pop them even when they weren't really ready...sigh!~~

Side effects, still extremely dry skin, dry patches, dry nose...still continue using body lotions, which helps temporary. My heel still sore quite often. I am a little bit loosen up on my diet, so my chest pain revisit again, but I should definitely watch out what I eat before the next doctor appointment.

Oh man, I can't believe I only have one more month to go, then I'll be done with the course!!! I am so happy that soon I won't have to take anymore pills and have all the side effects.

I went to see my doc today and asked him about the chest pain, and learned that it is heart burn from eating too much fatty food..IC...I guess eating healthy is very important when you are on Accutane..
I have been doing great, my cholesterol level is 202 this time and I am happy, I didn't really watch what I eat..(eat lots frozen food during the finals), and it turned out OK..P

Let me see, side effects: dry skin everywhere, get tired easily, sour heel..I guess that's it...Red marks are still here, so please don't squeeze your pimple out when you are on accutane...the red marks do take FOREVER to heal than it used to.

Anyway, one more month to go!!!!!Yeah!!!!

Here are the pictures update!~
I guess I reached my maximum attachment space..I'll just give the links then..

thats clear skin

Your skin looks really good!

LAST DAY!!!!!!!!

Just took the last pill!!!!!! I'm so happy, no more accutane....I have lots to say, but I am going to make it short........

Accutane does have a lot of side effects on me, my nose is still bloody, but my face is clear, I am happy! It is totally worth it...

Here is a picture of me recently, I had a little bit of makeup on, but no concealer or whatsoever, you still can tell my skin is much better though, specially compare to someone who is next to me..

Good luck everyone.