9 replies to this topic

[MsFrustrated]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to this forum, and as you all may have already guess, I suffer from acne. I first got acne when I was in the 3rd grade!!!!! It was so embarrassing because kids would say that I had chicken pox, which was not the case. I am now 21 and still suffer from acne. Acne has seriously messed with my confidence now that I am in college. I can't really think back to a time where I have been confident with my appearance because most of my memories include me having acne. I am almost done with my 3rd year of college, and I am thinking about taking accutane in a few months. Over the years I have tried a number of different topical products, and nothing has come close to clearing up my acne.

The places on my body where I have acne is on my face, my neck, my arms, my chest, and my back. Practically my entire upper body. To make things worse, I have a tremendous amount of acne scaring.

The main reason why I wanted to start on accutane is because I want to go into my senior year of college and not worry about how my face and skin looks. I will be applying to graduate school this upcoming year, and I would like to have clear skin during my interviews.

Blah, blah, blah....lol. I've rambled on for a while. I do have a few questions for people who have taken accutane:
1. I am a female, and I have been absinent my entire life. Will I be required to use birth control pills? Also, will I be required to wait an entire month before I can start accutane?
2. I am an athlete in university, which requires me to work out on a regular basis. I would like to start accutane as soon as my semester is over. Will I be able to exercise moderately-intensly while on accutane?

[*Spiro*]

Yes you will be required to take birth control pills. Yes you will have to wait the month, take the pregnancy tests aswell. As far as the working out that varies from person to person. Some people don't want to bend over on this medication and other people can still lift and train. I'm half through my 2nd month and joint pains have come and gone either with the help of supplements or my body got used to it. I'm not stopping the supplements to find out though lol. Good luck to you if you start the medication!

[MsFrustrated]

Yes you will be required to take birth control pills. Yes you will have to wait the month, take the pregnancy tests aswell. As far as the working out that varies from person to person. Some people don't want to bend over on this medication and other people can still lift and train. I'm half through my 2nd month and joint pains have come and gone either with the help of supplements or my body got used to it. I'm not stopping the supplements to find out though lol. Good luck to you if you start the medication!

Lol...thank you. I am just really eager to start this treatment. I wish you all the best with your accutane journey

[thefloydfan]

I'm half through my 2nd month and joint pains have come and gone either with the help of supplements or my body got used to it. I'm not stopping the supplements to find out though lol. Good luck to you if you start the medication!

Which supplements are you taking?

[becky lou]

Welcome!!

I think the first question depends on your doctor's preference... I've been abstinent my entire life as well and I was allowed to choose abstinence as my primary form of birth control rather than going on the pill or getting an IUD. I haven't heard of a lot of women saying they were allowed to choose abstinence even though it is an option in iPledge. Maybe their derms wanted them on the pill just to be 100% sure that no babies were being made, which is a good idea. Even though I have been and am abstinent, I still had to wait a month before I received Accutane and do the pregnancy tests. There are a lot of hoops to jump through to get these pills!

I have been able to do moderate exercise a few times a week with no big problems. I've had joint problems in my hips and knees for about five years and Accutane hasn't seemed to exacerbate them too badly, but I do stay sore longer after a workout. I'm definitely no athlete though. I have read logs of very active people who say that they get really sore (moreso than usual) after intense exercise and they have to wait longer between workouts.

I hope this helped and if you do get Accutane, I hope it doesn't affect your workouts too much! Some people take fish oil to lube up their joints. I've never tried it but I have been looking into it, so you might be interested in that

[*Spiro*]

I'm half through my 2nd month and joint pains have come and gone either with the help of supplements or my body got used to it. I'm not stopping the supplements to find out though lol. Good luck to you if you start the medication!

Which supplements are you taking?

Sorry I just saw this post! I would have responded earlier.. I am using fish oil and glucosamine and they went away completely..

[thefloydfan]

Thanks. I bought some of those today

[*Spiro*]

Thanks. I bought some of those today

Seriously working wonders for me.. Took a week and halfish to notice the difference though. Hope they work well for you!!

[MsFrustrated]

Welcome!!

I think the first question depends on your doctor's preference... I've been abstinent my entire life as well and I was allowed to choose abstinence as my primary form of birth control rather than going on the pill or getting an IUD. I haven't heard of a lot of women saying they were allowed to choose abstinence even though it is an option in iPledge. Maybe their derms wanted them on the pill just to be 100% sure that no babies were being made, which is a good idea. Even though I have been and am abstinent, I still had to wait a month before I received Accutane and do the pregnancy tests. There are a lot of hoops to jump through to get these pills!

I have been able to do moderate exercise a few times a week with no big problems. I've had joint problems in my hips and knees for about five years and Accutane hasn't seemed to exacerbate them too badly, but I do stay sore longer after a workout. I'm definitely no athlete though. I have read logs of very active people who say that they get really sore (moreso than usual) after intense exercise and they have to wait longer between workouts.

I hope this helped and if you do get Accutane, I hope it doesn't affect your workouts too much! Some people take fish oil to lube up their joints. I've never tried it but I have been looking into it, so you might be interested in that

Thank you for the information!! Sorry for the reply, but I have been busy with exams and finals over the last few weeks. I have an appointment to see the dermatologist in about a week so I am hoping for the best . If I do get put on accutane (and I'm praying that I do), I will definitely be taking fish oil pills. I'm currently taking biotin pills, but I'm not sure if that will have any effect if I were to be on accutane.

[MsFrustrated]

Well, I recently got home from school, and I visited the derm on Monday. At the beginning of my appointment, the nurse asked me what products I have tried to improve my acne and I gave her a run down of my story. She told me that I had a lot of scarring, which is true, but she said that my acne was not that severe. I do agree that my acne is a bit controlled right now, but my major problem is breakouts that lead to severe scarring, and that makes it hard to get rid of the acne scars when new ones reappear.

When I told her that, she asked me if I heard about accutane and I told her that not only have I heard about it, but I have also been researching it. When the derm came in he asked me some more questions and he gave me the paper work to get my blood test done. I told him that I was abstinent and he said that I can get started next week!!! I was surprised. I do not need a pregnancy test or birth control pills to get started. I think it's because here in Canada we do not have to go through the iPledge proccess.

Next week during my appointment we will be speaking about the dosage and how long the treatment plan will be. This was the best news I've heard all week.