20 replies to this topic

[MaeJae]

Hey guys im Mae! newly joined in!

For once i finally get to say: FINALLY ON ACCUTANE WHOOHOO!
Had been waiting for this since awhile now..

So for my Stats:

• Around 100lbs.
• Going in for 115-120mg/kg perhaps..
• Mild-moderate superr-persistent acne history. Tho on/off but very unpredictable, painful, inflamed, resistant, & sucky. :/

So actually before going on accutane doc started me on some anti-androgen therapy (started spironolactone on Jan 21st).. since my testosterone levels were high. BUT i couldnt handle it, got very emotionally sad & stuff, & it didnt work.. i mean it did! but not that awesomely. Actually i couldnt tell the difference, but it somehow smoothed out my skin and banished my oil - temporarily. Retin A does it better honestly. Im not saying its not good but its just my opinion. Anyways..

So thats that - moving forward, then i took a break for like two months - studies, work, exams *sigh* hadn't a lot time to heal my skin & since i put myself no hard medication mode for dealing with stress. Weirdly i hadnt had a single zit in March, just a couple whitehead maybe but in the past month i think the effects were lost or i developed some infection or summer allergy (dermatitis as usual). Its somewhat like rosacea & heat makes it hell lot worse! Also white heads and cysts followed! Same old story with me everytime. Was totally sick of it! (who isnt!)

& So after all necessary pre-tests i started accutane on 1st! was to start with 40mg rightaway. But as i know myself im totally sensitive to big doses i started a good low 20mg for 5 days (no notable SE's whatsoverr ) and then i started with 40mg a day before, say sunday! & Today is my 8th day!

Till now the ride has been smoooth as ever. I started with 3 biggies on my cheeks, all red & inflamed & painful in short much worse than normal stuff that i get. its like an infected seborrhea i get year-on-year xC. 'kay so since i the first day i noticed dryness and supah-tiredness. thats about it! Weirdly my redness calmed slowly.. its still red but It smoothed out, though its gonna take a looooong time for the super-deep redmess to go. Oi btw i also got a BIG Whitehead (somewhat swollen) on my forehead just few hours after taking the first pill, (but that doesnt count accutane induced! -.-) it totally disappeared after 2 hours but the faint spot there's still red?!

So here's the thing:
I am still waiting for my IB but all ive seen is a somewhat speedy progress!.. Whiteheads disappearing, cysts gone! no new breakouts, inflamed redness calming out! Oh but im getting these weird kinda red soft itchy bumps (not a normal zit or black/whitehead) it looks like a tiny mosquito bite and goes away in less than an hour.. there are like 3 on my face right now (keeps on coming) AND i only get them on my face! No there isnt any mosquito infestation in my house & if there is.. Which kinda insect only bites the face? btw i hope its normal!!

Mostly on the boards ive read, the IB attacks can be expected anytime in the first month & me being sensitive to any sort of medications must prepare for the worsest kind (i double checked with my doc) so I'll keep my expectations low.. its too soon to form any judgement right? & im jus tooo glad to start with roaccutane!!

My Regimen:

• Wash face by any freakin gentle cleanser. i keep on changing it but make sure whatever it is, glycerin and aloe vera should be in it. Anything else itches my face off!
• I use St.Ives Intensive healing fragrance-free moisturizer.
• Apply vit E oil every once in few days. Wash it off after few hours.
• Chapstick. try to keep applying it every once a while but lips are not all that dry yet!
• Olay sensitive sunscreen while going out.

Praying to get started and done w IB already?! cant live with fear..
So this is my very very first log and hopefully imma enjoy update my 'tane voyage

Edited by MaeJae, 08 May 2012 - 06:05 AM.

[MaeJae]

Update Already

Seen some major major progress in these 8 days.. only light redness and pigmentation. Another side effect to report! My EYES are more drier than my LIPS & thus the increased dark circles & im hardly sleeping cuz of exams

P.S. Bad heachache in progress.

Pictures:

http://img855.images...4uc37f4fgpj.jpg

http://img31.imagesh...c4675dbe3ff.jpg

http://img15.imagesh...75297b29be8.jpg

Hmm. Theres only pigmentation left on my left cheek! but has increased a lott due to Accutane (Watch out for this Side Effect too!!)

Edited by MaeJae, 19 May 2012 - 03:20 AM.

[WilliamRickard]

WHY ARE YOU TAKING ACCUTANE??!!!!!!! YOU DONT NEED IT, WHY TAKE THE RISK?????

[MaeJae]

Welcome to the Accutane family! I am just about to start my 3rd month and am still breaking out way too often. I didn't start the IB process until a month in. Really nothing initial about it. Hopefully your one of the lucky ones and you skip the IB all together. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

As far as the itchy bumps you are getting. I've never heard of anyone getting them and them going away in a few hours. A lot of people get eczema while on this medication, but thats not something that will come and go within hours. Watch out that it's not your body having a allergic reaction to the Accutane.

I love the CeraVe moisturizing cream, I think I should buy stock in it lol. I hope you like it and it doesn't break you out. I also use their foaming face wash and that stuff is wonderful too! I broke out when I was using Cetaphil products. They did not agree with me at all.

Hope your course goes well! Best of Luck

Heyy! Thanksss!
My derms appointments next month.. so im a little worried about this 'accutane allergy'. its really nothing compared to other SE tho and im sensitive to meds
I read your signature which says you take glucosamine supplements right? i heard its really really good for the skin tone but does it work with accutane cuz i took it in April (Before Accutane) & it gave me (or catalyzed) a BAD breakout!! i can swear on that! so maybe thats whats breaking you out? I bet it makes normal zits more inflamed! & i can bitch about it on and on!

Lol I hate cetaphil too x( it burns me hell! even when i was not on Roaccutane!

Dont worry Accutane will surely work for sure! Keep faith! i dont know how my rides gonna go. Let the IB pass me quickk!
Id love to look into CeraVe now.. Its pretty popular these days!!

WHY ARE YOU TAKING ACCUTANE??!!!!!!! YOU DONT NEED IT, WHY TAKE THE RISK?????

Actually i was gettin Acnes every damn day during summer cuz i have a bad case of acne coupled with Dermatitis.. Winter doesnt bother me much but summer is like nothing works! sooo i had to take the last resort! & seriously my skin before day 1 was a oily blotchy super-inflamed mess which i couldnt handle! maybe one course of accutane would be the answer to this effin problem of a lifetime!

[MaeJae]

Day 9:

Well nothing off-beat to note. But my face burns if i dont moisturize every 2 hours! sick..
Actually the weirdest thing happened today. My chin always had these micro whiteheads just under my lip, more on the left side. Not that troublesome. But today they were all the more visible! Didnt grow big but i could feel them coming to the surface. Worst part they are not like usual dry whiteheads, more like moist cotton balls, no bigger than a toothpick tip. (yeah ewww!) Soo my (made up) theory is, accutane thins the skin and makes them more visible?! They come out when i rub it (but i dont cuz it burns like hell & im scared my skin'll rip off!)

Another big problem for me: MY HAIR.
Its not falling, but they seem veryyyy dry and rough lately. nothing seems to work! shouldve cut it before starting. Any help? i condition it now and again. Imma cut my hair short today. They,re soo messed up anyways :/

[MaeJae]

Day 10

wheee..
Hmm things are going goood still! except the 2 blackheads i vigorously picked at.. all i can tell is that theyre on there way up! D'x
And i caught another allergy bump on my face, its kinda big & i clicked i pic of it before it goes here's a closeup (its on the chin) & i know by the time ill update my log t'will already be half gone!
i wanna confess that i cheated on my pills yesterday - only took 1 20mg pill last night cuz my head was killing me! Hoping it doesnt slow down the progesss x

Sooo been checking on various sites about the food we must be eating while on accutane, cuz the only food im eating right now is junk and candies -.- stopped caring about it since starting accutane thus im actually quite scared of the high triglycerides side effect of isotretinoin! & im a bad hypochondriac..

Soo ill be following the low triglycerides diet from today! btw i love that website for the info about accutane they got

[veruca salt]

This might be wishful thinking, but having a healthy diet might off-set some of the fatigue brought on by the Accutane. Been trying to up my intake on fresh fruits and veggies lately!

[MaeJae]

Day 12

12 days down today!

Well I forgot to mention, my friend actually completed her accutane jus days before I started. She has had moderate acne before but her face is absolutely FLAWLESS right nowww. She did it for 5 months & was totally cleared up by end of month 3! Im so really happy for herr!! J

Update:

Im scratching myself like a dog all day long! It’s a pain to keep moisturizing now and again. Well atleast this shows that the drug is working.. still my lips still not chapped -.- but my chin is peeling badly now (all red and swollen)

Something I didn’t mention earlier, im taking fish oil and niacinamide supplements too!

Caught a baad cold yesterday and my nose hurts whenever I sneeze. x’(

Nothing much about acne yet. whiteheads still there, not going, not coming, jus growing bigger & drier everyday. And I scratched one blackhead soo hard, left a big scratch on the left cheek . L

Feeling more crabbier than usual these days. Blaming it on the accutane. x(

BeautifulDisasters, Veruca Salt: I bumped my derm last night for diet advice, he told me out of all the people he’s treated with accutane, he never had anyone with high cholesterol or blood sugar! And they’ve all had regular diets! Gets the weight off eh? But ofcourse a healthy diet would help speeding up the healing process!

Sooo happy now! How I hate those darned ugly cysts.. I keep staring at my last summer pics! They were soo damn pathetic back then!!

[MaeJae]

2 weeks update!!

Soo 14 days.. & my skin is only getting better

I can literally see the difference! or maybe im jus too excited. Idk. But it’s a progress nevertheless! Accutanes made me a lot more paler? but I thought it makes u more red?!

I think im getting an IB on the back of my lower arms!!? -.- maybe because I stopped exfoliating my body. maybe I shouldn’t have stopped it? :/

Accutane’s f*d up my skin weirdly.. a big zit on my right arm; rashes on face! Ugh.. buttt ALLS WELL THAT ENDS WELLL EH?!

neways attaching some awkward pics.. I got no actives, light redness & pigmentation. Now im jus waiting for summer to see the real effects.

BeautifulDisasters: Glad to know nothing permanents involved!! need to be careful of sugar levels tho.. :/ ive eliminated dairy from my diet few days back! Didn’t suit me (and my skin) well.. Howre you now?

p.s. my hair hates me

overall:

http://i45.tinypic.com/16ktngg.jpg

close up 1:

http://i48.tinypic.com/2iuuyxf.jpg

close up 2:

http://i49.tinypic.com/2hmk5jo.jpg

[MaeJae]

Day 19

My face has been burning a lot lately. Cheeks and chin are peeling and red.

Side effects: hives, dandruff, chapped lips, headaches, weird dreams. Caught a bad cold 3 days in and still have it, maybe its cuz of accutane.

[Sasch83]

Good luck with your course. I have been on accutane 3 times and if i can give you 2 pieces of advice, it is this:


Start eating better - i now have blood sugar issues due to poor diet (and in my humble opinion, multiple courses of accutane). It is a side effect that does not affect everyone but still.......good health will serve you well in the long run.

When you are finished, go on a maintenance course (topical). That is something that i wish i had done after each of my courses. Once your pores are clear, topicals will hopefully keep them clear. A good diet is also said to do the same thing.

Good Luck and stay strong......accutane is definitely a marathon, not a sprint

[MaeJae]

Day 29 (almost a month!!)

Heya guys! Wasn’t able to update last week.. went on a short holiday with family came back with a big bad cyst on my right cheek bone D’x

As for my skin, it has become realllly dry with a stretchy feeling all over & a super shiny nose :/ & its got verrrry pale now, with red itchy chin cheeks & nose..
My lips are no longer chapped, they are totally broken L its partly my fault cuz I keep on touching it and thus rip its skin off.

My hair/scalp is super flaky, dry and somewhat falling BUT I don’t care anyways.

I changed my pilling schedule from twice a day to taking both pills with dinner cuz I keep forgetting to take it or end up taking more :S

My headaches have become much less frequent now. Though I still feel tired but no aches & pains for now but I got this swollen right eye which is really irritating me. (pains when I blink )

AND my mood is pretty much good now, no more crabby spells!

Anyways my derms appointment coming up after I get my bloodwork report! Hope everything comes out okay x

I was eating only zero cholesterol foods since a week before the bloodwork! Funny, u get substitutes for anything these days !

Good luck with your course. I have been on accutane 3 times and if i can give you 2 pieces of advice, it is this:


Start eating better - i now have blood sugar issues due to poor diet (and in my humble opinion, multiple courses of accutane). It is a side effect that does not affect everyone but still.......good health will serve you well in the long run.

When you are finished, go on a maintenance course (topical). That is something that i wish i had done after each of my courses. Once your pores are clear, topicals will hopefully keep them clear. A good diet is also said to do the same thing.

Good Luck and stay strong......accutane is definitely a marathon, not a sprint

Thaanks sasch12!

Yeah the cholesterol side effect is really worrisome since it runs in my family :/
Three courses mustve been really tough for youu ive only been on it for a month & it feels like ages! & its been really hard too..

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Edited by MaeJae, 30 May 2012 - 11:04 AM.

[MaeJae]

Day 36

Well, been awhile since my last update.

I can undoubtedly say that my 'Everything coming up to the surface' season has officially begun! I can very well feel the whiteheads on my face & body, especially near my mouth, clotting & brewing up! & the dry skin is making them itch & pop out! My cheeks is worst hit with cysts tho but they go at an unparalleled speed! Leave bad scars x(

Anywaiis I can't help noticing a pattern here..  Before Accutane my cysts used to take ages to flatten up & heal perty well with an average looking afterscar. NOW it's a holy180! My cysts flatten in no time, but they don't heal Dx I'm amazed & sick! Nothing else observed..

Side effects are getting easier to handle by the day! except:

1. Tiredness: I started working a few weeks back & sometimes when I come home late, I feel like I'm 95!

2. Sensitivity: not just skin-sun sensitivity mayhem, but unable to bear brightness & loudness. Idk, my eyes & ears suffering here.. I think its vertigo cuz thats also making me nauseous! Something which is really annoying cuz its summer!

3. Appetite loss: thanks to the last mentioned point I lost a lot of my appetite. Hardly hungry. Or can't eat else puke issues..

Other than above, i got no muscle/joint pain, headaches etc now  

[Betsy00]

Hey, its Beautiful Disasters (Betsy) My profile locked me out... I can't log on to it anymore. It is claiming my username isn't a username they have on their site... WTF Acne.org. So I will be posting on this name for now on I guess. Unless something gets figured out with the other account. I will still be posting under my original log though.

[MaeJae]

Lols Betsy! glad you got it back !! whoa really happy to know that 60mg's working for youu! accutane will work its magic

​Nevermind lol got my account to work again!

Umm 1 month 10 days for me now..

Making progress.. well idk whats happening cuz my last zit attack (last post; i had around 6 BIG cysts on cheeks & chin) cleared up in barely 2 days! since then ive got none! i dont know waht to make of it! bad redmarks to deal with tho ://

Side effects: im becoming more irritable everyday.. tired tired tireed. bad chapped lips. dehydration issues. sometimes i feel im passing out. thats about it. attachin pics x

Accutane works! sometimes slow, sometimes fast. but its totally gonna be worth it, my doc says! yep with monthly follow up necessary :/

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