4 replies to this topic

[cheyennerr]

Hi guys.
Sooo, I'm not exactly new to the site. I've been lurking since the beginning of my Accutane journey. But something in me just really wanted to document this amazing transformation after reading so many success stories. Ah, so now for the story.

THEN: My best friend was put on Accutane some years ago and the results were awesome, but not necessarily perfect. Then again her consistency with the Accutane was not 100%. But even then, she had a lot of negative side-effects. At this time, my skin was amazingly clear. So I was all ho-hum about it all. I never really thought about it. But in the past 2 years or so, my acne has gotten A LOT worse. It went from clear, to mild, then almost instantaneously to cystic. My self-esteem plummeted even though I lost a lot of weight, I couldn't even show it off because I was ashamed of my acne. I tried a lot of different medications and creams, but none of them seemed to help. My dermatologist would keep recommending the Accutane, but I insisted that I didn't take it because I saw the negative side-effects with my best friend. After a while of suffering from painful face acne, chest acne, and back acne, I had enough. My mom strongly felt that it was time for me to try it. So I reluctantly agreed.

MONTH 1: I started my first month on 20mg Accutane. My skin was dry, and it started getting a little bit better(especially in the chest and back), so I was kind of excited. My lips were chapping so I bought Aquaphor (<333) BUT! My 3 or 4th week of Accutane, my skin started getting worse so I went back to my dermatologist. He bumped my dosage to 30mg. Soo...

MONTH 2(now): I'm on my 2nd day of 30mg. But I've been doing a lot of reading. I think I should maybe be on an even higher dosage than I am? I'm not an expert. But my acne seems to be about the same severity as people who are taking 40 and 60mg.

Should I say something to my dermatologist?

AND pictures coming soon I think.

[jamie o]

Should I say something to my dermatologist?

The dose comes down to the view of your derm. I'm doing a five week pre full Oratane course stage, my country's version of Accutane, because my derm thought my initial breakout could be quiet serve if I started on 40 mgs. This pre full course stage doesn't even count as part as the amount of the medication I need to expect long term success from my course. I just thought I'd mention that in case that might be the thought behind your derm's choice, because by that you'd then be viewing where you’re at in a different light.
I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask him, just obviously do it in an enquiring way (not demanding/accusation manner etc). Maybe ask for the reason your derm has you on the 30 mg dose, and let him explain- it might be a good starting point. Also give the dose a while to kick in before asking, just so you can confidently say to your derm that the dose isn't causing any side effects.
Whatever you decide to do, good luck with your course.
As an afterthought, some people don't clear up till later in their course, and maybe not 100% clear till a bit after the course. Hopefully someone whose been on the drug longer then me replies, just because they're more likely to have been through what you have.

Edited by jamie o, 02 June 2012 - 05:05 AM.

[cheyennerr]

Should I say something to my dermatologist?

The dose comes down to the view of your derm. I'm doing a five week pre full Oratane course stage, my country's version of Accutane, because my derm thought my initial breakout could be quiet serve if I started on 40 mgs. This pre full course stage doesn't even count as part as the amount of the medication I need to expect long term success from my course. I just thought I'd mention that in case that might be the thought behind your derm's choice, because by that you'd then be viewing where you’re at in a different light.
I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask him, just obviously do it in an enquiring way (not demanding/accusation manner etc). Maybe ask for the reason your derm has you on the 30 mg dose, and let him explain- it might be a good starting point. Also give the dose a while to kick in before asking, just so you can confidently say to your derm that the dose isn't causing any side effects.
Whatever you decide to do, good luck with your course.
As an afterthought, some people don't clear up till later in their course, and maybe not 100% clear till a bit after the course. Hopefully someone whose been on the drug longer then me replies, just because they're more likely to have been through what you have.

Thank you so much! I will probably ask him about it.

[akbrighteyes]

Goodluck with your experience! Keep us updated and post pics!

[cheyennerr]

Oh my goodness. I completely forgot about this whole thing until now. BUT keeping updated, I'm beginning my 4th of 5 months of Accutane and I could not be happier with the results. I am completely clear minus a few scars here and there. But I have never been more happy with my skin. I randomly announce how clear my skin is in my house. Yeah, it annoys everyone who lives with me, but the confidence boost from this stuff is amazing. <3
Ah! So happy!