74 replies to this topic

[user101]

DAY 24: good news, i cleared my first months blood tests, so i am going to continue on the same dosage for the second month as well. there will be no increase in the dosage, just continue the same dosage for the rest of the treatment period. i was on a low fat diet, low caffeine, and i only drank alcohol once in the past 24 days, like one beer and a champagne, i work out like 5 days a week for about 30-40 minutes a day, mild to moderate workouts. i am facing mild side effects right now.

• both the breakouts from day 21/22 has gotten bigger, and are more visible....ughhh. and this is unusual for accutane, it usually goes down faster.
• my nose and the skin below my lower lips are grainier, does not feel smooth at all, the whole appearance of my face is worse. If at all, this is one of phases, then i hope to get thru' this as fast as possible.
• side effects are mild as usual, this includes, sore joints, dryness, dry nose bleeds while i clean-up my nose, dry and flaky lips.
• it is said that the accutane works from top to bottom in the human anatomy, in other words, a person would have clear skin from head to toe, so people with scalp acne would see almost immediate results as compared to people with body acne. I think this might be true, i didnt quite believe this when i first read this somewhere, my scalp acne is completely gone now, no acne on my scalp at all....while i am still fighting my acne on my face and i have a couple of spots as we speak.

I am thinking of travelling next month to india, thaiand and shanghai for about like 3-4 week trip. Does anybody have any advice on how to manage the prescription and pill dispensing while i travel??......unfortunately accutane comes via a program called iPledge and i have to refill within 30 days....this might be hard while i travel.....any advice?.....have anyone managed to pull this off??...please share your wisdom....

and one more frustration i would like to express.......claravis comes with a very shitty packaging....i can never get the pill out easily....esp, the new box that i opened is a nightmare.....its kinda funny how the pharmaceutical can invent a magic drug that can cure acne, but the same drug comes in a shitty package.,...its like watching a great movie, but the video quality is really bad.....lol.....all the antibiotics that i took before accutane was dispensed in these nice orange cylinder like boxes.....why cant the pharmacy do the same with accutane??....

[BMarieWantsNoAcne]

I know what you mean with the packaging. It's so annoying! And as for your trip, I think you'll have to make sure you're back in time to get your prescription or wait a whole month to get it. I don't see how you'd be able to get it in a different country.

[user101]

by packaging, i mean claravis 30mg pills comes in 6 boxes each contain 10 capsules, like this, http://alexmoran.fil...08/dsc_0006.jpg

at first, i was thinking of taking a picture, but then they seem to have a lot of pictures online. the above pic say 40mg, i am not taking that, i am on 30mg, but the box looks similar. It it just not easy to get each pill out, esp the current box i have opened is like the worst....

yeah 'BMarie wants acne no more', yeah i either need to rearrange my travel plans or find some cool way, i am still positive there would be some way to pull this off, this drug is prescribed to millions of people just in the US alone, it is very hard for me to believe that all of these millions of people are not travelling out-of country, there should be some way, also i am not trying to get the drug in a different country, i am trying to get extra supply here in the US, and then carry it with me. I will try calling the iPledge folks tomorrow and see if they can make an exception and let me get a double supply. i can fax the blood work from another country to my derm though.

[user101]

DAY 25:

• my face feels even more dry than last week, i didn't think it can get anymore drier, always a surprise there:)
• my nose is grainy, like there are dirt particles right below my skin, I am seeing larger and darker pores all around the face, but not grainy except my nose....feels so weird.
• both my breakouts are going down, the cyst has gone down, the whitehead on my cheeks have popped out on its own, so i am now left with a dark spot, with a hundred more from pore-expansion, i dont know how long this will take....i need a break from this.....
• overall, my face looks worse right now compared to before the treatment started. one good thing though, it used be oily and now its dry, dry face looks much better. when it was oily i looked like some industrial worker who needs a shower....lol
• my joints are sore again, esp my left knee. i easily get sore back...esp. if i sit on a chair for long....of course everyone get sore back if they sit for long hours, but before accutane i used to get sore back if i sat for like 5-6 hours on my work desk, now its more like 2-3 hours, not a big deal, i just take a walk around my office building when that happens and that seems to help, but this is an inconvenience though.
• lips are not dry at all today the whole day, i am kinda surprised.
• also i was tired all day today, even though i did not do much. it felt like a day before catching the flu, there is a flu going around since the holidays, so i dont know if i am actually catching a flu, or its just the fatigue from accutane.
• i felt like 2 sec long vibration inside my stomach, i felt those 2-sec long vibrations like few times thru' the day, never had those before, may be its the food or may be its the accutane, i dont know, so i looked up online, some people say it is just gas, some women say that is very similar to a baby kicking when she was pregnant, i am a man, so i cant compare, the conclusion is this could be anything from being just a gas to something serious like symptoms of IBD, i am going to wait and see if this continues....if it does, then i will prob. check it with a doc.....does anybody else have similar experiences???, if so, please share.....
• no improvements on the hyperplasia, i guess it is really slow progress, slow enough to not be able to notice......over time, i will find out.

more updates to come.,..

[Bnh394]

Once again good job on the post you are very committed! I want to let you know that you are not the only one experiencing crazy symptoms! I have severely dry skin and lips, sore and fatigue the majority of the day, had what appeared to be a cold sore on my lip and freaked out and got some valtrex ordered from my derm that apparently zaps them within a few days. My eyes are very dry and hurt, my nose is stupid dry haha it's very intense at this point. My skin is itchy and I also broke out in a small rash on my left hand!! This is tough but I'm going to keep faith and stay on track. My first Derm check-up is on Monday, I'm excited to see results and speak with them about suggestions and possibly a lower dose than 40mg x2.

If you or anybody has any extra tips for the lip dryness and eyes for contact wearers PLEASE share haha

Oh I forgot to mention IB again!? And headaches throughout the day! Smh

[user101]

Once again good job on the post you are very committed! I want to let you know that you are not the only one experiencing crazy symptoms! I have severely dry skin and lips, sore and fatigue the majority of the day, had what appeared to be a cold sore on my lip and freaked out and got some valtrex ordered from my derm that apparently zaps them within a few days. My eyes are very dry and hurt, my nose is stupid dry haha it's very intense at this point. My skin is itchy and I also broke out in a small rash on my left hand!! This is tough but I'm going to keep faith and stay on track. My first Derm check-up is on Monday, I'm excited to see results and speak with them about suggestions and possibly a lower dose than 40mg x2.

If you or anybody has any extra tips for the lip dryness and eyes for contact wearers PLEASE share haha

Oh I forgot to mention IB again!? And headaches throughout the day! Smh

Bnh394, thanks for your compliments, we have to be careful while using this strong med, thats why i try to do a good job of logging every tiny nugget of detail in here, since i am kinda typing my thought process, it barely takes any time, some times i feel like just summarizing it, but the good thing was during my first month meeting with derm, he was asking a lot of questions to me, and it felt more like an interview, because of all the logging i was able to answer all of his questions quite accurately.

this is what i do for some of the side effects you are going thru' man....hope this helps,

• for Dry lips, tried aquaphor and beeswax lip balm, aquaphor did not moisturize enough for me, bees wax works out great. or any vaseline based lip balms are ok.
• for dry nose bleeds, i copy/pasted from a dermatology website,
  
  • Other side effects occur with Isotretinoin, but do not effect everybody on the drug. Half the people on the drug experience some drying of the lining of the nose, giving you a feeling of just recovering from a cold. While this is an advantage to hayfever sufferers, in a very small number of people it may lead to cracking of the nasal lining and repeated minor nose bleeds. This can generally be controlled by squeezing the soft front part of the nose together for three minutes. This needs to be timed, as shorter squeezing of the nose will not be long enough for blood to clot. Regular application of Vaseline to the nasal mucosa on a twice-daily basis will usually be sufficient to avoid nose bleeds.
• ​for dry eyes, i am copy/pasting again,
  
  • ​A few people on the drug experience problems with their eyes. This is due to the tear film being made thinner by Isotretinoin, which leads to occasional drying out of eyes with red, sore and uncomfortable eyes. All patients on this drug should wear sunglasses outside whenever possible, as this protects the tear film from wind, dust etc. Swimming is best done with eye goggles. Should eye problems occur despite this, artificial tears such as Liquifilm Tears or Refresh Eye drops, two drops twice daily, will usually control the problem. Dryness of the eyes may be particularly difficult with contact lens users. As some contact lens may interact with some forms of artificial tears, altering their optics, contact lens supplies should be consulted as to what form of artificial tears to use.
• for muscles aches and fatigues and tiredness, again a copy/paste....
  
  • 
    One in five people on the drug get aches and pains. These are very similar to everyday aches and pains or minor sports injuries. Some experience them after prolonged periods of rest and others after going beyond a certain level of exercise. While these are annoying, they are not a sign of destruction of joints or muscles and should be ignored. Exercise and sports can be continued. A few people on the drug can experience fluctuating fatigue and tiredness and even a flu-like feeling. This will subside once the course of medication is completed.

​these tips help me a lot...hope the same for you...my accutane buddy...

[user101]

DAY 26:

• the joint soreness has increased, also mild pain in my knees and back, it is getting to a point where it is annoying. I am going to wait and see this thru'.....
• everything else the same as yesterday....

oh yeah.. i almost forgot....i had to throw a party and happy hour for about 20 to 30 people today, usually i manage these things like a piece of cake....today i feel really tired after coming back home...in other words....fatigue too....FTR i didnt drink and it sucks ass not to be able to drink....

BNH394, my headaches stopped when i stopped drinking coffee, you may want to try and see if that works, i always recommend to see your derm more than trying these things on your own.....since you are seeing your doc on monday anyways, try stopping caffeine intake and see if that helps, in case if you are taking any form of caffeine....

more updates to come....

[user101]

DAY 27:

• soreness, pains and aches are not so bad today. i am reading user posts and articles that indicate me that magnesium is a good way to help some of the internal side effects. for external side effects like dry skin, dry lips, we use moisturizers, but what about some of the internal side effects like soreness, fatigues and mild aches. I am not going to take magnesium supplments without consulting my derm. For now, i am thinking of taking food/diet that are more rich in magnesium and also low-fat. If magnesium diet helps/works out for me, i am going to do the same with the potassium diet. because magnesium and potassium go together.
• everything else is the same as yesterday.

more updates to come...

[user101]

DAY 28 / end of week 4:

• less soreness, cant seem to connect the soreness and aches with anything like diet or workouts, it just comes and goes randomly.
• no new breakouts as well, the two spots that was already there seems to be going down.
• the grainy feeling on my nose still exits, i try not to pick on it, i accidently picked on two spots, and now i am left with scars....worst...
• my skin is very dry, so i need to moisturize like every 3-4 hours, so i switched moisturizer, instead of cerave's am/pm ones, now i use the cetaphil one, which is very helpful for now and keeps me moist thru' out the day. i think cerave ones are good quality, but dont work for extreme dryness i guess....
• the rest is pretty much the same....

more updates to come....

[user101]

DAY 30:

• i think blackheads are showing up on the skin layer, grainy feel to it.
• everything else is the same and nothing new.

more updates to come.

GO RAVENS!!!

Edited by user101, 13 January 2013 - 09:44 PM.

[user101]

DAY 31:

• i used to have two cysts that were going down like 5 days back, i can still feel the cysts below my skin, like it has stopped going down....weird....!!
• blackhead are still not coming out yet, or i dont feel like it, the grainy feeling just continues, esp..nose and the cheek area below my eyes.
• mild back pain
• everything else is same as yesterday.

looks like everything is same since like DAY 21 or so....nothing much happ. in the past 10 days....this drug is damn slow for all the hype it gets....

more updates to come....

[user101]

DAY 32 & 33: same as yesterday and nothing new....

going forward....i am going to skip logging on those days when there is no change in acne or side effects...

Edited by user101, 16 January 2013 - 06:34 PM.

[Bnh394]

What's up user 101. Man I'm really struggling trying to decide if I should follow through with accutane for a second month. I'm taking accutane again since probably 03 just because it was persistent and annoying on my back and breakouts from time to time on my face. This 80mg a day side effects is intense and quite honestly wearing me out. I spoke with my derm yesterday and he didn't seem very informative just kinda said it was my decision and it needs to stay at a high dose to have a better success. This IB is out of control on my face and neck especially since I never had it that bad to begin with, so the anxiety is very high being around co-workers and what not. So yeah I'm in a tough spot man, the medication is at the pharmacy across the street ready for pick up I just don't know what I want to do, thought I would share with somebody who's taking the medication as well who I've kind of keep in contact with.

[BMarieWantsNoAcne]

Have you thought about going on an antibiotic to temporarily clear up your acne? I was having a horrible IB on 40 mg, so when my derm bumped me up to 80 mg she prescribed an antibiotic that *really* helped.

[Bnh394]

Thanks for the feedback bmarie! That's awesome that worked out for you. My derm didn't mention anything like that I kinda wish that was an option for me.

[Bnh394]

What was the antibiotic by the way?

[BMarieWantsNoAcne]

It was amoxicillin. It did give me some side effects though (diarrhea and a yeast infection) so it wasn't perfect, but I'm glad she prescribed it. I have always responded positively to antibiotics for my skin, they just haven't been a permanent solution. I would definitely ask about it.

[user101]

What's up user 101. Man I'm really struggling trying to decide if I should follow through with accutane for a second month. I'm taking accutane again since probably 03 just because it was persistent and annoying on my back and breakouts from time to time on my face. This 80mg a day side effects is intense and quite honestly wearing me out. I spoke with my derm yesterday and he didn't seem very informative just kinda said it was my decision and it needs to stay at a high dose to have a better success. This IB is out of control on my face and neck especially since I never had it that bad to begin with, so the anxiety is very high being around co-workers and what not. So yeah I'm in a tough spot man, the medication is at the pharmacy across the street ready for pick up I just don't know what I want to do, thought I would share with somebody who's taking the medication as well who I've kind of keep in contact with.

Hey Bnh394, whats up man?, yeah 80mg/day is the highest dose possible with accutane, and you are def. going to experience side effects. from all the reading i have been doing, high dose gives us long term cure from this dreadful acne, but we would face killer side effects, people on low dose dont face much side effects, and some people claim long term remission, some people had to go on a second round of accutane, which i would much avoid.....exactly what side effects are you dealing with? and how severe are they?, try to explain the details.....I tried to find your logs...i cant once again find them....

bmarie is right, antibiotics usually help with IB, but i am not sure if your body can handle it, because you are already on full dose of accutane.

in this country, the derms would just prescribe what we ask for, so they will make this your decision, and honestly man, i feel thats bullsh*t, i would tell a doc, 'you are the expert, arent you supposed to know that?', i will be jobless if i do that in my line of work, anyways, thats why you would need to pick the right derm, esp the one who knows what they are doing,

Edited by user101, 16 January 2013 - 06:30 PM.

[user101]

DAY 34: lot of blackheads around my face, a lot more than when i began the treatment, i am not sure if i had this many blackheads, i think this drug is opening up the pores and these blackheads are being formed in past few days, thats what happen to pores when you open 'em and not close them back......from all the reading...it looks like the drug will push it out....so not too worried....i just hope that just happens fast.....

[Bnh394]

Hey user 101, i mean the side effects were just so intense. The extreme dryness to where my eyes hurt terribly and my nose was so dry that it hurt to touch it or move because I had rock hard boogers and then it would bleed if I blew my nose. My body ached very bad and I was extremely fatigue at work. It was making me depressed I beleive because I couldnt handle how sever the breakout was because my face was practically clear compared to what had happened. I wasn't even getting normal pimple it was like pockets of puss that were clear and yellow it looked like my whole lower portion of my face was infected with a disease I was freaking out. It is now just starting to look normal again after being off the medication for a week. I also had a bad rash on both of my left and right hands. I was and still am extremely itchy on my legs throughout the day and when I was in the shower. I really do want the clearest skin possible for me but after a week of thinking long and hard and discussing it with my mom I dont want to damage my body or myself mentally or emotionally. I have family members who have MS and cancer and things of that nature and I'm acting as if I do too because of my skin. I'm going to take my good health and run with it. This might be something I regret but theres no way I think I can carry on with accutane.


With that being said, I do hope the very best for you and other individuals who are carrying on with the medication. Clear skin for all!! Take care.