40 replies to this topic

[CourtneyH]

Hi everyone! I'm Courtney....I'm 21 and I'm starting Accutane today! I've been struggling with acne for the past 8 years.   Heres a little bit about what my experience with acne has been like. I first went to the dermatologist when I was 13. I was put on Benzaclin, Vitamin C cleansing pads and Sodium Sulfacetamide lotion. After about 6 months of no success, my doctor put me on Doryx. The Doryx instantly cleared my skin! I stayed on Doryx for 3 years until I decided to stop taking it, because I thought my acne was gone forever. I stayed clear for almost a year until my acne came back worse than ever. I tried to fix it with over the counter products, but after nothing worked I headed back to the dermatologist. I was then put on Atralin and Acanya and once again after 6 months of no success I was put back on the Doryx and also gave Spironolactone a try. My skin got better, but was still pretty bad. I've now been on both antibiotics for a little over 10 months. Looking in the mirror everyday and still not having perfect skin is a struggle everyday..so after thinking long and hard I decided to talk to my doctor about Accutane. I had to take a negative pregnancy test and have blood work done, then 30 days later I took another negative pregnancy test and now I'm ready to begin Accutane! My doctor has me on 60mg of Claravis....30mg in the morning and 30mg at night. I also bought moisturizers that she recommended. (Elta MD UV facial SPF 30 for the am and Elta MD intense moisturizer for pm) Oh and before I forget..if anyone is wondering about price...I have Aetna insurance and my prescription was $109.63 for a 30 day supply.

Anyway, I will try to update every week or so. Any advice, tips or feedback is greatly appreciated and if anyone has any questions I will try my best to answer them as I complete my Accutane journey!

[BMarieWantsNoAcne]

Drink lots and lots of water. Also be proactive about your chapstick. Once your lips get chapped, it's hard for them to heal. I'm on day 55, so you can ask me questions too. good luck!!

Edited by BMarieWantsNoAcne, 15 January 2013 - 08:58 PM.

[CourtneyH]

Thanks!!

How is your skin at day 55? I feel extremely dry already and it's only been two days!!

Good luck to you as well! I hope it's working for you!

[BMarieWantsNoAcne]

Honestly, my face isn't too dry right now. My body is, but my skin is just about the perfect amount of oil. It doesn't look oily or feel oily, but it doesn't feel dry either. And my skin has gotten so much better now. I don't have any actives right now! Just healing pimples and no cysts. I think it's because of the antibiotic though. Right now I'm really glad I decided to take the leap

[CourtneyH]

Day 5-


I can't believe I'm noticing side affects already being only day 5. Over the last 2 days my skin has gotten a lot worse. Lots of red spots everywhere..even on my forehead which is somewhere I don't experience breakouts very often. How long does the initial breakout usually last? I'm hoping it's a good sign...bringing everything to the surface! My skin isn't too dry. I only notice some dry patches after showering, but the moisturizers I use help a lot! I defiantly recommend them to anyone on accutane! I've also been experiencing some weird dreams. The past two nights I've had dreams that people in my family are dying. Has anyone else experienced bad dreams/nightmares?

[Kmartineau07]

Good luck!!

[CourtneyH]

Thank you!!

[letsgetthisoverwith]

Good Luck! I started yesterday!!

[CourtneyH]

Thank you! Good luck to you as well!.. I hope it works for you!!

[Waseem Abbas]

How much do you weigh? I'm wondering that starting on a high dose will cause some serious initial breakouts and you also mentioned that your skin is already dry. So its gonna be super dry and flaky on this high dose for the first month.

Well the initial breakout varies from person to person. It depends on how worse your acne was prior to accutane and what skin tone you already have (oily, dry or neutral). It also depends on what diet you are on while on accutane. I ate healthy when i started on 20mg/day. Though my acne was worse and severe before accutane and this drug made it even more worse. My IB lasted for 1 month and i started to see improvements right from the second month.

As for the nightmares LOL, I haven't had such experience and you are the first one to have this situation. Hope this goes well for you. Goodluck

Let me know if you have any questions.

Edited by Waseem Abbas, 20 January 2013 - 09:29 AM.

[CourtneyH]

Hi!

I weigh about 120lbs. The breakout I was experiencing earlier in the week seemed to heal and now it's pretty much back to the way it was before Accutane..just more red than usual. I started moisturizing right after a shower and that has also helped the dryness so I'm not experiencing that anymore either! My acne was never super awful..just constant. Usually one or two large cysts around my chin area and a few red spots here and there on my cheeks. And I've ALWAYS had pretty oily skin.

Anyway, as for the crazy dreams. I haven't had one since so I guess it was just those few. Maybe it had absolutely nothing to do with the accutane..lol!

Thanks for the response and I hope accutane continues working for you!!

[CourtneyH]

Day 11-

 

 

Not too much has changed lately. My skin is still dry... I'm noticing my spots are peeling a lot more than usual and they're still really red.. Which makes it hard to cover them with makeup!   I've been sick for the past few days so the area around my nose has been peeling extremely bad..I'm sure it's a combination of the accutane plus me constantly blowing my nose and it's starting to get irritated. I've still been getting a new spot or two everyday but they haven't been the painful cysts that I used to get...they're just small white heads that I pop and then they start to fade (yes, I pick at them and I know I shouldn't!) I also haven't had anymore crazy dreams which is great! So other than the few things mentioned above I feel completely fine. No mood swings or depression. So far I'm really glad that I started accutane and I can't wait until this summer when I'm done!

[CourtneyH]

Day 16-

 

 

Wow..end of day 16 already? Time is flyinggg! Half way done with my first month..woohoo!

 

Well things have been blahh lately. I think I jinxed myself after my last post. I now have 8 big painful cysts along my chin and jaw line. I'm not sure if I'm having the initial breakout or if it's due to my period..maybe a combination of both? Either way it sucks! I've been trying so hard to stay positive but it's defiantly tough!! Plus the blackheads on my nose are HUGE!! They had to atleast double in size over the past few days. I'm hoping all this stuff means it's working and bringing everything to the surface?!

My birthday is next month..(feb 22nd) so I'm hoping my skin is better by that point. I would love to be able to go out and feel comfortable!! I've heard month two is usually better than month one so fingers crossed!! (True?)

 

Any positive feedback from people farther along on this accutane journey would be greatly appreciated right now!! 

[BMarieWantsNoAcne]

For me once I got my IB over with in month 1, it's just continued to get better. I'm now in month 3. I no longer get cysts, only small pimples. it does get better!

[CourtneyH]

I sure hope it gets better! It's so hard to stay positive! I was hoping for no IB at all..haha..wishful thinking. I'm over halfway done with month one so I'm hoping it starts getting better soon! 

[Mosey mom]

Day 5-I can't believe I'm noticing side affects already being only day 5. Over the last 2 days my skin has gotten a lot worse. Lots of red spots everywhere..even on my forehead which is somewhere I don't experience breakouts very often. How long does the initial breakout usually last? I'm hoping it's a good sign...bringing everything to the surface! My skin isn't too dry. I only notice some dry patches after showering, but the moisturizers I use help a lot! I defiantly recommend them to anyone on accutane! I've also been experiencing some weird dreams. The past two nights I've had dreams that people in my family are dying. Has anyone else experienced bad dreams/nightmares?

My son started having really weird and scary nightmares a few days into taking accutane. There's a thread here were several people have admitted having the same thing. You are not the only one. Let your derm know just incase. He is also a little over 2 weeks in. Bad ib started around day 3 or 4 and it hasn't let up yet. Still breaking out everyday a little more and the cysts are taking forever to go away. Will check with derm at his next appt. he is on 80 mg a day from the start and this could be contributing to the bad flare up. Good luck with your treatment.

Edited by Mosey mom, 01 February 2013 - 05:32 PM.

[CourtneyH]

Thanks Mosey Mom! Good luck to your son as well!

Day 21-

 

 

I'm always in such shock when I come on here to make an update and realize what day I'm on!

 

So my skin isn't worse or better..pretty much the same as it was before Accutane. Still dry and peeling though. I also have four dry patches on my left arm... They're about the size of a dime..I've been using a ton of lotion but they don't seem to be going away.  I haven't experienced any technical nose bleeds but everytime I blow my nose there is blood..(tmi!) Not sure if that's a big deal or not? And I haven't had anymore nightmares either..woohooo! 

 

I go to my doctor a week from today so hopefully everything is going in the right direction! Almost one month down!!

[whoartthou1]

any photos??

[CourtneyH]

I have absolutely no idea how to upload pictures since I use the mobile version of this site on my phone..but once I figure it out I'll def upload pictures!

[whoartthou1]

koolio!