Honestly there is a million different kinds of low dose general birth control pills that are the same effectiveness as Yaz. I dont know why anyone takes high doses of BCP. I think some people claim that higher doses help reduce acne but that has been a bunch of BS for me. It never helped me...
Well, given that I'm on Accutane, I don't really need it to control my acne. I'll likely go see my doctor this week and see if he can suggest one that's a bit less difficult to deal with. I'm not really having any trouble with the Accutane, but the birth control just makes me feel so flat and grumpy and bloated. 
Are you on BC? I assume you are since you're on 'Tane, which one are you taking?
Hey Elle! The oil should go away pretty soon. My face was so disgustingly oily for the first 2 weeks and then it started getting dry, and now I'm getting dry patches! (1 month in) So I say give it another week tops and your skin should be back to normal 
PS: I recommend ortho tri-cyclen lo for BCP! I just started 3 months ago and so far no issues. Just go with what your body tells ya, some BCPs are hell
Thank you! 
Geez I really hope so. I'm toughing it out. It's just gross that my lips are all dry, and so are my eyes, but the rest of my face is on a downward slide. Ew.
Yasmin definitely sucks. I hate BC in general. I thought the abstinence option was a good one, my boyfriend did not share my enthusiasm. 
HIGHLY recommend the IUD! You dont have to remember silly pills! I am very sensitive to the pills and frankly they made me feel loopy! But now since I have started the IUD I havent had any issues at all.
And about the Absitinence thing...My husband would laugh in my face if I asked him that LOL
Day 8
Well, the first week is over and I'm a day into the second one. My skin isn't too bad at the moment, obviously still breaking out sporadically, still really oily, but my lips and eyes are barren like a desert. I've also got a few large nodules cropping up along my jawline including one on my chin which is really sexy and making me look lopsided. It also hurts like hell and I scratched it accidentally earlier... so it decided to bleed everywhere and now it hurts even more. I guess all I can do is ice it and hope it goes away. On the plus side, it's on the underside of my chin so the ugly red mark and possible scar the bastard is going to leave won't be as evident. Sigh.
Making a doctor's appointment this week sometime to talk about getting an IUD. I've also been considering a nuva ring as I have heard decent things about them. The birth control is making Accutane harder to deal with. The 'Tane makes me slightly tired and lethargic, and the pill makes me want to eat like a horse, so by the end of my course I'll have clear skin but I'll be so friggin' fat I won't even fit through the doorway.
So tired this morning. Seriously, sitting at my desk, praying for death... I think half of this is lack of decent sleep, but Accutane definitely contributes to the lethargy. This is probably going to be the most frustrating thing for me because I'm finding it hard to rustle up the motivation to exercise because I'm just so tired 90% of the time. It's 9:18, the coffee shop opens at 9:30, so I'm just staring at the clock waiting for sweet salvation.
Good luck! It's a crazy journey but definitely worth it.
Oh, absolutely. I'm just moaning here because I figure, well, there's probably no better place to vent my frustrations... I really just hate being so tired. I think I need to make more of an effort to sleep enough hours to at least reduce the tiredness a little since a nap isn't exactly a feasible considering I work from 9 to 5.
Quite possible. It's frustrating not really knowing which medication to attribute my side effects to. Obviously the dry lips and stuff is Accutane, but I'm so moody, I feel absolutely flat and it's like I don't enjoy anything anymore. I'd not go as far as to say it's depression, it's damn frustrating and I doubt it's the 'Tane, but it's making me so paranoid. Once I see my doctor about switching to an IUD, hopefully it makes things more bearable... it's kind of a real double whammy trying to deal with both things at once.
When I was on a pill (forgot the name) it made me feel depressed. And I KNOW its the pill I took because I am a VERY peppy person and it just made me feel groggy and I couldnt handle stressful situations as best as I could before taking that pill. I have heard that YAZ is notorious for causing roller coaster emotions and even depression.
Thanks Jennifer!
I don't think I could forget to take it! I'm reminded every time I look in the mirror.
Plus I have waited so long just to be on it, so I can't foresee myself forgetting to take it. I'm all of two and a half days in... it feels like forever. I'm like "Aw man, you mean I have to continue to have a life in the meantime?!"
Oh! Also, are you still clear now?
Hey! I forgot to check back for your reply, but unfortunately I'm not clear anymore! The clear skin lasted about 6 months post-accutane, although my skin isn't as bad as it was before. It hasn't been long enough since my course either (9 months or so) so I can't take a touch-up course yet. I'm doing a vegan/no sugar/no salt diet atm though and it's helping a lot, day 7 today and significant improvement. I actually started a log about my my skin diet! I have a few friends who took accutane and it kept them almost 100% clear, except for those hormonal zits every month.
Day 10
I feel fine today. I've had a few new spots here and there, only small ones, and the giant one on my jaw seems to be going away. I didn't get an IB, really, but I imagine I'll break out more when my dosage is put up. Yay. I didn't take BC last night. I'm not taking it anymore. My doctor's surgery is closed until next week so I'll have to talk to him about an IUD then, but it's not like abstaining is a difficult thing given that it is my choice to make. I feel better this morning, less tired, even though I didn't sleep a lot, so I'm putting the tiredness down to the pill.
Diets....dear lord they are hard
I have such a hard time portioning!! And I love my carbs and cheeses!!!!
Hurray for double figures!
Good to hear that things are going alright, and indeed that you're not as tired. I still think sleeping under the desk is the way to go!
Peanut butter is awesome. I had peanut butter on toast earlier, just a random craving. Nothing wrong with it, vitamin P is good for you!
That's how I categorise my foods by the way; just take the first letter of the food and stick 'vitamin' in front. Makes me feel like it's good for me. Other great sources of vitamin P include Pizza, Pie, Pasta and Popcorn!
I've been craving pizza like never before. I love peanut butter also, I found an all natural one with no added anything except peanuts, so it fits into my skin diet. I'm not sure right now how I feel about another course of accutane, I still have periodic joint pain from my first course, waiting to see if that goes away first. And I'd definitely prefer the natural route if it helps me. Also I never had an IB while I was on accutane, even when my dose went up to 60mg/day, my skin just started clearing after the first week/two weeks.
Day 11
So, 11 days in and everything is dandy. I'm breaking out, which is no big deal, since I'm not even two weeks in. My lips are dry like the Sahara, my eyes aren't too bad, I'm still pretty tired a lot of the time but in a MUCH MUCH better mood since I stopped taking Yasmin. My cheeks aren't flushing anymore which is nice.
The only real issue for me at the moment is the itching. My head itches like crazy, and so does my face. I feel like a flea-infested dog, sitting at my desk and scratching all day. I know my skin is drying out, because it's starting to flake, it's less oily and it mainly itches where I'm flaking, but my head is driving me absolutely mad so I'm thinking maybe Head & Shoulders shampoo might help a little. I'm sitting here at my desk right now trying my absolute hardest to keep from scratching like crazy. This is so frustrating.
SO FAR SO GOOD GUYSSSS HURHUR. /scratches self into a stump