I went to Canada's Wonderland two days ago, so I was in the sun and walking all day. I'm still exhausted, and my leg muscles hurt. Also, being battered from the roller coasters Yup, the dehydration sucks, I'm thirsty as I'm writing this. I make sure to drink a tall glass of water 30 mins before breakfast. Apparently it's good for digestive health too, to drink water after your body fasts.

Is your derm going to be bumping up your dosage?

DAY 48ish

OKay, so I'm in a tought spot. I had another MASSIVE cyst come up on my chin. So right now I have 2 of the nastiest cysts ive had in a long time. The one is on the side and the other is in the middle. The one on the right is a few days old, and isn't hurting as bad as before. Now, the one in the middle of my chin hurts like hell. I've been tlaing IBuprofin it hurts so bad. So I guess this is kinda of my IB. I havent anything too mentionable before this. I'm just gonna wait it out and see what happens. On thursday this week I'm goin up to my college for a weekend that basically the while school goes back up to see they're friends. Don't these things always have great timing... NOT! Hopefully the accutane does it's job and they dry out quickly!

I also bought CeraVe foaming cleanser today after hearing good things. Cetaphil didn't seem to be cleaning well enough, so I decided to switch. I update on what I think. I'm excited to try it out.

I went to Canada's Wonderland two days ago, so I was in the sun and walking all day. I'm still exhausted, and my leg muscles hurt. Also, being battered from the roller coasters Yup, the dehydration sucks, I'm thirsty as I'm writing this. I make sure to drink a tall glass of water 30 mins before breakfast. Apparently it's good for digestive health too, to drink water after your body fasts.

Is your derm going to be bumping up your dosage?

 

Hey! That's an awesome idea with the water before breakfast. When I used to play hockey and train everyday (with practice and conditioning like 3 hours a day), I would always drink a ton of gatorade with breakfast every morning to help with dehydration. I'm definately gonna take yur advice and try thr water before breakfast thing. It's good to hear someone else is always thirsty too! Definately a noticable side affect. I've had dehydration problems before accutane because I'm built very lean, so I'm always happy to her tips from everyone on how to keep hydrated.

And I don't think he's gonna bump the doseage from what he says. He said he happy with my numbers, and the highest he'd be willing to go is 60 with my body weight anyways (that seems low compared to others on here), but I trust him. I also get the feeling he knows I drink a little more than I should on it being a college student so he said he doesn't want my bloodwork to come back bad if we boost the dose. I feel like I could handle more, because my side affects are really minor, but as of now I'm stayin with 50mg per day.

DAY 48ish

OKay, so I'm in a tought spot. I had another MASSIVE cyst come up on my chin. So right now I have 2 of the nastiest cysts ive had in a long time. The one is on the side and the other is in the middle. The one on the right is a few days old, and isn't hurting as bad as before. Now, the one in the middle of my chin hurts like hell. I've been tlaing IBuprofin it hurts so bad. So I guess this is kinda of my IB. I havent anything too mentionable before this. I'm just gonna wait it out and see what happens. On thursday this week I'm goin up to my college for a weekend that basically the while school goes back up to see they're friends. Don't these things always have great timing... NOT! Hopefully the accutane does it's job and they dry out quickly!

I also bought CeraVe foaming cleanser today after hearing good things. Cetaphil didn't seem to be cleaning well enough, so I decided to switch. I update on what I think. I'm excited to try it out.

 

Sorry to hear that you have a new cyst! That sucks, and I know how you feel. I am at day like 120 I think and I just stopped getting zits on a frequent basis like 2 weeks ago. I thought I would be clear by now, so I know how it feels to have these things popping up when you were hoping to be in the clear. Hopefully they dry up before your trip back to school. These things do have the worst timing.

Also I love the CreaVe foaming cleanser. I love all the creaVe products actually. That is all I use. I use the Foaming cleanser AM and PM and if I am going into the sun for the day I use the AM moisturizer and then everyday multiply times I use the CeraVe cream. I just love all of it. I think Cetaphil stuff is heavy and oily and doesn't clean well. I hope you like it!

DAY 48ish

OKay, so I'm in a tought spot. I had another MASSIVE cyst come up on my chin. So right now I have 2 of the nastiest cysts ive had in a long time. The one is on the side and the other is in the middle. The one on the right is a few days old, and isn't hurting as bad as before. Now, the one in the middle of my chin hurts like hell. I've been tlaing IBuprofin it hurts so bad. So I guess this is kinda of my IB. I havent anything too mentionable before this. I'm just gonna wait it out and see what happens. On thursday this week I'm goin up to my college for a weekend that basically the while school goes back up to see they're friends. Don't these things always have great timing... NOT! Hopefully the accutane does it's job and they dry out quickly!

I also bought CeraVe foaming cleanser today after hearing good things. Cetaphil didn't seem to be cleaning well enough, so I decided to switch. I update on what I think. I'm excited to try it out.

 

Sorry to hear that you have a new cyst! That sucks, and I know how you feel. I am at day like 120 I think and I just stopped getting zits on a frequent basis like 2 weeks ago. I thought I would be clear by now, so I know how it feels to have these things popping up when you were hoping to be in the clear. Hopefully they dry up before your trip back to school. These things do have the worst timing.

Also I love the CreaVe foaming cleanser. I love all the creaVe products actually. That is all I use. I use the Foaming cleanser AM and PM and if I am going into the sun for the day I use the AM moisturizer and then everyday multiply times I use the CeraVe cream. I just love all of it. I think Cetaphil stuff is heavy and oily and doesn't clean well. I hope you like it!

 

Yeah, I hear ya. Right when you think your in the clear, something pops up. I've read many people don't experience consistent clearing until the very end, so keep on keepin on. You've been so helpful to everyone in the accutane log pages. I really hope you clear up for good!

It actually had a little white head poking out this evening so I scraped it when I showered afer work and a ton of gunk came pouring out (gross, sorry). The redness was literally the size of a silver dollar, but since draining it and having it calm down after my shower, it look and feels a lot better. It was literally throbbing before I drianed it. I was very gentle and never pushed on it, but wehen that little white head came off, well you get the idea lol. Hopefully by tomorow, it feels smaller when I wash. The other cyst is a just a dark mark, but theres still a bump. It doesn't hurt anymore so that's good.

And I LOVE the CeraVe foaming facewash. You were the one that started me on the CeraVe, and every product I've tried thus far rocks. I started with the AM Moisturizer in search for a good face SPF (the Olay one dan likes didnt like my skin so much). Then I tried the Cream after you said you liked it so much. And now I've started the foaming facewash and it's great. And your totally right about cetaphil. My derm told me to stay clear of their moisturizers, and I thought their facewash was pretty useless as well. My face felt the same after washing as it did before washing. The CeraVe facewash makes my face feel clean and not oily, but it feels really hydrating as well. I think it's that Hylaruonic (something like that) acid. I've read it's very hydrating and beneficial for the skin. I'm even considering trying the normal lotion for normal everyday face moisturzer I love the brand so much. It was an awesome suggestion to try CeraVe. Thanks!!

Yeah, I hear ya. Right when you think your in the clear, something pops up. I've read many people don't experience consistent clearing until the very end, so keep on keepin on. You've been so helpful to everyone in the accutane log pages. I really hope you clear up for good!

It actually had a little white head poking out this evening so I scraped it when I showered afer work and a ton of gunk came pouring out (gross, sorry). The redness was literally the size of a silver dollar, but since draining it and having it calm down after my shower, it look and feels a lot better. It was literally throbbing before I drianed it. I was very gentle and never pushed on it, but wehen that little white head came off, well you get the idea lol. Hopefully by tomorow, it feels smaller when I wash. The other cyst is a just a dark mark, but theres still a bump. It doesn't hurt anymore so that's good.

And I LOVE the CeraVe foaming facewash. You were the one that started me on the CeraVe, and every product I've tried thus far rocks. I started with the AM Moisturizer in search for a good face SPF (the Olay one dan likes didnt like my skin so much). Then I tried the Cream after you said you liked it so much. And now I've started the foaming facewash and it's great. And your totally right about cetaphil. My derm told me to stay clear of their moisturizers, and I thought their facewash was pretty useless as well. My face felt the same after washing as it did before washing. The CeraVe facewash makes my face feel clean and not oily, but it feels really hydrating as well. I think it's that Hylaruonic (something like that) acid. I've read it's very hydrating and beneficial for the skin. I'm even considering trying the normal lotion for normal everyday face moisturzer I love the brand so much. It was an awesome suggestion to try CeraVe. Thanks!!

 

Ya know I really hope that I clear up for good too. I am due for a clear face. I have been through hell and back with it. Well I am sure we all have and we all deserve to be clear! I hope that you clear up quickly and stay that way! I am happy that I have been helpful in these logs. I try to give advice that I was looking for when I started taking the medication. I try to cover all the bases I can, so if I have been helpful that is great and it takes me happy

I know what you mean about whiteheads and tons oozing out. My first 2 or more months I was getting like 10 whiteheads a day sometimes it was really gross and stuff would just keep coming and coming out of them. You are right about the redness being like a silver dollar too. I still get like that, if I get a whitehead I get tons of redness. I don't even understand how that much redness comes from something the size of the tip of pencil lead or something like that. Just weird. I am glad it looks and feels better now that you have drained it! Painful zits are the worst and 90% of the zits I get hurt. So I feel your pain!

I am glad you love the facewash! I do too I should be a spokeswoman for CeraVe I swear. I try to turn everyone on to their products I just think that they are wonderful. Like you mentioned with the Olay product not getting along with your skin, nothing gets along with mine either. CeraVe products on the other hand do get along with my skin well. It seems like people are split between cetaphil and cerave. You love one and hate the other. I don't ever see people using both or loving both brands. I am glad you are a lover of the brand too! I think all the products they make are great! I don't see why the lotion wouldn't be great too! I just use the cream all the time unless I am in the sun and need a SPF, it is heavier but it still sinks into the skin really well.

DAY 58

Okay, I'm gonna do a quick update. Sorry I havent been back lately. Been busy as fack. BUt overall, my skin is doin great. All those cysts cleared up nice and didn't even leave a red mark which shocked the hell out of me. Normally I get red marks that linger from cysts. My skin is definately drying more as well. I've had some side affects recently though that I want to talk about. I'm gonna post tomorow after my derm apt so I have the whole story. Just wanted to update.

Hope everyone is doin good!

DAY 61

Hey everyone. Just went to the derm last week and I have some updates. First off, my blood came back good. I was worried because I got my blood tested 2 days after getting shitfaced 3 days straight from a reunion at school for the summer. Anyways, I went to my derm and he said I looked good. I told him that I had 2 really bad cysts on my chin the week before, but he said the first 3 months or so I may get the occassional mark. He also said my chin would still change a lot, and to be patient. I aso got boosted to 60mg per day from 50. I'm taking my first 60mg dose today. I'm hoping everything goes as smooth as it had the past 2 months.

Other than that, there is nothing new to reoprt. Skin is about the same as it was a few weeks back. Maybe a little drier, but nothing drastic. He also gave me some Dr. Dan's cortisone lip balm for my lips which are getting bad.

I hope everyone else is doin good!!! I cant belive im on month 3 already!

Hey everyone,

So I need some help from you guys...

I'm not sure what to do about my course. I was always under the interpretation that the standard course was 125 mg of accutane per kg of body weight as a cumulative dose, but my Derm, whom I 100% trust, wants me to do 150 mg/kg. My derm explained that the lower cumulative doses and shorter durations are kind of an old way to look at it. He's in his late 30s so he's pretty on top of things, and treats the majority of the accutane patients of the biggest practice in the city I'm from so he's well versed in accutane (he took it himself as well). After some reading I found that the normal dose is in the range of 120-150 mg/kg, but that was just from a quick google search.

So here are my options. I weigh 66 kg (I've lost weight from not eating as much and not lifting due to a busy summer).

Option 1: 2 Months of 50mg + 3 months of 60mg = 127 mg/kg

Option 2: 2 Months of 50mg + 4 months of 60mg = 154 mg/kg

My worry is that the last 2 months or so I will be back at school and drinking pretty heavily. I'm going to do my best to not go too crazy, but it's kinda unavoidable in my social environment. So basically is the 1 extra month worth it, or will it not even matter as far as acne goes. On the other side, would 30 more days of accutane with some drinking really be all that bad in the long run.

What kind of cumulative doses are ya'll taking, and what do you think I should do in my situation?

I'm lookin forward to hearing some good insight!

50-60 is not so big of a difference in my opinion. If your body is accustomed to 50mg, taking 60mg for a longer period may increase the effectiveness of your treatment.

And whyyy are you concerned about drinking?? It's only 2 months!! You're going to have beautiful skin and a healthy liver in the end. That's a great thing to look forward to. You just need the will power

50-60 is not so big of a difference in my opinion. If your body is accustomed to 50mg, taking 60mg for a longer period may increase the effectiveness of your treatment.

And whyyy are you concerned about drinking?? It's only 2 months!! You're going to have beautiful skin and a healthy liver in the end. That's a great thing to look forward to. You just need the will power

 

Yeah, that's a solid point about the riase from 50mg to 60mg. And you are absolutely right about will power. It is very hard though considering at my school, and specifically in my living situation, drinking yourself into an oblivion 3-4 days a week is kind of the social norm. Although I am going into mysenior year, so my course load should keep me from party as much as in the past. Greek life at my school is like the movies... it's completely obnoxious. That being said, I do love it, but I'm gonna need a change in mind set going into this year to keep myself during the end of my accutane course.

All in all, I think yu hit it right on the head about will power.... I just gotta stay strong lol

DAY 73ish

Hey everyone. So not much to report here. Same old same old. No new side affects. Lips are dry, but nothing aquaphor isn't taking care of. My skin isn't really getting drier though which I think is odd, but no new pimples so it's all good. My back is also now 100% clear now for a couple weeks. Just lots of red marks. My derm said they will take at least 6 months to fade because the acne was pretty bad. That one hard bump on the botom of my chin also came to a hard again, and is continuning to shrink. It is like a pimple that wont die. There is absolutely no inflamation though which is odd. Yu can't see it at all so you cant see it which is great. Its just a hard, painless lump that occassionally comes to a head and drains. But it has been consistently geting smaller so I hope it is almost done!

But, I did have a weird spot show up on the side of my chin. It really strange, its like a red spot about the size of a pencil eraser, and its a little sore, but it doesnt feel like a pimple... it's more like a rash. It's not hard like a pimple But its a perfect circle, and has no traces of a head. It is right next to a spot that I have had tiny little traces of eczema, but I'm hoping its unrealted. Its on that soft stretchy spot next to the chin bone, and I've never had a pimple there so maybe that's why it's softer... I dunno lol. I'll try to get a picture up to see what ya'll think.

My skin isn't very dry on this medication either. I asked my doctor about it because lots of people post on here about flaking skin and looking terrible and needing to moisturize 3 times a day to keep things at bay. Im not like that at all. I moisturize usually once a day at night after washing. Sometimes I moisturize in the morning usually it is only if I am going outside for a long time though. Then I use my CeraVe AM but that isn't daily by any means. She told me that isn't normal to be that dry and if you are using a good moisturizer like the CeraVe moisturizing cream (which I believe you use also) you shouldn't be that dry.

That's good to hear. I'm clear, and drier than before, but I wouldnt say my skin is DRY. And I also moisturize a lot to prevent eczema so that could makin my skin feel and look a little oilier than it actually is.....

Also, that spot I thought was eczema turned out to just be a zit. It came to a head and was gone in less than 2 days. Overall no harm done on that front.

DAY 85ish

So I'm getting close to the end of 3 months, and everythings good I must say. It's to the point where being on this drug has become part of my routine, and nearly all my side affects have subsided. I no longer have back pain, and all my eczema is gone. I just spent 10 days on the south coast of massachusettes visiting my girlfriend and my skin has never been better! The water was so soft there, and she lives right on the beach so we swam in the ocean a lot which was very good on my skin. I was good about wearing SPF all the time and did not burn at all which was nice. I did get stumbling drunk when visiting Boston with my friends (woops) so not the best for accutane but oh well it was vacation lol. I flew in last night, and I'm leaving tomorow for a weekend at the lake with my cousins which will be a boozefest so I'm gonna do my best to not drink a lot, but we'll see. I get my blood test tomorow, but I think I should be fine seeing as they've been good the past 2 months and I feel even better this month than last.

But yeah, I can't believe I'm halfway done! Overall I've been blessed with a very, very easy course thanks to good luck and the help of the people here!

Hope everyone is doin well!

You're lucky! Great to see that you're still doing well. If you haven't broken out yet, you probably won't at all while on tane.

One thing I've noticed is that my acne scars now. It's the most terrible part of having been on this drug. I used to love my skin for being able to handle the occasional abuse against bad pimples without scarring. Now, most of my initial breakout has left some scarring which I hope will be unnoticeable.

You're lucky! Great to see that you're still doing well. If you haven't broken out yet, you probably won't at all while on tane.

One thing I've noticed is that my acne scars now. It's the most terrible part of having been on this drug. I used to love my skin for being able to handle the occasional abuse against bad pimples without scarring. Now, most of my initial breakout has left some scarring which I hope will be unnoticeable.

 

I've noticed this a bit as well.... I'm not scarring but I have a little bit of hyperpigmentation. I got 2 nasty cysts back in month 2 and the red marks are still lingering a tiny bit, but no scarring. Even though I've had many cysts, theyve all been on my chin and back which seem to be a little more resstant to scarring so acne has left me with no serious damage. My back is still rittled with red marks, but they are fading!

My derm also said I should be in the clear from here on out. I swear by the fact that I used a Topical retinoid for about a year before starting accutane is what kept me from getting an IB. I got 2 cysts, and a few teeny tiny pimples around the mouth, and that was it! I did have a little IB from the retinoid though so I guess I just already had gotten it over with, but even that was very mild due to being on an antibiotic.

I'm sure those marks and scars will fade with time! My skin is very fragile and everything takes forvever to heal, so I'm sure your probably experiencing the same thing. Hpefully when we are done our skin will heal up nice and quick!

DAY 93

Hey everyone, can't beleieve im on month 4! Its gone soo fast. So I got my bloodwork done and my hepatic function and enzyme level actually improved after bumping up my dosage lol. I even drank the day before my blood test (in the airport I was nervous to fly lol). So all is well. I'm staying on 60mg per day. I'm taking all 60 with my lunch everyday. I see a new derm up at school so I'm a little nervous about that, but we will see.... I'm actually looking forward to hearing another opinion on my doseage. My derm won't go any higher than 60mg, but I would like to go to 80 and get done a month earlier possibly so I wana hear what this new derm has to say. Either way I am very comfortable staying on 60 and going 3 more months.

So I leave for school tomorow for senior year.... this has me nervous. I usually drink A LOT at school. I go to a big state school and I live in a massive fraternity so all everyone does is study and party.... well mostly party. It is going to be a real test of my self control. On weeks where I dont have exams, I usually drink heavily 4 days per week, but I will NOT do this on accutane. When I was partying this summer, I would smoke weed and this would help keep me from drinking too much, so I plan on doing the same this year. I'm not a big smoker, but I figure if I'm at a party with my friends its not a bad alternative to drinking for the time being. I know smoking pot isn't gonna do my skin any favors, but it will cut down my drinking so I think its worth it lol. Kind of pathetic but whatever lol.

OKay, so back to my skin.... my face looks great. I am getting some tiny patches of eczema on my body since I left New England. My water is really hard at my home, and the New England water was so soft and my skin loved it. I just gotta moisturize a lot I suppose. My frat house at school has a water softener in it so that seems to help my skin a bit as well so I am looking forward to that. I also am switching from Cetaphil gentle cleansing bar for my body to Aveeno Sensitive body wash. My shower at my house at school is communal so it wil be easier just using that rather than fiddling around with a bar of soap. Plus, I've read its great for eczema, so I think I'm gonna give it a whril. It was only 5 bucks so if I dont like it no big deal. I did also just get a MASSIVE cyst on my back. OUCH! Its really bad but this is the first new mark I've had in months on my back so I figure its just a fluke. I'm gonna keep an eye one it. But my face is completely clear so I'm thrilled right now.

Hope everyone is doing awesome, and keep staying strong. Everyday we are one day closer to clear skin!

DAY 93

Hey everyone, can't beleieve im on month 4! Its gone soo fast. So I got my bloodwork done and my hepatic function and enzyme level actually improved after bumping up my dosage lol. I even drank the day before my blood test (in the airport I was nervous to fly lol). So all is well. I'm staying on 60mg per day. I'm taking all 60 with my lunch everyday. I see a new derm up at school so I'm a little nervous about that, but we will see.... I'm actually looking forward to hearing another opinion on my doseage. My derm won't go any higher than 60mg, but I would like to go to 80 and get done a month earlier possibly so I wana hear what this new derm has to say. Either way I am very comfortable staying on 60 and going 3 more months.

So I leave for school tomorow for senior year.... this has me nervous. I usually drink A LOT at school. I go to a big state school and I live in a massive fraternity so all everyone does is study and party.... well mostly party. It is going to be a real test of my self control. On weeks where I dont have exams, I usually drink heavily 4 days per week, but I will NOT do this on accutane. When I was partying this summer, I would smoke weed and this would help keep me from drinking too much, so I plan on doing the same this year. I'm not a big smoker, but I figure if I'm at a party with my friends its not a bad alternative to drinking for the time being. I know smoking pot isn't gonna do my skin any favors, but it will cut down my drinking so I think its worth it lol. Kind of pathetic but whatever lol.

OKay, so back to my skin.... my face looks great. I am getting some tiny patches of eczema on my body since I left New England. My water is really hard at my home, and the New England water was so soft and my skin loved it. I just gotta moisturize a lot I suppose. My frat house at school has a water softener in it so that seems to help my skin a bit as well so I am looking forward to that. I also am switching from Cetaphil gentle cleansing bar for my body to Aveeno Sensitive body wash. My shower at my house at school is communal so it wil be easier just using that rather than fiddling around with a bar of soap. Plus, I've read its great for eczema, so I think I'm gonna give it a whril. It was only 5 bucks so if I dont like it no big deal. I did also just get a MASSIVE cyst on my back. OUCH! Its really bad but this is the first new mark I've had in months on my back so I figure its just a fluke. I'm gonna keep an eye one it. But my face is completely clear so I'm thrilled right now.

Hope everyone is doing awesome, and keep staying strong. Everyday we are one day closer to clear skin!

 

do you have any red marks?

DAY 93

Hey everyone, can't beleieve im on month 4! Its gone soo fast. So I got my bloodwork done and my hepatic function and enzyme level actually improved after bumping up my dosage lol. I even drank the day before my blood test (in the airport I was nervous to fly lol). So all is well. I'm staying on 60mg per day. I'm taking all 60 with my lunch everyday. I see a new derm up at school so I'm a little nervous about that, but we will see.... I'm actually looking forward to hearing another opinion on my doseage. My derm won't go any higher than 60mg, but I would like to go to 80 and get done a month earlier possibly so I wana hear what this new derm has to say. Either way I am very comfortable staying on 60 and going 3 more months.

So I leave for school tomorow for senior year.... this has me nervous. I usually drink A LOT at school. I go to a big state school and I live in a massive fraternity so all everyone does is study and party.... well mostly party. It is going to be a real test of my self control. On weeks where I dont have exams, I usually drink heavily 4 days per week, but I will NOT do this on accutane. When I was partying this summer, I would smoke weed and this would help keep me from drinking too much, so I plan on doing the same this year. I'm not a big smoker, but I figure if I'm at a party with my friends its not a bad alternative to drinking for the time being. I know smoking pot isn't gonna do my skin any favors, but it will cut down my drinking so I think its worth it lol. Kind of pathetic but whatever lol.

OKay, so back to my skin.... my face looks great. I am getting some tiny patches of eczema on my body since I left New England. My water is really hard at my home, and the New England water was so soft and my skin loved it. I just gotta moisturize a lot I suppose. My frat house at school has a water softener in it so that seems to help my skin a bit as well so I am looking forward to that. I also am switching from Cetaphil gentle cleansing bar for my body to Aveeno Sensitive body wash. My shower at my house at school is communal so it wil be easier just using that rather than fiddling around with a bar of soap. Plus, I've read its great for eczema, so I think I'm gonna give it a whril. It was only 5 bucks so if I dont like it no big deal. I did also just get a MASSIVE cyst on my back. OUCH! Its really bad but this is the first new mark I've had in months on my back so I figure its just a fluke. I'm gonna keep an eye one it. But my face is completely clear so I'm thrilled right now.

Hope everyone is doing awesome, and keep staying strong. Everyday we are one day closer to clear skin!

 

do you have any red marks?

 

Naw not really. There's a few spots of slight hyperpigmentation from old cysts, but my skin is pretty good about not being too bad with red marks. I've also never had a cyst or pimple leave a permanent scar either which I am very thankful for

DAY 93

Hey everyone, can't beleieve im on month 4! Its gone soo fast. So I got my bloodwork done and my hepatic function and enzyme level actually improved after bumping up my dosage lol. I even drank the day before my blood test (in the airport I was nervous to fly lol). So all is well. I'm staying on 60mg per day. I'm taking all 60 with my lunch everyday. I see a new derm up at school so I'm a little nervous about that, but we will see.... I'm actually looking forward to hearing another opinion on my doseage. My derm won't go any higher than 60mg, but I would like to go to 80 and get done a month earlier possibly so I wana hear what this new derm has to say. Either way I am very comfortable staying on 60 and going 3 more months.

So I leave for school tomorow for senior year.... this has me nervous. I usually drink A LOT at school. I go to a big state school and I live in a massive fraternity so all everyone does is study and party.... well mostly party. It is going to be a real test of my self control. On weeks where I dont have exams, I usually drink heavily 4 days per week, but I will NOT do this on accutane. When I was partying this summer, I would smoke weed and this would help keep me from drinking too much, so I plan on doing the same this year. I'm not a big smoker, but I figure if I'm at a party with my friends its not a bad alternative to drinking for the time being. I know smoking pot isn't gonna do my skin any favors, but it will cut down my drinking so I think its worth it lol. Kind of pathetic but whatever lol.

OKay, so back to my skin.... my face looks great. I am getting some tiny patches of eczema on my body since I left New England. My water is really hard at my home, and the New England water was so soft and my skin loved it. I just gotta moisturize a lot I suppose. My frat house at school has a water softener in it so that seems to help my skin a bit as well so I am looking forward to that. I also am switching from Cetaphil gentle cleansing bar for my body to Aveeno Sensitive body wash. My shower at my house at school is communal so it wil be easier just using that rather than fiddling around with a bar of soap. Plus, I've read its great for eczema, so I think I'm gonna give it a whril. It was only 5 bucks so if I dont like it no big deal. I did also just get a MASSIVE cyst on my back. OUCH! Its really bad but this is the first new mark I've had in months on my back so I figure its just a fluke. I'm gonna keep an eye one it. But my face is completely clear so I'm thrilled right now.

Hope everyone is doing awesome, and keep staying strong. Everyday we are one day closer to clear skin!

 

do you have any red marks?

 

Naw not really. There's a few spots of slight hyperpigmentation from old cysts, but my skin is pretty good about not being too bad with red marks. I've also never had a cyst or pimple leave a permanent scar either which I am very thankful for

 

awwwww

my skin is now 75% smooth..

but have red marks............................................

DAY 93

Hey everyone, can't beleieve im on month 4! Its gone soo fast. So I got my bloodwork done and my hepatic function and enzyme level actually improved after bumping up my dosage lol. I even drank the day before my blood test (in the airport I was nervous to fly lol). So all is well. I'm staying on 60mg per day. I'm taking all 60 with my lunch everyday. I see a new derm up at school so I'm a little nervous about that, but we will see.... I'm actually looking forward to hearing another opinion on my doseage. My derm won't go any higher than 60mg, but I would like to go to 80 and get done a month earlier possibly so I wana hear what this new derm has to say. Either way I am very comfortable staying on 60 and going 3 more months.

So I leave for school tomorow for senior year.... this has me nervous. I usually drink A LOT at school. I go to a big state school and I live in a massive fraternity so all everyone does is study and party.... well mostly party. It is going to be a real test of my self control. On weeks where I dont have exams, I usually drink heavily 4 days per week, but I will NOT do this on accutane. When I was partying this summer, I would smoke weed and this would help keep me from drinking too much, so I plan on doing the same this year. I'm not a big smoker, but I figure if I'm at a party with my friends its not a bad alternative to drinking for the time being. I know smoking pot isn't gonna do my skin any favors, but it will cut down my drinking so I think its worth it lol. Kind of pathetic but whatever lol.

OKay, so back to my skin.... my face looks great. I am getting some tiny patches of eczema on my body since I left New England. My water is really hard at my home, and the New England water was so soft and my skin loved it. I just gotta moisturize a lot I suppose. My frat house at school has a water softener in it so that seems to help my skin a bit as well so I am looking forward to that. I also am switching from Cetaphil gentle cleansing bar for my body to Aveeno Sensitive body wash. My shower at my house at school is communal so it wil be easier just using that rather than fiddling around with a bar of soap. Plus, I've read its great for eczema, so I think I'm gonna give it a whril. It was only 5 bucks so if I dont like it no big deal. I did also just get a MASSIVE cyst on my back. OUCH! Its really bad but this is the first new mark I've had in months on my back so I figure its just a fluke. I'm gonna keep an eye one it. But my face is completely clear so I'm thrilled right now.

Hope everyone is doing awesome, and keep staying strong. Everyday we are one day closer to clear skin!

 

do you have any red marks?

 

Naw not really. There's a few spots of slight hyperpigmentation from old cysts, but my skin is pretty good about not being too bad with red marks. I've also never had a cyst or pimple leave a permanent scar either which I am very thankful for

 

awwwww

my skin is now 75% smooth..

but have red marks............................................

My back is like that right now. My derm said they can take some time to clear up. I've noticed mine lightened in the past 3 months though. Just look at it this way, your getting rid of the acne that caused them so once the red marks are gone, you'll never have to worry about them again because you not getting new acne

DAY 99ish

So I've been back to school for about 6 days now and so far no new skin things to report. My lips are a little drier from the water, but nothing too serious.

But.... I've been drinking like crazy. I drank the first 5 days in a row pretty heavily every night. I took last night off and I feel like a million bucks now, but that bender was just stupid. That being said, I didn't drink as much as I normally do, but I also smoked a lot of weed so that wasn't good for me either. I was suprised though because I didn't feel any more hungover or antyhing..... Drinking on accutane basically feels the same, except i may get drunk a little faster. I do not plan to continue this behavior all semster, but I'm seeing its really testing my self control. I'm going to go out and have a few beers with friends tonight, but I'm really gonna be careful and not overdue it. I'm really hoping this doesn't affect my bloodwork.

On final thing, last night I didn't drink and I felt depressed as hell all evening/night. I had been fighting with my girlfriend, but I don't think that was it. I like, couldn't make myself happy it was very weird. I've been diagnosed with depression in the past, but that's the worst I've felt since highschool. And I had no reason to be depressed.... I'm having a great year so far, I love my classes, and I'm back with all my friends. It's just alarming that it fell on the night of not drinking after 5 nights of straight drinking. Luckily I feel waaaay better today, but it was still scary as hell.

Has anyone else experienced this. Basically like 8 hours of intense depression, then woke up fine?

DAY 107ish

Just figured I'd update at the end of this week. So my first week and a half back at college were nuts.... I drank entirey too much, but I'm back into the swing and partying less. I got drunk thursday, drank a casual beer last night, and plan to just drink a little tonight. I feel okay, not great but way better than last week. I've also gotten back to working out 5x a week too so thats helped a lot.

OKay, so for my skin, it looks great. I havent had a zit in a while. And honestly, Im not all that dry. I'm only cleansing once a day some days if my skin isn't getting oily and that's helped calm down some redness. It's hard when you skin is chagning every week, so I've been adapting my regimen. I also started wet shaving again this week. I susually just use a beard trimmer, but it wasn't getting close enough. I Bought a Mach 3 because they were sold out of senor excel that dan recomends and I hated the mach 3. So I went to another store and bought the Gillette sensor excel and I love it. Much smoother than Mach 3. I also got neutrogena shave Cream (not gel from the airosol can) for senstive skin and I like it a lot. My friend recomended it and its oil feree and non comedogenic, and so far so good. No ingrown hairs or razor burn. I trust dan with just about everything and his shaving guide was no exception. I'm considering ordering his cleanser just to use to shave, but I'm not sure. But his technique and razor recomendation were spot on. Very non irritating and acne friendly.

I have blood tests in 10 days so we'll see how that goes. I've been drinking a lot so we shall see. Fingers crossed!

So I've been doing some serious thinking.... I may cut my accutane dose a little short. I will be starting my 5 month in 10 days and I may stop after that. That will put me at about 128 mg/kg for a cumulative dose. I am drinking entirely too much on accutane and I fear it may be taking its toll. I've also been experiencing quite a bit of anxiety and depression (although this could have nothing to do with the medicine seeing as I've struggled with this in the past). I have blood work tomorrow so obviously the results from that will make my decision for me if they're bad, but even if they are really good, which they have been the past 4 months, I'm still very concerned.....

What do you all think? My acne was too too bad to begin with. Just deep chin cysts and bacne, so will stopping at 128 and not getting to 154 by stopping a month short make a major difference? I know the larger the cumulative dose the better, but there are also many people who are clear for life with only 100 mg/kg. The other thing that concerns me is I'm not all that dry. Granted, I was an oil spill before, but I just moisturize twice a day and I'm fine. Could this lack of dryness increase my chance of a relapse? I'm just really getting concerned for my long term health here and need some suggestions....

If you're going to do accutane, you need to do it right. Stop drinking, seriously, you don't want to mess up your liver anymore than necessary. On the other hand, if your depression is getting worse, then that's a whole other story altogether and you should consider stopping.

Good Luck with your decision.

I agree with the poster above. If you are going to put the time into the 5 months, why risk getting cystic acne back? Just so you can drink? Use your will power and cut down on drinking, it's that easy. I know you are in college and that is what a lot of college students do, but you need to remember why you started the medication in the first place and stick it out another month and be responsible while doing it. It seems silly to come this far and quit so you can get trashed with your friends frequently.