Hey user101, saw your post on another person's log and felt like asking a question:

Where did you get your tweezers (pharmacy?) and how are you sterilizing them? Boiling water or just soap?

Good luck with your course!

 

Hi zhfac, use tweezers for what?, i dont use them...though i have one that came while i bought a set from walmart.

Hey user101, saw your post on another person's log and felt like asking a question:

Where did you get your tweezers (pharmacy?) and how are you sterilizing them? Boiling water or just soap?

Good luck with your course!

 

Hi zhfac, use tweezers for what?, i dont use them...though i have one that came while i bought a set from walmart.

 

Oh, in another thread you mentioned that yo had problems with picking, so that's what you were using to help. Unless I read it wrong, and it was someone else who wrote that.

Hi zhfac, you might have read it in my log, I use tweezers to remove the dry skin instead of using my fingernails

they're just an ordinary pair of tweezers, I use hot water and antibacterial handwash before every use. It shouldn't be that important to wash them because you should only be gently removing the dead skin that is already flaking away from the face (if that makes sense).

just reached the big apple, feels good, bright colors and lots of people with hopes and dreams....lol....just kidding....the city is littered with craziness...no offense to readers from NYC.....just came to hangout with buddies for new years.

Day 13:

1. bees wax lip balm seems to workout better than aquaphor for me, not because of the brand, just the application method of bees wax seems more convenient for me.

    

2. everything else is same as yesterday.

    

more updates to come.

DAY 14:

1. my eyes are getting slightly red and dry

    

2. everything else is same as yesterday, the progress is slower than i thought, given the hype and drama around the drug...lol

    

more updates to come.....

DAY 14:

1. my eyes are getting slightly red and dry
2. everything else is same as yesterday, the progress is slower than i thought, given the hype and drama around the drug...lol

 

more updates to come.....

 

dude i totally agree. im still growing pimples. theres literally no improvements or worsening. just.. the same. but dryer lips. Theres not much progress

Y'alls noses don't feel like sand paper? No excessive drying? No purging of blackheads or white heads that go away by the end of the day? Reduction in oil?

Don't get me wrong I'm still getting pimples 1-3 a day but they go away a lot faster... I'm asking because us 3 all started on almost the exact same day.

Y'alls noses don't feel like sand paper? No excessive drying? No purging of blackheads or white heads that go away by the end of the day? Reduction in oil?

Don't get me wrong I'm still getting pimples 1-3 a day but they go away a lot faster... I'm asking because us 3 all started on almost the exact same day.

 

gointhedistance, how are you?, your questions are great questions, the answer is i dont have dry nose so far, even the dry eyes lasted yesterday only for few hours, may not be the drug, may be the winds in manhattan, it was too cold yesterday and the day before and i have been all day outside drinking less than usual amounts of water....also the weather is worse today...it is snowing now...lol.....i definitely see reduction in oil esp face and scalp, but no purging of blackheads, i dont have whiteheads at this time, but my point is we are having the same reaction to the drug except the dry nose part, my skin is prone to cysts and not much whiteheads, so in that sense, i am getting cysts just not in my face right now, i have a few on my back that comes and goes really fast.

one thing that i would say dry is my a**hole, i am not trying to be vulgar and i am not trying to curse either, i mean literally, it being dry and all, it makes it slightly harder to poop, i am not trying to be gross, i just dont know how else to explain this, but not too dry like my lips.....so not a big deal for concern right now.....

DAY 14:

1. my eyes are getting slightly red and dry
2. everything else is same as yesterday, the progress is slower than i thought, given the hype and drama around the drug...lol

 

more updates to come.....

 

dude i totally agree. im still growing pimples. theres literally no improvements or worsening. just.. the same. but dryer lips. Theres not much progress

 

Lainy, yeah girl, naturally i am a patient guy, but then i read logs of different people, some people start seeing their blackheads pushed out as early as 15th day, which is not happening to me, from your tone, i am guessing nothing yet for you either...lol...atleast we started the same time and we are seeing the same kinda reaction to drug, i guess that kinda better....I am happy with the way things are going right now....i dont want IB while i am hanging out with some of my friends in manhattan, it will be awkward and embarrassing, so 'nothing happening' is good for time being.....lol....

DAY 15:

1. my face is dry, in a nice way.

    

2. I have one new cyst on the tip of my nose

    

3. everything else is the same as yesterday.

    

more updates to come....

DAY 16:

1. oil on my face is reducing everyday, which is quite noticeable. everyday when i look myself in the mirror, i think my face is already dry, and it is not going to get anymore dry, but the next day it gets a little drier, i guess i am not used to seeing myself with a dry skin, so it is hard for me to explain and measure the dryness level. right now its not too dry or flaky, it just looks oil-free, and that feels good.

    

2. the cyst that popped yesterday on my nose-tip has already gone down, it is fast.

    

3. everything else is the same.....

    

more updates to come....

Happy new years everybody, and i was out all day yesterday hanging out with my friends for the new years eve, so i couldn't update the log for day 17, but there was nothing new to report either.

DAY 18:

1. i am having two new breakout spots on my face, one is of cystic nature, and the other one is a whitehead, i dont know if this is the IB or just the regular breakouts.

    

2. rest of it is the same since like day 10.

    

3. my pores seems to have gotten slightly bigger, in other words, they are more noticeable now. i dont feel like anything is getting pushed out.

    

more updates to come....

DAY 19: (a very detailed log and a summary of past few weeks...i will do this kinda log once in a while)

1. both the acne spots from yesterday have drained out now, this is the first time since i started accutane, they drained out and i had to clean-up, for the past couple of weeks, the acne would show-up and then go back-in, which was kinda better because it would not leave a scar. this is the first time since i started accutane, they came all the way out and then drained out the puss and blood....very gross...but fingers crossed....
2. there are literally like 50-100 tiny dark spots on my face, when i look closer in the mirror, they look like enlarged pores....not a pretty sight at all....i dont know what is going on....based on other people's logs i can may be say that the blackheads are coming out, but there is no clear sign of that yet....so far it just looks like slightly bigger pores...awful....
3. no acne in scalp or back right now.
4. sebaceous hyperplasia is going down as well, but very slow pace, my face is little smoother now and less bumpy, still a long way to go......the funny thing is that most of us with oily skin and sun exposure have the condition called hyperplasia, but we dont even know until we specifically ask our derms.....
5. as far as the side effects summary:
   2. since i started using bees wax lip balm, my lips are almost back to normal,
   3. i use cetaphil cleanser for face, aveda shampoo for scalp, and old spice game day for body. I also use cerave am/pm moisturizer for the face and cetaphil generic moisturizing lotion for rest of the body, all of this seems to be doing good so far.
   4. joint and muscle soreness comes and goes, i only experience it like a once a week, may be twice, for about five to 10 mins. drinking plenty of water and reducing coffee intake to 1-2 times a week seems to workout for me. Doesn't really affect my workouts, it just comes and goes randomly, i cant seem to connect this with anything. Also stretching exercises seems to help.
   5. i don't feel fatigue and thirsty anymore. drinking plenty of water and atleast 8 hours of sleep a day seems to help.
   6. i am no expert, but these things seem to help me a lot, also low fat diet seems to be a key. Even though there is a mis-understanding that we should take accutane with fatty foods, since isotretinoin is a fat soluble compound....i read tones of articles and the conclusion that i came up - there is enough fat in a low fat meal for the body to absorb the isotretinoin, and if i take it with fatty food, i have the risk of high tri-glycerides in blood tests and as a result i end up taking breaks during treatment, which reduces the effectiveness of the treatment. here is a list of foods to avoid while on accutane, i dont know how accurate it is, but seems interesting to me, so i am sharing....[Removed]

I have an appointment with my derm tomorrow, he is going to give me the papers for the blood work, and i am thinking of getting the blood work done day-after tomorrow. Hopefully i will pass the test and my derm might up the dose to 80mg/day, no sure yet. While i am at his office, i am going to ask him about the larger pores and the blackheads being pushed out part.....since the blackhead coming out part has not happened to me yet..

if you(readers/followers) have questions that you want me ask my derm for second opinion, please let me know, i can ask them for you and get back with answers, I am doing this so you can get a second opinion for your concerns/questions.

more updates to come....

Also i am back from new years trip at new york.....it was awesome....partied with friends and buddies....i drank a little bit....may be a couple of beers and a champagne toast....also did not skip a pill or anything....the key is to drink really slow....i didn't think i can pull this off....esp...when you are hanging out with aggressive drinkers....i am proud of myself for pulling this off...without looking like a dork....lol.....just thought i would share this as well.....

DAY 20:

1. I went and saw my derm today, and got my blood work done too, blood work results usually takes like 2 days and he can refill my prescription electronically, so i dont have to see him again for like a month. He asked if i had any side effects, and i explained everything thats been going on, the logs definitely help refreshning my memory. after listening to me, he said that he is going to keep me on the same dosage, as long as the blood work is good.

    

2. I also asked him about blackheads getting pushed out, when does that happen, and IB, etc, he gave me the 'it varies from person to person' answer and he told me to be patient....lol

    

3. overall, it went good...and it always feels good when certain things come from him rather than some internet posts.....i think thats more official even though its pretty much the same advice...lol

    

4. since i had to do my blood work this morning while i am fasting, i couldnt have breakfast and no accutane in the morning today, my derm said thats ok, only the cummulative dose matters, there were two tests one was lipids aka triglycerides and the other was blood sugar testing for diabetes.

    

5. as far as the side effects or the IB, there is nothing new to report today, prob. because of i didnt take the pill in the AM today.

    

more updates to come...

DAY 21: nothing really new to update...

DAY 22:

1. my face and nose feels grainier, esp my nose, not much on the face, like i have some sand particles on my nose, little bit like after the beach before taking the shower feeling, not so much like sand paper, but prob. i am getting there.

    

2. I am able to feel two new cysts inside of my skin when i touch and feel, i cant see them yet, hopefully they go down before it pops out..

    

3. lips are slightly dry, much better than last week though.

    

4. face is dry too, but not too dry.

    

5. everything else is the same,

    

more updates to come....

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.

1. 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.

    

2. 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.

    

3. side effects are mild as usual, this includes, sore joints, dryness, dry nose bleeds while i clean-up my nose, dry and flaky lips.

    

4. 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??....

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.

by packaging, i mean claravis 30mg pills comes in 6 boxes each contain 10 capsules, like this, [Removed]

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.

DAY 25:

1. my face feels even more dry than last week, i didn't think it can get anymore drier, always a surprise there:)

    

2. 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.

    

3. 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.....

    

4. 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

    

5. 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.

    

6. lips are not dry at all today the whole day, i am kinda surprised.

    

7. 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.

    

8. 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.....

    

9. 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.,..

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

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,

1. 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.
2. 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...

DAY 26:

1. 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'.....

    

2. everything else the same as yesterday....

    

3.  

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....

DAY 27:

1. 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.

    

2. everything else is the same as yesterday.

    

more updates to come...

DAY 28 / end of week 4:

1. less soreness, cant seem to connect the soreness and aches with anything like diet or workouts, it just comes and goes randomly.

    

2. no new breakouts as well, the two spots that was already there seems to be going down.

    

3. 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...

    

4. 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....

    

5. the rest is pretty much the same....

    

more updates to come....

DAY 30:

1. i think blackheads are showing up on the skin layer, grainy feel to it.

    

2. everything else is the same and nothing new.

    

more updates to come.

GO RAVENS!!!