DAY 31:

1. 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....!!

    

2. 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.

    

3. mild back pain

    

4. 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....

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...

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.

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.

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.

What was the antibiotic by the way?

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.

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.

 

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.....

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.

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.

 

dude, i am sorry to hear that this is not working out for you, i also share all the side effects that you mentioned, but the intensity is not so bad, i have rash like echzema on my forehand, also dry sensitive nose and nose bleeds when i blow my nose, and my face looks like i am a recovering drug addict, esp..the region around my mouth...lol, i am not much emotional affected by this because i kinda knew when i was getting myself into accutane. i hear you man, at the end of the day, you need to decide what gives you peace and good night sleep. thanks for your wishes and good luck to you as well, take care Bnh394.

DAY 35: more & more dryness, and as a result frequent moisturizing. everything else is the same.

more updates to come...

DAY 40:

1. now i am breaking out badly, i guess this is the IB,
   1. i have few cysts on my left cheek, esp one is a really big one, you can spot a mile away, i feel awful,
   2. lot of red smaller bumps around my lips, makes me very hard to shave, a couple of spots around my nose.
   3. no noticable changes with the 'sebaceous hyperplasia' condition.
2. i still have the grainy skin feeling going on, something seems to be coming out, first i thought they were blackheads but they are not black in color at all, but instead they are small and white, and they are hard and feel like sugar or sand particles.
3. my lips are dry, esp the sides are super cracked and is healing super slow, it pains to open my mouth wide. this is after the fact that i moisturize my lips like every one hour and drink four cups of more water than pre-accutane.
4. dry nose bleeds continues.
5. overall dry skin persists, but not as bad as the lips and nose. moisturizing the body just once a day seems ok.

i dont know what the f*ck is going on with my skin, esp the facial skin, cheeks etc......hope they all clear out soon....i had to take a couple of days off from work, on top of the MLK long weekend. I feel too self-conscious about going out with such a bad breakout.....i only went out to watch the ravens game and drank a little bit....the good part is, they won and in super bowl now......GO RAVENS!!!

please share your advice on what to use for

• deep cracks on the sides of my lips, that barely healed at all in like 5 days.
• dry stuffed nose, and when i blow my nose to clean it up, i see my nose had bleeded few hours before and it had dried up.

thanks!, more updates to come...

DAY 40:

•  

• i still have the grainy skin feeling going on, something seems to be coming out, first i thought they were blackheads but they are not black in color at all, but instead they are small and white, and they are hard and feel like sugar or sand particles.

I'm on my day 27 and currently experiencing this as well ...They showed up around my 2nd week and they're still here.

I wish they would go away soon, I'm super conscious of these tiny whiteheads all over my face, and they feel like sandpaper

so to heal the dry nose bleed my derm suggested putting aquafer in the nose over night. it helps. also put it on ur lips over night. that will really help with the dry lips in the morning.

DAY 46:

1. my face looks really bad, way too many whiteheads and way too many red bumpy spots, these red spots are not cysts, because they dont pain at all......this is the worst my face has looked ever, i have always had acne but like ten spots, these are more like 50 spots, i am not counting, just a very rough estimate to give you the feel.....also my face is super dry, esp the area around my mouth, no matter how much i moisturize, it gets dry like in the next half hour, and surprisingly that where most of my breakouts/IB are.
4. for dry lips, cracked side lips and my nosebleeds, i found a solution, vaseline is the best, it works out, i got this big jar of 100% percent vaseline, and i use cotton swabs to apply, works out pretty well, since i put it in my nose, it smells like a gas station, its because vaseline is a petroleum by-product, hope it doesnt cause any lung problems in the long run, as i am breathing thru' this sucka.
6. all other side effects that i used to have are gone, like occasional joint pains, etc....i m baffled.
8. today is the first time, i had a little bit of rectal bleeding. this was bright red in color. this is not accompanied by diarrhea or constipation or stomach pains, etc, just rectal bleeding that reminded me of my past when i had this problem, like a year back, similar situation happ. to me. i went to a gastro doc, he did a colonoscopy and said that it was internal hemorhoiddes. apparently this is a common condition in the US. this happens due to lack of enough fiber and water. this also had happened to me whenever i workout too much or whenever i have a protein overload. i was reading about this online and all the logs/posts say when they mentioned this to their doc, they were stopped from taking accutane anymore and they were asked to return the accutane supply back to the docs office. so looks like if i mention this to my derm, he is going to stop the pill forever. i dont want to stop accutane because of some other problem. so i am going to wait and see if this continues for more than 3 days or if this gets worse before that, only then i would go to my doc with this. if this is related to accutane, then i am screwed....lol

i wonder what would people do if they were stopped from accutane, in other words, what other acne treatment is out there?.....

more updates to come...

I'm kind of wondering about the bleeding as well. I've had a little bit too, but don't really want to mention it, although I probably should.

I'm kind of wondering about the bleeding as well. I've had a little bit too, but don't really want to mention it, although I probably should.

Hi BMarieWantsNoAcne, Could you describe more details?, like how long you have had this problem, etc.....the Claravis labels clearly state to "stop the medication and call doctor immediately if there is rectal bleeding"....and i am very sure that all docs are instructed to stop the medicine when they hear those "magical words" from the patient...lol....no doc would want to risk their license because they care about one patient's emotions....i understand that...

at the same time, we are the ones who go thru' all these craziness, so we deserve to find out if this is caused by accutane or because of low fiber diet, or something else....if it is accutane, then by all means, i will stop taking accutane, i dont want to get colitis at the cost of fixing my face.....that is like one bad trade for another......luckily, as an athlete, i have had hemorroiddes before, and i have all the ointment with me, i also know the diet change that i need to make to stop the bleeding, i have already started this....it takes about 3-4 days to find out....sometimes it takes like 7-8 days....I am going to find out on my own....and if it does not stop or if it gets worse, then of course i am going to stop calravis and see my derm....

also one more motivation for me to pursue this is, usually IBDs not only cause bleeding, they come along with abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation, etc...fortunately, so far, i dont have other symptomes, only bleeding....so i am kinda inclined to believe that this might be just hemoroiddes/ lack of fiber etc......but then who knows, i have been wrong before...lol.....keeping my fingers crossed for the next week or so....

(If you get grossed out, don't read. Haha) Well, I've always had constipation, and it hasn't gotten worse. I've just noticed the last time or two I had a bowel movement I had some very light bleeding. I took a mirror and could see where it was coming from; it was almost like my rear was dried out so it got a scratch that bled... I don't know how else to describe it. I'm trying to add more fiber and see if that helps any.

DAY 46:

1. my face looks really bad, way too many whiteheads and way too many red bumpy spots, these red spots are not cysts, because they dont pain at all......this is the worst my face has looked ever, i have always had acne but like ten spots, these are more like 50 spots, i am not counting, just a very rough estimate to give you the feel.....also my face is super dry, esp the area around my mouth, no matter how much i moisturize, it gets dry like in the next half hour, and surprisingly that where most of my breakouts/IB are.

I'm sorry about the whiteheads, I experienced that too. But mine's gone now (only a few on the side of my cheeks, unlike before they're all over my face) .. I guess we really just have to wait it out, they'll go away after some time. Best of luck!

DAY 46:

1. my face looks really bad, way too many whiteheads and way too many red bumpy spots, these red spots are not cysts, because they dont pain at all......this is the worst my face has looked ever, i have always had acne but like ten spots, these are more like 50 spots, i am not counting, just a very rough estimate to give you the feel.....also my face is super dry, esp the area around my mouth, no matter how much i moisturize, it gets dry like in the next half hour, and surprisingly that where most of my breakouts/IB are.

I'm sorry about the whiteheads, I experienced that too. But mine's gone now (only a few on the side of my cheeks, unlike before they're all over my face) .. I guess we really just have to wait it out, they'll go away after some time. Best of luck!

Hi Jonquil, i am already starting to see some whiteheads have gone down, so you are right, i can wait this thru'. good luck to you as well and keep posted.

(If you get grossed out, don't read. Haha) Well, I've always had constipation, and it hasn't gotten worse. I've just noticed the last time or two I had a bowel movement I had some very light bleeding. I took a mirror and could see where it was coming from; it was almost like my rear was dried out so it got a scratch that bled... I don't know how else to describe it. I'm trying to add more fiber and see if that helps any.

BMarieWantsNoAcne, nothing is more grosser than describing the acne, if we can do that, i am ok with your description, for you so far, all signs point to hemorroides, that is exactly what the medical profession calls hemorroides, and when you add fiber to your diet, you should also add more water.

unfortunately for me, bleeding got worse as i continued to take accutane, and i am now on high fiber diet using hemo ointments, even though this is just day 1 for anti hemo regimen, this regimen takes time atleast 3-4 days, since things got worse, i am confused now.....i ask myself..."why cant things be simpler, gosh"....anyways...any advice?

This medicine is so complicated!!

Hi All, DAY 47:

when things are complicated and confusing, i go to the pros, thats why i pay them...lol, when i say pros, i mean my derm.

so i went to see my derm today afternoon...and something interesting happened. i thought he might take me off accutane, instead he reduced my dosage to 40mg/day, he said some people's body just cant handle higher doses. the problem is i dont have 40mg pills with me. so he told me take 30mg/day until the next refill. he is going to prescribe 40mg pills next time, and i just take that one a day, i prefer breakfast.

as far as bleeding, i thought he would tell me to see a gastro doc and get a colonoscopy, so i make sure my colon walls are not damaged, but he told me to just get a fiber supplement, i went out and got a powder, orange flavor, i take 3 times a day, it is part fiber part laxative. he told me that if the bleeding continues for 2 weeks, then we should stop accutane FOREVER. pretty solid idea, i cant argue with. i am on a lower dose now and two weeks of fiber supplement and hemo ointment, if all this doesnt help, then accutane is just not for me. so the next two weeks are my survival period:)

i am having horrible breakouts, mostly whiteheads, also red tiny bumps, my derm said its gonna be ok, Jonquil said the same. as far as the red bumps, he said my skin looks irritated, prob. from shaving or something, so he told me to get braun series electric razors, not the round ones, but the flat ones.....he said accutane thins the skin, and thin skin is more sensitive, so accutane kinda reveals what i have been doing wrong cosmetically for years, i am going to shed the Gillette shaver and get braun. I am not saying everyone should do this, if you have same problem as mine, then its worth trying.

for dry skin, he gave some sample moisturizers, which are not OTC, he told me to try the sample, if i like it, he can prescribe it.

for dry nosebleeds, he told me get a nasal saline spray, he told me not to use vaseline. so i got one.

more updates to come...

DAY 49:

the rectal bleeding stopped, it stopped yesterday on DAY 48, i am not sure if its the lower dosage or the fiber supplement that did it, but i can only thank GOD and my derm..for now....

currently i am on 30mg/day reduced dosage from a original 60mg/day...this is only for another week or so...after which i am on 40mg/day for the rest of the treatment...as long my body can handle 40mg/day....the only problem with changing dosage is that everytime they increase dosage, there is an IB possibility....so in a week from now, i will be going from 30 to 40 mg/day...hope i avoid the IB....

my skin is less drier, again i am not sure if its because of lower dose, or the more potent moisturizing samples that i have been using.

i can see that my skin looks better, from the sense of even skin tone, reverse photoaging, etc. its not perfect or anything, and still a long way to go, but i can see a slight improvements, unlike the antibiotics i used to take.

sebaceous hyperplasia is reduced, but i can still look and feel the bumps beneath my skin, long way to go on this one.

definitely lesser and more handle-able side effects on lower dosage...

more updates to come.

DAY 53:

GO RAVENS...RAVENS ALL THE WAY BABY!!!

my skin looks better than it has been in the last 7-8 years....WOW...accutane is a drug that really works...I am kinda happy, but not too happy, because i have a long way to go....

rectal bleeding is on and off, so i dont know what to say, today i skipped the pill since i had to do the blood work...trying to get more fiber in my diet and more water....more cardio as well.....lets see...

thats the only side effect that bothers me....other side effects are being managed...

good luck to others out there trying this...and also to myself to push thru' the rest of it....

more updates to come....

Good informative log you have started. Thanks for all the info. I'm a 180 lb., 43 year old male, now on day 22 of Clavaris. I have cystic acne in my scalp, the back of my neck and back. My derm started me on 40mgs a day. On day 11 I got my IB and contained it with Kenalog injections. The injections really seem to reduce the size of the cysts and help them clear up quicker. For what it's worth, my derm told me that to avoid a severe break out you need to increase your doseage slowly. He is keepingm e on 40mgs a day for 2 months then increasing to 60mgs a day from there. Try sleeping with a humidifier in your room as this helps with dryness, especially the nose. I also have been managing the dryness by showeerig with baby wash. My hair(looks awesome) and skin don't feel at all oily so I'm really just washing off dirt from the day. I don't drink(anymore) or smoke cigs but do smoke a lot of pot. Being a grown man and suffering with acne is bullshit and I made the decision to go on accutane after every antibiotic and topical remedy failed. I was also on accutane when i was 15. It cleared up horrible chest and bacne but I have scars that suck. Any questions? Fire away.