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Another day another zit. Same old same old. No big inflammatory zits but still papules and small inflammatory zits particularly along my jawline.
My last ounce of optimism and resolve is now gone. With this now being almost my third course of accutane done I now face the realty that I will not achieve remission and that even after 19 years of acne, including the scarring it inflicts on me are going nowhere.
Never felt this low or this hopeless and that's saying something.
Wish I wasn't here
Another day another zit. Same old same old. No big inflammatory zits but still papules and small inflammatory zits particularly along my jawline.
My last ounce of optimism and resolve is now gone. With this now being almost my third course of accutane done I now face the realty that I will not achieve remission and that even after 19 years of acne, including the scarring it inflicts on me are going nowhere.
Never felt this low or this hopeless and that's saying something.
Wish I wasn't here
Hey JJ - i know exactly how you feel. If you ever need to talk PM me.
Editing this post had a bit of a meltdown. Saw my derm this morning, he's actually going to taper me off Accutane as he reckons I have remission. Tapering down to 20mg/day for the next 2 months. He reckons the stuff in my jawline could just be from shaving and not true acne. He doesn't see any signs of inflammatory acne. Still got comedones and stuff and I have no faith that once I stop tane it'll just start again but I will give it a shot.
Tapering down to 20mg/day for the next 2 months till my next derm appointment. Had 3 or 4 inflammatory lesions pop up on my lower right jaw. Left jawline is clear. Right cheek clear, left cheek one lesion that's been there for weeks. Forehead still getting non-inflamed comedones but nothing inflammatory.
8 days shy of being on accutane for 12 months. Skin is about the same as it's been for the last 6 months really. Forehead continues to get small non-inflamed stuff regularly. Cheeks remain clear for the most part. Probably getting about 2-5 jawline zits per week. They usually die within a couple of days, the red marks can take a few weeks. For the most part they aren't too big or inflamed.
I've got about 1 and a half boxes of accutane left. I'm currently taking 30mg/day till the end of the month. Then I'll probably take 20mg/day for a month, then 10mg/day till I run out.
I've taken 7300mg in total to this point. Once finished with these two boxes, I'll be at 9280mg total. As for cumulative dose, I think I was probably about 78kg at the start of my course, I'm about 71kg at the moment. If I average it out to about 76kg, that'll put me at 122mg/kg total cumulative dose.
Post accutane, I'm thinking about some combination of salicyclic acid, BP and tazorac as a maintenance therapy. Don't really want to go back to BP but not sure what else to use that is as effective for me.
12 and a half months done. Tapering at 20mg/day for past 2 weeks. Skin about the same. 2 - 5 jawline zits/week 
Ocassional cheek blemish. Forehead non-inflamed stuff.
Pretty shattered and disappointed that after more than 12 months on tane still breaking out. Not too sure what I'll do post tane. Seems hopeless
Have you tried BP or anything else yet? It's working well for me, but I know it can be irritating. I just use a tiny bit in my moisturizer and that helps my skin not get irritated. Tazorac is supposed to be really good, but I've never tried it as retinoids are generally not my friends.
I really hope you find your happy place soon. Maybe going off the tane and trying something else is a good idea.
Let me know how it goes.
Have you tried BP or anything else yet? It's working well for me, but I know it can be irritating. I just use a tiny bit in my moisturizer and that helps my skin not get irritated. Tazorac is supposed to be really good, but I've never tried it as retinoids are generally not my friends.
I really hope you find your happy place soon. Maybe going off the tane and trying something else is a good idea.
Let me know how it goes.
Hi Kim,
Not yet, still just on the tane. I havent had any luck in the past with retinoids either - differin made be breakout like crazy in just a couple of weeks. I dunno, maybe they'll work better after this course of tane. BP is always an option too.
Fingers crossed
Derm appointment in 2 days. Will then be off the tane I believe. About 12 and a half months in total and will be a cumulative dose of 7980. My weight has fluctated throughout the course but if I average it to around 75kg that will be about 106mg/kg.
Still getting couple of zits per week. Pessimistic and anxious about what happens next. Time will tell.
Will ask about post accutane maintenance. Topical retinoids have never worked for me but maybe they will after this course.
Same old same old. Got about 4 actives ATM, no big ones though. Have tapered down to 10mg/day for the last week and a half. Will start topical tretinoin and clindamycin next week as a hopefully successful maintenance program. Hopefully not too drying to use the tretinoin whilst still on accutane. Will be on 10mg/day for the next 6 weeks or so, and then finally 5mg/day for a month.
Not sure if anyone is even reading this log, but there you have it.
Well I'm here! Not very often, but I do check back to read your log now and then JJ, always hoping for some happy news. Good luck with the tretinion - is it Ziana? I had a terrible time with that stuff, but I did a lot of research and it seems I'm the odd one out - most people really like it. My derm thinks it is great stuff. Let me know how it goes.
- S
Well I'm here! Not very often, but I do check back to read your log now and then JJ, always hoping for some happy news. Good luck with the tretinion - is it Ziana? I had a terrible time with that stuff, but I did a lot of research and it seems I'm the odd one out - most people really like it. My derm thinks it is great stuff. Let me know how it goes.
- S
Thanks Kim! It's just plain tretinoin. I'm going to get a separate script for clindamycin. Tretinoin did nothing for me in the past but hopefully it will now. Woke up today to another 2 new pustules - one on chin, one above lip. Seriously over this!
Are you still going well and staying clear on the BP?
Well I'm here! Not very often, but I do check back to read your log now and then JJ, always hoping for some happy news. Good luck with the tretinion - is it Ziana? I had a terrible time with that stuff, but I did a lot of research and it seems I'm the odd one out - most people really like it. My derm thinks it is great stuff. Let me know how it g
Been on tretinoin and clindamycin for 40 days. Acne is mild and controlled but I still breakout consistently, mostly with either non-inflamed or slightly inflamed stuff. Have tapered down to 5mg accutane per day. 18 more days of tane, then I'll go off it.
Hoping for some more improvement the longer I am on tretinoin.
Officially stopped accutane today. Been on it about 13 and a half months total. Taken around 8400mg which for my weight is about 112mg/kg. I never was able to remain completely clear whilst on it, I always had mild outbreaks. Couldn't go longer than a week without breaking out. Maybe I should have done a standard, high-dose course, but low dose seemed like the best option at the time.
44 days I've been on tretinoin and clindamycin now. Hopefully stopping accutane won't result in my skin getting worse.Still getting mild consistent outbreaks.
I'm a 44 year old female who has been on low dose accutane (20-40 mg/wk) for over four years now. I had two treatments of full dosing when I was younger: one in my 20s and one in my 30s. I took 12 years of antibiotics in my teens into my twenties (I greatly regret this.) Anyway, low dose accutane is the only thing that keeps me clear. I've tried birth control pills, creams, lasers, etc, but I was tired of the embarrassment, and I had started to lightly scar. I'm done having my babies, so I plan on maintaining this until menopause. My dermatologist has had people do this for many years, and she feels the risks are worth my emotional confidence (as do I.) I would not recommend it for someone who is going to have children, but it is a great way to stay clear long term and not scar. Feel free to email me with questions. I cannot find anyone else on the web who has taken the med this long, and I have had minimal side effects.
-Trouser
I'm a 44 year old female who has been on low dose accutane (20-40 mg/wk) for over four years now. I had two treatments of full dosing when I was younger: one in my 20s and one in my 30s. I took 12 years of antibiotics in my teens into my twenties (I greatly regret this.) Anyway, low dose accutane is the only thing that keeps me clear. I've tried birth control pills, creams, lasers, etc, but I was tired of the embarrassment, and I had started to lightly scar. I'm done having my babies, so I plan on maintaining this until menopause. My dermatologist has had people do this for many years, and she feels the risks are worth my emotional confidence (as do I.) I would not recommend it for someone who is going to have children, but it is a great way to stay clear long term and not scar. Feel free to email me with questions. I cannot find anyone else on the web who has taken the med this long, and I have had minimal side effects.
-Trouser
dear Trouser. we both are almost in the same boat, but i'm men BTW. i also used it for a long time almost 3 yrs and the same low dose accutante what helps keep me away from any acnies. but i have one problem that i feel very tide and fatigue when i took a tablet each after 2/3 days (10gm).
more my diet is very common as i'm eating everything randomly but trying to avoid eating any spicy food.
thank you once again to share this valuable info...
i would like to ask that what will keep us away completely from no more acnes ? this is a big question in my mind.
so i would appreciate to hear you soon here.
thanks
Hey Trouser.
Im a 39yr old female who has an accuatne story nearly identical to yours. I had several full rounds of Roaccutane (Australia) in my 20's and have had nothing in the last decade or so apart from antibiotics and topical creams etc.... which have done an ok job but of late ive been developing rather nasty cysts which have caused many scars. So the derm has put me on low dose (10mg every second day) with an open ended finish date. Essentially she said I will probably be on this for life but hopes to get me down to a 10mg dose every 3rd or 4th day. Im only a couple of weeks in and already my skin is 'purging' ... big time !!! It hasn't been this spotty in ages (prob due to the antibiotics/ epiduo combo). They are big and very sore and i'm hoping this phase is over soon. I almost feel like I need to be taking a higher dose.. it feels wrong not to have the crazy bad side effects you suffer at full dosage... like the lower dose couldn't possibly work the same way the stronger dose does. Anyway i'll stick with it until I hit the 'cumulative' dose (??? im not sure what the magic number is when there's finally enough drug in your system for your skin to function normally).
Anyway it was great to read your post as I have struggled to find anyone/posts etc... that is also doing this ultra low dose long term. Most seem to be at least 20mg per day whereas im only 10mg every second day as previously mentioned. I do wonder long term what (if any) problems/health issues I might face but honestly after suffering nearly 2 decades of bad skin, embarrassment and the like I almost don't care. I'd be interested to here more from anyone who has had success with ultra low dosage accuatne and to find out what time frames people have been taking it for and how long it took for it to really make a difference to the skin etc...
Cheers Bek 
Hi guys. I am still on my 10mg PRN (2-3X week), but I would be clearer if I took it more often. My hip pain has now transferred to my right leg, but I've seen a PT and she thinks it is bc I am 44 and have had two huge babies for my frame. Nevertheless, the accutane keeps me looking clear to others (I can still see the little bumps that turn into blackheads.) I realize I am neurotic about this, so I try to keep my perspective and my dosage low bc of potential side effects and cost. I still stand firmly that I would never pursue this if I ever contemplated having more babies. Fortunately, I am done with that chapter, and my health choices will only affect me long-term. I hope this helps!
Trouser