Hi Rhys95

I am on 20 mg/day too - one month in today! This is my second course though.

My first course was last year and then I also started on 20mg which was then increased to 40mg/day after 1 or 2 months, since 20 didn't really seem to have the desired effect on me. This time around I'm really hoping to stay on 20mg/day because the side effects were so horrible last time, and so far so good!

Hopefully you can stay on 20 mg/day too, because although I'm still experiencing side effects with this dose, it's manageable

How did the first course go for you? Did you see any change for the first course or none at all?

Week 1

I've just passed the week mark and I think I've just started to get partially dry lips however my skin doesn't seem to be that dry. I'm breaking out but like suggested it has been manageable. I really don't want to be on the drug for long and I really hope it is effective in such a low dosage, I just get the feeling that it isn't going to work for me but I guess all I can do is try.

The first course worked wonders for me - after 5 months my skin was crystal clear and beautifully glowing! Then of course the acne came back after about 4 months..

But really think patience is key with accutane - with my first course I was getting really frustrated because I didn't see any positive changes, my skin was basically just getting dry and horrible. But then, almost from one day to the next, my skin cleared. Think that was around month four with taking 40 mg/day. But I guess the dosage also depends on your size.. I weigh around 50 kg which I think is around 110 lbs?

Anyways, I am now on week 5 or 6 of this second course of 20mg/day and even though my lips are a bit dry and my joints are aching like hell, my skin already seems clearer

Do you already have a good lip balm and moisturizer?

Ah, that sucks. I really don't want to go through the process again because it is so long to get hold of a derm here, you have to wait months for an appointment. Yeah I'm gunna see this out regardless, maybe my derm will up the dosage after month one who knows? Yeah I noticed that he weighed me before he prescribed me my dosage. How long does your derm plan to keep you on 20mg?

I'm currently using Cetraben emollient cream which I've used on my other treatments, not sure how effective it is going to be and I've got a Nivea lip balm. Do you have any suggestions for what to use (just incase these aren't gunna do the trick)?

Think I'm just going to stay on 20mg/day as long as it makes sense - guess if my progress stagnates, I'll bump up to 40mg again, but really hoping to avoid that (side effects and all)!

My derm hasn't said anything about how long I need to stay on accutane this time around - she is pretty useless to be honest; It's relatively quick to get an appointment here, but when you get there, the derms and nurses are so rushed that they just prescribe you pretty much the dosage you argue for. Which I guess can be both good and bad..

But maybe it would make sense for you to be on 40mg/day if you are somewhat heavier than me?

I'm not familiar with Cetraben - don't think it is available here in Scandinavia. U from the US?

Im using a French pharmacy cream called Embryolisse (pretty sure it's available online) and for my lips a balm called Blistex (the absolute only one that has worked for me during both my courses).

Hey I'm also on 20mg. It's only my 4th day so I probably won't be much help in that sense. But I hear you. I would like to stay on a low dosage so I don't get the side effects so aggressively just yet. Good luck!

I guess I've hit the one month mark, not sure how I feel about it. I don't seem to have seen much improvement although from what I gauge not many people do, my face at the moment looks quite clear however I think it is quite vulnerable at the moment. I haven't experienced many side effects if I'm honest apart from dry lips which don't bother me, my skin isn't as dry as it has been on other treatments so again it doesn't really bother me. I'm due to go and see the derm on the 13th so I'll fill you in after then.

I'm three weeks in, with 20mg as well. I've been pretty broken out lately so I'm happy to hear that you at least look relatively clear at 1 month. I suspect that I'll have to move up to 40mg soon if I want to see results since I'm a bigger guy. But I dread that, because I'm loving the lack of side effects with 20mg!

Saw the derm yesterday and he said I should have been taking a 40mg dose although I specifically remember him saying "take one a day". Meh, feel like I've wasted a month now even though 20mg seemed to be clearing my skin up sufficiently. I've been pushed up to 40mg now (first day of taking it) so I'm guessing the side effects will roll on from now, my lips have started to dry out regardless but it again isn't unbearable at the moment. Maybe going from 20mg to 40mg will be a good stepping stone rather than have been rushed into 40mg straight away.