^Response to the above:
Thanks? I don't think I ever explicitly mentioned I've done my own research on the drug but I am not, and I assume you are not, a doctor. I did not ask for the drug and was prescribed it. I'm on my second month and the only side effect I've noticed is dry lips. If my farts start to smell like sulfur and I can't shit, I'll let my doctor know. I'm posting a log so people with similar circumstances can relate to my experience and honestly so I can track my own progress. Your post doesn't lend to either of my purposes and while I understand while you're posting, I'd prefer you save it for your own post. Most, if not all, drugs have potentially dangerous side effects for some percentage of users. I'm sorry you're part of the minority but you're not doing any good pretending anyone else's body reacts to a drug the same way your body reacts.
Also, who allowed you to decide what type of acne should be prescribed Accutane? You might have looked a lot worse than me with your cystic - moderate, but 10 years of persistent mild acne that has been battled with a dozen alternative methods deserved a shot at Accutane. Again, I did not decide that. My doctor did.
Week 5:
Getting my refill was a nightmare and I had to take off 3 full days before starting my second month. Try your best to not switch your prescription from one pharmacy to another. And try to find a pharmacy who has dealt with iPledge before. The only positive that resulted from my 3 days off medication and 3 hours at a Walmart pharmacy was that my GoodRx coupon worked and my prescription was only $300, discounted from $475. I'm on Myorisan now.
I had a tough start to week 5 and broke out in a few spots. But here I am a few days later and all spots have popped or disappeared. The turnover rate of my skin is outrageous. I do have one spot on my temple that will not come to a head. It was very painful a couple days ago but seems to be cooling down now. It's been visible for almost 2 weeks. Weird type of pimple I've never experienced before.
I'm continuing to get red spots where blackheads are pushing out. They dont result in whiteheads and typically calm down after a day or so. Really annoying but I know what to expect with these spots.
I feel like I'm close to turning the corner. I think I said I turned the corner in an older post, but my skin turned around. Now we're back on the right path. Not feeling negative about my progress anymore. I would like the blackhead process to end but they just keep popping out. My nose looks weird today..bumpy.
My back and shoulders are a weird texture, almost like blackheads are coming out. Worst condition my shoulders and back have ever been in. Maybe my skin was worse under the surface than I ever knew.
Week 6:
Week 6 was strange. My lips weren't as dry, I was a bit oilier than normal and I broke out a few times. It's almost like my course stopped and I had my old skin back. The only thing familiar was my face being red/flush all day.
My nose seems to have pumped 90% of black heads out and the only remaining blackheads are on the sides of my cheeks. I ended the week with red marks of blackheads that had a hard time pushing out and a couple whiteheads on my chin under my beard. I haven't had a breakout in these spots for a couple weeks. The spot on my temple is just about shriveled up under the skin. It never came to a head, which was unusual.
Im interested to go on with the next couple weeks. I felt serious positive progress last week for the first time since starting my course and I hope it continues to get better. I'm hoping this is the case and I'm out of the woods with breakouts.
20 hours ago, suite said:Week 6:Week 6 was strange. My lips weren't as dry, I was a bit oilier than normal and I broke out a few times. It's almost like my course stopped and I had my old skin back. The only thing familiar was my face being red/flush all day.
My nose seems to have pumped 90% of black heads out and the only remaining blackheads are on the sides of my cheeks. I ended the week with red marks of blackheads that had a hard time pushing out and a couple whiteheads on my chin under my beard. I haven't had a breakout in these spots for a couple weeks. The spot on my temple is just about shriveled up under the skin. It never came to a head, which was unusual.
Im interested to go on with the next couple weeks. I felt serious positive progress last week for the first time since starting my course and I hope it continues to get better. I'm hoping this is the case and I'm out of the woods with
breakouts.Stay positive! I hope your good progress continues!
Week 7:
best week yet. I didn't have a single workout, but I'm sure by typing this I'll wake up with a few new spots. The whole week was spent healing old spots and as of today my skin might be the best it's ever looked. Its still very red and I look like a racoon for a few hours every day. Water takes care of the redness pretty quickly. I'm drinking at least 3 liters every day but probably more.
the pores on my nose look too big and stretched out and I'm hoping that temporary. It's a little thing since you have to be an inch away from my face to notice, but I get that close in the mirror and I'll be damned if for $300 a month my face isn't flawless.
Lips have been dry on another level lately. Cracked, scaley and disgusting. I'm back on carmex after losing my Aquafor again.
The skin on the rest of my body is starting to dry out. I had a scab on my leg and wondered where the cut came from. It was be my skin was so dry and cracked.
Fingers crossed for another breakout free week.
1 hour ago, suite said:Week 7:best week yet. I didn't have a single workout, but I'm sure by typing this I'll wake up with a few new spots. The whole week was spent healing old spots and as of today my skin might be the best it's ever looked. Its still very red and I look like a racoon for a few hours every day. Water takes care of the redness pretty quickly. I'm drinking at least 3 liters every day but probably more.
the pores on my nose look too big and stretched out and I'm hoping that temporary. It's a little thing since you have to be an inch away from my face to notice, but I get that close in the mirror and I'll be damned if for $300 a month my face isn't flawless.
Lips have been dry on another level lately. Cracked, scaley and disgusting. I'm back on carmex after losing my Aquafor again.
The skin on the rest of my body is starting to dry out. I had a scab on my leg and wondered where the cut came from. It was be my skin was so dry and cracked.
Fingers crossed for another breakout free week.
Hey Suite,
I'm going to make a post on my log about this same subject, but I thought I would tell you directly. I was having severe dry lips and they were getting swollen and really irritated to the point it hurt to talk. I ordered Dr. Dans cortibalm. It's amazing! Within like 20 minutes my lips stop hurting and by the next day the swelling and burning had gone away completely. They are still a little red and irritated, but nowhere close to where they were before. I highly suggest ordering some, they don't sell it in many stores, but Amazon got it to me within 1 day. Aquaphor just stopped working so I'm happy I found this. The Dr. Dan's website has its own page just on how accutane patients should use the lip balm. Good luck!!
Week 8:
Another breakout free week. I ended week 7 with a night of heavy drinking and I paid for it. Worst hangover I've had in a long time. I felt terrible for a few days after and decided to cool it on the drinking until the end of my course.
I didnt have have any pimples, but my nose and temples decided to do another round of sandpaper skin, pushing out what I've found are sebaceous filaments, not blackheads. I only have a couple blackheads left and they're on my cheek. They're very stubborn and turn red every couple days. I imagine they're trying to push out but are deep under a layer of skin.
Ive felt my skin lacks the ability to heal over the last two weeks and that has continued. Red marks stick around, where before my course I'd have clear skin a couple days after a pop. I haven't popped a pimple in 2 weeks but I still have lingering red marks. They look like fresh pops and are almost a month old. I had my blood test two days ago and the prick from the needle is still visible in my arm. It took a day for the redness from tearing the bandaid to disappear.
im still flushed every day until I drink a gallon of water and even then I look like I'm wind burned. I hope this goes away.
i had my worst side effect of the course appear and disappear over the last two weeks, terrible chest pain. It almost felt like what I imagine someone feels pre heart attack. Dull, achy right on my sternum. I was worried my blood tests would show an abnormality but they were great and when I woke up this morning the pain was gone. I'm not sure if last 3 more months with that pain. It was too much. I started fish oil for my back a few days ago, and since back pain has largely gone away perhaps it was the fish oil that took the chest pain.
Going to pick up month 3 doses tonight. More than happy to pay $300 for the progress I've seen so far. I hope I start to see some progress soon as the last two weeks have been largely a standstill (in a good way) but I'd like to at least see some red marks go away
I had chest pain as well, doc said it is probably acid reflux, which I guess is fairly common. It is a dull pain, not sharp like heart burn, he said that was normal. I have the same plugs that come out of my nose and temple, it's like they come in waves. It will be bad for a couple of days and then it will go away. I thought it was my seborrheic dermatitis, but if you're getting it too maybe it's just common for some people. I was getting it before accutane, but not nearly as bad.
Week 9:
Week 9 was a bitch. I had 2 weeks without breakouts and the day after my blood test I had 2 pimples pop up, one on my cheek close to my nose and another between my chin and lips. They were under the surface and red for a few days and I was bracing for the worst. The one on my cheek gave me what I braced for, a nasty mutated white head pushing so hard to get out of my skin. I popped it on Thursday night and all but a faint red mark was gone by Friday mkrning. Fine. The other pimple was much better. It stayed under the surface and although it is still in existence, it has shrunk significantly and I don't see it coming to a head. This is what I expected from all spots as I thought my body would treat pimples differently by now.
I also had a long week of sebaceous filaments pouring out of my nose. My nose is almost completely smooth today but it was back to the pre-blackout clearing sandpaper texture during this week.
I talk sof much about my face but my back and shoulders still are the worst. I don't notice it as much but I still get red spots once a week or so. I also have the worst scarring on my back. It's not terrible but I hope it clears up by summer as body acne was never a problem of mine before accutane.
That being said, scars do not heal very well for me right now. I even have marks from spots that stayed under the skin and shrunk down before coming to a head. It's almost like they stretched my skin and I scarred from it. I've never experienced something like this before. I see so many threads regarding healing but the same users seem to look great with no scars in their 3rd month. I wonder if the effect on healing is in my head or if it changes at some point in the course.
Week 10:
Week 10 was marked with one more pimple coming to a head very quickly last night after 2 days of redness and pressure. I thought I had a cyst developing on my cheek but it's gone. I've had a few of these instances where I get red pressure and then it disappears.
The texture of my skin is pretty terrible. It's never been better than when I started my course. I'm curious to see if texture ever improves or if my pores are so stretched out from years of acne that they'll never return. Either way, happy enough without acne popping up all the time. My nose is the worst by far.
No new pimples on my shoulders or back which I love to see. The marks left over from the purge will take months to heal but luckily I won't be taking my shirt off for a couple of months when it gets warm.
Exactly half way way done with my course. I'm glad it's only half because I feel like I have a long ways to go. I've been reading up on the stages of accutane and to many it sounds like the 4th month is marked with a complete lack of pimples and diminishing of redness. Dry lips and and a clear face. I can deal with that.
2 Months Post 5 Month Course:
Sorry for leaving everyone hanging in week 10. I was having a lot of trouble over-analyzing the course and writing about it every week didn't help. So I stopped. My third month closed out with the cyst actually developing and staying under my skin until my course was up. I had never read this before, but I truly believe one of the symptoms of the medication, for me, was continual breakouts. I had a lucky streak in month four for about three weeks without a single new pimple or cyst but on the first day of month 5 I was plagued with a pimple on both sides of my mouth. I chalked it up to irritation from shaving my ultra-dry skin. Month 5 ended and I was three days out from my last pimple. Since that final day, I haven't had a single white head (knock on wood). The texture of my skin improves by the week and most of my red marks are gone or very close to it. I don't have "good" skin yet, you can still tell I went thru acne but I'm feeling pretty good about my odds of the improvement continuing until there's no trace at all.
Oil is back. Not as bad as it used to be and I don't mind when it's not shining (literally) light on pimples. Just a little dewy after a couple hours and oil absorbing sheets help. I'm thinking my skin will regularize as I continue to recover from the course and when my face realizes its not dry anymore the oil will subside even more. But still, not a major concern.
Couldn't be happier with the results and it was worth every penny of the $1800+ I spent on doctor visits and medication
6 Months Post 5 Month Course:
I was untouchable for 6 months. Not a single breakout to be seen. I took full advantage and did all of the things I could never do before accutane. I ate pizze. I went out until 4 in the morning (every weekend). I didn't wash my face when I was out late. I'd always wake up with clear skin. I even stopped using moisturizer because it made my skin shiny.
Now I'm sitting on acne.org again and reading about 2nd cycles. I had a couple spots pop up the last few weeks and as I sit here I have 2 actives on my forehead, one on my cheek (under the beard) and one below my mouth. I don't know what to make of this "all of the sudden" breakout but I much preferred my 6 months of flawless skin.
If you've read my entire thread, I had a cake time with accutane. Given I've broken out one or two spots a week for the last couple weeks, I'll be going to my dermotologist and asking for a 2nd course. I want total remission. I won't always go out until 4 am and eat pizza but I'd like to have that as an option without worrying about the resulting breakout that will all but ruin my next 2 weeks of work, events, and social life.
I'll report back after I get an appointment. Until then, I hope going back on my moisturizer, not drinking, and going to bed at normal times will get me by without getting much worse. Fingers crossed.
..Also my cumulative dose was 150 mg/kg.
UPDATE:
I went to the dermatologist today, explained my case, and was promptly prescribed my second course in all of 10 minutes. I had doubt and honestly have been anxious for weeks because of the fear mongering on this community that my doctor would not prescribe me accutane. Of course, if you've never tried antibiotics or topical retinoids doctors will want to prescribe a step therapy. The drug is serious but if you've gone through hoops to get rid of acne a doctor will have no problem prescribing accutane. It's not irresponsible. It's a safe drug with some nasty side-effects. There aren't too many drugs that cure a disease out there without serious side effects.
Luckily, I have better insurance this time around but I am awaiting authorization from my insurance company before CVS can fill my prescription. If for some reason I'm denied, I'll go back to Walmart with the GoodRx card and pay $300. 5 more months for a chance at remission is a drop in the bucket for a possibility at a lifetime without acne.
I didn't follow up much on the psychological benefits of accutane (or moreso the lack of breakouts/acne). I've been an anxious person for as long as I can remember. When I completed my course and saw clear skin for almost half of a year, I found I had no worries. Everything stemmed from the fact that I had a pimple (even one) on my cheek or felt the pain of a cyst under my skin. I wish something so small, so insignificant in the grand scheme of things would not affect me to such an extent but to no avail. Especially as I near remission once again, my patience for acne is GONE. If I had to deal with topicals and antibiotics again I might have a panic attack. For now, I'll take a deep breathe, knock out drinking for a few months, and cross my fingers for success.
I'll write an update once I get pricing and my first pills. I plan to update once a week or so on the second course.
Day 1:
$20. Mind blowing. I paid over $300 per month during my first course for medication alone. $200+ for the doctor visit and blood tests. Now..$20 medication and $20 co-pay at the doctors office.
I just picked up my first pill after waiting a day for insurance authorization for the medication. Basically the doctor signing off that I have serious acne and have tried a topical and antibiotic. Check. Check.
Today I have a few actives on my forehead and some red spots on my cheek and chin.
Very excited to be starting again and will do my best to practice patience this course. Huge weight lifted off my shoulders having started and my savings account staying in-tact.
Week 1:
Fairly uneventful first week. I've felt the dryness on the sides of my nose, very similar to last course. My forehead has broken out in 4-5 spots and 1 on my chin that was coming up before the course.
Im feeling the beginning stages of sebaceous filaments pushing out of my skin (no blackheads left from first course) so I'm excited that I won't go thru the redness of blackheads pushing out of my skin throughout the course.
The turnover rate of my skin skin hasn't picked up quite yet so the pimples on my forehead will probably take a week to resolve themselves.
Otherwise smooth sailing. Very happy with progress so far.
Week 2:
This course of accutane is progressing much different than the first course. I mentioned the lack of blackheads pushing out in my last post and that continues. Not getting much in the form of sebaceous filaments pushing out either. My skin tone on my nose and forehead was a little off/bumpy the first few days of week 2 but today both were quite smooth.
Only one spot on my forehead came to a head and was promptly removed. It could not have been removed more gently but left a small bruise where the pimple once laid. The sensitivity of my skin is the same as last course. Redness throughout the day and looking like a raccoon is the same as last course as well.
Another similarity is the feeling that I may soon break out in various places throughout my face (blind pimples). Last course, not many of these came to be actual pimples so fingers crossed. I broke out in one of those spots above my mustache but it looks like it won't come to a head. It's just red and angry but doesn't have any white in it. Could be a blackhead...
I'm feeling as though I'll be much clearer through this course than the last one thanks to the progress of my first course. My acne never came back as bad and it seems I'm still unable to break out in the same large or cystic acne I had before.
1/10 of the way through. I can do this 9 more times.
Week 3:
Week 3 was headlined by forehead bumps coming to a head. Luckily I have long hair now so they don't show but my forehead was the worst it has ever been half-way thru this week. I'm starting to notice my skin turnover rate is speeding up a bit and a bad day can quickly be followed by a good day as red marks clear and whiteheads dry up. I'm pretty hopeful that my forehead will be clear by the end of this week given the progress so far.
I have also broken out in those classic dry areas next to my mouth, beside my nostril and under my beard. I moisturize like a mother fucker and am not noticeably dry but can't help but assume these are trigger areas because they get more irritation than most.
Skin is still pretty red throughout the day but it fades in and out. I think I'm still in the process of getting used to the medication and the redness will continue to fade after each pill.
Oil is GONE completely. I never got rid of it completely during the last course so I'm happy to see I'm so matte this far in. I know accutane isn't a long term solution for oil (based on what my doctors have told me) but I hope it continues to help my skin regularize and heal from years of topicals.
Overall, I'm very happy with the results so far. I don't FEEL like I'm on any medication, probably because I've done it before, and this makes the days go by much faster. Next week will be 20-25% complete, depending on if i go for 120mg/kg or 150. I can handle a few more months of this.
Week 4:
Forehead is still a nightmare. Last weeks spots have either popped or dried up and I have a couple new spots. The active + red spots make for the worst look yet. I would like to pull my hair back but I'm stuck keeping it on my forehead to mask the spots. Lucky for me these are the only actives on my face. I'm hoping another week or so to heal the actives and bring the redness of the old spots down.
My nose is now getting that classic sandpaper feel but it's not blackheads, since I don't have any. Must be sebaceous filaments and each night I give a gentle exfoliation to smooth it down. By morning, it's rough again.
Redness and lack of oil are consistent with last week. Other than my forehead, I'm VERY happy with the results so far. Once I clear on the forehead, I think it's smooth sailing whereas the first round I had breakouts all over the place until week 8-10, and smaller spots for the rest of the course.
I went to the doctor yesterday and I'm currently awaiting my refill. I have 2 days of pills left so hoping they can transfer the order and have it ready for pick-up soon.
Week 5:
Forehead-gate rages on. The new spots from last week have lingered for almost the entire week and a couple new ones after surfaced. The forehead is a real bitch considering this is a place I never had acne problems. Once a spot does dry up or pops while cleaning, it leaves a red mark for a week or more. It's almost like a bruise. Forehead skin must be thinner/more sensitive to scarring because elsewhere on the face where I've had to pop, I'm clear in just a few days and the red mark leftover is barely noticeable. Considering the lack of progress, I'm not seeing my forehead presentable for a couple more weeks.
Oil came back a touch but I think it had to do with some unseasonably warm weather. The cold combined with accutane sucked any moisture my skin would have and I got a bit of that back. Nothing too serious and I'm still barely blotting.
Redness is still present and noticeable at most times. I remember redness being less noticeable in the 3rd month so a few more weeks if that stays true for my 2nd course.
I finish the first box of my 2nd month today and I'm feeling positive. Very excited for the coming weeks as they were very positive during my 1st course and I'm already in much better condition with the exception of my forehead. Not sure what's going on there.
Week 6:
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel that is forehead-gate. There is a single red spot above my eyebrow and everything else is drying up and healing/almost unnoticeable. I had an incredible breakout free week 7 during my first course so I'm crossing my fingers that will be the case again. I don't mention it much but the breakouts continue under my beard. No one can see them but this week there were a couple painful ones that I put some pressure on a exacerbated a bit. I had a couple whiteheads at the edges of my beard pop up in 12-24 spans. They were a couple millimeters in diameter, so they look nasty. I popped one and let another sit (a test) and the one I left didn't improve over 2 days. I ended up putting some pressure on it and the head came off. It does seem to be healing faster than the spot I popped right away but not too much of a difference. I vote for pop.
Oil is gone again. No blotting and dryness hasn't been too bad.
Redness is still bad, especially while eating and after being outside in the cold. I'm over it.
Bring on week 7. If I start to see the improvement I saw during my first course, I may cut down on my entries. I doubt anyone cares to hear about a breakout free week. Let's hope that's the case.
Week 7:
Week 7 on my second course was, unfortunately, not as great as week 7 during my first course. I had no breakouts this week on my first course and now I've dealt four unique, nasty whiteheads this week alone. By time they are noticeable it takes around 2 days until they burst and leave small red spots. 2 more and they're gone. So I'm left with 2 actives and a few red spots at the moment. Unfortunately, one is on my forehead but other than that one I'm dealing with a smooth forehead and very happy with that.
Redness is bad. Especially about an hour after i take a pill, if i go outside into the cold for more than a minute, and when I eat. I usually eat in an office and don't see anyone but yesterday I had a lunch meeting and was asked why i was so red. I joked that my food was spicy..it was a caesar salad. I can deal with the breakouts pretty well since they've been around my whole life but the redness is awkward and people feel the need to ask about it since it looks like a burn or you're sick.
Oil is still gone. I've gone a few days without blotting at all. That's a treat in itself.
Today is day 50. I'd like to report back on limited breakouts this week and a reduction of redness but I won't get my hopes up yet. Let's just get rid of these actives.
Week 8:
Week 8 sucked. I broke out in a few more spots; the sides of my mustache (3), forehead (3), and temple (1). These seem to be my trouble areas and the fight is waging a lot longer than it did on my first course. Not very happy with the results at this point. I was feeling excited after getting thru week 7 without too much of a disaster and thought I'd be on the up-and-up. This isn't the worst I've looked, still better than when I started, but it's the worst since week 4-5.
To top it off, redness is worse than ever. If I eat, I'm red. If I go outside, I'm red. If I exercise, I'm less red. Don't understand that one.
The only positive I have now is that oil is gone and it's week 8. Picking up my 3rd month boxes today or tomorrow.
47 minutes ago, suite said:Week 8:Week 8 sucked. I broke out in a few more spots; the sides of my mustache (3), forehead (3), and temple (1). These seem to be my trouble areas and the fight is waging a lot longer than it did on my first course. Not very happy with the results at this point. I was feeling excited after getting thru week 7 without too much of a disaster and thought I'd be on the up-and-up. This isn't the worst I've looked, still better than when I started, but it's the worst since week 4-5.
To top it off, redness is worse than ever. If I eat, I'm red. If I go outside, I'm red. If I exercise, I'm less red. Don't understand that one.
The only positive I have now is that oil is gone and it's week 8. Picking up my 3rd month boxes today or tomorrow.
Hang in there...that's awesome that your oil production has dramatically decreased and you're only 2 months in. Maybe the redness is a sign you need to start moisturizing more? Also, what kinds of supplements are you taking right now? Tumeric is a great anti-inflammatory for pain, redness, etc.