Thanks Maggie, I definitely will!
Cristine, let us know how your trip goes! I have a trip planned to my family's house on Sanibel Island and I'm so nervous about not getting to have fun. Since its an island the only things to do are the beach or our pool, so I'm really nervous about the whole avoiding the sun part of this process. I also work outside, so I think sun exposure is going to be my biggest challenge.
On 3/18/2016 at 8:41 AM, Maggie1989 said:Hi All,
I officially started accutane 4 days ago and reading your posts is helping me to prepare for what is about to happen.
Ive been dealing with mild but persistent acne that scars a lot for 7 years now. Ive tried 4 different oral and 3 topical antibiotics. Only Tetralysal which was the first antibiotic that I had tried, worked for almost a year. It was the best year of my life!
I really didnt want to go on roaccutane due to the side effects and the famous initial breakout it comes with but enough is enough. Dont want to be depressed because of my skin anymore, dont want to cancel on my friends, hide from my boyfriend, call in sick when my zit bursts and Im left with a bleeding scar. Im done.I will be done in 6 months.
Im 172 and weight 50 kg so my dermatologist prescribed me 20 mg of accutane for the first month and I will be taking 40 mg from next month. Im terrified of the initial breakoutL. Ive been also put on amoxicillin to hopefully decrease the initial flare ups. We will see how it goes.
Day 4not much to report except the fact that Im thirsty all the time and Ive got weird pulling sensation on my lips.
I started out on 10mg for the first month and I definitely had a breakout. It wasn't horrible compared to what I've seen on others but I had some predominant bumps in areas that I didn't normally get acne. I've upped it to 20mg for month two and some are still lingering but I cleared up a lot, the clearest I've been in MONTHS. I'm hoping that my body is adjusted to the drug and that was my only purging!! I had never heard of being put on antibiotics at the same time..interesting.
That's great that you're seeing progress in your skin and you're only in the second month!!:) I wasn't put on antibiotics either prior or even now during treatment, but even when I was on antibiotics they seemed to have worsened my acne so I'm not a fan of them anyways. I want a vacation?! Lol. Let me know what you ladies recommend for an SPF (non clogging and not greasy). Thanks!
Thanks Cristine! I love wine too and cocktails J. I dont drink much but I enjoy having a few drinks on the weekends. Havent had any this weekend and I feel so odd. I may treat myself to 2 glasses of wine on my birthday.
Im sorry to hear youre suffering from backaches. Definitely not looking forward to that. Youre right, its still early days for me. Ill be probably complaining here in a week or so like a crazy person.
Enjoy your trips ladies and get proper SPF creams. I dont have to worry about it cause its cloudy for like 80% of time in London and Im not planning on going anywhere sunny till I finish the treatment. Cant wait till September!
The dermatologist gave me a choice between trimethoprim and amoxicillin. I used to take trimethoprim and I was still breaking out so I went for amoxicillin this time. Im supposed to be on it for a month and a half tops to decrease the initial breakout I may get. Its not a tetracycline antibiotic so its safe to use with accutane.
Day 6water, water, water. I have never been so thirsty in my life. I dont even enjoy smoking anymore because it makes me even thirstier. Lips are dryer but I put Vaseline pure petroleum jelly on it every 10 minutes. Skin still oily but sides of my nose started pilling. No active spots on my face just 2 scars on my right cheek which I got after a small breakout before starting accutane. Not getting used to not having zits on my face though cause Ill probably wake up with a bunch of them soon.
No :'( Since February is a short month and iPledge got my dates mixed up I can't start until Saturday if my pharmacy has it in stock then. So basically I'm just waiting around until I can fill out the iPledge questions. I did find out I will be on 40mg to start out with though I'm pretty sure!
Hey y'all! Sorry I have been slacking on posting and replying. Life just gets so crazy sometimes. How is everyone??
I'm on day 27. Seeing my derm Monday.. Hoping she will increase my dosage. I'm only on 30mg once a day. Ready for some more now that I know what I'm in for!
my current breakouts haven't really been cystic. More white heads. Anyone else experiencing this? I have maybe one or two really embedded cysts. Then the rest of my pimples are scattered white heads. I know Accutane is doing its job and pushing everything out. Just wanted to hear yalls thoughts.
Have a great weekend - Happy Easter!
Happy Easter! Abby yeah for your appointment on Monday, well tomorrow=) Im on day 25, I sure hope he doubles my dosage as well. My face is still breaking out (which is to be expected, I guess I was just hoping that I could catch a break) Maybe in the second month I will see some improvements. Even the slightest improvement would make me hopeful at this point, ya know. Im not really having white heads...mine are cystic and lots of blackheads. My face has been drying out a little, but not to the point where its flaking or even where I need to apply moisturizer.
Hey Taylor- I am on Zenatane.....how are things going?
I'm hoping for increased dosage for both of us, Kimmy! I'm ready to start seeing some improvements. I feel like my skin is not drying out much at all. I'm breaking out a lot too - which again, I expected. I hope I stop breaking out in month 2, but I'm not going to hold my breath. What is your current dosage? I'm at 30mg daily.
Taylor, the brand I'm on is called Claravis.
Kimmy, things are going well so far! Nothing has changed that I can tell so far. I feel like at night before bed I just stare at myself to try to analyze if anything is different. I'm hoping the initial breakout comes and goes quickly, but it sounds like that doesn't happen until the dosage is upped. I hope that happens for you and Abby at your next appointments!
Hey Abby, I'm currently on 40 mg. I actually finish my first month in 5 days, but then it won't be until April 7 until I can see my derm again. Im going to go almost a week without it and I'm not too happy about it, but my derm will be gone. I'm just thinking my skin is really going to be freaking out:( of course I want to be consistent with my treatment, but things like this happen I guess.
Taylor, the staring in the mirror sounds like me!:) Just take pictures along the way and Im sure you will be able to see progress before you know it. I do that, and theyre just for me so that I can see what progress my skin has made since starting the treatment. I also tell myself (well remind myself) to stop being so hard on myself. We didnt ask for acne, we didnt do anything to deserve the acne, but we blame ourselves, well I do, and its not the case. We are all taking the right steps to resolve our acne for our own personal reasons....so I give you all a virtual hug and let you all know youre beautiful, were in this together, and to not be so hard on yourselves!!:)
Hey everyone
I'm Will, good to meet you all. It's been so helpful to hear the beginning to everyone's journey and I have loved how you've developed this little squad of accuntaners 🙂 I get a vibe of solidarity between everyone which is great to see.
I've had moderate but persistent acne, mostly cystic for about 4.5 years and really greasy skin. Have used lots of salycic acid products, prescription topicals, and more recently antibiotics. I had totally clear skin when using doxycycline for 4 months and felt so liberated. When it stopped working and my acne bounced back with a vengeance I was really effected by it. After this I became willing to take more extreme measures to solve the problem.
Did lots of research, saw a derm, threw a chunk of money at the problem and now I'm part of the squad 
Started just after Kimmy on the 5th March. I'm on 30mg now and will be upped hopefully for month 2. Lips dried up after maybe 8-10 days. Then skin on my chin and around nose dried up a bit with some flaking after that but T zone still pretty greasy. From maybe day 9-16 I suddenly had a clearer complexion than I'd had since the doxy worked and I was like 'excellent, job done, thanks very much', unfortunately it was short lived and I had some monsters after that! I've concluded that progress isn't linear in this game and acceptance of it being a 6 month process will help us all.
After over three weeks at a low dose I've seen some definite changes. My skin is SO much less greasy. Also the spots I've had are different. The cystic ones are much smaller and also more of them have been forming heads which is unusual. Downside is they've been taking much longer to heal, this was expected but still annoying.
No aches or any other side effects really yet except some flaking and dry lips. Drinking lots of water, taking vitamin E and eating a bit better. Also loving the high fat lunches 
Keen to bump my dose up next month.
Kimmy - I'm in exactly the same situation as you in terms of meeting the derm. she's away until the 11th April leaving me with a gap of 6 days. What I'm going to do for my last week is do one day on one day off so my body doesn't freak out too much. But I did read somewhere that it's not a major issue and having a gap isn't going to impact the total course in any way, much more about the volume of the drug you have over the period rather than on a daily basis. So you'll be good
Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences, has been massively helpful. Love from London, W
Hello Will from London, so nice to meet you. Your skin type, complexion sounds like mine. It is what some people would consider moderate (although to me, I'm like this is too much!!!) but they can be painful and very persistent, and scar. I've struggled with cystic acne, blackheads, and just obnoxious blemishes for years now. I've had enough and although I had heard of accutane for many years, I never envisioned that I would be on it. I thought a topical would be enough to fix it as it had worked on and off since I was 15. But I am here and embracing this journey for what it is and so thankful to meet others who are on the same journey. You all can relate to what I am going through during this season in my life and I dont feel so alone in this, because you all can relate so well. Keep us updated Will=) Oh ya I wanted to tell you too that my breakouts are taking a longer time to heal too! I had a cystic one on the side of my forehead that took FOREVER to heal. Were going on 4 weeks now and it's still healing. Ive had some other ones do the same thing....they just look angry and inflamed for awhile and leave hyper pigmentation.....so ya Im not liking that.
Hey Taylor, I think that's a great idea=) My derm's nurse told me to not worry because she said there would be enough of the medicine in my system during the gap...either way I hope my skin doesn't freak out.
Hello Will. I live in London too J. At least we dont have to worry about the sun sensitivity too much for now ;).
Glad to hear youve started the treatment Taylor. I do the same thing with the staring. Ive been waking up and half asleep rushing to the mirror to look at my face since I started the treatment. I actually bruised my leg really badly a few days ago because I trippedL. Crazy stuff.
Im officially in my 3rd week. No freaking initial breakout as yet. I just want it to come so I can start the healing process. Ive had one spot in the corner of my lips (too much Vaseline and lip bums) since I started the treatment. My nose is clearing up really nicely but Ive never had many blackheads on it anyway. My skin is smooth but a few old red marks are more visible now. I love the fact that my makeup stays on for the whole day. Ooo well I was hoping to get the initial breakout in the first month but I guess its going to happen in month 2 L when the derm increases my dosage to 40 mg.
Ladies, have you got any recommendations for a good moisturiser to use under the make up? Not too grease as my skin is drier but not to the point that I need to use a heavy moisturiser as yet.
Hi guys, read all your posts, I'm Sofia from London, bit of background...had the implant (contraceptive) inserted as from working as a staff nurse I didn't think I would always be able to take the pill at the correct time (day and night shifts). Anyway cut a long story short that was 2 years ago, after 2 months of being on it and always having lovely skin my skin EXPLODED! So painful! Had my implant immediately taken out but I'm still suffering. Have been on loads of antibiotics, topical and oral and nothing budged it. Some days it's fine, next day awful!
Anyway I started on 20mg on Monday, alongside of this I'm taking erythromycin twice daily and my consultant has told me to stay on Yasmine (which has made it worse.) So many tablets...ill start rattling!
So far only symptoms are feeling a bit nauseous however that may be due to my final boozy blow out for Easter, had a few spots break out but that may have just been the usual break out after drinking.
Its amazing to have somewhere to post and chat about my journey and read others as as much as I love my family, friends and partner...I think they are getting sick of me talking about it!
Did go through a stage of depression which was HORRIBLE but much better now as positive this drug will end my bad skin!
i have also decided to do a massive health overhaul as this drug is pretty intense. Managed to quit smoking (it's been 5 weeks now), I've joined a gym, completely quitting alcohol (as of Monday when I started) andddd getting braces put on my teeth on the 5th of April! Im deciding it's a detox year and next year I'll be better than ever...this has made me cope more.
Anyway happy Easter and lots of love to you all, and thank you for starting this post!!! Xxxxx (I will keep checking in and let you know what happens to me too) xx
Maggie, oh no I hope your leg is better! and I'm right there with you. I literally can't tell if I'm having an initial breakout or just my skin being bad like normal. I'm wondering if my dosage isn't high enough. How do they determine that? Is it based on body weight?
And welcome, Sofia! I'm totally with you on disliking my birth control. I would switch if it wouldn't set my accutane treatment back. But congrats on quitting smoking and alcohol! I've also stopped drinking since starting.
Welcome Will & Sophia! I am so glad we have so many people joining the conversation. I love hearing about everyone's journey from all over the world!
I visited my derm on Monday, unfortunately she did not increase my dosage. She fears that my side effects will worsen if she took me up to 40mg. Better in the long run, I suppose. I'm still on 30mg once a day for month 2!
9 hours ago, Fairlie said:Maggie, oh no I hope your leg is better! and I'm right there with you. I literally can't tell if I'm having an initial breakout or just my skin being bad like normal. I'm wondering if my dosage isn't high enough. How do they determine that? Is it based on body weight?
And welcome, Sofia! I'm totally with you on disliking my birth control. I would switch if it wouldn't set my accutane treatment back. But congrats on quitting smoking and alcohol! I've also stopped drinking since starting.
I've actually taken the decision to stop my Yasmine as of yesterday. I've booked an appt to get the marina (non hormonal) coil fitted. I'm scared that even if isotetrinin works wonders for me now, should I continue with Yasmine and come off it in the future when I'm not taking isotetrinin, I'll be back to square one! However this is mainly as synthetic hormones are what caused this mess in the first place. I will let u know how I get on.
I also think it is body weight determined and they take into account the severity of your situation. I think usually you start on a low dose and they can build it up in order to monitor your side effects.
Still waiting for the initial break out! Day 5 now, however hopefully these antibiotics are keeping them at bay.
xox
11 hours ago, Fairlie said:Maggie, oh no I hope your leg is better! and I'm right there with you. I literally can't tell if I'm having an initial breakout or just my skin being bad like normal. I'm wondering if my dosage isn't high enough. How do they determine that? Is it based on body weight?
Thanks Taylor :). I'm left with a huge bruise which does not want to go away but I will survive As long as you take your recommended cumulative dosage you'll be fine. Some derms want to just get it over with and they prescribe higher doses from the beginning but others prefer baby steps in order to give your body some time to get used to the medication.
I've calculated my cumulative dosage. Im 172 cm and weight 50 kg
150 mg x 50 kg = 7500 mg - higher recommended cumulative dosage
120 mg x 50 kg = 6000 mg - lower recommended cumulative dosage
20 mg 1st month + 40 mg 2nd month + 40 mg 3rd month + 50 mg 4th month + 50 mg 5th month + 50 mg 6th month = 7000 mg which would be around what I need
2 hours ago, Sofiabbbx said:I've actually taken the decision to stop my Yasmine as of yesterday. I've booked an appt to get the marina (non hormonal) coil fitted. I'm scared that even if isotetrinin works wonders for me now, should I continue with Yasmine and come off it in the future when I'm not taking isotetrinin, I'll be back to square one! However this is mainly as synthetic hormones are what caused this mess in the first place. I will let u know how I get on.
Smart decision! I've got cooper (non hormonal) coil myself. It's the best thing ever. Also, we're both testing theory about taking accutane and antibiotics at the same time. It's been over 3 weeks and no signs of IB for me.
26 minutes ago, Maggie1989 said:Thanks Taylor :). I'm left with a huge bruise which does not want to go away but I will survive As long as you take your recommended cumulative dosage you'll be fine. Some derms want to just get it over with and they prescribe higher doses from the beginning but others prefer baby steps in order to give your body some time to get used to the medication.
I've calculated my cumulative dosage. Im 172 cm and weight 50 kg
150 mg x 50 kg = 7500 mg - higher recommended cumulative dosage
120 mg x 50 kg = 6000 mg - lower recommended cumulative dosage
20 mg 1st month + 40 mg 2nd month + 40 mg 3rd month + 50 mg 4th month + 50 mg 5th month + 50 mg 6th month = 7000 mg which would be around what I need
Smart decision! I've got cooper (non hormonal) coil myself. It's the best thing ever. Also, we're both testing theory about taking accutane and antibiotics at the same time. It's been over 3 weeks and no signs of IB for me.
Ahhhhh this is brilliant news!!! However think my chances may now be exacerbated due to unbalancing my hormones again. Fab Maggie keep me updated! Xxx