Day 77 (End of Week 11):
Skin has continued to improve! I had about 4-5 pimples over the week but they were all small and came to a whitehead very quick. I am noticing that any spots I get now come and go a lot quick than pre-acctuane. All spots disappear within 2 days which is fantastic. It's so amazing to be able to leave the house without having to worry about my face, I am very happy at this point with my progress. All the suffering in the initial two months has been worth it 🙂
As far as side effects, my arms get red, patchy rashes from the dryness if I forget to slather cream on them twice a day and my lips are always dry. I also look constantlyburnt, but luckily it's summer so I can blame it on being in the sun if people bring it up (which they do ). Aside from that no new side effects to report. Stay strong everyone and have a fantastic week!
Day 85 (End of Week 12):
Had a 2 bigger pimples on my chin this week as well as some smaller ones on my forehead. A little worse than the previous 2 weeks but still good all in all. At this moment I don't have any actives, although I did yesterday. I'm happy with how things are going.
I had my Dr's appointment this morning and we decided to keep me at 50mg. I still look burnt, have dry lips, dry arms and I got my first nosebleed this week despite putting vaseline in my nose twice daily. Nothing unmanageable
🙂
Day 91 (End of week 13):
Better week. Still getting small pimples here and there but very happy with my progress! I don't think or stress about my skin nearly as much as I did and I am so thankful for that. It seems like I can just live my life normally now without basing every decision I make on the state of my skin. I'm not worried about dating anymore and my confidence level is high!
I am still dry and getting headaches but again, all manageable.
Day 98 (End of week 14):
I think I had 2 or 3 small pimples all week! I hardy ever even think about my skin. I certainly don't stress about it or even think twice about it when I got out. It's truly amazing and such a good feeling. I'm starting to feel like having clear skin is normal for me now.
I still look a bit burnt in my face and am getting dry lips, arms, etc. Another issue which I feel like I have to mention is my mood. I am usually a really happy go lucky guy, but lately I have been a bit moody and have not felt as happy as I usually am. My mind also feels cloudy at times. Definitely because of the drug. I had hoped that I wouldn't experience these side effects but I think it's pretty much unavoidable. It's nothing I can't deal with and will absolutely tolerate it because it's only temporary and well worth it for (hopefully) permanently clear skin.
On June 8, 2016 at 2:10 AM, Naimur97 said:Nice to hear about your progress.
BTW do you happen to have any body acne?
Thank you! I had a spot here and there on my shoulders but I have only noticed maybe 3 since I started accutane. Definitely has gotten better.
Day 105 (End of week 15):
Only had 1 spot this week on my jawline and it was quite stubborn. Took a few days to come to a head but who can complain about 1 spot. Happy about the progress. Side effects are more or less the same. I will update with pictures soon 
Day 112 (End of week 16):
I went away for work this week and low and behold I got a big one up near my temple! UGH. It was inflamed, red and noticeable. It was so so soo disheartening, especially because I was with coworkers and important clients. It was due to a lack of sleep, eating poorly and drinking. Still, it sucked. It went away rather quickly (just as I was leaving, imagine that) and it has since disappeared. Other than that my face is good.
Side effects were a little more manageable this week. Didn't really notice anything except the back pain. Mood has increased which is good.
Pictures next week!
Stay positive.
Day 118 (End of week 17):
No new spots or pimples!!!! Side effects are more or less the same. Saw the Dr today and he kept me on 50mg.
Im going to post every other week from now on as there really hasn't been much to update. Very happy with how treatment has gone. Only concern is that my Dr isn't going to let me get to 120g/kg for some reason. I'll finish at about 90 in about 2.5 months time which makes me nervous.
On June 22, 2016 at 5:24 PM, Stephen23 said:Damn your skin looks good. Been using anything for red marks? I'm sure you will be fine even though you won't reach 120
Thanks
Nothing for red marks, they usually fade over time on their own and I don't have too many that are noticeable. Glad to see you are doing well. Glad you stopped using BP after shaving, that must have been extremely drying! I'm sure you're excited to almost be done with your course.
8 hours ago, tranceaddict said:ThanksNothing for red marks, they usually fade over time on their own and I don't have too many that are noticeable. Glad to see you are doing well. Glad you stopped using BP after shaving, that must have been extremely drying! I'm sure you're excited to almost be done with your course.
Thanks! Yeah it was absolutely way too drying. I'm def excited, but nervous!
On June 26, 2016 at 4:32 PM, Cpie95 said:Question, how do you calculate that you want to reach 120mg/kg ? Is there a certain dose your supposed to hit? Thanks!
Originally posted by "==="PostedSeptember 11, 2012:
Generally suggested minimum cumulative dose would be 120mg/kg, and 150mg/kg is considered on the higher end. mg/kg is, literally, milligrams per kilogram, i.e. how many milligrams of Accutane you've taken throughout your course divided by your weight in kg.
weight in kg = (weight in pounds) / 2.2, if you need it.
Once you've found your weight in kg, multiply it first by 120. This amount is, for you, a lower but still advisable cumulative dose. Then multiply the weight by 150; that gives you a higher, but still reasonable, cumulative dose. You can think of those totals as goalposts, you want your final cumulative dose to be somewhere between these two numbers. It's ok if your total cumulative dose is a bit higher than your 150mg/kg measurement, but lower than 120mg/kg and you're risking a higher chance of remission.
So, for example, if you're 140 lbs, that's 140 lbs/2.2 = 63.64 kg, roughly.
63.64kg * 120 mg/kg = 7637mg <--- lower suggested dose
63.64kg * 150 mg/kg = 9546mg <--- higher suggested dose
Then you'd probably want to go about finding your cumulative dose with the plan you and your derm have planned. Say you're on 20mg for the first month, 40mg for the second, and 80mg for three more.
20mg/day * 30 days + 40mg/day * 30 days + 80mg/day * 30 days * 3 months = 9000mg total, which is right around what you'd want.
4 hours ago, giveback said:Hey man. I read your vitamin b5 log before and you were doing good with 4 to 5 grams a day. What happened that made u switch to accutane?
Not only was it not a permanent solution but I also noticed that it made my hair thinner. Taking high doses of things for a long period of time cannot be good for your health and there was no long term studies I could find on safety. Ultimately I've realized that the only thing that has worked for me is Accutane. I have never been acne free for this long before. My skin looks great, I'm off BP and could not be happier I decided to take this medication. I really hope it's permanent after I am off it. Time will tell.
Day 148 (End of Week 21):
Thought I'd check in! Everything is going great!! See effects have subsided and I don't even notice them anymore! I've had many 2-3 small teeny tiny little pimples that go away very quick since my last update. My skin has never looked this good I could not be happier with this treatment. Stay positive everyone, it works.
Day 263 (Week 38):
Wow, it has ben a long time since I updated!
Since the last update in July I had remained on 50mg. My last Dr's appointment was Oct 4th where he said I was all done my course!! He was very happy with my progress, as was I! I had 15 pills of 10mg and 4 pills of 40mg left so I decided to take the 10mg every other day which I just finished and today started on taking the last of the 4 - 40mg pills which I will only be taking once a week which means I will still be taking pills for another month. After calculating my total cumulative dose I will be just under the recommended 120mg/kg.
As for progress, Since my last update I think I had a total of 2 pimples that I would get pre-accutane and maybe a few smaller ones that you could barely notice and that would go away quick. My skin has been absolutely amazing and I can't even believe that I don't have to continually stress about it day in and day out. I feel like I am almost taking it for granted but it's truly a dream come true! No more BP, no more chemicals. I use a light oil free face wash morning and night while putting on a tad bit of moisturizer afterwards and my skin glows! I know I didn't have the worst acne but I feel free!! As for the side effects I experienced, after a little while they completely dissipated, aside from the dryness, after being on the same dose for a while. The only tough thing about Accutane is refraining from alcohol which I wasn't the best at. I still drank but luckily it didn't seem to cause any negative effects because my blood work was fine and now that I am almost off it my body feels great.
I cannot say enough good things about Accutane and I am so thankful I was luckily enough to be put on it. I highly recommend it. It feel like it has been such a long process but so worth it. My confidence is at an all time high and it's amazing being able to go about your life and make plans without having to stress about how your skin looks. I will update again in about a month after I take my last pill.
Stay strong everyone, we're in this together
~1.5 month post accutane:
Hello everyone! I regret to inform you that my acne has indeed come back 
you have no idea how sad this makes me! I am guessing that it's because the most I ever took was 50mg and the relapse rate for a lower dose course is higher. This sucks. My acne is definitely less severe than it was prior to accutane, and that's with applying BP everyday, so things could be worse. I have a bunch of small little bumps on my forehead and a few large pimples on my temples that will not come to a head. I guess I am so discouraged because I was completely 100% acne free while on accutane.
I don't think my acne is severe enough to go on another course, but I may go back to my Dr in a few months and plead with him. Sorry I have to be the bear of bad news, I really thought I was "cured".
Sorry to hear your acne returned so quickly. I just went thru the same thing (luckily had about 6 months of remission). I did the full 150mg/kg deal taking 80mg a day for 5 months so maybe just bad luck like me..
I just started the second course even though my acne is less severe (5 total actives and 3 are under my beard). Looking forward to hearing what you do next.
On 12/21/2016 at 10:29 AM, suite said:Sorry to hear your acne returned so quickly. I just went thru the same thing (luckily had about 6 months of remission). I did the full 150mg/kg deal taking 80mg a day for 5 months so maybe just bad luck like me..
I just started the second course even though my acne is less severe (5 total actives and 3 are under my beard). Looking forward to hearing what you do next.
Went to the Dr and he said my acne is not severe enough to go on another course. Recommended topicals. Back to the drawing board for me
Very disheartening, really thought this would be the end of my nightmare.
Good luck on your second course!
When I first checked your log, I thought it was my face but I didn't post photos on my log..same issue on my end but i hit a full 150 mg/kg. 26 (now 27) year old male with the exact same type of acne. We both seem to breakout along our beard lines/temples (i never had forehead breakouts until now) and the course cleared me up beautifully. I did do a higher dose course of 80 mg/day and hit the full 150 mg/kg after 5 months and ended up being clear for a full 6 months. These were the best 6 months of my life so when my forehead started breaking out and i got one whitehead on my cheek, i went to the derm. She was a new derm so I got to plead my case whereas my old derm might not wanted to give me accutane again. I'm now starting the second month of my second course and it is WAY better. Not much of an initial breakout, just my forehead working itself out and the rest of my face is settling back into being clear. I'm back on 80mg and the only problem is dry lips and facial redness. I'll probably do another 4 months but based on my progress i may just do 4 months total and hit 120mg/kg.
Good luck getting on a second course. I'm sure you know already, but it's truly the only option for the emotional warfare that comes with acne. But I do hope whatever topical you are prescribed helps. I heard your skin reacts differently to topicals after your first course.
On 1/18/2017 at 6:31 PM, suite said:When I first checked your log, I thought it was my face but I didn't post photos on my log..same issue on my end but i hit a full 150 mg/kg. 26 (now 27) year old male with the exact same type of acne. We both seem to breakout along our beard lines/temples (i never had forehead breakouts until now) and the course cleared me up beautifully. I did do a higher dose course of 80 mg/day and hit the full 150 mg/kg after 5 months and ended up being clear for a full 6 months. These were the best 6 months of my life so when my forehead started breaking out and i got one whitehead on my cheek, i went to the derm. She was a new derm so I got to plead my case whereas my old derm might not wanted to give me accutane again. I'm now starting the second month of my second course and it is WAY better. Not much of an initial breakout, just my forehead working itself out and the rest of my face is settling back into being clear. I'm back on 80mg and the only problem is dry lips and facial redness. I'll probably do another 4 months but based on my progress i may just do 4 months total and hit 120mg/kg.
Good luck getting on a second course. I'm sure you know already, but it's truly the only option for the emotional warfare that comes with acne. But I do hope whatever topical you are prescribed helps. I heard your skin reacts differently to topicals after your first course.
Thanks for the post Suite! I'm glad you were able to go on accutane once again as it worked so well the first time. It's beyond frustrating to have it come back, especially when you thought you were in the clear, pun intended. I wish I had went on a higher dose course but my Dr was reluctant because my acne wasn't severe. It's ironic that i'm just reading this post now as I just got back from the Dr after visiting him because of a breakout. I pleaded my case and thankfully he agreed to put me back onto accutane for a second course! I told him I wanted to do a higher dose for 5 months (40mg for the first month then 80mg x4 months) and he agreed. Hopefully it works well for the both of us and we can remain clear!
... And so the journey begins once again!
COURSE 2
Day 1:
Currently I have 2 whiteheads and about 5 red spots that are recovering on my forehead in addition to a few smaller ones around the rest of my face. I have been using BP wash since January so I will ween that out as I start to dry up. Going to remind myself to drink tons of water.
Course 2, Day 8 (Week 1):
My face is breaking out quite bad, although I'm not sure if it's the initial breakout or just the status quo for my face. Lots of whiteheads on my forehead/temple area and the odd one on my chin. I'm using BP wash every second day now and really cutting down on the amount I'm using each time. Side effects aren't bad but they probably aren't in full force yet either.
Course 2, Day 15 (week 2):
The day after I posted the last set of pictures (day 9) my face was an absolute disaster. Another huge breakout along my temples, it was horrible. Things have definitely calmed down since then and this week has been better. I'm still getting pimples every day but it's much more manageable. Hoping My face will continue to improve over the next week. I am completely off the Benzoyl Peroxide face wash I was using and am just using cetaphil dash wash morning and night. I am spot treating with Benzaclin which I got from my Dr.
side effects are minimal: occasional light headaches, slight lower back soreness and dry lips/arms.
During my first course I had acne all over my face, especially my forehead, jawline, chin and upper lip but now my forehead is really the main problem area. Although, in saying that, I did get a bad one this week on my upper lip.
Stay positive everyone!
Course 2, Day 22 (Week 3):
My IB seems to over (knock on wood)! Seeing a little more improvement this week. Still breaking out but not nearly as bad. I have 3 cysts, 2 on my right temple which has proven to be a be problem area and one on my forehead but that is about it at the moment! My face is red and my arms/lips are dry but nothing out of the ordinary.
Course 2, Day 28 (Week 4):
Improvement seems to have stalled from last week. Although I didn't break out crazy like the first 2 weeks I'm still getting spots every day and currently have a very large one in the middle of my forehead.
I had my Dr's appointment Monday and I will be doubling my dose and moving from 40mg to 80mg per day starting today! I'm excited as the most I took during my first course was a 50mg so hopefully the higher dose will clear me for good.