severity in dryness of your lips and weight loss on 40 mg/day and youre not even two weeks in. the fact that youre going to be on this dose for months (or ur derm might increase) is worrying. this dose is too high for you imo.
Safety and efficacy of fixed-dose 10mg daily isotretinoin treatment for acne vulgaris
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jocd.12268/abstract
Efficacy of fixed daily 20 mg of isotretinoin in moderate to severe scar prone acne
The side effects are manageable and normal though?
Also there are mixed opinions on the subject of dosage. You can find just as many studies that "conclude" dose does make a difference as you can vice versa. Personally I wouldn't want to risk a lower dose when there's mixed research? I'd rather be on the safe side and go higher dose at the expense of drier lips and other side effects etc. (assuming the side effects are manageable, of course), rather than go months on a low dose with the chance of relapse. Going on accutane sucks either way...
From what I've noticed, though I haven't read them all obviously, the studies that conclude low dose is just as good as higher tend to have lower sample sizes and shorter time periods, and define their terms differently. Like the above one says 4% relapse after 32 weeks. So, what about after say 5 years in the other 96%? Plus it was only 150 people (that's not a lot), so if there is a difference then it's not necessarily going to show up regardless of p values saying otherwise. In July I recall reading a more thorough long-term study that compared dosages over thousands of people and checked up on them periodically/years later etc., and the differences in results were more pronounced. I can't remember where I saw it.
Also, from a pure speculation point of view, there are loads of things that don't work (not just talking about side effects VS no side effects) if you take them in smaller amounts spread out over longer time periods.
Just my thoughts!
End of week 3:
where to start...at the begining of this week i thought i was starting to Clear up. My skin ha been producing absolutly no oil which Is wonderful, my hair can go days without being washed whilst before i had to Wash ir everyday.
Sadly the clear-ish skin didnt last. I have 8 actives, tho one popped while i slept, on my right side, which used to be my" good "side. Theyve all come to a head overnight tho, so thats good. The problem is that whiteheads are probably the grossest to look at so i feel very self conciouss without makeup . Yesterday i noticed a big red bump on my chin. At first i thought ir was an allergy because ir didnt hurt when i pressed it which Is what happens with cysts. Ive never has cysts but i think thats what it Is because today its come to a head so its defenitly of the acn© variety.
Also this week ive expierienced so many backheads!!
Hopefully this Is my IB , got to stay positive
On 9/12/2017 at 7:38 PM, Juwalker said:If the corners of your mouth are still cracked and sore you can use a little bit of hydrocortisone / steroid cream to help it heal. My derm said fine short term up to a couple of weeks in one go. Worked wonders. All the best.
Ill try it thanks!
In regards to the side effects and dose, yes they are manageable. Ive been eating extra to compensate the weigh loss since i was slightly underweight to begin with
No oils is good. I felt that around weeks 2-3. My IB and skin still stayed the same from a physical appearance point of view, but internally it felt like everything was drying up and starting to become less inflamed. It took a good month or so to look like it, but it's definitely a good sign. Just need to adapt to it now!
My derm decided i was too inflamed and therefore in risk of further scarring so she prescriben me a cortisone shot. Ive read everywhere that they injected ir on their spots but un my case i got it intramuscular, like any other shot. Has anyone had one of this shots? If so so you guys know if theres any difference between that and getting ir directly on the pimple? Also, how long till ir works?
End of week 4:
Finally down with the first month! My skin Is okay. At first ir was really dry but now Is more on the normal side. I decided to sleep with vaseline all over my fae which prooved to be a bad idea as ive broken out again
again. Is not too bad tho. My skin Is feeling softer. My nos© Is purging so many sebum plugs , its so satisfying.
My eyes are veeeeeery dry, i started using some presctiption drops.
Overall doing well and very excited for the next two months since its where most of the progress happens
End of week 6:
The insodes of my nos© are sooooo dry , its painful.
Something that has been worryong me is the increase in oil production. Nothing like before accutane , but i do have to blot. Im hoping Is something hormonal and not related to accutane. I know im only 1 months and a half in but im a bit dissapointed with my progress. I have really low self esteem right now and the clown lips, dark undereyes and constant redness dont help at all. I guess ill have to wait for months 3
Stick with it Scully! You are doing well, I am about 4/5 weeks in and having similar experiences with no improvement as of yet.
Would recommend using a cotton wool bud and putting some vaseline on it and putting it up your nose. Have heard that this helps a lot with the nose dryness, am just about to try this myself.
For lips, I have found hydrocortisone cream OTC and aquaphor for general dryness to be the most effective.
Hope this helps! Every day you take your pill, you are one step closer to achieving clear skin 
Here is how I dealt with my skin while on Roaccutane
Roaccutane: A survival guide for those with sensitive, acne, prone skin
Thanks for everyones encouragement !! Ill keep posting my weekly progress. Today i visited the derm and she told me i looked a lot better and that my skin glowed hahahaha i think she was exagerating but its still nice to hear.
On 6/1/2018 at 10:21 AM, vtr said:Stick with it Scully! You are doing well, I am about 4/5 weeks in and having similar experiences with no improvement as of yet.
Would recommend using a cotton wool bud and putting some vaseline on it and putting it up your nose. Have heard that this helps a lot with the nose dryness, am just about to try this myself.
For lips, I have found hydrocortisone cream OTC and aquaphor for general dryness to be the most effective.
Hope this helps! Every day you take your pill, you are one step closer to achieving clear skin
i Tried the vaseline up my nos© thing and it really helped!! Thanks!
End of week 7:
Still breaking out. Got a really painfull one under my eye. I keep picking atmy pimples. I know i shouldnt, i already have so many scars, but its hard to feel the acn© pulsating un your face. seems all i do Is complain here but its better since the other option would be standibg in front of the mirror thinking how bad i look and creating Yet More scars.
Worst of all, today i have a date. Lol . Why dos i decide to start dating while im on accutane??? God knows.
On the positive side, my nos© and forehead are doing great
Mid week 8:
what a mess. My Face looks too bad, i dont even want to take a pic. My derm prescribed me oral corticoids. Hopefully that Will help.
also my nose Is again expelling Lots of sebum filamenta.
Today i went to the eye doctor (my derm Sent me) he said one of my eyes Is beggining to have keratitis. He prescribed me two ttpes of eye drops and told me to try to avoid contacts (already do anywayss). He said if i get worse ill have to stop taking accutane. Im terrifyed. Hopefully everything Will be okey.
