Hi there ive posted a few times before. Im 28 years old and have suffered from acne for 10 years in varying degrees of severity. Next Thursday I have an appointment with a dermatologists and have the option of taking accutane due to my acne unresponsiveness. Im very tied with this a really good friend of mine has taken accutane and she is now clear. I have been suffering emotionally for a long while now due to the fact it simply wont go away. My current regimen is SA wash in the morning recently followed by dans bp treatment and then some moisturizing cream in the evening and currently ive become reclusive and paranoid about others peoples thought more than ever. I have a SA wash and every-other night I will use a retin A cream. The latter has helped with my scarring. I also take zinc daily.The products I use are quite expensive but they do the job of getting rid of the acne quickly and have helped alot with scarring, but it always comes back. I have a bad habit of picking. I feel that diet plays a role in my acne to some extent and this xmas period I have eaten a lot of crap with alot of booze and sugars etc. Something which I can begin to address now its over. I have encouraged by other peoples stories of accutane. I guess the thing that deters me is one the initial breakout and two dry and red skin and three joint pain. I really enjoy running and i understand that joint pain is a common side effect?. When I last saw my derm she suggested that I take 35mg of accutane at first then bump up the dose. I wasn't happy with this and felt I should start on a lower dose around 15 mg as im so scared of the initial breakout especially with my mental health issues. In light of these pictures (apologies for the quality done on my ipad which I dont think does the severity of my problem much justice) what would you do if you were in my situation?. Any feedback would be great. Thanks Rob.
Rob, Looks like you are doing great job of controlling your acne or as you said, your pics are deceiving. I inherited my severe cystic acne from my mother who still battles it today at 73. It started at age 11 and continued until I started my first coarse of Isotretinoin (Accutane 40mg/day for 6mths) in the early 80's when it first became available, I was 22. I've had two subsequent courses with the last in 1995 (80mg/day for 6mths). My daughter (teenager) finished her 5 mth (Claravis 100mg/day) treatment in Sept. 2013 and my son (also a teen) is starting his first treatment (Amnasteem 120mg/day) on Friday. What I have learned about Isotretinoin and the three risks you are concerned about: "initial breakout"- my daughter and I both experience a "worse before it gets better" side effect, however, it was short lived because neither of us remember how long it lasted! "dry and red skin" - sorry but that doesn't begin to describe it.....flaking, peeling, cracking and sometimes bleeding and rash, is more like it. After years of huge, sore boils on my face, this was nothing. My daughter did become frustrated with it, but stuck it out and says she too thinks it was worth it. "joint pain" - I never experienced joint pain during my treatments, however, my daughter (a daily jogger) had occasional hip pain (right hip only) prior to treatment. Her pain, did become worse after the first 6-8 weeks of taking the Claravis. At times she refrained from jogging/exercise all together. Since she has been off (3.5 mths now) she still has returned to the same occasional pain in her right hip, but says she now has it in both hips. Can't guarantee it was from the meds, but I think likely. Another comment you made was "my mental health issues"; your Dr. has likely told you of the concern with Isotretinoin and deprecation/suicidal thoughts....? PLEASE be honest and careful!! My daughter and I only experienced frustrations with side effects and the extreme improvement of self esteem. Also, I have two other teens with acne, but not to the extent I feel the risks are worth it for them. Now having said all that, it sounds like your dose is much lower than my daughters, sons or even mine, so what you experience will likely be totally different. The only other thing you mention is wanting to lower the dose your Dr. recommend. If you have been completely honest with your Dr. (including the mental health issues) and Isotretinoin is what you want to try, you need to have trust. Also, maybe discuss what I have read (and been told by my daughter's Dr.), that severe cystic acne patients show a higher rate of reoccurrence with lower doses, thus the need for additional treatments later (maybe why it took three for me). Find a Dr. you can trust, be honest and work closely with them! Good luck in whatever you decide and know there are still people who look beyond skin deep!
