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Hey guys after a long time of lurking on this site I decided to make an account. I'm about to start my third round of accutane and I'm not looking too forward to it. I've suffered from acne since I was twelve and I'm 20 now. I took my first course when I was 16 and it was in large part due to horrible body acne that was extremely painful. At that point my face was in relatively good shape, but after the first course my acne seemed to come back worse on my face and it changed from whiteheads/blackheads to bright red cysts. I decided to take another round of the stuff when I was 17 to clear my face and it was a high dosage 80mg vs. 60mg. I remember having a very bad initial breakout and more side effects like fatigue and decreased concentration. I was happy to get off the stuff after 5 months of hell and my face was clear! However over the next five months my acne came back slowly, although it was less severe. I didn't care about it because I could manage it by tanning over the past two summers, but this fall it came back worse than ever on my face.
I really didn't want to go back on this stuff because I'm not buying into the "cure" for my acne at least. I'm also concerned with the side effects getting even worse this time around because I've already been on the stuff twice. My derm and I have tried everything in the book and accutane is the only temporary relief I seem to get. She seems to think a third round should be safe for me and I think she's planning a 6 month course with a pretty high dosage, maybe 100mg. I'd just like some peoples opinions on my case/ past experiences.
Has anyone had a third course and had success? Where the side effects more severe the second or third time? I'm a male 170 lbs could my acne still be hormonal at 20 years old? I'm starting to doubt if I can ever get rid of my acne. Has a "maintenance" course after accutane and had long term remission? I'd love to hear your opinions. I'm sick of this acne. It's had a large impact on my social life at college and I want to go through my junior and senior year acne free. Right now a third course of accutane seems like my best option.
well don't give up....I was on accutance once and it was hell, pure hell...at least you got clear for some time, never worked for me, made things worse the initial breakout from hell that lasted 6 months and we finally gave up
so I had to work on it the hard way, no easy take a pill eat what you want clear for life success sotry for me
I journaled everything I ate and at the end of it all I gave up gluten and dairy....those are huge triggers for many, give up for a month and see what happens then try the other...is it hard, you bet...but are cysts hard to deal with, yes they are and far worse then the diet for me
and topicals, try tazorac and at the other end of the day an AHA or SA or something like mandelic acid
but do the diet changes...and really give up dairy first, and I mean all of it for 30 days....then gluten, all of it.....
good luck, journal everything...and start fighting back, no side effects with diet!
Hey I am 22 years old, I have hormonal acne. My hormones are just crazy. Your derm is right though about the dosage. If you aren't responding to other dosages, they will increase your dosage. I was actually not prescribed the correct dosage my first time according to my current dermatologist and she believes that is why my acne came back. I weigh the same as I did during my first course. She said that I needed to be on a higher dosage. I was on 40mg daily the first month, then 20mg daily the remainder of my first course. Now i am on 40 mg daily for my first month and will be on 60 mg daily the remainder of my accutane. My dermatologist also told me that she sees patients return mostly from taking the generic course Claravis.....She said that it is not as good as the other brands because it does not absorb as greatly as the other brands. I am currently on amnesteem and she says that it works much better than claravis. She originally wanted me to be on this new generic accutane called Absorica....which just came out last year. But apparently that one is absorbed greatly compared to other generic brands of accutane. You are suppose to take accutane with a fatty meal so your GI can absorb the medication more better.But apparently with Absorica, it gets absorbed much easier and much better. But she said amnesteem is good but just not as good as absorica. research it. I didn't get it because it is too expensive for me. With amnesteem my copay is $35 but with absorica it is over $100 per prescription but that is because it is brand new and works really well. Hope that helps! Btw the diet think is not really correct in my opinion and according to my derm. I have done diet changes and it does not help one bit. My skin cleared up really well during the first course and I have the same diet. Good luck!
You sound exactly like me (except I'm a girl). I'm currently on round 3, however, I feel no side effects (though I didn't have very many the first 2 times either). I remember the 2nd time I was on it I felt the most side effects... I just generally didn't feel well and had an upset stomach for a few weeks after I started. What's your diet like? While on accutane it's very important to eat very healthy (not necessarily for absorption reasons but just to have a really healthy body/stomach so that it can handle the medication) and drink a LOT of water. I'm 115 lbs and I'm on a dose of 60mg a day and I feel no different from normal... the biggest difference from last time to this time is my diet change, in the past few years I've started eating extremely healthy and clean and my dermatologist told me that's what's made the difference - it's the only reason why he felt comfortable putting me on it a 3rd time.
But I've gone through the same thing - it worked for me before when I was on it but my acne keeps changing locations and types. Also make sure that you invest in a good cleanser that you can use before, during, and after accutane - I'm using one that doesn't strip your skin of essential moisture but it still cleans it well (essentially it "balances" your skin), I also use a balancing toner everyday (the brand I use is Origins - you can find it at Sephora). I find my skin isn't near as dry as when I've been on accutane previously and I'm hoping I won't have to start to use moisturizers. This way I can keep my same cleansing routine after I finish treatment and hopefully that consistency will help!
Good luck with whatever you decide to do!