UPDATE 09/29/14: The stomach pain has stopped. I still have rectal discomfort after sitting in certain position for a prolonged time, as well as walking for about 15 minutes or more. It feels slightly inflamed, like a rectal examination without proper amount of lube.

TL;DR - Stomach upset, abdominal pain, and rectal discomfort after only 1 and a half months on second dose of Accutane. Anyone experience something similar?

Hey guys, I thought I'd post this here to see if anyone experienced something similar.

I'm 23 and I've had Acne since I was around 15 years old. It was always light to moderate, and not cystic or deep.

I took my first round of Accutane 2 years ago for 6 months at 40mg/day. I'm 180-190 lbs. It cleared me up, but oil production returned within 6 months, along with acne (Although back/chest acne stayed at bay for much longer, and I'm clear with just BP 3 times a week). The only side-effects that I experienced during that course were dry lips, dry skin patch on my hand, and sore back and 1 knee.

All side-effects, but the 1 knee completely went away after I finished the course.

I was at my wits end with all the home remedies and OTC products to stop the acne (The Regimen kept me completely clear, but I developed contact dermatitis after awhile, that wouldn't go away with constant BP use), so decided to go for my second round of Accutane to hopefully end it once and for all, since it's been really hindering my self-esteem and social life.

It started on June 10th. My derm suggested I take Epuris this time at 40/mg again for 6 months. (Epuris is a generic Accutane brand with better absorption when taken without food; known as Absorbica in US).

First time I took it, my knee flared up, and I had a few sharp pains in my stomach, but it all went away with a few hours.

First week, I had a lot of nose bleeds that kept waking me up in the morning, since my nose was plugged with dried up blood.

Second week, my eyes went completely dry, to the point where I couldn't use my computer without extra blinking and a burning sensation. I would wake up with my eyes glued shut from lack of moisture. My eyelids got swollen a bit, and the allergic-like reaction could not be calmed down for many days, even with antihistamines and eye-drops.

1 months and 1 week in I felt my first rectal inflammation, followed by slight diarrhoea for one day. I called me Derm's office and told them when the pain persisted for about a week, and they told me to stop taking the drug. (Note: I've been doing about 15 minutes of jump rope a day for 4 days straight when the pain started. I also ate on average 5 prunes a day to help with BMs)

It's been 2 weeks since I stopped taking Accutane, and about a week ago my stomach started feeling weird, so I've been having an on and off abdominal and rectal pain. The rectal pain decreased since stopping Accutane though.

I got a digital rectal exam the other day and the doctor didn't find anything bad. I have another family doctor appoint in a week though, to talk more about the pain and see if it persists longer. I saw my Derm today, but he doesn't know what's up. I don't care about continuing this course, since my skin got clear, and I've been keeping it clear with minimal use of The Regimen.

Could this be the fact that Epuris is more potent that I got so many more side-effects on my second round?

My eyes are slowly normalizing. My knee's don't hurt anymore. My back is slightly sore still. My lips still get dry from time to time, so clearly the effects of the drug are still in my system. I'm just hoping the more bothersome side-effects with my stomach and my pooper go away, since I don't see how 1 month of 40mg/day can do so much damage.