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Hey,
So it's been 12 Months since i tried to start a course of Accutane but threw it in 3 weeks in because of joint pain. I started on 20mg every second day and i reacted very fast to the drug. Red face, dry lips, hair and skin and an IB all within the first 10 days. Then week 3 i started getting pain in my knees and ankles which made me extremely nervous as im Gym junkie with a very physical job.
Now i did start hitting the gym around the same time so that could explain the over the top joint pain. Once off Accutane the joint pain subsided almost instantly and i have since put on about 10kg of muscle and am the fittest I have ever been. Unfortunately the acne has remained even after 3 PDT's and consistent BHA/BP use.
My acne is cystic on the neck/jawline and shoulders. Scarring is getting pretty bad as it in is in a pretty sensitive area and the acne is 100% genetic; Dad had the same acne in the same place but he cleared up in his early 20's, mine seems to have set in a little later. Im on my 5th of week of Minocycline and my Derm said to give it 2 months to work, if it wasn't for the scarring i wouldn't be considering Accutane again but it truly is my last resort.
Basically my question is; has anybody reacted so fast and been so sensitive to the drug but still managed to get through a course? I'm thinking about starting super slow, maybe 10mg every third day and slowly work my way up to 20mg a day. Derm has been pushing me to try again and seems to think my body will get use to the drug if i take it nice and slowly.
If you reacted to it that quickly at such a low dose, it is your body telling you that you SHOULD NOT be taking it. If I were you, I wouldn't ever go close to that drug unless you want to risk getting all of those side effects again, and if you stick with it this time, the effects could be permanent (check out the huge thread on repairing long term damage and do some internet searches to see how side effects can persist even after treatment ceases).
Yes acne is frustrating, and even more so since you said that you have cystic acne, but have you tried any other treatment plans other than what you listed? Even though BHA/BP are considered strong ways of treating acne, sometimes it isn't the strong stuff that ends up helping people but the simple things. For example, I have heard of people curing their cystic acne through diet changes, the oil cleansing method, making a solution of sea salt and spraying that on their spots before bed and letting it dry. I high recommend you look into these methods that i listed and see if any of them work for you. There are also many more out there, and you should definitely try those before even thinking about Accutane again in my opinion. The potential long term risks simply aren't worth the one benefit you get from taking Accutane.