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Day 44(Day 13 ~ 70mg) Nearly two weeks on 70mg now! The flushing has definitely died down which I'm pleased about, eczema covers my entire body now and most of my daily routine includes me applying steroid creams and oilatium creams to the affected areas. I've got a huuuuuuuuuge spot by the side of my mouth that I attempted to pop and couldn't so it got super super swollen then I pricked it lightly with a needle and all off the crap and gunk came out of it but now the next day it is extremely red and scabbed over but the swelling has gone down, apart from that one spot there are a few bumps and lumps over the place but overall i'm reasonably happy with my skin so far although I'm awaiting much more improvement if I'm honest! when did people start to see there skin clear up to the point there was no longer any bumps/active breakouts?
Unfortunately I have also broken out in a coldsore on my lip which I've never really had before and I understand being on accutane your immune system is severely compromised which must of allowed this infection in as I haven't really suffered from coldsores before. I'm feeling positive although I'm not looking great and feeling to comfortable in myself I know I have to allow the drug to do what it does best and I know it will work for me as I've seen such improvement in my skin already!
My next dermatologist appointment is May 4th and this will mark around the 2ish month mark on accutane and I'm very surprised with how quick its going, I've decided I will not go back down to lower dose, mostly all of the relapse cases I've read have been on the lower doses and my dermatologist has openly said my success rate is much higher if I stay on the higher dosage, I'm keeping on top of my creams and although I feel tired, sore, drained I want this to have the best chance at working and only have to do it once, I think I might even be upped to 80/90mg on my next visit which is the highest I can go for my weight but we will see.
I think I'm the only person i've seen on here that is made to take my dose all in one go instead of split throughout the day, I heard many do 40mg morning 40mg night, my dermatologist has specifically said IHAVEto take it all in one go for it to have the best shot of working - anyone else had to take there dosage all in one? I'm currently on 70 atm so I take three 20's and one 10mg tablet all in one go!
will update in a week at Day 50,
hope people are still reading and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact/comment!
Hey Ben, I'm still reading/following your journey. I'm glad the flushing subsided for you.
After some research I've decided to try a super low dose of accutane, 10mg twice a week to start. Just got to wait a few weeks for delivery.
Tom
2 hours ago, Tommo1980 said:Hey Ben, I'm still reading/following your journey. I'm glad the flushing subsided for you.
After some research I've decided to try a super low dose of accutane, 10mg twice a week to start. Just got to wait a few weeks for delivery.
Tom
Hey tom,
glad your taking the plunge into accutane, the expirence is long and the side effects are kinda crazy but I hope it works out for you,
just please be careful if you've ordered your medication of the internet, I just worry as I've heard many horror stories!
glad someone is still reading!!
good luck!
Are you allowed to take anything (supplements besidetaking Accutane - I mean like both natural & synthetic), for example, your immune system is being weakened by Accutane, so you can find another way to guard against the side effect - something like vitamin C, some orange juice....
Hi there! I've had chronic acne most of my life. Tried acutane in my teens and it worked, then in my 30s it came back. Now I go to Dr. Rahimi at the
Los Angeles Acne Center. He offers so many more options & treatments available for people suffering with acne including creams, pills, acutane, peels, injections and laser treatments. It's really nice to go to a place that specializes in various acne treatments; it's what they do.
I highly recommend. Good luck!
Day 50- it's been about a week since I last updated, not much has changed but thought I'd do a quick update.
The texture of my skin is still a little bumpy but soooooooo much better already, inflammatory acne is now completly non-existent I'm just left with some bumps here and there - I still don't have the results I want though, I'm not expecting completly clear skin but I want these bumps and the congested skin to clear up too.
My friend mentioned today how much better my skin was looking really randomly which made me really happy he kept saying how amazing it looked so maybe I'm not seeing my progress but others are? I'm not sure!
Side effects are the same, dry peeling lips, my skin is no longer dry, it's tight when I come out the shower but apart from that it is the PERFECT balance. There's patches of dryness but no where near as bad as dry as it was 3 weeks
ago. I can't believe on May 4th it will be about 2 months, half way through my treatment already!!!!!
Going to update every 10 days from now on unless something crazy changes as nothing new is happening!
On 20/04/2017 at 4:23 AM, shmilyM said:Are you allowed to take anything (supplements besidetaking Accutane - I mean like both natural & synthetic), for example, your immune system is being weakened by Accutane, so you can find another way to guard against the side effect - something like vitamin C, some orange juice....
I've been told to take no vitamins while on accutane but thank you for the suggestions!!!!
Day 59(Day 28 ~ 70mg)
it's been 9 days since my last update and it's a really sad update today. My skin is just not getting better, in two days it will be two months on accutane. I picked up another prescription today for 4 weeks on 70mg again.
My dermarologist couldn't see any improvement in the last month at all really and I agree. My skin has not changed throughout the whole course, it improved in the beginning but ever since the dosage bumped it's just the same, there are bumps everywhere and the blackheads that went are coming back.
The flushing and dry skin/lips is still occcuring but ever since I was bumped hair loss thought it would jump right in and join the long list of side effects I'm experiencing.
im sorry the update couldn't be better but nothing is happening and I'm two months in already... I'm hoping for a miracle soon as I'm 99% sure this just won't work for me, nothing else has afterall.
I'm struggling to continue updating but will try as best as I can, my anxiety is increasingly overwhelming recently with all of the side effects and I'm starting to feel really down about myself and my face.
Hope you guys are hanging in there
Ben
So what you gonna do next? The doctor recommended to continue with the same dosage or increase it? It is totally normal if you've experience side effects, irregular mood swing at this time.
Keep on doing it if the side effects are not too serious. Remember, just do it, focus on the process rather than on the final outcome (which may or may not as you expect)
Keep well Ben.
Day 71- (Day 40 ~ 70mg)
havent posted in 12 days im getting really bad at this now lol.
My side effects are horrendous, the flushing is so severe whenever I leave the house I pretty much instantly break out in a sweat with a bright red face it is absolutely awful. I honestly at this moment in time consider accutane to of potentially been a mistake, the side effects are for real no joke they are so so sooooo intense it is literally unbearable and fair enough if your seeing results that's fine but I'm not!
my skin still has a few bumps/comedones I'd say around 10. Now I have two little inflamed pimples one under my nose another above my eyebrow on my forehead, I tried to squeeze the tiny bump and now they've become inflamed so hopefully they'll dissapear after they pop.
If im honest I'm seeing results for sure but 71 days in I was hoping for much more but hey I'm 2 1/2 months in now and they say the biggest improvement normally comes after the 3rd month, my derm said even if the comedones don't go accutane helps to stop them from reproducing therefore if I have extractions after accutane then they shouldn't come back but fingers crossed they just go away on the treatment!
Im going to try and update every 2 weeks now as not much is changing!
On 07/05/2017 at 5:55 AM, shmilyM said:So what you gonna do next? The doctor recommended to continue with the same dosage or increase it? It is totally normal if you've experience side effects, irregular mood swing at this time.
Keep on doing it if the side effects are not too serious. Remember, just do it, focus on the process rather than on the final outcome (which may or may not as you expect)
Keep well Ben.
I'm going to stick with it! It's hard but it's better then having acne, I need to remember why I started this journey and re-reading back motivates me to finish my course and let this be gone for good.
A special thanks to you shmily for the constant support/advice on my log it really does mean a lot!
Whenever I sweat or experience the redness on my face, I come to cold water (literally cold water), splash it on my face. Don't know it works or not but it calms me alot & I feel clean & soft & breathable (since I am prone to acne, & oily, I hate putting cream or oil product on my face)
Speaking of mood, it's always up & down when I break out, I'm loath to look into the miror. In these moments, meditation may be a salvation (nothing religious here, just breath in & out deeply - search headspace meditation or wim hof method)
Day 94- hey guys, 23 days since last update so thought I'd report quickly, skin still breaking out, I mean my skin redness and flushing is so much worse since I started accutane, I saw improvement in month 1 for the bumps/comedones and my forehead is completly clear now.
My chin still seems to be a problem area and I've been breaking out quite a fair bit around my mouth, I still have 1-2 blackheads left on my nose but my derm says they'll most likely have to be removed by a professional as they are quite deep into the skin along with a few whiteheads on my chin which are so obvious so annoying but just not inflamed so I can't pop them, I've tried to remove a few and it always ends in disastrous skin burns etc so I'm just completly leaving it now.
I saw my derm a week today and he gave me my last prescription to take me into month 4 and 3/4 which depending on the outcome I will finish my treatment then.
Overall skin isn't spotty but isn't looking how I wished it would this far down the line and with the redness and flushing I do question wether it was worth it! Sad times, I've learnt/learning a lot about myself though.
I will next update on my (hopefully) final day of accutane in about five weeks! Hope your all hanging in there
Day 95 and I'm just so sick of this shit. I'm past 3 months in now and my skin has never looked worse, it's not even pimples anymore it's the extreme redness and flushing which I know is going to end up being permenant because hey my luck is so fucking crap it will just happen to me.
My skin is red, patchy, blotchy, peeling and raw in certain places, there are still bumps/ deep blackheads, pigmentation, HUGE pores and I never had any of this pre accutane my skin looks an absolute mess I can honestly say before I started accutane my skin didn't need it but now more then ever you'd look at me and think I needed to be on it , it looks that shit.
Im sick of hiding behind closed doors, crying, having it ruin my relationship, I'm honestly sick of my life and everything right now. This is just NOT working for me and if anything it's making everything not even worth while anymore.
Ive been housebound last 3 months and dedicated my whole life to getting rid of my pimples and insecurity with my skin and even the most powerful drug in the world for acne still isn't doing the FUCKING JOB I'm so mad and so upset I really am at a dead end with just under 6 weeks till I finish treatment there really is no positive end in sight.
I always said pre accutane I would be a case that came out and it didn't work and now I know more then ever that I was right.
Hey man, everything will be alright (to some extent) so now I need you to keep yourself calm & figure out what's the next best thing to do. In retrospect, I believe you're fully aware of this situation right from the start (Accutane & its side effects). Arrange a meeting with your derm, present your situation & disappointment to see whether he/she has any clue on how to mitigate this downside. You can start to find someways to improve your skin again. There is always a way. You can.
Are you taking Accutane for nothing? Excuse me,is that you on the photo? Where's the acne ?
On 13/06/2017 at 9:49 PM, poppy t said:Are you taking Accutane for nothing? Excuse me,is that you on the photo? Where's the acne ?
I have very mild comedone acne yes, but it was very persistent tried for years to get rid of it and my dermatologist who is qualified said that this was the last option if I was open to it which I was.
Stop posting on my log if your going to be unhelpful
So I finish accutane on thursday so I'm 5 days pretty much. If I'm honest the experience has been scarring (literally) today there was a little comedone on my forehead and what do I do I squeeze the crap out of it until I made my forehead BLEED.
my skin is so red so patchy I feel flushed constantly and the worst part is the deepest blackheads have not come out on my course so I have a feeling I may need to have them extracted then PRAY they do not come back. I've been popping while on my course constantly and instantly cry and regret it after when it looks way worse and when I haven't gotten it all out (knowing it will come back bigger)
i believe i have a skin picking disorder and i just cant stop it. I've felt very low and very suicidal on accutane constantly it's most definitley been the hardest experience of my life, it's broke down my relationship and made me very reclusive I quit my job months ago and I've been inside ever since. This skin condition and medication Is ruining my life.
If im honest my skin is very similar to where I started out, in some places it's improved but others it's worsened. This is my last post on acne.org but I just want to speak now directly to people who are considering taking this drug -
THINK carefully, I struggled with acne for two years and when I was offered this drug I cried with happiness little did I know the journey i would go on. This drug can change your life in all the right ways, unfortunately for me that's not the case.
Educate yourself on the side effects because although some can be rare they do occur and they can be tough to deal with.
And remember, the journey is long and I'm glad I'm finally at the end but stick with it, the result may/may not be what you wish for but I thank accutane for everything I have learned about myself while on this medication, but when things got tough, I still conquered on.
Good bye!
benroberto
Hi @benrobertoI know you said you won't be returning but I'll reply anyways.
I read your first post and skimmed the rest. I was in a similar situation. Clear, perfect skin for the first 20 years of my life then bam, acne. I tried topicals and as a woman I was able to use spironolactone, which took a long time to kick in but in the end did help. However, I still got breakouts I wasn't happy about so my dermatologist said the next step would be Accutane. I started and finished the medication very close to you (started 2/6/17 and ended 6/7/17). There's no way to tell how my skin would've been had I just stuck with spironolactone, but yes I do regret going on Accutane and feel like overall my skin is in a bad state (dehydrated, irritated/sensitive, spontaneous scarring). I did not have acne by the time I started my course and all the way to now, I will add though.
Maybe as time goes on post-Accutane things will get better and it won't have been for nothing though. Let's both stick it out and see how our skin looks in 6 months. Trust me, I'm very distressed too and have thought about suicide many times since my skin first started acting up. But the least I can do is hold on another 6 months to see if things get better.
Best of luck! Feel free to PM me!
On 08/07/2017 at 10:20 PM, Feelishia said:Hi @benrobertoI know you said you won't be returning but I'll reply anyways.
I read your first post and skimmed the rest. I was in a similar situation. Clear, perfect skin for the first 20 years of my life then bam, acne. I tried topicals and as a woman I was able to use spironolactone, which took a long time to kick in but in the end did help. However, I still got breakouts I wasn't happy about so my dermatologist said the next step would be Accutane. I started and finished the medication very close to you (started 2/6/17 and ended 6/7/17). There's no way to tell how my skin would've been had I just stuck with spironolactone, but yes I do regret going on Accutane and feel like overall my skin is in a bad state (dehydrated, irritated/sensitive, spontaneous scarring). I did not have acne by the time I started my course and all the way to now, I will add though.
Maybe as time goes on post-Accutane things will get better and it won't have been for nothing though. Let's both stick it out and see how our skin looks in 6 months. Trust me, I'm very distressed too and have thought about suicide many times since my skin first started acting up. But the least I can do is hold on another 6 months to see if things get better.Best of luck! Feel free to PM me!
Hey, thought I'd reply to this message as it's nice and constructive, many posts on my log have been negative saying I don't have acne and a lot of messages I've received have been quite abusive, hence I didn't want to post again.
I mean I have the choice to extend a further month but 4 1/2 months on 70mg has been tough and I don't like the sound of another month, I suppose we just have to stay positive and I pray it doesn't come back as bad as it was because it did ruin my life, I reminis over the good old times were my skin was perfect but them days are over now.
All we can is stay positive and try and remember why started the medication, that helped me get through it. Sending you love and light!
"Minor" acne can be just as distressing as any other acne. It all depends on the person. Some people don't care about their acne at all! Mine was actually a lot worse than yours though for awhile.
Did you say you have scars now? Can you elaborate?
PM me if you'd prefer that!
1 Week POST- uh oh uh oh.... I've been off accutane for one week and the comedones on my forehead are creeping back very quickly, just a few no where near as bad as before but as you can imagine being off accutane for 1 week and already having bumps come back it makes me wonder what it's going to potentially get back too. I'm really sad and very discouraged, the oil is already returning and I just cannot believe what is happening?
I spent about 2000 - equivalent to like $3,500 - $4,000 dollars on this one course being treated as a private patient and I'm so so so upset and afraid it is returning. I never completed my course fully clear as I have some whiteheads/blackheads that need extraction so i'm going to have that done asap. My question is this - is it normal to have post accutane breakouts in bump forms like comedones or whatever they are just little flesh coloured bumps like should I see this improving after this breakout or is another accutane course the only way forward?
I'm not sure wether I should contact my dermatologist asap and ask for his opinion or wait this out as it isn't really bad I'm just so scared that it is returning? I just am scared to see if it returns I'd prefer to go back on it but then how can I be certain it would work a 2nd time round? I just really need some advice.
