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I took it to Publix this time (FL) and its a different manufacturer. However they do smell and look the same as the other ones I had so that's promising. I also got Kefelx antibiotics to maybe help calm everything down.
She said if this doesn't progress and I'm just not happy with the treatment then she's willing to give me accutane. I was surprised she even suggested it. Before I knew I was filling out ipledge and getting prescriptions for bloodwork. Idk what to make of all that:/
*shrug*
I mean, you should have expected that reaction...you know very well most of us think you're crazily panicked over this. 
She probably just wants you to quit freaking out about your acne. Since people treat Accutane like it's some magic solution, she's hoping this will get you to leave her alone...
Wow..okay then
That was pretty rude. I'm here for support and to be able to vent openly and honestly about my skin, since I'm seemingly surrounded by clear skin people who don't really understand. I won't be continuing this log,
Don't discontinue your log. Some people are just rude. Everyone who has gone through what you're going through completely understands moments of panic... especially with your upcoming wedding. The only advice I have for you is to try and stay as calm as you can because the stress will only cause you to flare more. Your dermatologist should have your best interest in mind and if she feels accutane will be a long term solution she may be right. I will say though as someone who has gone through accutane twice, it is not to be taken lightly and if you are willing/able to I would stick with the Spiro just a little bit longer.
Thank you for posting that.
It's the worst feeling when something that once worked so well stops, and I feel like I'm back where I started:/ it's 14 years now of this, 6 years with my current derm. I'm scared to take the Accutane, but I know that she offered it because she knows how frustrated I am.
I do have time to think about the Accutane. It still seems so surreal
Thank you for posting that.
It's the worst feeling when something that once worked so well stops, and I feel like I'm back where I started:/ it's 14 years now of this, 6 years with my current derm. I'm scared to take the Accutane, but I know that she offered it because she knows how frustrated I am.
I do have time to think about the Accutane. It still seems so surreal
hey i am in the same boat as you with the spiro except that i am almost 9 weeks in. after going back for my 22nd cortisone shot in the last 2 1/2 months the derm finally offered me accutane. i am all ready to start on march 8th. they are going to keep me on spiro too and i will continue the spiro after the accutane to avoid a relapse. i spent my entire life trying to avoid accutane and then last year i asked for it and they wouldnt give it to me so now its time for me to do it. i had the script years ago and decided not to take it but now i wish i would have. i might not be in the situation i am right now. ugh. keep me updated on what you decide to do.
I will! Yeah it was so crazy because I didn't even think it was an option, although I've been wanting to ask for it for a long time. Before I knew it I was peeing in a cup and signing forms. I can't say I wasn't happy lol I hope this is finally it.
I have to do all my ipledge stuff and my insurance actually just got approved so that was good timing.
I will! Yeah it was so crazy because I didn't even think it was an option, although I've been wanting to ask for it for a long time. Before I knew it I was peeing in a cup and signing forms. I can't say I wasn't happy lol I hope this is finally it.
I have to do all my ipledge stuff and my insurance actually just got approved so that was good timing.
i know what you mean i didnt think so either. i am happy to finally be able to have it offered to me again but sad that my acne has progressed to that point. i hear ya there i had to watch a video, sign the paperwork, listen to all the side effects, pee in the cup and then get my bloodwork done so now its just the waiting game. i go back march 8th to take another pregnancy test and then i should be good to go. i am so nervous about and i keep praying that the spiro kicks in before now and then. when do you start?
The funny thing is I really hope the Spiro and antibiotics kick in to make me look halfway decent on my wedding but not TOO much to deter me from Acuutane lol because I know all this will come back as it always does.
Sounds like we're in the same boat, actually. March 14th is the last day of my "30 day" waiting period. I just got my Ipledge password and stuff in the mail so I suppose I'll do that. I'll probably start mid-end of March. How old are you and what type of acne do you have? Mine isn't awful but it's very persistent and I'm 26 now and have tried everything :/
I'm scared to start it:/ we'll have to keep in touch throughout the process!
i hope you look good on your wedding day too! are you going tanning right now? when is your wedding again? i am 35 and pretty much only get cystic acne on my chin and jawline area and sometimes on the outer parts of my face. i am on keflex right now and its working really well. took about a week to kick in so i have asked the pa i see to give me more of it. if this works well enough i might try to take it for another 2-4 weeks and then re-evaluate with accutane because maybe by then the spiro will have kicked in. you know i am scared as well but i have known 6 people that have taken it (one of them took 2 courses) and they are all fine today. my hubby even took it when he was about 17 and has great skin to this day so i think we will be ok if we go that route. i am keeping my fingers crossed for you that everything works out ok and that your skin looks good for your wedding. keep me updated!
Ahh I'm on Keflex too! Do we have the same PA? Lol She gave me 14 days with refills so i may take it up until my wedding day. I haven't had time to go tanning actually, and I'm not sure if I will because I don't want to aggravate anything.
My wedding is March 3rd, so weekend after this. Some of these active spots have started to dry up so hopefully by the time this weekend (bachelorette party) rolls around it'll look okay. Some of these spots have been around for almost a month! I'm trying not to pick anything or look in the mirror.
I've gotten mixed reactions on the Accutane. Some people are like omg noo but the people that HAVE taken it say they had no big deals with it. I'm still going to do it because I don't want to be on Spiro forever and I've kind of always wanted to try it, especially now since I have insurance.
wow that's crazy we are both on keflex! i would keep taking the keflex at least until after your wedding to be safe. wow that is coming up quick! march 3rd will be here before you know it. i have a had spots for a long time too and the only thing that works for me is getting cortisone shots. i hate getting them though! yeah i go back and fourth on the accutane. i dont want to be on spiro forever either but my pa and the derm agrees that with hormonal acne that accutane wont cure it so that unless i stay on some sort of hormonal treatment as well it will come back. so if i do the accutane i will be on spiro the entire time while on it and then stay on it after i am done to avoid a relapse. it all makes sense to me now though. i have my fingers crossed your skin will be nice for your bachelorette party and your wedding!
wow that's crazy we are both on keflex! i would keep taking the keflex at least until after your wedding to be safe. wow that is coming up quick! march 3rd will be here before you know it. i have a had spots for a long time too and the only thing that works for me is getting cortisone shots. i hate getting them though! yeah i go back and fourth on the accutane. i dont want to be on spiro forever either but my pa and the derm agrees that with hormonal acne that accutane wont cure it so that unless i stay on some sort of hormonal treatment as well it will come back. so if i do the accutane i will be on spiro the entire time while on it and then stay on it after i am done to avoid a relapse. it all makes sense to me now though. i have my fingers crossed your skin will be nice for your bachelorette party and your wedding!
To both of you, if your derms say your acne is hormonal and that accutane won't cure it I wouldn't put yourself through it. Take it from me, I unfortunately had a derm that was older and not up to date on spiro as an option and I went on accutane twice! The first time it cleared me for maybe 3 months max and the second time I had pimples the entire 9 months I was on it (that's right 9 months of hell)! I was moody, dry and my cysts were awful. Now this new derm has said spiro should do the trick and that I should never have done accutane. I'm only 6 weeks into spiro, but I know that accutane is not the answer... if you feel it is, then go with your gut, but I just wanted you to know that I wasted time, money, and lots of tears for nothing.
You know I was thinking that too. If its hormonal then really what's to stop it from re-occurring. I do have a vast array of different types of spots though and my derm said the "nature of my lesions" should respond really well to Accutane. Can you stay on Spiro during?? I would def consider taking it after...hrmmm...
Also I've managed to wake up with a cold sore today, which is a pretty good sign I need to de-stress.
yeah i have been on the fence about accutane for a while now but my derm offered it to me because i was getting so many cysts and i was getting scarring too. she said something about me having resistant recalcitrant acne and that the accutane will work really well for me. she said it would be best to stay on spiro the entire time and afterwards to address the hormonal part and to avoid a relapse. for people who aren't on spiro but take birth control pills during accutane they are essentially doing the same thing.i can totally see acne coming back if you arent on spiro or the pill or something like that.
for now i am staying on the keflex for 2 more weeks and then will re-assess the situation then. if i can stay clear in that time then i will probably hold off on the accutane but if i start getting cysts again then i will start the accutane. i have 3 weeks or so to figure this out.
yes it is for sure! no i haven't been on bcp since 2008. long story but i started taking yaz and got a phlebitis on my arm and had to stop taking it. my skin was pretty clear for 2 years with benzaclin and then my acne came back and then for a little over 2 years i was able to stay clear by taking doxy but it stopped working back in november after i had a bad case of contact dermatitis. so that is when my pa put me on spiro and then after having so many injections i begged her for another antibiotic and she gave me the keflex before i start the acctuane. pretty much the only acne i was getting was cysts which was nuts because my acne was never so bad in my life. this keflex is working pretty well now and i am using my benzaclin twice a day again too. friday will be 10 weeks for me on spiro.
My bachelorette party is Saturday! I'm so nervous, if my skin stays the way it is now it'll be decent by Saturday and even better for the wedding next weekend. I've been trying to relax and not thing about it and its helped a little. Something's kicked in lol.
I also have company coming this weekend so in hoping that'll be a good thing and distract me.
I picked up my Accutane bcp rx yesterday. I got Trinessa, never tried it but it seems like a pretty basic one. I'm wondering if I should really even take it bc the pill gives me awful melasma:/
Have you done the ipledge thing yet??
awe glad that your skin has been ok for you! i am sure it will remain that way too! just try to stay positive and not stress if you can.
just beware with the birth control because the generics are not usually as good as the brand names. i was on ortho-tri-cyclen for years and while i never had great skin (i always had breakouts)it was manageable but when they switched me to tri-nessa and then tri-sprintec i started to get a lot of cystic acne. i freaking hate birth control pills they always make my acne worse. i think with ortho its because its a triphasic pill and i think the monophasic ones are better for acne if you ask me. good luck with everything and keep me updated!
i filled out the ipledge forms last month and then got the booklet and my pa took the id card from the book as well so i assume she registered me in the system. i am not sure how all of that stuff works do they register the day you get the script or what? i go back on march 8th for another negative pregnancy test and then i was told i should be able to start right after that.
This weekend really helped! I had so much fun with everyone and it helped me to de stress a little and get excited about the wedding next weekend!
My skins doing okay, looking decent from not having time to pick this weekend although I did get a new pimple today among all my red marks:/
I know birth control break me out worse every time! Doesn't matter on the brand either, I've always had awful skin on it. I wonder if they wouldn't know if I filled the rx, but just didn't take it?
I think that's how it works because I got my password and stuff in the mail but it still won't let me register early? I can't believe it's only been two weeks since my appointment also
so glad you had a good weekend and that you had fun! i totally hear you about the birth control. it sucks so bad! what i would do is get it filled and pick up the script and then that way you can prove to them you are taking it even if you aren't. they wont know ya know? hmm i never got anything in the mail with my username/password. now i am worried. i will email the pa i see tomorrow to ask her about it.
sorry you got a new pimpled but at least its just one ya know? you are still taking the keflex right?
Yeah I have no clue how the ipledge works so ill just have to ask her at my next appointment.
Yeah I have two days left of the Kelfex, not sure if I should refill it or not and take it til this weekend? You know what though, something IS working. Not sure if the antibiotic kicked in, the Spiro, or the lack of messing with my face but it looks a lot better. Which is good in the sense of the wedding but bad because I really want to try the Accutane and I'm afraid she'll change her mind. Most people would think that's a good thing but I've wanted to do it for so long, ya know? But with that being said ill have a massive breakout tomorrow,I just know it lol.
yeah that is exactly how i feel too and i think for me the keflex is really working. a few days after i started it, i stopped getting cysts. i am afraid to see what will happen when i stop taking it next week but i guess if things get bad then i will start the accutane. i have wanted accutane all my life but if i dont get anymore cysts then i dont think i will do accutane unless its a very low dose. we shall see what happens next friday i guess. if i were you i would keep taking the keflex until after the wedding. you dont want a crazy breakout right before or the day of ya know? i do find for myself that my face is better when i just leave it alone and dont touch it. i am happy for you that your face is getting better though 
Is your Accutane appointment next Friday? Let me know how it goes! And how to work this stupid ipledge lol
I got a refill of the Keflex yesterday and ill probably take that til Monday.
3 days til the wedding and my face is just okay...2 healing spots and one more trying to come through. I'm cutting back a lot on coffee because I think that contributes a lot to my stress level which can't be good:/
Is your Accutane appointment next Friday? Let me know how it goes! And how to work this stupid ipledge lol
I got a refill of the Keflex yesterday and ill probably take that til Monday.
3 days til the wedding and my face is just okay...2 healing spots and one more trying to come through. I'm cutting back a lot on coffee because I think that contributes a lot to my stress level which can't be good:/
yup my appointment is on the 8th so we shall see how it goes. i am so torn and hope that i can figure something out by next week. while i want all my acne gone i dont want to get on accutane and get more scarring ya know? that part scares the crap out of me. oh wow your wedding is so close! how awesome for you! are you nervous? did you end up going tanning? i wish you the best of luck! i loved my wedding day and would love to do it all over again. yeah i think thats good to cut back on coffee. i think i read that caffeine can cause the body to be more stressed or something. i found this on acne.org too - According to nutritiondata.com, instant coffee is inflammatory, while coffee brewed from fresh grounds is anti-inflammatory
Yeah same here with the scarring. And I don't want to wrinkle easier. I think it's the uncertainty that scares me the most. You could have no side effects and it be amazing BUT you could be on the other end and seriously regret taking it.
No I didn't end up tanning. I didn't have the time but now I wish I had gone a couple times. Antibiotics are finicky I didn't want to end up frying. I'm extremely pale.
I am SO nervous though, especially because my skin is starting to act up after being much better all week. Of course. I just hope to get on some make up ASAP that day and lots of it.