I suggest sticking with the Solodyn until about 3 months before deciding whether you need to try something else... make an appointment with your derm for then (take your photos with you so you can be objective when you see your derm). Yours looks a fairly mild case so it's harder to see improvement unless your pretty much all clear. If there's no sign of improvement at 3 months your derm may consider 6 months is required for effect ormight suggest trying another different tetracycline antibiotic (any of which take 3-6 months for full effect). I know the timeframes are frustrating but it is what it is. Accutane may be anoption on your derm's advice and you can definitely discuss the possibility. Good luck.

On 11/16/2016 at 5:49 PM, Jazzguy said:

I suggest sticking with the Solodyn until about 3 months before deciding whether you need to try something else... make an appointment with your derm for then (take your photos with you so you can be objective when you see your derm). Yours looks a fairly mild case so it's harder to see improvement unless your pretty much all clear. If there's no sign of improvement at 3 months your derm may consider 6 months is required for effect ormight suggest trying another different tetracycline antibiotic (any of which take 3-6 months for full effect). I know the timeframes are frustrating but it is what it is. Accutane may be anoption on your derm's advice and you can definitely discuss the possibility. Good luck.

Thanks, if all else fails.. Would accutane be actually my best bet? I live in VA and my derm doesnt prescribe the original form "Accutane", rather, they prescribe the other form i believe "Absorica" do you personally believe it works well? It just sucks dealing with this stuff i just dont want to enter college looking like a 13 year old. (even though i already have a baby face you got my point lol)

I still had pretty bad acne when I started college so can relate to your situation. I believe in accutane so think it is a good option if all else fails. It's not just the apparent severity of the acne to consider when looking at who should use the drug. Once you've exhausted other possibilities it's a valid option. You will get a lot of advice suggesting diet changes and other natural solutions. Some dietary changes are worth giving a go if you have the dogged determination required to control your diet closely...I personally find it hard to eliminate dairy and high glycemic index foods.
Regarding the Absorica....that will be fine...generic pharmaceuticals are made with the same chemical active ingredient as the original medicine and there is a lot of quality assurance around that.

23 minutes ago, Jazzguy said:

I still had pretty bad acne when I started college so can relate to your situation. I believe in accutane so think it is a good option if all else fails. It's not just the apparent severity of the acne to consider when looking at who should use the drug. Once you've exhausted other possibilities it's a valid option. You will get a lot of advice suggesting diet changes and other natural solutions. Some dietary changes are worth giving a go if you have the dogged determination required to control your diet closely...I personally find it hard to eliminate dairy and high glycemic index foods.
Regarding the Absorica....that will be fine...generic pharmaceuticals are made with the same chemical active ingredient as the original medicine and there is a lot of quality assurance around that.

Thanks again for replying so promptly. Regarding the dietary subject, i have been constantly drinking water for the past week now and cutting out all other sodas or teas, etc and sugary sweets and my favorite snack is saltine crackers and i wreck like two sleeves of those a day so ive been trying to stick to just meat, veggies and fruit and a whole lot of water. Something i forgot to mention is that while i posted the first post before you had responded, my derm called me back in for a check up and put me on 50 mg doxycycline and its been about 2 days off of the solodyn.. They didnt even see my face i just walked up to the counter and the receptionist lady told me to wait there and brought me a note and sent the fax over to a walgreens pharmacy and told me to go pick it up and try that. Pretty sure it might be illegal to prescribe stuff w/ out seeing their patient.. lol, but i suppose ill stick with this for the time frame of around 3 months and if nothing changes go to absorica? I know it has side effects like mentally and crap but ive been through some tough things mentally and know that wont be an issue and as far as the back pain, etc i can handle it cause i work out every now and then as well at the gym. Chapped lips, eh.. Whatever it 'd be worth it if it fixes my face if doxycycline hyclate doesnt

Hey that's great that your derm is actively monitoring/listening to you. i hope the doxy works better for you...yeah, you still have the absorica option. I think the more serious side effects you mention are fairly rare while dryness and aches are pretty common. Just make sure you talk to someone if you do experience any more serious issues, and your derm should be keeping a watch over you too. I had random blood noses while on it which was awkward when in the middle of a class but you can deal with that stuff and people aren't as critical of us as we imagine. That was my worst side effect. Good luck.