The way out

[teaturtle 0]

I'm starting a log so it'll help keep me organized and let me see my progress.

Ok, I have been on Tazorac .05% Cream and Amoxicillin for a month now.

A month later (last week) I see the derm again and he puts me on 10mg Accutane, dexamethasone (for inflammation), and changes my Amoxicillin to Ampicillin (same dosage).

So, just to get my head straight, I am on:

Accutane (generic brand, Amnesteem) - 10mg a day

Tazorac 0.05%

Ampicillin 500mg (two capsules at one meal)

Dexamethasone (one tablet at breakfast)

Today was my first day of starting Amnesteem. Yay. I hope 10mg works because I really don't want to raise my dose. Also I've been taking fish oil and I'm not exactly sure how much I should take to make a difference. Ive been taking 2 x 1700mg a day. 2 gelcaps (1700mg) at breakfast, 2 gelcaps (1700mg)

at dinner. Is this enough?

Ok well I'll be updating here soon. Wish me luck. *wave*

[teaturtle 0]

Day 2

Status: Not much difference.

Cluster of pimples on forehead (most are active, 1 annoying pustule grrrr, 2 small nodules i think)

2 small pimples on chin (not active but red)

couple nodules on each cheek (active)

2 papules above lip (one active, i hate these..)

a group of smalllll small pimples on right side of my eye (not active, getting better yay)

I dunno what I did but my cheeks BURN like hell

I've tried putting moisturizer on them (Cetaphil and/or Aveeno) and it HURTS when I applied it. HAs this happened to anyone before? They also peel a bit so that's why I tried the moisturizer. They look a bit sunburnt but it hasnt really been that sunny/hot here.

[teaturtle 0]

Day 3

My mom says my cheek looks red. I cant even put the Neutrogena Wash on it w/o it burning.

No side effects yet. Not much progress.

My skin does not look as oily as it did couple nights ago. Which is weird because I didn't wash my face this morning. Hmm..

Does anyone think the burning is from washing too much?

[teaturtle 0]

Anyone know if an IB is possible on only 10mg a day?

[teaturtle 0]

Day 6

nothing is active. very good cause makeup can cover marks really good.

nothing noticeable on cheeks anymore. my forehead is just red, covered in marks. im happy with that.

my cheeks don't burn anymore. i've only been washing my face once a day w/ the Neutrogena stuff.

[Beauty Bot 0]

you probably won't notice an IB on 10mg a day..... although it will take a long time to see results as well.

even on much higher doses, it's usually at least 2-3 weeks before people notice any effects from accutane like drying, etc.

[Wəəgəə 0]

hey teaturtle,

just checking your log. Good for you you're on accutane, just know in time you'll clear up like pretty much everyone does on tane. I'm on day 73(? WHOA) already and I've got 2 noticeable active spots, and one is dying fast after a cortisone shot while the other is a tiny whitehead. I use to be covered in cysts on my chin and jawline, not to mention crap everywhere else.

let me say that you probably will have some sort of IB on tane, not sure if it will be signifigant or even noticeable (seeing how you are on 10mg) but expect one anyway. Im on 80 mg a day, so my IB was pretty bad. My chin broke out first and a lot, but after about the first month it subsided and scabbed up. I had another breakout under my eyes/cheek bone which was bad, but those are all gone now, and only marks remain.

By the second week my oil production was reduced so much I ca literally go forever without washing oil off my face since there pretty much is none. But you might have issues with dead skin buildup as the tane dries skin fast, so moisturize.

Good luck and until next time here is some PJ for your log!

[teaturtle 0]

yay, thanks for the advice and pj ralazir!

finallymejess - yeah thats what i thought. my face is really dry now though.

[dublin79 0]

I was given amoxicillin a while back for a chest infection and it also cleared my acne up 100%, i've taken it before aswell for a similar infection and my acne went. My doc told me that i couldnt keep taking it though and never gave me a reason. Would it be incase i got a chest infection again and my body may have became immune to it?

It cleared me up in about 3 days too, although the oil was still there.

Are you sure its safe enough to take accutane and amoxicillin ? My derm put me on doxycycline during my IB on accutane but i've stopped taking it now, i never experienced any side effects .

Best of luck to you on accutane. I've never felt better in my life since i've started it and i'm only on day 25 and havent had a single spot in over 2 weeks

[teaturtle 0]

dublin79 - the derm said the antibiotics are only forinfections. also they help the immune system so i dont see how it could be dangerous? i dunno.. i just listen to the doc heh

[teaturtle 0]

Day 13:

my lips are DRY. i didnt think itd suck this much but it does. oh well.

my chin is so dry you can see the peeling around it (gross haha).

my forehead is okkk, still red :/

no more pimple on top of my lip (yay).

side effects: dry lips, headaches (im gonna tell my derm about this the next time i see him)

[teaturtle 0]

Ok I have a problem. and since this is my journal I wont have to make this long story short lol..

Well, i first thought i had depression when i was only 9. I remember how it just felt like this big weight in my body. I actually seemed kinda happy but i went through anorexia, self mutilation and all that jazz. My mom knew about the eating disorder but she didn't send me to a doctor or anything..so that took a while to recover from, even though i believe i never full recovered meh.

Anyway, all from 9-15 yrs old i was all emo and crap. then it just kinda stopped. i started laughing more and all the negative pessimistic thoughts kinda faded away and i forgot about them. i'm not even sure what i had was depression. and sometimes i get mood swings but i usually blame them on PMS cause it usually happens a week before periods.

so my problem is that this past week i've felt a little depressed ( i say depressed cause it's the same feelings i used to feel, whatever they are). i thought 'oh okay im early..oh well'.. so i wait for all the shitty days to pass and get my period but no, it's not PMS and has nothing to do with it.. so i remember accutane can provoke depression, etc.. it's not real serious but i hate going from a happy person to a tired, hopeless pessimist.

does this just happen for a bit then go away ? or will it be a permanent thing?

thanks, sorry for long post. :/

[teaturtle 0]

Day 20

My forehead is really red and it's peeling. I hate the red!!!

Nothing is active though. The marks are all still there though. Bah.

I'm still getting headaches and my eyes sometimes water (not sure if this is because of accutane), my joints have been hurting but Im betting that's to blame on the weightlifting so no complaining there..

I don't feel depressed anymore but it's still kinda there. I hope it'll go away soon. Hmmm..

My lips are peeling like MAD. I didn't think they'd be this dry on only 10mg.

Okay well that's all, i have a headache so off to do something else now. *wave*

[teaturtle 0]

Day 21

joint pain SUCKS.. sometimes illl move my neck and this HUGE pain will come and ill have to stay that way for a bit. it hurt so bad i almost cried.. i just cant stand any pain in my neck. my back has been hurting too. the neck and shoulders are worst though.

god i cant wait to see my derm.... 10 more days..

plus, i got these stupid red dots on my forehead. @)*@)#!JOJFIJO(!*#ji!

[Skurten 0]

wow you sure are getting some heavy side effects from such a low dose... I guess it was a good choice

the only side effect i'm concerned about right now is the redness, I hate it and I refuse to leave my house looking like this :/ i'm on 30mg/day btw. gonna upp my dosage this month

good luck

[Stu2u 0]

What if I were to tell you that there are no side effects apart from the dryness and that all the effects you're feeling are in your mind

[teaturtle 0]

Stu2u - YES I was going to comment about how maybe it is all in my head and that reading all the stuf on this forum has just made scared.

but i know for sure the joint pain in my neck is REAL ha. I cant move it for a few seconds but I think its a muscle so I may just have pulled something.

the headaches are real too and dry lips.

[teaturtle 0]

Day 34:

the neck and joint pain subsided. im happy about that. i guess it wasn't the accutane then.

dry lips are the worst thing right now. my lips burn without the Aquaphor.

nothing active. redness is staying. blackheads on my nose though, it looks really gross when you're up close to my face :S .. i hope this blackhead thing is a good sign though.

im also off the dexamethasone now, cause my parents dont want me on it. the assistant lady said it was just optional so no more corticosteriods for me, yay.

i looked at pics of my face from september/october of this year and i actually look way better. im happy accutane is working for me.

my dosage is still 10mg so that's awesome. im still on antibiotics though and im not allowed off of them yet. so that sucks.

i saw borat tonight. really offensive movie LOL, funny too.

[teaturtle 0]

well... i developed eczema on my hands from the accutane i think.

does anyone know if vitamin e oil on these rashes will help?

other side effects: still getting headaches, not really any severe joint pain, dry lips, dry skin, dry eyes too i think.

how can you tell when you need to use eye drops? because my eyes kinda sting and then they water a bit and sting more.

redness is still there. my right cheek has some stuff coming up. the kind that hurt and have no head. face is itchy too.

im also on diflucan now cause the antibiotics gaveme a yeast infection.

x( stupid antibiotics, i wanna be off of them! ugh...

[teaturtle 0]

DONE with accutane. still got redness... im stil not the way i was before (when i had NOTHING on my face, 100% clear)

so we'll see if i get any better before next apptment which is next tuesday. if not, maybe a topical. il see with the derm.

[teaturtle 0]

2 weeks off accutane and i have no active stuff, yay. still got red marks. dry lips are pretty much gone YEAH...dry face stilll there. but all is good as long as it stays this way.