accutane for maintenance

[luc_nic 4]

hi guys,

i did a full course of accutane four years ago, 30mg for 7 months, i weigh 60kg, and was crystal clear in about 3 months with very mild side effects. unfortunately i have started breaking out this year, i am now 23. it is only mild but i presume i have a persistent type of acne as it has been about 9 years. i have tried every topical and oral antibiotic before and accutane is the only thing that has worked for me. i have dysmorphia and when i breakout my life is literally on hold. i know you will all be aware how much having acne can affect you.

i have a derm appt next week with a private derm who i saw last time and is in favour of using accutane. i dont think another full course is really neccessary but i do need something to stop it getting any worse like it was before.

do you think a really low dose long term would be a good idea? i was thinking maybe 20mg a day for the first couple of months to get things going and then bring it down as much as possible and see how things go. maybe i will still outgrow it eventually.

also i read before about the cumulative dose, which i did reach, does it work the same for long term low dose courses? say if you took 5mg a day over 2 years or something?

any advice would really be appreciated!

thanks

[luc_nic 4]

anyone?

[iliketurtless 0]

I am in a similar boat as you.

I went on a cycle back in 2004 and was 100% crystal clear afterwards. About a year later I first started having mild occasional breakouts, which I began successfully treating with over the counter stuff. I was pretty happy with that and had hoped that it would just gradually go away as I got older, but over the years it pretty much did the opposite.

After numerous breakouts of increasing severity in the last year or so, I finally visited a derm last week and just started my second cycle, 6 years after my first cycle. If you are somebody who had good results the first time around with minimal side affects and only relapsed four years later, I don't see why not try to go on a second cycle and see if that takes care of it for good.

Oh yea, I'm 24 now and similarly any topical/antibiotic stuff never really worked for me.

Edited August 13, 2010 by iliketurtless

[luc_nic 4]

thanks for your reply iliketurtless. sorry to hear you are having trouble again but im sure another cycle will work great for you as you had success with it the first time round!!

yeah i keep debating whether to or not, i think i will go see my derm anyway and get his opinion. good luck with your course!