Notifications
Clear all

1St Time On Accutane M/20

MemberMember
2
(@g33tar)

Posted : 11/30/2012 1:08 pm

hey everyone.

 

after taking anti-biotics for essentially 6 years, my derm has decided to put me on accutane. (he's only responsible for a years worth of the antbiotics). its moderate, sometimes severe. localised mainly around my jawline and chin.

 

i also suffer from seborrhoeic dermatitis too, around my chin, nose, forehead, scalp and ears. the accutane is meant to hit two birds with the one stone...

 

ive been on minocin, tetracycline and trimethoprim. the minocin never really worked (about 4 years on and off). the tetracycline was prescribed to me last january, and i used it until august with differin gel. the tetracycline helped to a certain extent, but i was still breaking out, so i moved onto a 3rd line antibiotic, trimethoprim. from august until now ive been taking it, but with only about a 50% reduction in acne, my derm and i realised that antibiotics are not suitable because i would have to take them indefinitely, and they only reduce my acne and dont "cure" it.

 

anyway. today is my first day of an 8 month course of accutane. im really hopeful that this will be the end of my acne forever. im cautious though, because i find with every new treatment i get very hopeful, only to slowly realise it isnt working. my self confidence is fragile to say the least, so im hoping this course will really give me a fresh start.

 

anyway, fingers crossed the IB isnt too rough. im prepped with an army of lip balms, moisturisers and eye drops, so hopefully im ready to take it on.

 

ill be posting weekly i hope. feel free to ask any questions or give advice, and wish me luck smile.png

Quote
MemberMember
0
(@onlyoptimism)

Posted : 11/30/2012 4:15 pm

Good luck! What dosage are you on?

Quote
MemberMember
0
(@rachelicious)

Posted : 11/30/2012 7:28 pm

8 months seems kinda long!! Everyone on here is on a longer course than me, my derm only said 16 weeks? I hope that will be enough time to get rid of it... :/

Quote
MemberMember
2
(@g33tar)

Posted : 12/01/2012 9:32 am

Good luck! What dosage are you on?

 

thanks. im starting at 40mg but i think that'll get bumped up in a month or two.

8 months seems kinda long!! Everyone on here is on a longer course than me, my derm only said 16 weeks? I hope that will be enough time to get rid of it... :/

 

i thought so too, but i'd trust your derm. 4 months is still pretty long though. what dose are you on? if its higher and shorter, maybe thats why?

Quote
MemberMember
0
(@rachelicious)

Posted : 12/01/2012 4:21 pm

Yeah maybe, I've started off on 45mg which seems quite high and then he said going up to 60mg at some point!

Quote
MemberMember
2
(@g33tar)

Posted : 12/06/2012 5:21 am

hey guys quick update.

DAYS 1 - 4:

 

not much happened the first 4 days, as you would imagine. my face and lips were certainly beginning to feel tighter and drier, but nothing unmanageable.

 

DAYS 5-7:

 

On Day 5 i could feel the beginning of a breakout rumbling under my skin, and sure enough im having an initial breakout. Day 6 i awoke with about a dozen white-heads around my chin and lips. Woke today (Day 7) in a similar fashion. Acne is flaring up pretty badly, but nothing i havent seen before with my IB on tetracycline.

 

Im hoping it wont last as long as it did then, but if it does ill just have to cope. have exams and a long christmas break from college so plenty of time to let it settle down over the holidays.

 

ive also noticed the whiteheads are coming up quite easily, im hoping the fact ive been using differin for the last 7 months will make the IB a little bit easier on me( im no longer using it). anyone else move to accutane after a good run with differin?

 

anyway, a little disheartening to see my acne flare up badly again, as it wasnt too bad when i started accutane after a pretty strong course of trimethoprim (derm didnt want me taking that any longer).

 

my seb derm is also clearing up a bit, but i think thats due to my constant moisturising more then the accutane.

Quote
MemberMember
2
(@g33tar)

Posted : 12/08/2012 6:15 am

DAYS 7- 9:

 

OK guys, quick update. I'm on day 9 now and still going through whats hopefully my initial breakout. it seems to be slowing slightly, but i still have around 15 or so new actives around my mouth/chin area this morning. the good news is that im in studying for exams, so no need to go out into public and i have to stay inside my house anyway. im finding it a bit hard to concentrate, i dont know if thats the accutane or just me subconsciously giving up on my exams rolleyes.gif

 

im still hoping the differin use over the last 8 months or so will help speed this along quickly, and the whiteheads are coming and going quite quickly (although there's so many its hard to tell).

 

other then that, still the usual dry lips/skin etc. nothing out of the ordinary yet.

Quote
MemberMember
0
(@chughes)

Posted : 12/08/2012 2:21 pm

g33tar,

i am in a very similar situation i am m/20 and i have been on and off antibiotics and retinoids for the past 5 years. i was currently prescribed an antibiotic azithromycin and a retinoid differin. the differin seemed to have smoothed out my skin but i am still breaking out with cysts as well as whiteheads. i am ready to be done with acne once and for all and i am considering accutane as a possible option. how bad would you rate your skin before accutane, does it consist of mainly whiteheads or cysts? are you worried about the side effects of accutane and being a college student not being able to drink alcohol for 8 months? please keep updating on your progress and good luck with the treatment

 

also what is your daily regimen while on accutane ?

Quote
MemberMember
2
(@g33tar)

Posted : 12/08/2012 7:29 pm

g33tar,

i am in a very similar situation i am m/20 and i have been on and off antibiotics and retinoids for the past 5 years. i was currently prescribed an antibiotic azithromycin and a retinoid differin. the differin seemed to have smoothed out my skin but i am still breaking out with cysts as well as whiteheads. i am ready to be done with acne once and for all and i am considering accutane as a possible option. how bad would you rate your skin before accutane, does it consist of mainly whiteheads or cysts? are you worried about the side effects of accutane and being a college student not being able to drink alcohol for 8 months? please keep updating on your progress and good luck with the treatment

also what is your daily regimen while on accutane ?

 

hey chughes, hows it going?

to answer your questions, i mainly get whiteheads localised around my chin, mouth and jawline. i sometimes get cysts, bet pretty rarely. i know the feeling of wanting to get rid of it, and thats mainly what drove me to accutane.

to be honest, my acne was probably the best its been in a long time when i started accutane (only 10 days ago!). the reason why it was good was because i just finished a 3 month stint of 3rd line antibiotics, they were very strong and only cleared up my acne by around 60%. normally 60% would be great, but given the strength of the antibiotics, my derm and i couldnt really justify going on them longer. long term antibiotics, as im sure you know, just isnt really a good solution especially if the results arent great. so after about 6 years on and off anitbiotics, ive gone on accutane.

i am pretty worried about the side effects, but i think youll find that the people who write about the side effects of accutane are the few people who experience them. most of the people who benefit from accutane without any serious side effects are all outside enjoying themselves! haha thats what i like to think anyway. it can look a bit negative online, but there's a bias towards the bad side of it.

that said, it is a serious drug. ive certainly noticed the side effects already, but they've all been bearable so far. dry lips and tight skin being the main ones. my stomach has been a bit upset as well, but again its very bearable.

the college aspect of accutane is a hard one to judge. at the moment im locked in my house anyway studying for exams, so having an initial breakout now isnt the worst thing in the world. ive got the holidays coming up too, which should let things calm down before i get back.

as for drinking, going out/parties etc.. i still am not entirely sure what my attitude is going to be. im a fairly big drinker on nights out, so i think when i am going out, ill limit my drink to a few beers and see how it goes. i understand the liver is already in overdrive from the accutane and i dont want to make it worse, but ive had a few friends who had no issues with drink, and there seems to be many online who think so too. i guess ill ease in to drinking, and as long as my blood tests come back in the clear, ill continue drinking, but sensibly.

oddly enough my derm said the main reason for not drinking was because it is a depressant, so i guess thats a valid reson to be careful with drink. (im sure youve heard of the suicide/depression aspects of accutane).

another aspect accutane can effect for college is concentration. im doing my finals this year, and this has worried my more then anything. at the moment im having no real difficulty concentrating, but i am slightly worried what effect a few months of accutane could have on my exams and as a result my degree/career.

my regimen at the moment consists of washing my face day and night with Simple Sensitive face wash (no soap, harsh anything etc.). im also using a moisturiser i got free with my accutane in my pharmacy. i dont have it on hand, but its especially designed for anti-acne treatments, and seems to be working well. i also use a lot of e45 moisturiser, and carry lip-balm constantly. at the moment im using standard vaseline, but i gather people swear by a brand called Aquaphor, so ill probably give that a shot at some stage too. other then that, im just going about my normal day and drinking plenty of water. im not taking any supplements (dont take multi-vitamins with vitamin A!) and i was advised to avoid any topical treatments. (so ive stopped using differin etc.)

if you do decide to go on accutane, i wish you the best of luck. i understand the frustration of wanting clear skin but not wanting to take accutane. in my case, and i suspect yours, my acne isnt the worst in the world, but its certainly moderate and stubborn. all other treatments have failed me, and im very self concious about my acne. i realise that i obsess over it more then any person should do in their life, so im hoping that accutane will really give me a new lease of life and let me catch up with what i feel ive been missing out on.

i would suggest you finish your course of antibiotics, and stick with the differin. i got some good results from it with patience. i wouldnt rush into accutane as a "guaranteed fix" sort of thing, but if at the end of your antibiotics your left still frustrated, talk to your derm and consider accutane.

ill be sure to keep posted, and if you want to ask me more questions when im further into the course, feel free.

Quote
MemberMember
2
(@g33tar)

Posted : 12/10/2012 8:37 am

DAY 10/11:

 

 

Todays day 11 of my treatment. not much hapenning the last two days. nose is getting drier, and my intial breakout is in full swing. im counting 30 white heads just around my chin and mouth! aint pretty... but what can you do but wait. the turnover of my whiteheads is quite quick, im still not sure of that was due to my differin use. but even as the old ones dissapear, plenty more take their place. im doing very well not to pop them so far, but with 30+ ripe white heads around my mouth, i will have to start popping if i have to leave my house.

Quote
MemberMember
4
(@user74659)

Posted : 12/10/2012 9:29 am

I started on the exact same day as you, lol. I also tried the topicals for years. Did differin for a couple years and minocycline then tazorac for 5 1/2 years and minocycline on and off. I also have my acne in the same place. All around my chin and mouth area with clear cheeks, but also get it on my forehead. I too am going through an IB right now and cysts are all coming to a head. Hope that means they will drain and go away soon... I am ready for some results! I am taking 60mg/day and am 110lb female, so my dose seems kinda high, but I can't complain about any side effects except less oil in my scalp and a tiny, tiny bit of dry skin on the tip of my nose. Good luck! wink.png

Quote
MemberMember
2
(@g33tar)

Posted : 12/13/2012 7:30 am

DAY 14:

 

 

Hey everyone. im day 14 now, and my IB seems to be calming down at last. its been going for about a week. im aware that many have theirs for weeks and even months, but hopefully this is it (touch wood!). im sure there will be a few break outs in the future, but its a bit of light at the end of the tunnel already, which is quite nice.

 

other then that, my lips and face are certainly getting drier. my body is getting a noticeably drier too. i have to moisturise my arms and the back of my neck now after showers. as longs as i keep on top of it, it shouldnt get too bad.

Quote
MemberMember
2
(@g33tar)

Posted : 12/16/2012 5:23 am

DAY 17:

 

 

My IB appears to have stopped now! only one or two tiny new whiteheads the last two mornings, and im making significant process healing wise after the awful IB.

 

Have to say im pretty happy now, im about on par with when i started the course which i thought would take much longer. My seb dermatitis has improved a good bit as well, so hopefully smooth sailing from here, but i know its early days and the breakouts happen in cycles so im not holding my breath.

 

other then that, the backs of my hands are drying out a bit. im weary of the accutane induced eczema some people get, so im lashing on the E45 cream trying to keep that at bay.

 

A few aches in pains, particularly in my neck. the corners of my mouth are getting very very dry too and im finding it hard to keep that under control.

Quote
MemberMember
2
(@g33tar)

Posted : 12/20/2012 5:34 pm

DAY 21:

 

 

Three weeks today! got my first blood check done, and came back all clear which is great. im still clearling up brilliantly. i do feel a bit off, and the drying is intensifying but on the bright side im finished my exams tomorrow so hopefully getting rid of that stress will do me good.

Quote
MemberMember
0
(@tokiosoul483)

Posted : 12/20/2012 7:17 pm

What type of skin did you have before Accunate? Oily, dry, sensitive etc...

Quote
MemberMember
2
(@g33tar)

Posted : 12/21/2012 5:55 am

What type of skin did you have before Accunate? Oily, dry, sensitive etc...

 

usually dry, with my main acne being white-heads all around my chin, mouth and jawline. i have pretty sensitive skin, and my T-zone was red, flakey and dry.

i have seborrhoeic dermatitis too which ads to the dryness and redness especially around my nose and chin.

since starting my course ive been moisturising a lot, so my redness and dryness has subsided greatly, apart from the accutane induced dryness around my mouth and chin.

Quote
MemberMember
0
(@chughes)

Posted : 12/22/2012 8:17 pm

Sounds like the accutane is going well for you, thats great news.

 

Thanks for the comment back its nice to hear someone in the same situation and dealing with the same frustration as me. I recently went to my derm and I was switched over to Bactrum from my other antibiotic. I talked to him about accutane and he said he wanted to see how my skin would react to the stronger antibiotics first. So for now I will continue with Differin and the new antibiotic and hopefully it will calm things down.

Quote