starting accutane tomorrow. i figure this will be a productive way to spend the next few months and vent. im 22, cystic acne, hate it, despise it, had enough. im excited to start but reluctant because of the side effects. ive dealt with heavy anxiety and depression a few times in my life (once after losing a best friend because of drug use). i hope all goes well. PEACE and love to any readers. ps. growing my hair and beard until i am done. will upload pics later this week, webcam is being a p.o.s.
Day 1
not much to report today except a headache, im feeling very optimistic after reading a few logs on this site. am going to use cetaphil for dry skin and aquaphor for chapped lips. here we go, excited.
My son started accutane 80 mg a day a few weeks back. He has cystic acne and pustules. nothing else has worked. as far as medicine Take with a fatty meal and try to avoid milk. Hope to see your update soon
i wanted to post a little background info. im 22, 6' 2'', 180. i have had acne as long as i can remember but recently broke out into a fit of cysts that finally put me over the edge. i was on erythromycin for a month prior to accutane and i must admit it did a good job. my brother used accutane when he was a teen (hes 29 now) and he swears by it. his skin is amazingly clear now and he is one of the main reasons i am using it. fuckk i just want to be on day 100 already! oh well, one day at a time right?
My son is on day 20. He weighs about 150. He had a bad flare up starting on day 4 or so, not to scare you, but I've read here its worse when starting on a higher dose. Although I've read quite a few high dose journals that did not have an ib at all. Maybe you will get lucky and not have one. His progress, seems like he gets more cysts , and other acne every day. I'm sure he can't wait to be on a day that will just look like its getting better instead of worse. He hates to to go outside and has been avoiding everyone. As for me I hate to see him like this. Grrr..I hate acne for him and all the wonderful people here who have to suffer with it. Just know that I don't see the acne as much as he does. In fact I don't see it on other people either. I know they have it but when I talk to them it's just not something I'm thinking about. We have found that drinking more water helps with the headaches. Accutane really dries you out and it takes awhile to get the thirst and used to drinking more water on a daily basis. Keep water next to you so you can drink it through out the day. We used Aquaphor for lips but because of the high dose lips still dried out. Costco sells a big tin of Bag Balm for about $4, otherwise you can find it at a drugstore for about $8. This works really well it has antiseptic properties and really helps with the dry corners of the mouth. I've heard people use it for anything from scrapes to childbirth lol. Good luck and keep us updated.
Day 2
today was a lot like yesterday, not much activity. skin is definitely oilier than usual. i think the fact i was on antibiotics for a month prior is helping with the IB because i dont have much NEW activity except for a few cysts on my neck and 2 or 3 whiteheads. been taking my pills with a spoonful of peanut butter. no headache today. all is good. i forgot to mention i take Abilify for anxiety and haven't felt any interactions or anything weird which is good. NO problems sleeping last night which is something i was worried about. hope you all had a good day. stay positive.
-R
Day 35
been a while...cant believe its day 35 already. am seeing lots of improvement from when i first started. side effects include dry flakey skin on face, nose bleeds and EXTREMELY dry nose, painfully dry. anyone know any remedies for this? rash on back of hand. cracked sides of lips. just annoying lol. im working my way through it though. things are looking good. cysts have dried up and i only have a few on my face. jawline is looking good and this is where most of my acne was before. still lots of purpleishness on my face and bumpiness. looking forward to finishing in a few months that is a for sure.
here are some pictures starting with day 1 and the last 3 are day 35
I would run a cool mist vaporizer at night, I use neosporin on the corners of my mouth, and they have a nose gel called ayr saline gel that is applied inside your nose. i use cetaphil moisturizing cream(not lotion) for my face and hands. Hope this helps!!!
thank you so much!!!!!!
anyone actually gotten a tattoo on accutane? ive heard mixed things but dont believe everything you read right? im sure there are thousands of people that have gotten tats on the tane anyone help me out with this one? gonna get it on my arm, continuing a half sleeve i already have.
Putting vaseline or Aquaphor on a q-tip and applying it to the insides of your nose can prevent nosebleeds. I tend to get them anyway and use vaseline...have been doing this nightly since starting Accutane and haven't had any problems so far. (knock on wood!)
I don't have any experience with tattoos while on the treatment but I have read that it interferes with healing, can cause abnormal/excess scar tissue to develop or something. I'm obviously not a doctor though )
Day 40
not much has changed since day 35....i got secaris nasal gel for my nose....my brother makes fun of me for having it but it works lol. still waking up with blood in my nose but i can live with it. lips were cracked at the sides and was bugging the shit out of me so i now use nivea which has worked amazing! can actually open my mouth fully again and lips aren't that dry which is good. eyes are dry, bugs me sometimes. other than that, my blood work came back good which is a good sign. i have been taking both pills together and no problems with that. season is changing here in Canada so i am getting excited about the summer. and hopefully i can enjoy it with clear skin! take care.
Day 60
hey guys....so today is the start of month 3, and i am very happy with where i am right now and very happy with where i will be in a months time. my doc has upped me to 120mg/day, i have never heard of anyone on that high of a dose but im a pretty big guy (6'2'' 190 now lol) and my body is resonding well to 80/day as well as my blood tests have been better than good. side effects include dry lips and dry nose. other than that, i have been feeling good physically and mentally. i also got over 20 hours of tattoo work done in month 2 and they healed beautifully. ive heard month 3 is the glory month and i am SOOOOO PUMPED. doc says ill be done in like 40 days so i am pumped about that too! getting my confidence back that is for sure. here are some pics. starting with beginning and ending with today.
Day 86
today is a good day. 14 days until my treatment is done. face has made great improvement, confidence is back, im GREEDY. I WANT IT COMPLETELY CLEAR lol. face hasnt looked this good in years but i am still hoping for more improvement in the last 2 weeks here. hope you all are doing well. i will post more info this week. PEACE