I'm a 20 year old who is starting accutane treatment.
A few relevant details:
I've had normal acne plus breakouts of cistic since I was 15.
I start off on 20mg a day for the first 2 weeks then double to 40mg per day
I plan to start off with cetaphil gentle face cleanser and cetaphil moisturiser
I'm 82 kg
I'm planning to use this to log my progress, everyday at first and then whenever suits after that.
I have heard that high daily doses of vitamin E can alleviate the symptoms somewhat, have any of you had any success with this?
Day -7:
I call it this as today I have ceased use of benzoyl peroxide and minocycline. Over this week I would expect my acne to worsen after ceasing my old regimen. Wouldn't it be funny if my skin completely cleared?
Anyway, I intend to completely avoid my known breakout triggers (soy, high doses of sugar, whey protein) this week, that said, I did have 400g of chocolate today :$ naughty me
Science says that vitamin E isn't useful for reducing Accutane's side effects (1, 2).
I wouldn't worry about taking supplements on Accutane, except maybe fish oil if you get joint pain:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17335973
Good luck
Ok so tonight I had my fourth Accutane tablet.
lips are every so slightly dry, my acne does appear to have already started flairing up on my forehead, neck and sides of my jawbone, these pimples aren't cistic and seem to be healing nice and fast fortunately. Is it normal for the acne to start breaking out so early in the treatment? could this mean that it is already working and my skin may clear up earlier than usual?
On another note, I've heard before that if I avoid moisturising my lips they will be annoying for the first few weeks but after that will quickly become more lethery in usual. This sounds good to me as I would rather avoid frequent moisturising.
Ok so tonight I had my fourth Accutane tablet.
lips are every so slightly dry, my acne does appear to have already started flairing up on my forehead, neck and sides of my jawbone, these pimples aren't cistic and seem to be healing nice and fast fortunately. Is it normal for the acne to start breaking out so early in the treatment? could this mean that it is already working and my skin may clear up earlier than usual?
Yes, that sounds like it could be the initial breakout which, although annoying, is a good sign because it indicates that your oil glands are shrinking and pushing out excess oil. Oil is the "food" for acne; without it acne cannot survive or thrive.
On another note, I've heard before that if I avoid moisturising my lips they will be annoying for the first few weeks but after that will quickly become more lethery in usual. This sounds good to me as I would rather avoid frequent moisturising.
Your lips will remain dry throughout your course. It would be wise to use lip balm regularly, otherwise your lips may start cracking from the dryness and be vulnerable to infections (search angular cheilitis).
Good luck
I've taken 7 tablets now, the skin on my face is dry and sensitive, specifically around the mouth. This is frustrating because my body's response to me streching this skin is to turn it really red. my lips are a little dry too but nothing I can't handle.
I had a very small nose bleed this morning, havn't had one before, could this be accutane related?
Should I moisturise when I need it, or will I benefit from moisturising more regularly than this?
Cheers,
James
The nosebleed is accutane related. Try putting a dab of vasoline on your finger and put it in your nose on your septums (the divider between your nostrils). That will keep it moist. When that tissue gets dry, it can blead. And accutane causes dryness.
Your face will probably get really red for a while. People will ask you if you've been in the sun. Ask your doctor to prescribe you Desonide. It's a topical corticosteroid which will help with redness and dryness. In a pinch, use OTC hydrocortisone. Put a layer of steroid cream all over your face, then put a layer of moisturizer over it, and that will help tame the redness.
For your lips, definitely use something like Carmex or aquaphor. You can also put a little steroid cream on them too, especially around the edges of your lips (as mentioned above, angular chelitis is a possible issue if your lips are cracking and getting infected).
I hope this helps for now, I'll keep checking in on your thread... all the best!
Jameslbills: have you noticed extra joint/muscle pain while on Accutane?
Tips:
- Drink 3-4 L of water per day to minimise Accutane-related dehydation
- moisturise 2/3 times daily to minimise dry skin rashes common on Accutane
- avoid the sun and don't tan; use sunblock when in the sun
- don't drink alcohol
- take your pills with food to maximise absorption
- have lip balm ready
Good luck!
Hey! Goodluck on your course!
For the lips thing, I only put on medicated lip balm when my my lips start to peel and then i can usually go 1 to 3 days before they start to peel again. Also, I don't use moisturizer and my skin dosn't really flake so I guess I am not drying out too much even though I am one month in so it is really different for everyone and I think you will know how to handle it once you see how your own body reacts!
I use the cetaphill cleanser too! Good stuff.
Study relevant to Accutane and nosebleeds:
Hey guys,
side effects have plateaued, lips need moisturisig 4-5 times a day, I find that If im not careful I puton the lip balm and unconsciously lick my lips so they end up dryer than they were before putting the balm on :S
Tomorrow I double my dosage (up to 40mg/day). How much of a difference will it make between taking one twice daily or two once daily? and how much worse should I expect the side effects to get once I increase dosage?
I'm finding that my body is getting just a little dryer, can anyone reccomend a suitable body wash? I dont want to have to moisturise my hole body every day because moisturising my back is a pain!.
I am currently using cetaphil gentle skin cleanser in the morning and evenings and cetaphil ultrahydrating lotion whenever it's needed. I am using carmex for my lips..
@WeCanDoit wow sounds like you're pretty lucky not having to moisturise, I definately do...
@Nobby (biggs 881) pretty interesting study, it doesn't so much blled than just have a little blood in it if I blow my nose.
cheers,
James
Whether you take 1 Accutane pill twice daily or 2 Accutane pills once daily shouldn't make much difference, since Accutane has a fairly long half life.
What is more important is that you take your pill/s with food to maximise its absorption into your body.
As the oral bioavailability of oral isotretinoin is variable, and highly dependent on administration with food, it is very conceivable that earlier relapse may occur if patients have often ingested oral isotretinoin on an empty stomach, thus leading to lesser actual cumulative drug exposure despite the daily dose administered.
thanks for the response man! pretty interesting, I've been having them with dinner so that works.
Do you mean to say that the side effects lessen as your body gets used to the drug?
I'm two days in to having two pills per day and the side effects are the mildest they have been yet, I'm pretty happy with this.
Cheers,
James
have been on 40mg a day for about a month, skin is feeling better than it has in years. Lips still dryish, but not cracking. I'm still feeling pessimistic about the breakout that is potentially coming soon.
I am also less photosensitive than I was on tetracycline. what I'm wondering is if I can increase my dosage again without seeing my dermatologist..?