Im 34 year old male who has been battling acne along with cystic acne since the age of 13. As a young teenager i had acne on my face...bad. My chest,bacne. It was all really bad. I have some scaring on my face as the acne on my face has went away as i have gotten older. I have small breakouts on my chest still to this day but my back it a absolute disaster. Its embarrssing to take of my shirt when at a pool party or at the river when other people are around. The cysts have been getting worse and worse over the past few years.
I had one on my side that got so infected it started to trac around to my chest. When i finally went to the doctor she told me i was a few hours short of getting admitted to the ER. Ive had one removed from my neck and recently one removed from the back of my head. After this i finally said enough is enough. I met with my derm and he suggested i start Zenatane (Isotretinoin). Im taking 40mg in the AM and 40mg at night.
Im currently on day 11. I have dry lips and i keep Chapstick and Aquaphor on me at all times. Other side effects im experincing are no energy, mild lower back pain, and at times extreme shoulder pain, basically all my joints seem to hurt. Constipation somedays. Im working on making sure i drink lots of water during the day. It seemed to help with the constipation a few days ago. It's tough reading reviews and journals when you see more negitave entries then positive's.
Any suggestions and words of encourgement would be greatly appeacative as today im feeling kinda BLAH
I'm on day 22, and my biggest tip is to stay out of the prescription drugs: accutane forum, and stick to the logs. Avoid ANYTHING having to do with the negative side effects of Iso if you can, at least in the first couple of weeks (like postings on topics about negative side effects, etc.). I say this because 1) you are already on iso, presumably you already know what the potential side effects are, so reading about them over and over probably wont help you and will only make you dwell on them more and 2) the accutane logs are MUCH more positive. Everyone on here seems very optimistic, honest and supportive. Avoid checking the internet every-time something weird happens. Don't let every stomach ache or headache make you anxious about accutane. Sometimes we just get headaches and stomach-aches and weird pains that have nothing to do with anything. It's part of being human!
Accutane will definitely help you - it might get worse before it it gets better, but it will get better 
Drinking water is a very good idea - I have found that the severity of my side effects is directly related to the amount of water I drink. Try to drink a cup of water (or more) every hour until you go to bed. I was worried about bowel issues, but taking probiotics seem to work very well to keep things regualr, and I have been working on eating more fruits and veggies early in the day, that really seems to help.
Caffeine is great for fatigue and brain-fog, as well as hitting the hay earlier. And don't forget to moisturize!!
yo mike. ive been on accutane 3x and it has definitely helped me. but I am wondering about your diet. do you limit sugary food, processed carbs, dairy, alcohol, etc? Your diet can also help you lessen the acne!
Also, is your skin on the oily side or dry side? Good luck sir!
Day 45- Im seeing some really good improvements. My back is really drying out. Im getting a cyst pop up here and there but they are gone in a few days. New side effect- Burning while i pee. I guess i need to drink more water. Taking fish oil pills in the AM. Doc says my cholesterol levels are high. Everything on my body is really starting to dry out. Im glad im seeing results but im ready to get this over with!