Hey All,
Just thought I'd describe my experience thus far on my 2nd course of Accutane at the (almost) 5 week mark.
First time I took Accutane was about 6 years ago and I started on a 20mg, 40mg, and then 60mg for rest of course dosage. I had an initial breakout during week 4 and once that cleared, I didn't have a single pimple for the remainder of my course (and for a few months afterwards).
However, my acne slowly came back over the next few years. I had been on Bactrim for the past year and a half but that obviously not being a long-term solution and beginning to show signs of losing efficacy, my doctor asked about Accutane.
This time I started at 60mg right away. I was also prescribed a low dose of prednisone to combat any initial breakout.
My experience so far is that it has been tougher for me to start right away at 60mg. The dryness, chapped lips and redness all came on quicker and more severe. The prednisone helped but I started breaking out week 2 and have continued to break out. My breakouts haven't been too bad until the past few days where now I have 3 or 4 very inflamed pimples which coincides with the end of my prednisone course. I'm hoping this is similar to my first course and after this my face will clear up.
Anyways, just wanted to give anyone who may be starting accutane or going through it currently an idea of what others are going through.
So it's been a while since I stopped by and figured it was time to update on my progress through my second accutane course.
I'm a week into month 5 now and have been at 60mg of Absorica the entire time. My derm originally told me I would be on a 6 month course but now she says this may be my last month. Anyways, onto the acne.
Weeks 5,6 and 7 were absolutely brutal weeks for me as I broke out with huge cysts on both sides of my cheeks. However, the acne subsided quickly after that and I have been pretty much clear since week 8 except for 2 small whiteheads I got over the last 2 and half months.
My side effects have been the same, mainly dry lips and eyes. My arms were initially very dry as well but that appears to have calmed down over the last few weeks. My blood work has been good as well.
I've continued to work out (running and weight room) during my course and haven't had any issues with that except maybe being a tad more sore or tired after a work out. I have had a few instances of achy joints and muscles that are probably attributed to the accutane but nothing debilitating. I've been taking fish oil supplements and drink as much water as I can. I've also stayed out of the sun pretty much the entire course.
So at this point, it's pretty smooth sailing for me though I can't wait for the day when I don't have to smear Aquafor all over my lips at night. Otherwise, no major issues.
There is one thing I wanted to add in case anyone was wondering. If I faced a situation where my acne started to come back, I don't believe I would do a 3rd course of accutane. Though it is pretty smooth sailing now, the first 2 months were absolutely brutal. It is a hard drug on the body. The course feels much tougher now at 32 than it did during my first course at 26.
So, I'm back to follow up with my 2nd Accutane course. I finished my course in the first week of November..totaling 5 months at 80mg/day for all 5 months so I've been done for about 3 months now.
My body has fully recovered from the course (dryness and achiness has gone away).
My acne has stayed away for the most part. I've had a few tiny skin level, superficial bumps here and there but nothing major. I did add a bp cleanser that I use at night.
I'll check back in a few months with another update if things have changed.