56 minutes ago, CNA7 said:

It was a tough decision to make, but I can no longer sit on the sidelines and always wonder "what-if?" Yes, I've read the side effects, and I am well aware of everything that could occur; but I also know a lot of people have had success without any harmful side effects.

Hi Christine! I know exactly how you feel! Acne can really take a toll on your mental health and make you feel like less of a person, regardless of how awesome and amazing you know you really are. Just last week I started Claravis (the modern, generic form of Accutane) and believe me, it took many months of contemplation and struggle until I decided to take the plunge. It took years of consideration, really, though my skin wasn't nearly as bad as it's been for the past almost year... I always shied away from it due to the side effects, but felt that at age 30 it was time to try instead of wondering, as you said, "What if?" Hopefully we are both doing the right thing! I am also one to go the natural route first, and the idea of "poisoning the zits away" as I say, is really scary. 

You sound like you have your head on straight and are going into this with lots of careful thought. You have open eyes, family support, scientific evidence, and a clear understanding that you need to care for YOURSELF first before you can care for another human. You have plenty of time to have a child, and I bet you will be an even better mom and healthier person when you really love yourself inside and out, which is hard to do when your outside is making you miserable. I think everyone on this site would agree...

You seem to be doing all the right things so far, being healthy and eating clean, and using good products (some of which I'm going to check out!). I also lead a healthy and active lifestyle, with lots of running and yoga, a mostly plant-based natural diet (which does include some wheat and meat), and I stay away from too much refined flour, sugar, dairy, etc. I am really concerned with physical side effects though, and with the toll that this medication takes on your mental health.

I am currently taking fish oil capsules every day, which I hope will help with skin dryness and maybe even preserve my hair's health. If you read my last post I have some links to studies about fighting side effects of isotretinoin, as I am also looking to find more and better supplements, natural products, and any other practices that might offset the side effects. Any suggestions are much appreciated!

Not sure if you wear much makeup, but a friend with Celiac disease send me this site recently: Afterglow Cosmetics, which makes all natural makeup that is apparently gluten free and will not irritate sensitive skin. I'm going to try it out as soon as I need new makeup.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you!!

Queenannie, bless your sweet soul and kindness! Thank you for writing back to me. Your words truly mean so much to me. I can't agree more when you said,

"a clear understanding that you need to care for YOURSELF first before you can care for another human. You have plenty of time to have a child, and I bet you will be an even better mom and healthier person when you really love yourself inside and out, which is hard to do when your outside is making you miserable."

You are absolutely right... I never wanted my baby be in such a toxic environment. My emotions and anxiety are so toxic right now, I can barely even handle it. So adding a baby to that equation would be catastrophic.

Sometimes I can't believe this is the life I am living; fearful every morning of waking up and looking myself in the mirror. It's a terrible way to feel and start your day. I hate that we can be so fundamentally healthy yet deal with such disease. My question is why does acne have to be on the face! Ugh. I am so happy you decide to start accutane, and I can't wait to start my journey too! How are you feeling the first week on it? Any side effects? I will be following along and wishing you the absolute best success! In terms of make up, I wear a very minimal brand "Mineral Silk" which is also for sensitive skin and uses only 4 ingredients! Ive been using it for many years now, but I'll def be checking out your brand you mentioned.

Thank you again for your kindness and words of wisdom! Lets keep in touch.

Cristine

We are connected, such a small beautiful world it is. Look forward to following your success on here. Cheers to IG and Acne.org!

Yeah! Thanks for finding me I hope the upped dosage helps you!

Hi Cristine,
Ill be starting my accutane journey in March as well:)

Hi Cristine, 

I am currently midway through my accutane course. Currently I am at an 80mg dosage, 40mg in the morning and 40mg at night. Personally I have moderate acne which has been resistant to antibiotics and topic treatments from my derm. After thorough research and personal experience I have a list of things you should definitely consider as it will make your life on accutane a bearable one! 

- Ensure you take your medication after a fatty meal so that the medication itself absorbs and works effectively. Also taking it with a full glass of water and around the same time frame is the best way, but it shouldn't matter if you're a few hours off. 

- The products you have gotten are great, but as for a cleanser make sure you avoid any kinds of alcohols or soaps. Never use an "acne fighting" product such as a retinoid, salicylic acid, or beynzol peroxide. Trust me on that one, you won't exactly be happy with what happens after. Also avoid exfoliation.  

- It's ironic because I would never touch Vaseline before taking this medication nonetheless put it on my face! But as I found myself struggling with the dryness, as suggested by my derm, I applied a dime sized amount to my face before I went to sleep after cleansing so the Vaseline locks in the moisture. I was extremely nervous about doing this as I believed it would clog my pores. But after research not only is it noncomedogenic, it's also put through a triple purification process. Anyways, this not only took care of my dryness, but it also helped with the redness and hyperpigmentation. My skin happens to be sensitive, so another great one for me believe it or not was Burt's Bees Sensitive Night Cream. It's only $12.00 and it causes no irritation at all while making your skin feel supple and smooth. My favorite facial wash happened to be Aveeno baby moisturizing cleanser with colloidal oatmeal, it's great and affordable and the most gentle thing I've used. (I've used expensive stuff as well, ranging into the 70 dollar area and this stuff was the best). 

- Your lips and hands and arms may be your biggest problem as long as you follow these ideas for your face. The things you got should easily take care of your lips, but at night I suggest applying water on your lips to add moisture before applying the aquaphor. Aquaphor in general really helped me out with the accutane enduced eczema on my arms and hands. Applying it generously really helped. As for the lips, coconut oil, vitamin E oil, and Vaseline helped. Your hands may get rough and I found that a simple honey scrub made with honey and brown or raw sugar helped smoothen and moisten them. 

- Being optimistic as well as being patient is key. Initially (I imagine you know the drill), you will break out. Your pores will largen and you will notice that it's almost as if your skin is expelling every last bit of bacteria out of it. This is normal, I personally have a lot of blackheads and I first noticed that. Overall, it hasn't been an unpleasant experience! If you take the proper steps to truly balance yourself out you should be great. Your diet sounds very healthy and clean and it will surely help with the accutane process. Just be wary of any kinds of vitamin a, both supplemental and food wise, as you don't want to overdose more than you already are! Drink plenty of water.

Great at sources of fats for your pre-accutane meals could include: 

- Nuts 
- Peanut butter 
- Olive oil; avocado oil; canola oil; coconut oil; etc. 
- Salmon and fish ( seafood in general ) 
- Avocados 
- Dark chocolate 
- Chia seeds 
- Cheese ( for dairy people ) 
- Whole milk ( for dairy people ) 
- eggs ( whole eggs )

Cristine, I genuinely hope that this helps you out! I've done too much research and have spent too much time with trial and error to let anyone else go through the struggles I've dealt with. If I helped you avoid any kinds of painstaking research then I'm glad! I really hope this helps other people as well and I wish you luck on your accutane journey and future child! If you have any questions just reply to me on this thread!  

16 hours ago, Kimmy5 said:

Hi Cristine,
Ill be starting my accutane journey in March as well:)

Yeah! We will be accutane buddies Kimmy5! Thank you for stopping by <3

6 hours ago, CNA7 said:

Yeah! We will be accutane buddies Kimmy5! Thank you for stopping by <3

I think we're going to need each others support:) I've been on nearly every topical, antibiotic, birth control, spironolactone, accutane is my last resort. I sure hope it works! This 30 day wait is soooo long, lol. I feel like even though Im scared for the initial breakout (not looking forward to that) I am ready to get this treatment started. Just know you are not the only one who feels the way you do. I know exactly what you are going through. I just turned 33, and I've been dealing with acne since I was 15. Im so ready to put my acne to a stop so I can stop allowing it to affect me so negatively the way it has. I am sure you feel the same way!:)

Yes! I can totally relate. Part of me knows that things in life could be so much worse than this, but I know deep down that if I don't take care of myself (the acne), things will spiral out on control, if they haven't already... because dealing with anxiety and depression about my skin is no way to live. The month is a long wait! Especially when men can just walk in and get accutane the very same day! GR! 

I am 25, 26 next month, been dealing with acne for 10+ years now. I was mostly clear on a combination of ortho-tri-cyclen lo birth control and 150mg of sprinolactone. Both of which I quit in October to try for a baby, but because of my worsening skin condition we've decide to hold off and get the accutane treatment out of the way first. So we won't try again for a baby until this time next year or so. It was a hard decision to make, but I know again, I need to take care of myself first before I bring another life into this world. I am back on birth control and spiro, in addition doxycycline until the start of accutane. You can follow me on IG if you have it! My username is [Removed personal information]  Also, I read somewhere that being on a round of antibiotics prior to accutane can be really helpful in decreasing the IB flare, since antibiotics are killing the bacteria prior to the accutane shrinking/drying out the pores). Might be worth while to do a ten day course of one! 

I know what you mean, even in some other countries the females do not have to wait 30 days. I understand why, its just a long time and a lot of thinking goes down in that time period. I should probably stay off of the internet....I've probably seen everyone's YouTube video on their accutane journey!! I've already purchased most of my skin cleansers/moisturizers, lip balms....I've used cetaphil in the past....I'm not a huge fan. I might try cerava products. Antibiotics never worked for me. Honestly, they just broke me out more. I have been using clindamycin forever, and I've been on aczone and tazorac for a while now. I'm not sure if those will help with the initial breakout....but with my luck, I'll get one and it's going to suck, but I really don't have any other options if I truly want to stop my acne. Mine are cystic by the way, lots of blackheads, and some white heads here and there. I scar easily too. I've been paleo for over a year....haven't really seen any improvements. And maybe its all in my head, but when I did eat/drink dairy my skin always flared up. I've got 5 kiddos and I want to have the confidance that I preach to them about having. Plus they know it gets me down, and it really has affected my self esteem. Is it March yet?!?!

Hi Kimmy, I haven't been a big fan on Cetaphil either, CereVa is okay, but I do like the Whole Foods 365 brand -- but for the course of accutane I will probably be using  https://eminenceorganics.com/us/product/sweet-red-rose-cleanser  since it's very mild and calming. Eminence also has a calming chamomile cleanser, so not sure yet which one I'll go with. I want to use products like Eminence that I can continue after treatment so I don't have to play around with products afterwards and risk a "reaction" or flare up just from changing products. I've used the acne line Eminence has and loved it for my mild acne issues, but unfortunately it doesnt help much with my now cystic acne (that is also scarring too). I definitely understand what you mean about having confidence and teaching/displaying that for your kids. Just know in about 6 months time you'll have clear skin and life will be amazing. Dairy has actually been linked to acne - specifically cystic acne, so I definitely suggest cutting it out of your diet at all costs. I personally do not believe in the paleo diet for a number of reasons (not just because i love animals) but the paleo diet is founded on little to no research and ca actually cause a lot of health issues -- increased animal consumption has been linked to inflammation in the body and also cancer itself (The world health organization has also come out saying that the cancer to meat connection is undeniable) Just an interesting article read here:   https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2012nl/jun/paleo2.htm  Not to say your cystic acne will go away not eating as much meat, but it could help. I do think my healthy diet plays a role in my acne though -- since its so localized and not wide spread. But who knows! Just sharing my thoughts  

What would you suggest to replace meat? I don't consume anything with soy so I don't eat tofu. I am not even sure if meat is the issue because I've eaten it my whole life, and even when my acne was getting better at times, I still ate a lot of meat. My cystic acne is on my cheeks. My acne pops up all over, I wouldn't say it's localized, but I guess I would say it's mainly on my cheek area. I'll have to take a look at those skin care products. I got a couple things from the first aid beauty line and the Mario badescu line. They're all gentle so I shouldn't have any issues. Im worried about not putting a topical on....I've always put some sort of prescription topical on my face since I was 15. Trust me, I am trying to stay so positive about this accutane treatment, but a part of me is scared that its going to fail (like everything else has) and although I would love to have clear, normal skin.....is that really even a possibility? I've been dealing with this for so long, is it really only just a matter of 6 months and I will have acne free skin???? It just seems so unreal to me ya know. Trying not to think too much into it, but its what I do during the wait time:)

For me, I eat lot of beans -- which took a few weeks to get use to (if you know what I'm saying!) lol. Your body definitely will go through an adjustment period when adding a lot more fiber! One thing I did learn is soaking the beans and draining off the water, or rinsing canned beans -- it removes the sulfur chemical, so it's much more say "user friendly" Ha. I only eat tofu 1-2 x p/week and it has to be organic and non-gmo. Otherwise no way! It's so over processed these days. So, I suggest beans, lentils, peas, lots of wilted kale or spinach (like 100g or 6 cups), artichokes, corn, and I still eat fish 1-2 x p/ week... Mostly wild salmon or skip-jack tuna. I too, worry about not using anything topical! Seems really odd. I did read somewhere you can use Aczone gel while on Accutane if you think you need something. I am trying to stay positive too! I am worried that I'll break out in places I don't normally break out, or my hair will start thinning or growing in all the wrong places! But i know these things are rare, and like all medications out there, natural and not, every one responds differently and has their own unique experiences. We got to stay positive and use the law of attraction! Thankful we have each other through this...  One week until I start! When do you start? 

Hey! I haven't had legumes in over a year due to them not being paleo friendly. But I'm thinking about adding some back into my diet because they are so great in fiber. I completely agree, everyone's experience on accutane will be different....I guess I've just seen more reviews where people have had the initial breakout, and so I'm just expecting one. I'm going to talk to my derm. When and if it gets bad and see if there's something that will help with the initial breakout. I take my second pregnancy test on the 3rd. I'm thinking I'll get it that day? A week away?!? I bet you're ready to get started! Did you already say how many mgs your derm is starting you off on? I'm starting on 40mg. It is so nice to know I'm not going through this alone!

Which microfiber cloths do you use? I've always used regular wash cloths but I'm not finding them helpful. A week from today and I'll start:)

Hey Kimmy! So so sorry I did not see these postings. I did not get notified of them!  I started last night! I was a bundle of nerves and anxiety. I had a good 5-10 min cry sesh with my husband and him reassuring me everything was going to be okay, no matter what. He literally had to put the pill in my mouth to take it (lol!) I will post more details about my Day 1 below. So you are starting tomorrow?! Yey! Btw, are you on Instagram? I am starting on Myorisan brand, 20mg twice per day (but I know my body, and I am only going to do 20mg once a day for the first few days to ease in) I use the Norwex Microfiber cloths. Best ones out there! A little pricey for only three cloths, but seriously worth it because they work! You can order through my friend; she's a consultant with them (I think you need a consultant to purchase, not entirely sure though!) [Edited link out]

Are you starting on 40mg twice per day? What brand?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day 1| March 1st 2016

Got my isotretinoin yesterday! Excited, yes, scared, yes. It took a lot of encouragement and a bit of a cry sesh to finally get myself to the take the pill. But I did, and I survived the first night  Here is what I did;

I took my first 20mg pill of Myorisan (brand) with a high-fat meal (which included half an avocado 11.5g of fat, plus pinto beans 9g of fat = 20.5g), took it also with a full glass of water. Took off all my makeup right after using my Norwex Microfiber Cloths, cleansed, and then slathered on my moisturizer, and also slathered on body cream everywhere... in addition I applied a lip masque. Over prepared? Yes. Lol. Woke up this morning with no new acne and no dryness (yet). 

I've been prescribed 20mg x2 a day, but I am going to start at 1 pill a day for the first few days; ease into it. My prerogative.

If any of you are on instagram here is my screen name: [Removed personal information] (you can follow my journey there too; in pics!) 

The products I am using are seen in the pic; (Thorne S.A.T is a live support supplement)

I do not blame you one bit for being a bit hesitant...I'm sure I'm going to be the same way, like here goes nothing (and keeping my fingers crossed for the best). My husband is my support as well; he really didn't want me to do the treatment, but then we found out his sister had gone through it and that made him feel better about it. You wouldn't have even known she was ever on it too. I don't have an instagram:( I actually want to post pics on here, I've just got to do it. I'll probably post tonight. My acne is just persistent, and cystic, and it hurts. With those cloths, you don't wash them right?? That's the only thing that would bother me...are they getting clean enough?!? I'lll start on 40mg, just once a day, then I believe he'll up it after the first month. I'm about 100 pounds, 5'2...so I believe this is a good dose to start with. I'm not sure of the brand just yet. Hopefully everything goes smoothly tomorrow and I'll have them in hand tomorrow. I am so happy you've started your journey and can't wait to see your results:)

You do wash the microfiber cloths. There are directions that come with them! I bought a two pack, and I only use them when I am taking off makeup, they really do get 90% of your makeup off with just water -- then I follow up with a cleanser! You def should post some pics. I will eventually too. I know what you mean with the painful cysts, they are terrible. I've been getting them every other week for about three months now. 40mg might be a lot to start off with at just one time per day. But do whatever your doctor feels is best! I haven't seen your skin so I dont know the severity. Im 110lbs and just under 5'6". You should ask if theres a difference in breaking up the dosage by doing 20 mg in the morning and 20 mg at night vs. 40 mg at once. I forgot to ask that question but I know most (not all) are prescribed it that way!  Cant wait for you to start this journey with me! 

Just wanted to officially say welcome to the Accutane club, girl! From the looks of that products picture, you're all ready for this crazy journey.  

Oh yes, I want to think I am well prepared... That's prob my OCD kicking in... LOL  Thanks for the welcoming! 

Hey! We started our journey on the same day! I wish you the best in all endeavors and I hope we can see progress together!  
 

Awesome Diamond98! So glad to hear we started the same day! What dosage and brand are you on?

Sorry for the delay, meant to reply sooner. I am currently taking 40mg of Amnesteem every other day. I intended to take 20mg daily, but some insurance and cost issues only allowed the purchase of 40mg tablets.

Kimmy, did you get the pills to start today!?

20 hours ago, Diamond98 said:

Sorry for the delay, meant to reply sooner. I am currently taking 40mg of Amnesteem every other day. I intended to take 20mg daily, but some insurance and cost issues only allowed the purchase of 40mg tablets. 

Interesting to hear your insurance was kind of whack about the dosage amount! I wonder though if there is any benefit to every other day taking it or what not, because I see about 30% of people doing that....