My Accutane Journal

I am a 28 year old female. I had normal acne (if you can call any acne normal) when I was in junior highschool, and it passed around the end of my senior year. I went acne-free for about 5 years, and then suddenly, last year, BANG! It was back with a vengeance.

Amazingly, I'm working a job that supplies good insurance, and I was able to go to a dermatologist for the first time. We tried (forgive the spelling) minocycline, doxycyline, erythromycin, sulfacet, and almost tried amoxycillin, as well as topicals like Differin, Klaron, and a topical erythromycin gel. Nothing so much as spooked the acne. I don't have cystic acne. I have what I would call "moderate to bad" acne. It concentrates along my jawline and chin, but I also get zits on my forehead, temples, nose, and cheeks. My chest breaks out, as well as my back. After struggling with these other medications, I finally had enough. I wanted to try Accutane, and my derm recommended it. Being female, I had to jump through a few hoops first; got on the pill, and had to wait at least two months, had my blood taken to determine that I wasn't pregnant, had to watch a very patronizing video about contraception and abstinence (ha! I've been living with my boyfriend for 5 years!). Then I had to wait until the second day of my next normal period to start taking the pills. (Guys, be thankful.) I have to have a blood test every month that I'm on Accutane in order to determine that I am not pregnant. Ok, I get the picture. :)

So, at last, I got my Accutane last week, and I've taken three days worth by now. Of course, I have no side effects yet, but I intend to make an entry into this journal every week until I'm done, and maybe a few weeks after that, too, to keep you updated on my progress. I have my arsenal: vitamin E--400 IUs twice a day, aquaphor for dry lips to use day or night or both, cetaphil liquid cleanser to wash my face...and a light moisturizer. I'm ready for the worst.

Hi! I'm back. It's been 8 days now, and I'm barely starting to notice some side effects. My lips are a little dry, but not chapped, and my skin is peeling just a tiny bit. I still have zits, but none are gigantic. Still waiting for that initial breakout to happen. Other than those, I have no ill effects yet. I'm slathering Aquaphor on my lips at night and using Blistex Herbal lip balm during the day. I use a light moisturizer after washing, too. No makeup. (It looks bad over the dry skin anyway.) I'm still taking my 400 IUs of vitamin E, one at breakfast and one with supper. Drinking lots of water (and spending a lot of time in the bathroom. ;} ) That's about all there is for now. More in a few days!

Hi. I'm back. It's been about three weeks now. I'm finally experiencing the "initial breakout" period. It's not too bad so far, as I'm already used to having acne. I can definitely tell something is happening to my skin. It looks better (between the zits), firmer, smaller pores, and I swear that my blackheads are coming out. I am having dry lips, but not cracked or painful. I've been keeping them pretty well lubricated all the time. My nose is fine, and the rest of my body is ok. My scalp is peeling, though. I've always had scalp trouble, but this is in an unusual area, directly on top of my head. It itches. My face is slightly dry aroud the nose and mouth, and around healing zits. They seem to be healing more quickly than normal, too. I haven't noticed any of the other side effects mentioned, such as aches and pains, red eyes, headache, or anything of that nature. Still, it's only been a little under a month. Have a great Halloween!

I'm back. Halloween was good but I had some trouble putting on makeup over my dry, breaking out skin. :( Oh well. It's the price you pay for beauty I guess. The skin and lips are definitely getting dryer. I'm still breaking out... about one or two new zits every couple of days, and sometimes on my back. They tend to dry up relatively quickly and aren't as painful or as big as my old zits. I'm still taking 40 mgs of Accutane a day, and I have an appointment next week, so we'll see if the Doc changes my dosage. It's hard to tell what's what with this "initial break-out" because it's also around my period, and I always break out then anyway. I hope it doesn't get much worse, though. I can't wait for it to start healing up completely. I like to wear makeup when I go out, and right now, that's NOT an option.

As far as side effects, so far nothing but dry skin and lips. My nose still isn't dry inside like I expected. One thing I did notice...if I have any kind of alcoholic drink, its negative effects on me the day after are amplified...I guess it's the dehydration thing. I got a hangover from a beer and one bloody mary the other weekend, because I forgot to drink a lot of water before I went to bed. Not pleasant. I wouldn't reccommend going out on a bender while taking Accutane, but if you do drink a beer or two, prepare ahead of time by having lots of water, and afterward, too, before going to bed. Otherwise, you're going to feel like crap, and it can't be good for you.

That's about all for now. I'll be back in a few days.

I had my appointment with the dermatologist last Thursday. He said my skin was looking great, and that at this rate, I could see complete recovery by Christmas. He upped my dosage to 80 mg a day. Mind you, I didn't have cystic acne. My acne was simply very widespread and very, very stubborn. I still have a few spots around my jawline. Doc says that's a very common trouble spot for women. They're still trying to figure that one out. :) My chest is still clear as a bell, my forehead and upper face in general look great, and my back is almost clear. My eyes feel a little hot sometimes, but I can't tell if that's the Accutane or just tired eyes or allergies. Still drinking lots of water, still taking vitamin E at least once a day. I had to switch to the Cetaphil bar because the liquid is too expensive. So far, so good with that. Well, that's about it for tonight. Ciao!

I'm back! It's the day after Thanksgiving. I'm a little disappointed because my face is breaking out again around my chin and jaw. It never has really cleared up there yet. It's frustrating because the progress has been so fast on the rest of my face, I guess I was hoping I'd be a special case and clear up really quickly. Oh well. Maybe it's because the doc upped my dosage. I wonder if this will happen every time he does that. Anyway, my lips haven't gotten any drier, but I am still faithfully using lip balm or Aquaphor all the time. My eyes aren't really red, but they do feel dry sometimes. The rest of my body is doing ok, as long as I use lotion on my legs, arms, and back after I shower. No other side effects so far. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that I'll be mostly clear by Christmas. Please please please! :)

I forgot to mention a new side effect...fragile skin. I wondered what that meant when I read the package info on the Accutane, and now I know. For one thing, if I eat anything crunchy, like cereal, a toasted bagel, whatever, it cuts up the roof of my mouth and leaves it feeling raw and sore. No bleeding, just sort of paper cut-like. And, if I break down and do the blasphemous, picking a zit, it really messes my face up. I mean, the thin top layer of skin just comes off, leaving a sore. Bad news. I have been really good about not picking, but I admit I've broken down a couple of times. This fragile skin thing is a very good reason NOT to touch my face, because I end up with a scab no matter how careful am. Ok, that's about it. Seeya soon!

Well, I'm back. I'm sorry I didn't write for so long, but the holidays were upon me. My skin is now almost totally clear. I still haven't gone a full month without a breakout, but right now it's the clearest it's been in over a year. I've been experiencing some more unpleasant side effects; night sweats, achey knees, (but not too bad), inside of my nose is dry and bleeds in the morning when I blow it, lips are dry and I just got over a bout of chapping where the corners of my mouth were split and sore. I've been slathering them with Carmex, Aquaphor, Chapstick, whatever I can get my hands on the quickest. Aspirin seems to help the aches and pains. Nothing has helped my nose, not even a humidifier in my room at night. However, I wore makeup out on New Year's Eve and not a single scab or flaky zit was present, and I must say, I looked great! I treated myself to the obligatory drink at midnight, but otherwise I've avoided alcohol since a kind person wrote in my guestbook about it. I have another appointment January 9, and I think the doc is going to put me on an extra month, because my acne has been surprisingly resistant considering its "moderate" nature. Nothing about me is ever normal. :-) So far, taking Accutane hasn't been as bad as I expected, and I'm so happy to be seeing results that the other unpleasantness is very bearable. I highly recommend it. I'll be back soon, and this time I mean it. That's all for tonight.

Hi! I'm back. I have to be the most irresponsible person in the world. I'm so sorry! Ok, here's the rundown...I went to my most recent appointment early this month. I was OFF accutane for the month of February, presumably to give my body a break. Feb. was the first full month with NO BREAKOUTS AT ALL! Nothing! I am sooo happy. Now, he has me back on just two pills a week for three months. My skin is still clear, but getting a little oilier. I may switch to a less moisturizing soap than my Cetaphil bar soon. No zits and no black heads so far. When I am warm or flushed, I can see light reddish spots where some of my worst zits were, but it's nothing a pale green coverstick can't help. If you haven't seen these, they're great. Several makeup brands make them. They neutralize the red tones on the skin. You have to blend it in, but it doesn't look green on your face at all. My chest, arms, and back are still clear as a bell, as well as my butt, which only got a zit now and again, but still...it was my butt!

My side effects never got severe. I had one week of painful, chapped lips on the tail-end of having a bad cold. My nose got pretty dry, and I did have two nosebleeds. These ocurred in the mornings, after blowing my nose (it always runs when I first get up in the morning.) This was sort of unpleasant, but it wasn't pouring out. It was pretty mild and stopped in about 10 minutes. This was in January, so I'd been on the medication for 5 months. Skin dryness was minimal. My skin is so oily, it just seemed like a normal person's skin. The soles of my feet did peel a little bit on the heels, but not much. I'm happily wearing minimal makeup (its all I need now!) but I always remember to wash and moisturize my face before going to bed. I use Lubriderm Seriously Sensitive moisturizer. One medium sized bottle has lasted me over 6 months, and there's still a good bit in there. I drink water throughout the day.

All in all I am extremely pleased. Now the waiting really starts--to see if I begin to break out again. If I could make it through February...maybe it's going to stick. My fingers are crossed. Until next time!