Mina Yassaee Kingsbery, MD, FAAD

I am on week 10 of my 20 week course of Claravis. I was on 40mg the first two weeks and I have been on 70mg since week 3. I began experiencing dryness on my face within the first couple of days, however I did not experience dry lips until about a month into the course. By that time I started to get progressively dry lips, eyes, and nose simultaneously. I would say that these are the worst side effects that I have experienced thus far, and they have been greatly exacerbated by exposure to sun and wind (highly recommend using SPF and wearing a hat and sunglasses when necessary). Month 1 was a mainly a process of "pushing" everything out of my pores. I remember a lot of flakiness and blackheads being brought to the surface. I did have a slight initial flare in my acne but nothing too severe. The cysts that I did get healed much quicker than usual, but they left red marks that took quite some time to fade (some are still in the process of fading). I feel as though my skin is much more sensitive while on accutane. *Be careful not to pick at your skin or use any products that are too strong or may irritate it because your skin is not as tough as it normally is*. Month 2 was a continuation of healing and some minor breakouts here and there. What really helped me get through these first couple months was moisturizing frequently and drinking plenty of water. It's amazing how much your side effects can be minimized by just doing those two simple things. Other than that, you are free to go about your daily life, just remember to take your pill with a full meal so that it can gets absorbed better (I went a little overboard and took this as a nod to eat whatever fatty junk foods I could get my hands on - I do not recommend this as my triglycerides went up each blood test). The only other side effects that I have noted are tiredness and minor headaches every now and then. I find that it's best to stay active while on this drug or else all you want to do is stay in bed all day. My workouts have been affected since going on accutane and I can't lift the same amount of weight as I normally can. I don't know the exact reason for this, or even if it can be attributed to the drug, it's just something that I have observed. I also notice that I lose stamina faster and become winded and sweaty more easily. Other than that I am starting to see progress in my skin. My back has been completely clear for a couple weeks now, but I still have some trouble areas on my face that are beginning to heal and clear up. Like I said I am on week 10, halfway through my course, and I finally feel like I got over the hump. I'll try my best to update this as I go along so that I can hopefully help other users that are faced with the same questions that I had when I first hopped on accutane. So let me know what's up and I'll be glad to give you my best answer. Cheers :)