20 Years Old, Just Starting Accutane - Perth, AU

Just for a brief run down, I've suffered from acne for about 9 years now, started when I was 12 and just beginning puberty and still have it to this day (turned 20 a week ago). My acne is moderate to severe persistent acne, I get the occasional cystic pimple but my case is more the amount on my face and how persistent it's been over the years, have't had a single day where I didn't have at least 10/15 pimples on my face - and that's a good day sometimes.
In terms of effecting me I'm sure you'll understand what it does to your overall confidence/self-esteem in general. I am scared of this drug and the possible side-effects but at the same time I'm just sick of this never-ending, constant battle. I'm sick of being terrified of my boyfriend/friends seeing me without make-up, sick of being worried about going on holidays/trips rather than excited, sick of never wanting to go to swimming/to the beach , sick of waking up everyday knowing without a doubt that my face will be covered in red blotches, sick of avoiding my reflection in the mirror, sick of it constantly being on my mind, of avoiding certain lighting that will highlight all my pimples, sick of my confidence and self-esteem constantly being at a low-point because of it. And I'm sure, if you're on here reading this, you're pretty sick of it too.

So I've decided to bite the bullet and go for it. I will admit I am scared of how my body will react and what these next 6 to 7 months will bring, and I honestly struggle to imagine having clear skin. When you have acne long enough you kind of lose hope in a way, I can't describe how i'd feel having normal skin like everyone else my age. Teenage acne is excusable, most people had at least a little, but I finished puberty about 3 years ago and it's hard going to a party and seeing the flawless completions of numerous 20+ year olds when your face looks like you're constantly 16. I waited out taking this medication for that reason, hoping it was hormonal because it started at puberty and my make-up getting me by through the years but I'm an adult now. I want to be excited not scared of moving in with my boyfriend, I want to travel and live freely, to not have anything holding me back and not to sub-consciously always have it playing at the back of my mind.
Maybe my acne might have gone away by itself in a few months, maybe a year, maybe a few? But I really don't think I can happily live my life and grow as an adult with it holding me back.

If you want to follow my review or to bookmark it I'd be grateful. I'll be posting updates often (including pictures, costs, my medications, side effects, and overall experience) throughout my 6 to 7 months. I hope this review helps you with your decision (as I know other reviews helped me with mine) and if you ever want to ask me anything about the medication/side effects/etc. or you just want to talk about life/anything in general I'd be really happy to have a chat :))

Thought i'd give a rundown on my derma appointment and the medication I'm currently on:

Had my dermatologist appointment on the 03/06/2015 (after a 3 month wait T_T). He was super nonchalant about the whole thing really, he seemed to know his stuff but didn't think Isotretinoin was that big of a deal. I guess maybe after some of the reviews I read I worked it up to be something bigger/scarier than it actually is. He said he's prescribed Isotretinoin on average about 5 times a day for the past 7 years! I guess that goes to show how mainstream this drug is and how common it is to have acne problems without even knowing.
I got the standard drug tests done to check that I wasn't pregnant and that my liver enzymes and cholesterol were fine and that was about it really, was given the go-head to start the drug- started on the 06/06/2015.

I weight 50kg. My Doctor has prescribed me to take 20mg for the first 2 weeks (to make sure I don't have any intense side-effect I'd imagine) and then to start taking 40mg a day for the rest of the time, which he said would be around 6 to 7 months (though could change depending on my reaction to the drug - lesson or increase the dosage)
Along with Isotretinoin he also prescribed me two other drugs that will apparently reduce my chances of having that horrid initial break-out a lot of people get - which I'm thankful for! They are:
-Prednisolone. A steroid that prevents the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation. 1 tablet a day (25mg) for 2 weeks and then half a tablet a day (12.5) for 2 weeks.
-APO-Roxithromycin. An antibiotic that kills/stops the growth of the bacteria that are cause infection (e.g. acne). 1 tablet a day (300mg) for 2 months).

Hopefully they will both work and I'll avoid that intense massive break-up some people suffer from on the first month or so of Isotretinoin!
I'm 3 days in now and have noticed no change in my skin/lips/etc. but still early days yet. I haven't really broken out lately though. Don't know if it has anything to the drugs or if it's just a coincidental period where I haven't broken out :P I guess time will tell!

Just updating after being on Accutane for a week now. Today I started to have fairly dry lips (so it begins haha) but nothing major or excessively noticeable, if it stays at this level of dryness I'll definitely be able to handle it over the next few months though we'll have to see if it gets any worse.
In terms of everything else my skin isn't dry yet and have suffered from no other side effects (touch wood it stays that way).
Plus I've had no new breakouts lately - which is super impressive for me considering I used to only have a few days at most without breaking out badly. Only had the tiniest of whiteheads the past week or so that are nothing compared to the big sore pimples I was dealing with prior. There's still a chance I could break out -think the first 1 or 2 months is bad for that - but here's hoping what the dermatologist prescribed (those two other meds) works to prevent that initial breakout.