POSTED UNDER Accutane REVIEWS
19 Years Old, Long Time Acne Sufferer - Frankston, AU
ORIGINAL POST
This is my first review of Accutane even though...
jackb_2010May 23, 2015
WORTH IT$350
This is my first review of Accutane even though I've been on it since March 1st. So I'm sorry for the essay of a review.
A little bit about myself, I've had mild - bad cystic acne since I was about 14, but it didn't begin to get worse until I was about 15. Like a lot of people that has acne, it has always brought down my confidence and made me slightly anxious/shy around meeting other people (and still does) as it was very noticeable covering my face, back and chest.
Since then I have probably tried a lot of common acne treatment drugs, lotions and creams trying each for at least a 4 month period minimum.
The list of prescribed drugs that I've tried is; Bactrim DS, Doxycycline & Tetracycline.
Creams & lotions; Differin, Retin A, Benzoyl Peroxide (2.5, 5 & 10%), salicylic acid (prescription) and pretty much every single brand face cleanser available (Nivea & neutrogena to name a couple). All of these would be used in combination, with most of the creams being used in the morning & at night time.
In December of 2014 I decided I had enough (after some scarring starting to appear across my back) and got some courage to go see a Dermatologist, it took 3 months to get an appointment to actually see her...
Once I got into see Dr.Seith she had a quick look and immediately decided on Accutane. All though I did my research beforehand she probably gave me about a 30 minute consultation and alleviate all concerns + laying down contingency plans for every side effect which could be possibly occur.
The treatment plan that she devised was: •20mg Isotretinoin (Accutane) per day,
•trimethoprim 300mg per day and
•prednisolone 25mg per day (halving the dosage every 2 weeks for 6 weeks).
Furthermore she recommended cleaning my face, neck and chest twice a day with Cetaphil cleanser and moisturiser which has prevented my skin from drying out completely!
After the six weeks on the 12th of April the dosage was upped to
•40mg per day of isotretinoin, with
•trimethoprim 300mg per day and
•prednisolone 25mg per day (halving the dosage every week for 3 weeks) again.
This is with the cetaphil cleanser and moisturiser.
The side effects haven't been to severe me as I've been on the two complementary drugs. But I still get sunburnt pretty easy now, I get the usual dry lips which I use lip balm for and I'm always tired no matter how much I sleep (which isn't good with university and work).
The bottom line in my opinion after trying every resource available to me, I wish I started accutane sooner. Feel free to ask me questions and I might have an answer for you, but so far accutane has worked out very well for me. :)
A little bit about myself, I've had mild - bad cystic acne since I was about 14, but it didn't begin to get worse until I was about 15. Like a lot of people that has acne, it has always brought down my confidence and made me slightly anxious/shy around meeting other people (and still does) as it was very noticeable covering my face, back and chest.
Since then I have probably tried a lot of common acne treatment drugs, lotions and creams trying each for at least a 4 month period minimum.
The list of prescribed drugs that I've tried is; Bactrim DS, Doxycycline & Tetracycline.
Creams & lotions; Differin, Retin A, Benzoyl Peroxide (2.5, 5 & 10%), salicylic acid (prescription) and pretty much every single brand face cleanser available (Nivea & neutrogena to name a couple). All of these would be used in combination, with most of the creams being used in the morning & at night time.
In December of 2014 I decided I had enough (after some scarring starting to appear across my back) and got some courage to go see a Dermatologist, it took 3 months to get an appointment to actually see her...
Once I got into see Dr.Seith she had a quick look and immediately decided on Accutane. All though I did my research beforehand she probably gave me about a 30 minute consultation and alleviate all concerns + laying down contingency plans for every side effect which could be possibly occur.
The treatment plan that she devised was: •20mg Isotretinoin (Accutane) per day,
•trimethoprim 300mg per day and
•prednisolone 25mg per day (halving the dosage every 2 weeks for 6 weeks).
Furthermore she recommended cleaning my face, neck and chest twice a day with Cetaphil cleanser and moisturiser which has prevented my skin from drying out completely!
After the six weeks on the 12th of April the dosage was upped to
•40mg per day of isotretinoin, with
•trimethoprim 300mg per day and
•prednisolone 25mg per day (halving the dosage every week for 3 weeks) again.
This is with the cetaphil cleanser and moisturiser.
The side effects haven't been to severe me as I've been on the two complementary drugs. But I still get sunburnt pretty easy now, I get the usual dry lips which I use lip balm for and I'm always tired no matter how much I sleep (which isn't good with university and work).
The bottom line in my opinion after trying every resource available to me, I wish I started accutane sooner. Feel free to ask me questions and I might have an answer for you, but so far accutane has worked out very well for me. :)
Replies (10)
May 26, 2015
You're from Frankston??? Welcome neighbour! I'm from Pakenham, haha. I also wish i had started Roaccutane earlier...i let it go until i got to 27....then did something about it! So you are way ahead of me there! It will be clear in no time, and you still have your best years ahead of you! Keep taking pics each week, the difference you see at the end is amazing! I have 19 days left after an 8 month long journey. Has your derm given you any indication on how long a course you will be on?
May 26, 2015
Haha yeah I'm going to try and take photo's but I always forget to :/. Oh nice one! What dosage have you been on and are you nervous about going off it?
I think I'm gonna be on it for an 7-8 month period as well, as it'll take me over the 120mg per kg of body weight.
May 27, 2015
i have been on 20mg a day for the entire course and i'm 70kg. So i havnt reached the total recommended cumulative dose. Which concerns me. I will be asking my derm about this in my last appt in a few weeks. I am seriously nervous about coming off it. I've really enjoyed not having any acne, and i've also enjoyed only having to wash my hair once a week (it makes your scalp dry too, so your hair doesnt get oily for ages!). I just dont want it to come back. And i dont want this 8 months to have been a waste because my derm didnt put me on a high enough dosage! That would really frustrate me, and probably be devastating! Anywho, i wont know for another few weeks what my skin is going to do, fingers crossed!
June 1, 2015
Acne runs in my family. When I was a teenager I had breakouts, but they were manageable and went away quickly. When I was 20, my skin completely changed. I started getting cysts on my jaw line and by my ears. I went on probably every antibotic for acne and used every topical treatments with no results. I was apprehensive to take Accutane because of the reputation it has about it's side effects. I started it 2 weeks ago. I'm taking 60mg/day. My skin is worse. I'm breaking out and it's painful. My lips are dry. Minor headaches come and go. And like you, I'm always tired! I never used to take naps and I'm doing if not every day. Are you still taking it? Your skin showed drastic improvements. You have no scars on your face. That's what prompted me to start Accutane. I have scars that aren't deep so I'm hoping they go away.
June 1, 2015
Hi, I was in the same boat as you as I was really worried about it before starting. But it's worked and I'll still be on it till October at this rate.
Did your Doctor just start you off at 60mg/day, because that seems like an awfully high dosage or did you increase up to it? Because maybe if you speak to your doctor about starting at a lower dosage, than maybe the side effects might not be so harsh
Mine also got worse before it got better, but it does get better if you persist with it!
June 2, 2015
Yeah I started with 60mg and was even considering speaking with my dermatologist about bumping it cos up until recently I had no symptoms. Not even dry lips! So in total how long will you have been on Accutane?
June 3, 2015
Yeah the same thing happened to me, like all of the side effects just sought've came at once.
I will be on it for about 7 - 8 months total as I started in March. Do you know how long you'll be on it for?
I am so glad that you decided to share your story with us :) Your skin looks great, and I don't see any scars on your face, so kudos to you for reaching out for help before the scarring set in - I wish I had done that. Did you ever try ProActiv?