POSTED UNDER Accutane Reviews
2nd Time on Accutane - Painful but Still Worth It
ORIGINAL POST
This is my 2nd time on accutane. The first was in...
WORTH IT
This is my 2nd time on accutane. The first was in 2014 when I was about 24. I always had acne from a young age and mum always told me it was hormones and would get better as an adult.
It really didn't and started getting worse around age 21 when I stopped smoking. It spread from my face to my back and become cystic. They were big and sore and make up looked worse.
1st time on accutane I got sore hips if I walked anymore than half hour at a time and vaguely remember having kind of dry lips but it was also near summer so other than that and going a little red in the face in the sun, I didn't really suffer with the side effects. I don't even remember needing lip balm or vaseline. I think i was on quite a low dose and it cleared my skin right up within about 4 months!
I was also on high alert for depression as I suffer with it anyway but had no issues with that it suicidal thoughts etc.
Fast forward to me starting my 2nd dose in Nov 2017. My acne started to come back very slowly after my son was born in 2015 (hormones triggered it perhaps?). I also do some modelling and extras work now so feel having clear skin is a priority so went back to the derm.
I admit, looking back on previous pics from before my first treatment, my spots were no where near as bad this time! I just wanted to 'nip it in the bud' earlier because of scarring etc (yes I have scars left after my first dose from all the years of picking! Don't do it kids - you'll regret it! The spots hid them until my face had cleared up so I hadn't realised I had them).
As I approach 30 my skin is now more important and I'm still trying everything to ease the scarring...
So in Nov I was put on 30mg. Nothing too sinister to report...Dry lips but that's about it.
Dec I went up to 40mg. More dryness, lots and lots of moisturiser and lip balm - I don't remember my lips peeling this much last time.... They bleed and split if I don't stay on top of them. I think the cold air makes it worse tbh.
Next 2 months I was on 50mg and wow! The aches and pains now!
I have a dry, crusty nose and my lips are shredded regardless of how much lip balm I use. My face flakes if I don't use moisturiser every day and I've had to stop working out completely because I feel like ive been hit by a bus if I do!
I've retrained as a PT the past couple years so staying fit is part of my life now and I also do boxing and kickboxing - I'd just registered with a gym when this medication put me on my butt and I had to stop. I got chest pain after being on the treadmill 10mins in early Feb and despite trying to work through it over the couple of weeks, my rib pain won't ease. Drs have said it's costachrondritis and to take it easy but I know its all related to the accutane.
60mg now and in the home stretch for the last few weeks but the side effects really are no joke. They are MUCH worse second time round for me and this medication really isn't to be triffled with! I walked around London for a couple hrs on 50mg and I hurt in the hips and legs for about a week after.
My skin has been clear pretty much since end of January and tbh part of me wishes I could come off sooner (the corners of my lips are so cracked/dry I'm beginning to resemble the joker) but because I'm already on second round my derm encourages me to complete it otherwise I'm at risk of relapse again due to having had a lower overall dose again (which is why they think it didn't hold 1st time properly although I had been warned in 2014 that some people need a second course).
This drug really is wonderful for getting rid of acne and I personally don't suffer with the depression as a side effects despite being a risk for it (I am perhaps shorter on temper though if I'm honest) but please do your research and be prepared for the side effects. It really is harsh on your body!
Most of the effects go away within a couple of months of coming off but there have been cases of them not so just be prepared that you might be trading one aesthetic issue for another internal one.
It really didn't and started getting worse around age 21 when I stopped smoking. It spread from my face to my back and become cystic. They were big and sore and make up looked worse.
1st time on accutane I got sore hips if I walked anymore than half hour at a time and vaguely remember having kind of dry lips but it was also near summer so other than that and going a little red in the face in the sun, I didn't really suffer with the side effects. I don't even remember needing lip balm or vaseline. I think i was on quite a low dose and it cleared my skin right up within about 4 months!
I was also on high alert for depression as I suffer with it anyway but had no issues with that it suicidal thoughts etc.
Fast forward to me starting my 2nd dose in Nov 2017. My acne started to come back very slowly after my son was born in 2015 (hormones triggered it perhaps?). I also do some modelling and extras work now so feel having clear skin is a priority so went back to the derm.
I admit, looking back on previous pics from before my first treatment, my spots were no where near as bad this time! I just wanted to 'nip it in the bud' earlier because of scarring etc (yes I have scars left after my first dose from all the years of picking! Don't do it kids - you'll regret it! The spots hid them until my face had cleared up so I hadn't realised I had them).
As I approach 30 my skin is now more important and I'm still trying everything to ease the scarring...
So in Nov I was put on 30mg. Nothing too sinister to report...Dry lips but that's about it.
Dec I went up to 40mg. More dryness, lots and lots of moisturiser and lip balm - I don't remember my lips peeling this much last time.... They bleed and split if I don't stay on top of them. I think the cold air makes it worse tbh.
Next 2 months I was on 50mg and wow! The aches and pains now!
I have a dry, crusty nose and my lips are shredded regardless of how much lip balm I use. My face flakes if I don't use moisturiser every day and I've had to stop working out completely because I feel like ive been hit by a bus if I do!
I've retrained as a PT the past couple years so staying fit is part of my life now and I also do boxing and kickboxing - I'd just registered with a gym when this medication put me on my butt and I had to stop. I got chest pain after being on the treadmill 10mins in early Feb and despite trying to work through it over the couple of weeks, my rib pain won't ease. Drs have said it's costachrondritis and to take it easy but I know its all related to the accutane.
60mg now and in the home stretch for the last few weeks but the side effects really are no joke. They are MUCH worse second time round for me and this medication really isn't to be triffled with! I walked around London for a couple hrs on 50mg and I hurt in the hips and legs for about a week after.
My skin has been clear pretty much since end of January and tbh part of me wishes I could come off sooner (the corners of my lips are so cracked/dry I'm beginning to resemble the joker) but because I'm already on second round my derm encourages me to complete it otherwise I'm at risk of relapse again due to having had a lower overall dose again (which is why they think it didn't hold 1st time properly although I had been warned in 2014 that some people need a second course).
This drug really is wonderful for getting rid of acne and I personally don't suffer with the depression as a side effects despite being a risk for it (I am perhaps shorter on temper though if I'm honest) but please do your research and be prepared for the side effects. It really is harsh on your body!
Most of the effects go away within a couple of months of coming off but there have been cases of them not so just be prepared that you might be trading one aesthetic issue for another internal one.
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