Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
Alright, well let me just lay it all out for you. Few years ago, I went back to the derms office after about a year of treatment, diffrent creams, pills etc. Nothing gave me any relief, I asked what was left. He said accutane. I signed my papers took my first preg test, got my prescription for bc, told to come back when I start my period again to take final preg test and get prescription to start my treatment. I freaked out, and didn't go back. Flash to the next year, my skin is slowly getting worse and worse from a few cyst a month to about 5 active ones at any time and some minor acne. Flash forward to present. I have been doing some detoxing and liver flushing in attempt to heal my acne. I have done well and have seen some improvement, but it has been baby steps, which is to be expected. I woke up last monday and my face had abs exploded to the point where it didn't matter wether I put on makeup or not, it didn't make it any better, just made me feel a little better to put it on. Huge painfull cyst all over my face, by far the worst attack I have ever had. They didn't even budge, my acne started exploding as well. Even heat compresses and everything else I would normally do isn't making a dent in the condition of my face. The pain is soo awfully I could barely stand it. So I said f'it and called my derm yesterday after not going for 2 years. They saw me this afternoon. I told him to sign me up for accutane, I was sick of this, he counted 25 cyst, pustles too numerous to count(his exact quote) blackheads, and white heads. The cyst have actully moved together, causing huge swollen areas instead of single cyst. SO I took my first prego test today, signed the papers again got my script for bc for while I am on the treatment. I have to go back when I start my period for a second preg test and get my prescription. Which should be within a week or so. I told my doctor I was concerned about my liver, I told him I was going to countinue to do my lemon/water thing and wanted to monitor it closely. He told me to buy some supplies, aquaphor lip balm, cetaphil wash and moisturizer, and not to wait until I got dry to use these, start using them hardcore the first day I start my treatment. I hate to have to go on accutane, but it couldn't be ANY worse! SO I am going to give it a whirl. In the meantime before I start my treatment, I am going to do a couple of thinks as a preimptive strike against any side effects I might have in hopes, they won't happen at all or won't be that bad.
1. I have bought the Nioxin shampoo kit for hairloss, it is all natural and can prevent any further loss and help regrow any you have lost. If this doesn't work and hairloss is any issue, I will go on to the women's rogaine.
2. I am going to have a series of colonics before and during the accutane, so my system stays clear, and no bad crap is redeposited back into my system.
3. Start working out again, and keep up the yoga/pilates to help strenghten my back in case I have back problems while on the meds.
4. Get some eye drops, I wear contacts, I am going to have to be vigelent on taking them out at night, I don't normally do that, but you can get excessive eye dryness, so I want to be prepared just in case,any recommendations are welcome, I have never had to use them before
3. I have bought any extra humidifier for my bedroom, so I will have one in the living room and one for when I sleep at night.
4. Big ol tube of vasaline. All purpose up the nose, or on my lips at night.
5. Be hardcore on moisturizing my whole body.
If you guys can think of anything else that would help that you wish you would have thought of before your treatment please let me know. This sucks and I wish I didn't have to do it, but oh well. I will keep you posted, I dread the treatment but at this point it is just so out of hand I really don't have any other choice.
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
Have you tried changing your diet?.I figured out soda was cuzing my acne and thought i would try going a couple of days without drinking any at all,wel i didnt get any new pimples and the 1's i had started going away.So i have stuck with it for about 2 weeks and still realy no new pimples.i do have like 3 right on my forehead like between my eyebrows.Those have been there since before i stopped the soda and they were pretty bad so i guess thats why they are taking so long to go away.Other than those though im still clear,i do have a couple of red marks from past pimples but those arent nothing compared to having the zit in its place.
Anyway i know the deit thing may not work for eveyone but its worth a shot,just try to see if you can think of anything you eat or drink that you sespect may be cuzing acne,and stop it.
Also i just want to note that soda is the only thing i have stopped,i still eat chocolate,chips,cookies all that kind of stuff.So junk food itself really isnt the cuz of some acne as some ppl my think,or atleast it isnt for me.
Well hope thats some help,maybe youve tried it but just thought i would post it incase you havnt.Good luck with your treatment,im not sure i could ever do that myself but i guess if i was as bad as you say,i would probly be at the end of my ropes as well.
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
Bravo Deltoro! g'luck to u...
I dun think food or drinks play a big deal...might be just a little..I had been eating very healthy for the past 2 yrs..never dared to eat greasy food..I have forgot how french fries taste like ....and I didn't drink coke or anything sweet for the past 2 yrs as well..and I still got breakouts..for the past 3 weeks..I got real fed up..so I've decided to eat n drink like mad..cuz wuh's the point to be healthy food when I still got breakouts...and believe it or not..I have less breakouts..very little indeed...ahhaha...i know this might sound weird..but it's the truth ahah..am so sick of my strictly diet..so crappy...whenever I go out...i gotta pick something that full of vegies and those dishes are usually taste like ******....
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
Good on you deltoro...you won't regret it...even if it only lasts for a few months...you will at least have a few months of clear skin and that is a great experience....but anyways i'll cross my fingers for yo uthat you don't relapse and good luck.
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
I am on day two of accutane and was just like you deltoro. I didn't want to go on it but did as a last resort and like you I went out and stocked up on everything. Now though I am very excited about it, I don't care about the side effects if I think about what my skin will look like in 5 months from now it will all be worth it. Exspecialy after my Derm told me that I would probably have acne well into my 40's if I didn't do the accutane (I am almost 27 and have had acne since age 11). 5 months is a small sacrifice after thinking of all the years I would have suffered. and as far as the above comment about diet goes, I cut out all sugar, caffeine, and fatty foods from my diet and broke out worse than ever! so food doesn't make a difference. Good Luck deltoro. Keep posting and I will to with my progress. This board helps with support!!
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
Will do Carebear 26 I am the same age 27. Hoping for the best but preparing for the worst, thanks for the good wishes senoflys. Your right at this point it would be worth a few months of clear skin! And to my other two posters, yes, I have been on a strict diet since I was pretty much a fetus, no currently on a strict diet, but it has never been enough to control my devil acne! Like I said, I will keep you guys posted on my progress and hope to hear about yours as well!
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by deltoro
Will do Carebear 26 I am the same age 27. Hoping for the best but preparing for the worst, thanks for the good wishes senoflys. Your right at this point it would be worth a few months of clear skin! And to my other two posters, yes, I have been on a strict diet since I was pretty much a fetus, no currently on a strict diet, but it has never been enough to control my devil acne! Like I said, I will keep you guys posted on my progress and hope to hear about yours as well!
I had been on a strict diet for months when I had one of the worst breakouts of my life and now I am on my first week of accutane. I am 24 years old and have been suffering w/ acne since I was a teen. It runs in my family and what I eat has little effect on my cystic condition as well.
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
hey deltoro, you did it! and it sounds like yer all geared up for it too. i know it's a tough decision to make, i really hope that it works out for you. when you were at the derm did he take care of the cysts that you already have? how soon are you going back for yer 1st checkup? i know most people go in every month, i hafta go every 2 weeks! pain in the ***, but worth it. i had cysts, like you, although just one or two right near my mouth, until i started accutane, then i got a whole bunch! very painful, and take it from me, when it gets bad, CALL THE DOC!! let'im inject those suckers right away! i broke out pretty regularly until recently, i'm almost to month five, and have been mostly clear the last coupla weeks-- i have 3 pimples on my left cheek, and one on my neck. with makeup i look pretty good nowadays, it's amazing. no more cysts!
as far as supplies and side effects, i've been pretty free of most side effects, dry eyes, a very little back pain, which i'm prone to anyway, but extremely dry lips. my lips peel completely off several times each day. but my whole skin care schtick really hasn't changed much. i use a 1.5% s/a wash twice/day (against the advice of my doc, btw), cleosin lotion twice/day, and murad's perfecting lotion only when needed. on my body however, i've been much more careful, since it seems to be much drier, so soap only where really needed, exfoliating cream everywhere else, followed by that olay in shower lotion stuff, the stuff you put on then rinse off, you know? then i use either lubriderm or keri body lotion. seems to be working pretty well.
i did have to give up my contacts altogether while i'm on the treatment, as my eyes were sensitive to contacts before, but on the tane they were absolutely unbearable, felt like the lenses were glued to my eyeball. but my glasses are pretty cute, so i don't mind too much. but my hair hasn't fallen out, my nose hasn't bled, and my nails have never been stronger, thanks to all the lotion i use now!
just make sure you have two things with you at all times:
1- lip balm, ulta has a very nice one that stays on for a long time
2- small tube of lotion, doesn't matter what kind, but you will need it every time you wash your hands or you'll regret it soon enough!
sorry this is so long, but i know you were really unsure as to whether you wanted to do this therapy and i wanted to gush a bit, i guess, and commiserate. i hope it goes well for you, but if you hit some bumps, don't trip, and come in here, we're all here for you! gooooood luck! ali
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
You won't regret the decision to take it! I'm on day 53 and it was the best thing I ever did. I wish I had started it 5 years ago. It could have saved me a lot of anguish and a lot of scarring. Good luck!
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Enfyniti1980
You won't regret the decision to take it! I'm on day 53 and it was the best thing I ever did. I wish I had started it 5 years ago. It could have saved me a lot of anguish and a lot of scarring. Good luck!
Hi Enfy, I just finished my first week of accutane and I was wondering how long did it take for you to notice an improvement?
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
Hello my deltoro sister! Wow, with everything you are about to experience, I really hope this works out well for you. Just take it one day at a ime and don't get discouraged. I think you'll be just fine!
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
well i just started taking accutane 10 days ago (took my 10th pill today!)
i have already experienced side effects.... not so bad tho really, everything i expected: dry lips, dry and flaky skin, and sometimes i get really nauseous (sp?) sometimes but that could very well be from the birth control pills my derm prescribed me. the only thing that sucks is my scalp is soooo itchy!!! omg and my hair is so thin as it is i am deathly afraid my hair is gonna fall out and thin really badly once i've been on accutane for a while... has anyone had this problem while on accutane? i've heard it's not that common but how do you suppose i could prevent this from happening? any ideas? also, my skin has broken out significantly worse along my jawline and lower cheeks but is now starting to clear up a bit as it is approaching the end of 2 weeks, and im hoping it'll clear up permanently for the most part.
what is everyone's experience with the way your acne was while on accutane? (i.e., did you break out, for how long, etc.)
thanks everyone and also good luck to you deltoro! im sure you will be soooo unbelievably happy when it's all said and done. my one friend had uber bad acne and it was all the cytic pimples, and even though she had some unpleasant side effects she said being in a little discomfort with acne, dry skin and lips, etc for 6 months is well worth a lifetime of an amazingly clear face - her skin has been acne free for over 2 years now since!
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
Suzy,
I am on day 81 of accutane. My hair falls out a little more then what it used to, but nothing noticable. The Doctor told me to take Biotin while on accutane, and I started doing that and it really seems to help...you may want to consider it...because I don't think it will hurt anything even if you aren't having thinning hair problems.
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
I am going to start accutane when I go to the docters on April 19th and I really hope it works for me. I have had acne since I was about 14 and am now 18, I haven't really had it really bad but still I just feel so embarrassed by it. Before I got acne I was the type of person to go ask someone anything or go up to a complete stranger and start talking to them but since I have got acne im just so shy. I hope accutane will get rid of my acne and I can go back to being my wild self again.
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
I am on day 6 of accutane. So far no side affects but dry lips but that could be just because I drank last night I usually get dry lips after a night of drinking. I have only gotten two new pimples in the last week. I am bracing myself for this bad out break I guess most accutane users have. How far into it do you usually get the bad break out?
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
Hello All Just an update, went and took my last prego test today(I didn't chicken out this time, although I am still scared to death) got my prescription. Depending on when I get my new pres. card (may have to wait until Monday but hoping Saturday) I will fill my prescription and take my first pill. I am nervous but feel prepared. I hope for the best but have prepared for the worst. Its weird and I think this is worth mentioning, it might be helpful to someone else. I have been on spiro, prescribed my my md not my derm because I needed a directic and it was cheap and she thought it might also help with my adult acne, possibly kill two birds with one stone for about 2yrs? maybe a little less. Anyway recently I have been doing alot of cleansing etc and have been able to go off the spiro, I seem to have corrected my system with all my cleansing and don't need a directic anymore, I am no longer retaining water, (even during my period! yeah for me I usually go up anywhere from 7-10lbs, no exaggeration) and on any other day about 3lbs of water retention that I can measure on a consistent basis. So I quit taking my spiro about two weeks ago, I had my derms permission to continue to take it as a directic if I needed it even while on accutane, but like I said, I didn't need it anymore so I really don't see the point in taking it everyday. My face has been so clear you would not believe it. It is truly unbelievable. Its weird and maybe its not the lack of spiro, maybe just some other variable, but I thought it was a pretty big coincedence. So take that with a grain of salt, but just thought it might be interesting information to add to the mix. I went and got my last eyebrow, lip, bikini, leg, underarm and foot wax yesterday! My friend owns the salon and was cracking up over it, I told them to make sure to get everything so it would be easy to maintain while on accutane. So I think this is it for this update! More to come soon, stay tuned!
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
Deltoro,
I think it is wonderful that you are being pro-activ about accutane. It is a serious drug with many side effects if the right pre cautions are not taken. In fact, after reading your post, I completely related to everything you did prior to going on the medicine. I am a true believer of "holistic" medicine, acupuncture, nutrition, and homeopathy. I, as well, did some liver detoxes before and currently while on accutane. But, before I went on accutane, I tried it all to discover the culprit of my acne. I eliminated sugar from my diet because I discovered I am sensitive to it, I did every "natural" remedy (homeopathy, acupuncture, fasting to eliminate all toxins) , I had 3 sessions of the smoothbeamlaser, but my acne was persistent. It was actually worsened after the smoothbeam. I am on my 10th week of accutane. And I am happy to say that I am seeing wonderful results with tolerable side effects. My lower back bothers me from time to time, but that's all at the moment. My lips are not dry at all. Maybe once per week... they get really dry and exfoliate themselves. I was very nervous about accutane because my body is very sensitive. But, (knock on wood) I have been doing really well. I think it is, also, because my regimen is very strict.
1. I take Omega-3 fatty acid capsules (supposedly countereffects depression)
2. little sugar bc your teeth get dry and many people develop cavaties after accutane
3. Vit E capsules
4. I wash my face with all Dr. Hauschka products. My lips LOVE the lip care stick. I think this is why my lips have not been as chapped. Other chapsticks can be addictive. This line is a little pricey, but to me it is well worth it. It is all natural.
5. Humidifier in my room.
6. LOTS of water everyday
7. no drinking
8. nioxin for hair
9. I have a kick *** insurance plan through my job that covers acupuncture. so, i get it every few weeks.
10. I am on liver detoxes (homeopathy) to make sure everthing is being flushed.
11. Borage oil capsules
12. I am not drinking alcohol at all
13. I am a contact wearer. I wear my contacts to work (Complete Moisture Plus has been my solution). I ll put some refresh tears in my eyes before bed. DO NOT USE VISINE! Make you use natural tears.
14. Make up: Jane Iredale has a wonderful line of make up (again, a little pricey...but, well worth it.) It is the Purepressed Base with spf 17. It works really well esp on the red marks left over from your acne when your face begins to clear.
15. really good vitamins.
So, continue to be vigilant about your health (on and off accutane). You ll notice you re body will appreciate it!
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!!
Thanks EternalBliss! I appreciate your great post, it does almost seem we have had a parrallel journey before accutane doesn't it? I really do believe if you take care of your body it will take care of you. Today's society is is so over medicated, over prescribed, and stupid about what they let a "DR" prescribe for them to put in their bodies. The I want it now! With no hardwork or thought mentality keeps them in big business with the drug companies which is very BIG money. I rarely drink so its not a big deal for me not to drink while on accutane, I guess I will be the DD for awhile! The transformation and healing your body can take is truly unbelievable, you just have to be patient it doesn't happen overnight. It was a very difficult decision for me and one I have struggled with for years, so I am trying to take even more special care of my body. Thanks again for the great reply!
Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!! 
Re: Well, I finally did it, I have taken the Accutane plunge!! 
