TiredOfThisAll
01-08-2003, 09:18 PM
Well, here is MY accutane journal, theres a lot of these floating around but I wanted to make one too. Just got my 40 mg prescription of accutane, and just popped the first pill, along with a 100 mg doxycycline pill.. Im going to wait till after dinner to take the prednisone pill. Im really hoping all of this will work, and that the doxy will keep the initial breakout to a minimum.
My initial thoughts: holy s#!& im on accutane, not to mention doxycycline and a steroid at the same time. The steroid is only for 7 days, and the doxy is only for a month or two.
skin condition: 5-10 active pimples on each side of the face, around 5 on the forehead, a lot of hard ones on my neck just below my chin and under my ear. two small ones around my mouth. Nose is clear.
outlook: hopeful
My initial thoughts: holy s#!& im on accutane, not to mention doxycycline and a steroid at the same time. The steroid is only for 7 days, and the doxy is only for a month or two.
skin condition: 5-10 active pimples on each side of the face, around 5 on the forehead, a lot of hard ones on my neck just below my chin and under my ear. two small ones around my mouth. Nose is clear.
outlook: hopeful
Sponsor
acne_sucks
01-08-2003, 10:27 PM
how much was ur accutune
TiredOfThisAll
01-08-2003, 11:57 PM
$404.10 US for 30 days.
acne_sucks
01-09-2003, 12:00 AM
... thats soooooooo much.. just for 1 month
and u still have like 4 more months to go..
and u still have like 4 more months to go..
denny_gee
01-09-2003, 11:43 AM
wow the US prices are outrageous!
I myself am covered by a really good health plan, so I pay nothing. BUT... even if i was to buy it the price would be about $150 Canadian! And this is for the 40mg pill package!
Sorry bro. you guys get ripped off!
I myself am covered by a really good health plan, so I pay nothing. BUT... even if i was to buy it the price would be about $150 Canadian! And this is for the 40mg pill package!
Sorry bro. you guys get ripped off!
wishing and hoping
01-09-2003, 08:17 PM
We do not get ripped. I'll have you know my accutane only cost about $20 a month;-)
scoobydoobydoowhereru
01-09-2003, 09:05 PM
we get it free on the NHS i think :) the UK rules but im not going to try accutane just yet :)
Sy
Sy
TiredOfThisAll
01-10-2003, 01:52 AM
My insurance wont cover accutane for some reason, so we are forced to pay the 400 a month. Its ridiculous.
Day 2.
Just finished all my pills for the day.. face looks about the same, no significant new pimples. I noticed when i got out of the shower my skin seemed to be peeling. Some of the zits just kind of peeled off. No big change
skin condition: same as before
outlook: I wish i could fast forward at least a month.
Day 2.
Just finished all my pills for the day.. face looks about the same, no significant new pimples. I noticed when i got out of the shower my skin seemed to be peeling. Some of the zits just kind of peeled off. No big change
skin condition: same as before
outlook: I wish i could fast forward at least a month.
Tummy
01-10-2003, 02:10 PM
actually $400 is incredibly CHEAP. Once you get up to 80mg a day or near it, the cost is about $900/mo.
TiredOfThisAll
01-10-2003, 09:23 PM
I can't afford to pay that much, im going ot have to beg my insurance company. I just popped my 3rd pill. I woke up this morning with no new pimples, which is the first time in a while. The steroid is (as she said) making me a little irritable, but im trying to deal with it.
Skin condition: no new zits
outlook: already looking better.
Skin condition: no new zits
outlook: already looking better.
PiscesEBrey87
01-10-2003, 11:22 PM
Do you have insurance? I know that my one month prescription(60 pills) cost us only $21.13. I think the prescription form said that insurance paid around $350.
TiredOfThisAll
01-12-2003, 03:35 PM
Yes I have insurance, but the pharmacy said they wont cover it, going to call today.
day5: I just woke up, didnt post for day 4, a few new pimples all around my face, definately breaking out. Noticed 2 zits on each arm, and i never get any zits there, and my chest is also getting a few new ones. Im really hoping after a month it will start looking better. but its only day 5. Ive been using "chap stick overnight lip treatement" which the pharmacist told me was better than aquaphor.
skin condition: breaking out now.. when i pick a fight with one pimple, he brings 2 or 3 of his friends for backup, so im not gonna mess with them.
outlook: cant wait to be clear
questions: what cleanser is everyone using? i know a lot about accutane, but my derm didnt tell me anything.. for all she knows i could be using the proactiv system right now.. But im using the purpose gentle cleanser right now, anyone have any thoughts on that? and anyone whose on accutane or taken accutane, should I get a good moisturizer to lather on at night?
day5: I just woke up, didnt post for day 4, a few new pimples all around my face, definately breaking out. Noticed 2 zits on each arm, and i never get any zits there, and my chest is also getting a few new ones. Im really hoping after a month it will start looking better. but its only day 5. Ive been using "chap stick overnight lip treatement" which the pharmacist told me was better than aquaphor.
skin condition: breaking out now.. when i pick a fight with one pimple, he brings 2 or 3 of his friends for backup, so im not gonna mess with them.
outlook: cant wait to be clear
questions: what cleanser is everyone using? i know a lot about accutane, but my derm didnt tell me anything.. for all she knows i could be using the proactiv system right now.. But im using the purpose gentle cleanser right now, anyone have any thoughts on that? and anyone whose on accutane or taken accutane, should I get a good moisturizer to lather on at night?
Bama37
01-12-2003, 09:25 PM
Hi there! I am on day 4 of Accutane...I sure wish I could click my heels three times and be done with this! I am on 40mg in the am and 20mg in the pm.
From what I have researched...based upon other users experience...I went with the Cetaphil moisturizer and the St. Ives facial scrub. Most folks said the Cetaphil face wash left their skin feeling like it was not really clean...and were happy with the St. Ives because it took care of dry flakey skin. I can tell you that so far I like the choices I went with. (of course, it's only day 4) LOL
I have not had any noticable side effects yet...but I am really paranoid right now and expecting just about all of them. LOL
It's great to meet someone who is in the same boat...I look forward to keeping up with you!
From what I have researched...based upon other users experience...I went with the Cetaphil moisturizer and the St. Ives facial scrub. Most folks said the Cetaphil face wash left their skin feeling like it was not really clean...and were happy with the St. Ives because it took care of dry flakey skin. I can tell you that so far I like the choices I went with. (of course, it's only day 4) LOL
I have not had any noticable side effects yet...but I am really paranoid right now and expecting just about all of them. LOL
It's great to meet someone who is in the same boat...I look forward to keeping up with you!
TiredOfThisAll
01-21-2003, 08:53 PM
Well, its day 14 now. Havent been here for a while, figured it would be a little redundant to post how its going EVERY day.. so like 10 days after the last time i posted.. im doing ok.. no serious side effects *knock on wood*... lips/skin very dry.. noticing my hair is dry too. im not oily anymore which is good, but i always have a bunch of dead skin or zits peeling off, kind of embarrasing. Definately in my initial breakout period. even with the doxy, im breaking out. Nothing horrendous (spelling?) but i can expect a few new pimples every morning and af ew more during the day.. but im holding out.. once i got past the first week the times going by faster.. so far so good.
TiredOfThisAll
01-21-2003, 08:58 PM
and now that cost isnt an issue (talked to insurance and now i just pay the deductable).. im going back to my derm on the 7th of feb.. and im goin to ask her about raising the dosage.. im only on 40 mg right now. I would like to at least be at 60, I just want to amke sure if i go through this for 6 months, i want it to work.
TiredOfThisAll
03-01-2003, 04:21 PM
Well, im nearing the end of my 2nd month now... I go back on friday. my mom switched me to amnesteem because she couldnt afford the accutane and the insurance company wont pay for it, they pay for a WHOLE 70 dollars for the amnesteem, so im gonna call them tomorrow and give them hell. But anyway:
Im currently on 80 mg one day.. 40 the next.. so it evens out to 60. But right now I have 2 boxes of amnesteem left, so im just gonna take 80 a day from now on, and then ask my derm to up my dosage again.
Someone came up to me the other day and said "your face is looking good, it was getting pretty bad a while ago" and asked me what I was taking. I was too embarrased to say accutane.. so i just said nothing..
so the basic idea here is that the doxy with the accutane is starting to work i guess... next month i expect to clear a lot (3rd month)
Im currently on 80 mg one day.. 40 the next.. so it evens out to 60. But right now I have 2 boxes of amnesteem left, so im just gonna take 80 a day from now on, and then ask my derm to up my dosage again.
Someone came up to me the other day and said "your face is looking good, it was getting pretty bad a while ago" and asked me what I was taking. I was too embarrased to say accutane.. so i just said nothing..
so the basic idea here is that the doxy with the accutane is starting to work i guess... next month i expect to clear a lot (3rd month)
ElDictator
03-01-2003, 08:30 PM
You should really shop around when filling prescriptions and avoid big chains like RiteAid. I was prescribed 40mg of Accutane and at RiteAid the price was around 500 dollars. But one of the ladies at the counter pointed me in the right the direction and I got the prescription for 300. Go me. Though I still shudder at the prespective price of 80mgs.
TiredOfThisAll
03-10-2003, 08:58 PM
Well.. went ot the derm on friday... she said shes seeing improvement and shes starting to tell that the zits are drying up now..she thinks month 3 will be a big month for me... she took me off the doxycycline and bumped my dosage up to 80 mg (for the accutane)... no special instruction.. just "i think we'll be seeing some really big improvements this month"... she also said she doesnt think she will raise my dosage about 80... not sure if thats good or bad..
yfs
03-10-2003, 10:39 PM
this is a response to eldictator, you said not to go to rite aid and i did, it cost around 600? which one should i go to? a walgreens or a local supermarket?
yfs
03-11-2003, 12:50 AM
order online? is it true? how come you are required to have a yellow sticker? How can i get accutane online?
Alexandra789456
03-11-2003, 01:03 AM
I'm on accutane now too. 40mg. Day 3. Lips a little dry.. and my acne is getting a little worse. This is fun. I only pay $40 Can a month after insurance.
TiredOfThisAll
04-01-2003, 07:12 PM
well, tomorrow I go to the derm for the 4th time, this is the end of my 3rd month.. and ive seen a big improvement in my face, not as big an improvement on my neck.. and my chest/back are pretty bad.
Im really hoping I can ask the derm what to do about my chest and back tomorrow, and hopefully she'll give me an answer.. last time she just skipped over it and went to something else..
she said shes gonna keep me on 80 mg for the rest of the time.. hopefully that means ill be done before june so I don't have to be on it during summer.. other than that, Its not too bad.
Im really hoping I can ask the derm what to do about my chest and back tomorrow, and hopefully she'll give me an answer.. last time she just skipped over it and went to something else..
she said shes gonna keep me on 80 mg for the rest of the time.. hopefully that means ill be done before june so I don't have to be on it during summer.. other than that, Its not too bad.
TiredOfThisAll
04-13-2003, 09:12 PM
11 days into month 4 and im tired of the body acne!
This post is going to be me just letting out the anger of body acne.
When i originally started accutane i figured "ill be clear by the end of the 3rd month.. and spring break will be great, ill got to the pool a lot, hang out with people a lot..it will be great" and other such things.. but now that its here, and my body acne is just as bad as it ever was, im very mad. I can never go to the pool, or even just take my shirt off.. wearing shirts is embarrasing because they usually show your upper neck/very top of back.. or they show the bottom part of my neck/upper chest which has acne too. I don't know what to do now. Im going away to a very hot place tomorrow, where all people do is go to the pool and what am i supposed to do? i cant find any more excuses not to go in.. and I dont have the courage to say to myself "so what, you have body acne, but your dealing with it and actively trying to get rid of it" because its too embarrasing.
and is it just me.. or does anyone else always get one pimple jsut when they would be clear. at one point i was down to one on my left cheek and that was it.. then that went away and i got one on my forehead, then now thats there, the one on my left cheek is back.. and thers 2 on my right cheeck.. 3 new ones on my neck.. and my chest/back just suck...
this is NOT an initial breakout, its just annoying me though.. I just wish my chest back would clear up. Maybe even a little, i could deal with a few pimples on my back... but not a full fledged attack of zits all over the place.
This post is going to be me just letting out the anger of body acne.
When i originally started accutane i figured "ill be clear by the end of the 3rd month.. and spring break will be great, ill got to the pool a lot, hang out with people a lot..it will be great" and other such things.. but now that its here, and my body acne is just as bad as it ever was, im very mad. I can never go to the pool, or even just take my shirt off.. wearing shirts is embarrasing because they usually show your upper neck/very top of back.. or they show the bottom part of my neck/upper chest which has acne too. I don't know what to do now. Im going away to a very hot place tomorrow, where all people do is go to the pool and what am i supposed to do? i cant find any more excuses not to go in.. and I dont have the courage to say to myself "so what, you have body acne, but your dealing with it and actively trying to get rid of it" because its too embarrasing.
and is it just me.. or does anyone else always get one pimple jsut when they would be clear. at one point i was down to one on my left cheek and that was it.. then that went away and i got one on my forehead, then now thats there, the one on my left cheek is back.. and thers 2 on my right cheeck.. 3 new ones on my neck.. and my chest/back just suck...
this is NOT an initial breakout, its just annoying me though.. I just wish my chest back would clear up. Maybe even a little, i could deal with a few pimples on my back... but not a full fledged attack of zits all over the place.
trainboxer
04-13-2003, 09:47 PM
I dont know if this will help, but why not just wear a tight shirt or a shirt that blends in with your bathingsuit material or something right over your bathingsuit. That way it might cover up the back and chest area. I dont know. Just a thought.
KuJo
04-14-2003, 02:36 AM
i'm in the same boat as you. i am on month 4 day 4 and am still battling with this accutane stuff i hate it and just cant wait until its over.i keep getting skeptical and think it isnt working but i know my skin is way more clear than it was 4 months ago. i happen to know that food is a part of why my skin breaks out because last week on my birthday one side of my face was completely clear as well as my forehead, and the rest of my face was clearing up but my friends brought me brownies to school and i broke out the next day after eating them, but oh well thats just how it goes. well i guess we just need to hang in there. my derm said that when youre on accutane your acne tends to start clearing from the center of your face and work its way outward, and so you start breaking out more on your neck and stuff... so maybe thats why you are breaking out there, just because its part of the "healing process"! well i know this sucks but im here for ya, and try and have fun tomorrow!
!KuJo!
!KuJo!
TiredOfThisAll
04-14-2003, 02:43 AM
Yea, my derm told me that same thing. But I wish it would just clear my back.. im worried about tomorrow, about the excuses im gonna make so I don't have to take my shirt off..
OhMyFace
04-14-2003, 07:15 AM
Hey Tired...
Good for you for fighting that insurance company! When you said that, I was thinking there was no way they would cover it unless it is deemed medically necessary...so glad you don't have to pay those outrageous costs. :)
Good for you for fighting that insurance company! When you said that, I was thinking there was no way they would cover it unless it is deemed medically necessary...so glad you don't have to pay those outrageous costs. :)
TiredOfThisAll
04-30-2003, 10:04 PM
Well just went back to the derm, which means im starting my 5th month.. and i heard the most shocking thing i've heard in a long time:
it started off great. "wow, you look great.. looks like you are basically clear" so i was thinking I had a month left and i was done. then she looked at my chest/back (and forehead that just recently broke out) and said "yea, looks like you have a little bit going on still.. id say you have at least another 3 months"
3 more months?! ill be on it most of summer.. thats ridiculous.. she said it depends on the number of pills your taking, not the length of time your taking it. so i asked her about at least upping the dosage..
she agreed to upping it to 120 mg one day.. then 80 the next.. to average out to 100 mg total..
I'm not really worried about the 3(40 mg each) pills a day, because I sometimes take that now anyway.. but 3 more months?!
overall it was pretty good, my face is clearing, and she said "well, your looking great" and I believe her, the only active zits i have are 2 or 3 on my forehead.. but those will be gone in a few days, cause my forehead was clear before.
p.s. she says my blood tests are "perfect" and ive been drinking every weekend, for those of you worried about a few drinks a week.
it started off great. "wow, you look great.. looks like you are basically clear" so i was thinking I had a month left and i was done. then she looked at my chest/back (and forehead that just recently broke out) and said "yea, looks like you have a little bit going on still.. id say you have at least another 3 months"
3 more months?! ill be on it most of summer.. thats ridiculous.. she said it depends on the number of pills your taking, not the length of time your taking it. so i asked her about at least upping the dosage..
she agreed to upping it to 120 mg one day.. then 80 the next.. to average out to 100 mg total..
I'm not really worried about the 3(40 mg each) pills a day, because I sometimes take that now anyway.. but 3 more months?!
overall it was pretty good, my face is clearing, and she said "well, your looking great" and I believe her, the only active zits i have are 2 or 3 on my forehead.. but those will be gone in a few days, cause my forehead was clear before.
p.s. she says my blood tests are "perfect" and ive been drinking every weekend, for those of you worried about a few drinks a week.
TiredOfThisAll
07-24-2003, 07:47 PM
well.. update.. my derm decided to keep me on for a 6th month, but dropped my dosage from 120 mg per day to just 40 mg per day.. and im loving it, im clear, and so far staying that way.. im going out to the beach, the pool, parties.. im doing everything now..
things are going great, only nice things to say about me.. always being call cute, and the other night i was with a girl and she licked my face.. that made me confident that my acne is completely gone now..
the 40 mg is nothing, i feel like my body is returning to the way it was before accutane, but the acne is staying away.
hopefully it will stay like this forever.
things are going great, only nice things to say about me.. always being call cute, and the other night i was with a girl and she licked my face.. that made me confident that my acne is completely gone now..
the 40 mg is nothing, i feel like my body is returning to the way it was before accutane, but the acne is staying away.
hopefully it will stay like this forever.
Don't b Down
07-24-2003, 08:36 PM
aha another success story! way to go tired...hope you have a blast the rest of summer
Dom
07-29-2003, 12:42 AM
right there with you....goig to enter my 5th month in a week...im about 90-95% clear....it feels so good to be me again....(not to sound ful of myself but according to alot of people im a really good looking guy) back to being the old pimp :) i miss it soo much...gna have to work on a new decent girlfriend now. i just hope it stays this way....and to the rest good luck....(accutane is a great product)
anth0r
07-29-2003, 12:48 AM
how would you rate your dryness while being on accutane?
Is it a sever dryness where your skin is very tight and red, or a dryness where it's slightly flakey, but when moisturizers are applied its normal?
Is it a sever dryness where your skin is very tight and red, or a dryness where it's slightly flakey, but when moisturizers are applied its normal?
TiredOfThisAll
07-29-2003, 02:24 AM
while I was on 120 mg my skin was really dry, if i didnt put on moisturizer it would get white and flakes would start coming off.. and then the dryness just started going away, to where now I don't wear any moisturizer and my face is just soft and smooth.. also the redness the moisturizer caused me is gone too. and i noticed even if i dont put chapstick on my lips for a day or a night, they will be dry, but not red and cracking.
TiredOfThisAll
07-29-2003, 02:26 AM
and yes, i hate to sound full of myself, but people tell me all the time how cute i am.. there is 3 girls that are competing for me.. and an old girlfriend is trying to get me back..
I hate sounding conceited or full of myself.. but accutane is a miracle drug. it really is.
I hate sounding conceited or full of myself.. but accutane is a miracle drug. it really is.
anth0r
07-29-2003, 04:57 PM
You don't sound conceited at all, that's how I was while differin was kicking my acne's ass. Girls galore, now it's summer and I'm plagued again, so I'm seriously considering accutane--that is if my derm approves it.
Either she approves it and makes her cut, or I go to mexico and purchase it and she looses out :)
Either she approves it and makes her cut, or I go to mexico and purchase it and she looses out :)
Kimdoc
07-29-2003, 05:03 PM
I've been on accutane too. I loved it. I had no problems on it whatsoever. I had really oily skin to begin with so the accutane balanced my skin out. I would still get very little breakouts. But my problem was I also got cysts. This past January I started getting chemical peels and it changed my life! I have not had one cyst since. I do have a friend who was also on accutane that had a bad experience during it. Her face, lips and ears would get sooo cracked and dry and would bleed all the time that she would not even want to go out of the house, but in the long run she has never had a breakout since. I wish I didn't wait so long to try it.
anth0r
07-29-2003, 05:47 PM
Did your friends' bad drying of the ears, lips and skin subside the further she got into her treatment or after?
TiredOfThisAll
07-30-2003, 10:47 AM
anthor.. the same kind of happened to me, i had a patch of dry skin on my ear that would peel off and leave red skin and it looked really bad.. also sometimes my lips would be bright red with skin coming off them.. It happened mostly when I was at 120 mg per day. But the ear thing lasted quite a while, at least over a month.
anth0r
07-30-2003, 04:08 PM
I take it 120mg a day is a lot!?
TiredOfThisAll
07-30-2003, 04:14 PM
well.. i started off at 40.. then went to 60.. then my derm pushed it to 80 and said she would leave it at 80.. then i made her up it again to 3 one day and 2 the next.. which averaged out to 100 mg.. and then i went back again and told her i was just going to take 3 a day which was 120 mg.. so yea.. its a lot to be taking.
anth0r
07-30-2003, 05:20 PM
why did you have her up it?
anth0r
07-30-2003, 05:20 PM
why did you have her up it?