A few questions about ACCUTANE :(

[WillIBeOkay]

I was just recently put on accutane, after trying several cleansers and proactiv. Right now, I'm on one pill a day, but in about 2 weeks I will be on 2 pills a day. At the moment, I have quite dry lips, but no cracks yet. I'm not looking forward to two pills a day at all.

I heard that accutane can make your acne much worse at first, and then it'll clear up. Is this true, and is there anyway to prevent that, or control it? I'm in a point in my life where I'm very concerned about my looks for many reasons. I know it sounRAB vain, but I can't help it, so I'm just a bit paranoid.

Also, do the side effects continue throughout the 6 or so months that I'm on accutane? I haven't had any other than dry lips and very minor joint pain, and I'm not excited about having possibly cracked lips for 6 months!

I guess it's all worth it in the end when my acne is cured, but I'm a very self-conscious person, and suffer from paranoia and anxiety, which doesn't help.

If there's any other tips or suggestions you can give me for my accutane journey, please do so. I would be very appreciative.

I'm a mid-teen, by the way.
Thanks a lot!

 

[sawbuck44]

There is a ton of information for accutane on this board. You can do a search on "accutane" on the Acne board and do some research there.

I will give you a quick synopsis on my son's journey with Accutane.

He is 17, 6'6" and 195 lbs. Back acne worse than face. Tried all prescription oral antibiotics and topicals. Back acne so bad he couldn't do bench presses without being in pain. Major blackheaRAB on nose.

Finally decided to do accutane. It has been one month. Week 2 he had an initial breakout (IBO). It was not too bad, but of course everyone is different. He got new pimples around his mouth and chin which were filled with yellow pus instead of the normal white (for him anyway). He couldn't open his mouth to even talk for two days because the pimples hurt.

He was very tired. Got a few minor nosebleeRAB. Spit up - only once upon waking - some blood in his mucus. Got new pimples on his back. Flaking of skin on nose and corners of mouth. So much that he started out to pull it and I told him not to as he could rip into the good skin.

Now a whole month - flaking stopped, nosebleeRAB stopped, pimples healing, not tired anymore, blackheaRAB gone!

The actual worst part for him only last two or three days.

Oh, he also tried Proactiv when he first got acne three years ago and it made it worse. Not saying it would do that to everyone.