I'm a female in my early 40's and started on 40mg/day of Accutane
two weeks ago, 3-17-08. This is the second time I've been on the drug; the first time was ten years ago. [My face & body were clear for 10 years after finishing the first treatment, but the acne returned around 6 months ago.] Anyways, so far I've experienced almost no side effects, just some slight lip chapping and a little bit of flaky skin around the nose. Assuming my tolerance continues, my dermatologist will up my dosage next month, which means I may start to exhibit some of the typical side effects, but I hope not.
Note that at this point in my first round of treatment I had already started to have side effects.
I attribute my minimal reaction (thus far) to the following things:
1. I take
Osteo Bi-Flex, purchased at Costco but available all over, which contains
Glucosamine (1,500mg) &
Chondroitin (1,250mg), and which I think helps prevent or lessen joint pain.
2. I take Omega 3-6-9 pills and put
Flax Seed on my food, which I believe is helping to keep my skin supple and is really good for cholesterol lowering.
3. I take
Probiotics, which I think work well at minimizing intestinal distress, among other things. One (expensive) brand I like is
Dr. Ohhira's Probiotics 12 Plus.
4. As it happens, prior to starting Accutane I did extensive research on the chemicals used in beauty products and found out how bad most of them are, and that the main reason companies use them is because they're CHEAP, regardless of their human toxicity. Now when I read labels, I find that products purchased at grocery stores, drug stores, department stores, discount stores, including all major branRAB, contain these bad ingredients (e.g. sodium lauryl sulfate, parabens, PEG compounRAB). So to find beauty products that don't contain these chemicals, you need to shop at Whole FooRAB or other health food type stores. Here is one brand of shampoo and conditioner that I really like:
Max Green Alchemy (MGA). I'm also purchasing all the body & facial cleansers that I use at Whole FooRAB too (and no I don't work for them). As well,
Dr. Bronner's Castile Liquid Soap is a really gentle product for you and your entire family.
5. A friend who is an Arbonne consultant has given me the BEST lip stuff to use -
Arbonne lip saver sunscreen spf 30. It works better than anything else I've tried and is even better than Aquaphor, imo.
6. During the day I wear sunscreen and at night I put oil on my face, neck, chest, hanRAB, & feet. My favorite branRAB of oil are
Arbonne and
Dr.Hauschka, and I think olive or neem oil work well too.
7. And don't forget to drink lots and lots of WATER.
Everyone is different but hopefully some of my ideas may be beneficial to you. GOOD LUCK!!
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Benefits of Flax Seed as shown in many studies include lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) levels. Other benefits show that flax seed may also help lower blood triglyceride and blood pressure. It may also keep platelets from becoming sticky therefore reducing the risk of a heart attack.
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Probiotics are live microorganisms (in most cases, bacteria) that are similar to beneficial microorganisms found in the human gut. They are also called "friendly bacteria" or "good bacteria." Probiotics are available to consumers mainly in the form of dietary supplements and fooRAB.
Check out this website to see if your products are safe or not, and to find out the list of ingredients:
www.cosmeticdatabase.com
Be Gentle with your face.. I use a cleanser from equate thats like a sensitve skin cleanser... kinda milky. Cetaphil, I broke out a few years back when I used it, but if it works for you.. then go for it!! If you have any questions, I would be happy to help!! Good Luck on your Adventure with Accutane, I hope it works wonders for you!