Abi’s Roaccutane Diary - A Third Course

Abi
 

Abi

Friday 13 June, 2008

Posted in Abi's Roaccutane Diary

Hiya Everyone! Hope you are all well!

Right, I had an appointment with my dermatologist on Monday, I would have updated then, however my boyfriend has been down at mine so I haven’t had much free time up until now. So basically I told him that I hadn’t been very happy recently as I had started getting some spots. I must confess to you all that on the 13th of May I got incredibly frustrated that my skin was getting bad again and I had some Roaccutane tablets left over from my last course so I started takng 20mg a day. I wouldn’t advise anybody else to self medicate, but I was so scared my skin was gonna really break out that I just had to feel like I was doing something. I told the derm what I had done and he didn’t seem that impressed but was pleased I had been honest with him. Seeing as I had been taking the Roacc for about 3 weeks already my skin was already healing up so when I saw him on Monday my skin didn’t actually look that bad at all so I think he thought I was making a fuss about nothing until I explained that I had already started taking it again.

Anyway, he started trying to fob me off with lotions such as Dalacin-T (comes in a weird roller ball and is completely useless) or some antibiotics but I wasn’t having any of that and we eventually agreed that I would take 40mg of Roacc a day and see how I get on. He did say though that he didn’t want me to over-do it on the Roaccutane as there is a possibilty of taking the treatment too far and I will end up with incredibly dry skin with is irreversible, so that worried me a bit!

So since May 13th, the first 2 weeks were pretty appalling, my skin got worse and i hid in my house. However, now I’ve been back on the Roacc for almost a month my skin is almost clear again, which is really fabulous and I feel much happier :-) I’ve actually realised that I quite enjoy being on Roaccutane, apart from the dry lips I absolutely love not having to faff about washing my hair every single day. Also, I think that when doctors give you treatments such as antibiotics you can take them for like a whole year and see absolutely nothing, atleast when your on Roacc, the dry skin and lips proves that the tablet is actually doing something!!! I have a 21st bday party tonight so I’m so relieved my skin has cleared up again as I can now really enjoy it and not feel self-concious. It is a shame I won’t be able to drink though!

Anyways, I will keep you all updated with how things progress, and I hope all your treatments are going well for you :-)

19 Responses to “Abi’s Roaccutane Diary - A Third Course”

#1 Nina says...

Third time lucky! Good luck Abi :) xxx

June 13th, 2008 at 4:06 pm

#2 Abi says...

Thanks Nina! Really praying this will be my last time!!!

xxx

June 13th, 2008 at 4:17 pm

#3 Nath says...

Hey Abi, yeah as Nina says, 3rd time lucky! Although I have had 5 courses in total (my derm says that’s more than ANYONE in my district has ever been prescribed! – and they are clearly worried about prescribing it again but I have an appointment next month hoping to get a 6th) I am currently on Tetralysal (which has never worked before so I don’t know what made them think it would this time!!) and have tried everything else, other anti-biotics, creams, gels, etc, etc.
I was really confident after the 2nd course, I went ages after finishing without any reoccurrences and I think (for me anyway) after the 3rd course, the accutane wasn’t as responsive as the previous courses - still a very good drug though.

I have battled with this for many years now, it’s very hard some days and your confidence really does take a hit and it really can be embarrassing! I have been reading your other posts where you said ‘Why do some people have perfect skin all their lives and other people have to constantly battle?’ So true, I often ask myself the same question!! I feel for you because I know how you feel, but I guess it was just the hand we were dealt. We are all different and we all take to treatment in different ways so I am sure this time round for you will be the last :)

Keep smiling x

June 20th, 2008 at 9:35 am

#4 Abi says...

Hiya Nath,

Thank you very much for your message :-)

When I first took Roaccutane the derm gave me the impression that in general most people only ever need one course, however, from what I can gather quite alot of people take further courses.

When i saw my derm this time he tried to give me another antibiotic (which I already knew wouldn’t work) and he sed his reasoning was that the Roacutane had changed my skin so I should respond to other treatments better. I personally find antibiotics completely useless and the only thing that ever clears up my skin is Roaccutane. I’ve read some accounts of people who take 1 Roaccutane tablet a week and that keeps their acne under control, so I may suggest this to my derm, however I get the impression he won’t be keen on the idea as he wasn’t too thrilled about giving me Roaccutane again this time.

I hate the fact that I allow the state of my skin to dominate my life. If my skin is bad I cancel all plans and stay inside because I feel so self concious, but when my skin clears up I feel like a completely different person.

Throughout all your courses of Roaccutane what have you found to be the best products? I’m still in search of the perfect moisturiser as I have very sensitive skin. I want a moisturiser thats fragrance/colour free, doesn’t sting my face, has spf 15 in it and doesn’t clog pores, however I havn’t managed to find a product that fits all my criteria yet lol!

Let me know how your appointment goes next month :-)

xxxxxxxxxxx

June 20th, 2008 at 4:54 pm

#5 Nath says...

Hey Abi, sorry it’s taken so long to reply…

I wasn’t actually given the impression by the derm that in general most ppl only need only one course…i was actually TOLD this! I don’t know anyone who has only had just the one course. But I guess that’s them trying to be positive when we are feeling low!

I too find any other antibiotic useless too, but they still insist on my trying them saying my skin should respond better now, etc, etc (I think they all have the same script lol).

I hate the fact that I can allow my skin dictate my life too, I actually feel really shallow for allowing that but it’s really hard to let it NOT affect you isn’t it :(

Ok…through my courses I have found that the ‘Nivea for men rehydrating moisturiser’ to be the best for me. A lot of the others really stung!! this one does sting a little on the eye lids but I guess you would get that with any as that is such a delicate area? I have not found one yet that doesnt sting AND has a spf and that is really hard luck for me as I work outside and cannot avoid the sun :(
And it is a nightmare having to shave but thats another story, and one you dont need to worry about lol :)
But…the best for the lips is by far ‘Blistex Intensive Moisturiser’ but I guess we will all take differently to these moisturisers too.

I’ll keep you posted on the appointment but I dont feel confident I will get what I want, but I guess I will have to cross that bridge when I get to it.

Hope I didn’t bore you too much :p
xx

June 23rd, 2008 at 8:42 pm

#6 Nath says...

altho I havent tried the nipple cream you speak so highly of lol. So maybe thats better than the blistex :p
xx

June 23rd, 2008 at 8:52 pm

#7 Abi says...

Hi again Nath!

You are definetly not shallow for worrying about your skin. Any issue that effects your face is awful because it is constantly on show and it’s the first thing people see. It’s not shallow to want to not have spots. I also think alot of people who have never suffered with acne just think it’s a case of it looking bad, but i don’t think they realise just how much it can hurt as well (physically and emotionally). Since the age of 12 when my skin first got bad I turned down joining so many clubs and going to so many parties because of my skin and I really feel it stole my childhood. At school i barely looked any1 in the eye and would try to cover my face up with my hair.

Have you ever discussed a long-term Roaccutane course with your derm, for instance taking one tablet every week to keep things under control? I’ve been reading up about it abit and it seems that it is quite successful.

I have done a bit more research on moisturisers and I have found 1 by Eucerin called “Hydro-protect” which is fragrance and colour free, doesn’t clog pores AND has spf 15, so gonna try it out asap!!!

How is your skin looking currently?? Would you say that after Roacc your skin returns to how it was post-roacc or are the break outs not as severe? My acne has never come back as severe as it used to be but it’s still far from perfect.

Oh and no, you didn’t bore me :-P

xxxxxxxx

June 23rd, 2008 at 10:04 pm

#8 Nath says...

hey, glad i didnt bore u!
Yeh I missed out on a lot when I was younger too, makes me angry if i think about it for too long though.

I haven’t discussed a long term course but I will now :)

Currently? It’s a pretty bad outbreak (hence why I started searching online again for this website) but atm it hasn’t got as bad as before, but it’s far from perfect too. It never seems to get as worse as first time round but just bad enough.

Thanks for the advice on the moisturisers, I will try it :)

xx

June 23rd, 2008 at 10:23 pm

#9 Any says...

Hello

I’m glad i’ve found this place as i’ve felt a bit on my own with this whole roaccutane thing!

I’m 19 and have acne since i was 11 ish i think- i had it severely on my back and face and mildly on my chest.

Over the years i’ve been prescribed, and bought so many things to get rid of it but nothing has done the trick. It got to the stage where i’d exhausted all other possibilities other than roaccutane. Because of other health problems they didn’t want me to take it (i’m chemical sensitive so react to drugs badly)but i was adamant that being ill from it was better than a life with no confidence. I was referred to a dermatologist and i’ve now been on roaccutane for two months and two weeks.

For the first two weeks i was on 20mg, i’ve then had two months on 40mg and the last two days i’ve been on 80mg.

The results are amazing. My face is acne free and i only have one obvious scar which doesn’t want to budge and keeps peeling. I’ve been using bio-oil on my face for the duration to help with scaring.

My chest is totally free of acne and no scarring. My back is much, much better but still has a long way to go. I’m left with an awful lot of reddish pigmentation of the skin- my dermo says its not scarring and should fade with continued treatment.

During the two months i have had very dry lips that have cracked and bled and just generally been horrible. I apply vaseline (the spf 15 one) throughtout the day and use carmex at night time. I wake up every morning with a nosebleed, and my arms and legs are very dry. My eyes are dry but i can manage contact lenses for two hours a day, i’ve had a couple of eye infections but nothing major- i’ve used optrex for that.

On the 80mg i’ve had joint and muscle pain and a horrible headache- it’s early days and this may just be a coinidence.

I’ve used aloe vera moisturiser from Avon for my face along with the bio oil, and have used tcm moisturiser on my arms and legs (it stings my face)

I’m very pleased with the results and i’m continuing for another two months before stopping for a week before i see the dermo again.

Much love x

June 24th, 2008 at 4:12 pm

#10 Abi says...

Hello Any,

Thanks so much for posting! It’s great to here that your treatment is going well :-). I’ve never taken a dose as high as 80mg, my highest has only ever been 40mg and I find that pretty hard going!

Since taking Roaccutane my back has stayed clear for over 3 years, and my chest has stayed virtually spot free, however after each course some acne on my face has returned, hence why I am under going a third course. I may consider asking the derm to up my dose to 60mg in the hope it gives me a better chance of staying clear when I finish the course.

Good luck with the rest of your treatment and keep posting about how you are getting on :-)

xxxxxxxxxxx

June 24th, 2008 at 5:21 pm

#11 Andrew says...

Hi Abi,

I have mild Acne (most of the time, with the occasional huge-ass boil), and have been prescribed Roaccutane due to its stubborness and non-responsiveness to crappy antibiotics (countless different ones!). I weigh 66kg and have been placed on 70mg a day for about 16-18 weeks. My Derm told me that acne is much less likely to return if the total mg taken across the whole course is at least 120mg per kg (so for me its 7920mg (which equates to about 16 weeks of 70mg per day). With this in mind, I’m surprised so many people are on such low doses, or am I on a ridiculously high dose?!? Damn these side effects of inflamed sore lips, dry face, nose bleeds and achey muscles!

Thanks for all your posts btw, they have been very helpful. If I ever get clear (currently on week 2), I intend to keep posting here: although it will be so tempting to just forget everything acne-related!

Thanks,

Andy x

July 21st, 2008 at 11:33 am

#12 Abi says...

Hiya Andrew!

Glad my posts have been helpful :-)

I have never taken higher than 40mg but think that’s cos I only weigh about 50kg. Next time I see my derm though I may argue to be put up to 50mg as then I may have a better chance of staying clear after this course!

Good luck with your treatment. At 70mg I can imagine the side effects may hit you pretty strongly! I have actually become quite accustomed to having dry lips and applying vaseline/nipple cream every 5 mins. I think you will be really pleased with the results though, after enduring several courses of completely useless antibiotics, taking a tablet like Roaccutane is amazing because it actually does something!!

Keep me posted with how you are getting on :-)

Abs
xxxxxxxxxxx

July 21st, 2008 at 2:14 pm

#13 Nath says...

Hey Abi,

I haven’t posted for a while but thought I’d let you know how I am getting on…

Well my appointment was actually brought FORWARD! Shock! And to cut a long story short, I have been prescribed Roaccutane again (70mg) (it’s actually by a different vendor called Beacon, which is a new one on me) and I’m now 18 days into the treatment. The usual side effects started really early on, within 2 days my lips started drying big time and now my skin is very dry.

I am using the moisturiser you suggested and its great so thank you for that, and I have already got though 2 Blistex’s! As I work outdoors I am constantly applying and re-applying everything, bit of a nightmare but I can’t complain :)

Skin has got worse (some very painful spots) at the moment but I have to be positive because I know it will get better (soon I hope!!) so I’m not too worried about it.

Hope things are good with you?!
x

July 27th, 2008 at 6:33 pm

#14 Abi says...

Hiya Nath!

Thanks for letting me know how u r getting on :-)

The tablets I have been given at the moment are also by Beacon. It basically just means you get the generic version of the drug, rather than the one with the brand name, but it’s all the same stuff :-)

Try to stay positive, the first few weeks can be very rubbish but things do get much better as the weeks progress.

Things aren’t too bad with me at the moment! My forehead is peeling even more so than usual which is a complete pain when trying to apply make up, however i hardly have any spots so I am very thankful for that!

I added u to my msn but u dont seem to come online?

xxxxxxxxx

July 27th, 2008 at 7:42 pm

#15 Nath says...

Glad to hear things arent too bad :)

try adding @hotmail.co.uk

N x

July 27th, 2008 at 8:12 pm

#16 Nath says...

thats nath12345234@hotmail.co.uk btw lol x

July 27th, 2008 at 8:39 pm

#17 Andrew says...

Heya Nath,

Sounds like you are on the same dose as me (70mg). Mine are also the ‘Beacon’ vendor. I’m in a very similar position to you, have broken out badly in week 2, and my skin is currently very angry! I agree with you on the Blistex, it’s really good stuff, although i’m using so much of it i’m in need of another trip to Boots!

Good Luck - let me know how it goes.

Andy :-)

July 28th, 2008 at 9:19 am

#18 Nath says...

Hi Andy,
I’ve got a feeling things are on the up now! :)
Blistex rocks! lol.

Hope things are goin well for you?!

July 31st, 2008 at 6:55 pm

#19 Andy says...

Hey Nath,

Glad its going ok! Things havent changed much in the last 7 days. Skin dry, red marks everywhere, but acne seems controlled.. few breakouts.. Bring on week 4!
Got MSN? andrewi_2855@hotmail.com

Andy :)

August 1st, 2008 at 6:13 pm

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