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Hi everyone - yet another week to share my misery and triumphs :)
First thing I want to add is that the FDA implemented
new regulations that Accutane users should be aware of. It's nothing huge - but it is a program called the S.M.A.R.T program,
which basically applies to only women. It states that we will have to adhere to monthly pregnancy tests and sign a Letter
of Understanding, then you are "strongly encouraged" to take a half day course in order to receive a "Qualification"
sticker which will enable you to get your prescriptions! And in order to even start Accutane you must have had at least 2
monthly negative pregnancy results, not to mention if you are sexually active you have to have 2 forms of protection, one
of which you have to be on a month prior to starting Accutane.
I'm not sure if this means I will have to now sign
these papers and begin getting tested for the duration of my treatment but I will ask on Friday and get back to you after
I see what my Derm has to say about it. What a pain!!! After all the research done on what this drug can do to babies you
would think people would be responsible but I guess not since it has come to this...anyways heres the website if you want
to check it out:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2001/ANS01113.html
Okay on to other news...last weeks
breakout left as fast as it came! It's incredible how fast they seem to go now - but of course they always leave behind the
dreaded red marks!! But I did get a couple on my chin a couple of days ago that I'm sure will also be gone. I'm realizing
it's still to early to expect not to break out at all, so I'm taking comfort in the fact that there's only a few and not the
hundreds of pimples like before.
The vitamin E is definitely doing it's job though the red marks are really fading
enough in fact that I'm hoping they will all be gone by the time my treatment is over. I even thought of applying Vitamin
E cream to help it along and actually went to the drug store and got some that had aloe vera and wheat germ oil - but my grandmother
told me that would definitely break me out because it's greasy...so much for that idea. I also looked up the stuff called
Dermatique, which is for acne scars (red marks), but it explicitly says you can't use it while on Accutane...plus it's kind
of expensive! So now I'm going to look some stuff called Lustra and Merderma that I've heard other people try on the absolutacneinfo
message board. Right now I'm getting by with my green concealer - it's awesome- girls if you don't own one youre missing out.
It's a green concealer you apply to red marks then you add foundation of course and your red marks are gone!!!
My
regime is still the same except I've stopped using moisturizer because I'm actually not that dry. Oh and I'm using the Cleocin
T at night like the Derm said...Other then that I just worry about remembering to take my pills (how can I forget something
so important to me I don't know!)
Oh and remember last week the Derm cut me back to 50mgs instead of 60mg? Well
I had a weeks worth of the 20mg pills for the morning left over so I've been taking that because I REALLY didn't want to lower
the dosage and even had a crazy idea of doubling up the 10mg pills he told me to take so that I wouldn't have to lower the
dosage...we'll see.
I contemplate this because my back really doesn't hurt as much anymore. It did for a while but
when I stopped working out as hard as I was it kind of subsided...it's still sore when I lay down though. I got a letter from
a girl who told me she was experiencing the same thing with the back and the itchy arms which made me feel so good! That sounds
bad but I was happy to feel like I wasn't the only one, or like something was wrong with me. My arms arent as dry anymore
though because unlike my face I've been applying lotion whenever I get out of the shower.
I've been getting alot
of letters lately, which I am so thankful for! I think we can all help each other through this disease, since in many cases
family and friends really don't understand what it's like and the impact acne can have on our lives, especially with the pressure
of such an extreme drug. So I set up a message board that we can use on here and everyone who reads this can also talk to
each other and we can all work together to help each other and share and questions, advice or opinions we may have! Best of
all though we can each report back on our status, how long we've been on, or if your thinking about going on and then keep
track of how everyone's doing. Just a thought...
We'll I'll have some more picture's in two weeks so keep checking
back in!
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