 |
Well this week was just average...
Of course my clear week last time was short-lived as this week I did get a few
pimples on my face. These were just tiny bumps really but they were upsetting nonetheless considering I'm expecting near
perfection now that I'm in the final stretch of this treatment. Also, I got a couple small ones on my chest...and I was so
excited to wear tank tops soon! My back is still 100% clear though which I am thankful for.
As for side-effects
I haven't felt anything else other then what I have mentioned before: dry lips, and now very very minimal back ache when I
lay down (sometimes I don't even notice it). This is due to the fact that I have stopped all exercising completely. Also,
my hair is really dry. I actually try to put a few days in between washing since it never gets greasy and I have it up most
of the time. Not to mention every time a strand falls off I get paranoid, although I don't think any extreme amount has fallen
out to consider hair loss.
On the subject of hairloss I did in fact want share with you some things I have learned
about it since so many of you have written me expressing concern either before or during treatment...
I did read
on another message board where a girl posted that she had heard from another girl's Derm that 1000 IU of Vitamin E could help
with dryness and hairloss. Since this obviously wasn't a reliable source :) I checked it out and did a search to find that
Vitamin E was in fact in many hairloss treatments.
I also found a couple of basic sites that many could help you
with not only the uses of Vitamin E, where you can see it "helps heal acne," "lessons some types of hairloss,"
and "decreases scarring listed under Vitamin E Uses and natural hairloss treatments listed under Natural Ways to Decrease
Hairloss :)
Be careful though because 1000IU is the maximum amount that a person should take of Vitamin E and people
should be careful of taking Vitamin E with any blood thinning medications.
Another question I get alot is the alcohol
question! :) Since I don't drink on Accutane (I've given my opinion on that earlier :) I thought maybe you should get the
experience of somebody who actually does so you can decide on your own!
This is from Eric, a biology major on his
6th month of Accutane:
"Another point about alcohol is that infrequent, small dose usage is not significantly
harmful. An alcohol side effect warning was added because there was one instance of a disulfiram-like effect in one patient.
If you are unfamiliar with disulfiram, it is a drug used to treat alcoholism. When mixed with alcohol, disulfiram causes
very unpleasant effects such as extreme nausea and flushing. Again, this was only one patient. It is important to keep in
mind that alcohol can temporarily raise triglyceride levels, which means that one should not drink alcohol within 36-48 hours
of a blood test. In other words, a beer here and a beer there isn't likely to hurt you. While this is just anecdotal evidence,
I consume alcohol once or twice a week while on Accutane, and on a few social occasions, heavily. I haven't had any negative
side effects from it, and my triglyceride and cholesterol levels did not increase abnormally for someone using Accutane.
My liver enzymes also came back normal."
The last frequent question is about the alpha and beta hydroxyacids
- I think Eric does a good job in summing it up for ya :)
"You also made mention of the use of alpha and beta
hydroxyacids. You should avoid both. They help to peel the skin and expose fresh, new skin. The problem is that Accutane
also causes the skin to flake, and the combination can lead to severe skin irritation and raw places on the skin. Basically,
Accutane is nearly certainly going to clear up your acne for at least a short period after you discontinue it (there is a
1 in 10 chance of recurrence within 1 year of stopping, 1 in 4 for 2 years). You needn't use beta hydroxyacids to speed up
the process because they may cause more harm than help. It's frustrating, but you should not use anything medicated on your
face unless directly instructed to do so by your dermatologist."
Thanks Eric for such great information!!!
If any others ever have any info you think I should add don't hesitate to email me - more heads are better then one :)
I also wanted to give you some percentages of these side-effects as listed on:
http://www.skinsite.com/info_accutane.htm
Chapped lips 90%
Dry skin and itching 80% - the use of daily alpha hydroxyacids will help prevent this side
effect.
Dryness of nose, mild nosebleed 80%
Irritation of the eyelids and eyes 40% - Vitamin E 400 IU each day
may lessen this side effect.
Joint and muscle pains 15%
Temporary hair thinning 10%
Rash 7%
Intestinal
symptoms 5%
Urinary symptoms 5%
Headache 5%
Increased sensitivity to sunburn 5% - the use of daily sunscreen
will help prevent this side effect.
Decreased night vision <1%
Depression, thoughts of suicide <1% "
I found the alpha hydroxyacids part inaccurate but at least we have a guide of the percentages...
Anyways
some of you have expressed concern over headaches and this is what this website has to say:
Some people develop
headaches while on Accutane. If you develop a persistent headache while on Accutane, call your physician right away. A persistent
headache, which will not go away while on Accutane, can be dangerous and you should stop the medication.
We sometimes
have to remember that although we don't want to be taken off Accutane we still need to communicate any problems to the Doctor
just in case! Acne isn't worth serious health problems.
Well last but not least I wanted to mention that week
8 pictures are up - the reason I never show my forehead is because I've never had a problem with it fortunatly and rarely
break out there (usually never) I hope you find some comfort in the fact that I'm a real person that is really clearing up
and not just an Accutane brochure :)and for those of you in treatment I hope we are all clear SOON!!
Thanks for
checking out my site and I hope it helps,
Jenn
|
|
