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1) Did you experience any change in character such as moodiness, depression etc.?
Yes, I did experience a change
in character but it wasn't depression or moodiness! I went from depressed to being very confident, outgoing and social all
because of Accutane. I used to be a very social person, active in my sorority and other school activities through college.
The last year or so of college I felt so embarrassed of my acne I never even wanted to leave my apartment - sometimes not
even to go to class! I was depressed and hated everything. Accutane actually gave me my life back - now that I'm clear again
I can actually go out and do everything with confidence - my self-esteem has skyrocketed!
2) How long does the initial
outbreak last and when does it come?
Popular question and hard one to answer. The initial outbreak is different for
every person. Some have it around the second week others break out a month into the treatment (somewhat like I did). After
you do get it - it may go away the very next week or you might get worse for awhile. I believe the statistic is 1 in 4 people
get the initial breakout so you may clear right from the beginning since not everyone gets it or you might get worse first.
Either way realize by the end of your treatment almost all patients see results. Also, don't discouraged as some people have
gone all the way through the treatment and not seen drastic results until the month after they have stopped.
3) Did
you lose or gain weight?
I actually lost some weight for two reasons. 1) I was watching what I ate and not eating
cholestorol-ridden foods since Accutane can raise your cholestorol and 2) I stopped drinking beer! ;) Other then that Accutane
has no effect on your weight that I know of.
4) Can you get piercings or tattoos while on Accutane?
Neither
is recommended since healing while on Accutane is dramatically lessoned. In my opinion if you absolutely have to pierce then
take good care of it, but I would think tattoos would be out of the question since your skin is so sensitive and healing so
slow.
5) Can you drink on Accutane?
Many otherswith have and have not had bad experiences (look at my week
11) but I personally decided not to when I read about just how damaging Accutane itself can be to your liver I wouldn't want
to add alcohol to the process too. I'm not saying I didn't drink at all, as I did here and there - but not in excess. If I
knew I was going to drink more then a drink or two I made it a point not to take my pill that day either (of course this wasn't
often)
6) What can I do for my red marks?
Well Vitamin E, K , Zinc and aloe vera all help to heal those red
marks (since they are pimples that never healed correctly) They do eventually go away with time though by themselves.
Hydroquinone
4% is really good also - you can ask the pharmacist at your local drug store to give it to you (2%) or you can get it prescribed.
Mederma is a product which many people use for red marks too. For other products you can just type in "postinflammatory
hyperpigmentation" and do a search, you'll find lots of products on the internet.
Most expensively you can get chemical
peels or laser surgery done by your Derm.
7) Do you have to get cortisone shots?
No, and hopefully you don't
have to! Cortisone shots are used on patients who have cysts but has nothing to do with the Accutane treatment. I would highly
recommend it to those who do have cysts though because they will heal within 48 hours (some cysts can take months to heal
if not treated) also it lessons the chances of a scar forming if done correctly.
8) Is getting a rash normal?
Some
people get rashes (especailly on the back of their hands and arms) which are due to the dryness of course. I had it on my
arms and lathered up with moisturizer and it went away in a couple of days. Some people use vaseline others use hydrocortisone
cream. *It was suggested that if you do have the hand rash also consider not washing them with irritating soaps such as antibacterials
and instead using cetaphil/dove or another gentler soap.
9) Is back aches and muscle soreness common? What can I do
about it?
Many people have expressed back and muscle pain to me which I find is actually pretty common contrary to
what the percentage rates say. First and for most cut back on your daily activity ie working out, sports etc. You can also
take MSM (sulfur) as discussed in week 17, which is known to help with muscle soreness. If you feel too uncomfortable you
can always have the derm lower your dosage (as in my case)
10) What side-effects did you experience?
Dry lips,
dryness all over (yet not very bad as I actually rarely put moisturizer on my face) muscle soreness which subsided towards
the end, hair breakage due to the dryness(my hair was already damaged in the first place :)
11) How do you get your
hair removed if you can't wax?
Tweeze and bleach.
12) Would I recommend it to others?
I would definitely
recommend Accutane to anyone who had cystic acne (or acne deemed appropriate for this treatment by a doctor) and felt comfortable
enough with the side-effects to be able to identify them and finish the complete treatment (many people quit after they clear)
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