Accutane/isotretinoin/Claravis

[Amnesiac]

So, VT, I started taking isotretinoin (also known as Accutane) about 10 days ago. I have to take it twice a day, along with a pill of prednisone to stop the horrifying extreme breakout that people usually get after starting the medication.

Of course, now I have dry lips, and they're a pain in the ass. Has anyone here taken or is anyone on isotretinoin? How'd you deal with your dry skin and whatever other side effects you had?

[Church]

I've heard Accutane can cause health problems but I wouldnt give it to much credit till you looked into it yourself.

[Amnesiac]

I've heard Accutane can cause health problems but I wouldnt give it to much credit till you looked into it yourself.

The only major side effect is birth defects, which is obviously not a concern for me. I've heard about other side effects, but they're rare – the only thing my dermatologist stressed in particular is depression, which is very rare in Accutane patients.

I have friends also taking some variant of Accutane. One of them just finished his 5-month course and his skin is godly. That, combined with an 80 to 90% success rate and my doctor's claim that I'm "a good candidate" for the medication are all reasons why I'm taking it. I'm actually seeing some improvement already.

[CaptainObvious]

i had acne that was mild to medium but more or less completely resistant to topical treatments or even oral antibiotics. i went on accutane, and i have acne no more. i hear lots of people question it, and to be fair, accutane is a powerful drug. but it's a powerful drug that works.

anyways, about the dry skin thing. i started out just using lip balm frequently but it got to the point that i was applying so frequently it was ridiculous. so i just started using vaseline as lip balm. it works. the other problem i had that you may or may not experience was that my nostrils would dry out and i got all this gross crust and bleeding and crap. vaseline fixed that too.

for skin, i used 2 different moisturizing lotion: a standard lotion for parts of my body other than my face (didn't use it that frequently because tbh the face is the main issue), and then this moisturizer from acne.org (http://www.danielkern.com/product-p/moisturizer-16.htm) for my face. i found most other moisturizers generally too heavy - that one is extremely light and just generally felt good.

if you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask.

[Amnesiac]

i had acne that was mild to medium but more or less completely resistant to topical treatments or even oral antibiotics. i went on accutane, and i have acne no more. i hear lots of people question it, and to be fair, accutane is a powerful drug. but it's a powerful drug that works.

anyways, about the dry skin thing. i started out just using lip balm frequently but it got to the point that i was applying so frequently it was ridiculous. so i just started using vaseline as lip balm. it works. the other problem i had that you may or may not experience was that my nostrils would dry out and i got all this gross crust and bleeding and crap. vaseline fixed that too.

My lips seem to be getting better (it's only day 11, though), my doctor gave me some ointment for them that really works – however, I'll look into the Vaseline as an alternative.

for skin, i used 2 different moisturizing lotion: a standard lotion for parts of my body other than my face (didn't use it that frequently because tbh the face is the main issue), and then this moisturizer from acne.org (http://www.danielkern.com/product-p/moisturizer-16.htm) for my face. i found most other moisturizers generally too heavy - that one is extremely light and just generally felt good.

I'll keep this in mind for when my skin really starts to dry out in a few weeks. At the moment, I just have some dry skin around my lips; I'm using a basic moisturizer my dermatologist gave me, but that's bound to run out soon, probably before I get my prescription refilled.

if you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask.

I'll be sure to come back if I have any more questions as the weeks drag on. Thanks.

[kai99]

Never had it