Candice Shares Her Thoughts & Results Using Accutane

Ladies, today I'm bringing you a very special post by one of my best friends, Candice, who you've met on my blog before in Motivation Mondays and some other posts.

She's here to share her experience with the acne drug, Accutane.  Having had bad acne myself and knowing how many other women struggle with it, I asked Candice to share her story so that anyone considering this route would have some insight into the process and what they might expect.

Please welcome Candice!

Why I Decided to Take the Accutane Route
I chose to go on Accutane (generic name isotretinoin) because I was having recurring cystic acne breakouts that were starting to leave scars. I had these when I was in my teens but I was able to treat it effectively with an antibiotic called Minocin. When these breakouts started to happen continuously at the age of 29, nothing seemed to work. I tried every single thing that I was aware of to treat acne such as topical creams, expensive skin care lines, lasers, chemical peels, and different types of antibiotics. You name it, I tried it. I would go see different doctors seeking advice; they all would suggest Accutane as an effective method to treat my acne.

I was very reluctant to go on Accutane because of all the bad press it receives. Not to mention people who are taking the drug tend to typically look awful for 6 months with red, flaky skin. Although with anywhere from 3-5 cystic pimples on my face at any given time, I probably didn’t look much better! I realized that if I ever wanted to have clear skin, and also save my skin from deep pitted scarring, I needed to do something fast. I started to do research on the drug. In Europe, there had been huge success with putting patients on low dose Accutane.  Reports said patients experienced the same results of clear skin, minus any of the negative side effects. Possibly some dry skin. I was very concerned as my Mother has been on Accutane twice in her lifetime and was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease which many medical journals link to the use of Accutane. My dermatologist assured me that there was no concrete evidence of this and that under proper supervision; I was safe to start the medication.

Taking Accutane is Not Easy
For anyone considering Accutane as a method to remedy their acne, there are some things to consider. This is a heavily monitored drug due to the possible health risks. I had to get extensive blood work done before and take a pregnancy test. You cannot be even thinking of getting pregnant for at least a year after being on Accutane, or that is what is recommended. Apparently birth defects are very common with the drug. Once I started, I had to see my dermatologist once a month for blood work and a pregnancy test. This blood work ensures no harm is being doing to your organs. The pregnancy test results are logged on an online monitoring system with all pharmacies and it is called Ipledge. You cannot even pick up your monthly prescription until you take your pregnancy test and have the negative result verified by your doctor. You also need to sign documents agreeing to take 2 forms of contraceptives if you are sexually active.

My Results
My results on Accutane were amazing. My skin literally cleared up within a week of starting. I started at a dosage of 20 mg. I went from there to 30 mg and stayed on that until the last month where I went to 40 mg. This is the highest I ever got. Most people typically start at 40 from what I understand. My skin was clear and literally had a glow. You couldn’t even see one pore on my face, everything was porcelain. Towards the end of my cycle, I was scared to get off because I have heard that your acne can come back. I’m coming up to one year of being off the drug and I have barely had a pimple all year. If I do see a tiny blemish, it goes away overnight. It has definitely changed my skin and my life. I used to stress so much over my acne and I wouldn’t want to go out.

I am by no means a medical expert and this is only my personal experience of taking Accutane. I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone unless they had frequent acne breakouts and had no success with anything else. I also would discuss it with a doctor they felt comfortable with. I went through several until I found one who I thought would dose me the way I felt comfortable with.

Thank you so much Candice for sharing your story! If anyone has questions, please leave them in the comments below and I will ask Candice to come answer them!

xoxo,

Veronika.