24 Weeks In
I was a little taken aback when the nurse told me I’ve been on isotretinoin for 24 weeks now. That’s pretty much six months… and to my disappointment, I have another eleven or twelve weeks of treatment left. I thought it was going to be just another four.
I’m a bit disappointed because I was hoping to be off the medication before my birthday party on March 6th, but that’s pretty much out of the window. Ah well. It’s worth it to keep the migraines at bay, and I wouldn’t want to stop early because that increases the chance of the acne coming back.
Of course, it means another three or four trips to the hospital as well… thankfully work are very understanding! It also means more monthly pregnancy tests, which is kind of reassuring for a girl on the mini pill who doesn’t have periods!
I saw a different nurse today. I’ve seen four different people now. They’ve all been very nice, and I’ve not had much in the way of problems so I don’t mind. I can imagine that for people who find they are effected worse than I’ve been it would be nicer to have better continuity of care, though.
My back looks really good now. I haven’t had a new spot in a couple of months. I have one lump around my left shoulder. It was thought it might be a cyst, but they reckon it’s scar tissue and that it probably won’t go down now. I don’t mind. One little lump is a hundred thousand times better than acne all over the place!
One thing I really won’t miss when I come off this medication is my red nose. I look like Rudolph all the time!
Being a daft creature, I forgot to have my blood tests last month, so I need to remember to do that this time!
Mid-Month Update
I haven’t got a great deal to report at this point. My skin hasn’t had any new spots for about two months now – hurrah!
I do have one stubborn cyst which isn’t shifting just yet, but the nurse consultant did tell me that it might not go until the full course of treatment is completed.
Side effects wise, my lips are still constantly calling out for Carmex, and occasionally just peeling off completely, but as they’re well moisturised it doesn’t hurt or bleed or crack, so that’s good. My dry skin on my face is ongoing, but it’s cleared up on the back of my hands and my shoulders now.
My next appointment is at the beginning of February, so I shall update then unless anything of interest happens in the meantime!
Appointment
I had my appointment at the hospital today to check up on how my course of isotretinoin is going. I was hoping that this next month was going to be my last, but it looks like being another two because, thanks to having had a reduced dose. Boo!
Never mind though, because it’s doing a fine job. My back is clear except for one stubborn cyst, which is definitely shrinking slowly.
I have to have some more blood tests just to be on the safe side with the longer course, so I’ll book to have those at some point before my next appointment.
Still on 40mg for now!
Lip Balms: A Review
The most common side effect of taking isotretinoin is dry lips. It’s something I’ve experienced in varying degrees dependent on what dose of medication I’ve been taking, but it has been a constant. As soon as I’ve been on anything over 30mg I’ve had to pay close attention to keeping my lips moisturised or they’ve simply peeled off, cracked and bled. I woke up in the middle of the night a couple of days ago because my top lip had cracked – the pain woke me! I’ve also woken on a few different occasions to find streaks of blood on my lower lip.
So, what have I tried to keep them moist, and what has worked best?
Neutrogena Immediate Repair Lip Balm is in a little tub. It takes a little bit of use for it to soften up so it feels like you’re getting a decent amount on your finger tip to rub on your lips, but once it has I found it pretty effective. It certainly does offer immediate relief and it improves the appearance of extremely dry lips as well as making them feel more comfortable.
Carmex SPF 15 Cherry Lip Balm is another one which I’ve got in a tub, though it’s also available in a stick and a squeezy tube. I actually bought this because I’d lost my Neutrogena and the branch of Boots I was in didn’t have any… so I punted on Carmex (I chose cherry because I like the smell, but they have a plain version too). For a start, this stuff smells delicious – my boyfriend loves it! I have to say this one is an absolute winner. I need to use it about half as often as the Neutrogena to keep my lips feeling moist and supple, and they look so much healthier since I’ve started using it!
Blistex Intensive Moisturiser wasn’t too bad, but it drove me a little bit batty to be honest. It’s easy to squirt far too much out, and even if you don’t, it’s easy to end up with very visible smears of white goo all over your lips. It feels quite greasy, and feels as if it’s just sitting on top of your lips rather than actually absorbing in. It did the job well enough if I couldn’t lay my hands on either of the above, but I wouldn’t really recommend it.
Blistex Lip Splash is rubbish, to be quite blunt. It smells a bit strange and leaves lips feeling wet and unpleasant. When your lips are peeling off in chunks, the roller ball can get caught on the dry bits and rip them off, which is not a nice experience at all.
Vaseline Lip Therapy is a must for anyone taking isotretinoin. It isn’t so good for moisturising your lips, but it’s great at protecting them. I’ve been trying to remember to slick some on at night to prevent my lips cracking while I’m asleep. I’ve also got a pot of the rosy tinted version, which is great for girls! I find that having to put lip balm on 8-10 times a day kind of renders lipstick pointless, so a tinted vaseline can come in very handy.
Chapstick is okay, but it’s not really up to the challenge of isotretinoin lips! I find it sometimes makes mine feel a bit drier, in fact.
I’d love to hear about your experiences with any other brands of lip balms and moisturisers!
Christmas On Isotretinoin
Christmas has been just lovely.
Firstly, it turns out that my dodgy mole was absolutely fine. Hurrah!
In other skin related news, my boyfriend reckons that the one remaining cyst on my back has shrunk considerably. I like the sound of that.
I’m currently sporting a few nasty scaly patches of skin on my hands – looks like a rash. It started on my right hand but the left is getting in on the party too now. The right hand is still much worse, though. It’s kind of red and blotchy with lots of white flaky bits.
I’ve also developed rather nasty (what I assume to be) heartburn over the last week or so. Whether or not it has anything to do with isotretinoin, I couldn’t say. I googled it, and some sources make no mention of it while others say it should be checked out. I figured I’ll just mention it when I’m at the hospital again next week.
More Skin Fun
Having suffered from back acne (bacne!) for so long, I’ve always been quite aware of my back. Since being on isotretinoin, I’ve been even more aware of it because I’ve been so keenly looking for signs of improvement.
So I was quick to spot it when one of my moles completely changed. It went from a slightly raised medium brown little thing to a big black, crusty lump with a black halo all around it.
Straight to the doctor with that one… well, as soon as I could get an appointment, which was a day after spotting it. She took a very good look at it and I’ve been referred to the hospital for them to have a gander and check it out.
Whether it could have anything to do with isotretinoin I don’t know… it just feels a bit mad that I’ve nearly gotten rid of the acne and now something else seems to have gone a bit odd with my skin!
40mg, Increased Side Effects
I’ve been taking isotretinoin at 40mg for the last week, after previously, in order, each for a month being on 30mg, 20mg, 60mg and 20mg.
The most noticeable difference is in my skin. While the back of my right hand was scaly on 30mg, I glanced in the mirror today and noticed that all of the skin around my mouth and on my chin was chalky and coming off. If I touch my back or shoulders, white dry skin comes off on my fingertips.
I don’t know that my lips are much worse on 40mg than 30mg. They’re definitely dry, and I’m using lip balm a couple of times an hour generally, but I think the cold weather might not be helping on that count.
I’ve also been having short lived but quite sharp headaches on the past couple of mornings, but again, whether that’s related to the medication or not I’m not sure.
Dose Up
I had my appointment at the dermatology clinic today. My bloods were all fine (hurrah) and all has been well on 30mg so I’ve been nudged up to 40mg. All being well I only have two more months of this to go!
I haven’t had a single new spot in the last month and the biggest thing left is a slowly fading cyst on my left shoulder.
Tomorrow…
…I have another appointment at the hospital for the usual pregnancy test/check list/prescription malarkey. Not sure how much longer I’ll be taking the pills now, but it can’t be much longer?
Since the dose was put up last time I was there, I’ve noticed my skin has been a little more dry – notably on my shoulders and the back of my right hand (but not my left!).
Filler
There hasn’t been much change in my skin – it’s still looking good and it’s just the deeper marks which are taking time to shift. I’m sure I’ll be stuck with some of the scarring forever.
I just thought I’d mention this, though:
I mentioned to someone that I was on roaccutane and what it was, and they reacted with surprise (not quite shock, but getting there), that I would choose to take it, as they’d heard all the horror stories.
Four months into treatment I don’t regret it one bit, and I’d take the risk again. If it hadn’t worked out, I would have stopped taking it and that would have been that. People don’t seem to understand why you might take such a serious drug for something they perceive as unimportant and bothersome at worst, like acne.
They’ve clearly never had their self-confidence dented by skin they’re embarrassed for anyone to see. It was bad enough for me with my acne-inflicted back, it must be more distressing for people with more easily seen skin problems.
So, I didn’t really think twice about going on roaccutane, especially with all the monitoring they do. I’ve had a few niggling side effects, but on the whole, it’s been quite a breeze!
