Roaccutane (part 2)

Do we all know what Roaccutane is/does? I'll give a brief explanation just so you know what I'm talking about!

It comes in tablet form, like the one above, and in a variety of different dosages.
The dosage the doctor gives you is dependent on your weight; I weigh around 8 stone so the maximum dosage they gave me was 50 mg.
They usually prescribe it for 6 months in total; after 6 months, if you and the doctor feel like there hasn't been significant progress, they can continue for another couple of months. Also, if you decide after a year or so that it has come back you can talk to your doctor about restarting the treatment.
My dosages were as follows:

• 1st month: 20mg
• 2nd month: 40mg
• 3rd month: 40mg
• 4th month: 50mg
• 5th month: 50mg
• 6th month: 50mg

Roaccutane contains Isotretinoin (R is the brand name of the capsules I was taking) which works like the other treatments I mentioned previously in reducing the sebum levels produced, but is very strong and has serious side effects.

Some of them aren't as common as the others, here is a list of the common ones:

• Dryness: skin, lips, eye lids, almost everywhere will dry up because the R is basically stopping the production of oil in the skin so pores don't get blocked by excess sebum!
• Aches/pains: muscles and joints might occasionally ache and the doctors recommend you don't excercise vigorously (which wasn't a problem for me!)
• Hair loss/thinning: but by stopping the amount of oil being produced by the body your hair should also stop being greasy while taking R.
• Mood changes: At every doctors visit your dermatologist will ask you if you have had any serious mood changes. Depression and suicidal tendencies are the most serious side effect of R so it is vital that all mood changes are monitored.

Other symptoms include; headaches, tiredness, eye problems, jaundice, with each packet of R that you get there will be a list of all the side effects in the box along with a percentage of how common they are. I had quite a few of the side effects, but I tried not to let them bother me because my goal has always been to get acne free skin!!!

I'll tell you about my personal symptoms in the next post and you can compare your own to mine, sometimes when you're not sure of what is normal and what isn't you tend to panic. But never fear, if you have any questions just let me know! Or ask a professional doctor, I don't have all the answers but they do!

- Natalie