Hi, I noticed that there are a lot of Roaccutane diary in the internet. This is my way of sharing my experiences with the drug. Hopefully it’ll give information and support towards those who are cautious, meticulous like me when taking any medications. The following was my monitoring diary but I wasn’t able to put it online. I’ll try to update as often after this one:
ROACCUTANE DIARY
My Skin before taking Roaccutane:
-whiteheads in my forehead extending to the skin where the ears are placed, cystic pimples in the chin, and random uneven skin in my cheeks. Gross!
June 30 [mon]-Had my blood tests for, SCPT, Tryglycerides and Cholesterol. I got the results by 4pm, normal results, HCL Cholesterol is low but not alarming. Bought my first box of Roaccutane. Took 20 mg at dinner. Probably the most nervous swallow of any capsule that I ever had because I have occupied myself with a lot of thoughts about this drug.
20 mg dosage, taken after dinner. the box that was available in my derma is only 10 mg. So I have to take 2 caps. At daytime, I put clindamycin lotion, benzoyl peroxide a so called SA lotion available in my derma’s clinic. At nighttime, I put erythromycin gel and a so called acne cream (composed of tretinoin). To sum up, I will take 20mg of roaccutane for 6 months and 10 mg of roaccutane afterwards for 6 months.
July 1 [tue]-took it at dinner. Felt like my skin is tighter. Felt flawless but I think its was only due to a good night sleep and my positive outlook with this drug.
July 2 [wed] -took it at dinner. Same old. Nothing really extraordinary.
July 3 [thur]-Same
July 4 [fri]-took it at dinner. Pimples popping. Err in the ears part. Some cystic acne in the cheeks.
July 5 [sat] -took it at dinner. Pimples popping at the back too. Getting noticed by family members about my pimples. Sad but not thinking about it. Im hopeful for the results. Hoping that it’ll pass after my 12th day intake as base from what other takers have said in my research.
July 6-Present- Ive stopped monitoring the progress of my skin for a while because I was busy with a lot of things (I mean Im really facing a lot of things in my life right now) Im quite emotional but I don’t think Roaccutane has the responsibility for it. It’s just my way of handling the stressors in my life so the drug has nothing to do with it. I notice that there’s a lot of hair falls than the usual but since my hair is thick, it’s no problem. Prior to taking the drug, I have flaky, dry, cracked fingers in my right hand. I don’t know the reason for it but I didn’t really mind but after taking roaccutane, it became worst and I noticed that I get cuts easily and it doesn’t heal fast. So now I have band aids all over my fingers. There are 3 essentials that I must have while taking the drug: Petroleum jelly, band aids, and Eye drops. My eyes become sensitive with the lights or sun. Its my third box already, 5th week, but generally, I still have bad acne flares up until now. I also had one visit with my derma and she just injected those cystic pimples popping. She also suggested that I have to try the milk mask before applying the creams. (1/2 cup of evap milk + 1/2 cup cold water, dip the face towel then put it in the face for about 10 mins) I followed the milk mask but eventually got lazy hehe. The purpose is for the redness of my face since Im also using a topical cream which contains tretinoin also. Tretinoin when used can cause redness and peeling. I dont often go to my derma afterwards because it’ll only cost me a lot of bucks for that injection. I plan to visit after I see visible improvement and will ask if I’ll have another blood test to check my tryclycerides. My diet has been unstable while taking roaccutane. I eat a lot of junkfoods *sorry* Still hoping for a significant changes by the 7th week. *crosses my finger*
