Accutane: Day 58
I'm two months down (or close enough). That's two-fifths of the way done, since my derm has me on a five-month course. It feels like I've been taking these pills forever and it's a little disheartening to think that I'm not even halfway done.
Symptoms are pretty much the same, some better, some worse, with the exception of one new problem. It's the "mental fog" I keep hearing other patients talk about. I realized a few weeks ago that I was having trouble remembering words. When I teach class, sometimes I forget cues that I've done a million times before ("Four kicks forward, jab four to the left, shuffle back, and... uh, hang on.") I stutter a little more than usual. It's not a huge problem, but it's an interesting one, and an indication of just how powerful this drug is -- that it can affect not only your physical abilities, but cognitive ones as well.
As I said, some symptoms are better -- believe or not, but the dry skin on my face is not really that much of a problem. Cerave takes care of it. Little rashy patches pop up on my arms but go away as long as I moisturize. Hair is still fine and is not falling out.
The worst of the symptoms is now the joint pain. I wake up every morning and my entire body is stiff. My back aches, I feel like I can't turn my neck, and when I get out of bed and walk, I can barely flex my feet because my Achilles feels like stone. As I get up and get moving, most of this pain subsides and I loosen up, and when I work out, so far everything feels fine. It just seems to happen when I'm immobile for long periods of time (at night when I'm vegging on the couch after a workout, or in the morning after sleeping). Is this what it feels like to have arthritis?
So is the drug working? Yes. The difference is amazing. When I go to work, I barely have to put any makeup on (just a little BareMinerals foundation over the old scarred spots). And when I work out or go somewhere casual at night, I've stopped wearing makeup at all. It's kind of wonderful. I still have a few deeply buried cysts that my derm says may take a while to come to the surface, but they're very few. In the meantime, my skin hasn't been this clear in almost two years.
Three months to go. I'm counting down.
Other Accutane-related news:
I refilled my third month today, and my pharmacy has switched their generic isotretinoin from Amnesteem to Claravis. I'm assuming there shouldn't be much of a difference. The packaging is still just as heinous. I wonder how much paper and plastic is wasting just putting together one box of this stuff. I already know I'm not supposed to get pregnant thanks to iPledge, do you really need to put a cartoon picture of a pregnant woman with a big red X through her on each box four times and on individual pill slot?
I now have a beautiful parasol to help me stay shielded from the sun during walks, thanks to the lovely Susan Fox. Thank you, Susan!! It is gorgeous and so much cooler than I expected. :D I love it. ♥
Symptoms are pretty much the same, some better, some worse, with the exception of one new problem. It's the "mental fog" I keep hearing other patients talk about. I realized a few weeks ago that I was having trouble remembering words. When I teach class, sometimes I forget cues that I've done a million times before ("Four kicks forward, jab four to the left, shuffle back, and... uh, hang on.") I stutter a little more than usual. It's not a huge problem, but it's an interesting one, and an indication of just how powerful this drug is -- that it can affect not only your physical abilities, but cognitive ones as well.
As I said, some symptoms are better -- believe or not, but the dry skin on my face is not really that much of a problem. Cerave takes care of it. Little rashy patches pop up on my arms but go away as long as I moisturize. Hair is still fine and is not falling out.
The worst of the symptoms is now the joint pain. I wake up every morning and my entire body is stiff. My back aches, I feel like I can't turn my neck, and when I get out of bed and walk, I can barely flex my feet because my Achilles feels like stone. As I get up and get moving, most of this pain subsides and I loosen up, and when I work out, so far everything feels fine. It just seems to happen when I'm immobile for long periods of time (at night when I'm vegging on the couch after a workout, or in the morning after sleeping). Is this what it feels like to have arthritis?
So is the drug working? Yes. The difference is amazing. When I go to work, I barely have to put any makeup on (just a little BareMinerals foundation over the old scarred spots). And when I work out or go somewhere casual at night, I've stopped wearing makeup at all. It's kind of wonderful. I still have a few deeply buried cysts that my derm says may take a while to come to the surface, but they're very few. In the meantime, my skin hasn't been this clear in almost two years.
Three months to go. I'm counting down.
Other Accutane-related news:
I refilled my third month today, and my pharmacy has switched their generic isotretinoin from Amnesteem to Claravis. I'm assuming there shouldn't be much of a difference. The packaging is still just as heinous. I wonder how much paper and plastic is wasting just putting together one box of this stuff. I already know I'm not supposed to get pregnant thanks to iPledge, do you really need to put a cartoon picture of a pregnant woman with a big red X through her on each box four times and on individual pill slot?
I now have a beautiful parasol to help me stay shielded from the sun during walks, thanks to the lovely Susan Fox. Thank you, Susan!! It is gorgeous and so much cooler than I expected. :D I love it. ♥