Roaccutane (part 3)

So we're all aware of what R is now and what it does, aren't we?

I started taking R on the 9th February 2010 and throughout the time I was taking it I kept a diary of my experiences. I'm going to show you a few extracts regarding the side effects that I had:

"...so far all it has done has make me ache, especially my chest. Sometimes it feels like I can't breathe properly and it can be painful, but it's generally not too unbearable." 21st April, 2010

I only had muscle and joint ache properly for the first month or so, occasionally after that my leg would hurt but my assumption is that it stopped after my body adapted to the drug.

"excessive sweating is embrassing." 30th April

I was stating the obvious with that point there, wasn't I? Yes, I did start sweating excessively. There are deodrants and roll-ons you can get to combat this; I used Driclor which is very, very itchy (and can burn incessantly if you have shaved your arm pits the day you decide to wear it!)

"I am so incredibly itchy! Especially my legs!" 17th May

At first I thought I was having a reaction to the R but the doctor told me this is common aswell. You can buy creams from the pharamcy to soothe the itching which tended to work for me, but quite often my legs were red raw from where I would scratch them incessantly.

"Lips are very dry, they bleed often."

The most common side effect. My lips, nose, face, and arms were extremely dry and I had to moisturise daily. I never really used lip balm before but I was carrying it around in my pocket and using it every 10 minutes or so!

"I have noticed it takes longer for my eyes to adjust to the dark, but maybe i'm just being silly." 30th May

This is one of the more uncommon side effects and at first I though I was being silly but I started counting how long it took me to adjust to the dark and it could be upto 15/20 seconds which is way longer than it was before R. Thankfully I adjust at a normal speed now that I've stopped taking it, no need to worry!

"So tired all the time these days..." 8th June

I had a nap practically everyday, I constantly felt drained!

I started seeing results after about 3 months. I'd notice that a patch of skin would be clear, but then the next day new spots would have formed and it did that until very near the end. The worst was when acne emerged on my neck and ear lobes! I didn't know you could get acne on your ears!!!!!

I would highly recommend keeping a diary, I felt like I had no one to talk to about how I felt! My diary was my release and re-reading it makes me so glad I kept it because I can see how I honestly felt at that point in time!

- Natalie