Let's play a game. It's called "Symptom or Side-Effect".
First some easy ones...
Dry Skin? Side-effect
Chapped Lips? Side-effect
Runny nose? Probably allergies, so Symptom.
Now the hard ones...
Joint pain
Muscle pain
Stomach Issues
Headaches
I've been on this medication for a full two months now. It's nothing nearly as bad as I expected, but there are so many things I didn't expect when I went on it. You can never imagine just how dry your skin can get, or how chapped your lips could possibly be, until one day you realize that a significant portion of your brain is distracted by how much your arms itch and a significant portion of your time is spent licking your lips in a painfully counterproductive attempt at keeping them from bleeding.
What I really didn't expect though, was how much I'd worry that every little ache or pain or twinge or bad mood was a side-effect of the medication. The list of side-effects on the information sheet from the pharmacy fills the better part of an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet... at 7 point type. The information sheet included with each 10-pack of pills, 2.5 x 3.5 when folded, unfolds to a daunting 34 x 19 - double-sided- 5 point monstrosity (not all of which is side-effects, much of it is the chemical information for the prescription, precautions, information about the ipledge program and birth defect information- arguably a side-effect, but not for my purposes).
The short list of side effects includes psychiatric disorders, intracranial hypertension, pancreatitis, elevated lipids, hearing impairment, hepatitis (elevated liver enzymes, not the kind caused by a virus), IBD, and vision impairment (including decreased night vision). Considering all the potential side-effects, it's no wonder that any time my head hurts, or my stomach is upset I wonder if it's the medication.
To some extent I've experienced a lot of things that could be side-effects of the medication, but I can't be sure. Of course the dry skin (which has now developed into eczema) and chapped lips are a given.
But what about the muscle pain? Or the headache?
Too much drinking? Which, of course, you're not supposed to do at all because of the increased incidence of pancreatitis.
What about the stomach issues?
Too much junk food? Not enough exercise? Not enough sleep?
Or the decreased night vision?
Am I tired? Are my eyes just dry? Did I leave my contacts in too long?
I've been lucky that my bloodwork has stayed completely normal. My triglycerides were 72 last week and my bilirubin is exactly the same as when I started on Accutane. I guess all that drinking hasn't compounded the potential side-effects of the medication. It still leaves me to wonder (and worry) though, that everything I feel is a potentially dangerous side-effect. And even scarier, potentially something that will cause me to have to stop treatment. (The fact that I think being forced to stop treatment is scarier than potentially life-threatening side-effects is even scarier still).
Right now though, it's time for me to go bathe in baby oil in the hopes that the itching will stop.
Then to pick up round three at the drug store.
Round Three!
Fight!
