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Isotretinoin (Accutane) Reviews
Total results: 2,056 Viewing page: 1 of 206
Joana from Portugal
February 2, 2012
| Pros | - Fully cleared acne after 2.5 months - Less oily scalp (for who this is a pro) - brighter skin - smaller pores - No need for other complements or topics, only wash face once/day! |
|---|---|
| Cons | - dries ALL mucosa - skin is very fragile and vulnerable - rashes and skin irritation - reduced appetite - scary potential side effects - heavy on the liver (therefore all the monthly blood tests) - can shake menstruation cycle |
| Bottom line | I'm currently just over half the treatment - 20mg/day (I'm 55Kg) for 6 months. Though I cannot testify the full effectiveness yet, I'd like to share my experience so far and how I've been dealin w/ side effects. I'm now 33 y.o. - age to start having wrinkles rather than pimples! As many, I tried several treatments, inc. doxycycline. My dermatologist suggested that my skin may react to testosterone by over-producing oil and therefore not much I can do (except looking forward to menopause…). Isotretinoine is probably the only known treatment that can be permanently effective in such cases, as it tends to "dry" the sebum glands of the skin. However, it not always work and some people may need a few cycles. My skin is almost perfect (except for still dilated pores on forehead), but no breakouts and even the black-heads on the nose have disappeared. No shiny skin, oily scalp (which, in my case is positive and in fact reduced a bit the amount of hairloss – but still cautious about this one, given the opposite possible side-effect). Dealing with side effects: – lips tend to be very dry indeed. My miracle solution is keeping them moisture with calendula extract in petrolatum jelly (vaseline). Calendula has regenerative and calming properties. I also tried other plants extracts, like propolis + calendula + Pau d’Arco (in vaseline) and they work wonders. That’s also how I got rid of the rash on the top side of my hands. - Skin is extremely fragile, so I use a very soft washing liquid (without soap or sodium laureth sulfates!). The best is to do the treatment during winter. Girls, avoid waxing! - I had to stop using contact lenses (risk of cornea damage!) - I take glucosamine + chondroitin supplements, so no major issues with joints so far - Avoid drinking alcohol, keep an healthy diet, plenty of water – liver is already too busy handling this drug - Some initial irritation (a bit like the PMS) but kept in mind that this |
| Recommended | Yes |
| Price paid | $40.00 |
| Acne severity | moderate |
Adam from Waterford
January 31, 2012
| Pros | Completely Clears Skin Long Term Effects |
|---|---|
| Cons | Dry Skin Nose Bleeds Blocked Nose |
| Bottom line | It works and before you read more reviews about people whining about it and theyve only been on it for a week, the fact is it clears 90% of people Im 4 months into my 5 month prescription and my skin is really clear I would definitely recommend this. |
| Recommended | Yes |
| Acne severity | moderately severe |
jennifer36 from Toronto, ON
January 31, 2012
| Pros | Gave me a 6 month window of clear skin. Made my hair less oily so I could wash it less. |
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| Cons | My acne came back within 6 months of finishing my course. I have permanent side effects: sensitive skin, more migraines, joint pain (often severe). While taking the drug I was exhausted, made my skin painfully dry, lips were bleeding/cracking. |
| Bottom line | I regret taking accutane. I seriously wanted this to be the "miracle cure" that so many people made it out to be. Originally after taking accutane I was all for it, but then all my acne has come back, PLUS I've got some bad side effects that I'll likely be stuck with forever. Research this drug extensively before you think about taking it! |
| Recommended | No |
| Price paid | $20.00 |
| Acne severity | moderate |
Anonymous from UK
January 31, 2012
| Pros | It is starting to clear up my acne after a second treatment. First time on Roaccutane did not work very well. |
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| Cons | Dry skin Skin rash on hands Bruise easy, skin scratches easy Dry nose Nose bleeds Bad mood Burn very quickly in sun - sensitive skin |
| Bottom line | The first time I was on Roaccutane, i did not have a very good experience. I started to think that all the side effects that I was experiencing were not worth the treatment, as it wasn't even clearing up my acne as well as I thought. I've now been on my second lot of Roaccutane for nearly two months and I am seeing an improvement and I hope that it works for me this time. I'm already having to wear less make-up, although I still have visible spots on my face. It is not as bad as it used to be. If you can put up with the side effects, then it may be worth trying as it is definitely making me feel more confident. |
| Recommended | Yes |
| Acne severity | moderate |
Justin
January 30, 2012
| Pros | helps temporarily |
|---|---|
| Cons | didn't give me long term help and the side effects were extremely hard to deal with |
| Bottom line | i think this is dangerous medication the side effects aren't worth it |
| Recommended | No |
| Acne severity | moderately severe |
Elle from Florida
January 29, 2012
| Pros | Clear skin. Hurray! |
|---|---|
| Cons | Dry skin (face/body, lips, eyes) Pain in the joints (mild) Irritation Extensive visits to the dr Advise: DO NOT PICK AT ACNE |
| Bottom line | I am a 28 yo female and am doing 60mg/day treatment of Claravis. My story: When I was a preteen or teen never had any acne before except an occasional pimple here and there. No acne history in my family either. Since I moved to Florida, a few years ago, my skin had been getting duller and duller. I always had oily skin but no problems. Then finally I started get real acne. Gasp! So fast I went to the dermatologist and tried it all over the counter washes, tonners, facials, peels, clinique, neutrogena all the acne products prescription and non prescription available. Nothing worked. Here I was spending so much $$ and no results. It drove me nuts till one day I just decided.. de hell with it lets try accutane. I reviewed and reviewed all the information online and I gotta say it scared the crap outta me. Should I do it or not? - was the question. So, here I am on day 10 while on claravis and yes the skin is dry, yes the eyes get dry, chapstick works well. I found palmers cocoa butter really helps at night to get me fully moisturized. I dont have any depression symptoms but get irritated easily. I think its the stress knowing of all the side effects and wondering if all the discomfort will be worth it in the end. I do see the face peeling slightly and it does stink as it feels like a sunburn around my nose and mouth. I do see that the bumps are no longer there though ...they have flattened already. I had a mild initial breakout on my body but it was gone within a couple of days. Have to say that while on it you need to make sure you have some money aside to do all the drs office visits and blood tests. Its time away from work and out of pocket money that costs ya. I will keep you posted at the end of my journey. So far nothing major other than the regular discomforts. |
| Recommended | Yes |
| Price paid | $60.00 |
| Acne severity | moderate |
Haleh from Texas
January 29, 2012
| Pros | Beginning to clear acne |
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| Cons | OMG PLEASE DON'T FAKE BAKE (fake tanning) |
| Bottom line | THIS IS ME AGAIN (HALEH). I made the BIGGEST mistake of my life this week. It's winter here in Texas and I'm usually pretty tan, but if I don't get any sun for a while then I'll get white. But that's normal, that's how everyone is. BUT WHAT I SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE WAS GO TO THE TANNING SALON. I stood in a stand-up tanning booth, level 5 (the highest level in the entire salon) for a full FIFTEEN MINUTES. (the max you're supposed to be allowed to do is 12) and when I stepped out I thought I was fine, but THE NEXT MORNING. I was a lobster. I was literally red, in IMMENSE pain, I couldn't move, my face was literally sizzling and had white flaky skin being peeled off, I was shedding like a snake. I literally was shedding snake skin. It was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. I just wanted to stay in bed all day. It wasn't a regular sunburn, it was literally a continuation of the burning that I would feel throughout the entire day. That was a couple days ago, and now I'm feeling a lot better, (at least my burn turned into a tan -____-) so I only got one benefit from it TWO days later, BUT FORREAL it's not worth it. Please, please, if you're on Accutane, don't even THINK about tanning. Ugh. Worst mistake of my life. ANYWAY, I'll post back again when I get my second month prescription and tell ya'll how it goes! |
| Recommended | Yes |
| Price paid | $300.00 |
| Acne severity | moderate |
nancy from arizona
January 26, 2012
| Pros | has been clearing skin significantly no initial breakout dry skin isnt so bad no more oily hair no more oily face |
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| Cons | dry lips hair has continued to fall off a lot back hurts |
| Bottom line | i have been on this for a little over a month. i am stopping because this medication is too strong for me. although the pros and great, my hair has been falling nonstop and my eyelashes have begun to fall. my acne is pretty minor and i will begin some natural remedies that were suggested to me and i have a great gut feeling they will work. accutane works for some, but i guess im not someone who should be taking it. i was on 40 mg a day. i wish you all the best! |
| Price paid | $600.00 |
| Acne severity | moderate |
BCHI
January 26, 2012
| Pros | Perfectly clear skin for 6 months after treatment. |
|---|---|
| Cons | low back pain, skin took on grayish tone, low energy, sore muscles, very low healing rate. |
| Bottom line | I've had acne problems all my life. I'm 30 now and still bogged down by how horrible my skin makes me feel. I took accutane about five years ago. It felt like I had every side effect I was warned about. I looked like the living dead and my bf was so worried about me. Unfortunately I don't remember the dosage but I took it for about a month, maybe more. I came off the meds because the side effects were too much to handle. Fortunately, for the first time in my life I had completely clear skin! No blemishes at all after I stopped the treatment. It lasted for about 6 months and those 6 months were amazing! Pimples started popping up slowly and very mild after that and they would go away a day or two later without any nasty flare up or scaring. 5 years later here I am with never before seen pustules on my face. Combined with regular acne pimples. My face is in pain constantly and the scaring is traumatizing... and again I'm reconsidering accutane. I'm that desperate! I've been on Doryx for about a month and its no longer working! Seeing my derma tomorrow, will see about a low dosage treatment. Good luck all! |
| Recommended | Yes |
| Price paid | $10.00 |
| Acne severity | moderately severe |
Julie from Miami
January 25, 2012
| Pros | Greatly improved my hugely embarrassing acne problem. |
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| Cons | Thinning hair. |
| Bottom line | I was on isotretinoin before Roche's patent expired. I paid $500.00 per month for the pills because my insurance company considered the treatment "cosmetic". I would do it again in a heartbeat. A 3-month course cleared up 90% of my acne for years. Now that it's been a decade, I rarely have a breakout. This treatment was well worth the price. |
| Recommended | Yes |
| Price paid | $500.00 |
| Acne severity | moderately severe |
Total results: 2,056 Viewing page: 1 of 206
