Does anyone have any advice on how to get their derma to prescribe them accutane? I have tried pretty much every topical regimen and antibiotic, but my moderate acne persists. When I asked for it last time, I got the answer that my acne isnt severe enough. I tried to explain to him that if I didnt take such meticulous care of my skin, I probably would have severe acne. He didn't want to listen though. How can I get a reputable doctor prescribe me accutane in a safe manner.
If worse comes to worse, I will just have an MD friend prescribe it to me, but I would rather not take that route.
I just want to say WOW and congrats to everyone on here you guys all look fantastic and I gave everyone made props for posting their pics. It takes alot of courage to post how you look while you had what you felt like mentally was the ugliest time of your life and how you progressed. I read someone's post on here before who said you are beautiful before, with acne, and after and she couldn't be more correct.
My journey began about 10 years ago with acne. I was 15 and in highschool and I would get the occassional breakout here and there, but slowly during my soph/junior year it started to progress. I tried just about everything, Proactiv, every topical known to man, all the clearasils, and finally when my depression began to reach it's breaking point as a senior I went to a dermatologist. I wish I could remember the exact prescription medication he put me on but within 2 or 3 months of being on it my acne went from somehwat mild and occassionally severe to full blown cystic acne. My depression deepened to unknow depths I thought I could be at and thankfully (I found this board at that time).
My derm finally prescribed me Accutane, and like many of you on here I read the horror stories, and posts about different mg'S/DAY etc... Well i got started on a really small dose only 20 mg, and let me tell you something. My face exploded, every little pimple, pustule, cyst, underneath the surface came out. I was extremely extremely depressed and thought once again this was just making my face worse. I got upset with my DERM because I didn't think after 3 months this should still be happening so I sought out a second opinion in the next couple months from another dermatologist. He thought it was outrageous that at my severity of acne I was only at 20 mg/DAY so he swiftly bumped me up to 40 mg. Within the next 4 months I began to see my skin drastically improve. (The cysts I had in my temples actually had to be injected and then drained because of their severity). It was outrageous how my skin began to clear up, I was jubilant, I was ecstatic. In the final 2 or 3 months I was up to 80 mg a day. Let me tell you my skin was dry, and by dry I mean cactus like in the middle of the desert dry. My lips required constant moisturized to be put on them along with at least 2x a day moisturized on my face. When all was said and done my skin was crystal clear.
After about 2 months of being off of Accutane my acne began to come back. Now let me say this I had SEVERE cystic acne, and what came back was an extremely mild form of acne. I still have this form of acne to this day but thanks to DAN 
and his BP I keep it controlled and most people I deal with can't even tell that i've ever had acne to begin with if they didnt' know me from the past. So while Accutane was a extremely long, and psychological journey that had its fair share of extreme lows and extreme highs It is something I will never ever regret going on. It truley changed my life, and the confidence it gave me helped shaped me into the man I am today and i'm certain that I could not be doing professional sales if I was still constantly self conscience about my skin. I do have a few lingering side effects, but nothing in the realm where I can't manage on a daily basis. So in this man's experience Accutane was amazing, it wasn't a cure but I can't think of any moment that was so brutally bad that the outcome wasn't a 1,000x better. If you truely are suffering with severe acne I say give Accutane a try it can change your life drastically.
Thanks for listening to my story.
-Vince
I made a visit to the derm in June 2011 to get on accutane. He asked how long I had suffered from acne to which I replied '13 years or so'. He asked me why I hadn't considered accutane earlier because the stuff works. And will in most cases, keep your acne away forever.
He took a blood test and my blood levels were fine. The following week, he put me on 20mg per day to start off with for the first two weeks. He also put me on erythromycin for the first several months.
After two weeks, I upped my dosage to 40mg per day and stuck to that dosage for the duration of my course. I was on accutane for 9 months (from June 2011 - Feb 2012). I did not suffer an initial breakout. He did warn me this could happen. I just noticed my acne clearing after the first 4 weeks.
When I was half way through my 9 month course, he did give me the option to move up to 60mg/day but I didn't feel it was necessary because my skin cleared up after my first month. I had maybe two or three more zits after, which were quick to disappear, but after that my skin was 100% clear with no acne in sight. I haven't had a single pimple since then. Nothing. The stuff is seriously amazing.
Regarding side effects, I suffered the usual dry lips - which I could easily look after with a good lip moisturiser. My skin also became dry - which I loved. No oil production - which kept my makeup on looking perfect throughout the entire day. I could go on for more than 24 hours without having to reapply. My makeup stayed the same from the start to the finish of my day.
I developed minor scratches on my skin (legs, arms) but they would come and go. I also had a bit of raised triglyceride and cholesterol levels which I was told would go back to normal after accutane.
That was it. These side effects didn't affect my life in any way.
In summary, I just want to say that accutane has changed my life. It has seriously given me the life I was yearning for years and years. Today, my skin is literally the last thing on my mind.
It has been the best decision I have made in my life. That stuff saved my face. I don't have any confidence issues in regards to my skin anymore. I don't even think about it. Before accutane, I used to dread waking up in the mornings because I was almost certain that I would have another couple of pimples, but now I know I can wake up feeling confident, and without having to see new imperfections on my face.
If you have tried everything else and nothing has worked, please give accutane a try - it's so worth it.
WOW! Its been forever!! Since I started my accutane treatment 4 years ago, never came back. Well, I had to recover my password to log back in lol. I was put on 20mg a day, I took it for 6 months. Acne free with no side effects, besides the dry lips. Now, after 4 years, I did start to break out BUT not as bad as before of course. Small pimples that dry up fairly fast. I am now taking 2g a day of panthotenic acid and so far, so good. I might consider going into accutane at 10mg twice a week if the small pimples gets persistent, we will see. But anyways, just wanted to let you guys know that accutane did miracles for me at lower doses and I had very persistent cystic acne with a lot of small red bumps on my face. If you plan to go on accutane, I will suggest you to go with a lower dose. It might no clear your acne in a week but in the long run it will with no side effects!
i started claravis 2 weeks ago... i flared up significantly on days 4,5,6 and on day 7 it started calming down and its been improving since (today day 13). i have flaky skin around my mouth and chin and my lips are extremely dry. on my lips ive been using carmex and burts bees lip balm but its not helping. any recommendations? the neutrogena oil free 30 spf has been helping with flakiness.
also, does this medication improve the deep red marks on face? im sure i will have to follow up with some other treatment after i finish the pills but id like some feedback on your experiences. i tend to turn red when i workout, laugh, blush, etc, and those red marks just stand out more then. id like to start planning financially jsut in case. i may have to change my derm, she spends 5 minutes with me, sounds annoyed when i ask questions, and i pay 30 bucks for 5 minutes plus whatever else the insurance company pays her... not worth my time and money.
TexasLady,
I had the same problem as you, usually my chin used to get very dry and scaly. I did use AHA (glycolic acid) at night before going to bed only around my mouth and chin and got rid of the dryness. Once the dryness stops, stop using it and just use your regular moisturizer. For my lips I used burts bees as well, but sometimes I used to forget putting it and my lips used t get extremely dry. Used neosporing ointment untill lips get back to normal, then back to burt bees and use it as much as possible during the day!
Red marks are another story, I tho they will never were going to go away. I had the same issues as you, my acne was gone after 2 months of accutane treatment but red marks were very noticeable, it was kinda lame to have those red marks that looks like a pimple but flat lol but to be honest, I felt 100% better without having big cystic acne. Well.... eventually the red marks did fade on their own! Give your face sometime after accutane treatment, red marks will fade. I also did microdermabrasion once a month for 5 months after accutane but to be honest, it is not worth it. Your red marks will get better on their own.
been on 40mg a day for about 2 months, when i started my course i didnt really have any spots or cysts on my face, i usually go through phases of about 3 months of moderate acne then 3 months of a fairly clear complexion, but since starting the course i have had only one small spot appear on my chin which has now cleared, im pretty worried as it seems to be going too well, im also worried as i consume a fair bit of alcohol as i work in a bar and also dj, its nearly an impossible thing to avoid, side affect so far only seem to be dry lips blocked/bloody/dry nose and some rashes on arms and hands.
was expecting a breakout in the first couple weeks as my derm said it usually happens, did anyone else miss the outbreak?
Hey everyone,
Super Positive Experience:
- 24 years old, male
- took 80mg a day (Accutane) for 5 months. Doc extended this to 7 months.Been off the med for 2 months now - no side-effects right now.
- noticed improvement in face after 1-2 months of taking meds
- continued having body acne (chest and back) for first 5-6 months of treatment and lost hope but have been completely body-acne free for last 3 months now which is incredible for me
- only side-effects while on the medication: dry lips all the time, eczema on hands, slow/weird healing, weak top layer of skin (peels like a sunburn if rubbed or pinched hard). None of it was serious or bothersome enough for me to even considering stopping the meds. It all has gone away completely after stopping the meds.
Bottom Line:
- I highly regret not taking Accutane when I was a teenager and my acne first appeared. This is the biggest and probably only real regret of my life
- I have severe scarring on my back from acne (maybe 30 boxcar scars) and 2 places on my face. This has completely destroyed my life since I am too embarrassed to take my shirt off and also embarrassed by the 2 scars on my face. I never go on beach vacations and am always hiding over the summer and have to make stupid excuses all the time when taking my shirt off is involved. It makes it extremely difficult to be outgoing. During the summer, friends simply think I don't want to hang out with them or that I'm shy or can't swim. I truly cannot express how much I hate this scarring and how it has completely ruined my self-esteem.
Sidenote:
- you will read about many negative Accutane experiences online because people with side-effects are pissed off and are looking to vent or seek help. Most people with positive experiences just continue on with their lives and will never waste their time to find an acne board to share their joy!!! Instead, they'd be sharing their joy with their friends/family by having a good life.
- Anyways, do not let the negative anecdotal experiences of others hold you back - talk to 2-3 dermatologist and then make an informed decision. My dermatologist had nothing but good things to say about Accutane and both his kids are on it and he was on it.
i was 20 years old when decided to talk to another dermatologist about isotretinoin( because my dermatologist wouldnt prescribe it)
at the first meeting with the derm. she started me on claravis 40mg-1 capsule daily i believe i was 125lbs give or take 5lbs,but anyway
almost immediately i got the dry eyes side effect which i cured with some artifical tears, i used aquaphor ointment on my lips for the chapped lips a few months down the road when the derm and i didnt notice improvement on my bacne she doubled my dose to 80mg of claravis a day and i did that from about sept-january now months later my acne on my face is gone i still have somebacne but nothing that i cant control with some useful tipsfrom dan im gonna try benzoyl and alpha hydroxy lotion.
19/11/2011(Active cystic acne) ------> March (Active cystic acne gone) ------> May 2012 (course over and remaining hypertrophic scar flattened).
I still have a scar on my cheek from the hypertrophic scar, which I shall tackle in 12 months from now with professional skin treatments. Whilst it does get me down a little bit when I look in the mirror, I take solace in the fact that had I not taken isotretinion my face would be absolutely covered in them.
It was defiantly worth it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
New to this site but I wanted to post about my experience with Accutane. I had severe acne starting around 13 years old. I saw a dermatalogist regularly and tried many drugs until I was a sophomore in highschool at 16 years old. The dermatalogist suggested accutane and explained the side effects. The acne bothered me but I was still social and outgoing and no where near depressed. After taking it for 6 months my skin was clear with an occasional pimple here and there but no breakouts. I also played sports (football, basketball, baseball) and sweated tons. Before accutane when i sweated I would breakout almost everywhere on my body after the treatment I never broke out sweating. I am now 25 and still have clear skin just washing it with regular bar soap every day. I found that the acne soap dried my skin out to much after taking accutane. I know there are problems with the drug but based on my experience and 9 years later still with clear skin just by washing it once a day I would suggest accutane. While taking accutane I never experienced depression or any major side effects besides having dry skin which was so nice after dealing with real oily skin for 3 years. As with any drug there are side effects you just have to be educated and weigh the pros and cons of taking it.
I started getting acne in the 6th grade, around that time it seemed I was the ONLY one who had pimples all over my face. Through middle school it only got worse, I'd wear my hair in my face just to cover the blemishes and eventually I started wearing makeup because I was too embarrassed to show my face to anyone. I'm 15 now, and earlier this year my mom caught me crying in my bedroom because my face looked terrible and hurt so bad. I was miserable and I had no self confidence whatsoever. My mom scheduled an appointment for a dermatologist that night.
The minute the doctor walked in she took one look and said "She needs to be on Accutane." I knew what Accutane was but I never thought she would prescribe me it. I was thinking she would give me some cream or something, but after getting my first bloodwork done a month later I got the pills.
She started me out on 40 Mg a day, and then after two months of great bloodwork she raised it to 30 mg twice a day.
I was worried because I'd read online that sometimes people didn't get results until a month after after they finished Accutane, and some people had there skin get worse before it got better.
Turns out, after three months of treatment my skin responded wonderfully to tane. The difference was like night and day!
The nasty, red, gross looking pimples were gone and the painful cysts were no where to be found on my face. I was so happy, I am happy. Im on month 5 now and still have 1 more to go. I've stopped wearing makeup and now only put on a light layer of tinted moisturizer before I go out, and although my face still isn't 100% clear, it is 100% better than what it was. I can't wait to start my sophomore year this august, It will be the first day of school in 4 years that I haven't worn foundation.
Severe Acne sufferer
Accutane 20mg twice a day for 6 months
I have been off Accutane for about a year and I have a great experience with it. I didn't have any nasty side effects except for the dry lips. I've been clear and free of horrible breakout for about a year now It feels sooooo good to be clear!
I am so glad I went on Accutane...I don't regret it at all. 
I had severe acne as a teenager which went away on its own when I turned 20.
Around my 30th birthday it decided that I had been on a break from it for too long and came back in force.
I took Accutane for about 7 months for my cystic acne, it is the best stuff ever, nothing else even touched my acne, topicals just irritated it and made it worse, even just washing with water made my skin dry and irritated, so I would moisturise and then my skin would switch and go mega oily, I felt like I could not win!
After 3 years and various courses of anitbiotics and creams / gels I finaly pleaded with my gp to send me to a derm as I was getting scars. Been off the Accutane for nearly 3 months now, I have a few scars but my skin is clear, I get the odd spot, but instead of them lasting months and causing me pain, they come to a head and go away after a day or so.
I now just use Cetaphil face wash and moisturiser and nothing else, this stuff is also amazing.
Only side effect I had was dry lips and some dry skin on my arms which is now going away.
Whoever created accutane is a god, I feel like myself again!
Oh, I just wanted to add that if you are suffering with cysts etc then please dont wait 3 years before asking your gp to see a derm, just do it, if I had asked sooner and got on the accutane when it first came back I probably would not have the scars, but as always start slow with it, I was originally prescribed 40 mg a day, but for the first week I took only 10mg a day just to make sure my body could handle it, in the end I was taking 80mg a day with no problems ecept peeling lips and dry skin.
Anyone still suffering with Acne I wish you all the best and good luck with your battle to come!
Hi All,
I am going into my third month of accutane and I would like to report, my experience has been MORE than positive.
My skin has not been this clear probably since elementary school (I got my first zit in the 5th grade) and I am now 25!
As for side effects of depression, honestly I suffered from depression bouts before the drug and I am much happier now with a renewed since of confidence. I am no longer afraid to walk around without makeup, I feel so much better about my skin. I had no idea it was sooooo bad before until I started seeing the clear side of life. As for side effects, yes, its true, they do exist but I'd take them again for the results. Here are my pros and cons.
Results:
Cleared acne, only about 1-2 bumps every now and then however, I am on a fairly low dose going into my third month, I still have 3 whole months afterward! I wish I would've started this sooner!
Cons:
Dry lips (aren't as bad as others have described, I apply chapstick or Eucerin throughout the day)
White spots
Dry skin
Exhaustion
Thirst
I can't tell anyone whether or not to take this medicine but if I had to redo things overagain, I would have gone on this in my teens. The confidence you get from being able to hold your head high free of a skin disfiguring disease pays in dividends in the rest of your life, trust me.
Good luck to everyone!
Hi all,
I had cystic acne for many years and began taking Accutane in December 2009 (I was 17) and ended my course in April 2010. I was taking 40mg and only needed the one course to clear up my skin. Prior to Accutane, I had taken various antibiotics, RetinA, Proactiv (garbage), basically name it and I tried it with no success. The only significant con I can name with Accutane was that my skin got very dry during the time that I was taking it. I used moisturizer for mature skin during this time because other ones weren't strong enough. At this point my skin has regained its oilyness but I still get the occasional dryness depending on the weather. I do get a few pimples around my jaw/chin but mainly just around the time of my monthly visitor. I also have really dry lips STILL. I exfoliate and use carmex or vaseline religiously otherwise I will have pretty nasty lips. Exfoliating and using carmex does the trick though. I would definitely do it again in a heart beat. Accutane saved my face
Here is my Accutane thread, best decision of my life:
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php/topic/323658-accutane-life-changing-experience/
The only regret I have with Accutane is not taking it sooner!
I tried N-Lite when it first came out (which cost my family a small fortune) every antibiotic under the sun but NOTHING worked.
Unfortunately I am on my 3rd course now and it is proving hard to work but I'm sticking with it
The down side is my scarring but its not as bad as it could have been although it does still get to me
Thought would post my Accutane experiance so it might help others. I started accutane after going to new derm for a cyst on my back that I wanted gone. My face was in bad shap at the time also. He asked if I wanted to try accutane or try some antibiotics first, I was 33 at the time and had tried everything else, so I decided to go for it. I start at 40 mg daily but my skin actually got worse way worse, so at next apointment he said I should step down to 20mg a day and that the course would take longer. This sucked, but basicly the toatly course went over 6 months instead of 4, and I must say the fist 2 or 3 months were hell. Back ached constantly and my entire body was dry and itchy, bloody nose, bloody ears. And I'll be honest it did seem to make me a bit more depressed and more of a shut in. But by month 5 my skin was completely clear and and has been for over a year now. Months 1-4 might be like hell, but it will be worth it. I really wished I had done it sooner. I'm not sure if the internal scars will ever heal, I still have social axianty to some degree and still wonder what could have been if I had perfect skin like others. Don't wait like I did, if your acne is bad enough to stop you from enjoying life start your accutane journey now....
Started Roaccutane August 2012 and finished February 2013.
Female, 16 years old, around 130lb.
Moderate Cystic acne
Dose: 30g per day for first 5 months, then 40g.
Side effects:
Dry and flaky skin
Lower back ache when lying down
Flushing and very red skin
I would take Roaccutane again in a heart beat. My skin is pretty much perfect now, with an odd spot here and there sporadically.
I still flush very easily, but as my skin thickens I think that will decrease (when I first finished I flushed at thr smallest temperature change. )
Pleasr consider all the options, but this medicine changed me and my life so much for the better.
My confidence is so much better, and I can go swimming, wear low backed tops and go outside without a full face of makeup now.
I LOVE ROACCUTANE.
