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I have had (what I believe) Level III acne for the better part of 5 years. It's not as severe as I know some people have it, but it is pretty bad. I am currently using Benzaclin, Differin, and Minocyclin and it seems to control the problem (but not get rid of it) as well as sometimes letting it get out of control. I am quickly becoming impatient to "grow out of it" because at this point it seems like that time will never come. I want to get rid of my acne before my freshman year of college (I am a high school senior at the moment) so naturally I have considered Accutane. I can't decide if I should go on it though, as the extreme side effects scare me. I have read many personal stories on the internet from both sides (those who had positive reactions say they only experience dry lips and other minor things, while those who had negative reactions said it was the worst thing to happen to them) and they are getting me confused. I would just like some advice from people who have used Accutane, and what they would (or wouldn't) recommend doing. Anything at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
I did one course of Accutane when I was a teenager and I wouldn't do it again. I'm pretty sure it caused or exacerbated quite a few of my problems (like night blindness) and it didn't make my skin any better. When I went on it, it was supposed to be this miracle cure. Years later doctors started saying you needed two or three courses for it to really work. My dermatologist wanted to put me on it again and I considered it, but after reading lots of stories online from people who had been on it two and three times and still had minimal, if any, improvement, I decided it wasn't worth it. I wish I'd never gone on it in the first place. I think there's probably a very small percentage of people for whom Accutane perfectly addresses the cause of their acne. It doesn't seem to work for most people.
I believe this is very personal decision and can't be made by reading things on the Internet, because as you've said, it's made you confused about whether you should or shouldn't go on it. I would suggest discussing it with your doctor/dermatologist and getting their opinion, as they are the experts.
Unfortunately it's a very serious drug and can cause some uncomfortable side effects, but there are a lot of success stories too, so if you do decide to go on it, you should focus on those, but accept that it might not work.
I'm on accutane at the moment and it's definitely not been a walk in the park as far as side effects go, but I've seen a huge improvement in my skin so far, and am hopeful about the outcome.