My acne is super mild but i have depressions from acne so i had to take accutane. After 1 month i still breaking out, but i have like none side. Effects, ok dry skin and dry lips but i use heavy moisturizer at night + chapstick so theoretically i dont have any.

It does work for most people, but there are side effects. Sadly I took it for over 7 months, and due to side effects I had to stop. But for over 90% of people it will give you a good period of remission, and some lucky people permanently remission.

I still battle it, but I am winning- I've got a crazy routine of topicals and a fairly strict diet and supplement routine. But I am winning.

All depends on how much you want to fight and what you are willing to do to win...vs taking a pill and having dry lips and a little hair loss and for that, odds are you get a good period of remission. There are risks of course, and there are horror stories- my side effects went away after I stopped, but I never got over the initial breakout and I think we can all agree a 7 month IB is a very long time, and all of my scars are from that IB...ugh.

But it's a roll of the dice, odds are you'll be fine, but yes there is a small chance that you will have bigger problems than dry lips...but odds are in your favor, so read up on it and decide. Only you can make that choice for you.

As far as I understand, the chances of remission are correlated with the size of the cumulative dose (high cumulative dose, less chance of remission). But the side effects are mainly correlated with the size of the daily dose.

So if you're worried about side effects, just take a low daily dose for a relatively long time.

For example, I weigh 64 kg and have decided to start off with 30 mg/day (that's 0.47 mg/kg/day) . It'll take me about 8.5 months to reach a cumulative dose of 120 mg/kg at that daily dosage.

Many people do closer to 0.8 - 1+ mg/kg/day in less time, which is a considerably higher dose. You'll get your course over faster this way, but you'll also run a higher risk of side effects.

Remember, you can come off the medication at any time if the side effects become too unbearable.

In regards to your other prescription medicines: I would go off all antibiotics, since they are short-term solutions and acne is obviously a long-term problem for you. I would move up from Differin to Retin-A Micro (tretinoin), which is a stronger retinoid.

Accutane is hit or miss and as a person who has taken 3 full courses over several years, it is NOT a guarantee. You really have to weigh the risks yourself. I would definitely work myself up to it so i would try dietary changes first for 3-4 months. I would also try topicals (surprising enough, the acne.org regimen has helped so much than my last course of accutane did). There is no coming back from doing accutane and you may have success or long term side effects from it - it'll be a roll of the die.

Good Luck in your decision

Baring in mind that it says you're from London, I'm guessing you'll be going through the NHS. The standard NHS procedure seems to be about 6 weeks of half dose, and then 12-14 weeks of full dose - these ppl know what they're doing they've handled thousands of accutane patients so you're in good hands Run your worries by them by all means, there is no worry that you have that someone before has not already raised with them so be open. Personally, I highly recommend accutane, it worked great for me, but the above posts are correct - get knowledged about it (this site is not the best source of impartial info, try NHS website and actual study stats).

Best of luck

Personally, YES!! Look at my before and after pictures on my log if you need anymore convincing.

I took Roaccutane on the NHS and I saw experienced doctors and I have been pleased with the service I've received.

My time on Accutane was hard, I won't pretend I loved every second of it, but I'm loving every second of the results

I am 26 and going on it. Honestly the mental stress that acne puts on my mind and body is worse than any side effect that I could get. While this forum would make you believe that you are going to have every side effect in the book, if you look at overall reviews from across the Internet, you will see that the success rate and overall positive experience is surprisingly high

http://www.acne.org/isotretinoin-accutane-reviews-29/ - Overall rating: 3.9 / 5 (based on 2469 votes)

http://www.realself.com/Accutane/reviews 81% WORTH IT RATING based on 237 stories

http://www.drugs.com/comments/isotretinoin/ - 8.5/10 based on 309 reviews for acne

What made up my decision was the fact that diet, topicals, etc have no chance at curing you. Accutane is the only thing that has the ability to cure you. While it won't cure everyone, it does cure many. Slip up on your diet, or topical routine and you risk breaking out. Also on any topical or diet, the worry that you will break out will always be in the back of your mind (at least that's how it is for me and I've done every topical and diet in the book)

Hi guys

I'm a 27 yo female who has been struggling with acne for years but what used to be one monthly cyst has turned into full blown acne since this Spring.

I've tried tetracycline, wasn't working great so switched to doxycycline 4 months ago, I also use a topical (differin) and started birth control (dianette) 10 weeks ago.

I've noticed an improvement in my skin recently which I put down to Dianette, my breakouts are less severe, less often and my skin is no longer super oily like before which is great, however I'm still unhappy about my skin as I still have mild acne which is really damaging to my self esteem and ability to socialise.

My GP referred me to a dermatologist who in turn referred me to the dermatology team at the hospital (the ones who can prescribe Accutane). My appointment is in 3 weeks.

The thing is I read so many Accutane horror stories that I don't know if I should take it if they agree to prescribe me it (they might not). If my acne was severe I would take it regardless of side effects but my acne is now quite mild (it still really affects me emotionally).

Please let me know what you think if you've taken accutane

Thanks

Yes, Take it, to be honest, those people when they mention horror stories are just blaming accutane for somthing that was already wrong with them, you have to remember accutane is a brand so there is a protected patened, they must list alot of stuff so they'll be protected, well the generic name brands now. 90% of all accutane patients only experience dryness, dry lips, eyes, dry mouth, that is it. and if your really active and into working out, you may experience joint pains for 1 month or so. but the results are so beautiful..like litterly. after your course if you do get it, you will feel like a ''pretty stuck up bitch'' lol joking but it does do wonders. If you are afraid of the horror stories, I say for 2 months take 30MG, another 2, take 40MG just to work your body up to that. Drink lots of water to.

Hello there,

I'm sorry to hear that you are struggling with acne. It's a bloody nightmare.

I have been on accutane twice. My acne was mild/moderate but the depression and low self-esteem I suffered from it was horrendous and so I went on it at 19 for 2 and a half months (I was supposed to go on it for 4 months but I was clear and also my hair was falling out because of it) and then again at 21 for 4 months. Yes, I had to go on it again because my acne returned in full force. And the second time I went on it for longer my hair fell out loads and yes it cleared me and yes I was happy but my acne has, again, returned in full force. I have a blog logging the progress of my second course if you want to check it out.

There are people out there who have experienced permanent results from accutane. they take it, they get clear and they stay clear. They are lucky. most people I have spoken to have experienced some sort of relapse and have had to find other options.

Try to find the ROOT cause of your acne. After years and years of treatments I have discovered that mine is hormonal and am treating it naturally with supplements from a hormonal perspective, which seems to be providing great results so far.

Accutane is definatly an option. Personally, for me, the worst side effects were my hair thinning and failling out (it has now recovered, but it went from long elbow length and Ive had to cut it to a bob now) and thats about all. I got dry lips, dry eyes, etc but those were managable. I didn't get depression. I also lost weight which I loved lol. It's up to you. Depends if you want to take the risk...sid effect wise you can only just give it a bash. But I would advise researching the root of your acne to discover if it is worth putting yourself through a harsh drug for your acne to potentially come back again.

Good luck! Inbox me if you have any accutane related questions.

Grace xxxx