Hello everyone! 
I have joined these forums just to talk about accutane! I'm an 18 year old female who has been avoiding accutane for as long as I could.
Basic History:
I basically have very oily, acne prone skin. I have especially larger pores on my cheeks near my nose. Throughout the day my makeup never last because my skin will get oily within a few hours.
Anyways, my first bad break out was when I was in seventh grade nearing eighth grade. I had pimples mostly on my cheeks and forehead, and went to the doctor. He prescribed me Duac with clindamyacin and BP. It worked wonders for me and I had clear skin in less than a month. My face stayed flawless until sophomore year of high school.
Then, when I reached sophomore year in high school, I started to see my face breaking out, but very midly so. So I went back to the doctor and asked for Duac again. It worked fairly well, but didn't clear my face up the same way it did the first time.
Then on to junior year and my acne started to get worse. It was bearable, but not what you'd want your face to look like as a junior in high school. You'd think that breaking out was behind you! Not for me. Near prom, I was able to be content with how my face looked, but I knew I didn't see much improvement. Over the course of the school year, I stopped Duac and pretty much tried everything over the counter like Pro-Activ, Neutrogena, and a bunch of other BP/SA products to no avail.
Senior Year (Where it got bad) Then came senior year, my most important year of high school, and my face still wasn't clear. I was trying to stay positive and insisted it's just a phase, but throughout this year, I've seen my face go from mild to plain ugly. I pretty much lost my self confidence this year. I mean, I carry myself pretty well, but my acne on my face definitely made me feel so insecure, especially seeing all the other girls in my class with flawless skin. And not only is my face all blemished, I have oily skin! I've been feeling tortured by my skin.
I tried a more natural alternative: Lush products. They have pretty good stuff that is pretty much all nature and organic, etc. I tried their "Fresh Farmacy Cleanser" and "Grease Lightning" spot treatment. I heard so many good reviews of the spot treatment zapping zits and keeping oily skin at bay in no time. But, they didn't work for me. So, frustrated, I called the doctor.
What I got prescribed to me as a Senior
My doctor first prescribed me a topical cream called Adapalene. It's basically a very mild form of a retinoid. Even so, I experience the extreme peeling that everyone complained about, and also purging. My skin purged so badly that I could swear it was just breaking me out and was never gonna work. It was so frustrating and I cried a lot and felt depressed about how I looked. Frustrated, I called the doctor again, and I got put on minocycline. At first, it made me throw up and get nauseous whenever I took it. So I began to eat food with it anyways, and was able to tolerate it. I took it for about a month and my skin definitely improved, but I still had worse acne than most people. So with that prescription done, I kept using adapalene, and felt defeated.
My Visit To the Dermatologist
At this point, I felt completely defeated by my oil and acne ridden face. Although it had improved from the dual use of minocycline and adapalene, I still have acne that's more than normal. So we went to the derma about two weeks ago. I actually saw a physician's assistant, and she said that for the type of acne I have (which is very stubborn, moderate acne), she suggested accutane. She also informed me with things that I pretty much already knew, like it's what people like me turn to when you've tried literally everything and said she believes it's the best cure for my case. And until I start it, she has given me a prescription of minocycline (Solodyn) and Ziana for my acne.
So, now I turn to my fellow acne.org people, and ask you what your thoughts on accutane is? Have you taken it and had success? Was your case like mine? Does it really help with oiliness? Were the side affects really that bad?
I'm pretty sure I'm going to go through with accutane, I'm just a little scared of the intense dry-ness and achy joints that many people complain about. But I'm also excited at the idea that my acne could finally be gone and my oily skin reduced, and to be able to feel proud of how my face looks again!
Hi, you have no idea how much I've dealt with acne. I had just about the same story as you.
Went to a dermatologist, prescribed me BS like antibiotics, duac,epiduo,retin a.. You name it I've taken it.
None of them ever seemed to work, they'd all irritate my face even more.
Until ONE DAY. I simply went in and asked for accutane. I was tired of having to deal with other classmates telling me BS like "What's that on your face"..."You're so red". It just so turned out this ONE decision was one of my best ever. It only took about 4 weeks until I had ZERO acne left. You have no idea how acne changes you until it's gone. I was at a point where I couldn't even look in the mirror.
PLEASE, try it! Don't listen to what others say about the side effects and what not, they tend to be the ones who haven't even tried the drug. So again, TRY IT. Keep in mind that you are being monitored MONTHLY. You'll be fine 
.
Accutane: Very bad, unnatural, and dangerous.
Accutane not cure.
Accutane - chemical that harms body.
Many people take accutane; pimples go away, but come back 6 months to years later
Accutane make digestive and immune system worse
Thus making acne worse
Accutane not last resort
Accutane no resort
Not worth the risk
That's just my opinion. Well, 4 of those are facts while 4 are opinions. Uhhh here's link to good topic:
Some people will react terribly to accutane while others will only experience the mild side effects. You won't know what will happen to you unless you take it. Since this drug does effect every cell function in your body, it's important to take care of yourself before, during, and after it. Eat more greens, consume lots of water and fish oil supplements (without Vit A) are great too. I know that some people will not feel any physical pain like headaches, back pain, and muscle pain during the treatment, but comes back to bite them 5 years down the road. Which is why being healthy is so crucial.
I just finished taking this drug and I wished that I took it sooner. I was monitored monthly and had a great connection with the derm. So if anything had went wrong, they would've known and would've stopped the treatment.
I have to wait a couple months before treating my scars with retin a since my skin is still healing. So it's good to continue a topical tretinoin after accutane to prevent clogged pores.
I really hope accutane does well for you since acne shouldn't be something that stops us from living our lives 
Hi, you have no idea how much I've dealt with acne. I had just about the same story as you.
Went to a dermatologist, prescribed me BS like antibiotics, duac,epiduo,retin a.. You name it I've taken it.
None of them ever seemed to work, they'd all irritate my face even more.
Until ONE DAY. I simply went in and asked for accutane. I was tired of having to deal with other classmates telling me BS like "What's that on your face"..."You're so red". It just so turned out this ONE decision was one of my best ever. It only took about 4 weeks until I had ZERO acne left. You have no idea how acne changes you until it's gone. I was at a point where I couldn't even look in the mirror.
PLEASE, try it! Don't listen to what others say about the side effects and what not, they tend to be the ones who haven't even tried the drug. So again, TRY IT. Keep in mind that you are being monitored MONTHLY. You'll be fine
Thank you so much for the support and hope! I am in the process of getting approved to take accutane and I think I really wanna go through with it. Right now, my skin has improved a bit with the mino and adapalene since my derma visit, but I am still at the point where my acne is worse than most teens. I'm still very self conscious to the point I'm considering not going to the pool with my friends tomorrow because I dread them seeing me without my makeup. I can't wait to start treatment on accutane, so hopefully I get approved!
Accutane: Very bad, unnatural, and dangerous.
Accutane not cure.
Accutane - chemical that harms body.
Many people take accutane; pimples go away, but come back 6 months to years later
Accutane make digestive and immune system worse
Thus making acne worse
Accutane not last resort
Accutane no resort
Not worth the risk
That's just my opinion. Well, 4 of those are facts while 4 are opinions. Uhhh here's link to good topic:
Thanks for your input! Have you struggled with very stubborn acne and tried everything pretty much? I would like to know what worked for you!
Some people will react terribly to accutane while others will only experience the mild side effects. You won't know what will happen to you unless you take it. Since this drug does effect every cell function in your body, it's important to take care of yourself before, during, and after it. Eat more greens, consume lots of water and fish oil supplements (without Vit A) are great too. I know that some people will not feel any physical pain like headaches, back pain, and muscle pain during the treatment, but comes back to bite them 5 years down the road. Which is why being healthy is so crucial.
I just finished taking this drug and I wished that I took it sooner. I was monitored monthly and had a great connection with the derm. So if anything had went wrong, they would've known and would've stopped the treatment.
I have to wait a couple months before treating my scars with retin a since my skin is still healing. So it's good to continue a topical tretinoin after accutane to prevent clogged pores.
I really hope accutane does well for you since acne shouldn't be something that stops us from living our lives
Thank you for your reply! If you don't mind me asking, what type of skin do you have? Oily or dry etc And how long did you take accutane for? Did you experience any of the side effects people complain about?
re: Thank you for your reply! If you don't mind me asking, what type of skin do you have? Oily or dry etc And how long did you take accutane for? Did you experience any of the side effects people complain about?
No problem!
I have dry to somewhat oily skin (mostly my eyelids - weird huh). It really depends on the weather mostly though. I was suppose to take a 6 month course of accutane, but my derm decided to end early since I was doing so well with just 4 months in, and also because I'm just 15.
I experienced lots of dryness and terribly cracked lips, but it has gotten better since I got off. My oil glands are not completely back but I do notice that I get sweaty throughout the day mainly due to the hot weather. I did get some low back pains but they're good now, plus I used to stay really sore after working out for up to 4 days. Besides all this, I didn't experience any sort of mental problems.
I will be writing about my experience in full detail soon so I'll let you know when that's up!
Can you give advice on how to clear up acne when everything fails?
Accutane: Very bad, unnatural, and dangerous.
Accutane not cure.
Accutane - chemical that harms body.
Many people take accutane; pimples go away, but come back 6 months to years later
Accutane make digestive and immune system worse
Thus making acne worse
Accutane not last resort
Accutane no resort
Not worth the risk
That's just my opinion. Well, 4 of those are facts while 4 are opinions. Uhhh here's link to good topic:
Thanks for your input! Have you struggled with very stubborn acne and tried everything pretty much? I would like to know what worked for you!
Yes, guys. I've has cystic acne. had acne since I was 11. It was horrible and disfiguring. I have cleared my acne this year by finding out why I had it to begin with.
I've realized how much of a scam the bullshit acne treatment industry is, and how much it damages everyone's bodies. It makes many people's acne worse. I think it's bullshit that the pharmaceutical companies choose to sell chemical mixtures, rather than actually help these people. We all know it's for the money. They tell everyone there is no cure to acne, that it just "goes away" for some "lucky people" overtime.
It's a rash. Billion dollar companies can't figure out how to cure acne? Scientist "just don't care?" That's bologna. Who are they to say diet, junk food, soda, or masturbation isn't correlated to acne when they "don't even know" what causes it or how to cure it to begin with? They can rule things out all day. except for the drugs they're selling.
They know damn well that acne shouldn't be treated this way. Again it's all about that $$$.
They know what they're doing is wrong. They'd rather put your health at risk to make money, than actually help your body to heal and solve its problems. And that's where I have a problem.
That's why I gave my advise, but it's just advise. Extreme treatments work for some people, but most are better off without in my opinion.
Ignorance is NOT bliss when it comes to accutane. The side effects are very real and as one poster stated, you don't quite know which will affect you and for how long. With that said, accutane has helped many people, some have never needed to use another acne treatment but many I believe are not permanently cured as many derms would like people to believe. Before jumping on the Accutane bandwagon, I would recommend you try a few more topicals (retin a/ tazorac) and address lifestyle changes for a few months (maybe paleo or cutting out dairy and gluten).
If those don't yield significant improvement, then consider accutane.
I'm a repeat offender when it comes to this drug so feel free to ask me any questions
Heymynameis,
I've had a long battle with acne, have tried everything (many brands of topicals, various antibiotics, lifestyle changes, etc.) and after discussing it and all the possible alternate options and possible side effects extensively with a close friend who is a Harvard Medical School-educated dermatologist, finally decided to try Accutane. For the first time in over ten years (!!), I have completely clear skin.
Here's my advice to you: 1. DO NOT STAY ON ANTIBIOTICS LONG TERM. It is awful for you. Antibiotics are great for clearing up your acne pretty quickly when you're starting on a new topical, etc. but all it does is wipe out all bacteria (including good bacteria) which will come back shortly after you get off it. So the acne will always come back, except now your gut flora is all messed up.
2. CONSIDER LIFE-STYLE CHANGES. If you haven't tried cutting dairy, cutting sugar, cutting alcohol, getting more sleep, drinking more water, eating healthier, etc. -- you should try this before you try accutane. Accutane really should be the last resort because it does have possible strong side effects. Plus they're things you should do anyway. I know for me, even on accutane, I don't get any pimples UNLESS I go on a sugar binge. So even on Accutane, I have to watch my diet.
3. CONSIDER ACCUTANE, BUT DO RESEARCH. If you look on the boards, you'll see a lot of horror stories about accutane. My conclusion was that a lot of people who have a terrible time with it seem to have pre-existing issues that Accutane worsens, are on various other medications or extreme regiments (which may result in less predictable results), and/or aren't super careful with their bodies while they're on it. So, if you decide to do it, be sure to consult your doc about any out of the ordinary health conditions, remember that you'll need to condition and use lotion, get lots of sleep (it will probably make you feel tired in the beginning), drink lots of water, don't exercise too strenuously (or you'll get muscle aches), don't dye your hair while you're on it (your scalp is already dry, you don't want your hair to fall out), do not consume extra vitamin A (accutane is already an overdose of Vit A), etc. -- most of all, if you notice something is wrong, don't just ignore it. I've been pretty careful with myself and have had dry skin and that's about it. I had a headache two days in a row and realized it was because I'd recently started drinking a health-drink with a Vitamin A boost and stopped drinking it immediately. Haven't had one since.
Yes, accutane helps with oiliness. Anyway, my point is, I think you should consider it, but do so mindfully. I have clear skin now, but it required accutane+healthy lifestyle. No amount of modern medicine will allow you to treat your body like crap and have zero effect.
I decided to go through with it! Here is my story about my treatment! http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/360696-my-isotretinoin-accutane-story/