Isotretinoin (Accutane®)
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Side Effects

Isotretinoin is a vitamin A derivative called a retinoid that is taken orally and is approved only for severe acne. It is thought...

Isotretinoin is a vitamin A derivative called a retinoid that is taken orally and is approved only for severe acne. It is thought to clear acne primarily through its ability to permanently reduce skin oil (sebum) production.

Isotretinoin is available in capsule form and is usually taken twice a day. Your physician will prescribe an initial dose, and this dose may increase or decrease depending on the response to treatment and side effects.

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March 17, 2012

Pros:

Clears up acne

Cons:

Dry lips
Occasional new, quite inflamed spots
Must have a pregnancy test every month, and a blood test before, halfway through and 5 weeks after the course

I have tried several different prescriptions, all from a dermatologist, and all unavailable unless with a prescription, and this is the best of them all! However, it is also a last resort. Ive been on this for nearly 2 months, and in less than a month, my forehead had completely cleared up, and is now completely smooth. The rest of my acne has also "died down" a bit, although you can get the occasional new spot, which is an effect of the medicine working. I am currently on Dianette (a contraceptive pill) and my Isotretinoin course will last only four months, and it is extremely unlikely that my acne will be coming back. However, in the UK it is extremely hard to get this course of treatment, as it is considered to be very risky. But overall, it has given me amazing results, and I'm not even halfway through!
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March 5, 2012

Pros:

-Gives you acne free skin like so you finally feel what its like to have normal skin
-Results can last forever if you are male and over 20, otherwise it gives you respite to get acne under control
-Never have to fear about getting a spot so you can focus on other things

Cons:

I had only a few side effects, but the ones i got did get quite bad, they were.
-(Usual) dry lips, dry skin on face
-extreme tiredness throughout the course
-bright red flushing and facial redness
-Low mood hit me near the end, but i believe accutane doesn't cause depression, but simply can make it much more pronounced and was due to my own shallow wanting anyway
-side effects can take 6 months to go after treatment

It has been a long journey, and one i probably would not want to go through again. With only mild effects, I became too complacent near the end of treatment, then it became though. Thankfully, iv been off the medication for 6 weeks and the side effects of skin dryness and flushing have slowly begun to subside quite a bit and will go completely in the next 5 months. Recommendations- -Lip balm and mild exfoliating face wash -Don't spend all your time reading forums for advice, most of it is guess work, rumours and pure ignorance, trust what your dermatologist says. -Permanent side effects will not effect you, they are very very rare and those unfortunate ones will go online to post comments online to scare others whereas all the situations were accutane works, these people will not go online but live their lives. Even for these nightmarish stories, the effects go after they post a comment or they are explaining side effects unrelated to accutane and have just so happened to occur after, so they blame accutane. Most people suffer other illnesses as well, accutane can not be the cause. -Dont fear it because it helps so many people. If it was a dangerous drug then it would not be prescribed to people, it is merely an intense drug, never dangerous as long as the precautions are set. -I am a Buddhist and the only scary thing iv noticed is some peoples complete obsession with beauty. Writing 'accutane ruined my life, now i have 2 enlarged pores' or 'Im going slightly red, now i think i am developing severe nodular rosacea'. Ignore shallow people and the media and learn to be selfless and not want to be perfect, understand that there are people in the world who are not shallow and will not judge or hate someone just for having acne. -People who post apocalyptic comments of the disasters of accutane are mostly ALWAYS people who seem self obsessive, self pitying and over reactionary to any imperfection on their face. Karma? Be humble and t
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March 1, 2012

Pros:

Cleared my skin 95%
Only thing that worked, tried anti-biotics, creams

Cons:

Dry Lips
Dry Eyes
Dry Skin
Sunburn Easy
Muscle Fatigue
No Alcohol

It works and I do not regret going on it. Was tough being on it. Over a year later now I still get some break outs but it seems if I clean my skin every night and put retinol A cream on, then the pimples are kept to a very minimum, i.e. 1 or 2 small ones on my face. You have to remember to keep washing your face, putting pimple cream on after you come off the drug. It is a good drug but i found that it didnt stop break outs caused by not washing my face etc. My advice, go on it, get it done with, its not that bad and move one with your life
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February 14, 2012

Pros:

It worked

Cons:

Redness
They always miss my veins in the blood tests haha

I rated my acne as severe. It was. But accutane cleared it. You might have questions. Try asking a doctor, instead of google. You'll get better answers. I wont have to come back to this site again! So, Good Luck.
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February 11, 2012

Pros:

Cleared up acne
Skin much less oily
Spending less on skin products

Cons:

Dry and split lips
More sensitive skin
Dry patches
Very slow healing of spots
Mild mood changes

I'm 4 months into 7 months of treatment at 40mg daily and even with all the side effects I am so glad to be taking Accutane. In gaps between prescriptions my acne has returned although far less severely than before and has been far more responsive to topical treatments. Think carefully before taking it, I'm now 21, and think the side-effects would have been far harder to deal with when younger.
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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

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
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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.

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!
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January 5, 2012

Pros:

Clears up skin
Reduces oiliness of skin and hair

Cons:

Headaches
Nausea
Moderate depression
Dry lips
Backaches
Really expensive

Even though this drug gave a lot of side effects, I felt like it was worth it. My skin and hair is normally EXTREMELY oily, and while I was on this it wasn't at all, which was a REALLY nice change. My acne was severe and after trying pretty much everything else I tried this. I noticed a difference almost immediately. My skin stayed clear about a year after taking it; some breakouts have come back but it is definitely not as bad. After trying a few other things, I might possibly start a second dose of this in the future.
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December 24, 2011

Pros:

Completely eliminated acne
No redness
No cysts
No spots/yellows
No blackheads

Cons:

Really dry lips
Came back within 2 months!!!
minor joint pain

Isotretinoin was one of the best things I ever did. It got rid of my acne completely and boosted my confidence sky high. Didn't really suffer that many side-effects, but I was on the lowest dose for my bodyweight. The really bad thing was though; it came back!!! Within a month or so, it my acne came back with a bite, but at least I no longer get cysts and is now only moderate, I am back on it now, hoping to rid of it again soon!
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December 10, 2011

Pros:

Clears most acne within 3 weeks
Clears all acne within 10 months

Cons:

Depression
Lower back pain
Dry skin
Dry lips

First zit at age 12, slowly got worse from then on. At 16, visited the dermatologist for the fourth time after going on Minocycline (prescription antibiotic) and Ziana (prescription topical) and was prescribed Accutane at 40mg a day. Noticed no difference for the first week. The second week came my initial breakout which swiftly cleared after the weekend. I gained lots of self confidence I am happy with the results Accutane has done. My face hasn't been this clear since I was 11! However, the side effects are taking their toll. I have lots of lower back pain, extremely dry skin, dry lips, and the depression is very bad. I take lots of painkillers everyday and drink 10 glasses of water everyday to deal with the back pain and use moisturizers for my skin and lips, but I haven't found anything I can do about my depression. I thought Accutane would make me more confident, as it has, but the depression negates that confidence. I sit at home on the weekends, I distance myself from my friends. I have deleted my Facebook account twice because I believe that I do not have any friends. My grades are suffering. While I have had thoughts of suicide before going on Accutane, they have increased dramatically. While breaking down boxes with a knife to recycle them, I paused, stared at the knife, and imagined myself thrusting it through my chest. So far, I still consider the cons of Accutane worth the pros, as I remember that my self confidence was not so good with my terrible acne. Remember, the absence of self confidence is different than depression. If you are looking to go on Accutane, you're going to have to decide which one you can endure more.
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Finding a Doctor

The right dermatologist can make a big difference to your patient experience and the success of your acne treatment plan. Here are the steps to find a dermatologist who is a good fit:

  1. Use the search feature on the American Academy of Dermatology website to look for board-certified dermatologists in your area, and filter the search results for doctors with a special interest in treating acne.
  2. Read online patient reviews of any dermatologists you are considering and ask people you know whether they have any experience with these dermatologists.
  3. Do your research and go to your first appointment with questions prepared.
  4. Listen to what your gut feeling tells you once you see a dermatologist in person. If you are not completely comfortable, try a different dermatologist.
Find a Doctor Using The American Acacemy of Dermatology Website

Finding a Doctor

Only a select few plastic surgeons specialize in acne scar revision surgery. Be certain to find a provider who specializes in acne scar repair and who is passionate and experienced in this area.

Be sure to:

  • Look at before and after photos, the more the better, especially patients with similar scarring to your own.
  • Be realistic about results. Look for improvement, not a cure.

Questions to ask a potential scar revision specialist:

  • Are you board certified? Be certain that they are board certified.
  • How long have you been performing these procedures? Normally, the more experience the better, however, some younger surgeons may be more on top of the latest procedures.
  • Can I speak to some of your other patients? Ask for references for several patients who had similar scarring and speak to them about the process and their satisfaction with results.

Red flags:

  • Their story changes: As you discuss different treatment options, if they tend to change their mind easily, or agree with whatever you say, consider this a red flag. A confident, experienced surgeon will possess strong, unwavering opinions.
  • Your gut tells you "no": Trust your gut. If you just don't feel that the doctor is the right fit, trust that and move on. On the other hand, if you feel they are the perfect specialist for you, trust that feeling.
Find a Doctor Using the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Website