Oral Retinoid
Reviews
3.9
2791 Reviews
Oral Retinoid
Efficacy
87%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
1
2
3
4
5
Note: Use with EXTREME CAUTION: Causes severe birth defects and fetal death.
Oral Retinoid
Side Effects
High
Oral Retinoid
Acne.org’s Real World Take
The nuclear option. It works reliably and provides long-term remission of acne, and even severe acne, in about ⅔ of people who properly take an adequate dosage. However, it permanently and irreversibly changes the skin and the body forever and users may experience long-term side effects for the rest of their lives. It’ll nuke it, but there is no going back.
Oral Retinoid
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist? Make an appointment to get this medication. Don't have a dermatologist? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find one.
Read All About Isotretinoin (Accutane®)
Compare To Other Treatments
5
37.1%
4
33.4%
3
15.5%
2
7.3%
1
6.6%

Used Isotretinoin (Accutane®)? Rate It:

Choose from 1 to 5 stars
November 14, 2006

Pros:

Skin goes very smooth and acne fades. I would say it works. I can see a huge improvement at 2 1/2 months.

Cons:

dry peeling skin, dry lips, sore joints and muscles - sometimes, very sensitive skin - only on face. I got really sore and puffy skin on my face when I started to take 3 20mg pills a day.Sensitive to sun when on it.

My acne only started to break out when I was 18 and it was only on my cheeks. I have been on Isotnane for about 2 1/2 months - first two months I was on 1 20mg pill a day and then at the 2 month mark my derm told me to go on 3 20mg a day - I did and my skin went really puffy and sore - so now only on 2 20mg a day. My derm said that I have to go on 3 20mg pills a days if I want my acne to go away forever. Can someone tell me if this is true and if two 20mg pills a day is enough to get rid of it forever??
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November 13, 2006

Pros:

While this medication did not completely eliminate my acne, my skin is significantly clearer than on any medication or other treatment. It also does not negate the effectiveness of birth control as the antibiotics I previously took did.

Cons:

There are mild side effects -- severely dry skin and chapped lips, headaches, back aches, etc.

While I did have side effects which were frustrating at times (especially the chapped lips and headaches) to me it was still well worth using this product. I have been seeing a dermatologist since my freshman year of college (almost 6 years ago) and nothing has worked. I have tried multiple antibotics, different kinds of birth control, topical creams, other medications, etc. While I still get some pimples, they are much smaller, less frequent and fewer in number than before. To me this means a world of difference. The advice I would give anyone would be to be realistic about your outcome and give the medication time. I didn't end up seeing dramatic results until a few months into my treatment. It's also important to be honest with your doctor about the side effects and your progress.
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October 29, 2006

Pros:

clear skin! finally!

Cons:

severe dry lips, eyes and nose as well as mood swings.

I am a 28 year old female that developed persistent acne at the age of 24. I tried all conventional methods of over the counter and oral medication and finally changed dermatologists who put me on Accutane. The first three months my face was awful. It was embarrassing to even leave the house. Then week by week I noticed improvement and now I haven't had a new spot in almost 3 months. I have 10 pills left out of a 5 month treatment and my derm. tells me I have an 80% chance it won't come back so I'm hoping. If it starts to I'll be right back in her office because the end result far outweighs the side effects.
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October 7, 2006

Pros:

It worked for a few years

Cons:

hated the side effect -- peeling lips. And the acne came back after a few years

Sure this is the "big gun" of acne treatment. But my Dr. told me that about 50% of the people get acne again -- I did a few years later. Started slow, but came back as before. He suggested a higher dose (yikes!). I found that Paula's Choice products control my skin better, and after the mixed results with accutane, I prefer that route.
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October 5, 2006

Pros:

This truly is a crazy drug, it works wonders and you can automatically feel like your getting somewhere the moment you start taking the pill.
By my 3rd month my skin, although flaky and bleeding sometimes, was as clear as day! My confidence too.

Cons:

The bleeding of the mouth, the mood swings and emotional side of it
having to take birth control along with the accutane
the flaky skin everywhere, nose bleeds, muscle aches, and my acne came back 5 months later just the same as before.

If you want something to help, at least for a little while not caring about anything else do this. Its not cheap, its not fun, its a horrible drug for your body, but for a small period of time it does clear your skin.
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October 19, 2022
Harsh side effects but AMAZING RESULTS. highly recommend.

Ok so from agent 14-20 I probably tried every product on the planet. 12 years ago I finally tried the acne.org regimen and it was life changing. Worked almost immediately. I praise Dan and acne.org so much for this product. The ONLY negative was a few times here and there I would be on a trip and ran out of product, or forgot it and would basically have a panic attack. I would almost always break out if I didn?t do it twice a day religiously. It does work like magic however the whole process is quite long and to do it twice a day takes a lot of time. Every time I would forget and get a break out, that breakout would scar (as I got older this got more common) Finally I decided to try accutane so I wouldn?t risk any more scars. It was intense. Very try lips, very thirsty always, but all in all from a few days after trying it, to this day maybe 8 years later I haven?t had any breakouts. This pill is magic and honestly if going back in time they would?ve told me the pill takes 10 years off my life to trade for the perfect skin I have now, I?d probably still do it. I know that sounds crazy but it really was Magic. For those wondering I still (12 years later) use the acne.org cleanser. :) 

August 29, 2022
I've tried every acne medication under the sun!

I am so thankful that I eventually tried Accutane (Qacne365). Literally tried everything before this and am so glad I did! I had horrible acne even some cystic acne that was so painful ever since I can remember. Started Accutane and aside from the extremely dry skin and I even got a rash sometimes, the side effects are tolerable and it cleared my skin up 100%! I started it when I was 22 years old. I took 6 months of it and my face was officially clear. It’s been almost two years now and I haven’t had a zit. NOT ONE. My skin went back to normal and not dry. Highly recommended! It’s hard while on it, but the results are so worth it.

July 29, 2024
What you are describing is my acne to a T . What I am worried about is the side effects, that’s what I am struggling with . Also the dermatologist reported depression and suicidal ideation, for me that is serious. My face is horrible and I have to ask myself am I will to risk my mental health to clear my face up. Then I hear you say you don’t have acne, then others state their acne has come back after use? I’m at a loss
September 9, 2021
Accutane MYORISAN VS ACCUTANE AMNEAL

I'm 17 I'm a BOY and started Accutane when I was about 15 This medicine is very effective in a positive way it helped clear my face full of acne in about 4 months but I did not get to finish the whole 6 months because insurance canceled while I was on Accutane MYORISAN brand 20mg I had no bad side affects accept for chapped lips which is very common and that was it.

        One year later I'm going back on Accutane to finish up and clear up my face completely I still have a good amount of acne. Now this brand of Accutane I'm taking is called AMNEAL 20 mg the first day I start taking it I feel normal, The second day I have a little chest pain for a couple minutes but feel normal, The third day I wake up around 4:30am I then took the pill about 5:00am Then left to work at 5:20am while I was on the road My vision started to blur and I thought it was because I was just tired and it felt like if you were to look into a light bulb and then look away that's what I was seeing I didn't want to believe it was the medicine THEN MY HEAD felt like there was a tight band around it but I just thought it was my Bennie but no it wasn't. I'm finally at work at 6:20 I get out of my truck and walk around I feel a bad headache and then feel like throwing up and then eventually throw up stomach acid so I'm thinking it was because I didn't eat anything with my Accutane so I then go to Panera Bread on my way there at a intersection I just had to get out of my truck and start throwing up nothing except water and coffee and the pain started to continue luckily none was there finally get to Panera bread order a breakfast sandwich and left to go in the back of the building parking lot to throw up rolling on the floor and just waiting to die I didn't want to go to the hospital because I didn't think they could do much finally I feel a little better so then I go back in to Panera and eat my breakfast sandwich and felt a little bit better and then a couple hours latter I feel like I'm going back to normal so I am not sure whether its the reason I didn't eat or an allergic reaction I'm going to take another pill with food and see what happens. 

February 4, 2021
Excellent, but only if you take it short-term

Accutane was the only thing that ever gave me clear skin, and that feeling was just great. My lifestyle and diet could be a mess and it kept my skin clear. If nothing works, I'd say just go for it.

However, I recommend everyone to only go on it short term, which is the usual duration recommended by your skin doctor, I would presume a year max is probably still ok, but only based on my own experience

Otherwise, unless you are that special few (of whom i'm so envious of), you will start to see all the side effects appear.

Accutane past a few months started messing with my stomach and bowel movements. Still nothing that is crazy so I stayed on it.  Then I started getting back pains. Still, nah clear skin is sooooooo much more important. A year passed and I find myself losing hair. Ok, that got me worried but no way was I going off accutane. By then I was already taking a dosage that is lesser, because  without a completely valid reason, no sane doctor will allow you to take the full dosage for past a certain duration, which can range from 4-8 months depending on the doctor and how much you can take per day.

Sad to say, the lesser dosage did not keep me clear, but still, I chose to continue taking it even for that 80% clear skin. That's just how persistent I was.

By 1.5 years, the hairloss was quite a concern I had to start on minoxidil. Minoxidil did great until I realized I landed myself in deeper shit because once you stop minoxidil, the hair that grew back will very likely go as well. So I had no choice but to stay on minoxidil. But that is another story altogether.

Even with all that, I continued on accutane as I continue getting more stomach problems.

One fine day, I decided I have had enough and I stopped. And though that was the start of a lot of the side effects lessening in intensity (they never go away completely), a while later I got hit with an autoimmune disorder which destroyed my life and when I did a search, I realized that accutane has a possibility of causing auto immune problems. Oh, if only I knew about it earlier...btw an autoimmune illness is medically incurable. And though I can't say for sure accutane is the cause for it, I can't say for sure it isn't.

Therefore, now. I always tell people, it is ok to take accutane, as a matter of fact, please do take it if you really want to and need to. But never take it long term (and past the recommended cumulative dosage), you will wreck your body in horrifying ways. We all want clear skin, but never do it at the loss of the healthy functioning of another body part.

December 20, 2020
Please try!

I never write reviews but I decided to write this as if it can help one person on deciding to use this ill be happy.. before starting accutane I was so worried about it due to reading the horror stories, but with my cyctic acne taking over my life I would of tried anything. I would sit up every night and read the reviews and sometimes not being able to sleep till 4am. When I finally decided to start, the nurse was explaining all the bad side effects (obviously they have to) and I started to have a panic attack. I was so scared of these that I didnt want to even start the accutane! After calming down I started my course, and with starting to see a difference in around 6 weeks I was so happy! Its been 6 months from starting and its one of the best things I have ever done, my confidence is finally coming back after suffering with acne for 10 years. So if anyone is considering this I would certainly recommend. Dry lips and low moods are something I experienced, but with healthy diet and exercise, I was able to over come them. I hope this helps someone today who is feeling low about themselves and their acne and know there is hope :)

June 29, 2024
What dosage did u use

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.

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.