Acne.org Products
Oral Retinoid
Efficacy
87%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Note: Use with EXTREME CAUTION: Causes severe birth defects and fetal death.
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.
Used Isotretinoin (Accutane®)? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
September 22, 2008
Cons:
Dries you up
Make sure to use chapstick and lots of moisturizer
I have had acne for about 4 years now. Antibiotics didnt help much, nothing seemed to work.
I have been on Accutane (Roche) for 50 days now, and I have seen a big improvement. I still breakout but its much less frequent and much milder. And I still have 4 months left so things will get much better :)
Also besides a few nose bleeds, dry lips and skin I dont have any side effects. Accutane is a powerful drug, but if you are in contact with your doctor you have no reason to worry.
Acne is depressing, and accutane is the only real "cure" for it
September 13, 2008
Pros:
Great for getting rid of acne, I only have a few dark spots from where the acne used to be that are clearing up now.
Cons:
I'm 32 now and did worry that I was a bit old to be taking it. My skin got very dry, and towards the end of treatment, probably round 7 months I started noticing my eyes were getting really sunken, I also have lines around my mouth too
Gets rid of acne, but if youre in your 30s you should probably consider other options
September 12, 2008
Pros:
Clear Skin. Fast Results!
Cons:
Dry Skin, Nose-bleeds, increased moodiness :)
When I was 18, I had tried everything for my acne. My zits began getting zits of their own! :) I tried every over the counter and prescription drug available. Finally, I went back to my Dermatologist, and he told me about Accutane. He warned that some people experience side effects, and took a blood sample from me for testing. After the test came back, he gave me my prescription and told me to take two pills per day. I took my first two right away, and when I woke up, my skin was 1/2 clear! The next day, almost no sign of acne! My skin was, however, very dry. After my skin dried completely, I made another appointment, and my doctor told me to only take one pill every other day. My acne was completely gone! The only side effects that I noticed was I had two nose-bleeds (never happened to me before), and I could get moody at first. To me, those were small prices to pay for clear skin. My self esteem was boosted, and people now compliment my skin all the time! (Didn't expect tha
August 21, 2008
Pros:
cleared my skin completely,
long lasting effect
closes pores
Cons:
too expensive
dried me out
hair thinning!!
iv suffered from acne since the age of 12, but always tried to ignore it, then one day i woke up and i relized what a bad problem it was for me, i went on accutane for 2 years now nearly, yes it cleared my skin, however it seems that you have to be on ths drug permanatly just to keep the acne away, when stopping the treaetment, it all seems to creep back up! the biggest problem i have is hair thinnig! which for me is the worst, since i always had beautifull long thick hair,most of it is gone :(.....not sure if clear skin is worth that
August 14, 2008
Pros:
Hopefully it will clear my skin?
Cons:
Dry skin
I've been taking accutane for almost a month now. The first week I started taking 30mg a day and then by the second week my doctor told me to take 60mg a day. So I'm two days away from being on this for a month and feel so frusturated. I'm breaking out worse than I have ever broken out in my life! Is there hope for me?
August 12, 2008
Pros:
Really does clear you up...it is the only thing that has worked for me in the past.
Cons:
slight lip chapping.
my acne came back 4 months after my treatment ended.
Hello everyone.
I'm a 16 year old female (junior in highschool).
I've had acne since I was about 12 or 13...I used to have it just on my forhead back them.
Then when I turned 14 I started to get it on my forehead and cheeks.
When I turned 15, my acne was all over my face.
It wasn't nodular/cystic acne...but it was persistent and embarrassing.
I had tried every medication you can think of.
Benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, tea tree oil, minocycline, tetracycline, retin a, ziana, differin, benzaclin, birth control pills and many other treatments.
Most of these treatments helped slightly, but not enough to really make a difference.
I still had visible acne and thanks to some of the treatments, I also had peeling and redness.
That's when I decided to try accutane.
My mom and I were a little nervous to do it at first because of everything we'd heard about the side effects, but we were desperate.
I began it in June during the summer
August 11, 2008
Pros:
BEST PRODUCT EVER! Originally took 40 mg/day - worked for 2 months, then horrible cystic zits came back. Increased dose to 60 mg/day and no zits in 2 months now.
Cons:
Dry, flaky skin on and off. Some joint pain in my back when laying in bed for frst 5 minutes. Dry dry dryyy lips, although carmex helps A TON!
Tried EVERYTHING. Had moderate acne for 5 years. Tried many many PRESCRIPTION products. Clindoxyl gel worked for a couple years, but then I built up a tolerance to it. Antibiotics did not work. I hate wearing makeup and Accutane has allowed me to go back to that. Wish I had started using it earlier so i could have enjoyed my vacation without worrying about makeup. The side effects i experienced were easily tolerable. i did not experience the depression that some do - I was far more happy taking accutane than when i wasn't.. all i wanted was clear skin. Like i said, i just wish i took it sooner so that i wasn't so self concious.
August 10, 2008
Pros:
works for a good year while your off it.. got rid of 80% and now i only have a few pimples here and there. but nothing compared to how bad it was before.
Cons:
beautiful skin while ur on it. u glow. no makeup near the end. not oily.
i loved accutane. i read so many horror stories but it was great. i didnt break out at the beginning like many people do. the minute i started using it it just got better and clearer. its amazing. dry lips defintely. but nothing sum lip conditioner from MAC didnt fix. i had occasional nose bleeds which sucked, i would get them at the weirdest place.. a girl once asked if i snorted coccaine. was totally embarassing. i was dry and always thirsty. (use cetaphil mosturizer). no depression.nothing. it was amazing and believe me..my friend coaxed me into doing it and im so thankful. now i get compliments on my skin. defintely give it a try! my acne was ruining my life. now i feel the way i should. great.
July 16, 2008
Pros:
Huge improvement within the first month, unlike anything else i've tried.
Cons:
Dry skin, and it makes me very tired.
It's a great medicine. I've been on it for a little over a month and already I've seen a HUGE improvement. I've tried so many over the counter and prescription medicines, with ultimately, no results. It has worked wonders for me already, making me more confident about myself. I recommend this to anyone who is willing to put up with a little dryness in your skin (which putting lotion on every morning and night will help) and you have to be patient. I use burt's bees lip balm and i rarely have dry lips. also, if you exfoliate your lips every morning and night (i use my toothbrush) it rubs away your dry skin. Again, i can't stress enough what a great medicine accutane is. I also have friends that have been on it, and they all agree. You need to be patient and follow everything your dermatologist tells you, and you will get the results you want!
July 15, 2008
Pros:
Accutane completely stopped the horrible oil and got rid of cystic acne.
Cons:
Took about five months for it to work and those five months I broke out horrible. Do have scars from those breakouts. No horrible side effects for me though
I was on 80mg a month for 6 months and I weigh 130lbs. The first couple months I broke out terribly and even in month 5 I was wondering if this was going to work for me. After I stopped taking accutane is when it started to clear for me. I had acne for about nine years off and on and my pores were SOOO clogged! Accutane cleared them out but it looked bad for awhile. Now I'm five months post accutane and I can't say I never break out. BUT the horrible cystic stuff (the stuff that caused me to not leave my house) has not returned. I am VERY glad I did this treatment and would recommend it to anyone! I was lucky and my health insurance covered it 100%, so it cost me nothing. Goodluck!
Pros:
No oil
Skin looks much better