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
December 3, 2007
Cons:
iPledge is annoying, especially for us boys. The packaging of tane is annoying to, with an overload of no pregnancy information. (they should make a boy version). Dry lips can be annoying, because if you dont keep up with lip balm it can get bad.
No other antibiotic, or creme, or acid, or magic miracule cure has worked for me. I have moderate persistant acne. I was just absoultley fed up with stressing out about my skin, I felt horrible every day. I dont know why people dont understand how mentally traumatizing acne can be. I tried every drug, wasted hundreds on perscription medication and and way more over the internet.
I was determined to make make tane the last resort, becuase of all the horrible things I have heard about it, like suicide, and liver destruction, and night blindness.
Well none of the above happened to me, the worst thing that happened to me was dry lips, drier eyes, drier skin, and better acne. I did not even get an IB! From day one my acne slowly slowly got better, by a month in I still had remenents of acne, my skin was still purging, but I had the best skin I could remeber! I finished accutane two days ago, and all is good. I am so happy I did it. I am a 15 year old boy, fyi, and chicks dig nice ski
November 30, 2007
Pros:
oil is wiped off your face and you can use lotion freely
Cons:
wish it got rid of scars
only on it for 1 month. must wait for the following months to see more results
November 23, 2007
Pros:
stopped oil prod within couple of wks.Only med that has worked,tried every other med that didn't work
Cons:
dried cracked lips especially in corners ,back pain is very disturbing,but worth finally having better skin
I,have been on accutane for 6 months ,1st,thru 3months on 80mgs then next 2 months ever 3th day 120 mgs,now in my 6month, I, am on 120 every other day.I have small bumps on my face that were filled with white pus that I would squeeze and they would come back a week later for like 15 yrs,I,had this ritual.Accutane is the only med that has stopped this nasty crap
.Well ,so far so good ,my skin is getting better by the week,I hope it continues when ,I , am off this med?I am 37yrs old,didnt have IB but my face has clear up ,I had small skin color bumps with white pus and some pitting from squeezin that would not go away since the age of 20.accutane has stopped the oil prod,blackheads and help with my scarring
November 16, 2007
Pros:
After a few weeks I noticed less oil on my skin. I'm seeing results that I hadn't with other medications.
Cons:
Side Effects...joint pain, dryness of everything and remembering to take it twice a day.
I have very mild acne but nothing has helped it and my doc recommended accutane. I'm sick of wasting the doctor's time with mild acne so I tried it. Been on it a little over a month and seeing great effects. The joint pain is a little frustrating especially at night but I think it will be worth it in the end. Very cheap with my insurance.
October 28, 2007
Pros:
Few yet, but I am expecting things to clear up!
Cons:
Back pain and chapped lips, REALLLY sun sensitive
I have been on it for about a month now and dont have ANY cystic acne anymore, which is a big plus. My face is really dry but im ok with that. Starting my 2nd month and am excited!
October 22, 2007
Pros:
Completely stops the oil! Really helped clear my skin as well. Hardly any side effects at all, although I was prepared for the worst.
Cons:
Dry lips, dandruff in my hair. Also, for me the oil CAME BACK one month after stopping the medication but I am still clear.
It is expensive, but worth it in my opinion. It really helped clear my skin with minimal side effects, and I am ready and willing to go on a second course if I need to. It has helped me more than anything else ever has.
October 18, 2007
Pros:
Dried out my skin, got rid of blackheads, reduced duration and severity of breakouts...until 2 years ago.
Cons:
My face is currently lobster red, peeling, and painful. My lips are chapped and cracked. Putting lotion on my face burns so I'm applying neosporin. I also seem to be going through lip balm quickly. I'm drinking way more water and my eyes are dry.
This is the second time I'm taking accutane. I took it 6 years ago and had mediocre results. Two years ago is when the real fun started and my skin began erupting (especially in the fall)! Tired of large, painful and embarassing blemishes at the ripe old age of 28, I've decided to give accutane a second try. My older sister had wonderful results (she took it about 12 years ago) with minimal side-effects. My younger brother is currently taking it for the second time as well. We shall see if either of us have better results this time around. I'm submitting my receipts to my insurance company, but I'm not sure if they cover expenses completely. If it's out of pocket, it will cost me about 160$ a month.
October 5, 2007
Pros:
Quick acting, easy to administer (no creams or gels), covered by medical plan, no serious side effects (depression, liver problems, etc...).
Cons:
Dry Lips (Use Burt's Bees Wax Lip Chap), Dry nostrils, The odd bloody nose, slightly dry skin (in winter more than any other time), possible chance of having to do two separate 15-20 week cycles, no drinking, monthly blood tests, & expensive.
All in all this is the only product worth spending your money on. Dan's regiment is good and worth trying if you can't afford accutane; but for those of us who've tried everything and who are sick and tired of different medications that never seem to work or take too long, this is the right road to go down. Don't let the side effects scare you away, a very small percentage of people taking accutane get depressed and thats because of low self-esteem. The blood tests are a bit of a hassle, but nothing to worry about. STOP DELAYING AND GET ON THIS MEDICATION BECAUSE IT WORKS ! Talk to a dermatologist to begin your treatment !
October 4, 2007
Pros:
I never had acne until i was 22. After that i got severe cistic acne. I tried everything to get rid of it. Things only got worse. That is until i started taking accutane. With in two weeks all but two of cist on my face were gone.
Cons:
The only side effect I had were dry lips. I used Dr. dans when it gets bad or otherwise i use the blixtex every two hours and my lips don't look dry
This works. The only reason i didn't start this treatment before because i was afraid of getting depressed. However I had so much more self-confident with treatment that it had the opposite effect. I started having the time. The reason that i think i had good results was because I made sure that i always wore sunscreen on my face, always drank tons of water, ate super healthy, bought some dr. dans chapstick and blistex. It helped with old scars as well. Do it.
October 3, 2007
Pros:
No idea as of yet...
Cons:
have a headache, dry lips, flaky skin, tiredness
We'll have to wait and see if it works... am very worried about side effects
Pros:
actually gets rid of acne. it gets RID of acne for longterm. Let me say this again, it gets RID of acne. Side effects are not bad at all, dry lips. Did I say I look like a million bucks? thank god