I was terrified to try Accutane. However, at the age of 21, I realized my acne wasn't going any where and I was so sick of it. I had constant breakouts, some cystic acne, and EXTREMELY oily skin. I would fill up one of those Clean & Clear oil absorbing sheets with oil from my face every 90 minutes. Accutane completely changed my skin. It took me about 5 months into my treatment to get completely clear. About 2 weeks after taking Accutane the oil disappeared which was very weird at first. The first day that the oil was gone I was attempting to blot my face as it was so routine to me and I was confused as to why no oil was coming off my face. Thankfully, three months off Accutane and I have remained acne and oil free. However, I did experience some side effects. Temporary side effects: Dry lips (manageable with Aquaphor during the day and Aveeno medicated daily moisturizer at night) Dry skin (Cetaphil moisturizing cream at night) Flakey, ITCHY scalp (this lasted only about a month and was fixed with Head & Shoulders) Anal fissures (gross I know, but I experienced fissures while on Accutane and it was pretty painful. It took forever for them to heal, likely due to this medication. I never had fissures before taking Accutane so I'm convinced they were caused by Accutane. Thankfully they have healed since finishing treatment.) Side effects that still affect me 3 months post Accutane: Facial redness (my face used to never get red before, now it gets red when I get embarrassed/hot which sucks) Facial sweating (I've noticed that my face gets visibly sweaty very easily when I get too warm, I didn't experience this before Accutane) Aging (I feel that I look more aged since taking Accutane, maybe due to the lack of oil production) Although the side effects are annoying and intimidating, Accutane is definitely worth trying; it changed my life.

I had this medication as i was on antibiotics and an facial cream called differin gel. It worked well at first and my face was clear for my school prom. after prom about 3 weeks my acne started to come back, mainly around the T zone, Nose especially. I still had very oily skin and i would keep washing my face every day and night trying to get rid of it, even using toilet paper to remove it sometimes while at school. i went back to the dermatologist and said i had really oily skin i was put onto Accutane. Within a month i started to notice a difference, my skin was producing far less oil and my spots where less pronounced. within about 6 months or less my face was completely clear and oil free. I was so happy and confident! I was sceptical to try this medication because it was offered to be first as the side affects worried me. but they never seamed to have any effect other than dry skin which i knew was going to happen. Taking it was the best decision ever! I recommend it to anyone. I wish id of done it instead of the first treatment.

I've been on a generic brand of Accutane for 5 months now. It has been a miracle drug for me. I used to have horrible hormonal acne and nothing else helped. I suffered major depression and withdrew from socializing and never left my house. Ever since I've been taking this drug, my skin looks flawless. No more excessive oily skin or hair. I do have very dry lips and that's the only side effect that I've come across so far. My doctor started me out on 5mg and now I'm up to 30mg. I've heard once a Accutane patients finish their course of their Accutane treatment, the acne can come back. So it doesn't sound like a long term solution. This drug also does have many side effect warnings as do most other prescription drugs. I am aware of the lawsuits which breaks my heart. I'm hoping that the generic form of Accutane is not completely eliminated. Accutane has saved me from a deeper depression and low self esteem. Society can be so cruel that people feel pressured to fix their flaws so they can live a peaceful life.

I researched everything about isotretinoin before I started taking it. I wanted to weigh the risks and benefits before taking the drug for 5 months. I have had mild to moderate acne since I was 16 and I am now 26. I tried antibiotics, birth control, ACV, chemical peels (which made it worse), even the acne.org regime which irritated my sensitive skin too much to keep using. After talking with my dermatologist, we decided that these other things I have tried did not work and he suggested a five month course on accutane. There is a lot of waiting involved in order to get the prescription. Waiting after the pregnancy test, waiting to get approved, waiting for results. They make you jump through A LOT of hoops if you are a female, but if you are willing to get the necessary tests every month, it is worth it. My dermatologist prescribed me a low dose of 20mg for the first two months then I went on 30 mg. I have just finished my last months prescription a few weeks ago and my skin is the smoothest and clearest it has been since I can even remember. However, I still have some redness and my skin is still sensitive and dry. My side effects were very typical. Dry skin, dry lips, sore joints, low energy, and eczema flare ups. All of my side effects were bearable and I would do it again if I had to. Some of the products that I use to combat dryness are Cerave moisturizing facial wash, Cerave PM moisturizer, Aquaphor & lanolin for my lips. For makeup, I used Estee Lauder double wear foundation and it helped with covering up any redness or unevenness. Loreal's True Match also works well for a drugstore brand. After the third month, I noticed I needed less and less makeup because I didn't have to cover up anymore. I also love E.L.F lip exfoliator for dry flaky lips. Another positive side effect besides clear skin has been that my hair has been growing very fast. I asked the dermatologist about this and he could not explain it. I only have to wash my hair every few days because of the lack of oil. It is important to note that your skin will be very sensitive while on accutane. You have to be very careful not to pick your skin because it will not heal as fast as it normally would. It is also important to note that you cannot tan, get a tattoo, or wax while on accutane. I get my eyebrows threaded instead and it works very well without any irritation. I am tan and do not normally burn while in the sun but while on accutane I burn very easily. Also you are not supposed to drink alcohol while on accutane, when I did, I noticed it affected me strongly so I would not recommend it. I tried three different brands, Claravis, Amnesteem, and Absorbica. I would recommend taking Absorbica if you can because it is absorbed the best. The other brands you are supposed to take it with a fatty meal in order to be absorbed. Even though on the label they warn you about depression, It has not affected my mood at all. There is a lot of scary information out there about accutane, but I wanted to share my experience and hopefully help someone with their decision to try it. I would recommend it to anyone that struggles with their skin.

This is a beautiful drug.. It cleared my skin up well.. I took for 5 months.. 4 months in I was completely clear. Oil went away and marks did too.. Didn't really care about blood test in stuff.. I was just grateful to be getting clear skin.. After about 8 months after stopping drug.. The acne came back.. And so did oil.. So now I'm trying it again..I heard once u take it the second time around it's hard for it to come back again.. I don't regret taking accutane. It does wonders for your skin, that's y I'm trying it a second time.. The worst side effect I had was just dry lips.. But I rather have that then bumps everywhere.. If there is anyone out there that has did accutane twice please write a comment to tell me how it went.. Thanks and good luck on journey.

I'd had varying levels of acne since I was 12 and had exhausted every possible solution - antibiotics, topicals, birth control, gluten-free dieting, spironolactone, etc. Some of these treatments would improve my skin for a few weeks or months, but nothing ever lasted. Starting in my mid-20s, doctors started mentioning Accutane as a possible solution, but I'd heard such awful stories about it that I always resisted. Fast-forward to my 30th birthday. I had just gotten off spironolactone, which had worked marvelously for my skin but had also caused an allergic reaction. I decided that I was at the point that I would do ANYthing to finally and emphatically rid myself of acne, so I marched into my dermatologist's office and demanded Accutane. To put it briefly, Accutane was a miracle drug for me, and I experienced only the most minimal (and manageable) of side effects. I had to remain vigilant about skin/lip dryness, but so long as I moisturized faithfully and kept my lips slicked with Aquaphor, it was totally manageable - nothing worse than I experience during, say, a normal mid-Atlantic winter. I also experienced some joint and muscle achiness, but this was only inconvenient, not dehabilitating. At the four-month mark, my dermatologist noticed that my liver enzymes were starting to increase, so she reduced my daily dosage until I finished the course a month later. (They returned to normal after I ended the medication.) This had been my biggest fear - I didn't want to cause any lasting damage to my body - but the beauty of the monthly blood tests is that your doctor should catch any problems before they become irreversible. I've been off for five months now, and I haven't had a single cystic zit since; the worst acne I've seen is a few tiny, non-inflamed zits along my hairline that often pop up before my period. I would still describe my skin type as "oily," but it's not nearly as oily as it was pre-Accutane. And I've had no lasting side-effects or problems - I would absolutely do this all over again, and I feel silly for being so fearful of trying Accutane in the first place. My one key piece of advice: Try to find a dermatologist who is experienced with Accutane. I was fortunate enough to find a doctor who specializes in cosmetic dermatology, so she had the Accutane processes down pat - she told me exactly which cleansers and moisturizers to use, what dietary adjustments would help, etc. (She also put me on an awesome retinoid after, which has helped - along with at-home peels - get rid of the nasty scars and dark spots that remained after Accutane.) I had sworn to myself that I would post my experience with Accutane here, because I had stalked this message board for weeks before starting my course and found the information very helpful. I want to add to the chorus of voices who took Accutane successfully and are glad they did!

I spent many years searching acne.org for solutions to chest and back acne. I tried everything from the Acne.org regimen to other prescriptions. Nothing ever cleared up my acne and I suffered with insecurity from the time I was 13 until I was 25. Finally I decided I had nothing to lose and started Accutane. The only thing I can say is that I wish I would have taken this sooner so I would not have missed out on a lot during my youth (swimming, beaches, etc.) The only side effects I experienced were an upset stomach the first week while my body adjusted to the meds. Of course, the chapped lips and dry nose are annoying, but you can learn do deal with it. I would rather have chapped lips than a breakout any day. It has been about 6 months since I stopped taking the medicine and I have not had one breakout. Accutane has improved my quality of life tenfold and I would recommend it to anyone who is considering it.

I started getting blackheads and whiteheads in elementary school so by the time I was entering high school I had full blown acne. It was more pustules than the deeper cystic acne, though I did occasionally get those too. My dermatologist gave me Accutane right away. This was over a decade ago now so it wasn't as big a deal like it is now. I believe I also started on the highest dose, 40mg 2x daily. During the entire time I was taking Accutane my face looked terrible! Red and flaky yet greasy from the A&D ointment I slathered on. The only side effects I had was dryness, skin, hair, mouth, eyes, nose you name it. I had blood and pregnancy tests every month without complication. I stayed on that dose only 3 of the 6 months I was supposed to because I had a vacation planned and didn't want to be a red flaky mess. I stopped the pills and as my skin came back from the dryness it was perfect! No spots, enlarged pores, excessive oilliness of my hair or face. My skin stayed in this perfect state until I was about 24. Even as my skin became oily again and I started getting clogged pores it did not return to the previous state until I turned 30 last year. So I have had, in my mind, 13 years of great skin for a few months of mild discomfort. I have struggled with lifelong depression and I didn't feel any worse when I was on the medication, having the hope of good skin actually made me feel better if anything. I would actually like to try another course/cycle of Accutane now that my acne has returned, perhaps not as aggressive as the first though. Accutane was a huge success for me and I wish more people had the same experience.

As a 15yr. old girl (this was 16yrs. ago) I started Accutane. After the initial 30 days of my acne getting worse I started to notice that day by day the acne lessened and the pores on my face became smaller and I didn't have to constantly blot the oil off my face. I had some dryness but it was a small sacrifice to look in the mirror and not see these big ugly zits causing me to feel ugly and self conscious. I also started to look people in the eyes and not constantly worry that they were staring at the state of my skin, or to go outside in the bright light and have people thinking negative things about me. After 3 mos. my skin was beautiful, without a single blemish, and the pores shrunk back to normal. Although I had the dryness that everyone experiences, it was SO WORTH IT. People talk about depression as a side effect, but honestly I was so deliriously happy with the results that I can say I was never depressed for even one day. After 1 yr. of being off the drug I started to get a few pimples and went back to the dermatologist. She started me on a second course immediately. That was 17yrs. ago. My skin has been perfect and flawless ever since. I never get a breakout. I shudder to think how my life would have been if it wasn't for this wonder drug. I would recommend it in a heartbeat. It changed my life.

i am 21 year old girl and have been suffering from acne since i was 13. by the time i was 17 cystic acne had covered most of my face. those of you who suffer from cystic acne know how painful and upsetting this can be. i tried everything, doxycycline, solodyn, azithromycin, monocycline, clindamycin, epiduo, tazorac, aczone, benzaclin you name it. nothing seemed to work for me at all. my dermatologist had always encouraged me to try accutane, saying it would work wonders for me, but because of all the negative things i had heard about accutane i was too afraid to try it. finally last spring in my junior year of college i lost all hope. when i came home for summer i decided accutane was my only option. I started accutane this august and am almost 5 months in ( i will be done in February). I take 50 mg per day and weigh about 115 lbs. this was the BEST choice i have ever made. my skin is clear of cystic bumps for the first time in my life!! i do have a little scarring left over but nothing too serious (i was afraid i would have terrible scarring). i have never been happier! i suffered some side effects, like chapped lips and dry skin and hair but these were all easily fixable with lotion, lots of aquaphor (for my lips) and deep conditioning treatments for my hair. if you suffer acne like i did CONSIDER ACCUTANE. don't let the negative things push you away from this amazing cure, i seriously wish i took this years ago!