I am an 18 year old girl who has had acne since the fourth grade. I have been on countless medications to try and help my skin; Tetracycline, Minocycline, Doxycycline, and Ortho Tri cycline (birth control). None of these helped. I have used Proactive (twice) that didn't help in the least bit, so my last resort was Accutane. I was very nervous about it, having done my research on it, I wasn't sure if I wanted to. Well, let me tell you, I am so glad I did. I am only on my second month, and my skin is so smooth. Before, I had cysts and nodules all along my jaw, my neck, my chest, my upper back, and my cheeks. Now, they're flat and fading. I don't have any on my face, my chest is now drying out, and my neck looks better. The first month, I experienced breaking out on my neck, the cysts were huge! They hurt, and it was just embarrassing. I wore scarves for 2 weeks straight to hide them. The area around my lips broke out as well, they were not large and it only lasted about a week (short compared to my other break outs). I am drying out, not as bad as I thought. I was on 40mg for the first month, now I am on 60mg for my second. side effects I am having include dry skin and lips, not bad at all, cured by moisturizer and Vaseline chap stick. I am thirsty and hungry (more than usual) but thirst isn't severe, I don't notice it unless I think about it. I take my medicine with food, yet it makes me hungry and once I eat, the smallest bite will fill me up. I wake up with bloody noses, not ones to bother me, they're just like scabs or clots, which sounds disgusting but that's the only way I can put it. muscle spasms. this one is actually funny to me, because I have never had these. my legs twitch sometimes or my thumb as well. small, quick movements that feel funny. my contacts are starting to stick to my eyes, making things blurry, so I wear glasses more. my skin isn't oily AT ALL. I would normally use my oil blotting sheets about 3+ times a day and now I never need them. saying this, my hair isn't oily either. I would have to wash it EVERY NIGHT..and now I can go a week or so without doing so (I wash my body don't worry) but I don't have to worry about waking up the next day with greasy hair. I itch too, since my skin is drying out. mostly around my elbows and the top of my hands. when my cysts were drying out, they itched as well, it was uncomfortable. I haven't experienced any thoughts of suicide, depression, or severe side effects like some people do, or what the major concerns are. I get blood work done every month, as well as a pregnancy test, you have to answer questions from the iPledge website before filling the medicine, it's easy, but annoying. I feel pretty lucky with what I'm experiencing, slight dryness. this is definitely going to be something that will change my life. I am able to go out in public feeling confident about my skin. I used to always look down or not look people in the eye, but now I can. I am 100% happy with my skin now, and I still have 4 months to go! :) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and I really, really wish I had started sooner.

I'm only just starting my 4th month, however my skin has already improved. I'm trying to remember what my skin reacted like during the first month - and I can't remember having any major breakout like some. Now I produce no oil on my face, I still have the occasional pimple, but just on my chin area and a few on the cheeks. It has eliminated the amount of cystic acne I used to get. I still have scarring, but hopefully that will improve over time. Skin tone in general though is a HUGE improvement. I used to have very bumby skin mainly from little white/black heads everywhere... so even though my acne wasn't severe I was devastated by how my skin tone looked overall. As far as side effects go - I have lost weight- about 8 pounds so far (weight 118 now). I have been more achy, occasional night sweats, maybe slightly more tired. No major side effects like some people have posted about thank goodness. I like many of you was scared to start but I think once you get to the point where your skin is making you feel self-conscious it is worth trying Accutane. Life is very precious and I'm happy I can start enjoying my life more now than if I had waited to try Accutane later in life. I should have started this a year ago :(

i started going to the dermatologist for acne when i was in 8th grade. I tried everything, over the counter things first in 7th grade and tried things like minocycline, bactrim, and a few other pills and lots of topicals. finally, halfway through 10th grade i started accutane. I took 40mg for about 9 months, and just finished it a few weeks ago.this is the first pill to ever clear up the acne on my back. my skin is about perfect now! while taking the pill i got only a few breakouts the whole time and they went away in just a couple of days. After being off of it for a few weeks, I do have a few very small pimples. But they gave me Differin and when i put it on the acne is gone the next day! I did have a few side effects like high cholesterol which was kind of a hassle, but overall it was completely worth it. This pill changed my life. I had months of always having to have a chapstick with me, not being able to lay flat on my back cause it hurt, and taking fish oil pills, but it was totally worth it to me. i am so thankful for this medication!

I just started using this product 7 days ago. I have had acne for about 3 years and I've tried practically every treatment available to me. I have tried doxycycline, clindamycin, penicillin, retin A, birth controls, hormone treatments and tons of topical treatments. The doxycycline did work for about 5 months but then it stopped working so I decided to try Accutane as a last resort. So far I've been on it for 7 days and I've noticed improvement, No more cystic acne and a significant decrease in the size of the spots, I still have some redness and spots but not nearly as bad. The acne on my back is completely gone. The dermatologist told me that my acne could get worse for a little while before it gets better but so far there has only been improvement. I really hope that this treatment continues to work and I will update on the progress. So far I haven't had many side effects. I've had a little dryness but not nearly as much as I expected, I just use a little extra moisturizer and Chapstick and I'm fine. It could be because I just started using the product so I'll let you know if it gets worse. The only other side effect is that I bruise really easily! which is strange because I wasn't expecting it. I'm super clumsy and now I have tons of bruises. The only other downside of Accutane is the blood tests. I have to get a blood test every month, which I'm dreading but so far the Pros significantly outweigh the cons.

I started RoAccutane which I believe is just the English version of Accutane in June 2010 at the age of 15. My acne was localised to my back and shoulders as I am fortunate to not suffer from acne on my face. I had tried several oral and topical acne treatments from my doctor before starting RoAccutane, all of which did not have any effect, resulting in me being referred to a dermatologist. I started on a low dose of RoAccutane which did not seem to be improving my skin so after around 5 months my dosage was increased. This was when I started seeing results. My once cystic acne was decreasing month by month. I still got the occasional small red bumps but they never turned into spots and went away after a few days. Whilst I was on my course of RoAccutane I was also prescribed the Dianette Oral Contraceptive Pill which was mandatory whilst I was taking RoAccutane. The main side effects I experienced were dry skin and lips which were easily sorted with moisturiser and lip balm, I did not experience these infamous "depression" side effects which I don't doubt may be possible but I didn't get any more moody than a typical 15 year old. Although the need for a blood test once a month was a pain especially due to my dislike of needles, I soon got over them and was reassured that my progress on the course was being monitored. I was taken off RoAccutane the following year, in June 2012, after it was agreed by both me and my dermatologist that my acne was gone and hopefully stayed that way. Since finishing my course my acne has stayed away and my back and shoulders remain clear, I occasionally get the odd small pimple due to obvious female hormones but other than that my skin is finally perfect. I hope this review helps and I cannot recommend this product enough. Fortunately in the UK I did not have to pay for my prescription of RoAccutane but if I did I definitely would have, this product has changed my life.

i'm using roaccutane for four month 20 mg/day and i have dry skin and new acne problem: i've got new underskin acne on my cheeks and they are staying just there. Sometimes they get inflamed. I say again i'm using accutane for 4 month 20 mg/day. Is it going to be better in next month or months. my weight is 75 kg. Thank youu

My version of accutane was called Claravis. I took it for about 6-7 months twice in my life so far. I took once as a teenage boy and again 15 years later. I've have 97% clear skin now for about 1 1/2 years. My insurance did not cover cover accutane, because my insurance sucked. So, I paid out of pocket each time, like $400 dollars. However, this is not the norm. It was the best $2,400 I ever spent. I paid $2400 for a cure to acne. If your insurance rocks, you may around $450 for a cure. I think the office visit to the dermatologist alone is $300 without insurance. The most annoying thing was about one week of a breakout. Then, after that, it was just dry skin and some minor aches in my back. Also, you have to take the monthly blood tests. Totally worth it.

This Product is FLIPPING AMAZING. All these stories about people getting depression are utter rubbish, two or three cases out of many does not make it the cause of depression. Since iv been taking the 10Mg prescribed by my gp, my cystic spots have completely gone and its only been 2 months, i have just got the odd spot here and there but hey got another 4 months to go. To anyone who is unsure of trying the product, just go for it, dont waste time on using expensive products. This will DEFO work. You will be glad that you took this medicine.

Before my dermatologist decided to put me on acutane, we had tried multiple medical topical treatments, Minocylene for almost 6 months WITH the topical and still no results. With painful acne that covered my whole back and chest going to prom (dress), wearing clothes lower than my neck was a no go. I was wearing so much concealer on my face it was getting expensive... Not being able to put pressure on my back without feeling pain led to back problems from sleeping on my side all the time. After one month of taking acutane all the pain, bumps, and acne is gone! Of course I was warned it would come back before the end up my treatment so I'm still on it. The side effects are quite annoying but easy to deal with. Carmex for my dry lips, eye drops when my eyes get dry and itchy, an plenty of water! Having oily skin to start with, I haven't had any dry skin problems though I still use St. Ives body lotion on my hands, elbows, and over the old acne scars. They are starting to fade and I've never been more proud in my skin! At first the reviews scared me but I realized all the patients experiencing serious side effects weren't even seeing a doctor every month! I see mine before every monthly refill of my medication and have my blood/kidney tests. So far so good! I recommend this to any healthy person with severe acne, but do it through a doctor who knows what they're doing:) (can be expensive, insurance coverage might help! My 60mg a day is 2,000$ a month!)

Accutane has changed my life. I've always had problems with my skin, but at the start of 2013, I began to develop large, cystic whiteheads and pimples all over my face, back and chest. They became inflammed and red so I went to a dermatoglist to be diagnosed. He told me I had severe cystic acne, but it was a much rarer kind than that found in most teenagers suffering from the same problem. From April 2013 to June 2013, I was on 10 mg, which seems like a small dose but it was enough to bring out my acne to it's worst. For the first six months my skin was in the worst state it had ever been in. It was red and inflamed with large cystic pimples protruding from every part of my face. I am now finishing my 8th month of Accuatane and I couldn't be happier with the results. My skin has improved tremendously and I have never felt more confident and treatment isn't even finished! Accutane has changed my life. View my before and after here: [link edited out]