Hello everyone! I've been meaning to post an 'Accutane Experience' write-up for a while now, as I spent years of my life trawling through this website, reading up on everyone else's experiences. All of the posts and reviews have given me hope, occasional dread, and mostly a whole lot of comfort in knowing I wasn't going through the agony of acne alone. I hope this post can provide some of that same hope and comfort to anyone suffering with acne and thinking about going on accutane. I've been off accutane for a month and it's one of the very best decisions I've ever made. It's an extremely freeing feeling: the shackles of cystic acne have gone, and my self regard, hunger for life and confidence have taken their place. I want this review to be as helpful and succinct as possible, so before I get too poetic, here goes. My type of acne: Face: Hormonal and cystic; concentrated around the chin and jawline. Every month or so I would get huge, marble-shaped cysts. I'd hold warm compresses to them and stay in my room all night. Sometimes, my skin would be clear. But that wouldn't last. Body: Mostly concentrated on shoulders, chest and upper back, with a few on my lower back too. Occasionally cystic, but mostly whiteheads. Often very red and sore. I have small but noticeable keloid scars (or perhaps hypertrophic? I'm not sure of the difference. In any case, the scars are raised) left on my chest, and a medium-sized one right on the very tip of my shoulder. Wearing strappy tops is still a bit of a worry for me, sadly. Things I've tried: - Antibiotics (tetracycline) on and off for almost 9 years. - Apple cider vinegar. I seeeriously doubt this works. - Cutting out dairy. Meh. Didn't see much difference. I missed cheese. - Birth control pills on three separate occasions. Hated all three times. Cried every day. Acne didn't change, or got worse. Time on accutane: 4 and a half months. It's short, I know. But my derm was pretty confident I didn't need it any more as my skin improved so drastically. Also, there's a study into the cumulative dosage method not being the most accurate. I'll give you a link if you want. Dosage: Month 1 20mg Month 2 20mg/40mg on alternate days Month 3 40mg/60mg on alternate days Month 4 - 4 and a a half 40mg/60mg on alternate days Summary Month 1: Honestly, my skin was pretty clear when I took my first dose. I was having a good skin month. But I knew it wasn't long before the acne would come back ' plus, I'd been on the waiting list to see a derm to get accutane for about 4 months, so I was taking the damn thing no matter what! Anyway, my skin stayed clear. I noticed the tiny, tiny blackheads on my nose I've had FOREVER creeping to the surface. I'd gently exfoliate, and eventually, they just disappeared. They're still gone now. The only side effect I had in Month 1 was flushed skin. Month 2: A couple of zits here and there, but nothing worse than I normally get. I had a lovely line of spots on my shoulder... I started to notice my joints aching a little. Month 3: I basically was a huge hypochondriac this month. I convinced myself I had intracranial hypertension due to a couple of headaches and a bit of dizziness. I did have really achey joints at this point, but it was bearable. Dryness kicked in: my make-up looked a bit flakey and I was constantly putting chapstick on. I got a cystic spot on my chin around my period. Month 4 to 4 and a half: Skin looked great. Same side effects as before. I was lethargic, dry and achey. I went back to the derm, they congratulated me on how great my skin looked (and gave me useless advice on scarring, but that's another story). I left his office without another prescription and went on holiday to Milan the next day. I might have spent a little too much time in the sun drinking Aperol Spritz. Oh well. Now here I am, with the smoothest, clearest skin of my life. Key takeaways: The biggest thing is that it was literally fine. I had none of the terrifying side effects; my mood, if anything, was better because I was so optimistic about my clear-skinned self. I simply didn't think about the fact I was on accutane as much as I thought I would. In fact, I hardly ever thought about it. I just got on with my life, and ultimately, nothing was different except for the amount of chapstick on my desk at work. Also, I didn't consider how much the consistency of my skin would change. It's so soft! I can't stop stroking my chin and back. I'm aware that my acne might return, and I would take accutane again if it did. But I'm very hopeful that I'll be one of the lucky ones that doesn't get it again, or at least I get "normal" acne instead of cysts and body acne. Honestly, I just don't wanna give up cheese again. My only question to you guys is: Any advice on raised scarring? My derm was truly useless and told me I'd simply never have normal skin and to try Bio Oil. Should I go to a clinic, look at getting some kind of procedure done?

Hello everyone, I haven't ever written a post before but I always promised myself I would if accutane worked. Acne type: Moderate but persistent Duration: 4 months (starting November 2015) Dosage: 55mg dosage the whole time - 1mg per kg you weigh. Side effects: Mild dryness, mild backpain, very dry stools (TMI I know!) All of the side effects were treated easily by investing in vaseline for the lips, cetaphil moisturiser for face/body, drinking A LOT of water. I had to be on the contraceptive pill, and use 1 other form of protection with monthly blood and pregnancy tests. DO NOT RISK GETTING PREGNANT! Month 1: Initial breakout from day 3-day 15 from what I remember - it was straight away probably because I started on a high dose Month 2: Acne tamed but got a mini flare up in week 6 which set me back Month 3: Face really started to clear up and became less conscious about it Month 4: Clear and honestly my face was glowing! People who didn't even know I was on accutane said to my my face was actually glowing. It is now November 2016 - exactly 1 year after I started, and 8 months after my final dose - I won't lie and say I haven't had the odd spot, and when I do I completely panic and fear the worst, but believe me accutane DID and DOES work. I can actually leave the house with no makeup on - feels incredible! I hope I stay acne free forever, (please pray I do), but for the time being I am really happy that I took it. if it is offered to you, do take it. It is worth it, and works wonders. It is nerve wracking and scary, but honestly by the end you won't want to get off it! There is an incredible support system out there to help you - these blogs, instagram journeys, endless websites. Good luck to anyone on it or thinking of going on it - I really hope and pray it works for you! :)

Like all of you reading this write up.. I was once (until a few weeks back..) a frequent visitor of Acne blog sites , not that i loved reading about it, but was left with no choice to find a solution to what i was going through. All i did was to shy away from the mirror and unmeet a lot of people to stay away from pitying questions and stares. All this started a few years back when I did not know that Acne can become the Cuss word of your life nor did i know that I will be spending rest of my years looking for a holy grail that did not exist! All i remember is meeting doctors and then meeting a lot of doctors. Every time i meet a new doctor and get a new product, life is filled with hope for a few days and then I am forced to come back to my DIY's and blogs. Years later, when I still wasn't tired of meeting doctors and trying DIY's, all i accomplished was to find out what did not work for me. While benzoyl peroxide and clindamycin became the tough routine, my facials and skin treatments took a laid back seat. I had tried almost everything that's out there and was soon an expert myself with the chemical names and compositions. Accutane was feared and was not a choice for years. I meet a doctor and am prescribed Accutane 20 mg and I come back reading the blogs on what a nightmare it could be to get into the course of 6 months. Here I am after 3 months on Accutane, with No Acne! Ya No Acne at all. Sun screen with a SPF 40 and a beeswax lip balm in the night is all you need to get through this. IB was minimal and dryness can drive you nuts, but that doesn't stand a chance before your flawless skin. Accutane it is!

This drug destroys lives. The dermatologist selling this stuff may tell you that all of the side effects are only temporary. Pure BS. Many people have suffered and many more people will continue to suffer because of this drug. Sure, it may get rid of your acne, or it may not. You may be left with all kinds of damage to your body. You may not make the connection right away or ever. The side effects may show up during your course, or weeks, or months, or even years after your treatment is over. You may think, wow, this is weird, I feel like I am still taking the drug years after stopping it. Acne does not cause harm to your body. It won't cause your skin to be permanently dry, or your hair to be brittle and fall out like crazy. Acne won't cause you to have no energy to walk up a flight of stairs. It won't cause infertility, digestive problems, or joint pain. Acne won't cause Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. It won't cause you to have to have your intestines surgically removed. Acne won't cause your body to start attacking itself. It won't cause you to have low to no libido. Acne won't cause erectile dysfunction or decreased genital sensitivity. It won't cause you to age prematurely. Acne won't cause you to spend thousands of dollars going from doctor to doctor because you are wondering why your body is breaking down. After taking this drug, you won't care about acne anymore. It will be the least of your worries and not because it got rid of your acne. It will be the least of your worries because it got rid of your healthy life in an instant. Boom! Gone, just like that. You will wish you could go back in time and punch the dermatologist for ever mentioning this drug to you. You will be wondering what have I done to my body and my brain. You will be wondering what is next. Will I ever get out of this? It is plain and simple. Don't kill your body by taking this drug. You will regret it if you do.

I'll keep this as brief as possible. I've been off Accutane for about six months. I am a 22-year old female who got severe adult onset acne when I turned 18. I had severe acne on my face, back, and shoulders. I tried every OTC product and prescription product (including retin-A micro, birth control, etc. ) that my dermatologist recommended. My dermatologist believes I have a hypersensitivity in my dermis to testosterone. Finally, all that was left to try was Accutane. I've been on two rounds of Accutane. First was 6 months, second (three months later) was 4 months. My experience: After a couple weeks the drug stopped the oil production on my face. It was heaven. I had VERYYYY oily skin all through my teen years. My skin continued to break out for about a month, and then stopped. The breakouts that I had while on Accutane left the worst scars-be careful. I had no mood swings, in fact I was the happiest I'd been in years because my skin was clear and dry. After the 6-month round ended, the oil returned in a few weeks. The acne did slightly on my face, but not my body. I used benzoyl peroxide and went back to my derm. He put me on another 4-month round. Now, six months after my second round, my skin is manageably oily. I probably use 3-5 oil blotting sheets per day, versus the 20+ I was using before Accutane. My acne is 99% gone. I only breakout around my jawline now, so I use benzoyl peroxide there once a day to keep it clear. The rest of my face remains perfectly clear, and my back and shoulders are also completely healed except for the very occasional pimple on my back, which doesn't bother me whatsoever. I do have more joint pain. I do have some unfortunate scarring from breakouts during my accutane treatment. But to me, these are SO WORTH IT!!! Accutane saved my life. I can face the world, I can go to school, I can have a boyfriend, I can socialize, I can leave my house confident...I can feel beautiful. I will never regret it.

Today I take my last Accutane pills. I've been on the medication for 6 months (40 mg a day for two months, 50 mg a day for four months). The generic brand I took was Amnesteem. Before taking the drug I was pretty scared but having suffered from acne for over 10 years on a consistent basis I was at my wits end. I read tons of reviews before taking the plunge and promised I'd write a review when I was done to help anyone else. It's scary, no lie. No one wants to have lifelong horrible bowel side effects or joint pain. But I think overall if you lead a healthy lifestyle and take the proper dosage according to your weight you should be fine. All medications out there have side effects you just have to decide how important clear skin is to you. For me, I knew I was sick of the struggle. Of course I had good days where I was like "Maybe I'm finally outgrowing it!" and then the next day I'd have a new pimple. Acne kind of sends you on this emotional roller coaster and no one understands if they haven't experienced it on a daily basis. (I hate when someone who never gets acne complains about having one tiny pimple. I "figuratively" want to punch them in the face.) My acne throughout the years has been a variety. The worst is the ones that are so far under the skin you can't pop them. If you do they scar you for life and if you don't they take a month to go away and still leave you with a mark. There is no winning when it comes to acne. So after trying a lot of other things, including peroxide, Differin, Tretinoin cream, Oxy, Doxycycline, Nature's Cure, and Proactive (worked at first then made my face worse), I went to a hormone doctor. She recommended Accutane and said she had even been on it in college. I told her my fears and how a prior dermatologists had warned me against it, but she encouraged me that the side effects were minimal. She was right. (She also had put me on birth control to see if that would help...it didn't.) Side effects I endured were dry lips, a very dry nose that led to my nose bleeding, and some dry skin. My dry skin was very minimal which I was worried meant it wasn't working but my dermatologist assured me I was just lucky. I also had the occasional joint pain at my hip but it was livable. For most with pretty bad and consistent acne you will have scarring and red marks, but supposedly those start to heal after the course is done and even though they aren't pretty, they're better than the alternative of having more acne, which in the end will only leave you with more scarring. You've probably heard about the initial really bad breakout. Mine wasn't too bad and only occurred on my forehead. Other users are right too, it really takes until the fourth month to see total clearance. Right now I'm proud to say I am completely clear. I really hope it stays that way. I can live with the occasional normal person breakout but I don't want to have to go back to how it was. If I do that will be very unfortunate, but I still will not regret my decision to go on Accutane. At least I can say I tried and won't have to wonder "what if" if in ten years I still have acne. Some pointers: There is no need to wash your hair more than 2 times a week, unless it is smelly, because it will hardly get oily. Cetaphil is a good moisturizing cream. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is great to wash your face with. I'd try to minimize washing to once or twice a day so your skin is not more prone to dryness. Aquaphor Healing Ointment is great for the lips and can also be used on the skin, but note that it does not rub in well and may leave your face looking greasy. Dr. Dan's Cortibalm lip balm works wonders and was specifically made for those taking on the Accutane journey. Drink lots of water. ( I drink around 6 bottles a day) Stay away from alcohol. I also recommend going to a dermatologist you trust and has good reviews. The one I went to was not very thorough and the staff never seemed to know what they were doing. Go somewhere that really wants to help you and will make the process easier instead of harder especially since you have to see them once a month for every month you're on the pills and if you're a girl they have to take a pregnancy test at their office. The process is tedious and you want to make sure you go to a doctor who knows what they are doing and has your best interest at heart. Last but not least, stay positive and know that you deserve the right to not have to worry about waking up in the morning and looking in the mirror, scared as to what new spot you might find.

I was prescribed roaccutane by my doctor in August 2011 after having been on Doxycycline (100mg a day for a month), Trimethoprim (200mg twice a day for two months) and Minocycline (100mg twice a day for a month), as well as being prescribed various topical creams and gels (mostly adapalene and bonzoyl peroxide gels). After the first month, the acne on my face has become less bumpy, less red and less irritated, and the acne on my chest and back had mostly faded away. I got the best results after the third month (end of october), when nearly all of the acne had cleared away, and now my face is flawless, with zero bumps, no redness, no acne, and as a result my confidence and self-esteem have been significantly boosted because of this marvellous treatment :) I got the roaccutane on the NHS, so it wasn't expensive to pay for every month. Although my acne wasn't severe, cystic acne, it brought down my confidence and self-esteem, and turned me into a reclusive, lonely, socially isolated person for 4 1/2 years, before deciding to do something about it last year. I can't recommend this enough; as long as you can handle the annoying side effects, this medication can transform your acne-inflicted skin, into beautiful skin in just a few months.

This is my 18th day on oratane 20mg and ever since i took the first pill, my face started improving. I wasnt sure if to take it at first because everyone made it seem like it was the worst but for ME it hasnt been bad. I have had like a couple pimples come out these past 3 weeks but nothing serious. My pores are getting smaller, no oily skin, side effects are very small. I am super happy. I have tried everything and nothing worked, only this. Not all bodies will take it easy like mine but it is well worth it. For all those suffering with acne, try this!it will definitely change you life like it is doing with mine:) I will be on it for 3 months as well. get a good derm. i am going to a derm in mexico because they are easy on you and will def help you out. Best derm ive been with so far and if anyone has any questions dont mind and message me!:)

I just finished a 6 month course of 40mg twice daily, so 80mg a day. I never got an initial breakout or any problems during treatment. I had pustules on my back, face, and chest before treatment. Spent $10 a month on pills and about 100$ a month on blood work+office visit. It was worth it for me, but it can come with risks. I tried everything else over 3-4 years before going on the medicine. Try other options before trying something with potential long term side effects. I haven't had any problems and all my bloodwork came back great, but not everybody has the same results.

I totally recommend it, for me it was a cure!! For years (six exactly) I had improvements and relapses in cycles... but with now even my skin is less greasy ;-) It can be pricey, but if you buy the generic and have a good insurance... you'll be covered For me, over-the-counter products didn't work (I had a very severe acne) and I didn't experience any major secondary effects for Roaccutane.