Hi, I have been on isotretinoin for 5 months now and it really made a difference. In the beginning my face was just COVERED in pimples and it hurt. Me and my doctor tried many things;Tretinoin , Doxycycline, Tazorac, Keflex and Benzoyl Peroxide. Nothing worked, so my doctor ( Dr.Cernik ) said she had two more options either another anti-biotic or Accutane, So I choose Accutane because i was through with anti-biotics they gave me terrible stomach cramps. So she prescribed the Accutane and I started with 30mg once a day, for the first couple Days I ha the absolute worst stomach pain i had ever experienced, also some insomnia but then it was over. I went back to the Doctor 1 month later and she told me to take 2x30mg a day. That time it was fine. by this time I am experiencing some acne relief. by month 4 1/2 I was completely clear i was taking 2X40mg a day then and ever since have not had any trouble. Tottaly worth a shot

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 have had acne since I was 13.. finally at 18.. after trying everything I tired Accutane. I had bad cystic acne and I saw results in weeks. Only bad thing is how dry you get. But the good outweighs the good.

Battling with Moderate - Severe acne for over a year and finally cleared it up. When i noticed a new slight breakout i freaked out a bit and started accutane. Worst breakout of my life occurred during my course. I really didnt care too much about the little side effects(dryness everywhere) but apparently a strange side effect within my body was occurring after my 5th month and i had cleared my acne so it wasnt a big deal to stop the course. Acne was gone but accutane left alot of red marks and hyperpigmentation (NO Scars though). I did start to recieve acne again probably 3 months after ending my accutane cycle and now about a year later im struggling with breakouts about as bad as right before first trying accutane. Apparently accutane has a less chance of keeping acne away from mens skin. Ive had bad skin from my [Junior year of high school -> sophomore year of college]

I know this a risky prescription drug but all that talk about the dangers are old stories from over 10 years ago and now doctors are aware of all of that and so I trust the medical today compared to past (obviously). Works wonders, this should be last resort though

I feel stupid for even considering a drug with such horrific "potential effects". As most accutane users can admit however, the depression and social withdrawal that acne causes can lead a person to consider drastic measures. I'm 21 and I got tired of seeing everyone else in college enjoy youth with clear skin so after trying everything (over an 8 year battle) I decided to take the plunge and give accutane a shot. I'm only 100 pounds so the doc put me on 20 MG (10 twice daily). Took one the first night, next day took two. Within an hour of taking my second pill I felt extreme fatigue. The third day I once again took 20 MG in total and my body reacted instantly. Within an hour I had a wicked headache and crazy fatigue. This continued throughout the night with insane chills... Felt just like battling a bad flu. I knew the next morning I was done with accutane. Our bodies are so wise and only react like that if it's got POISON in it. Stop now, I am so thankful I got bad enough side effects early. I've read hundreds of reviews on "ask a patient" and I can't believe the stories I'm hearing. Most of the people giving accutane top ratings are people who have just finished treatment. The rest are people 10, 20 years after (and had only take a couple months of accutane) describing the horrendous effects it's caused them and how painful it's made their lives. If you'd rather trade your health for clear skin than that's your choice. If you think acne sucks, just remember bad health within will only multiply your problems. I'd rather enjoy fantastic sex with a face full of pimples than have clear skin and terrible sexual health for the rest of my life (yes, erectile dysfunction, lack of libido, impotency and lack of natural lubrication in females are all patient reported outcomes from accutane). That's not all either. Some have needed colon surgery and some females have lost so much hair they need wigs now. So tragic. Read some of the reviews on that site and hopefully it'll change your mind. Way more people seem to be affected than the assured "minimal chances". Of course, is it hard for any of them to "prove" so many years later that it was directly caused by accutane. But seriously, is it worth the chance? Natural is the way to go. It can be a long process figuring out what works but the earth provides us with all we need. There's always new things to try so hang in there and forget this drug! I know a lot of people will read this and take it none the less, like I did, but spend the time reading how it's affected people's lives. You will be soo grateful down the road. (Sorry for the rant: I am not a doctor and don't claim to be. Just an honest opinion formed from others' testimonies)

I have struggled with terrible acne ever since i was 10 years old. I had tried every combination of every antibiotic/topical under the sun with no success. I would spend hours and hours online researching acne and the mediations used to treat it. I would read countless accutane reviews on here every day. Like many others i had heard the accutane horror stories on here and they frightened me so much that i decided i would not take the medication. But my life was a mess, i was consumed by my acne. Whenever i looked in the mirror it was all i could see. It had destroyed my self esteem and i could barely look people in the eye. By this point my dermatologist really urged me to give accutane a try. She explained that if i wanted my skin to be clear that it was the only remaining option. In a spur of the moment decision i decided to go for it. Enough was enough, it was time to get my life back. I knew the possible side effects but i made the decision that i was willing to risk it. I was most concerned about the possible link between accutane and suicide. I suffer from depression and was so afraid that the drug would make it worse. Needless to say when i popped by first pill i was beyond nervous, i could barely get myself to do it. Little did i know i was starting on one of the most incredible journeys of my life. After several days i noticed my lips and skin starting to dry out. I did have an initial breakout but for me it wasn't a huge deal. My acne was somewhat worse than usual for about a week and then it returned to normal levels. Just several weeks into the course my skin was getting better and better every day. I was excited to look in the mirror every day and see how far i had come. By the end of my treatment my skin was perfect and its still that way to this day (years later). I went from having the worst case of acne most of my friends/family have ever seen to having beautiful skin. The side effects i experienced while on accutane were mild. I had the typical dry skin and lips. The dry lips were definitely a challenge at times but aquaphor is really great and helped a lot. I would have occasional back pain but it was very mild. Also it had absolutely no effect on my depression. I honestly felt great while i was on it... my depression was honestly probably better on accuatane than it was before and after i stopped taking it, i honestly felt amazing. No thoughts of suicide at all. Maybe it had something to do with the joy i felt watching my skin i had suffered with for so long start to heal. All the side effects stopped for me about a week or two after i stopped taking it. Except that I feel as though it may have effected my night vision slightly but it was worth it. I have never written a review on anything before but i felt that it was my responsibly to write this one. The fight with acne is so difficult that if i can help just one person out its worth it. Our bodies are all different and you may have a different experience than mine but i can only go off of my own personal experience. Please if you are suffering greatly from your acne and its taking over your life do your self a favor and give this drug a try. I know its a very hard decision to make but if you are willing to take the risk i think the vast majority of you will be so happy you did. I look back now and wish that i did it years sooner and saved myself from all the misery i experienced. Stay strong and i wish you all the best.

Should of done this sooner. I'm 40 and have suffered from 12 tried every medication and nothing ever worked. Just finished a 7 month coarse and my skin is clear. Was wary of going on it because of what I read but needn't of been, got the chapped lips and joint aches some days but nothing too bad . Was well worth it.

I had moderate acne by age 17, did a 5 month course, and completely clear by 2 months in. 6 months after the course, however, my acne came back, less severe. Took another course with a lower dose for a couple months, and was clear, but a few months later, the acne came back with about the same severity. Tried a third low dose course, and was clear for a few months, but it is back again. It's been a year since my last course, and I still have mild acne. Accutane is not a permanent fix for me, but may have reduced my acne. I also changed my diet since then, so I am not sure I can accredit my reduced acne to accutane. The side-effects were moderate, but not too bad long term I think. I think this would be beneficial for severe acne sufferers.

Have taken it three times yet I still find myself on this website