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

I am finishing up my fifth and last month of treatment and felt strongly about writing a review and tips because blogs like this really helped me prepare and offered good advice when I was starting. I had suffered from acne for over 10 years (I'm 23) and had constant zits and ones that physically hurt. I tried every cream, antibiotic, and wash and nothing worked. I never went anywhere without makeup and felt uncomfortable constantly. Accutane treatment is expensive between the pills, monthly lab work, and monthly doctor visits, but it is so worth the money. Honestly it is an investment in yourself and your happiness. Worth every penny. So I started with 40mg once per day then increased to 60mg once per day and now I alternate between 40mg one day and 80mg the next. After my second day of treatment I developed a rash on my fore arms and started to freak out but the blogs and my derm just said it was dry skin so I slathered on Aquaphor and lotion and it went away literally the next day. So don't freak out if this happens. I didn't really get dry throughout the process. My lips were really the only thing that was consistently affected. I just learned to always have Vaseline or Aquaphor with me. I didn't try any other lip products because those two worked very well. You get used to constantly having to carry lip products. I also started moisturizing in the AM and PM. I used Olay with SPF in the AM and at night alternated between Cetaphil lotion and Olay night crème. My scalp got a little drier than normal (I started to only wash it 2-3 times per week) so I switched hair products and use Ren Pure Cleansing Conditioner to wash my hair and Aquaphor Baby Wash for my body. Occasionally if my hair feels really dry I use V05 oil treatment or just olive oil on my scalp and wash it out. Your hair won't get oily so it isn't necessary to wash it a lot. So some weird symptoms that I had, sorry if it is TMI but it would have been nice if I saw other people got these as well. There was like a two week period in my 3rd month that the bottoms of my feet were so dry I could peel a whole layer off. I wore socks to bed with Aquaphor slathered all over my feet. In my 4th and now 5th month, the inside of my nose is really dry (no bloody nose). In my 1st month it hurt to have a bowel movement because that area was so dry. Told you TMI, anyway I just put Aquaphor down there and it got better. So some tips: drink lots of water. Like a lot. Be kind to your skin, if you use proper care you can prevent it from getting dry. I used a Clarisonic before treatment twice a day and now I use it every couple weeks when I think my skin needs a deep clean. Your skin and routine is going to change so be willing to purchase new products to see what works. Overall, I'm extremely happy with my results. My skin is not perfect though. I don't have any zits but my skin tone is red and splotchy which my derm said can even out after treatment. Accutane really has changed my life, it's been amazing and the 5 months have not been bad at all. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. Good luck and enjoy your new skin! ☺

This time last year I was completely miserable because of my incredibly oily skin and severe cystic acne. The impact it had on my life was major. Letting anyone see me without make-up was out if the question. The acne was on my mind the whole time. During my teens I had a little acne but it was mild. When I was around 20 I got diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome and went onto an anti-androgen contraceptive pill, Dianette, which I then took for 14 years. When I was on that pill I had a few spots, but nothing more than that. I finally came off Dianette at the age of 34 and developed terrible acne. My skin was pumping out an unbelievable amount of oil and I had lots of horrible cysts. I now know that this is typical of what happens when people stop anti-androgen therapy. My doctor thought it would settle down after about 3 months, but it just got worse and worse. I tried anti-biotics, laser treatment, topical treatments. You name it, I tried it. I went back onto the pill, this time Yasmin. The Yasmin but help the acne some but it was still bad. I am a fan of natural remedies so I tried acupuncture, I cut down on dairy products and took fish oils and zinc. Again, it helped but I still had pretty bad acne. I went to a new dermatologist and asked for roaccutane. She agreed and I started taking it. It was one of best things I've ever done! Being a bit of a hypochondriac I was really nervous, half expecting suicidal thoughts or hair loss. In fact, apart from dry lips and eyes (both manageable) I haven't noticed any ill effects. However my dermatologist (who is very reputable) told me she has treated hundreds of people with this therapy and only 2 of her patients have had serious side effects. I took my final pill last night after being on roaccutane for a little over 5 months and my skin is almost totally clear. I am delighted and it's no exaggeration to say that this drug has transformed my life. I'm so grateful. So, if like I was, you're nervous about side effects and wondering whether to take roaccutane, I really urge you to do it. Good luck!