Was on it for about 5 months. Though it was expensive and there were a lot of "cons", Accutane did what they said it would... rid me of severe cystic acne. Due to skin thinning I have to wonder if it made me more prone to scarring. The Accutane worked for 17 years. Unfortunately, my acne is coming back now. Seems to be hormonal so trying Spironolactone first. If it doesn't work I'll probably go back on Accutane.

I was so scared to try accutane, but after trying everything else I started coming to this site and reading reviews and finally gave in and decided to try it. I was so sure I would have horrible side effects but to my suprise I had almost none! Just dry lips and eyes. I noticed smaller pores and non-oily skin after about 2 months and after 5 my break-outs completely stopped. The only thing I wish is that I would have tried it sooner so I wouldnt have so much scarring from having such bad acne over the years....I recommend this to anyone, It saved my self-esteem!

Accutane is a difficult drug to take in that you need to be aware of the side effects. I experienced them all but it was worth it. My skin was 100% clear for about 3 years after wards. I am starting to break out again but it's only on the left side of my face. I have heard that some people need to take it twice for it to work so I'm trying to get back on it again. Even though it didn't clear my skin longer then those 3 years, Accutane has been the only thing to cure my acne long term.

A pound of makeup, hair in my face and head in hands feeling like nothing will ever fix this. I've tried ever drug under the sun to clear this stuff up and have had the oilest skin ever. I had the body acne, deep painful jaw line zits and everything else. Accutane sucks for side effects but you get use to it. Cleared completely after 6 months. Definately worth the wait. I've wasted so much time and money with everything else. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I was only on 40mg the whole time too. Scars go away too, so stay on it. People comment on my skin all the time now. :):):):)

I've been on Roaccutane/Isotretinoin for 5 months now and it is honestly the best choice I ever made for my skin. I had acne for 7 years and tried everything, from being on antibiotics for 2 years and trying all different types of creams/gels I could find. I knew that none of these would really work, because after having acne for a while you understand that it is coming from the inside, not just from the surface of your skin. I would sit there for hours searching about Roaccutane but all it really did was scare me and it put me off even thinking about going on it. I was so tired of looking at myself in the mirror and being so self conscious about my skin when out in public (even in front of my own family), I knew I had to really make a change. So after 2 years of thinking about this drug, I decided to go to my doctors and begin my roaccutane journey (and also stopped searching about all the negative side effects). I knew of all the side effects of being on this drug, but all I could think now was why put yourself through hating your skin so much and for so long, when you can just put up with whatever side effects you will get but you will end up with nice skin!. In my first month of taking the pills (i started on 20mg), I actually saw a change in my skin and had no side effects. As the weeks went on I still had no side effects, I would break out a bit still (but that happens in the first month or 2 of taking this). I was already obsessed with moisturising my skin and lips anyways that I actually didn't experience any severe dryness. I then asked the doctor to give me a higher dosage, so she gave me 25mg because she said I was doing so well that she didn't want to put it up too high. Highering my dosage obviously meant I broke out a bit again but it all went down after a month and a half of being on it. If you are going to take this drug then you need to moisturising a lot of your skin and lips! and that doesn't mean using a light moisturiser! I use the cerave one which is really thick so I still don't see any dryness on my skin and I put chapstick/vaseline on at every chance I can get. When your doctor says DON'T USE OIL, use only oil free products seriously don't use it. You're just reversing the whole purpose of the drug itself. And you need to drink lot of water! (1 litre at least a day). Just because you read of someone's bad experience, does not mean that you will have the same. Don't be scared to try it, otherwise you're not going to get those results you want. I'm so happy I'm on it, I haven't seen my skin this well in over 7 years and I still have a bit more to go. If your side effects are severe then you just stop taking them. You can get through a bit of dryness to get to being happy with your skin!

I'm a 23 year old female and I've suffered from acne since age 13. It wasn't horrific during my teenage years, but progressively got worse as I entered into my 20s. By the time I was 21, it was so bad that it started to have a significant impact on my social life, what I did throughout the day, and who I choose to associate with. I went to my doctor and got prescribed accutane, and as much as the monthly blood tests sucked, this drug worked miracles for my skin in just 5 months. After coming off of accutane, I was incredibly paranoid about my acne returning. However it's been a year and a half since I finished my course and I usually only see one pimple (very small) per month. For me, the benefits of accutane far exceeded the risk, and if my acne does come back in the future, I will not hesitate to take accutane again!

Ok, so I'm going into my junior year of high school and my acne had always been a challenge for me. I'm a natural redhead, and my skin is VERY sensitive. Also, most products and acne treatments that I've used I've been allergic too. I also swim every morning and afternoon every day so my skin is always dry. When I took accutane, my dryness and redness on my face was terrible. It was also extremely sensitive. (it actually hurt putting on makeup sometimes) The first month was horrible. My acne got worse and worse and I couldn't even use topical stuff. It's been almost 3 months and I only have 2 pimples on my face (which is absolutely crazy) and none on my chest or back. With all the crazy and terrible side effects that I went through it was way worth it too have a clear face. I would recommend it too anyone and everyone.

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.

At the age of 30, after trying many over the counter and prescribed medicatio and after having moderate acne since 14 years old, I decided to ask my GP if I could see a dermotologist. I had to try one last cream (differin) and after 6 months and still not being happy with the results, they referred me. I knew I wanted roaccutane although I was very nervous after reading negative reviews. I explained to the dermotologist how long I'd had acne and all the medication I'd tried. As a female I had to agree to use proper contraception which I was used to doing as I have two daughters and have completed my family! The major concern was my post-natal depression which I am still on medication for. I stressed I had good support and was in control of it and my derm was happy. So I started! Despite my fears my side effects have been minimal, dry lips and dry skin being the only notable ones which have been easy to deal with. My derm prescribed me cetraben moisturiser which is good for really dry areas but I found not moisturising unless really needed helped roaccutane work better. Lots & lots of Vaseline has been essential for the lips. The main problems were avoiding the sun...not easy in the best British summer we've had for ages! I had to wear factor 50+ not to burn. If poss I would suggest taking it in the winter. The other problem was trying not to squeeze. After a month or so my skin was so delicate that squeezing (even gently) tore the skin and left a scar. Please try your best not to squeeze, you will get spots that look like they could do with a squeeze but don't do it. Even if it heals the spot up it will damage the skin long-term. It has taken 3 and a half months to notice a real difference but it is a difference I am happy with. I do get some little spots but if I leave them they're not noticeable. I can wake up each morning knowing my skin will look the same as it did the night before. It has forced me to stop touching/picking/squeezing my face which I now need to maintain. I have some red scars from old old spots and some from squeezing on roaccutane but they will fade. I have not had any other side effects and I have stayed in control of my depression. I have been paranoide about the risk of getting pregnant but this must be taken seriously. I wish I would have taken roaccutane sooner or when I was younger to stop my acne cycle but maybe now was the right time for me. My acne was only moderate and it has not worked miracles but it has been the catalyst I needed to stop my every day struggle with acne. Research, think about it, talk to those who love you but if acne is affecting your life then definatley consider it!

I've had moderate-severe acne since I was 8yrs old that did not react to antibiotics or birth control. I went on Accutane when I was 13yrs old. My acne cleared up immediately. In fact I had clear, not oily skin for 4 yrs after that. The dry skin was treatable with lotions. However the dry hair and hair loss was not as treatable. It took 3yrs for my hair to grow back completely and had to deal with embarrassing clumps of hair coming out (in a 8th grade class room...so embarrassing) Now I'm a freshman in college and my hormonal acne is back to the same severity as before Accutane. I was told 13% of users have to go on a 2nd round but I can't deal with the hair loss, monthly blood tests, and mood swings again. I still suggest taking Accutane for acne suffers but it has serious side effects and may not last.