Yeah it cleared up my wife's acne, but also gave my son heart malformations for wich he had heart surgery at 5 days old and my wife developed ulcerative colitis which has no cure. None of the really strong medications given have been able to control her symptoms and she will most likely end up with surgery removing her entire colon. And yes the link has been proven that's why they've paid out millions in lawsuits.

I was on a 60mg dose overseen by a dermatologist back in 2002, I was 20 years old 60kg and my acne was moderately bad. This stuff made it severe and painful and the doctor even took photographic evidence because the increase in severity was so dramatic. I was on it for several months trying to give it a chance (it gets worse before it gets better etc) but had to come off because of the pain and increase of severity of my acne. I also developed IBS several months later for which I was hospitalised due to the pain and still suffer to this day, I do not know if it was 100% related to the treatment or prolonged antibiotic use after Roaccutane or just pure coincidence but it is worth mentioning. I know how it feels to want a miracle cure for acne and I realise it works for some, but please explore as many safer alternatives first especially if you do not have the severest form of acne, this is an extremely potent and unpredictable drug and has the potential to make you worse (which is any acne sufferers worst nightmare) and can potentially give you additional chronic life long side effects. Good luck. x

I was prescribed Accutane in 2012. I was on 20 mg for the first month and then 40 mg for the next five months. While on the medication, I experienced moderate joint pain, excessive sweating, body odor changes, subtle digestive changes, intermittent episodes of depersonalization, fatigue (mentally), decrease in libido, skin dyness, and eczema. The worst part of this medication is what persisted AFTER treatment. Although many of the minor side effects subsided, some became worse and/or persisted in the subsequent months. I still get eczema flare-ups to this day. My subtle digestive changes became more serious AND chronic several months after treatment. They still plague me. Joint wise, I have difficulty sitting in certain positions for extended periods of time, which was NOT an issue before Accutane. Lastly and most problematic, my mental health has tanked. I live in a perpetual state of brain fog. I developed a stutter, my mental processing became slower, I was diagnosed with ADHD, and I generally started to feel FLAT. I do not experience emotions like I once did. This makes it hard for me to enjoy hobbies I used to, yet I do not *feel* "sad" or "down" in any way. Worse yet, ALL of the symptoms I experience can be traced back to a journal article or an internal memo published (but previously withheld) by Roche. I was led to believe any serious side effects were rare and/or reversible. This is simply not the case. Users of this drug should wait several months to a year before determining if their treatment was worth it. As I explained, many of my Accutane-induced issues intensified in the months following cessation. Scary.

I was so excited to try this after 30 years with acne. I've never had any side effect to any medication and never been on antidepressants or had mental health issues. From the reviews I read I got the impression most people were fine on it, that the main problem was that it might not work, and that a few people who had bad effects had caused it to be prescribed more carefully than was maybe helpful for acne sufferers. I was started on only 20mg and told that would be put up to 40 and 60. By about day 2 I noticed my thoughts were harder to stop than normal, eg I would find it hard to switch off at night, and I woke up from vivid dreams (thoughts still persistently going on in the background) and found it hard to get back to sleep. I had read about this from other reviews who just persisted with treatment so thought that was to be expected and carried on. After about a week I had hardly any dryness on that dose but could tell that my skin was becoming less acne prone - it just felt un-itchy and after suffering from acne for as long as I have I can generally feel when my skin is in a state where I'm liable to break out or not, and the isotretinoin was obviously doing its job, but I kept bursting into tears. By day 9, my skin was clear, but I was in hell. I could only see the bad things about my life, which were blown out of all proportion to a psychotic degree, I was constantly crying, there was no hope, I didn't see anything positive in life or feel the same about my family, and the back of my brain felt like it was coated with tar. I was missing sleep and had lost my appetite. The thought of raising the dose even higher and being on it for months more was unthinkable. There seemed to be no guarantees that this mental change would not be permanent to some degree (I could find studies that showed depression and brain changes after taking it, but none that showed the depression and brain changes as having then gone away after say a few months of stopping treatment, which I would have expected the drug companies might do if it was possible) and the two people I know who have taken accutane don't get spots but are miserable - one is constantly having headaches and is just generally unhealthy and the other is depressed. So I stopped and thankfully the stuff is out of my system (6 weeks ago). I guess we're all different and you can't tell what your response will be.

Took it for 6months left with indented scarrings. I never get scars before accutane no matter how big my zit was wether i pop it or not, it never left a scar. But every pimple i got during my course left dents. I don't know if i'm gonna keep getting them but accutane is my biggest regret. I should've tried other options. If you're planning to go on accutane, pls don't risk it. You may or may not get the results you want. You can't be sure. I'm having a lot of gas and constipation as well.

I was on accutane 10mg for 3 weeks. (I'm female, 5'3 and around 126 pounds) Then got moved up to 20mg which I have been taking for a month. My dermatologist appointment is tomorrow,and I'm telling her I'm not taking this medication anymore. I know this is a very low dose to be on, but my side effects show just how harsh this drug is. I have SEVERE abdominal pain 3-4 times a day with back pain and nausea. I'm so worried, I have no idea what it is but I've never ever had stomach problems before and it's a coincidence how this comes up when I get on accutane.. I have researched this side effect and it's supposedly rare,which doesn't make me feel any better. No amount of clear skin is worth the pain I'm in at the moment. It's a shame because my skin was starting to look like it was improving, but I can't spend every morning dreading the day ahead of me knowing I'll be in agonising pain. I know what it's like to read the bad reviews on accutane and just think of the clear skin you'll have so you use the whole "it won't happen to me" but honestly, if I could go back a couple of months and someone told me this is what was going to happen, no way would I of taken it. I know accutane has helped so many people clear their skin but many of those same people get health issues years and years later. This drug should be banned, I wish I never considered it. Update: I told my dermatologist and she didn't seem shocked at all. She suggested moving me back down to 10mg but didn't seem concerned about the worrying side effects I'm having. I've stopped the medication and I'm going to my family doctor to hopefully get some tests done to put my mind at ease, or potentially find out what's gone wrong. Biggest regret of my life. Last update: I've had 3 doctors and 2 surgeons examine my stomach. I've had blood tests, and even an ultrasound, but nothing is showing up. I've been off of accutane for almost a month and the pain is still awful. My dermatologist still insists it was not the drug that caused this, but doctors think otherwise. My digestive system has also been effected horribly by this drug, as well as the back pain and nausea continuing..

I had a cousin who got into severe depression after taking these pills. Of course, his dermatologist denies any connection. Do your research folks before sacrificing your health (physical and mental). There are other much safer and even cheaper means to recover from acne.

I took this stuff about 18 years ago for 3 or 4 months and totally regret it. Lost my previously thick hair (started thinning, curling and falling out) within a year and never grew back (person who recommended it to me lost his hair too). Suffer from IBD so now on a lifetime regimen of Imodium to barely get by (totally affecting career prospects). Suffer from dry skin (which leads to premature wrinkles and aging people!). Suffer from some joint pain and probably other effects unknown or to come after all these years passed. I still get acne too. Be careful in taking premature reviews seriously! Now every once in a while I search on the side effects of this, just wish I had access to the internet info back when I took it.

I'm not reviewing it rather seeking opinion. I'm 24 year old and battling acne for the last 4 years. My acne turned severe in 2012 prior to that it was moderate. I'm on my 4th Dermatologist now. Needless to say that I've tried every medicine prescribed including Proactiv yet nothing worked. It was my 3rd Dermatologist who prescribed Isotretinoin. He is supposed to be the best in the whole state also most expensive. Its been 4 months now yet there is no significant improvement. I still get whiteheads and my scars are ugly. To some extent it has reduced but my face is still worse with scars. Now I'm going to a different Doctor who has switched me to Benzoyl peroxide. I'm scared as hell and hopeless. I really do not know what to do. My self esteem has taken a hit and the last time I attended a social even was back in 2013. My Doc is telling me to stop Isotretinoin. Somebody please suggest something

I had bad acne, but when I was put on accutane the "oh it will get worse then better" routine... was HORRIBLE. I still have scars on my cheeks and temples that I know were from the implosion of the accutane. My doctor took me off it after a few months. THANK GOD! I was begging to be put on it, because the commercials made it seem like the holy grail. But It was horrible, huge mistake. Glad they took me off it.