Oral Retinoid
Efficacy
87%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Note: Use with EXTREME CAUTION: Causes severe birth defects and fetal death.
Oral Retinoid
Acne.org’s Real World Take
The nuclear option. It works reliably and provides long-term remission of acne, and even severe acne, in about ⅔ of people who properly take an adequate dosage. However, it permanently and irreversibly changes the skin and the body forever and users may experience long-term side effects for the rest of their lives. It’ll nuke it, but there is no going back.
Oral Retinoid
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist? Make an appointment to get this medication. Don't have a dermatologist? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find one.
Used Isotretinoin (Accutane®)? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
February 12, 2012
Cons:
Dry lips
Dry skin (body)
Doctor visits
Preggo tests
Blood tests
I'm into my second month now, my doctor increased my dose from 40mg the first month to 60mg my second month (I'm about 126 lbs).
OH MY GOD I'M FINALLYS SEEING RESULTS!! I posted earlier during my 3rd week about how I was getting breakouts, and for the girl below who was asking if it was normal not to see any results after two months, YES it's normal. Everyone is different. Some people will see results in as little as the first week, and others might not see results until the third month. Just talk to your doctor about it, and maybe an increase in dosage is needed for your case. Your face and hair is already non-oily though, so you're getting a positive reaction to the drug. Don't worry though, just perservere through it, and it'll be worth it in the end :)
But yeah, so I'm finally seeing results and it's been a month. The bumps on my skin are flatter, and I haven't gotten a breakout in a while! (I used to get breakouts on a daily basis) All that's left is the redness, which will fade away with time. I can't wait until my 5 months are up :) Good luck to everyone out there who are starting their medication! And to everyone who's about to finish their course with positive results, congratulations!! (ALWAYS REMEMBER TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON YOUR HEALTH. IF YOU EXPERIENCE ABNORMAL SEVERE SIDE EFFECTS, STOP THE MEDICATION AND SPEAK TO YOUR DOCTOR)
Peace out peopleee!
February 11, 2012
Pros:
Cleared up acne
Skin much less oily
Spending less on skin products
Cons:
Dry and split lips
More sensitive skin
Dry patches
Very slow healing of spots
Mild mood changes
I'm 4 months into 7 months of treatment at 40mg daily and even with all the side effects I am so glad to be taking Accutane. In gaps between prescriptions my acne has returned although far less severely than before and has been far more responsive to topical treatments. Think carefully before taking it, I'm now 21, and think the side-effects would have been far harder to deal with when younger.
February 10, 2012
Pros:
Clears up the severe acne
No more oily skin
Cons:
Facial redness
Small outbreak where there was no acne
Dry lip
Warm all the time
I had bad acne when I was about 16 years old. I went on some medication and it went away for the most part.
My face has always been clear, the acne never came back after it left years ago. But for the last few years I have always had small breakouts on my should blades. But then last year I broke out on my shoulders and upper arms. It was bad, worse than I have ever seen.
So finally my dermo put me on this drug. I have only been on it for 2 months on a 6 months treatment. My shoulders are slowly but surely clearing up but my chest is getting small outbreaks. And make face gets red really easy. It really pissing me off.
So I am seeing half and half results. I wont know for sure probably for another month. But regardless, the facial redness and how warm my face gets is really annoying and I hope it goes away after. My brother always had it worse then me but his cleared up on his own by the time he was my age (21). I never thought his skin would get the last laugh. Drug or no drug, I thought I was all don't with this acne BS!
February 7, 2012
Pros:
None
Cons:
Destroyed my life
Gave me rosacea
Thank you accutane!
February 7, 2012
Pros:
unoily skin
unoily-hair
Cons:
dry lios
I have been on accutane for 2 months with my acne only getting worse. I was on 40mg for 2months and have been moved upto 60mg for another 2months. So far nothing, not even side effects, just slightly dry lips and beggining to lose hope in this. is this normal to see no results after 2 months????
please help!!!!!
February 2, 2012
Pros:
- Fully cleared acne after 2.5 months
- Less oily scalp (for who this is a pro)
- brighter skin
- smaller pores
- No need for other complements or topics, only wash face once/day!
Cons:
- dries ALL mucosa
- skin is very fragile and vulnerable
- rashes and skin irritation
- reduced appetite
- scary potential side effects
- heavy on the liver (therefore all the monthly blood tests)
- can shake menstruation cycle
I'm currently just over half the treatment - 20mg/day (I'm 55Kg) for 6 months. Though I cannot testify the full effectiveness yet, I'd like to share my experience so far and how I've been dealin w/ side effects.
I'm now 33 y.o. - age to start having wrinkles rather than pimples! As many, I tried several treatments, inc. doxycycline. My dermatologist suggested that my skin may react to testosterone by over-producing oil and therefore not much I can do (except looking forward to menopause'). Isotretinoine is probably the only known treatment that can be permanently effective in such cases, as it tends to "dry" the sebum glands of the skin. However, it not always work and some people may need a few cycles. My skin is almost perfect (except for still dilated pores on forehead), but no breakouts and even the black-heads on the nose have disappeared. No shiny skin, oily scalp (which, in my case is positive and in fact reduced a bit the amount of hairloss ' but still cautious about this one, given the opposite possible side-effect). Dealing with side effects:
' lips tend to be very dry indeed. My miracle solution is keeping them moisture with calendula extract in petrolatum jelly (vaseline). Calendula has regenerative and calming properties. I also tried other plants extracts, like propolis + calendula + Pau d'Arco (in vaseline) and they work wonders. That's also how I got rid of the rash on the top side of my hands.
- Skin is extremely fragile, so I use a very soft washing liquid (without soap or sodium laureth sulfates!). The best is to do the treatment during winter. Girls, avoid waxing!
- I had to stop using contact lenses (risk of cornea damage!)
- I take glucosamine + chondroitin supplements, so no major issues with joints so far
- Avoid drinking alcohol, keep an healthy diet, plenty of water ' liver is already too busy handling this drug
- Some initial irritation (a bit like the PMS) but kept in mind that this
February 1, 2012
Pros:
Completely Clears Skin
Long Term Effects
Cons:
Dry Skin
Nose Bleeds
Blocked Nose
It works and before you read more reviews about people whining about it and theyve only been on it for a week, the fact is it clears 90% of people Im 4 months into my 5 month prescription and my skin is really clear I would definitely recommend this.
February 1, 2012
Pros:
Gave me a 6 month window of clear skin.
Made my hair less oily so I could wash it less.
Cons:
My acne came back within 6 months of finishing my course.
I have permanent side effects: sensitive skin, more migraines, joint pain (often severe).
While taking the drug I was exhausted, made my skin painfully dry, lips were bleeding/cracking.
I regret taking accutane. I seriously wanted this to be the "miracle cure" that so many people made it out to be. Originally after taking accutane I was all for it, but then all my acne has come back, PLUS I've got some bad side effects that I'll likely be stuck with forever. Research this drug extensively before you think about taking it!
February 1, 2012
Pros:
It is starting to clear up my acne after a second treatment. First time on Roaccutane did not work very well.
Cons:
Dry skin
Skin rash on hands
Bruise easy, skin scratches easy
Dry nose
Nose bleeds
Bad mood
Burn very quickly in sun - sensitive skin
The first time I was on Roaccutane, i did not have a very good experience. I started to think that all the side effects that I was experiencing were not worth the treatment, as it wasn't even clearing up my acne as well as I thought. I've now been on my second lot of Roaccutane for nearly two months and I am seeing an improvement and I hope that it works for me this time. I'm already having to wear less make-up, although I still have visible spots on my face. It is not as bad as it used to be. If you can put up with the side effects, then it may be worth trying as it is definitely making me feel more confident.
January 30, 2012
Pros:
helps temporarily
Cons:
didn't give me long term help and the side effects were extremely hard to deal with
i think this is dangerous medication the side effects aren't worth it
Pros:
FINALLY CLEARING ACNE!
Non-oily hair
Non-oily face
Gaining confidence day by day :)