I am now 3 and a half months into my Accutane experience, and it's been a weird one. I started getting acne at about the age of 11; I am now 16 years old and in my junior year of high school. I should start by saying how strong this drug is, and how important it is to understand, discuss, and think about the drug before you start blindly. The drug was hard to obtain, but in the end my insurance ended up covering everything because my acne case was so severe, it was considered a medical issue. the monthly dermatology and blood work appointments honestly don't bother me. As far as my skin goes, it has been a very up-and-down-like process.Granted, my acne was horrible, and I had a very terrible habit of picking and squeezing my face, thinking that was the only way to get rid of the acne. DO NOT SQUEEZE OR PICK YOUR PIMPLES, BLACKHEADS, OR DRYING SKIN. IT WILL LEAVE SCARRING. My face only has about 3-5 pimples on it now (compared to the 30-50 pre-accutane). My face is so smooth, if I didn't have a mirror, I'd think it was perfect. HOWEVER, it is not perfect. I have an extremely red complexion, and my acne scars are so noticable that it's almost like I never got rid of my acne in the first place. My dermatologist told me that about a month after I finish the drug, the redness with go away and the scars will fade. As for the deepened scarring, I will have to wait a year to get them surgically removed. I must say, I am very nervous for my scarring. I have a hunch that using my salicylic acid facial scrub is not helping the dryness or scarring. My lips, skin, and hair has been very dry. Always moisturize, and keep a great chapstick with you at all times. My face and lips has also gotten very red, and swollen. I have NOT experienced any depression while on this medicine (I had terrible depression pre-accutane). My back pain has increased, I have nosebleeds often, and my immune system has been low. I don't see these side-effects impacting my decision on the drug. They don't bother me as much as they probably should. I'm hoping the next 2 and a half months go by quickly so I can finish my 6 month accutane experience, and see the final results. Overall, if you are looking for a basically permanent solution to your stubborn acne, accutaune will get rid of it. It is a miracle drug, and I am very happy I started it. I hope my story was helpful to anyone.

I just got off this medication about a month ago.. i took it for 7months straight.. it is a very difficult drug to get, especially in the pharmacy trying to look for a ipledge registered pharmacy... It made my skin very clear but dry everything.. I had some side effects such as Headaches, Rash's, Aching bones, Blur Vision, Impaired Hearing, Lost of breath bcuz it makes your white blood cell count low.. but over all i hope to recover from my treatment

I highly recommend this prescription drug for those facing moderate to severe acne! This product worked wonders on my severe acne during my preteen years. Though, I still have fairly mild acne (now in my twenties), I am no longer covered in red inflamed pimples, whiteheads, or blackheads. This drug is a high risk drug, but do not let that get in the way of clear skin. You will be on this treatment plan for over a course of five months and will be required to keep monthly blood work and dermatology follow-up appointments. Should see clearer skin by the end of each month while taking it as prescribed. I was cleared by month five! Drink a lot of water, maintain a good diet, and keep a positive attitude and you will thank yourself later.

I had moderate to severe acne for 11 years, starting at age 13. I tried everything. I have very good general health but my face didn't show it. At age 24 I was defeated and my self esteem was very fragile. I just tried to be as gentle as I could with my stubborn face and hoped it would go away as I aged. I had visited a doctor at 18 and he was very dismissive which made me reluctant to seek advice again. Years later when I saw a GP about the flu, she asked me if I was doing anything about my cystic acne. I said the best I'd tried was BP, but after 8 years its efficacy had plateaued for me and the benefits were marginal. She referred me to a derm who prescribed isotretinoin. I was very anxious about the risks but I was well-informed. Because I had suffered with this for so long (and had the scars to prove it), I felt it was worth a try and to continue with the mental anguish, social isolation and ongoing disfigurement was damaging in itself. I know it sounds vain to dramatise acne like this but I imagine it's something like obesity - observers always assume it's your fault, that you're doing something wrong and that is what makes it incredibly hard to live with. I was on isotretinoin for 6 months. The biggest cost was the derm visits and the blood tests were no fun (I used to imagine a little ant was biting me when the needle went in and that calmed me down). Everyone's experience will be as different as our own biology but for me, IT WORKED IMMEDIATELY. No initial breakout and today, 3 months after stopping, still no pimples. All side effects have since gone (creaky joints and dry everything!!) I had extremely oily skin before and now my skin is normal (some very minor oily skin on my nose at the end of the day). I am just so relieved that I will not have more scars. I do wish I had gone on it earlier, but there is no such thing as perfect and I am finally genuinely content.

Moderately severe acne has been a struggle in my life for quite some time. After over 10+ years of being prescribed virtually every antibiotic/topical on the market and in addition to trying many natural methods and diet changes, I went on the "miracle drug" known as Accutane. I did not take this decision lightly, and had read many reviews on both sides of the fence for this controversial drug. After signing the papers for iPledge and getting health insurance purely for this drug, I finally was prescribed 40mg per day for the first month. I was so excited to be on a drug in which my morning and evening routine were narrowed down to just simply washing and moisturizing my face. I felt much less nervous about my diet and things touching my face and it made a real life style difference that was amazing. Initially, my only side effects were very dry skin and chapped lips, two things that are easily manageable and worth the trade off of clear skin. My skin had virtually no active spots upon taking Accutane besides maybe two very tiny things that came to the surface for perhaps one day and disappeared, I experienced no initial breakout that others often talk about. Then, the unexpected happened out of nowhere. I started having very strange issues. I couldn't swallow very well, water and food was going down my esophagus slowly. My heartbeat was really noticeable at night when going to bed and often times would race or change speeds randomly. I felt a twitching my chest and ribcage off and on, and heart palpitations. Then, worst of all, I started to have a hard time breathing. My lungs felt a little tight and sore and I was struggling to keep my breath. All of this put me with different doctors, nurses, and a week of feeling I couldn't even be left alone. My anxiety was becoming higher and higher, and I couldn't focus with the physical symptoms and anxiousness. Ultimately, the doctors and dermatologist took me off the drug. Sure enough, within one week all of those symptoms either subsided or were greatly reduced. I didn't think I could fit in that small percentage of people with these serious side effects, but it happened to me and it was scary and real. I wanted so badly to continue regardless of the symptoms because I just want the acne to stop plaguing my life, but the breathing issues pushed me over the edge. This drug does in fact damage the physical state and the mental state for some people, and often times permanently. I am happy I made the decision to try it at the least, but I am confirmed in belief that although effective, Accutane is a serious risk. Sure, you can be lucky and have a wonderful experience that changes your outlook on life and confidence, and that is a blessing. On the other hand, there are thousands who have had the opposite result, or initially were cleared only to be left with major health problems down the line that can only be linked back to the drug itself.

Before I went on accutain I had tried EVERYTHING... constant Cremes, Benzyol Proxide, 3 different antibiotics, retin A Creme... you name it I used it. None of these things really worked for me; it would only suppress my acne. BTW.. I should inform everyone on here that I never had awful acne, I had moderately severe acne that I was sick of dealing with. I finally decided to go on accutain and I will admit I was really scared. Thr first two months were rough not going to lie; after those two months my face started looking better and better. Now I have NO acne on my face just a couple on my back... it really is AMAZING. Don't let anyone stop you from taking this medication... it works and no one should suffer with acne!!! I have one more month so lets hope I get 100% clear!! I'm at about 88%.

Using accutane was the best decision of my life so far. After trials of tetracycline and minocycline that didn't work for me my dermatologist told me that the only thing that would help me would be accutane. Although my lips were chapped for the majority of my 7 month trial (carmex is a life saver while on accutane) I was still happy the entire time i was on the drug. I used to be afraid to go out in fear that I would be judged for the hideous amounts of acne on my face. Now I have all the confidence in the world thanks to accutane and the beautiful clear skin it brought me. My parents were worried with its link to chron's disease and links to depression and suicidal thoughts. Apparently there has only been one documented correlation between Chron's disease and accutane. And I didn't see myself getting depressed or upset if the drug would be taking the biggest problem out of my life. After a year being off accutane I still don't get breakouts. I've had maybe 7 or 8 small pimples since I got off in June. I would reccomend accutane to anyone who suffers with their acne as much as I did. It does help and it does make it better.

I have had severe acne ever since I was 10 and tried almost everything for six years until I simply couldn't take it anymore. I've tried proactive, accupuncture & basically everything under the sun. I cannot speak highly enough of accutance. My mum was really opposed to me trying it because of all the possible side effects, but EVERYTHING has side effects and one must consider were those who got depression from accutance just looking for something to blame. My doctor also said a side effect of panadol is death because everything has to be reported. Bottom line, yes it is risky and yes you must follow all rules that come along with such a potent drug and if, and only if you are willing to do this you may be as lucky as me. Also, if you have depression perhaps it's not the best drug to go on if you think it might worsen it. I had hundreds of pimples on my face at any one time, not just tiny ones, I had pimples on pimples, the whole lot. My skin was also very VERY oily and putting fountation on it was probably the only reason I got by with acne for so long. On accutane I incurred very little side effects other than skin sensitivity and some dryness, particually on the lips. It has been 2 years since I've been on accutane and I still get a few pimples but overall my skin has improved so much and has gone from severe to very light. If you have tried everything and are willing to use this drug wisely I really think it's worth it because I know there are worse things in this world than bad skin but I know first hand the toll severe acne can have on ones confidence. Good luck x

I started using accutane (30 mg/day at first) on 22 June , after 18 days my face exploded into cystic acne, I had to stop and go on antibiotics and prednisone,after about 2-3 weeks of this , I re-take accutane on a 20 mg/day dose , after 1 week I took 40mg daily. Now my face is 95% zit-free witch is super nice , but altough my face feels smooth when I look in the mirror I see only red marks. My advice is , if you you want to take accutane prepare yourself for worse that begin hide in home for 2-3 mouths. I rated 4/5 only because of the inital brakeout. I'll update in a few mouths.

I suffered from moderately severe acne (1-3 deep cysts on each cheek) for about a year. Each cyst would last a week and would leave a terrible scar. I tried antibiotics and retin-A before resorting to Accutane in 2009. I am a female and at the time of the medication, I was 115 lbs and I took 50 mg for 5 months. I lost 5 lbs during the course of the five months I was on the meds. Please, please remain hydrated (5-6 glasses of water a day) and eat very healthy food (Absolutely NO GRAINS) to be at optimal health during the course of Accutane. You will have no issues if you do that. I did not have insurance so I paid for the medicine and monthly bloodwork out of pocket. Please don't self-diagnose yourself. I did order the actual medication from overseas so it was easier on the pockets. Best decision of my life! The reason there may be a skewed amount of bad reviews on this website is because those who have had good experiences never come back! :) Good luck!