So I don't know if my review is going to help, for I was on Accutane 20 years ago. However, maybe it will help some people who are currently starting out on Accutane or are in treatment. Some background: I had suffered with acne since the age of 14, but acne got progressively worse in my 20's. I found out much later down the road it was hormonal acne. I tried so many treatments, from otc products to prescription-strength medications and finally got fed-up at the age of 25. The Accutane rules were a bit different back then - not quite as strict. For women, you still had to take a pregnancy test, but only once a month as opposed to two (I know this because I almost went on it again but bailed out at the last minute). You still had to be on two forms of birth control and get monthly blood work (I think it was for liver testing?). I don't recall having to go through such a strict clearance to pick up a prescription every month, but my memory could be off. Anyway, the first month or so, my acne did get worse before it got better. My skin got very dry and my lips were ridiculously chapped and dry, to the point where they were cracked, bleeding, and peeling. People even asked what was wrong with my lips. No amount of lip balm seemed to help. To this day, 20 years later, I have perpetually dry lips. Luckily, lip products have come a long way since then and they now have a lot of great overnight lip masks that you can use (thank you Sephora!). But regular Aquaphor works very well. My vision also became very blurry and I remember my eyes being dry. I can't recall any other side effects off the top of my head. But after awhile, I began to see amazing progress. By the end of the treatment, my skin was beautiful and clear. Not a pimple to be found anywhere! My skin stayed clear for three wonderful years. And then gradually returned. I was so disappointed. As I mentioned earlier, I never did do a second round of Accutane. It was around the time that I wanted to have kids and I was too scared to. And when I tried a new dermatologist, she did not recommend it and put me on another regimen instead. I really, truly, hope it works for you long-term. I will never forget those three years of beautiful skin. It was worth the side effects to experience that. It changed my skin texture, cleared up the marks on my face, everything. It was truly life-changing for me. I hope it is for you too!

I'm just about to start Accutane, however I am a male and I'm 17 years old, I've been told I have moderate/severe acne but in other cases some people tell me I have hormonal acne just like my brother did who was the same as me, however cleared up when he was 19-20 and he's now 22 and never gets a pimple. I get my acne along my jawline, neck, around the lower mouth, chin... let's say the lower parts of my face mainly but also on my chest and back! I weigh 73kg and my dermo is putting me on 20mg to start with, the reason being is because I have a wedding to go to in 6 weeks and I was scared I would face the initial break out just before the wedding and I didn't want to have dry flaky skin also. He told me because of my weight i'd be fine on 20mg and I should not break out for the wedding, he asked me to get back to him in 6 weeks for results. I want to know whether I should listen and go ahead or is it best to wait, will I most likely break out because I'm not going to lie I am so scared and sonscience about what's going to happen!! PLEASE HELP ME!!!!

Going to start with 5 stars and retract once I've actually experienced treatment. I haven't personally started isotretinoin yet. I was primed to start back in August 2017 before finding out I was pregnant and my treatment plan put on delay. After reading all the reviews (which have been extremely helpful), I've decided the benefits out weight the risks. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and I will check back here once I start my treatment (within about six months) and give my honest review. P.S. Moderate/Severe itchy cystic (keloid-type) acne in jawline area.

My doctor prescribe me accutane 20mg a day as i am having severe acne, its an end of 2nd week and i am experiencing initial breakouts dnt know why my doctor prescribe me this for 20 days and call me again for checkup, Is really accutane works?? coz m still having breakouts every new fay with a new pimple on face

what are side effects if taking cold medicines or drinking alcohol ocassionally?

I live in the UK and went on Roaccutane 30mg for 5 months in early 2016. Did LOTS of research and convinced my doctor that i wanted to try it. Now February 2018 and i don't know why I spent 10 years of my life dealing with acne when I could have changed my life so much earlier.. Best decision I ever made and I pray that the effects last. In terms of health, I am quite sensitive and was worried about the side effects, but after watching lots of youtube videos I decided the risks were worth it for me. The only side effects I got were: 2 nosebleeds and dry lips (to the extent that i couldn't wear lipstick for 5 months) - these are side effects I was grateful for as I know it could have been a lot worse. All I have to say is, don't let everyone's reviews below discourage you from trying it, because lets be honest no one has the exact same experience. if after a few weeks you aren't feeling it you can always stop and tell your doctor. I say it's worth a shot, especially if you end up feeling as happy as i do now.

Taking Accutane was a HUGE mistake! I took it because I had been battling acne for over a decade. I did not have cystic acne but my face was always full of pimples and some were quite painful. The entire month and a half I took it, I was severely sick to my stomach. I missed several days of work and could not keep any food down. I also developed the largest pustules I have ever had in my life. The only acne scars I have on my face are from the breakouts I had while on Accutane. It still upsets me, over a decade later, that i could have been scar free if I hadn't taken this drug. I also believe my immune system was severely compromised from taking Accutane. I got terrible colds the following 2 winters in a row that I had a terrible time fighting off. Prior to taking Accutane, I would only get minor colds in the winter. If you are a female with hormonal acne, I highly recommend trying Spironolactone first. 50mg 2x a day has kept my skin clear for 9 years now. Absolutely nothing else worked for me except Spironolactone. I know that some people with cystic acne do have success with Accutane. But it was a horrible nightmare for me. I recommend females try Spiro first before resorting to such a damaging drug as Accutane. Unfortunately, guys cannot take Spiro due to side effects in the male body.

180lb male age 23 duration: 214 days (~7months) dose: 40mg for 2 months, 60mg for 1 month then 80mg for the remaining months, respectively. I paid about $20 a month after bcbs insurance covered most of it. before isotretinoin: applied chapstick 2-3 times daily applied lotions only to elbows and feet during the winter eyes almost never dry easily complete an hour weight lifting workout with energy to spare during isotretinoin: -apply lip moisturizer up to 10 times a day, and even waking up in the middle of the night to do so -apply lotion at least once a day or get rashes -dry eyes in the evening sometimes made it difficult to read -nose was very dry, almost never had any moisture -my face flaked dead skin -any minor cut seemed to be redder than normal and take longer to heal -lifting weights became a little more difficult due to some joint pain, and feeling fatigued more easily; cut workouts to 30-40 min -**i got probably 50% more acne than i originally had during the first 4 months of my treatment** When it finally got into the summer time all the dryness related side effects reduced and made me significantly more comfortable I never got any sunburn, but only because i put on LOADS of sunscreen and avoided the sun whenever possible. i stopped treatment 8 months ago and i've had maybe a dozen pimples since. i still have some light acne scarring but i am treating it successfully with hydroquinone. all the side effects are back to normal. Thankfully nothing has been permanent. Overall I'd say it was worth it

Male 34 Roaccutane 20mg x 2 months, 30 mg x 2 months, 40mg x 4 months. Ok, just the facts. Had very oily and skin and custic acne. I tried benzoyl peroxide 10%, differin, treclin, isoxtrein, tetralysal, epiduo, and most of the over the counter medicines Side effects. 2nd day very bad headache, though it went away and never had one agiain I cried at work once when my tablets went up to 30mg on the beginning of month 3, I wasn't sad at all. Just stared crying, I was totally fine after about 5 minutes... and I never got that again. I got slight eczema on my forearms but that went away instantly with moisturizer. That's it. Nothing else happened, my cholesterol went up a bit, but not a problem. My skin started to get better straight away no real initial breakout. My skin got dry and looked not very good for about 10 days on week 2 but then it just got better and better. At the end of the course I look almost perfect and havent had any spots for like half a year, I have been on it for 8 months. No hair loss, no depression, no suicidal thoughts, no blood in toilet, no bowel problems All this is purely my experience. Please make your decision carefully. I am happy to answer any and all questions X

I started isotretinon when my whole face, especially cheeks were full of very painful, large cystic acne. I noticed difference in 30 days itself. And in the next 20 days, I had only small pimples that would last 3-4 days and then go away. I did not use it more than 50 days. Reason: it damaged my liver. It increased my ALT/AST levels by almost 8-10 times the normal. Before I got the liver function test done, I was going through a horrible condition. I would sleep almost 14 hours a day, and yet I felt tired and struggled to stay awake in the remaining hours. I had started dreaming excessively, could barely concentrate while studying and felt depressed too. I was able to make the connection when I stopped the pills and within 4-5 days I felt very active, would sleep 7-8 hours, and felt lighter and happier. These pills are no joke. They work, but if you must use them, then educate yourself about the side effects and ask your doctor how you can minimise the side effects. I do not think there has been any long term side effect for me (my liver test came normal after a month of quitting the pills).