i've only been on this for a week now but my skin is looking better than it had been for YEARS. my lips are dry already and on the first day i had blurred vision, but i had just had a drink of alcohol and they do recommend you reduce this. but seriously, for ages i haven't had even an inch of skin on my face that is spot free, and now i have about 8 spots which is an incredible change. my scars actually look reduced aswell - i look ok without makeup. and this is after A WEEK.

I'm writing this review several years after finishing my first course of accutane. I'm a male, currently 23 and I started my first course when I was 17. It's been about 6 years since the initial treatment and that being said, I noticed several things while on the medication that should ease any apprehension about the efficacy of the medicine. If you're reading this review, it's likely you're considering accutane as I once was several years ago. If you haven't heard/ read the common concerns regarding the medicine then after reading several reviews on this site, I'm almost certain you'll know of them. There are some symptoms that make some people hesitant...things like dry lips, headaches, and sometimes joint pain. If you're considering accutane however, it's likely that while those symptoms may not seem appealing, the cost-benefit analysis places the course of treatment higher than the presence of persistent acne. I can attest to that value as being completely worth the course of treatment. Also, a little bit of effort goes a very long way in mitigating any potential symptoms. Dry/ Chapped lips is easily mitigated with over the counter moisturizers like CeraVe or prescription strength moisturizers...both of which when applied liberally basically relieve the symptom. Headaches- if you have this symptom it will likely be only on occasion and ibuprofen/acetaminophen (what is typically taken in most other circumstances) is a quick and effective remedy. Joint pain- some people have this symptom, others don't. I noticed it a little bit but a very effective way to mitigate this is to move around. It's great anyways to get the heart beating faster even if for 15-20 minutes but any amount of excercise helps tremendously. There's a few more symptoms that sometimes people find themselves experiencing but, I along with several friends at around the same time (in highschool) were being treated with accutane and, the concensus was a similar theme to the above mentioned symptoms...even without efforts to mitigate any symptoms the effect after 5-6 months of treatment is incredible. Minor efforts when the symptoms present themselves and it makes the process towards the end result even better. I haven't ever written on my experience with the medicine but a few years ago I was browsing the Internet and I read that Hoffman-La Roche was no longer selling Accutane at U.S. Pharmacies. There existed a bit of controversy/ concern when the drug was being sold and given the amount of negative press surrounding the medicine, I decided to share my experience on Accutane. To say that course of treatment worked wonders for my complexion is an understatement. As I wrote previously, if there's any hesitation with starting, there are plenty of tips available for managing symptoms for the duration of treatment (and plenty of testimony hailing the wonders of the end result). This, of course is why I felt the need to add to the list of positive reviews when I read that La Roche pulled the medication from U.S. shelves. The drug literally did wonders for my complexion and self esteem in high school and if any other person desires the same results, I see no reason to not share my experience. I started in winter time, an ideal time for the course of treatment as typically sun exposure is less in the winter months as opposed to other times of the year. My course lasted ~5 months and as one might expect by taking a derivative of Vitamin A, everything gets dry. A great thing for acne but not something people who have particularly oily skin are accustomed to. It is very convenient as well. Instead of using topical creams like many have used before accutane, virtually every sebaceous gland in the body shuts down. Any pore that can be clogged is eventually dried out and the end result is a fantastic complexion from head to toe. I was very dry during the process but the end result is again, totally worth it. My acne didn't clear up instantly but the last month and a half produced baby smooth skin. That lasted for over a year (complete remission) after the treatment stopped and it was about a year and a half later that the occasional blemish would arise (when I say ocassional I mean every few weeks one or two would arise on the face). At 23 I find myself using acne medicine again but, the persistent acne had never returned until a few months ago. So far, it's been almost 6 years with a gradual return of persistent acne. I've heard 2nd and 3rd courses are not uncommon and typically, if lifetime remission isn't achieved in the first course, the second or third will likely yield the intended result. Even despite the return of persistent acne (my acne was never widespread but was persistent, unresponsive to topical cream acne) I still to this day do not regret the initial course of Accutane. Some people go into a lifetime of remission and many others go their entire lives with only a few blemishes here and there after their course of treatment. Not to sound like a broken record but, even despite the side effects that some people hesitate with, the end result is a huge relief for persistent acne sufferers. I should note as well, I played sports all my life so staying active was a 6 day a week occurrence which definitely relieved the joint pain. Also, my acne was greatly improved but I did not have 100% clear skin until a month and a half before I finished treatment. I made a minor diet change eliminating dairy products and in my experience, this helped unclog every single pore in my body. Glorious is the day during treatment when your complexion is completely blemish free. Essentially, despite the concerns people have voiced regarding the negative effects of Accutane, the drug has relieved the acne suffering of many people, myself included. I would recommend considering Accutane as an option (even more so if it's not already a consideration). Clear skin is just something I think acne sufferers never really expect in their future. Accutane makes that future a reality.

I'm a 20 y/o girl and I've dealt with severe acne since I was 12. Eight years of antibiotics, topical treatments, hormones, all got me nowhere. I did go on the pill for about 2 years (Dianette) which worked for the duration, but when I had to stop taking it due to stroke risk, the acne returned worse than ever. This is when I decided to go for roaccutane, as my dad suffered with acne until he was about 25, and I wasn't keen on another 5 years of hating the way I looked. I'm now at the end of my treatment (two days left) and I thought it would be a good time to post the diary of notes that I wrote up throughout my treatment to track my progression. I kept it so that I could keep an eye on how I was changing, and also as I thought it could help people who are looking into taking the drug, or those who are already on it and were wondering if their side effects are normal, etc. The 'diary' contains my progression as well as side effects and how I worked out dealing with them. Without further ado: PRE MEDICATION Very bad acne over all of back. Cystic acne over shoulders and across chest. Pimples and blackheads over all of chest and back. Bad blackheads on face. Depressed moods whenever I would look at my skin. Quite intense scarring from eight years of wounding. I also experience keloid scarring so a few of my scars from cystic spots have formed permanent raised scars. Because of all this my dermatologist has prescribed me isotreinoin (accutane/roaccutane). MONTH 1 (20mg daily) I started on 20mg. Throughout the month I did not experience much change. After a few days I did notice that my lips felt more dry, but nothing too uncomfortable. My spots started to get a little bit worse, mainly in the form of cystic acne. I also had a little trouble sleeping, which I had never experienced before but, after researching, found out to be one of the many side effects. This only happened once or twice during the first month and hardly at all after that. MONTH 2 (20mg daily) My dermatologist kept me on 20mg to make sure that I was still coping okay on the drug and not suffering too many side effects. This is the month where my spots became really awful. I was prepared for roaccutane to make my skin worse before it got better, but it was still unpleasant to experience. I found that the spots I was getting were like a new breed, cystic and incredibly painful to touch. If my bra strap pinged against one or I leant against the corner of something by accident, I would be close to tears with the pain. However, towards the end of the month I noticed that I no longer had any blackheads. I was so happy about this and saw it as a possible sneak preview of my future skin. My lips got really bad this month, particularly towards the end. The regular vaseline that I had been using no longer worked at all on my chapped lips, but I worked out a way to manage them with BLISTEX MEDI PLUS. Blistex Medi Plus saved my life, it repaired and rehydrated my lips, and I only had to apply it morning and night. Pre treatment I had quite greasy hair, normally needed washing every other day, with dry shampoo top ups. But at this point in the treatment, I found my hair not needing to be washed for about 4 days, which was handy. MONTH 3 (30mg daily) I had my dosage upped to 30mg. The cystic acne I experienced the previous month was starting to dwindle (or at least coming less frequently). My lips were becoming very dry, my top lip was now chapping too which was hadn't happened yet. My hair wouldn't get greasy for 5 days without washing it now. The inside of my nose would also become painfully dry and flaky, and would sometimes bleed. During this time I went on holiday to a very sunny place and didn't bother to stay out of the sun like it's advised you do on this medication, but didn't burn at all. You're supposed to burn and blister and all sorts on this medication if you go out in the sun but I didn't experience any of this. Month 4 (40mg daily) Dosage upped again. The dry lips became even worse in this month. I discovered that the environment had a big part to play in how painful they were. If it had been raining recently or if the air was more humid my lips would be fine, but if it was very dry out, or if I was in a closed off air conditioned area (such as a car), they would become unbearable. I also started to suffer from angular chelitis, which I found would heal if I put coconut oil on the cuts. If I used my beloved Blistex Medi Plus on them it would aggravate it, for some reason. Angular chelitis would flare up if I were in the dry environments without applying my lipbalm frequently enough. The dryness inside of my nose was also affected in the same sort of was I found. I began to notice that my eyes were drying up this month. When lying in bed before sleep my eyelids would almost glue together due to the lacking of their usual lubrication. I also swam underwater in a chlorinated swimming pool with my eyes open and the next day my eyes were bloodshot and stinging. It cleared up after a few days but was very uncomfortable whilst it lasted. DO NOT WAX YOUR SKIN ON ACCUTANE. I hadn't read that you weren't supposed to do this and waxed my eyebrows this month. Afterwards, I'd thought that they felt a little more raw than usual, and woke myself up in the night several times when I rolled over and the fabric of my pillow case touched the waxed area and stung so much. Over 24 hours later the skin was still bright red and looked a little wet. Turns out that without the usual protective oils in your skin, the top layer of skin comes right off when you wax on this medication. I could have had permanent scarring, thankfully I healed okay, but for about 10 days I had scabs on my eyebrows whilst the skin grew back, which wasn't too pretty. Month 5 (40mg) My Blistex Medi Plus stopped working for me this month, not sure why. My lips got drier and sorer than they ever have been. I tried using Vitamin E oil on my lips, as apparently it's the oil most similar to human sebum (what roaccutane dries you out of), which worked at first but then didn't really do anything after the first time. This is when I started using Blistex Moisture Max with Hydrating Pearls, and Palmers Cocoa Butter Lipbalm in conjunction with each other, which worked a treat if applied every hour or so. I found I was getting quite moody if I hadn't drank much water recently, but downing a pint of it when I noticed the feeling would sort me out straight away. Month 6 (50mg-60mg) During this final month I was upped to 50mg, and halfway through I upped it again to 60mg as I felt that I was handling the side effects okay and I wanted to be off it sooner rather than later. 60mg is the maximum dosage allowed for a female of my weight. Spots were very infrequent by this point. Hair doesn't get greasy at all, longest I'd gone without washing it was a week and even then it looked as fresh as if I'd washed it earlier that day. Currently, I have 120mg left to take, so 2 days! I have very dry lips, eyes, and hair, but I have no spots at all! My skin is so clear, other than scarring which will fade with time. I feel so much more comfortable and confident, and am in less pain. I didn't experience many of the major side effects that I thought I would, such as dry skin or depression. I think I owe the dry skin one to using Body Shop shea butter and cocoa butter shower washes. I did get slightly moody but I think that was due to dehydration which makes sense with the premise of the drug. My side effects will be different to yours but I thought it'd be useful to give my experience. Everyone reacts differently to this, and the list of side effects does look scary but you shouldn't be afraid, as you can treat them as they come. You will know if they are becoming too much for you, and if you feel you are no longer benefitting your body you can stop at any point. Best of luck to all of you!

As far as acne treatments go, this is like burning a house down to get rid of a termite problem. It doesn't directly attack the acne - rather, it eradicates 99% of its habitat (sebum). Accutane also does not cause an initial breakout - the folks that are crying about it in reviews here are probably not considering the fact that when you start on Accutane, you stop all other treatments. And, since it takes a week or so for Accutane to fully affect new skin cells and oil glands, acne will indeed flare a bit. The bottom line is that your skin will definitely dry out but your acne will almost always go away within the first few months.

I had the worst acne ever. Everyone thinks theyre acne is bad but I hated going to school because every day I was constantly aware and checking my face in my phone's reflection, even though I wouldn't be able to make it look better. Nobody said anything (usually) but I knew they noticed, especially since they told me when it got better. My cheeks were incredibly inflamed, my face was as chubby as a baby's while I'm a pretty skinny guy, and that was a normal everyday thing. In fact, I just saw an old picture on facebook where you can see it clearly, and that's what reminded me to write this. I have chiseled cheekbones and I have a completely clear face, except for the marks of some old acne, but that's been going away with time. Accutane is a MIRACLE DRUG. Sure it has some side effects, but if you do youre research, the serious ones are INCREDIBLY UNLIKELY, and almost all of the others are only temporary. I have so much confidence now, girls like me (more than my girlfriend is comfortable with), and I wouldn't mind taking pictures of myself just with my cell phone and putting them on facebook all the time (except that that'd be weird haha). Anyone who mentions my face looking good, I tell them all about accutane. Not just oh yeah, thanks, I took accutane. I give them the whole story. And I'm begging you, if you're having problems, try this. The side effects are easy to deal with (don't be afraid to use mousterizer guys), and it is amazing. It really changed my life. 3 months after my accutane is done and I still worship it.

I have a family history of very oily skin (great for thick glossy hair) and 15 years personally of painful cystic acne. I had tried altering my eating, the prescription birth control, every lotion. I had tried the low level antibiotics Oxytetracycline (which worked well but then I moved countries and it was no longer available), Monocycline and Doxycycline (which didn't work). I started on 10mg/a day (I am a fit person in the healthy weight range for my height who exercises regularly) on 1 Nov 2010. The first side effects were the usual *dry, cracked and bleeding mouth, nostrils/anus *dry scratchy eyes Which can be tolerated with the help of a lip balm with beeswax in it - I carry one at ALL TIMES and eyedrops for the eyes as well as vaseline for the other areas. On 6 May 2011 I stopped as I was suffering from the following side effects; *depressive episodes *audio hallucinations *muscle/joint stiffness to the point I was unable to walk without pain I did this - fairly low level being only 10mg/day) course as a LAST RESORT. Was it worth it? In this country it is subsidized by the health system so financially the costs were monthly visits to the doctor and the amount I spent on lip balm & vaseline. I love not having skin that is covered with an oil slick every couple of hours. And that I can wear minimal amounts of makeup. I love that I do not have deep, very painful lesions on my face - because I think that was the worst of it. I hope that it is the only course I have to do of it though! To sum up; To be used as a LAST RESORT on PAINFUL acne. Be prepared to deal with painful, embarrassing and confusing side effects. Be closely monitoring yourself with a diary and let your love ones know if you are on a course so they can watch out for you too.

If you read nothing else about this review then read this: Accutane worked for me and I am 100x happier than before! I was lucky. I had NO inital breakout (I was also on Solodyn right before so maybe that contributed). Within a few days the oilyness I had before was GONE. This in itself was a miracle. NOTHING I had ever used before had got rid of the oil. My makeup actually stayed on and did not look like crap. My hair actually still looked washed by mid day. I did not have any sickness taking the medicine. My lips were cracked (Aquaphor worked wonders) and my arms got white spots on them from being so dry. But OTHER than that...Accutane was great! I read so many horror stories on here before I got on it. I cried to my boyfriend one night before I first took it and said "Im sorry if I act like a complete b**** for the next five months and please dont let me kill myself!" I also prayed that my hair wouldnt fall out and that I would at least be able to go to work during the IC and not be in complete pain. I prayed I wouldnt need massages every night for the muscle aches and that I wouldnt have blood in my stool. Five months, a few headaches, some white spots, and a months worth of cracked lips later...I am acne free and have never been happier. PLEASE do NOT let the nay sayers turn you away from this. *IF* you start having problems you can easily stop the treatment. You are monitered every month and your doctor knows what your limits should be. DO IT! You wont regret it!

I've tried everything else such as benzaclin (which worked for a while), bactrim, keflex, doxycycline, laser treatments for a year, etc.. I started getting acne with the beginning of my monthly starting in 10th grade. Now a senior I am sick of acne and this was my last option. I have hormonal moderate but very persistent acne. It slowly started to get worse and I got more and more flesh colored rash like pimples across my forehead. The first day of starting I was scared of taking this drug because of all the bad horror stories I have read online. I have an anxiety disorder and I am more self aware of medical issues due to that. I was scared that I was going to lose my vision, hearing...and multiple other things. It's the begining of my second month and the only bad side effects I have is back pain every so often (I'm 17) so I know it's the accutane. Some people think that this medicine causes depression. I don't believe so, if anything I would have gotten it because I'm already more prone to it since I have anxiety. My skin started clearing up within the second week. I only have a few pimples but they are going away very quickly. I look forward to starting my second month today. Don't let this negative stories discourage you. This is a miracle pill.

it makes you worse then good then great. side effects are obvious, but are not unbearable. this will likely give you clear skin. hang in there for the 5 months or so.

Going on 9 months without any real big breakouts. Switched to Tazorac after I finished the six month Isotretinoin. Best decision I have made concerning my skin. I tried everything before this and had lost hope in ever having clear skin again. Now when I do breakout Tazorac clears up the spots here and there real fast. I was really scared when I read the side effects of Accutane and almost didn't take the pills. If you're suffering with acne take the leap of faith and get clear. I promise you won't be sorry.