Isotretinoin (Accutane®)
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Side Effects

Isotretinoin is a vitamin A derivative called a retinoid that is taken orally and is approved only for severe acne. It is thought...

Isotretinoin is a vitamin A derivative called a retinoid that is taken orally and is approved only for severe acne. It is thought to clear acne primarily through its ability to permanently reduce skin oil (sebum) production.

Isotretinoin is available in capsule form and is usually taken twice a day. Your physician will prescribe an initial dose, and this dose may increase or decrease depending on the response to treatment and side effects.

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5
37.1%
4
34.1%
3
15.3%
2
7.3%
1
6.2%

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May 23, 2011

Pros:

-clears ALL acne
-skin and hair oil-free
-skin texture improves almost immediately

Cons:

-very dry lips
-dry eyes- bright light such as sunlight or an oncoming car is painful
-drowsiness
-joint pain
-very dry/bloody nasal passages
-super sensitive skin
-dry/flaky/painful scalp
-lots of canker sores
-rash on the backs of hands
-the doctor appts and bloodwork every 30 days/ iPledge hassles

I took 40mg/day of the generic Amnesteen for 5 months. Before starting my course I had frequent dermatologist appointments for over 7 years....I was put on every topical possible, several different antibiotics, birth control, spironolactone....EVERYTHING. Finally, my derm decided to put me through a course of accutane. I was well-prepared for the side effects, but I had a very hard time with them. Obviously everything was very dry, but there were several things I wasn't expecting. First, I had severe joint pain in my neck, lower back and hips, knees, wrists and ankles. I tried going to a chiropractor, getting a massage, and both external and internal joint lubricants.... nothing helped. I also was extremely tired a lot of the time, and even when I didn't feel tired, my eyes felt tired because they were so dried out. Being outside in the sun or driving at night with other car's lights made my eyes sting pretty bad. The last thing that really gave me a hard time was my nose....bleeding and just being painfully dry and raw on the inside. Nothing seemed to moisturize the skin up there and it was a constant, very painful annoyance for 5 months straight. However, it was nice to not have oily hair for once, and when I did break out while taking it, the pimples went away very quickly. On accutane your skin is constantly renewing itself, so breakouts last half as long. I am a very healthy, fit, young girl- I'm extremely careful about what I eat, and I workout 4-5 days a week. My doctor told me that her healthiest patients have the hardest time with accutane. Not sure why, but it seems like if isotretinoin is the only bad thing you're doing to your body, your body notices it a lot more! Just a warning to the fit and active- working out gets a lot harder with achy joints. Even though the side effects are NOT fun, I have totally clear skin, which is all I've wanted since middle school (I'm a third-year college student now) and I am completely happy with t
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May 19, 2011

Pros:

doesn't even matter

Cons:

tons of side effects.
makes you want to die

Stay away from this if you have a history of depression, this will make it so much worse and harder to treat, its not worth it at all. If you're a guy resort to makeup and birth control before using this, seriously.
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May 17, 2011

Pros:

cleared up whiteheads, blackheads and all other red pimples
stopped skin from being so oily

Cons:

Dry skin, dry chapped lips
some headaches
mild back pain

I was very happy with the results I got from taking this med. Even though I would get headaches, they were taken care of with advil. The dry skin wasn't too bad, just have to lotion a lot ( I used CeraVe) . I had a lot of whiteheads that would pop up during the day, blackheads all over my nose, and red, painful zits on my chin and cheeks. This took care of it within 2 months. The positive results outweighed the negative in my situation. I was nervous at first to take it, but I am so glad I did.
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May 16, 2011

Pros:

If you do have a breakout on your skin while on this, it clears up a lot quicker then if you werent on this medication. The texture of your skin starts to look a lot better.

Cons:

Dry eyes, dry lips.

I'm on 20 mg a day. I really have had no side effects. If anything my lips are dry, and my eyes feel slightly dryer (I wear contacts), so I wear glasses now whenever possible. But I do wear contacts once in a while. I go about my daily life, work 7a-4p. People keep commenting how great and clear my skin looks.
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May 14, 2011

Pros:

Cheap If you have insurance
-generally works

Cons:

Its not worth the risk!
-Depression
-Derealization
-Unusual Dreams
-Dry skin
-Dry Lips
- Developed eye floaters!
-Runs risk for permanent long term side effects!

Basically dont take this. Are you really willing to risk long term side effects to be acne free? acne is completely normal, why would you want to risk your health for something loads of people deal with? I was on this for about 3 weeks until i began feeling strange. I felt out of body and out of mind, depression then kicked in. I developed so much anxiety on this medication it was scary, one day my chest began to hurt and I literally thought i WAS GOING TO HAVE A HEARTATTACK! I have never been so scared in my life. Also the second day into my course I had a disturbing dream. In my dream i dreamt that i had a gun in my hand, i walked up to my dad and then put the gun in my mouth and ended my life, this was very disturbing. I used to be a happy go-lucky guy before i took this garbage, now I have depression, derealization (absolutely horrifying, would not wish this on my worst enemy), visual static, and eye floaters. My doctor now reffered me to a neurologist to test for schizophrenia. Basically i can't seem to get my life on track ever since taking accutane. I feel bad for my family cause they are very worried about me. PLEASE PLEASE PEOPLE STAY AWAY FROM THIS DRUG. Once you have a life changing experience like I did you will learn how important health and life is, dont take life for granted. i can't even see a future for myself right now but if I ever feel normal again I will treat everyday like its my last, life is beautiful dont risk it with accutane you never know what can happen. I learned this 2 weeks into treatment and got my act together and threw this garbage away. YAY ACNE and HEALTH! Taking this medication is just plain stupid, no matter how bad your acne is realize that people dont look at you any differently. Thanks an make the right choice here guys. Hope I could help
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May 8, 2011

Pros:

No more oily, shiny t-zone - astonishingly so!
Clear skin
No more painful acne
I feel more confident

Cons:

Dry eyes, lips & nostrils - lips & nostrils crack & bleed
Dry & irritated anus. That's right. Butthole.
Developing dandruff
Depressive episodes
Muscle & joint stiffness & pain
Difficulty seeing at night
Audio hallucinations

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.
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30 user(s) found this helpful

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May 6, 2011

Pros:

- Clears up skin while on drug/ short time after
- Nice skin glow during treatment
-Got rid of cystic acne
-Boosts self esteem

Cons:

- Dry lips
-Sensitive skin
-increased redness
-possible long term consequences
-NOT a cure
-Acne comes back

I went on accutane (amnesteem) after my acne of 4 years developed into awful cystic acne. no other topical or oral medication seemed to work. I started my course last January and ended it last July (total of 6 months). During the treatment, it took time for my skin to clear up and red marks to heal, but my cystic acne cleared and my skin was no longer oily. However, my red marks were bad and still remained. A couple months after the end of the treatment, my skin started to increase in oily-ness, and I started to break out again. No cystic acne, but leading up to now, my acne has gotten pretty bad again, and my skin is MORE oily than before. My skin has also increased in redness due to new acne, and I'm considering a second course, as no topicals or meds are working (shocker). Understand that everyones skin is different, however, people should not be posting reviews to this drug a week or month after/during the treatment. You need to wait a couple months to see long term results, or whether your acne comes back. Because mine came back pretty badly.
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May 6, 2011

Pros:

-amazing confidence
-can go out without foundation and not worry
-clear skin

Cons:

-chapped/dry lips
-skin becomes very, very dry
-mild depression
-having to get shots

i started accutane last summer ( i was 15 years old) I've been off accutane for 4 months now, i took it for 6 months. My skin is so much better than before. i've only had 2 pimples since i got off, but they were small. my skin wasn't oily for the first 2 months i was off but now it's starting to get oily, but it's nothing i can't deal with. Before accutane i Hated leaving the house, every time i took my makeup off i would cry. I would lie to my friends about why i couldn't go out. On top of that i'm a cheerleader so i'm around the prettiest girls, which gave me the lowest confidence. now i feel like i'm equal with them. I'm not sure if the acne has stayed gone because i continues using birth control afterwards or if it's just that good. Also not all of the scars go away but they dramatically lighten.
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May 4, 2011

Pros:

CLEAR SKIN!!!!!!!!!
I cant say it enough times

Cons:

dry skin (extremely)
cracked dry lips
dry eyes(bloodshot)
dry nose
depression
very achy and tired
Very expensive without insurance

If you have 'bad" skin then you will do anything. I didnt care about the side effect before the treatment and still dont. For the first time in my life I get compliments on my skin. It took about a month to start seeing results. Its soooooo worth it. You have to be mentally prepare for it though. If you know that something may depress you, then you just dont react to it. I knew when it was the medication effecting me and had family members constantly keeping me in check. I took it for 5 months. Sooooooo worth it.
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April 29, 2011

Pros:

cleared acne, face has never been so smooth and clear! took a good 4.5 months. my acne pretty bad and this product was a life saver!

Cons:

dry skin
dry eyes(bloodshot)
dry nose
fatigue
great depression
very achy and tired

this product was amazing. it really worked. I would not recommened this product if your acne isnt that severe. The side affects are very serious and there is no need to take this is not needed. Try everything else first, but if you have to take it be strong! have a good mental thought process all the way through. Hope this helped
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Finding a Doctor

The right dermatologist can make a big difference to your patient experience and the success of your acne treatment plan. Here are the steps to find a dermatologist who is a good fit:

  1. Use the search feature on the American Academy of Dermatology website to look for board-certified dermatologists in your area, and filter the search results for doctors with a special interest in treating acne.
  2. Read online patient reviews of any dermatologists you are considering and ask people you know whether they have any experience with these dermatologists.
  3. Do your research and go to your first appointment with questions prepared.
  4. Listen to what your gut feeling tells you once you see a dermatologist in person. If you are not completely comfortable, try a different dermatologist.
Find a Doctor Using The American Acacemy of Dermatology Website

Finding a Doctor

Only a select few plastic surgeons specialize in acne scar revision surgery. Be certain to find a provider who specializes in acne scar repair and who is passionate and experienced in this area.

Be sure to:

  • Look at before and after photos, the more the better, especially patients with similar scarring to your own.
  • Be realistic about results. Look for improvement, not a cure.

Questions to ask a potential scar revision specialist:

  • Are you board certified? Be certain that they are board certified.
  • How long have you been performing these procedures? Normally, the more experience the better, however, some younger surgeons may be more on top of the latest procedures.
  • Can I speak to some of your other patients? Ask for references for several patients who had similar scarring and speak to them about the process and their satisfaction with results.

Red flags:

  • Their story changes: As you discuss different treatment options, if they tend to change their mind easily, or agree with whatever you say, consider this a red flag. A confident, experienced surgeon will possess strong, unwavering opinions.
  • Your gut tells you "no": Trust your gut. If you just don't feel that the doctor is the right fit, trust that and move on. On the other hand, if you feel they are the perfect specialist for you, trust that feeling.
Find a Doctor Using the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Website