Acne.org Products
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
July 30, 2007
Cons:
My lips were a little dry (seriously, no big deal with some aquaphor), nose a little dry, feet were rubbed more by shoes in summer. The ipledge program is a huuuge pain.
I spent five years battling mild acne. It flared and I found myself spending a huge amount of time putting on different topical medications and makeup. After years of being petrified of going on acctuane, I decided to give it a try. Bottom line - best decision I ever made. It's two months later, my skin is flawless and soft. I love never having to care for, or worry about, my skin. Most of the people who post here have had problems, but the statistics show that virtually no one has severe side effects. I am incredibly upset that I didn't do this earlier.
July 2, 2007
Pros:
skin has cleaned up, althougha month aftert treatment i have some white heads on nose but not too bad.
Cons:
very dry lips, dry rash on arms, caused me to scar very easy! i have scars now which are so much worse than the actualacne! i was on it for a YEAR!
i think ne 1 should give it a try it might work for you and if you have bad acne then what have you got to lose?
July 1, 2007
Pros:
Works for some people.
Cons:
Extremely dry lips and everywhere else, soreness
I had really bad acne and my doctor recommended Accutane as the last thing after nothing else worked. Initially it got a lot worse than it was and by the 5th month it was a little better than it used to be. My doctor told me I was taking it for too long of a time period and I had to stop the treatment and now my acne is just worse than ever. It didn't work for my buy my other 3 friends that took have completely clear skin that you could never even tell they had a pimple. I would definately try it but it doesn't work for some pepole.
April 7, 2007
Pros:
it works qquickly, ive been on it foe about 6 weeks, and my skin is almost clear
Cons:
dry, scracked lips and dry skin with occasional rashes or patches of dry, itchy skin. Also, ive had a cyst which hasnt dissapeared yet, im hoping it will
i would reccomend this to anyone. I was on tetracycline for about 3 or 4 months before, and it made my acne better, but not great. I was also on diferin as well, in conjunction with the tetracycline. Overall, the acutane has done much more than tetracycline did, and my confidence has risen because my face is clearer
March 6, 2007
Pros:
Clear skin! Barely have any oil now, whereas before I was always shiny. No more painful or unsightly pimples. I had mild/moderate acne and I think I've had one pimple in the past month. I also love the fact that I don't need to use any other Rx!
Cons:
Really dry lips. Just carry Aquaphor or Carmex with you all the time. I used Cetaphil moisturizer for my face. The dry skin stinks, but I'd rather see some flakes than pimples.
Don't be afraid to try it. I was so scared for the longest time, but now I wish I had done it years ago. Would have saved me a lot of grief. If you have bad side effects, just stop taking it. At least you would have tried. I actually had someone tell me that my skin looked beautiful and that it was glowing!
October 19, 2006
Pros:
improves acne tremendously
Cons:
for certain people it can make you have hallucinations which is not normally something you have, it causes birth defects, it can cause major depression, and other horrible side affects which I dont remember
I am a 22 year old female who has suffered from acne since I was about 12 or 13. Nothing worked for my face. I even tried proactive, most people have great results but it didnt really help me, I tried numerous dermatologist recommend stuff, and nothing worked. My dermatologist finally wrote a prescription for Accutane. It made me psychotic. I went on it for like two or three weeks. I was having visual hallucinations which I had never had before in my entire life! I went off ot it because I went on birth control pills and it doesnt combine well with those. A couple years later my dermatologist put me on it again because I wasnt on the birth control anymore. The same thing happened. When I was off accutane I had no hallucinations but the minute I went back on it the hallucinations started again. It can also cause severe depression. I recall a story on the news where a teenager got so depressed while on accutane that he ran an airplane into flordia. This stuff should be off the market!
August 9, 2017
I don't regret it
This had cleared me up completely for a whole year and a half. Of course my hormones (I have PMDD which is severe PMS) has caused me to break out here and there. I took fish oil for the joint and back pain and it helped. I drank a ton of water and moisturized my lips like crazy. I also kept a fairly healthy diet because my dermatologist told me I needed to in order to keep my blood tests healthy. I recommend this to those who are willing to go through dryness, achy joints (take fish oil), fatigue, and bloody noses for at least 6 months. It was worth it and it gave me confidence, something I always wanted and yearned for. I'm a little concerned that my acne is coming back (again, I think it is because my hormonal imbalance is pretty bad right now) but I'd be willing to take Accutane all over again if I needed to.
August 16, 2017
hey i had a question i been on it for 1 month and a week now but im still breaking out like crazy when did you're skin start to clear up and any tips?
August 27, 2017
It is breaking you out because it is doing that "you get worse before you get better" thing. It is bring up all that acne that was going to come out anyways and making it come out faster. The accutane will make it go away faster though. If I remember correctly, I think I started to clear up around the third month.
August 29, 2017
oh ok thanks for the respond it slowly getting better excited for month 3 to come then
April 18, 2017
2 months in.......
Male. 6'1". 155lbs or 70kg. 18 years old.
1st month: 40 mg
side effects: dryness, minor lower back pain, a little bit of stomach problems, tiredness.
2nd month: 80 mg
side effects: dryness, bearable back pain, tiredness, unmotivated (not too extreme), dream like feeling. i am familiar with this dream like feeling because of my anxiety. but it has gotten abit worse because my anxiety towards the medication is high.
I have had anxiety for around 7 years. one of my biggest fears i always worry about is going insane (crazy). and i noticed one of the possible side effects were psychosis. so i'm constantly worrying (every day all day) about what if i'm going crazy. i've had these what if i'm going crazy thoughts for years, but it has gotten worse bacuase of the possible side effect of accutane. to the point where i get stressed and feel mentally drained or ruins my day.
how possible is psychosis on accutane?
is my dose too high?
other than that i feel okay, the side effects are bearable.
April 9, 2017
Sort of worked, only while I was on it
I went through an accutane treatment when I was 16. I am 28 now. I recall being extremely dry, and no moisturizer would help. I also remember being so depressed that I asked for help and went on antidepressants shortly after my accutane round (about a yearish). My skin cleared up while I was taking it, but the drawbacks were not worth it. My acne returned as soon as the treatment was over. I know now I have hormonal acne and rosacea so perhaps Accutane wasn't the best choice. I personally think it's too severe of a treatment for anyone under 18 - heck, for any age really - and if you are considering it, please go through all other possibilities first, like getting a blood test done for hormonal imbalances and attack the acne that route. I also suggest seeing an esthetician as they can do some amazing, cleansing facials. It won't solve the problem permanently but it's a far more enjoyable experience than Accutane - you are pampering yourself and won't be poisoning yourself with vitamin A. Plus de-stressing can help with acne ;) My acne is exactly the same as it was before I took it. I don't mean to sound doom and gloom - this is simply my perspective on it. It could work beautifully for you if you have severe cystic acne that is unresponsive to hormonal treatments. Just be wise and perhaps see it as a last resort.
July 29, 2016
Amazing, life changing drug for me. When I was on it and for the remission afterwards.
5 stars for when you're on it and the remission afterwards. My happiest times were actually spent on this drug seeing the changes in my skin sometimes on a rapid basis! The remission afterwards is incredible - no side effects of the drug and clear skin. Unfortunately I've taken it twice and it cleared me for 8 months, and 1 year 2 months respectively. Now I'm about 6 months into the second relapse and I'm devastated. Would award minus stars for what I'm going through now. I used Differin after the first course and Isotrex after the second to try to prolong the remission but the relapse is in full force now. If I can't clear it I would consider a third round. Amazing, life changing drug for me. When I was on it and for the remission afterwards.
Pros:
This is a miracle drug. Within weeks it starts working, and your skin continuously improves from there on. I also almost never have to wash my hair, my skin is never greasy, makeup stays on all day.