Isotretinoin Reviews: 2,451 Patient Experiences

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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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3.9

August 12, 2010

Pros:

cleared up acne

Cons:

side effects

Part 3 (this is the end!) 8. feeling not your usual awesome. Is it the acne? Is it depression? Accutane is a strong drug so you need to keep you body in top shape to deal with it. I take a multi vitamin, a fish oil supplement, and vitamin D supplements. I think the fish oil is good for the achy joints and keeping triglyceride levels down (which is what they're looking for in those blood tests), and I suspect the decrease in skin oils inhibits the body's ability to absorb sun for vit D production. Hey, it doesn't hurt! 9. feeling tired. And thirsty. Drink tons of water! This med is designed to dry you out-- stay very very hydrated. There's no such thing as too much water; it can't hurt! 10. sensitive to sun. Your derm already told you about this. Wear sunblock. Especially on your lips. I am the kind of person who never burns, and I foolishly went out in the sun for just an hour and got a terrible burn that turned into me shedding an entire layer of skin for the next week. It was like a walking snow storm. A trail of skin flakes everywhere I went. Don't test your boundaries. QUESTIONS ON LIFE POST ACCUTANE These are my tips for coping with Accutane. It's made my life livable, I hope it helps you too. I'm starting to think about life post Accutane. My skin is clear now, will it stay clear? Should I still treat it like acne prone skin? Will it be oilier? Will is stay dry like it is now? And now that I don't have acne, how do I deal with acne scars and hyperpigmentation? What treatments can I start immediately, and which ones should I wait on? And how long should I wait? I'd love to hear some input on post-Accutane treatments! In closing, I emphasize that Accutane is a medical treatment and lifestyle change. It is highly toxic to the liver, so keep your overall health in mind. It is, however, highly effective and the side effects are bearable. Patience is key-- think about how long you've been stru

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mek

August 7, 2010

Pros:

Clears skin very well

Cons:

Dryness of lips, skin, nose. Cuts take longer to heal

Accutane is the only thing that seems to be working for me, so I figured I would write a review about it. Accutane gets too badly represented by the internet. If antibiotics don't work for you then take accutane. My skin dried out horribly and my lips are getting worse still, but my skin is getting clearer as this happens. I am doing judo as I take accutane and my performance isn't affected by the drug. I do take glucosamine for my joints. I still have 2 more months to go and I encourage all of you guys to try accutane through a dermatologist. Stay up!

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smcha4

August 5, 2010

Pros:

After one month, no longer have oily skin even after a long day. Pimple breakouts have eventually stopped and only have 2 active pimples which are drying and healing faster than usual.

Cons:

Initial breakout - more oily in first 2 weeks, no improvement. IB hit at 12 day mark, lasted a week (forehead and chin).
Mild headache for first few days. Itchy scalp for first two weeks. Slightly dry lips after 3rd week - no cracking or bleeding (I recommend Dr Dan's Cortibalm). Light ezcema on back of hands. A bit of dryness/peeling around mouth and nose. 4 nosebleeds in the past month (easy to manage). Also I've had bouts of tiredness, but I always do, so can't say if Accutane's the cu

My only regret is not starting this earlier, following years of managing acne on and off with (now useless) antibiotics and retinoid creams. If you're thinking about taking the leap, I would recommend it. It seems to be the only thing closest to a 'cure' for acne.

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saritah27

August 2, 2010

Pros:

Clears skin (at least temporarily), reduced my oiliness for good

Cons:

I started breaking out bad again a year and a half after going off it, bad initial breakout, bad side effects

After trying many things that didn't work, I finally decided to do this my senior year of high school. I started over winter break which was good because I broke out HORRIBLY at first---cystic acne all over my jaw and forehead. My skin started getting nice at about 3 months. By the end of my 6 month round, my skin was flawless and glowing, and my formerly oily skin was actually pretty dry (a welcome change). My perfect skin lasted until halfway through my sophomore year of college. Now entering my junior year, my skin is almost as bad as it was before. I have tons of clogged pores and I'm starting to get cystic acne again. My side effects were mood swings, very dry skin and lips, depression (although I have a family history of it), and joint pain. I can't decide if I should go on a 2nd round of this because my side effects were so bad. I do recommend this because anyone with severe acne knows how it makes you less confident but be aware of the potential risks. It's up to you to decide if the clear skin is worth it.

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John11

July 28, 2010

Pros:

No More Oily Skin!
Makes you way more motivated because no acne!
No oily hair!
If you have a lot of acne and red cheeks it'll take that away too.

Cons:

Initial Breakout
I felt depressed at times because too high of a dosage
Did not see dramatic results til the end of the 4th month,
sensitivity to the sun

Amazing product, if you want no acne, take this. It'll take around 6 months, i'm on my 5th but right now i have no active acne on my body! It feels amazing i used to have upper arm acne, back acne, face acne, neck acne, sometimes butt acne, but now it's all clear. I used to be afraid to take my shirt off but now i do it without hesitation. You may get pink marks and such left over when you're acne clears up, but just don't play with it and touch it, it'll clear up on its own. and don't pop pimples while on it because the accutane will do it fast. Bottom line great product try it. and it is worth it!

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cynthia

July 28, 2010

Pros:

dries up oil, dries out cystic acne, makes skin less red.

Cons:

dries out mucous membranes, dryness around nose and mouth.

If you need it, get it. Don't be scared off by the side effects. I took it for two years total time and never had a problem.

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lyndon Jones

July 27, 2010

Pros:

cleared up my acne and has not come back as of yet.

Cons:

dry lips and skin
big breakout at start

up to you if you want to risk the side effects for clear skin i did and it worked for others it dosent at the end of the day there are other drugs you can take but accutane is goood it worked for me

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Zoe74

July 26, 2010

Pros:

- reduced oilyness of skin and hair
- quick clearing of pimples
- clear skin!!

Cons:

- really bad eczema on hands and arms
- moody for the first 2 months
- hair loss!!
- really high cholesterol (beware if you are predisposed as I am)
- muscle aches
- repeated conjunctivitis due to dry eyes
- extremely dry lips

I was very keen to start accutane since I have tried many topical and oral treatments. I had started Dianette for 3 months but stopped it once I started accutane. Because of this I never had the initial breakout that many people experience as it had already happened when I started Dianette. I started seeing results immediately with a reduction in oilyness and drying of my existing pimples. I was told I was only to be on 40mg for 5-6 months and by month 4 I was experiencing 1 pimple/3 weeks. I stopped accutane at 5.5 months since I couldn't handle the hairloss, which I was told should be temporary. My cholesterol also shot up to 6.5 (should be <3). My skin is now pimple-free but is really really red all the time. This should go down within 6months. Now looking at my skin it seems like such a problem that its red but I would pick red skin over acne any day and the redness should go down.

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Kristianne9

July 26, 2010

Pros:

-reduced my oily skin and hair
-eliminated cysts
-reduced inflammation
-reduced my rosacea symptoms
-cheap with insurance

Cons:

-for some it can take a while to work
-its results are not permanent for many
-if you have acne compounded with another skin condtion, such as rosacea, high dosages of accutane can irritate/agitate that condition)
-you can't take it long term
-it doesn't work as effectively each subsequent time you go on it

I've done accutane twice. It worked the first time immediately (within a month of taking it at 60 mg/day), even though I had severe acne and rosacea. My skin stayed clear for abouttwo years after, but then some of my acne symptoms began returning and I rushed off to the derm again. I was proscribed a slightly higher dose of accutane (80 mg/day) and my skin did not respond to that as well. After three months of flushing and ittle improvement in my acne, I went off of Accutane and went on Spironolactone, and now my face is clear! I would reccomend Accutane, yes, but understand that it loses its effectiveness each subsequent time you take it. If you're a women, you should skip the accutane altogether and see if you can take spironolactone instead.

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firebirdxx

July 25, 2010

Pros:

Acne is gone. Self-Esteem and Confidence is at all time high. Depression is gone.

Cons:

Back pain, Blood Test, Dry lips, Acne does worse, Had some depression spells sometimes.

I have suffered from since I was in 6th grade. I have tried every OTC that I could get my hands on. I.E. Clean and Clear, and Proactiv. Then I went to the Derm and I have tried almost Antibiotics and every tropical that she gave me and it didn't work at all or it didn't work and made my acne worse. My dermatologist has talked about Accutane in the past, but she was didn't want to take the chance with it because of the side effects. But I didn't care, I wanted my face to be clear. She signed me up in the I-Pledge(Which is a really stupid program) and I started to receive my pills since February of 2010. The first three months for me were not bad, I did have the initial-breakout, but not as bad as everyone says(everyone is different though). After the fourth month my skin started to improve and the meds did the talking for itself. But I do believe these meds are for only people who have try everything from OTC and lotions and antibiotics. As for the pricing of Accutane, it depends if you have insurance. Without insurance it will run from 800 to 1,000 dollars. I have paid around 10 dollars with insurance.

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