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
April 1, 2012
Cons:
-lips get really dry
-depression (not too severe)
-results not permanent
I took it 3 years ago, it worked really well. I was acne free for 3 years but broke out again a month ago. The break out wasn't as bad as it was before and I was able to treat it immediately with retin A
March 13, 2012
Pros:
clears skin up pretty good.
Cons:
minor joint issues
i had to stop because i got some ringing in my ears.( Rare side effect)
i took it for two months it cleared my skin up pretty good. but i had to get off because of ringing in my ears. The ringing will fix itself though because i stoped early enough. Its worth a try to take. if you start getting a bad side effect you can always lower the dosage or stop.
March 4, 2012
Pros:
+ First advise, please don't be scared taking this drug....It is life changing for acne sufferers. If nothing has worked for you so far this will definetly do.I have been suffering from mild to moderate acne past 12 years. I have oily skin, and have tried every product OTC and all antibiotics ( azithro,minomycin) Nothing has stopped my acne until I tried Isotretinoin.
+ I have been prescribed 1 * 20mg for 20days and 1 * 10mg for another 20 days. Only 40days course with vitamin supplements.
Cons:
To be honest on such a mild dose there are no cons....however, I would like to talk about pros.... It stopped my excess Oil on my face, my post acne marks & spots vanished, my skin is very clear now...and I feel very confident. Today is 25th day of my treatment and my skin is like reborn again....Also my doc has given me Clindamycin gel for tropical use along with Isotretinoin and as I mentioned before Vitamin supplements 1 each until Isotretinoin course.
I love it and definetly people with acne should try it. I know how acne feels like.
February 10, 2012
Pros:
Clears up the severe acne
No more oily skin
Cons:
Facial redness
Small outbreak where there was no acne
Dry lip
Warm all the time
I had bad acne when I was about 16 years old. I went on some medication and it went away for the most part.
My face has always been clear, the acne never came back after it left years ago. But for the last few years I have always had small breakouts on my should blades. But then last year I broke out on my shoulders and upper arms. It was bad, worse than I have ever seen.
So finally my dermo put me on this drug. I have only been on it for 2 months on a 6 months treatment. My shoulders are slowly but surely clearing up but my chest is getting small outbreaks. And make face gets red really easy. It really pissing me off.
So I am seeing half and half results. I wont know for sure probably for another month. But regardless, the facial redness and how warm my face gets is really annoying and I hope it goes away after. My brother always had it worse then me but his cleared up on his own by the time he was my age (21). I never thought his skin would get the last laugh. Drug or no drug, I thought I was all don't with this acne BS!
January 27, 2012
Pros:
has been clearing skin significantly
no initial breakout
dry skin isnt so bad
no more oily hair
no more oily face
Cons:
dry lips
hair has continued to fall off a lot
back hurts
i have been on this for a little over a month. i am stopping because this medication is too strong for me. although the pros and great, my hair has been falling nonstop and my eyelashes have begun to fall. my acne is pretty minor and i will begin some natural remedies that were suggested to me and i have a great gut feeling they will work. accutane works for some, but i guess im not someone who should be taking it. i was on 40 mg a day. i wish you all the best!
January 22, 2012
Pros:
Worked very well while I was on it.
Cons:
Dry skin/eyes. (I wear contacts).
Sore joints, sore muscles.
Decrease in appetite.
Acne starting coming back 2 weeks after a 5 month course (40mg daily).
If it works for you great. If it doesn't it is a huge pain for nothing.
January 8, 2012
Pros:
TEMPORARY clearing of acne
That's it.....
Cons:
Acne comes back
Severe facial redness and intense flushing
Gastro problems
Completely throws out your nervous system
Right, first of all I am sick of people 'recommending' accutane and awarding it 5 stars when they have only been on it for a few weeks, or in the case of the complete douche below, after the first pill.
After YEARS of studying skin diseases and isotretinoin, I have discovered that 90% of positive reviews are made while the patient is still on the med, or very shortly after completing the course. The severe and life destroying effects of this poison can begin from day 1 right through to a few years after taking.
I had moderate acne, which showed no improvement whatsoever after years of oral and topical antibiotics, benz-perox, retin a etc, and was prescribed accutane 30mg. After 3 DAYS, my hair began to fall out in chunks, my face turned bright red and I began flushing at the slightest thing. I am in my mid twenties and had NEVER FLUSHED in my life, never been red and I could use the harshest waxes in my thick dark hair and it never fell out. After 2 weeks on this sh*t I had to stop. Having always had an olive skin colour, I now have permanent red, blotchy, swollen flushed face. And that 2 weeks was over a year ago. I am not allergic to anything, never been ill apart from the odd mild cold in 25 years, always been fit and healthy. Im now ruined. I can no longer be around people, because as soon as the attention comes to me, even from people I have known for years I flush INTENSLY. All because this 'medication' messes up your nervous system. Its affecting my job and social life, I sit inside and dont go anywhere. Please please sit up and listen to many people on the internet as well as me. I always thought, 'it will never happen to me'. Wrong. I would take acne, which is never as bad as you think, and which can be mostly covered up with a good concealer, over this red mess anyday. I think about killing myself all the time because I cant live like this, the only reason I havent is because ive been waiting for it to go, but its clearly here to stay. Please
November 30, 2011
Pros:
clear skin
oil is gone
feel like I have my life back
Cons:
they are all worth it if the acne stays away...
ears ringing (gone now)
SEVERE neck pain (gone now)
severe face redness and flushing (gone now)
depression (gone now)
general joint pain (gone)
I hate accutane...and I love accutane. I am soooo glad to be finished. It was terrible!!. But sooo worth it in the end. At proper higher doses Accutane kills acne. I am 35 yrs old. I don't think it would have gone away for a long time without Accutane. I was isolating myself b/c of acne. I am post accutane 4 days and haven't washed my face with soap in a month!!! My face is totally clear...flawless!! I was on a high dosage; 160mg--2.0mg/kg. I could not afford to take a 2nd course, so I wanted to ensure 1 course was effective. I wanted to make sure my acne would not come back and also had issues absorbing the medicine. I am really hopeful that it will not return.
October 7, 2011
Pros:
Clears acne (for awhile)
Cons:
- Is not a cure, my acne came back.
- Every single part of you is dried out - skin, lips, eyes!
- Light sensitivity.
- I had depression, suicidal thoughts, this was definitely linked to taking roaccutane as it occured suddenly and stopped once I stopped taking it.
I guess everyone is different, but from my experience it is so not worth it!
Living with acne (as most of you would probably agree) is not great for your self esteem anyway, but ironically the clearer my skin became with this product the worse I felt about myself, the less confidence I had, the less I wanted to even speak to anyone or be involved with anything at all.
I took this at the age of 17 and it did clear my skin for some time, but at the age of 28 I am still trying to find a product that can keep my acne away : (
This was a terrible product (for me) and looking back I am just glad I survived taking it!
August 23, 2011
Pros:
+ no acne
+ smooth skin
+ no dandruff (?!)
+ changed my life for the better
Cons:
- many side effects (for ex. chapped lips, dry/flaky/coarse skin, bloody stools, lower back pain, week nails, ...)
- a massive breakout in the 2nd month
- weakens your body (immune system)
Roaccutane did help me alot. It chaned my life for the better! After 5-6 months my skin was perfect, although it did cause me to develop mild dermatitis (which is now GONE). It has been a year since I stopped Roaccutane. Not long ago my back stopped hurting. So, hearing this you realize than Roaccutane is very harsh medicine. My body needed a year to heal itself and restore its immune system.
I would reccomend it 100%, but with caution! The price for me wasn't a problem, since where i live, everything is covered by health insurance. But I payed for the private dermatologist, which let me took Roaccutane in summer and let me took it without birth control pills. It was our agreement.
Pros:
-Worked, completely cleared up acne all over face and body
-makes skin really dry and it peels (makes scars go away faster)