RateItAll: The Opinion Network

i shat my pants

I am a 26 yr old female. I've had acne for over 13 yrs now - mostly on my back and face. To the point that I rarely ever wear halters unless I know I am going to be in a very dim atmosphere. I also never leave the house without makeup. More so b/c of my redness. I would say my acne has not gotten any better throughout the years and I have been on just about every other type of acne medicine.

I started accutane 3.5 weeks ago. The first ten days I was prescribed 20mg to be taken with dinner and lots of water. I was told that I will break out at first but to be patient and I will start to clear up. I was also told to make sure my body to be covered, avoid sunlight, wear sunblock and also use vaseline on my lips. On the 11th day and currently, the doctor increased my dosage to 30mg. I have started to break out and the only side effect so far are dry lips but it isn't so severe as others mention. I will continue to update and thank others for sharing their experiences. - Iman1200

I am 39 yrs old and have suffered from cystic acne since I was 15 yrs old. I have tried everything there is to try. I was put on Accutane about 7 months ago. I have not had one breakout since starting Accutane. I had extremely oily skin and had to wash my hair everyday or I would like a grease monkey. Now, I only have to wash my hair every 5 days. Which is awesome. I was taking 80mg a day and had some issues with my Triglycerides. So, the doctor decreased my dosage to 40mg about 5 months ago. I am still doing great and have about 3 weeks left of treatment. I am concerned that the acne will come back. I know usually when I skip a day or 2 my skin gets a little oily. But, considering I went from using about 20 oil blotting pads a day (completely soaking them)to using none. I am pretty happy. My face has some white spots that the doctor say it is scars from the acne I had. I found a foundation that works pretty good called Dermablend. It is an all over foundation that will cover problem areas. I can't ever tan because the white spots will not tan and they stick out pretty bad. I would love to have some type of laser after my Accutane treatment is over. I am very happy with the results but I hate the blood test and monthly pregnancy testing. it is worth it if you suffered the way I did. My email address is rhammond46032@aol.com if you have any questions. I would be glad to fill you in on anything you want to know.

I would highly suggest Accutane to people who have tried other treatments in the past without any success. I had moderate acne on my face and back for years. I have been to other dermatologists in the past and they all kept trying antibiotics that where not working for me. Finally i went to my 3rd dermatologist and she suggested Accutane. After reading all of the possible side effects I was nerves to try it, but i was so tried of the acne that I decided why not. I was put on a 5 month regimen of 80mg per day. After about 3 months I was getting slight results but I still wasn't very happy. I was then put on 100mg per day for the final 2 months and I cleared up very quickly. I was left with some post acne marks but they are beginning to fade faster with the help of Neutrogena Advanced Solutions Acne Mark Fading Peel. I am now able to go out without being afraid of people looking at my face or wearing baseball caps to cover some of my acne. I did get dry skin on my head, face, arms, & chapped lips, but was able to keep it under control with lotion. For my face I used a light moisturizer so that it wouldn't clog any pores. NIVEA for Men Cooling Balm worked perfectly for me. Also, I only washed my face twice a day instead of 3 like before. Try A light fragrance-free pump soap also instead of bar soap. I used Liquid Neutrogena fragrance-free and it worked amazingly. Hopefully this helps some people out. Just hang in there and think positive.

I had slight to moderate acne that was just really annoying and was not fixed by any type of treatment, so I finally gave in and went on Accutane. After reading all the online horror stories I was scared out of my mind. However, I had a great experience on it. I took 80mg/day for 5 months and weigh 200 lbs (90 kgs) so it was about 1 mg/day/kg, which is a moderate to high dose I was told. My lips were pretty dry and cracked if I didn't put on chapstick all the time. I also had really dry skin if I didn't put lotion on my shoulders, arms, back, and face after showering. Everything else was 100% fine though. No nosebleeds, no depression, no hair loss, no unbearable side effects. These horror stories are overblown and rare, and tons of people have great results on it. My acne is gone 100% from all over my body and it is such a relief to not have to deal with it. On completion, my dermatologist told me he has prescribed it for 10 years and has never once had a case of depression and only 2 people have had bad blood tests. If you're tired of acne, give Accutane a shot. If the sides are too rough in your case then you can go off of it, but it's such a great drug if it works for you the way it did for me and many others like me.

i am 17 and have been on accutane for 1 month now and i had excellent results. i had medium acne on my face and upper back, now thanx to accutane it is virtually all gone.(except the red spots left behind,my doctor told me that it will go away in a month.)it did not seem to get worse as for it did for most ppl thankfully, and my only side effect that i experienced was flaking skin on my face but i guess that is all part of the process. But my doctor upped my dose for the rest of the 4 months i have left, hopefully there will be no side effects. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT PRODUCT RECOMMEND TO ALL!!!!!

i am 19 years old and have been on accutane for about 15 days now and my skin hasn't progressed at all and is actually a little worse. I was informed that about 1/3 people on the medication get worse before they see results, so im guessing im one of those, but i really hope i do see major results from this medication. I have stubborn acne around my mouth and jaw. other then that my face is pretty clear and always has been, it is just constant in those infected areas. After 15 days ive experienced the usual symtoms of thinning hair, chapped lips, and dry skin of course.. Hopefully the medication starts to kick in soon for whats its supposed to do

I am 20 and I have been on accutance for 4 month now. I had severe acne from lower back to upper, chest, arms, face, behind ears and neck. it has done amazing but what worries me that they keep increasing my dose and i had only blood test done for the first two month at low dose. also my acne still shows up at the same rate, but goes away faster before it starts spreading around. Acne scars are still there and i have 3 more month left. side effect are dry lips and throat and nose bleeds. overall i am happy now, but i am sure that my acne will come back once i finish my treatment.

I'm 15 i was on Accutane for 7 months (maxim dosage 120mg for two of them) i had horrible acne and it cleared me up perfect. i didn't have any depression or skin rashes or what ever. i did had dry skin though but ill put lotion on twice a day to have clear skin. I've been off it for almost a year now and i still have no problems with acne or any other skin disorders.

I have been taking Accutane for 5 months and so far I would say there has been minimal or perhaps no difference. It's hard to judge because the condition of my acne changes within days. The side effects were terrible at first but now the dryness has become part of my life. If you decide to take this drug be prepared to carry lip balm with you EVERYWHERE you go. If you forget it you will suffer, trust me. I recommend Carmex. The condition of my acne may change but after 5 months I have hardly noticed any difference

I just started accutane today and have no idea how it will go. I would say i am a little worried about all the "side affects" but only time will tell. I found this website its like a community for people on accutane or who have taken it. I am posting a daily blog there check it out if you want www.accutanehome.info

I am 24 years old and have been on Accutane for 6 months now. I have had a good amount of side-effects from this medication including headaches, currently have excema (however you spell it...I've NEVER had it before), urination pain, inflamed-feeling stomach, slight gained weight, stomach pain, hair-thinning, dry and chapped lips. Today is my last day of taking the Accutane and I can honestly say that I am ready to come off of it. The side-affects are kind of annoying. My skin HAS gotten better, but still breaks out. It's still far from "perfect." I'm going to be without any other medication while I'm off of Accutane to see if it gets any better. My friend told me that hers got better after 3 months AFTER taking her last Accutane. My skin is obviously sensitive right now and I am using Cetaphil cleanser and Cetaphil face lotion. Currently, I am swearing by using these 2 products and nothing else. My skin doesn't break out as much if I'm using them, as they are great for sensitive skin. Highly reccommend these if you are on Accutane...don't make your acne worse by using harsh products on it! I suppose it HAS been worth the small sacrifices of the side-affects, as my skin has gotten better. But, you need to pay attention to your own side-affects and make sure it's not a dangerous one! Again, I would say try Accutae out if you are interested in it. Hope all this helps!

I got my prescription of accutane about a week ago, and i have only taken it twice. My sister started two months before me and it worked AMAZING on her. Her skin was broken out so much worse than mine, and now its flawless. the only side effects i noticed in her is being lazy and maybe a little depressed and angrier, but nothing serious. I was so excited to start it but a few moments after i took it i had a panic attack. I woke up the next morning only after a few hours of sleep still freaking out, and i had no clue why. I thought my vision was worse, i had the WORST headache ever, and i use to have migraines. I thought it was maybe stress because i had a final. Well i skipped it for one night and took it the next, and woke up with the most mind splitting headache. I didnt even want to wake up, and i could barely move cause my body was so lethargic. I felt like i was high or on drugs too, and like i wasnt there. Even though i've only taken it twice i think my vision is worse, and its not good to begin with. I'm very dissapointed its not working out for me, but my vision is not worth a drug to make my skin better. I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow to see whats up. My sister is also stopping it because it just makes her too tired. Also, my friends took it and had no problems. i guess it just depends on the person, but to me its not worth the damage it could do later on and for the rest of my life.

I finished accutane/sotret/isotretinoin treatment about 2 months ago. My skin got better and better when I was on it. For the last month I was on it, my skin was almost perfectly clear, and I was amazed. I had really bad acne on my face, as well as some on my chest and back, before then. Now that I am off it, my acne is coming back. I'm afraid that it's going to go back to the way it was. You can't be on accutane forever, so I don't know what to do. I didn't have any major side effects, just dry lips. My skin and hair were so greasy before that the drying effects made my skin and hair feel better. However, the program you have to be on (ipledge) is absolutely RIDICULOUS . Whoever invented it is an IDIOT and the government is INTERFERING in our lives! I would never consider going on accutane again unless they drastically change or do away with the program. Maybe it's better for guys, but for girls of child-bearing age it really is not worth it. This is coming from someone who had really terrible acne all over her face, even under the jaw and into the hairline.

look, this stuff is simply TOO harsh considering my acne CAME BACK. the chapped lips, the nasty falling-off skin...simply to have OK skin for a couple of months?! plus, being on birth control and having to see my doctor constantly for lab work... NOT WORTH IT. will NEVER use it again. i can say, perhaps, if your skin is absolutly disgusting, and nothing seems strong enough to purge your skin, perhaps this stuff is for you. otherwise, SKIP IT.

I took Accutane 10 years ago and it changed my life. I had suffered with severe cystic acne for nearly 10 years and nothing else helped at all. Unfortunately, I am one of the unlucky few who will have to take it again. My acne has come back, albeit not as bad as 10 years ago. But, having to suffering the extreme dryness for another 5 months is well worth it. I highly recommend this product to anyone who has unsuccessfully tried the other prescription and nonprescriptions treatments available.

i had acne for about 1 year, and after trying hundreds of creams, facial wahses and even doctor prescribed pills, i had no results. I then went to the dermitologist and he pescribed me with isotane (roaccutane) for 3 motnhs. at first my acne got pretty bad. i broke out all over my forehead. this lasted about 2 weeks, and after that my skin started to get better. then, after about 7 weeks, my skin got extremely bad. my acne became inflamed and i had huge red lumps all over my face. this made my confidence very low and made me feel ugly. after about 3 weeks, inflamation went down and my skin started to see the results it was supposed to in the first month. I have 15 days left, and its looking like im going to need a second corse, but at least my skin is finally getting better. the acne on my chest and back is almost perfect, but my face still seems pretty bad. the deep pimples have gone and my face feels flat, but its still covered in red blemishes and pimples. hopefully my skin will be clear before i finish treatment, but im not getting my hopes up and am preparing meself for having to take another corse. the side effects have been rather annoying, chapped lips and dry eyes. the dry are the worst because they constantly make me feel like i haven't slept properly. my skin seems more sensitive to the sun, which is annoying as its summer and i have to walk to school, but although its taking a lot longer to clear up than most other people, its still working. HANG IN THERE ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO FEEL LIKE ITS BEEN FOREVER AND WHOSE ACNE SEEMS WORSE! it feels horrible and miserable, but eventually it'll be worth it! keep telling yourself that and it'll help you through it! good luck!

I have been on Isotane (Roaccutane overseas) since end Dec 06 and have been acne free for months now. Now i just take one every three or so days so i don't get too hot or flushed (annoying side effect of latter months). I truely advise someone with a serious acne problem, who has tried just about everything else and is getting no results, to go to the Derm and get on this prescribed medication. I have gone through the worst phase of my life and Isotane was a saviour. It does indeed make your lips and skin dry but use alot of vaseline and oils specially for baths and you will be fine.

Hey there, im 14 and since about the age of 12 ive had bad skin. It wasnt horrible, but when all my friends had perfect skin, i was covering mine up with loads of foundation! I went thru ALOT of reviews of accutane and decide to risk the side effects. I once read someone went BALD from it!??! I am QUITE doubtful that would happen to any of you, you're dermatologist would know if accutane is right for you BEFORE putting you on it. Anyways, i took the medication for 5 months. The first month, my skin didnt get TOO much worse (as people say) it pretty much stayed the same, except i got blemishes along my jaw line. My nose and forhead became totally clear by the 3rd month. My lips were HORRIBLE but i used lots of lip balm, but nothing REALLY works. by the end of the medication, my skin still had problems but cleared up about 85% in the next two months. i still have SOME blemishes, but no pimples. I used SPECTROJEL for my sensitive skin to remove make up and wash face day and nite. use MOISTURIZER (oil free)while on accutane.

MY RATING: take this medication if you are UNCOMFORTABLE with your skin. The side effects arent too bad, i got a sore back and terrible lips. it worked especially well for acne on back and chest.

Worked well enough for me in the early eighties, though my bilirubin count has been slightly elevated ever since. This is a tough call. It's either this or a long-term regimen of antibiotics if your acne is severe, and antibiotics can bring a host of other issues to the table. Find a good derm and talk it over, then get a second opinion. It does work for most people, though as has been noted, there are possible serious side effects to be aware of, especially if you're female.

I was on accutane for 1 month at the lowest dose. Before starting treatment I had baseline blood work done. The results were normal. Before refilling the script the blood-work had to be repeated. I had no side effects or symptoms, however the results showed that my liver enzymes skyrocketed. I was immediately taken off accutane- It is now 5 months later and my enzyme level is still very high. If it does not return to normal within the next 2 months I will have to go for a liver biopsy. The doctors discussed the black box warning regarding depression-it actually had the opposite effect as my skin cleared up i had more confidence. I realize that mine was an extreme reaction but had I known accutane could have long lasting/permanent liver problems I would not have taken it. This product should be taken off the market. IF YOU STILL CHOOSE TO USE ACCUTANE BE SURE TO TO HAVE A BASELINE BLOOD WORK DONE AND REPEAT THE TEST EVERY MONTH TO MAKE SURE YOUR LEVELS STAY WITHIN THE NORMAL RANGE.

It actually made my acne worse because I couldn't complete a round of treatment. I had to quit because I became arthritic and remained so even after I stopped taking it. Incidentally, accutane is commonly believed to be correlated with depression but the only evidence for this, thus far, is anecdotal. It still sucks though.

I got acne when i was 9 years old. Personally I thought it was a bit redicilous to have to wear make-up at 9 just so i wouldn't be totally embarrased to walk out of my house. Im now in high school and have been on accutane for almost 5 months(im almost done). Going on this medications was the best thing that I have ever done. At first I went to the doctor for it until it became so bad my docter recomended a dermatoligist. It seemed like I had been on everything in the world and nothing helped! Then she recomended acctuane and i knew there were alot of side affects and tests that went along with it but i was willing to try anything. I saw results almost immediatly and was so happy. For the first time in a long time, this summer I wasnt imbarrased to show my back in a bathing suit and i can go now with out wearing make-up. To anyone who reads this I highly suggest accutane. I only had some side effects such as some joint pain (knees,ankles) back pain, headaches at first and my face dry, and the WORST was my lips peeling it got to the point where i would pick them in my sleep and they would bleed all night long. Other than that I was okay and I know those things are mild compared to some people. But I was teased, made fun of, and called so many names and I dont think anyone needs to go through all of that because of something that they cant control. So please do yourself a favor and take it!! YOU CANT LOOSE! I GARUNTEE!!

Hey so ive been on accutane for 6 days now, and well soo far my acne has been the same, it got a little worse but nothing i havent experienced before... my lips are slightly chapped and my skin is very dry. i hope that this works but ill keep you posted after 12 days... after reading the reviews on this site, it really matters what kind of person you are if this medicine will work...i really hope it works for me and gets dramatically better, and for anyone else who has suffered acne. good luck and ill keep you posted

Isotretinoin (accutane) Information & it's Side Effects.

Isotretinoin (the generic name for accutane) is used to treat the most severe and disfiguring cases of nodular acne. Most Doctors would only recommend this treatment only after all other forms of acne medication have been tried and proved unsuccessful.

Serious Accutane Side Effects
1. Birth Defects
2. Psychiatric Diseases, Depression and Suicide
3. Central Nervous System Ailments
4. Liver Damage
5. Hearing/Vision Problems
6. Accutane Pancreatic Damage

More detailed info on this page:
http://www.accutane-info.com/side-effects.php

Information on the development, history and legacy of Accutane.
http://www.accutane-info.com

Ill be starting this soon in August. Im a little nervous. I never really struggled with acne before i started on birth control pills. Im not ugly at all but with my acne it is a huge embarrassment. I have to go out with a ton of makeup on, its so frustrating. I hope this will work. All the side effects are a little scary.

Did not work after 6 months. Do never take it, struggle old-school. Almost committed a suicide, vision has worsened, acne has gotten worse, life seems gray and uninteresting.

Accutane worked WONDERS for me!! Seriously amazing! I am a model working in New York and having acne is an absolute NO. My agency told me that I had to get it cleared up and I have had really bad skin problems since I was young. After the summer of my sophomore year of college, I was getting huge uncontrollable bumps even if I washed my face 10 times a day. I went on acne and after 2 months my skin was FLAWLESS! I also would get huge acne painful bumps on my back and now I have incredible skin!! ALl the photographers notice how beautiful my skin is! I am sooo happy wiht my results! The only side effects I had was midly chapped lips and dry skin but it wasn't tooo bad and 100% worth it!! TRY accutane...cause it changed my life! (If I could give it 10 stars I would!!)

Isn't there an historical figure named Eleanor of Accutane?

i've had moderate persisant acne since i was 12 i;m now 21 and nothing has worked . i started taking isotretinion 3weeks ago and after be slighlty worried about all the research i had done i decided enough was enough . Firstly i go 4 really deep painful spots that have taken 3 weeks to go away and my acne did get noticeably worse but in the last week the redness has started to go and my skin looks clearer and is less greasy .

The down sides so far are
1. chapped lips ( A thick layer of E45 on your lips for 5 minutes in the moring ang night than wipe it off and continue with lip balm really helps)
2. ive developed ecema on my arms ( baby oil and E45 has helped )
3. sensitive skin . i can't dry my face with a towel .
4. i'm a bit paranoid but i have had exam stress latley

the piont is this drug will effect different people in different ways my dermo told me out of 12,000 people he has treated only 1 had a change of mood and was depressed . i would definalty try it for me its given me back my confidence and i no longer need to trowl on the makeup anymore .

ACCUTANE definatly rocks! i had a couple friends who took it and it worked wunders for them. I had been fighting fairly bad acne sence i was 13, i am now 19. I went to my docter and said i want accutance, nothing else i wanted to get right to the point, no dickin around with the pussy ass shit. Affter about 3 weeks i noticed quite a difference, enough to make me happy and more self confident. it gave me a few extra zits and that was about it, didnt get to much worse and didnt last long. I got realy moody and depressed to the point i seriously considered killing myself over stupid little fights with the girlfriend or parents, it was very intense emotionaly, i mean i have thought about killing myself before but nothing like when i was on accutane, fortunatly that all went away affter a couple months, i was pretty much back to normal emotionaly; other that that the only other side affect was chapped lips which was easy enough to control if u stayed ontop of it with a moisurizer, if u didnt do it for a whilc though it would get really really bad(cracking and bleeding). I tool accutant for about 6 months and my acne was as good as it was ever gona get(97% better) when i did get the occasional zit it was gone in a couple days. I stoped takeing it about 2 years ago and the acne started comeing back about 8 months affter stoping, now 2 yearls later it is nearly as bad as it was before accutane. I am now about trying MINOCYCLINE and if i do not get results in a month i will deffinatly be going on accutane again. good luck to everyone out there that is on it or going to try it, jsut remember to stop as soon as u feel u are or might be gettign any severe side effects.

Make no mistake about it... if anything is going to clear up acne, this is it! Not only does it clear up acne but it also cuts the oiliness way down.
The bad stuff: It cuts oiliness down so much that facial skin becomes very dry (peeling lips is common) and even sensitive. As a matter of a fact, those two side effects were the only ones I had.
Most Dr's are reluctant to prescribe this because it's a last resort type of treatment. But let me tell you, it's so worth it!
Caution!!! Absolutely not for use in women who may be pregnant or may become pregnant while on Accutane!!! Sadly, major fetal defects almost guaranteed.

Also, I had severe chapped lips but they're back to normal now.
So if you are taking it and suffering from HARSH dry lips I recommend using the Body Shop's hemp lip chap.
Works amazingly well, even better than Vaseline!

This stuff is amazing. I had moderate to severe acne and nothing worked -- my skin just kept getting worse. I tried lots of topical treatments, which barely helped, and the oral antibiotics all wreaked havoc on my stomach. The first couple months were awful -- terrible dryness, mood swings, etc. But...once it was done, my skin was absolutely flawless. It's a serious commitment, but worth it for the end results. I've been off Accutane for over a year, and am 99% breakout-free. For anyone with acne that's not responding to other treatments, I highly recommend it. If you're taking it, definitely buy Aquaphor and Cetaphil cream by the tubload (they're great for chapped lips and dry skin) and lip balm to stash everywhere. One thing that helped me a lot was taking monthly photos of my face. Seeing the improvement over time really kept me going through the more difficult patches. Now that I'm done, I'm so so so happy I stuck with it.

In New Zealand this is called Isotane and it is pretty good. I am 25 and only seven months ago did i start totally breaking out in the huge sore deep pimples that never come to a head and left big scars. After tying different cleansers, spot gels and mutlivitamin tablets, and even being prescribed Differin and Doxycycline which did not work and made things worse, i had had enough and consulted a dermatologist. He immediatley put me on Isotane which contains isotretinoin and at about week 7 now, things are looking more positive. It definitley takes a long time for things to kick in but you have to be patient. Unfortunetly, i am stil left with scarring but they will fade over time. I have also been prescribed by my dermatoligist to use Stieva-A which is a vitamin A cream that eventually helps prevents pimples and blackheads from forming, but this also takes about 8 weeks before you notice any results as it has to get used to your skin and first get pimples out. My Derm-y has given me hydrochortisine (? spelling) for applicatin in the morning to combat redness. It helps too. My advice is be patient, use tons of vaseline for lips which will peel, and moisturise your arms and legs as you wil get rashy dry patches otherwise. Recommend Isotane and hope things get even better which im sure it will.

Made my face flawless

I'm 15 and I've had horrible acne for 2 years now. I started accutane only a month ago and it is doing what it is suposed to. It is drying out my skin and my acne is going away day by day. I might have chaped lips but that is the extent of the effects. The product is amazing and I recomend it to anyone who has severe acne.

I am 19 and i have had bad acne since i was 12. A dermotologist suggested i go on accutane two years ago, and i said no because of all the side effects and scary things i had heard about it. Four months ago, i finally decided to start using accutane because nothing else worked and i had been getting bad acne scars. In the past few years, i tried everything from creams, to benza-mycin (a very drying cream), proactive, and everything i could get my hands on and nothing worked. I have been almost completely acne free since i started using accutane and the side effects are not as bad as they say it is. I am extremely happy with accutane and strongly recommend it for anyone with severe acne. Awsome Product, worth every penny.

I'm 14 years old, and am currently on accutane. I have had horrible acne since 4th grade. I've gone to a dermatologist religiously for the past 4 years. It seems like I've tried everything. Nothing worked. I was so embarrassed that I was reluctant to leave the house, and even the heaviest makeup couldn't camouflage my skin. i had very low self eestem and was painfully shy. I recently went on Accutane because it was my last option. My parents were concerned about the side effects, but I was desperate. So far, I love Accutane. I have had no side effects at all (not even chapped lips) and my skin is getting clearer like magic.

My junior year in high school I decided my acne was not going away on it's own. My dermatologist prescribed several different types of drugs to help me with my acne. None of them worked, so he put me on Accutane half way throw my first year in college. After the first month of using it, my face started to clear up. I was on it for five months and eventually my skin cleared up. It even make these little purple marks that I had on one of my cheeks go away. A year later, I have the occasional pimple but not anything nearly as bad as I had when I was a teenager. There is one thing that I do not like after my treatment. The pimples that I do get, are deeper in my skin, which hurts a lot because I can't even pop them. (I know you are not supposed to) They are also the bigger ones not the little whiteheads that I used to get. Other than that I am absolutely satified with my treatment. My friends who used this form of treatment in their later teens have not had any breakouts since their treatment. Therefore I recommend Accutane to those who are in their late teens and have tried othe methods.

i have had acne as far back as 6th or 7th grade, and i am currently in my freshman year of college (and yes i still have it). i went on accutane at the beginning of my senior year of high school because i had known people that went on it and it worked GREAT for them. but only after a few days of being on it my acne got worse and continued to get worse to the point of where it seemed to have increased at least 20-fold. this inevitably led to scaring and marks that have still not gone away. i have been off accutane for about 3 months now and of course my acne is coming back. i have tried to use benzoyl peroxide but that just seems to be making my skin extremely dry. i tried to go back on accutane last week but i pulled myself off it because i began to see an increase of acne again, and i am not going through that experience once4 more. so basically, all i can tell you is that accutane has no definite outline, it is different for everyone. try it if you wish, but please be cautious and dont take it lightly.

I'm 16 years old and i'm still currently on accutane. This has been the best thing to happen to me! I had bad acne, not as bad as it gets, but bad enough to lower my self esteem and make me miss out on a lot of my childhood because of embarrassment. I always would have to put on makeup before leaving the house ever since elemetary because I was so embarrassed. Now I hardly wear any! I definitely think that it's worth a try because now I have more self confidence than ever and am totally enjoying life without having to worry about stupid acne!

I was on accutane 3 years ago for 4 weeks and to date I continue to suffer from dramatic hair loss. The reason I discontinued the treatment was because I noticed my hair was falling out. This has become another depression for me. My acne improved dramatically with Tetracycline only that once I was off it, I would have occassional breakouts. I am no longer on Tetracycline, but my acne is controlled due to my birth control pills. Even though everyone's experiences and side effects are different, I would not recommend Accutane. My dermatologist visits are now due to my hair loss. What a trade off!

I had terrible cystic acne, and did a course several years ago. As expected, my skin got worse at first, and my lips were chapped the entire time. But, once into about week 5, my face cleared up, and stayed clear for about 6 months afterward. During that whole time, I never did more to my face than wash it with hot water. But, one day I took one, then thought I had forgotten to take it and took another - it gave me the most mind-splitting pain in my eye that I have ever experienced. I almost went to the hospital. Turns out it was a Vitamin A overdose. Anyway, about 2 years later, the cysts came back, although never as bad, and most I just use Retina now. I'd recommend it though, to just about anyone.

Man I used to have the craziest case of acne. I mean it was so bad where I didn't want no one to look straight at me. I was scared to take Accutane at first casue my Doctor told me about the possible effects but after the torture of High School life with all these zits..I said screw it. I took it and yes, believe it yo, two-three weeks into it I had a face completely covered with pimples. It was so sad, but then guess what? The 5-6th week came and it started to clear up. And when it did, it kept clearing. Next thing you know, it was like I never had pimples.EVER. Crazy huh. But I may have been lucky. A friend of mine took it and had thoughts of suicide and he was the most reg. dood you'd ever know too. Think it through yo, but this stuff really does work good.Trustmedood.

i have had moderate acne since i was 15 and i have tried everything to try and get rid of my acne but nothing ever worked. finally my derm prescribed me accutane. i was on it for five months. I have really oily skin and the first month being on accutane i noticed my skin completly dried up. It was great. my make up was actually able to stay on for the whole day without out melting off from oil. My skin didn't clear up completly until the fourth month. after that my skin stayed clear for about three months. two months after being off accutane i really started breaking out. this is my third month off and my skin just gets worse and worse. My derm said i can start a second treatment but i have to wait six months, to let my liver rest. But accutane really did help clear my skin while i was on it but it doesn't stay clear for long. well with me anyway. The only side of effects were dry skin, chaped lips and red face. I would diffinitly recommend accutane to any one who has bad acne.

I had terrible acne all my childhood. It started when I was barely into middle school. It always just got worse and worse. My mother had me into the doctors office at least once a year, sometimes 3 or 4. I hated even going to school cause I looked so bad and became very introverted. When I turned 23 I got over the depression and decided I had had enough of every prescription out there for my face and asked my doctor for Accutane. I just read an opinion that stated the person lost hair over it... I am now bald (most likely inherited) but do not care one bit. I gained self confidence in a mater of months. I was in such missery during those months, with dry skin and chapped broken lips, but ever since (i'm 27 now) I have had an impecably clear complection. I was my face with just an astringent (Witch Hazel) and leave it at that, anything more (soap, lotion etc.) is just overkill. I love this product, but do be careful, it is very powerful and dangerous, it could really mess you up, but then again, I believe it was worth it.

I did 2 cycles of treatment (typically 2-3 cylces are needed) and, while Accutane (Isotretinoin) didn't clear up my skin completely, I still highly recommend it to those tired of drugstore topical treatments and harsh face washes that do little or worse for acne breakouts. This product cleared up about 80% of my acne, far greater than any other product I tried out there could accomplish. For me, side affects were mild (dry skin and chapped lips, as expected). It even cleared up those dreaded blackheads on my nose which are nearly impossible to treat. Before Accutane, my face was painful and sore and super oilly! Within an hour of washing my face every morning, my face was like an oil slick. Now, my face is clearer, pain-free, and oil-free. No longer do I dread looking in the mirror every morning, worrying about all the new zits that popped up over night. I no longer spend so much time applying makeup and concealers to hide zits. And most importantly, now that my acne has cleared up, I feel more confident in social scenes!

Right now, I am on my 1st month of Isotretinoin and it turns out that my acne got worse, but my doctor said that it will only last for a while, and it should start to improve in the 2nd month, but right now the side effect for me is only dry lips, and most of the black-head on my nose were gone, which is a good start. All I can say is that you have to be patient for this drug ~ !

I was on Accutane for 5 months and experienced good results. My face never cleared up completely, but it improved maybe 90%. Having said that, the side effects were pretty severe. My mouth peeled to the point that it was bloody for the entire time I was on the medication. I got rashes and headaches. The dryness was almost unbearable, but I got through it. I suggest this medication only for severe acne.