User Reviews for Isotretinoin

I read so many of these reviews before I started, had to follow up with my experience. Currently 4.5 months in, 45 days to go to complete my 6 months target. Me: 27, male, very fit, acne was mild (compared to others probably reading this) but very relentless, small white heads on face/mouth (would always pop during day... nightmare stuff) and big cysts on the back. Tried every cream, gel and pill in my teens and hoped it would disappear in 20s. At 27 I had enough of having acne on dates, in the work environment, and hiding it while outside in summer. My stages - Week 1 - Noticed behavior changes, became somewhat irritable. Recognized it and dealt with it and seemed to adjust once used to the medicine. (In the long term well worth it) - Week 2-4 - Acne still hasn't really changed. (was still on half dose at this time) - Month 2 - Up to full dose. Noticed all my pores were starting to dry up and like beads of sebum would come up when rubbing skim. (gross but I guess it has to go somewhere right?) Skin and lips became very dry but moisturizer and lip balm did the trick. - Month 3 - Started seeing improvements but things were very inconsistent. Still had a few bad breakouts but some periods were should strong signs. Also got a bit of minor depression at this point, I fell off workouts a bit and just got a bit lazy as the medicine for sure tired me out. (It really becomes a mental game at this point, tired, not great results, and no end insight) I gave myself a few weeks to relax (focus on mental health) and do nothing then got back into my workouts. - Month 4 - Things cleared up very well, only a handful of pimples in total (used to be like +5 a day in an endless cycle). - Now - Haven't had a pimple (face or back) in like 3+ weeks. Finish up my 45 days and I should be done. Doc did mention on occasion it can come back, in that cause you need to jump back on for 2-3 months later. Recommendations for others: - If you're not already healthy, maybe think twice. I am in probably the best shape of my life (ran a marathon 2nd week of accutane), I don't take any other medicines, and I still had to deal with some mental irritability, depression, and skin dryness. - Be cautious about starting if you have dry skin (or if its winter and you live somewhere cold). I had neither, and I don't think I would handle much more dryness than I have. Very easy to like itch your skin off on this stuff, it just becomes very fragile. - If you have any joint pain, get on a quality turmeric supplement (high curcuminoids/absorption). Might find some relief there. - Drinking - obviously not a good idea, wouldn't recommend it, but do it at your own risk. If you do have an event or something and "have" to have one or two, I was told just don't have your meds that day/morning after. (Again, this was advice given to someone who was very healthy). At first it seems weird telling people your not drinking, but just push through it, actually is very nice after a while waking up feeling great on weekends (lol). Overall Reco - If you can handle the side effects, soooooo worth it! I was always super self conscious of my skin. It's such a mental relief now having things cleared up. No more checking the mirror, no endless night time routine, no insecurities, and it should (fingers crossed) be permanent. Read More Read Less

I took this back in 2015, high schooler at the time who dealt with awful acne that wouldn’t go away no matter what cream or acne treatment I used, blackheads, red bumps, the whole 9 yards, i had it all, i started accutane and while it didn’t get rid of my acne completely, it reduced it from severe breakouts to just tiny bumps here and there on my face so I would say it’s worth it. the only thing i didn’t like was the monthly blood drawn to make sure it isn’t affecting your liver but other than that, I give it a 9/10Read More Read Less

I told myself if this worked for me, I'll write a review. Accutane has hands-down been the best thing I have ever done for myself. I've had cystic and non-cystic acne from age 14 to 23 and after 6 months on accutane, I am so excited to be done with dealing with it every day. I finished treatment 5 months ago and I haven't had a single breakout since. I started in June 2021 and my last breakout was August 2021 and I have been clear ever since! I broke out a bit initially, but nothing more than usual. I feel so lucky that my only side effect was chapped lips; I tried everything under the sun but regular carmex actually was what helped! Before Accutane, I think I tried about every cream/retinol/face wash, I tried 7 different forms of birth control, spironolactone and antibiotics and nothing worked until accutane. If it ever comes back, I would absolutely do it all over again. I know everybody has different experiences, but it was so incredibly worth it for me!Read More Read Less

It works. Accutane can be life changing for so many people and it has been for me. Yes there are side effects but none of it compares to the pain that people with severe acne deal with everyday. my side effects were only dry lips and dry skin. i am so grateful to my specialist for prescribing me with this. before i took it i had severe acne. it would hurt and I became so depressed and isolated. I cannot express how happy i am that i took this amazing medication. I am telling you this is worth it. Read More Read Less

To start, I have had acne since I was 12. I am now 26. I reached out to my primary care provider with complaints of my acne in late March of 2020. My provider prescribed me topical Clindamycin in hopes that it would clear up my acne. I used it for about 2 months and saw absolutely no improvement. My roommate even went so far as to buy me Proactive - no such luck. I saw a new provider, who prescribed me an antibiotic and additionally wrote me a referral to a dermatologist in August of 2021. I finally was able to get an appointment with the dermatologist in October of 2021. When he walked in the room, he asked me to pull my mask down, looked at my face for about 3 seconds and asked if I ever heard of accutane. As debilitating as that was, I was relieved to hear that I wasn't crazy when I would tell people that my skin was horrendous. What they don't tell you about accutane is the IPledge program. In my personal opinion, IPledge is the worst part of accutane, I would take the side effects 5x over than have to deal with IPledge again. IPledge is the middleman that allows an individual to get access to their medication for the month. The IPledge website requires one to take a short quiz every month to prove knowledge about the medication as well as provide the two birth control methods that will be taken before they allow dispersion of the medication to the pharmacy. There is also a seven day window where one is allowed to obtain their medication, otherwise, you have to wait until your next doctor's appointment for reassessment. My advice is to have your doctor's appointment on a Monday if possible so if a prior authorization is needed, or if your main pharmacy doesn't have your medication in stock you can call your provider during the workweek to avoid missing your medication for the month. I was meant to be on my last month of medication as of this month (April 2022). Due to my pharmacy not ordering my medication on time one month, and the IPledge website being down another, I am on month 4/6. In terms of side effects, I find mine to be slightly annoying, but mild in the grand scheme of things. I have had about 5 bloody nose incidents. My eyes have been moderately dry, not enough to need eye drops. My overall skin composition; however, has become incredibly dry. My lips especially. You absolutely need to have carmex on you at ALL times. I even wear it at night. I find that if I do not constantly have it on, the corners of my mouth will crack severely and will take weeks to heal. L-Lysine is a good supplement to have handy (you can get it at Wal-Mart for $4). I take it in conjunction with my morning accutane dose to prevent my lips from cracking. It really does work. My hands and arms developed a pretty decent rash - again, I'll take the rash over acne any day. I mentioned it to my dermatologist and he prescribed me a pretty generous sized tub of Triamcinalone to use twice a day and the rash goes away - it comes back about 4-5 days later if I don't use it consistently. My dermatologist was very up front about all of the side effects I could potentially have. There are a lot of side effects he mentioned that have not caused me any problems. I think having a knowledgeable provider really is half of the battle when it comes to this medication. My overall takeaway is that I highly recommend trying this medication if you're at all interested. Having said that, this isn't a medication to take if your acne it light or if you haven't trialed less harsh options first. ASK QUESTIONS to your provider, that is what they are there for. Most importantly GIVE THE MEDICATION A CHANCE. Accutane DOES NOT work overnight. It is a strong medication that takes about 4-6 weeks to truly start making a difference. I am so grateful I was able to take this medication, it really has changed my life. Read More Read Less

I've had severe acne for all my life. Back when I was 12 my dermatologist prescribes this stuff and makes me sign a release form & other medical blah blah paperwork just to use the stuff. (1st red flag) Upon using the meds I have to go get blood work done every 2 weeks and they collected A LOT of blood each time! (2nd red flag) Doctor says stay out of direct sunlight. (3rd red flag) New meds says my diet has to eliminate all dairy products. (4th red flag) First couple months this stuff starts to make my stomach hurt like im getting stabbed in lower left side of my stomach all day long. Also makes me extremely tired and irritated most of the time. I took this medicine for 2 years and it didn't do any good at all. I've accepted that I have acne and will not overcome this condition in this lifetime. Fast forward and I'm now 43 years old and I became permanently lactose intolerant from this stuff. And still experience abdominal pain all these years and yes I have had scans, cameras, xrays, tests and any scope, probe and possible exploratory blah blah done to find the cause.....but nothing. STAY FAR FAR AWAY FROM THIS MEDICINE ! ! !Read More Read Less

Growing up I never struggled with any type of acne, and (didn’t often but) could go to bed with a full face of makeup on and wake up in the morning with completely clear skin. Once I finished my 2nd year of college, my skin completely freaked out. I tried literally everything from new face washes to apple cider vinegar to any medication I could possibly try, but nothing helped. It significantly affected my confidence and self-esteem. After a few years of struggling, and talking to a few friends who used it I decided to try accutane. One of my friends got every awful side effect possible, including swelling and bleeding underneath her nail beds (!!!) - so badly it hurt her to wear shoes- yet she still testifies wholeheartedly that it was worth it because she hasn’t had a single breakout since. I’m starting my 3rd month of taking it, which is supposedly the worst. Your acne typically gets worse before it gets better, because your skin has to purge all of the acne and infection to clear it all out. I have followed all of the advice I received from friends and their experiences for example I’ve been trying to drink a minimum of 64oz (1/2 gallon) of water every day which helps avoid lots of the side effects. I put Vaseline in my nose at night so I don’t get nosebleeds, and I was advised to put Vaseline on my face at night to keep my skin hydrated & I tried it but it gave me lots of blackheads so I just use the cerave dry skin *CREAM* (not diluted with water but the lotion is) morning & night. I also wash my face morning & night with cetaphil dry skin foaming face wash - tried the non foaming one for a while & didn’t like it so I switched. Overall, it has made a lifetime of a difference. I have so much more confidence and I’m so thankful for accutane!! 1000% recommend to anyone who has been struggling because it’s so worth it. The one side effect I have struggled with is that taking it makes me depressed. I am quite familiar with depression & have played around with the timing of when I take my accutane so I just take it around 5pm so that the depression hits while I’m sleeping & doesn’t affect me. Then I’m completely fine when I get up in the morning. This is totally doable and totally worth it for ~6 months being a little depressed sometimes for clear skin for the rest of my life!! Also you absolutely cannot get pregnant while taking this because it 100% WILL cause birth defects so you need 2 forms of birth control if you will be sexually active while taking this. One other side note, I started taking it in the winter & haven’t been in the sun much but apparently you burn a lot easier when taking this, even when skiing lol so be sure to apply SPF every day and reapply frequently if you’re out in the sun. Good luck buddy!!Read More Read Less

I took this drug clavaris 40 mg for only 17 days and I had to stop as the ringing in my ears was so bad. 2 years later my ringing is still happening. I wish the dermatologist never had prescribed this drug. Stay away from the drug! The side effects are way to risky I would not recommend this drug to anyone.

The medicine itself it’s great but the side effects are very rough, especially when you take 3 40 mg pills a day of it.

I am currently on my second dose of Accutane and it has been atleast 8 months now. My first round I had the usual effects of dry skin, red patches under my nose and around my eyes, sties all the time!! It was worth it because after 10 months my skin was clear and I felt great. Unfortunatey, when I got off my skin only stayed clear for 6 months and then acne returned.. so back on Accutane I went. This time around I am only taking 1 -2 tablets a week which is quite low. I am still having the same effects as the first round but not as severe HOWEVER this time I am really noticing the change in my moods.. There have been weeks I feel really down and don't want to get out of bed. I will have an instant rush of happiness and then 5mins later my mood sinks back down. It's really weird as I've never had this before and it only started once taking Accutane. I also feel more irritable and annoyed at little things. I have been able to manage it though and hope this will be my last round!Read More Read Less

After suffering with cystic acne for 12 years I finally took accutane. It is the best decision I have ever made. My face is no longer in pain, and my confidence has had a massive boost! I had a few minor side effects like temporary achy joints/bones and stiff muscles, and of course dry lips, but they were 100% worth it! My only regret is not taking it sooner.

I suffered with adult acne for the last 3 years. I had a mixture of cystic acne , blackheads and Papule spots. Antibiotics was the first medication to be given to me, the antibiotics were a complete waste of time my acne still remained present ! The areas where I suffered with acne was the sides of my face , jawline and forehead. Having acne completely knocked my confidence and at the time the acne was so bad that the spots were painful to touch. I eventually got an appointment with a dermatologist , I was prescribed 10mg Roaccutane (accutane ) twice a day for the first month, I then progressed onto 20mg twice a day for the next 4 months . The only side affects I suffered were dry skin and dry lips . I actually used (nipple cream ) for my lips as I found it worked best. Apart from that I got on fantastic with accutane , it actually made me feel great as I was happy to see my skin clear up month by month ! .. Everybody is different and will experience different side affects but for me accutane has been a miracle for my skin and I am so happy that it worked . Therefore it gets a thumbs up for me. Thank you Accutane as I have very clear skin and my confidence back . Read More Read Less

I was 36, had battled sever acne intermittently for 2 decades. I had had SEVERELY oily skin my whole life. Finally I tried Accutane! ???? BEST decision I ever made. While the monthly blood tests were annoying, it was beyond worth it. My skin began to clear up almost immediately & my pores shrank & my oil production regulated. I experienced minimal to no excessive dryness & 7 years later, I have had maybe 1 hormonal zit. Life changing!

I started taking Accutane shortly before turning 24. I had severe cystic acne throughout my back for a while which did not respond well to other treatment, and thus is why I started taking Accutane. For some time after starting the medication, I only had minor side effects, such as dry lips. Then, I started to experience symptoms of depression, such as feelings of worthlessness and thoughts of suicide. I never had any symptoms of depression prior to taking the medication. It has been around two years after stopping the medication, and I am still struggling almost daily with depression. I have tried months of therapy and while it was helpful, it definitely was not enough. I am now considering taking anti depressant medication. Please do a lot of research before you take this medication. Other people here have also reported developing depression. Nothing is worth risking your mental health, even if you have severe acne like I did. Please consider other options. I strongly recommend not taking this medication. Read More Read Less

I had severe cystic and nodular acne in my chin area. Antibiotics didn’t help. This drug was a miracle. It started working immediately. Never saw results so fast. Took it for 5 months. 80mg a day and than 120 mg the last month. I had a few side effects. Nothing to serious. Dry lips dry skin and photo sensitivity were my side effects. Nothing I couldn’t handle. I prety much lived on chapstick, lotion and sunscreen. But it was %100 percent worth it. If you are dealing with severe acne I highly recommend this drug! It changed my life! If it doesn’t work for you, you can always stop taking it! But it’s %100 worth trying. I put it off for years because I was scared of the side effects. But I finally had enough and tried it, the side effects for me ere minimal. This drug is a lifesaver Read More Read Less

I began having bad acne in high school, which became cystic in college, and refractory to every birth control, topical treatment, antibiotic, diet and skin care routine. Several dermatologists recommended accutane/isotretinoin but I hoped it would magically disappear by my mid 20's and had heard negative things about accutane from a friend and a family member. It didn't go away and once I had a steady job with good health insurance I found a conveniently located experienced dermatology practice and started monthly blood draws/pregnancy tests, and then 30mg daily for the 1st month, and 40mg daily for 6 months months (7 months total, I weigh ~135 lbs). We discussed increasing to 60mg daily but decided my 40mg dose was seeing good results and was best for limiting side effects which were quite manageable (which I felt was worth the extra 1-2 months on the medication). I had a few more cysts than usual on my back about 1 month in, but after that ~1 tiny pimple per month that resolved quickly on its own, and manageable side effects, and about a year later my skin has stayed beautifully clear and my prior pigmentation/scarring is becoming much lighter with topical acids. I WISH I HAD TAKEN ACCUTANE A DECADE SOONER to save all that wasted time/$/aggravation as it was clear that my acne causes would only be fixed by accutane. In terms of side effects the first week my dose increased I had some diarrhea which resolved on its own (which can happen while adjusting to any new medication), my triglycerides slightly increased one month but we think it was related to my labs not being taken fasting, I was a little tired and less social (but nothing that affected day-to-day life and it was winter time), the dryness everyone gets, and they mentioned poor wound healing occurs and I had one cyst early on that burst and took longer than usual to heal. I was dry everywhere, and had to drink water constantly, and moisturize everywhere. I wanted cheaper products available at local pharmacies so I used the classic aquaphor healing ointment for lips and kept one in several locations (if you want some color try vaseline rosy lips), systane ultra eye drops, cetaphil or cerave eye gel cream, to avoid nose bleeds used aquaphor ointment or petroleum jelly in my nostrils and ultra-sonic cool mist humidifier while sleeping, cerave moisturizing cream (pick creams for your face/body in jars as they are thicker than pump bottles), dove deep moisture body wash, cerave hydrating face wash, la roche-posay cooling water face location sunscreen SPF 60 (though expensive and a little greasy but worked well), and used makeup fit for dryer skin that contained SPF, still looking for the right makeup remover, and I used gentler shampoo since my hair was dryer (and it did fall out toward the end of my course but has grown back to about 90% fullness). For hair removal I had to switch to shaving, tweezing and threading. I also avoided alcohol, and replaced my regular multivitamin (as it contained vitamin A) to ProRenal+D with Omega-3 as renal multivitamins don't contain vitamin A!Read More Read Less

I was on 30mg for 2 months and 60mg for 4 months. It got rid of my cystic acne on my face, chest, and back. I still have scarring but my skin looks so much better! Some side effects I experienced included, dry skin, nose bleeds, and dry eyes. However, it was all WORTH IT! I struggled with acne my entire life and my only regret is not starting it sooner. I started seeing it work after only 10 days. I can't recommend accutane enough. My advice is to advocate for yourself and keep asking for it over and over again until they give it to you.Read More Read Less

I took two rounds of this medication, which lasted for almost 2 years because the first round didn't help my acne very well. My second round they upped my dose to the highest they could for a 15 year old girl at the time. I was on a dosage that they would normally give a 200 lb man. While the medication did clear up my acne, there were some major side effects. My parents ended up taking me off the medicine because I was depressed and contemplating suicide. This has had a long term effect on my mental health. While at the time it was worth it, I wish I had never taken the medication now.Read More Read Less

Detroyed my life. gave me severe neurological problems

I began taking Accutane after college due to the reviews I had read about possibly falling into depression. Iâ??ve had cystic acne my entire life and once I began taking it my life changed. My skin cleared up like I had never seen it before. Accutane has changed my life for the better and I would encourage others to try it out. I think some reviews make it seem far worse than the drug is, and may even steer some who are struggling with their skin away. I did have side effects such as: extremely dry lips, dry skin, eczema, back pain (after my dosage was increased), neck stiffness, muscle stiffness (dosages increase). All side effects went away once stopping drug and over time. I really really encourage those who are struggling wit their skin to try Accutane â??worst case scenario, you stop taking it if it is not working for you. It really is a game changer when it comes to your skin. I am so glad I have Accutane a chance and would encourage others to do so as well. Read More Read Less