User Reviews for Accutane oral

This medicine really drys you out, so it's best to give up sodas and coffee and anything else that can dehydrate you while taking accutane and be sure to drink LOTS of water. While I still get an occasional pimple, it is more likely to be from lack of care of my face than anything else and I haven't had a true breakout since I completed my 6 mo on this medicine.

Accutane no doubt works well, but I've experienced many side effects: severely dry skin and lips, sore muscles and joint pain, stiffness, rash on wrists and hands, headaches, very fatigued, dry, glassy eyes and blurry vision. I've been on it for 4 months now, and I'm thinking of stopping it as I'm concerned about my health while taking this potent drug.

I have been on accutane for 3 months, the worst side effect I have had is very dry lips. Chap stick is my best friend! As far as nose bleeds I have none, but I am proactive and use vaseline inside my nostrils to keep things moist. As far as mood swings, I have been going through a divorce while taking this medication and while I am careful to be aware of my moods I can tell you having my skin clear up has given me confidence I havn't felt in years.

I read someone's comment on here, that she got diabetes after 1 yr on accutane. I was on accutane for 6 months in 2006, and in april 2007 i was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes...not sure if it was the accutane, but i came off accutane in jan. 2007 and by april i was type 1 diabetic...got rid of the acne though...im a 23 yr old female

23yr old female I have had severe and horrible acne since I was in 4th grade! My 4th grade teacher even sent me to the nurses office for chicken pox. How emberassing! Iam almost 24 now. I just started accutane 4 months ago. I read on here that a lot of people were really bothered by the side effects. The first month was the worst, super dry skin & super dry lips. But for me having acne my whole life, I really didnt care about any of the side effects. All you need is a good moisturizer and a gentle face wash (I use redness relief from Eucerin). Ohh yeah and blistex or carmex. None of that fruity stuff. I have one more month of accutane to take. The last time I saw my skin this clear I was in the 3rd grade!!! I had it on my back, chest, shoulders, arms, and of course my face! I decided every day on what to wear by where, and how bad I was broken out. It was such a depresesing, and emberassing feeling. Bathing suit season was horrifying. I had to find tops to cover up my back. Anyways this is the best thing thats happened to me. I feel like a completely different person. More confident, and more free to live life how others do.Read More Read Less

This drug is not for the faint of heart. You must commit to taking the medication as prescribed and with fatty foods. You will find that working out is easy enough, but the discomfort that follows is no fun at all. I gained 10 lbs in the first 3 weeks on this medication. Good Luck!

Iam disappointed with my results. My acne returned about 6 months after I finished treatment.What a waste of time and money!!!!!!!!!!

I took it for 6 months, yes, the acne went away, but in its place I had incredibly dry, dry skin. i felt like a snake shedding its skin, i don't know what was more embarrassing, the acne or the severe dry skin.

This drug should be removed from the market!!! It is nasty, and I wish I never took it. The irrational thoughts that I had on it were very uncharacteristic of me as a person. Your hair falls out - nose bleeds, birth defects... but no pimples, sounds superficial to me.

I had no idea that this medication could cause hair loss. Hair loss was not mentioned by my Dr. and I did not see it anywhere in the literature. It's been 2 months since I completed the treatment and my hair is falling out by the handfuls. All of the side effects were almost too hard, but I stuck with it until the end. I hope that I don't end up bald and acne free. Also, I had mood swings and joint pain.

I TOOK THE FULL 6 MONTH COURSE MAX DOSAGE. 5 YEARS LATER MY HAIR IS STILL FALLING OUT BUT MY ACNE IS GONE UNTILL RECENTLY I HAVE MILD ACNE.

The overall benefit of the this drug far surpasses the side effects and discomfort gone through during the treatment.

The drug results with my skin were amazing, but my hair started to fall out & left me with some bald spots.

This drug is effective at treating acne. No Question. Its amazing at acomplishing these ends. Period. That being said, Accutane is all about trade offs. You will have side effects. You well almost certainly have: extreme dry / fraglie skin, wickedly dry / cracked lips. This I can almost promise. Other side effects that I personally believe are attributable to my using Accutane: several ingrown toe nails, watery itchy eyes, mild nose bleeds, itchy scalp and hair shedding, muscle ache thus decresed athletic capability. Keep in mind that you may have to take more than one round of Accutane to reach the desired results. I took two, close together. I believe the benefits and side effects compound with each successive round. The bottom line. It works. I've been ance free for years since completing treatment (though my acne was not nearly as severe as most on Accutane). The side effects have also lasted to some extent. Many years later, I still have far more frigile / dry skin compared to before treatment. Scalp itch, hair loss, and very dry itchy eyes has continued. My advice... very carefully weigh the costs and benefits before treatment. There will be side effects, some will potentially be unpredicable and / or undocumented. Pay close attention to your body during treatment and communicate clearly with your doc about side effects / complications. Don't be blinded by the positives of clear skin, if the rest of your body is being subjected to huge stress / side effects. Keep in mind that some of these side effects may last and docs may not be able to do anything about it. Also, I've heard that Accutane is still effective, but with fewer side effects, if taken at a lower dose over a longer period of time (but same total dose over the course of the treatment). If concerned about side effects, you may want to ask your doc if this is true. Good luck!Read More Read Less

The only thing I didn't like was the iPledge program, don't get me wrong I understand why the program is in place, but it is very annoyong to deal with. Having to make time in a busy schedule for appointments and blood tests and having to wait for the resultscan be a hassle. Not to mention then having to make sure that the doctor's office has entered the infomation on the iPledge program website so you can fill the proscription.

I am beginning my 5th month in a 6th month regiment of Accutane and can't remember a time I had better skin. I did experience severe dry skin and cracked lips (Chapstick is your best friend) as well as painful bowel movements due to a dry anus. Considering that this drug is essentially Vitamin A, I believe the psychological effects patients complain of (i.e. depression, anxiety, etc.) are purely manifested from paranoia, as experienced in the placebo effect.

I'm 32. I took Accutane when I was 22 for nodular/cystic acne. The treatment worked for 10 years, which is what my doctor told me. About 3 months ago, I started getting cystic acne again. My skin was always beautiful before my early twenties and Accutane gave that back to me. I had side effects that the doctor didn't mention such as: severe nose bleeds every single morning; my lips broke out in a herpes like rash and once the rash healed, I had no pigmentation in my lips (I'm african-american); and I did have the decreased night vision. All in all, it was worth it. I go back to the dermatologist on Monday and plan to ask for the Accutane treatment again. 4-5 months of the side effects I had versus 10 years of beautiful skin - I can deal with it!Read More Read Less

I had a very bad acne on my back. It's been almost 4 years since i stopped using accutane. I don't have backacne since then!

I took accutane seven years ago and it cleared up my acne 100%! I NEVER get any acne on my back anymore and rarely get a small break out on my face. Accutane was only slightly difficult to use due to the potential side effects - and the monthly testing that went along with it to monitor cholesterol and liver functions. I do wonder if there are any undiscovered long-term negative effects...I cannot find anything on this site.

Now while this is my 3rd time to be on Accutane, I am very happy (again) with the results. It all started for me as a child with my acne, and after my first dose of Accutane it went away. When i had my first child, it all came back (so much for the "Beautiful glowing skin" you are supposed to have when you are pregnant). I went on Accutane again, all was clear, and then 3 years later i was pregnant with my second child. Now while my children are blessings, they are doing a number on my face. So, with the 3rd time under my belt, i'm having no more kids, and i'm doing post-Accutane treatment (just in case). I think this will be it for me! Wish me luck!Read More Read Less