ACCUTANE Reviews (ISOTRETINOIN)Average Rating: 3.3 (746 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare ACCUTANE with similar:
Type: Brand name discontinued; available as generic
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Results are sorted by Gender males first. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 |
More on ACCUTANE: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ACCUTANE | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 4 | cystic acne | Dry skin, rash on forearms, nosebleeds especially in the morning, lower back and joint pain, muscle pain, my eyes hurt badly and developed little bumps on my eyelids that were very painful, some depression, constant exhaustion, sweating eyebrows(what's with that?), problems with vision | I hated living with acne all my life but after taking it for 4 months I really don't know if it's worth it. It just seems like at least for now my quality of life isn't that great. Constantly I am experiencing new side effects that are equally painful and/or unpleasant. | F | 20 | 4 months | 5/16/2005 | 4 | acne face and back | VERY chapped lips, dry and sensative skin all over, my hair was very shiny, but my skin and my face hurt pretty much the whole time i was on it, the skin where i had acne was very dry and flaky | its very annoyning, and the side effects i experienced were hard to handle, and hard to hide, it was visually obvious i was on some medication, but now i have no zits and i have been off it for 3 months, it was worth it | F | 21 | 9 months | 6/1/2005 | 4 | Moderate to severe acne | Dry skin, dry lips, dandruff, increased sensitivity to oncoming headlights at night when driving, decreased sex drive | I've been on accutane for one month so far and it seems to be working fairly well. I started seeing results after about 5 days. A lot of people have warned me about the depressive side effects of the drug, but I feel I was more depressed with my skin the way it was before. I don't think anyone looking to go on Accutane should be influenced by other people's opinions; there are very serious side effects which each person themselves need to consider, however for me I believe the medication is working. | F | 22 | 30 days | 6/9/2005 | 4 | severe cystic acne | dry mouth/lips, eyes (stopped wearing contacts), dry nose, vaginal dryness, painful rash and some mild joint pain towards end of treatment | I took this medication nearly 8 years ago. I don't believe I've had any long-term side effects. I tend to have rather dry skin now, still get chapped lips easily, but that could easily be a function of a nearly 28 yr old body vs. a 20 yr. old body. No acne aside from very mild breakouts before my period. It did not clear my acne until the last few weeks of treatment, but my skin continued to improve after stopping. I believe ortho-tri-cyclen helped turn the tide in favor of clear skin. Psychologically, I was very unhappy while taking this drug but some sad events occurred in my life around that period. However, I did not feel down to the extent that it impeded my academic success or kept me from going out with friends. Yes, it is poison, so is chemotherapy as well as a lot of other useful drugs. The patient alone ultimately has to make an informed decision to accept the risk or accept the acne; the most informed doctor in the world cannot predict how an individual body will react t | F | 27 | 50 months | 3/17/2007 | 4 | Moderate acne | Dry, chapped lips, skin peeling, dry skin, minor muscle aches | This is my second go round of Accutane. I started my first treatment about 7 years ago.My acne definitely started to come back last year, and I was prescribed topical creams and antibiotics. Of course, they did not work. I just started Accutane again 24 days ago. I can already see the difference! I wish that I was prescribed this 10 months ago after wasting money on useless dermatology prescriptions. I was already prepared for the tedious prework prior to taking the drug. The monthly doctor visits, blood tests, and process of getting prescriptions are a pain! FEMALES: Please take this drug seriously. Discuss all effects with your partner. My symptoms include DRY LIPS, PEELING SKIN, and minor muscle aches occasionally. MY ADVICE IS TO CARRY CARMEX, BLISTEX, OR MEDICATED VASELINE IN YOUR PURSE OR POCKET.(TRUST ME: The lipstick will not stay on). LUBRIDERM LOTION IS HELPING ME OUT A LOT! PREVENTS LOTS OF DRYING. I am very concerned about how long this drug remains in the bloodstream. I am | F | 27 | 1 months | 6/20/2007 | 4 | acne,break outs,cysts | dry lips,dry skin all over,sensitivity to sun,exhaustion,depression,loads of crying,weight gain-due to depression | Besides all the side effects,i am still very happy to be taking accutane.I am 28 and have been suffering from acne for many years.NOw that my skin is tottally clear i realise how much time i wasted by not taking this earlier.I felt ugly and disgusting for many years.I thought long and hard b4 i took it and weighed the pros & cons,and realised that i needed to give my self a chance to feel beutifull.This is a harsh drug but not as bad as some make it out be.I would recommend it. | F | 28 | 5 months | 6/18/2007 | 4 | acne | dry lips, dry eyes, LOTS of crying, stress, stiff/sore joints, pain in groin and tailbone/coxix mostly if they are overused. i'm a server in a busy restaurant, i can barely move after work. Very dry , patchy arms. Burn easily in the sun. Skin is easily damaged especially from picking. | my skin looks great, but i'm starting to worry. hope these effects don't remain afterr I stop taking it. | F | 39 | 5 months | 6/11/2007 | 4 | Cystic Acne | Dry lips and skin, aches in back and chest, slower healing of wounds. | I am 38 and this is the fourth, yes fourth, time I've taken Accutane for cystic acne and seriously oily skin. Each time my skin was a bit different due to climate change, stress and hormones but each time the problem cleared for several years. For me, the great result has never been long term but its always been worth it. What they say about slight depression and aches is definately true but managable. I wouldn't freak about getting pregnant down the road since I had a very healthy son a year after my third round of treatment. | F | 38 | 7 months | 7/11/2007 | 4 | acne | chapped lips, aching knees, increased thirst, eye sight blurred a bit | i'm already a lotion and chapsitck person so that additional concern isnt so bad and already have depression side effects so i'm not sure if its making it worse or just evening me out. my face is clearer but not clear and my scars are not disappearing. so far so good but i'm on a low dosage with antibiotics and water pills so we'll just have to wait and see. does seem to lower sex drive and appetitte though so not sure if thats a side effect or not. overall i'm satistifed but i'm not sure if i can continue this for another 5 months as my dermatologist seems to think | F | 24 | 3 months | 5/26/2007 | 4 | sparatic nodules and breakouts | dry lips, bloody nose, joint ache, and depression | I just finished accutane and it helped a LOT! I was on a very small dosage and still experienced all of the bad side effects. My lips definitely got really chapped. I can't imagine being on a higher dosage! I found that by using vasaline at night, it really helped. I only got about 3 bloody noses so that wasn't too bad and the joint pain was not severe. As far as the depression goes, I'm not sure if accutane added to my depression thoughts or not. I was already depressed before I got on it..so I'm not really sure if it was caused by the drug or not. The results are great though! My skin is completely clear! | F | 18 | 5 months | 5/25/2007 | 4 | moderate acne | painful dry lips, painful rash on arms, less painful rash on stomach, slight depression, headaches, back pain | It took almost 6 months before I really noticed a difference. I am at the end of my 7th month and do not have acne ANYWHERE. Not on my face, chest, back or shoulders! I cant remember the last time not having any! I am so excited to get off this stuff so hopefully this rash and chapped lips goes away. Then I can wear a tank top! | F | 24 | 7 months | 11/2/2007 | 4 | Acne | Dry skin and lips | I have to take it again because the acne returned after a few weeks when I stopped taking it. | F | 18 | 5 months | 11/22/2007 | 4 | Acne | dry cracked lips, bloated feeling in stomach area, weight gain (15 lbs.!!), hair falling out, dryer face than normal (but manageable), muscles sometimes ache, back sometimes aches, dry nostrils, dry eyes | Sounds like a lot of side effects, but so far it's been worth it. My face is clearing up, although slightly dry. I noticed that the tone of my face is much better and more all one color rather than blotchy. Along with using Accutane, I also spot-treat any pimples that come up. I use Murad's Acne Spot Treatment (comes in a little tube)...I higly reccomend this because it seems to speed up the whole process of getting rid of it. The one thing that kinda upset me is that I gained roughly 15 pounds while I've been using this for the past 4 months. And I've NEVER gained like this before..not when I was a teen, and not even the Freshman 15! Accutane is the oly thing that I can come up with. Not only have I gained weight, but my stomach/bowels (I don't know..) feel bloated...not a great feeling. So, overall..the two things that stick out most in my mind are the weight gain and dry, cracked lips. BUT.....my acne is better and will hopefully continue like this... | F | 24 | 4 days | 9/8/2007 | 4 | Dry lips and skin | I am having to repeat the course because my acne has returned. | F | 18 | 4 months | 10/20/2007 | 4 | 10 years of acne | Dry lips, no oil in hair, dry skin, rash on hands and forearms, headaches, nausea, exhaustion, joint pain (severe), red skin on face, and increased appetite. | I'm on 120 mg a day (150lbs). Joint pain and headaches were so severe, saw another Dr. for 2nd opinion. Found out dose was an illegal limit. Now am down to 80mg a day. Was fine for first 3 months, 4th month is hurting. Days I can not get out of bed or walk up and down stairs. Living on Execedrin Migrane (2-3 a day). But skin is somewhat clearing up and that's the point, I guess. Hopefully, I do not experience the long term side effects. Clear skin is worth just about everything I have experienced so far. | F | 28 | 4 months | 10/30/2007 | 4 | acne on face and body, oily skin | dry lips, slightly dry skin, contacts hurt | Worked great, on it for 6 mos. Had very oily skin when started but accutane made it disappear. Now getting oily skin again- been off it for a month- don't know if I should go back on it??? | F | 26 | 6 days | 3/6/2008 | 4 | Persistent cystic acne since age 13 | Dry lips, dry eyes, occasional eyelid twitching, unable to wear contact lenses every day, numbness in fingers, occasional muscle cramps in legs and feet, headaches, and general anxiety induced by reading about all the possible side effects. | I am a 33 year old female, 125 lbs. I have had severe oily skin and moderate cystic acne since age 13. I started taking Accutane a little over 2 months ago. My derm started me out on a regimen of 40/80/40mg alternating daily, and after 4 days my body could not handle it so I stopped. I developed a twitch in my left eyelid, a severely dry left eye with blurred vision (due to dryness) and drug-induced arthralgia in my ring and pinky fingers. He wasn't very understanding so I switched derms and my new doc started me out on 10mg daily the first month, 20mg daily the second month, and now I am on 40mg daily (20mg 2x daily.) My body is tolerating it much better and my skin is improving daily. The best advice I can give you is 1.) Find a doctor's office who understands the iPledge system, 2.) Have your doctor start you off on a low dose, and 3.) Take your medicine with a full meal. You may be afraid to take it at first, but when you start seeing the results you will be amazed. | F | 33 | 10 weeks | 2/5/2008 | 4 | The only side effects were try lips that occasionally cracked at the corners. My dermatologist had to give me a cream to treat these sites that were eventually infected with yeast. Kinda gross, I know... I also had dry itchy skin all over my body. I constantly had to moisturize myself, particularly during the dry winter months. | Accutane gave me the clear skin I've always wanted; I just wish I took it earlier because I used to be very embarrassed about my acne. When I turned 20 and still had adult acne, I decided I had to try something potent. I am glad accutane worked for me. | F | 23 | 6 months | 12/18/2008 | 4 | Acne | mild joint pain (on and off), chapped lips/skin (aquaphor for lips does miracles), a little bit of eczema in the beginning (hydrocortisone cream helped) | Everyone will react differently from Accutane as I've read. Luckily for me it worked. I took it in 2005 for about 5 months and it cleared my acne, but a few months later it came back. Then this year 2008 I am taking it again and am going on month 4 and am already clear. People comment on how my skin is glowing. This is a first! I have two months left and I can't imagine how much better it's going to look. I love how I don't have oily skin anymore. I hope it doesn't come back but because of my success I wouldn't mind going on it again. Also, apparently this medicine is known to increase suicide rates. I've had depression since I was 11, and have been seeing a therapist(and reconnecting with God is helping too), and I've been on accutane and find myself happier because of my confidence! So, no depression troubles for me. | F | 21 | 5 months | 12/27/2008 | 4 | severe acne on face, back, and ches | hair loss, dry lips, rectal bleeding, intestinal pain | Know that no matter how healthy you are before taking accutane, you are still at risk for some very severe side effects. I took the drug for 3 months and now 4 months later I am pretty happy with the result. I used to have very oily hair and skin but now they are both normal. I had some scary side effects, but for me the benefit of waking up in the morning not afraid to face the world was worth it. | F | 20 | 3 months | 4/6/2008 |