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 | Back Acne | Dry Eyes, Dry Lips, Cracked Lips, Dry Nose, Hip Paint, Back Pain | I am on my 5.5 month of 6 months on Accutane for back acne. My back looks amazing, before it would constantly bleed from zits popping open. My wife says she feels like she is cheating on me when she rubs my back because it had never been smooth : ) I am praying my side effects go away quickly. The worst has been hip and back pain in my 4th and 5th month. If I sit for a while or sleep and try to get up it is a killer. My Dermatologist said those are all side effects that should disipate quickly. The dry lips and nose have been terrible, but I wanted to say I have tried over 5 kinds of chapstick, most stink. However, my Dermatologist put me on Chop Saver chap stick and my lips have been great ever since. One tube only lasts me about 3 weeks but this has been a lifesaver. I also put vaseline in my nose every other day, otherwise it is so dry it becomes very painful. The vaseline has worked well, I can tell if I miss two days. Lastly, the Cracked lips were really bad in the beginning, and once they crack, good luck healing them, so when I told my Doc about this, he gave me a prescription cream for it to apply 2x a day to the corner of my lips. They healed in two days and as long as you apply, the cracking won't come back. | M | 36 | 5.5 months | 9/25/2009 | 4 | for acne | since after completing treatment i always experienced dry skin which sometimes gets worse and extreme red | M | 19 | 6 months 1 kg | 4/9/2014 | 4 | acne | back and stomach pains, dry lips and peeling skin. | I have a ways to go but all these side effects are worth it. the key is to keep drinking alot of water and put on chapstick alot since your lips dry out extremely fast. | M | 23 | 3 weeks 20 mg 2X day | 6/5/2014 | 4 | Acne | Accutane did wonders for my face. I had very severe acne that basically made me ashamed to show my face in public. I began to take Accutane and began to see miraculous results in 1 month. The side effects I got consisted of dry skin and dry eyes mostly. Dry skin is easily treated with lotion and dry eyes were very annoying. I ended up downing a few gallons of water probably each day and eye drops to combat that. Otherwise, no major side effects for me. | I would recommend this IF you are incredibly desperate. The above peope had some bad experiences but I had none. If anything I got happier as the months passed and my face cleared up. I am 6 months past my course of Accutane now. My eyes continue to be dry and acne slowly creeps up every once in awhile but I know take a much less dangerous medicine as needed to get rid of acne. Again, read the side effects over and over, everyone is different. Also, watch your vitamin A intake on the medicine. You get way over your DV with the medicine alone. | M | 18 | 6 months | 2/12/2015 | 4 | acne vulgaris | EXTREMELY CHAPPED LIPS!! dry skin in general, irritability, intolerance to contact lenses due to dry eye | Lesions worsened during the first 2 months or so and my skin looked worse than it ever had before which was frustrating. Began to clear up and was smooth sailing for the next 3 months of treatment. I suffered from severe acne on my chest and back, and now it is completely gone. I have extremely oily skin so during treatment it was so nice to not have to wash my face and hair all the time. Within 2 weeks of ending, my skin was back to super oily again, which is disappointing. Looking back, I think my mood was affected, as I was very mean to my boyfriend during that time! Lesions popping up here and there, but overall I am happy I took this drug. People were constantly commenting on how incredible my skin looked. I will probably do another course to try and combat the oiliness though. Be patient with side effects, they do get better. | M | 22 | 5 months | 9/1/2009 | 4 | moderate to severe lifelong acne | Very dry lips, dry nose causing nosebleeds, dry eyes, SEVERE lower back pain | Accutane definitely cleared up my acne. 2 months after discontinuing usage, I am still 100% acne-free. Aquaphor became my best friend while I was on Accutane. I tried several things for my dry nose, but not much really helped. My nose would get so dry and clogged up at night that I usually slept with my mouth open - not very comfortable. Those side-effects were manageable. My biggest problem was the lower back-pain. It was not a muscle pain. It was a spinal pain. This began about 3 weeks after starting Accutane. I was very active and was training for a marathon. This came to an abrubt halt. I had to stop playing golf, riding a bike, almost all physical activity. Even walking was painful. This lasted for the entire course of treatment. I went to a couple of different doctors, tried physical therapy, took Meloxicam daily, and nothing seemed to help. The pain spiked at the beginning and then very gradually got better. It started getting better very quickly after finishing the course of treatment. Two months after finishing treatment, my back feels ALMOST back to normal. I have started lifting weights and biking again with no major problems. Hopefully I can start running again soon. | M | 36 | 5 months | 9/4/2009 | 4 | Acne | bleeding gums, ulcers, bloody stool, transient chest pain, joint pain, nosebleeds, palms and fingers peeling, night sweats, delayed wound healing, ringing ears, irregular heartbeat, muscle fatigue, blood sugar irregularities | Solved the Acne problem, but still not sure its worth it. Ive been off it 11 years and still have some side effects | M | 28 | 5 months | 5/20/2009 | 4 | severe nodual acne | extremely dry lips, occasional mood swings, heightened artistic ability, nose bleeds | I had been on accutane twice before the therapy I'm going through right now. The first time I was 19, the second I was 22. I'm now 25 and attempting to clear up every last blemmish on my face. I didn't finish the therapy before because I hated having bright pink lips that cracked and bled. I wont take anything away from accutane, its a great drug, and its the only thing that has ever worked for me. Acne is a condition that effects you psychologically. It pulls you into yourself and leads you to self-conscious thoughts. Clearing your skin can change your life. I'm sure a lot of people know this from experience. My thing about accutane is you sort of become a perfectionist because you know what the drug is capable of. You start to see every little insignificant mark or blackhead and think to youself you're not perfect... yet. You become so vain, its hard not to stare at yourself in the mirror especially when half your life, you've avoided mirrors. Eh.. I could go on... | M | 25 | 2 days | 9/9/2008 | 4 | acute cystic acne | dry skin, chapped lips, acne flare-ups, skin real sensitive (like a sunburn). No other lasting side effects that I've noticed. | I took accutane when I was like 16-17. I had really bad acne on my back and chest and some on my face. I remember it seemed to make the acne worse, bring it all out. It was gross. My lips were really chapped most of the time. My skin was real irritated so if someone slapped me on the back or shoulder it killed. I had to get my blood and urine checked monthly. As far as depression goes I'd say I was depressed but I was a pretty shy kid who had real bad acne and I was in high school. It didn't have anything directly to do with the drug for me. I also remember not going swimming in my pool and not going to the beach that summer(boo!). I do believe it did get rid of my acne and it never did come back after that. I've heard about accutane causing premature wrinkles. My younger sister seems to think the reason I look so young for my age is because of taking it. I'm only 37 though. I still have all my hair and my younger brother is losing his. My older sister has aged quite a bit, but she's a | M | 37 | 6 months | 9/30/2008 | 4 | cystic acne | after one week, slightly dry lips - nothing that some chapstick couldn't take care of. after 1.5 or 2 weeks, a severe breakout on my face, and my head/neck/back are slightly itchy. so many people act like this drug is satan in pill form, but for me the side effects so far are easily manageable. | i have had acne for at least 17 years. over the years i have tried everything imaginable and nothing ever made a difference. i've finally decided to take the plunge and try accutane. they've started me out on 40mg per day. my face used to be dripping with oil, and it's already noticeably less oily. i know that my current breakout is just part of the process. i'm really hoping that i've finally found a cure. i'll post another review when the treatment is over. | M | 32 | 2 weeks | 2/11/2009 | 4 | Moderate cystic acne on face | Severe headaches during the first 2 weeks,Nausea, joint and muscles ache, dryness, chapped lips, dry and itchy eyes and eylids | So far, I think that the medicine is really helping. The headaches in the beginning were virtually unbearable. My dr. advised that I stop the medicine until they subsided, then reintroduce to my body at just half of the dosage for a few days. Worked wonderfully, now haven't had another headache. But, alot of muscle aches and pains. Feels like I work out everyday, and I don't. | M | 32 | 2 months | 12/27/2008 | 4 | severe acne | dry, cracked lips | I was on accutane for 6 months about 2 years ago after suddenly developing severe acne at age 40. It certainly cleared the acne which erupted all over my face for no reason. However, I suspect that the knee pains and elevated cholesterol that I still have today was due to the drug. Both of these started after I was taking accutane. | M | 40 | 6 months | 12/4/2008 | 4 | moderate to severe acne | dry eyes, nose bleeds,rash on hands and arms, fatigue, moodiness,joint pain, serious breakouts throughout the course, headaches | A scarey drug. Weigh the pros and cons before taking accutane. Try to have a friend or loved one monitor your psychological health throughout course. Drink lots of water, moisturize hands,lips. So far, after two courses of 4mos each at 40 mg daily my face is acne free. Just waiting on some red marks to go, but they seem to be going (2 wks post-tane). | M | 16 | 8 months | 4/9/2008 | 4 | acne vigorous | Short Term: dry, cracking and peeling lips, dry eyes, itchy exit ramp, nose bleeds, mild confusion, and short fused temper. Long Term: Knee pain, vision complications in one eye similar to those of retinal detachment. | I fell into acne at age 11; started treatment at 18 being old enough to support this rather expensive disorder. My acne was severe, painful, and for me self destructive. I could go on 4ever about things acne robbed me of. No drugs worked until age 29 when i met accutane. Completely covered from the rim of the neck up to my hairline, from the base of my neck to my elbows and shoulder blades. I started taking double doses after first three months, Doc's orders. After 6months total, he told me I was finished. I wasn't finished, I was furious! I still had acne keeping me awake at night bleeding. He said I would begin seeing a difference soon and it will continue to work. He was right, I'm 33 now and have been clear since then. Are the side effects worth it? If the long-term effects are infact due to the drug, No. But I can't say 4sure this drug is at fault. I had minor knee trouble prior to accutane. I must say, acne is cosmetic but the way you feel about yourself reflects yor health trem | M | 33 | 6 days | 11/9/2008 | 4 | for acne | dry lips, ichy head, dry spots on face, and dry mouth | i have only been on it for 3 weeks and it seems to be working. my lips are dry and i use aquaphor all day, it comes in a small tabe an di take it to school and apply it about 10 times a day! i hope my side effects dont worsen. though my face isnt as bad as it was, i have horrible black heads since ive started. my mom tries to tell me that it is becasue all the shit on the bottom layer is coming up but i really dont know. my face is sometimes dry and i use hydrating lotion every morning. i take 40mg at night and in the morning. i go to the doctor next week to check back. | M | 16 | 3 weeks | 2/13/2008 | 4 | Acne | Dryness of skin, lips in particular Extreme muscle/joint fatigue and soreness (I play soccer, and this really took a lot out of me this season.) My hair also seems curlier? I'm not 100% sure this is the accutane though. Longer injury recovery time, particularly sunburns and skin abrasions. | This had really helped to improve the clarity of my skin, and based on my experience i would reccomend this to anyone troubled with mild or more severe acne. As i stated as a side effect, the muscle pains were a major problem for me since i am active on a day by day basis. For those of you that run a lot in your sport, avoid this during the season. Sorness after a tough game would last days. I have yet to finish the treatment (a week or so to go) so i can offer no information regarding the reappearance of acne after discontinued use of the drug | M | 17 | 18 weeks | 6/11/2007 | 4 | Cystic Acne | Dry Skin, cracked nostril membranes, cracked dry lips | I have completed my accutane treatment and am happy with the results (so far). Along the way I had to come up with some treatments for my side effects that I would like to share. For my chapped lips I found Lip Vitamins to be the best. It is not waxy like many others and really help prevent the cracking. For my face, used Jasmine & Aloe Vera Gentle Moisturizing Gel from Serindipity-Doo It is lighter than regular aloe vera gels and a little lasted between face washes. I had experienced flaky dry skin all over my face and neck. My symptoms were not noticable except after washing my face. For my nose I liked Nasal Comfort http://www.nasalcomfort.com/. It was not a cure but it helped alleviate the discomfort quite a bit. | M | 40 | 6 months | 8/13/2007 | 4 | resilient acne | constantly tired, dry lips, dry eyes, nosebleeds, sore muscles, feelings of depression | Has worked well on my skin so far, but it's intense, after 2 months, I'm considering laying off of the stuff for a while. | M | 21 | 2 months | 5/19/2007 | 4 | Acne, what else? | dry lips and dry skin are a given, chap stick and moisturizer will be your new best frends | I'm fairly confident some of the aformentioned complaints should not be attributed to Accutane. I didn't experience depressive feelings any more so than I did before treatment, nor any libido changes (where the hell did that come from by the way). For those of you comtemplating Accutane, I'd go for it if your skin is bad. Perhaps, it is better to take during the Summer, although sun avoidance could be very disconcerting. The cold weather and Accutane don't mesh well, however. | M | 23 | 21 weeks | 8/3/2007 | 4 | acne | Joint pain, chapped lips, dry skin, minor rash. | Accutane has been working great for me so far. I'm on 80mg/day and my skin has cleared up incredibly quickly. Reading some of the other comments posted I am worried that side effects will worsen, but I'll take it day by day. I do recommend at least trying the drug, as I noticed differences after only 3 weeks. | M | 19 | 2 months | 5/6/2007 |