ACCUTANE Reviews (ISOTRETINOIN)

Average Rating: 3.3 (746 Ratings)

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 DERMATOLOGICS

 Type: Brand name discontinued; available as generic

  

ACCUTANE  (ISOTRETINOIN):  This medication is used to treat severe cystic acne (also known as nodular acne) that has not responded to other treatment (e.g., benzoyl peroxide or clindamycin applied to the skin or tetracycline or minocycline taken by mouth). It belongs to a class of drugs known as retinoids. It works by decreasing facial oil (sebum) production. High amounts of sebum can lead to severe acne. If left untreated, severe acne may cause permanent scarring.   FDA Approval Date: 1982-05-07 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

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Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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More on ACCUTANE: Reviews Summary  |  Drug Safety Information

RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR ACCUTANECOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 5  acne Like everyone else, very dry lips. To the point where it was difficult to smile sometimes. Dr. gave me some protopic ointment and it helps. Dry bloody nose, dry patches on arms, very sensitive to the sun, minor back ache This medication has worked for me. Other then the side effects already listed, my skin has finally started to clear up. My dr. anticipates another month or two of continuing the medication until completion. The first 4-5 months were disappointing. Still had lots and lots of breakouts and my poor lips were going through hell (still are). However, now that I'm almost done with my 7th month, my skin looks great. Very clear and very smooth. I never experienced any of the depression or sadness. I definitely recommend using the medication if you are approved to do so. It took me a long time to find a dr. who would prescribe it to me. The monthly blood test are kind of a pain, but trust me, the results are worth it. Hang it there!! 7 months
7/20/2007
 1  severe acne Inflammatory bowel, dry skin/hair/eyes got better once off the drug but never close to normal it's been about 10 years and everything is severely dry, hair falling out, muscle's stiff weak stretching out doesn't work anymore. Blurred vision gets worse after a couple years off. Overall body fatigue, heart palpitates when I eat certain foods which seems to be everything it's like a total body inflammatory response horrible and not fun at all. Of course joints crack and pop hurt my bones hurt if that makes sense to anyone it's hard to explain everything. Urine retention also can't forget that. Please don't anyone take this drug I understand you get put in a vurnable situation and would do anything to get ride of acne but just don't ever take it the side effects are permanent even if others say there not doctors included. Use benzoyl peroxide and find a good moisturizer, eat healthy drink lots of water, eat oatmeal (lots of fiber) diet does play a role! Get sweaty exercise it helps clear out blackheads I know this because it did for me, plus it's great for your health. Don't use harsh scrubs and soaps use something gentle like dove sensitive skin(yes the bar soap!) Take this advice use Benzoyl peroxide all day everyday all over do not spot chase zits it ok! This will work. Trust me M 23 15 months
7/16/2007
 5  mild-moderate acne dry lips. slight rash on forearm that comes and goes. have experienced mild lower back pain, but i am still not sure whether it is related to the accutane i have had mild/moderate acne for about 10 years now, which flares up and can be quite disheartening and then goes away completely for a month or so. because of this, my dermatologist would not put me on the drug until recently. I am on a relatively low dosage 50mg/day, for a duration of months, of which i have a month left. the side effects have been minimal and the results good to date. however, as my skin has a tendency to go through clear periods it will take some time to ascertain the results properly. i would definitely recommend trying accutane F 21 4 months
7/11/2007
 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
 1  o Moderate Acne: Tetras didnt work within first 2 weeks: severe headaches, blurred vision, dry burning skin, dry lips, diarrhea, decreased night vision, severe heart burn went to dr on day 10, was told to immediately stop the medicine. now must wait 3-4 weeks before starting antibiotics again. Dr said that the heartburn and headaches were too risky to continue on the drug. M 24 10 days
7/9/2007
 5  Acne I've been on Acutane for 6 days now & I will say my back is aching terribly & my lips are DRY! My dermatoglogist put me back on Accutane partially because Klaron, Rentin A, & Doxycyclin were NOT working....I have been on Accutane before about 7 years ago so not too concerned about the side effects. With my previous run on this medicine I didn't have the severe back aches. I will say I did have tons of issues registering with the IPledge website...all too confusing all to combersome! Didn't have to do that 7 years ago. Since this is my 2nd go round I can say that for me there were no depression issues because my skin looks awesome ...tons of compliments. As with all things once I stop so will the side effects. This medication is obviously for those with severe acne so you should certainly weigh the pros vs. the cons...for me I didn't think twice... F 28 6 days
6/24/2007
 1  mild acne Major Sexual side effects. I can no longer have an erection (female) and i have lost all sensation in my clitoris. I can have an orgasm, but it's very difficult and can't feel anything before the orgasm. very strange side effect but true. Dr's don't understand this, or know what to do with me. IT'S FROM THIS DRUG! F 35 5 months
6/24/2007
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 3  bad, ugly acne Lips were pretty damn dry. always carry chapstick. my lips are out of shape towards the corners of my mouth, real screwed up, I dont know why. other than that, nothin serious. maybe tiredeness, but hey-Im a teenager. no noticibale mood changes or depression thats different from the norm, but like I said, Im a teen. occasional brief minor rash, a little sore back, but thats all for me. It was slightly helpful to me, and for that, it was worth it. I have one month yet to go. when I started, face was real bad. plain ugly. its definitely gotten better, but there are alot of small but noticable darkspots that just dont seem to fade,Im hoping they will yet; Ive heard many people see major improvement after they stop the drug. I hope thats me. Its helped me emotionally, because everyday I wake up and think 'I gotta take my accutane!' thinking it will help. and it has, even if its not completely gone. One thing I reccomend is swimming while on the drug. the combination of accutane and chlorine on your face will dry it out significantly and promote new skin growth. Its helped me alot; I try and swim almost every day! M 18 5.5 months
6/23/2007
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 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
 5  acne dry lips, muscle aches at the beginning, high cholestrol and occastional dry skin on my arms especially after spending too much time in the sun. Just finished course (6mths) and am very happy with the results, still have some after marks but with time i believe these will go!! hope so anyway! But i am all round very happy with the results. I have so much more confidence from the pill and would recommend it, although i do think you should study it well before using, keeping to the book if u know what i mean.... F 24 6 months
6/19/2007
 5  Severe Acne Dry lips, hip pain and muscle soreness I am in my last month of a 7 month treatment. It took 6 months to work, but it truly is like a miracle drug. My face is almost completely clear! I have 3 weeks left. I just hope it lasts. The blood test were a pain in the neck, but everything was normal. M 15 7 months
6/18/2007
 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
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 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  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
 1  Acne I started taking it, and began to have pain in my legs, itching all over, swelling with the white marks all over my arms. No chapped lips, no dry face, none of that other stuff. However, I did develop Myalgia with it. The Myalgia I had was where the muscle in my chest swelled, making it extremely painful and hard to breathe. Yes, it does work, but not if you are allergic to it, I say go for it until you hit the bad symptoms that you cannot stand. F 22 1 months
6/5/2007
 1  Acne Crohns Disease, Hair Loss, Depression Developed Crohns Disease (internal bowel disease) within 6 years of taking Accutane. Also hair loss started at 25. No genetic trace of either in my family. Depression could have been partially genetic, but not to the length I went through while taking it. M 35
6/1/2007
 2  Acne Hair loss, dry skin I took Accutane in the early 80s when I was a Junior in high school. My Acne was severe and it did help clear it up. Until that time I had a full head of hair. By the time I was in college I had a receding hair line. By age of 26 I had lost most of the hair on the top of my head. I am the only member of my family to have hair loss like this - all of my siblings, parents and grandparents all have full sets of hair. I know shave my head. The only explanation I can find is the use of Accutane as a teenager. M 40 6 months
5/30/2007
 5  Severe Acne chapped lips, slightly dry skin and I have keloids left from the acne scarring I finished a 5 month treatment on Accutane about 7 years ago and it worked like a dream!! I tried everything topical out there but nothing worked. I walked into Dr. Kathy Fields office (maker of ProActive Solution) thinking she could help me possibly try the ProActive Solution which was very popular at that time but she told me about Accutane explained the effects and all. Good thing I was only 17 at that time and I didn't have too many responsibilities or commitments going on. I saw a difference after a couple weeks. I think I was taking the yellow pills (dont remember what dosage that was). It cleared up my acne on my face and back. The only thing that bothers me is that although I have clear skin, I have keloids from my acne on both shoulders and on my chest! Other than that...I highly recommend this to anyone who is really serious about getting treatment for their acne but be cautious this stuff is really strong!! F 24 6 months
5/28/2007
 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

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