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
 
 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
 5  cystic acne Dry lips, rash on forearms This medicine changed my life!!! I don't kow if I was just lucky but for me I didn't have that many side effects- my acne just began to clear up after a couple of weeks (before it'd take two months for one cyst to heal!). Yes, there was some dryness but I mostly just experienced the good effects. I have now been off it for about 5 years and my skin is still clear! I get the occasional break out (especially if I get lazy washing my face) but after experiencing years of painful, red,scarring, cystic acne that took months to heal a couple of zits are no big deal. F 25 5 months
5/18/2007
 3  resilient acne FREAKING DRY LIPS, mood swings, lots of crying for no reason, a lot of back pain (lower when getting up from sitting) and (upper when going to bed), dry skin (but not flaky or peeling), dry eyes, lots of knee joint pain (after running you're really shaky), and I always want to sleep (I can never seem to feel rested) This stuff is hardcore, you have to be sure that it is worth all the side affects for clear skin, because as much as I want clear skin and to feel great about myself, it sucks to wake up everyday feeling tired, dried out, sore all over your muscles and bones, and upset. Your healthy and general happiness is definately affected, because you never feel yourself, there is always some nasty side-effect holding you back, so all i have to say is make sure it is worth it to you :) get in contact with me if you agree with any of this, I've barely started treatments and I would love to talk to someone my age going through the same thing. F 14 3 weeks
5/12/2007
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 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
 5  Cystic acne, nothing else helped Dry eyes and lips, curly hair (yay!), thinned skin, vague aches and pains in joints. Started at 40mg/day went down to 10mg every other day. At 40mg got instant smooth, dry *touchable* skin, but eyes would stick shut and lips exfoliate in 30 sec.s - talk about conversation stopper! Kept taking less Accutane until found a minimum maintenance level. At 10 mg had a few pimples, blackheads, shiny nose, but no more cystic zits! Did miss the curls, though. If I stopped the Accutane, the acne came roaring back. It was like a toggle switch. Finally, went off for good in anticipation of minor surgery, decided to stay off because concerned about effect on bones, starting to feel achy. That was ten years ago. Aches went away but acne got worse and worse, spreading further and further, tho. didn't get cystic until just 6 mo.s ago, when seemed almost as bad as just before I started Accutane. Worse, my older skin does not heal or resist scarring as well as before. No point in going back to Accutane, though: started going through menopause (at normal age for it) and acne comes F 54 8 years
5/4/2007
 5  Cystic acne, nothing else helped Dry eyes and lips, curly hair (yay!), thinned skin, vague aches and pains in joints. Continuation of previous post: No point in going back to Accutane, though: started going through menopause (at normal age for it) and acne comes and goes, riding hormone roller coaster. When hormone level drops, wipes out acne, brings on hot flashes and need to keep tweezers handy! Bottom line: Accutane made huge difference in my life - from disgusting, oily pizza face and upper body to silky skin, no need for make up, felt attractive, fell in love, got married, etc. Hoping bones not so affected by Accutane that it will make a second, huge, more negative effect on my life sometime down the road. (Have read that studies of bones changes due to Accutane mostly in German - not well known in N. America.) F 54 8 years
5/4/2007
 5  acne severely chapped lips, rectal bleeding, dry skin The best thing I could have taken! I was 27 when I was on this drug for approx. 8 months. This drug has HORRIBLE side effects if you are thinking of getting pregnant. Make very sure you don't. Had to go in monthly for pregnancy test to make sure it was negative. I took this 10 years ago and barely have a breakout at that time of month. I highly reccomend it, but do take ALL the warnings very seriously. F 36 8 months
5/2/2007
 5  acne dry skin, chapped lips, dry eyes, some nosebleeds, skin more sensitive to sunburn, late in the treatment I noticed I became more easily agitated, slightly more prone to depression, and decreased libido I took Accutane for the first time in high school and it completely cleared my skin. I was comfortable wearing no foundation or powder, which I had not been before. During college it reappeared but shortly after beginning treatment my skin was clear again. The dry skin and chapped lips are annoying but become easy to deal with. I was glad to stop the treatment when I did because I began to experience depression symptoms. However, it was never anything to get too worried about. F 21 5 months
5/1/2007
 3  Cystic Acne resistant to other tm I have taken accutane in 1999 and 2001 for about 6months each. During the 99 episode, I experienced severe hair loss, severe depression, and all the ordinary "dry" side effects. I became so depressed that I had to stop school, but I had beautiful skin. I also had really high triglyceride levels. The 2001 episode was similar but with less depression because I was prepared and took the drug for less time. This drug affects all parts of your body in addition to your skin. Perhaps the gi system, joints, brain. We are the experiment...isnt that comforting. DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG UNLESS U HAVE ACNE THAT IS SO BAD, UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO ACCEPT POSSIBLE PERMANENT SIDE EFFECTS, (possible with clear skin). This drug is not a joke. This is from someone educated in the medical field and has suffered from acne for a long time and tried other methods. It has helped my acne, but I would have taken it for less time. If I had to do it again, I would, but I would stop when I had some relief with accutane and could take topical medicines that would take care of the rest of the acne. M 30 6 months
5/1/2007
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 5  Cystic Acne Dry Skin, peeling skin, chapped lips, sensitivity to sunlight. I took accutane as a junior in high school and I can count the number of pimples I have had since then on one hand. I never had any psychological problems during or after the treatment. M 25 5 months
4/27/2007
 5  moderate acne chapped lips, dry eyes, frequent blood noses, werent half as bad as i'd expected to be honest, i found this to be a miracle drug, i had moderate acne from ages 16-20 and had tried many other drugs(adapelene, retin-A, minomycin) and they all were relatively ineffective, but after roaccutane i had flawless skin in the space of 6 months, even while still taking the drug(80mg p/day). my pores are smaller, my skin is not a tenth as oily as it used to be. I feel guilty because I know of all the people who were in a worse situation than me and the drug has only given them more problems. I can do nothing other than be grateful and try to help others. But if your considering taking this drug, just know that for some it is the best decision they ever made. Although mentally it has made me quite strange and disconnected from reality, to me it has been worth it. M 21 7 months
4/15/2007
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 1  Cystic Acne [DRY SKIN, PHYSICAL & MENTAL ABNORMALITIES] I took Accutane when I was a freshman in high school, I was at 14 years of age in the year of 2000. Little did I know that it would be the beginning of a storm that is still taking years to dissipate. After the six months of treatment, the severe acne on my face miraculously disappeared with the occasional zit here and there; however, the acne scars on my chest, arms, and back are still present to this day. For the first few months, I was pleased with the results. Although, I suffered from severely dried skin, almost unable to smile. I was oblivious of the mental and emotional anguish this drug had in store for me in the future. Winter break of 2001, I began feeling deep despair for some mysterious reason. At 17 years of age, the anxieties and depression worsened, and I was later plunged into a behavioral institute not once, but another time in the future due to suicidal attempts. My life was going backwards. I struggled to restrain my th It was difficult to focus, I could not maintain a job, and I dropped out of college a few more years later. Now, at the age of 21, I am left in the wake of the side effects Accutane has left me with. It took me years to decipher the elusive reason as to why I have been feeling out of touch with reality, why things I used to enjoy have corroded from my body and thoughts, and why my life, as a whole, has been nothing but a dark, cloudy haze. Sure, there were a few factors that occured during this period that could have made me depressed, anxious, or suicidal without the aid of this virulent drug; though after research, I feel that Accutane has magnified these devastating symptoms. Nothing can replace the sorrow, despair, and insanity I went through, and still have yet to deal with. With this said, I leave you with something to think about: Would you rather trade your hideous acne for the feelings that only you, deep inside can alter or would you live a life with feelings scarred but wit M 21 6 months
4/12/2007
 1  Cystic Acne [Extremely dry body. Developed physiological and psychological abnormalities. Depression, excessive sleep, loss of hair, anxieties, mood swings.] I took Accutane when I was a freshman in high school, I was at 14 years of age in the year of 2000. Little did I know that it would be the beginning of a storm that is still taking years to dissipate. After the six months of treatment, the severe acne on my face miraculously disappeared with the occasional zit here and there; however, the acne scars on my chest, arms, and back are still present to this day. For the first few months, I was pleased with the results. Although, I suffered from severely dried skin, almost unable to smile. I was oblivious of the mental and emotional anguish this drug had in store for me in the future. Winter break of 2001, I began feeling deep despair for some mysterious reason. At 17 years of age, the anxieties and depression worsened, and I was later plunged into a behavioral institute not once, but another time It was difficult to focus, I could not maintain a job, and I dropped out of college a few more years later. Now, at the age of 21, I am left in the wake of the side effects Accutane has left me with. It took me years to decipher the elusive reason as to why I have been feeling out of touch with reality, why things I used to enjoy have corroded from my body and thoughts, and why my life, as a whole, has been nothing but a dark, cloudy haze. Sure, there were a few factors that occured during this period that could have made me depressed, anxious, or suicidal without the aid of this virulent drug; though after research, I feel that Accutane has magnified these devastating symptoms. Nothing can replace the sorrow, despair, and insanity I went through, and still have yet to deal with. With this said, I leave you with something to think about: Would you rather trade your hideous acne for the feelings that only you, deep inside can alter or would you live a life with feelings scarred but wit M 21 6 months
4/12/2007
 1  Cystic Acne I took Accutane when I was at 14 years of age in the year of 2000. Little did I know that it would be the beginning of a storm that is still taking years to dissipate. After the six months of treatment, the severe acne on my face miraculously disappeared with the occasional zit here and there; however, the acne scars on my body are still present to this day. For the first few months, I was pleased with the results. I suffered from severely dried skin, almost unable to smile. I was oblivious of the mental and emotional anguish this drug had in store for me in the future. Winter break of 2001, I began feeling deep despair for some mysterious reason. At 17 years of age, the anxieties and depression worsened, and I was later plunged into a behavioral institute not once, but another time in the future due to suicidal attempts. My life was going backwards. I struggled to restrain my thoughts of suicide, and I was diagnosed with a number of mental disorders. It was difficult to focus, I could not maintain a job, and I dropped out of college a few more years later. Now, at the age of 21, I am left in the wake of the side effects Accutane has left me with. It took me years to decipher the elusive reason as to why my life has been nothing but a cloudy haze. Sure, there were a few factors that occurred during this period that could have made me depressed, anxious, or suicidal without the aid of this virulent drug; though after research, I feel that Accutane has magnified these devastating symptoms. Nothing can replace the sorrow, despair, and insanity I went through, and still have yet to deal with. With this said, I leave you with something to think about: Would you rather trade your hideous acne for the feelings that only you, deep inside can alter or would you live a life with feelings scarred but with a somewhat renewed appearance that is only skin deep? M 21 6 months
4/12/2007
 1  Cystic Acne I took Accutane when I was at 14 years of age in the year of 2000. Little did I know that it would be the beginning of a storm that is still taking years to dissipate. After the six months of treatment, the severe acne on my face miraculously disappeared with the occasional zit here and there; however, the acne scars on my body are still present to this day. For the first few months, I was pleased with the results. Although, I suffered from severely dried skin, almost unable to smile. I was oblivious of the mental and emotional anguish this drug had in store for me in the future. Winter break of 2001, I began feeling deep despair for some mysterious reason. At 17 years of age, the anxieties and depression worsened, and I was later plunged into a behavioral institute not once, but another time in the future due to suicidal attempts. My life was going backwards. I struggled to restrain my thoughts of suicide, and I was diagnosed with a number of mental disorders. It was difficult to focus, I could not maintain a job, and I dropped out of college a few more years later. Now, at the age of 21, I am left in the wake of the side effects Accutane has left me with. It took me years to decipher the elusive reason as to why I have been feeling out of touch with reality, why things I used to enjoy have corroded from my body and thoughts, and why my life, as a whole, has been nothing but a cloudy haze. Sure, there were a few factors that occurred during this period that could have made me depressed, anxious, or suicidal without the aid of this virulent drug; though after research, I feel that Accutane has magnified these devastating symptoms. Nothing can replace the sorrow, despair, and insanity I went through, and still have yet to deal with. With this said, I leave you with something to think about: Would you rather trade your hideous acne for the feelings that only you, deep inside can alter or would you live a life with feelings scarred but with a so M 21 6 months
4/12/2007
 5   Hair loss, mild mood swings, poor concentration, increased agression, fatigue, dry everything! Just recently, during now my fifth month of taking Accutane have my side effects worsened. I heard this is normal, and I only have one month left. It's an easy drug to take, and I reccommend it. My confidence has sky rocketed! I do have a little scaring from when my face broke out the first couple weeks I was on it, but it's not bad and I've been told it should clear up with time. F 22 5 months
4/11/2007
 5  various types of acne Extremely dry lips; dry mouth; dry nasal passages/sometimes slight nosebleed; dry skin (arms/legs); extremely uncomfortable joint pains especially in my knees; muscles take much longer to recover after a workout/exercise (extended muscle soreness) I am very pleased with the outcome of my treatment. W/in 1 month of taking accutane my face, chest and back has cleared up drastically! I am on my (4)month and have not had any breakouts (knock on wood) and the evenness of my skin is coming back. I would certainly recommend this treatment however, for me, sometimes the joint pains are horrific! You fret bending down to pick up anything if the pain is in your knees. Overall, accutane has rebuilt my self confidence! I am able to look someone dead in the face and not wonder if they are staring at my pimples... F 32 4 days
4/5/2007
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 4  moderate cystic acne on my face Dry lips, dry skin on arms, neck, face, and scalp. Nose bleeds in the morning, fatigue, loss of desire to excersize, muscles & knees ache, maybe some hair loss?? Mild mood swings I have just started I am on my 6th week my plan is for 5 months, and I already feel alot better. YOU HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR SKIN & BODY EXTRA EXTRA GOOD. I can actually rub 3 DIIFERENT lotion's on my face without breaking out. For the nose bleeds I put Vitamin E on a Q tip at night to keep that under control. I do believe that the medication will wear off after 6 months, and make sure I get back into the mix of things by 2008. Minus the messed up skin. I have laser surgery scheduled beginning of 2008 for the minor scars I picked up over the years. M 30 6 weeks
4/4/2007
 5  Adult Acne, Cystic Acne DRY DRY DRY... skin, scalp, lips. Itchy scalp. Side effects stopped as soon as I stopped aking the drug. I suffered from persisant acne since I was a teen. I had tried every over the counter med, nutritional and herbal remedy, but nothing helped. Even prescription topicals and anti-biotics were no help. Accutane cleared up my acne immediatley and it never came back. I am now 10 years clear! M 48 3 months
4/3/2007
 5  cystic face and body acne very chapped cracked lips, significant weightloss, depression, fatigue, dry peeling skin, sun sensitivity, hairloss, poor concentration worked great after no response from other medications. completely cleared my skin. after one year acne came back worse than before. after more experimenting with medications now take spironolactone and nicomide tablets. my skin is completely clear and i never get a single pimple. pimple free for 2 yrs! F 24 4 months
4/2/2007

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