ACCUTANE Reviews (ISOTRETINOIN)

Average Rating: 3.3 (746 Ratings)

Filter Results

Compare ACCUTANE with similar:
 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)

  

Results are sorted by Date added.

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

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  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR ACCUTANECOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 2  inherited scarring acne Dry lips, hands, nose, and eyes. Rash developing. I have only been on accutane for one week but I am already seeing the side effects that I read about. The rash that is developing on my knuckles is worring me and it seems to be spreading up my arm a little. I haven't noticed any improvement on my face yet but then again its still really early. F 21 7 days
3/14/2006
 3  foliculitus Very dry Lips, dry skin, sleep disruption, mild depression, tiredness. stomach acid,pain after gym workouts, vomiting, weird night vision and A COMPLETE LOSS of ALL Sexual LIbido will never take this drug again..the lips and backpain were not too bad but the depression was quiet horrible and my sex drive and ability to have sex disappeard overnight.... M 37 8 weeks
3/12/2006
 1  bad acne in high school severe depression (never was depressed before it), joint and back aches, loss in bone density, extreme tiredness, lack of concentration, hair loss, crohn's disease, severe dryness in eyes, headaches, loss of sexual drive, lack of sleep took this toxic crap for about 6 months in high school, everything was fine except for chapped lips and occasional nose bleeds, i thought it was the greatest drug ever because it cured all my acne, fast forward 3 years later, severe depression hits, i drop out of college (something i never would have thought about), i get diagnosed with crohn's disease and all the other side effects i listed, it was definitely not worth taking accutane, i would recommend everybody get off this rat poison, even if the side effects don't hit you right away it could possibly hit you later on like it did me (3 years later) M 23 6 months
3/3/2006
 1  Acne During and ever since taking Accutane I have had very dry lips and need to use lipsil many times per day every since. I also developped Crohn's disease shortly after taking the drug and will enter the class action lawsuits. There are better and safe ways to get rid of acne, stay away from this dangerous drug, it's not worth risking your life when there are safe ways to get rid of acne. M 22 1 months
2/24/2006
 5  Acne for 10 years Dry eyes (couldn't wear my contacts), dry nose (would hurt but not bleed), crackin' lips, sweaty eye brows, dry skin, difficult sex life (no natural lubricant)and some anus pain due to dryness after a while. The treatment was effective almost immediatly. Dry skin at first, but Glaxal Base was THE thing to help me go through this. As for the lips, Burt's Bees is by far the best (use up to 10 times a day). As for sexual intercourse, you might want to use some lubricant to prevent incomfort. I'm more and more tired of the side effects, but it's worth it. My self-confidence is so much better now, and I'll be able to have interaction with people without being shy of my face (and even wear a bathing suit without wondering having pimples on my back). Accutane has change my life for the better. F 22 5 months
2/12/2006
 4  moderate acne Dry, peeling lips. Dry skin on face & ears. Lower back pain, dry red rash on arms & hands Accutane is supposedly a wonder drug but I am still waiting for the miracle. My face overall has improved but I still have large areas of acne on the cheeks. I am 7 weeks into treatment and was told that 'it should start melting off'. Im waiting. The side effects are not unbearable but they are uncomfortable. Lips are not as tender and peeling as before, but still very dry. The lower back pain is not getting better, have had it for about a month now. Skin on my ears peels off which is odd. It doesn't hurt, just looks weird. I dont know if I will continue through the entire course of treatment (21 weeks). Im only a third of the way through and if the side effects dont start going away I may give up. I do think the medicine is working, but not as quickly as I have heard with others. F 18 7 weeks
2/12/2006
 5  horrible acne dry skin skin and lips, nosebleeds I had terrible acne from the time I was 9 until I finally took Accutane at 15. I literally tried every acne medication known to man, and Accutane was the ONLY thing that worked. The side-effects were mild and went away shortly after I stopped taking the medication. It has now been 9 years since I took Accutane, and my skin is still clear, and I am very healthy. The teenage years are difficult enough without having to deal with acne. I would recommend it to anyone with severe acne that has not benefitted from other medications. F 24 5 months
2/8/2006
 4  Acne dry/chapped lips, dry/peeling skin inside nose, dry facial skin My acne got worse during the first month or two of treatment. In the end, I went from "chicken pox" face to a few red spots here and there. Black/white heads are rare now. I was 17 when I took this drug. My face is still rather oily even now. M 25 20 weeks
2/8/2006
 3  moderate, persistent acne My face did clear up quite a bit. Its not perfect but better. The major side effects that I experienced were dry lips (you can't smile easily without lip balm), dry eyes, dry inside my nose, and dry skin on my hands. My skin never peeled or flaked anywhere though. My hair and face went from very oily to almost no oil production. Now that I am off Accutane my skin and hair went back to oily but not quite as bad as before. My skin is still pretty clear but I chalk that up to the fact that I stopped touching my face or messing with my acne altogether. For me the side effects were much milder than I had expected. Not once during my treatment did I feel depressed. I felt the same as normal. I have seen Accutane work for many of my friends. For me it only made a subtle difference. I have also seen some of my friends seem a little more sad or emotional than normal while on Accutane- but these are also the friends who were emotional and sad before they got on the Accutane. Maybe people who are already sad should avoid taking it. Maybe it heightens the sadness? F 24 5 months
2/6/2006
 3  moderate acne dry lips, dry nostrils, dry skin, dry eyes, joint & muscle pains and headaches towards the last month and up until now (3 weeks after stopping accutane), slight anxiety attacks and dizziness I took this drug for 4 months as perscriibed by my dermatologist. In my 3rd month I started having aches (muscle, joint and head). I have stopped taking this drug for 3 weeks now and still feel all of the symptoms. Although my skin is now clear, I wonder what price it will have on my body. I take an Advil or Tylenol a couple of times daily just to deal with these aches and pains. Overall, Im thinking that this drug is not worth taking. I would never take it again or recommend it to people unless they are fully aware of other peoples experience with the drug. M 26 4 months
1/31/2006
 3  severe acne very very very painfully chapped lips! like i wake up and my lips are so dry and chaped that they crack and bleed. i've used everything from kheils to carmax to burts bees to chanel. nothing helps my lips! also it's made me have mild exzema, but my dr. just gives me a cortazone shot and it's gone by the next day. i'm still on accutane, and i still have acne. it's gotten better, but still not what i expect. when i wear make-up, my skin looks almost perfect, but as soon as i wash my face, i look a wrek! it's still all red and has scars and i still have a few zits. i really really really would like to just wake-up and have flawless skin! F 17 3 months
1/30/2006
 5  nodular acne very dry lips and skin on face i have had moderate to severe acne on my face for the past 7 years and have tried all of the treatments available. i diddent want to take acutane at first beeacuse of all of the horror stories that i read about on the internet. (this was a very bad decision) after the first week i could see an increadible improvment that is continuing. i know that alot of people may experience depression as a side effect, however the exact opposit is true for me. i was depressed before taking the drug, and now i would say that the depression has gone away due to the increased self confidence and image that accutane has provided to me. i would recomend this drug to anyone who is having problems with acne, but be sure to consult your doctor M 22 2 months
1/26/2006
 2  the usual reasons Most of the side effects associated with taking Accutane are the same as for vitamin A toxicity. If you are considering using this drug please read information on vit.A tox. in addition to the literatue on Accutane. Taking it is essentially putting you into the same physical state and it's a coin toss as to what extent of damage you'll receive. No one, doctor or otherwise, can tell the outcome you'll have on it. What is your gut reaction, your intuition, when considering to take it? Listen to yourself. Best wishes, truly, best wishes. F 30
1/25/2006
 1  - This is for the girls/women thinking of using the drug. Since skin problems are directly tied to testosterone, either over production or a hyper-sensitivity to it, please investigate possible hormone controlling drugs in addition to the topicals to really get a handle on the problem. Some birth control pills help some women. (like Yasmine or Ortho Tri-Cyclin). Also, please check out websites on P.C.O.S., or poly cycstic ovarian syndrome to see if you have other symptoms, because you may have an underlying ovarian problem which can cause chronic skin problems too. So, look into these things first, because they have a much safer track record than Accutane. And note: all birth control pills are slightly different, so if you get bad results with one, try another before you write it off as a possible answer. Good luck! F 28 1 days
1/25/2006
 4  Cystic Acne Very dry lips, decreased sex drive, tailbone, hip and muscle pain, dry\itching\burning eyes, patches of dry skin. Been taken accutane for about 7 weeks and it has helped. I did not understand the tailbone pain until I read this site. M 45 days
1/21/2006
 5  Cystin acne Peeling lips, sweaty eyebrows, mid to lower back pain towards end of treatment, a few bad headaches, acne got worse first month of treatment This is my third round of Accutane. The first two being done with a short break 8 years ago. I was "cured" mostly until my horomones seemed to change the balance when I got pregnant and had my son. This course has been tough on my body, now that I am towards the end of treatment, I feel horrible. My body just aches. BUT my skin is clear... PS- doctor says the drug causes areas to dry up and when one center of perspiration is stifled, another compensates (hence the sweaty eyebrows!). So weird. F 32 4 months
1/20/2006
 5  cystic acne Chapped lips, the usual dry skin (on face), dry nose (but no nosebleeds). I am now in my last month and have had a spot on my lower spine that hurts and my tailbone hurts. I wondered if this pain was due to the Accutane and now that I see two other references to the tailbone pain, I'm guessing it is. I am a 48 year old woman who has had cystic acne since 19 years of age. Before treatment I had two huge cysts on my chin and that was the last straw for me. Those cysts were just too embarrassing! I had an initial breakout after starting Accutane, but since then my face has continually cleared and was totally clear after about two months. The chapped lips are annoying, but nothing compared to the acne. For me, Accutane worked. I just wish I had started the treatment years ago! F 48 5 months
1/8/2006
 5  cyctic acne Severe chapped lips. If I could have sucked Carmex lip blam with a straw it wouldn't have helped. Fortuneatly the skin peeled in layers and didn't bleed or crack so it wasn't painful. Had zero mood problems. Cholesterol shot up to 500mg/dL but came back down slowly after treatment -- it's around 200 now +/- 30. I've had full bloodwork done and it's not a concern as it's the "good stuff" that's high. Hair thinned slightly on top but came back after a year. It was my last straw after everything else. Doxycyclene gave me acute gastritis, ulcerated my esophagus, and a hospital visit. As with any drug, if you system can handle it, it's worth it. If you can't, please don't tell people to avoid it but educate them. They may not have the same reactions you did but it does help to share information. M 33 4 months
1/3/2006
 2  cystic persistent acne My 16 year old daughter is in her second month of accutane. She has been suffering from acne since she was about 11. Accutane is the "last resort" for us. She is a beautiful talented girl who has become intraverted, depressed and very angry! Her acne is 10 times worse now than it was to begin with. She is having severe back pain - joint pain and intestinal problems. The doctor says that these side affects are not from the accutane (inferring that she is just making them up). I see what she is going through and my heart is breaking. I worry for her future. She won't leave the house and is refusing to go to school. A once high honor student is at risk of failing because of attendance. The school does not understand why she can't go to school for "skin problems"! I am at my wits end! I want to take her off but she refuses still hoping it is going to work. I wish we never started. F 16 6 weeks
1/1/2006
Email
 2  Acne usual dry skin, chapped lips etc. However the worst was fatigue/lethargy (worsening over the course of 5 mos. treatment) and NOW VERY BAD JOINT Pain. The joint pain seemed to improve after I stopped taking it but now, a year later, I am in worse pain than ever before - knees, knuckles are swollen and stiff. Im fearful that I may have done permanent damage to my bones/joints. No one in my family has arthritis ... yikes. My skin is much improved althought not perfect and if this joint pain continues- then it was not at all worth it. I dont think this drug should be legal. It's too risky and we dont know the long term effects. F 33 5 months
12/31/2005
Email

Previous Page       Next Page

BACK TO TOP