The following information is NOT intended to endorse drugs or recommend therapy. While these reviews might be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgement of healthcare practitioners in patient care.
The only way to combat acne is from the interior. All those soaps and cleansers don't work. Acne is just a bad genetic trait, so you cannot just put a cream on. You must take a pill to fight the problem from within.
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I took accutane in the early 1980's after years of unsuccessful treatment by dermatologists. I was given every antibiotic available, had ultra-violet light treatment, dry ice treatments, liquid nitrogen treatments and then finally X-Ray treatments. None of these worked. Accutane cleared my skin quickly and I haven't had a problem in almost 25 years. I had no serious side effects.
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I was pretty skeptical to try Accutane because I tried everything and didn't work. I eventually decided to give it a shot and was surprised to see my acne get better by the first month. Then it started to come back after about a year so I tried it again. My face was pretty clear for about 2 years after that. I would say it is worth it and really boosts your self esteem. The side effects are no fun but then again niether is acne. I actually think I might go back on it soon.
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Accutane is a great product, even if taken in low doses. The unfortunate thing is that the acne keeps coming back approx. 8-10 weeks after discontinuing treatment. 7 years ago I went on my first course of treatment, suffering from moderate, sometimes painful acne. the treatment was 80mg/day for 3 months and another course of 50mg/d for 2 months. My acne cleared completely but returned after 2 years, again moderate but sometimes painful. I went on a low dose treatment taking 10mg/day for 6 months. but my acne returned after only 10 weeks. I tried Villantae for 4 months with limited success. I am now back on Accutane 20mg/day for 9 weeks. see how that goes.
What helps me most is sunlight - but only moderate amounts - for a max of one hour per day. I do naturally have darker skin. What also helps on the low dose is loads of sleep and water. Also you should consider changing diet completely, loads of fruit and veg no alcohol or chocolate or salty fatty food. but take your Accutane with food and a glass of milk.
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I was on Accutane for 5 months and now, a year later, my skin is still completely clear of blemishes. It took about a month or so to start working and it really dried out my skin, plus I became very sensitive to the sun. It also does mess with your emotions (i.e. crying spells) but just remember that it's the medication. It didn't make me nauseous or tired. Do not take this medication w/o a doctor's supervision.
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I had severe acne in my late teens through my early twenties. I took Accutane in the early 90's after other treatments and it was a wonder drug in my case. I still remember the feeling of my pores beginning to functioning properly and the irritating pimples going away from my back and neck. However, as others have warned, the side effects are real and not exaggerated.
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Believe it or not I had it since I was 9 years old. Kids would pick on me and it would make me cry and as an teenager I cried because every product was promising me that they can get rid of it. It hurt because nothing worked.I was tired of little kids asking me how I got the ouches on my face, and people looking at my face, not my eyes. I even had it on my back chest and arms. Accutane works!
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I have struggled with severe acne since 12 years old, I am now 30. I tried EVERYTHING possible on the market, whether it be prescribed pills, or all kinds of prescribed lotions, but nothing worked. My acne was so bad that I contemplated suicide because of my shame. I thank God that Accutane is still available. I took it for about 5 months, and the acne vanished. It really brought me out of my shell, and house. I don't care about the negative remarks about it, I'm thankful it's around.
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I had cystic nodular acne on my face, back, and chest. I've tried every acne medication under the sun!! Accutane worked great and i could tell a difference within a month of using it. It's been 3 years since I took it and I'm still all clear. I would recommend Accutane to anyone with acne.
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I used Accutane in the Eighties so I guess I was one of the earliest patients. I was in my Twenties and while my acne as a teenager was moderate, when I was about 20 I started getting large cystic acne. After about 3 years of tetracycline daily (worked great) that stopped working and a dermatologist put me on Accutane.
It worked great. There is risk with any drug but I would recommend it.
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I would rate this medication a 4. It did clear my acne for about 9 years- I took it while I was in high school. I am a petite, small female and may have been perscribed too high a dose. I experienced thoughts of suicide (extremely out of character), depression, VERY dry skin, aggrivated acne and scarring that was much worse than I ever had. This medication should be prescribed VERY carefully and should be a LAST resort. Patients s/b monitored closely while on this.
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I just finished taking accutane 3months ago,I was on it for 4months and the first 6weeks were terrible my acne got worse before it got better.But it worked really well,my face is so clear rite now and I love it.It really changed my life I used to feel so insecure,I never used to go out but ever since I tried accutane my confidence has just BOOSTED.The side effects were not so bad I had dry lips but I always moved with a lipbalm or vaseline and my skin was so dry but I used an aquoes cream.
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I am just finishing up 7 months I believe now. For me it was really bad to start with, and yes, it got worse. Scary thing to go through, and I want to say that just because it wasn't addressed here. Maybe I had it worse than others but I wanted to say that, even though a lot of bad things happened, Accutane made the acne go away. I have lots of scars now, but that is because I hadn't taken care of myself as well as I should have while I was on the medication. It sucks, but it's necessary
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Accutane seems to have saved my skin. Before taking accutane I tried about everything on the market and NOTHING worked. I started taking it, it sucked with the constant dry skin, lips, and everything else, but it worked. I do have some pockmarks on my face since I had acne so long. But in looks a lot better than that UGLY acne!
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My skin did improve a bit after taking it for a while, but it never was entirely clear and the acne returned to pre-treatment levels within months. Also, when I was on it, whenever I had a breakout, there always was scarring (not usually the case before the Accutane). Had uncomfortable chapped lips (forget about wearing lipstick while you're on Accutane!)
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Like the info says, your acne gets worse before it gets better. My acne was so bad I had to take 2 treatments. I still get a little bit of acne but no major breakouts. I also did not end up with pockmarks or scarring on my face, chest or back. My girlfriend (now wife) got pregnant while I was on my 2nd treatment but our daughter was & is very healthy.
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Although you might hear bad things about Accutane,it works. It worked for me in just 1 month, and I had no bad side effects besides dry lips and red eyes. You just take a pill for a few months and your acne melts away. Please, please do this if your acne is bothering you. Its so depressing to have acne, and Accutane can change your life around. Talk to your doctor today!
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ecash11 said: 
chiskey said: 
