Accutane for Acne User Reviews (Page 3)

• Acc...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 15, 2016

"I have been struggling with mild to severe acne since middle school. At the end of my senior year, I started an Accutane plan, 40 mg for 6 months. The beginning symptoms were exactly what I expected: worsening of acne initially, then extreme dryness, and finally, result! My acne was vanishing, I couldn't believe it! I was so excited and had the most confidence in forever. That all came crashing down when the love of my life and girlfriend of 5 months tried to have sex on our 5 month, which was also Valentine's Day. Here we are, both virgins, about to make love, and I cannot get an erection. I've looked into it a bit and know that the first time can be difficult for a lot of guys. But it just didn't feel right, so I'm posting a warning."

• iha...
• January 18, 2016

"DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG! I am a 21-year-old female, and I started taking Accutane when I was 18 years old. I had suffered from severe acne since I hit puberty. I stayed on Accutane for 7 months. Side effects while on the drug included: severe dry skin (could not dry myself with a towel or my skin would peel off, had to pat dry), the first couple of months my hands were red, and it looked like I had scales like a fish. I had dry lips, headaches, and mood swings. Three months after getting off, I was walking in a hall, and my hip popped. I am now recovering from my 3rd hip surgery. The doctors have no idea what caused my hip issues, being that I have had NO health problems. EVER. If I could go back, no amount of clear skin is worth all this pain."

• Mr ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 18, 2016

"I just started my Accutane today. My biggest concern right now is that he prescribed me 10 mg a day, which I think is a very low dosage considering my cystic acne and the inflammation I showed him. Also, I saw some other people got 40 mg to kick start their Accutane. I'm wondering if anyone here had any experience with this low dosage of Accutane before. Will it be effective?"

• Bat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 15, 2015

"I have been on the drug for about 7 weeks and have had no real change in my acne, just really dry, chapped lips and dry skin, but spots are still here. How long until it changes and they start to go away?"

• Mrs...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 10, 2015

"I live in the UK, so we get drugs, etc., free. This drug is only available via a specialist at a hospital and is carefully monitored. I'm 40 years old and had painful large spots since I was 12. I have tried everything, so now I've hit 40 and had a family, decided to try it. I lasted 15 days of 20 g a day. I thought at my age I would have less to worry about than a teenager. I could cope with the dry skin and cracked lips, but the headaches and joint pain were horrific. I stopped taking it 5 days ago, but still am in constant pain and have a headache. I have been told these side effects could last up to 30 days. I have never suffered side effects from any drugs I have taken until I took this. If you are planning to take this, please consider carefully."

• Azg...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 4, 2015

"I was on this for 3 months and only got up to a 30 mg dose. My lips peeled, my face peeled, I got depressed, and finally, it made me want to die. I am a super positive person, and I don't think I could have felt so bad about myself. And on top of it, my skin did not change because I wasn't able to complete the treatment. Stay away."

• Chr...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 11, 2015

"Well, I never thought I'd ever share it, but yeah. Accutane destroyed my sex drive. It's not that I can't get an erection or anything, it's just that. When I start having sexual intercourse with my girlfriend, I don't last long at all. I can barely ever get her to come, and it's pretty hard on my self-esteem. You may say, 'Why don't you foreplay more?' There's a limit to foreplay, get real. Regardless, I'm not going to die from this, I've been through worse. However, I completely recommend AVOIDING ACCUTANE AT ALL COST. You'd rather have problems with sex than having acne? That's the worst mistake you can ever make. That's the worst mistake I ever made. My acne did go away - not completely, but it did prove to be very effective on the acne."

• Mae...
• October 27, 2013

"I had heard that so many people had success with Accutane, and I especially saw the success my cousin had with it, so I was really excited. The first month I took it, all the skin peeled off on my lips and face, and I had to stop wearing contacts because it dried my eyes so bad, and it made my acne the worst it's ever been. I felt awful about myself. I constantly tried to fix my hair so that it would cover my face and do anything to avoid going out in public. I looked awful. Accutane did this to me until the last month I was on it, and then my face was semi-clear, but once I stopped it, my acne came back the same. One month of decent skin!? :'( The only thing that helps me control acne is sulfur *Pomada de Azufre* bought at Walgreens."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 26, 2012

"When I was 16, I went on it for only a month, though I was prescribed for 9, on 80 mg a day. I don't like, and regret a lot. While I was on it, I averaged 1-2 nosebleeds a day, sore lips, soreness, blah blah, but that doesn't really bother me that much. But for the first month after the medication, I could NOT get an erection, just like that. No sex drive. I'm back to 50 percent now, but it won't go up anymore."

• Kay...
• March 28, 2010

"I was reading a bunch of the reviews about Accutane, and it is great to hear that it has been successful for these people's cases. My acne was by no means a case to go to the extreme of taking this medicine. I agree that Accutane can effectively treat acne, but I, due to my personal experience, would take extreme caution. After the first couple of months of taking it, others close to me noticed a pretty big difference in my mood. By January 2009, the 5th month, I was clinically diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety."

• I...
• October 26, 2009

"I was a junior in high school. Because of moderate acne throughout high school, my mom thought it would be a good idea for me to go on Accutane during the last part of my junior year. I took the first 30 days of the prescription, noticing my lips had cracked and bled horribly. Smiling was no longer possible. With the first refill came a notice about 'notifying your doctor if diabetes runs in your family.' I told my doctor, my dad and his brother both died from diabetes complications. I was told I had 'nothing' to worry about. I took Accutane for two months. Three years later, when I was 19, I was diagnosed with diabetes."

• Anonymous
• October 16, 2009

"I took Accutane for my acne, a dermatologist prescribed it to me. I took it for about a year to a year and a half. My dermatologist promised me it would get rid of my acne forever. Here I am, a year or two later, and I am breaking out worse than I was before Accutane."

• Anonymous
• August 18, 2009

"I have been on Accutane for a month and a half. I am not sure whether my acne was very severe, but it was bad enough. I was allergic to benzoyl, so my doctor put me on Accutane. Now, I am having a pretty bad flare-up of cystic acne, although I am clear on my back and chest. Lips are unbearably chapped, and I have bad back pains. Hopefully, it will get better."

• Jac...
• April 23, 2009

"I took a 6-month course of Accutane. I have cystic acne on my chin and my neck, all of it in the area of facial hair. I only got somewhat chapped lips, but the drug did no good whatsoever. Sure, my skin became less oily, but that's all. I'm 35, and I get cysts almost on a daily basis. It gets worse and worse with age, I believe."

• Ang...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 1, 2023

"I took Accutane about ten years ago, and I haven't been the same since. I was diagnosed with cystic acne. It cleared up my acne but left me with autoimmune diseases. I was diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome and lupus. I am 100% sure the Sjögren's syndrome is from Accutane drying out all of my excretory glands. I also put on a lot of weight. I mean, my entire body is covered in fat. Somebody who was very muscular and athletic. My muscles weakened, and I have a lot of muscle loss. To the point I can no longer build muscles like I used to. The fat on my body does not burn no matter what I do. It's like my body forgot how to burn fat. I am a vegetarian who does not eat meat. I watch everything I eat religiously. I also developed gastrointestinal issues and was diagnosed with chronic gastritis. I am currently being treated for the autoimmune diseases. But I am seeking to find out why I am unable to burn fat. What did the Accutane do to my body to keep that from happening?"

• Kim...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 15, 2022

"I recommend you stay away from this toxic drug. I stopped birth control pills after 20 years and got cystic acne as a result. After months of dealing with stubborn acne, at a weak moment, I decided to give this drug a go, which I really regretted. In only 5 weeks of taking this medication, I lost around 50% of my hair. It also got really dry and looked terrible overall. Some hair also fell out from lashes and eyebrows. Horrific experience. I then lived with anxiety around the clock, not knowing how much more hair I was going to lose or if I was going to go bald. My scalp is still itchy and painful months later. The doctors did not warn me about this side effect, but many people go through the same experience I did. I consider myself lucky because there are even worse side effects than losing hair with this drug. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this drug!"

• JDO...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 25, 2020

"There is no doubt this drug Accutane works initially, but the long-term side effects and long-term success are definitely questionable. I took Accutane for 6 months, and yes, it cleared my skin completely, but at what cost? My skin was pink/red, dry, and extremely sensitive to sunlight. 12 months after I came off Accutane, my acne returned exactly as it was before. Not only that, but I now suffer from rosacea, I cannot tan, especially on my face, I have a red face all the time, and I blush when drinking. I never had severe acne and honestly wish I had never taken this medication, as the side effects are worse than the initial acne. Give it some serious thought, and please only take if you have severe acne."

• HHa...
• January 30, 2020

"I have struggled with acne my entire life, tried countless drugs and products to clear my skin, and had no luck. When I was on Accutane, I had clear skin aside from a few cystic pimples throughout the two-year period. In addition to this amazing feeling, my skin was constantly dry, my lips were constantly chapped, and I had to drink many cups of water a day to even feel semi-hydrated. When I stopped taking the drug, I suffered from hardcore anxiety and had a few full-blown anxiety attacks, something I have never been affected by before I started taking this medication. After about a month or two, this anxiety calmed, but I still suffer from it. Now, almost four years after I finished taking the medication, my acne is back and the same as before, my lips are still constantly chapped, I still wake up in the middle of the night to very dry skin, and my hair is way thinner than it used to be. This harmful drug is NOT WORTH IT."

• Jak...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 9, 2020

"Accutane was overall a horrible experience. The first month went perfectly smoothly. I experienced dryness and chapped lips as usual. When my dosage increased during the second month, things got worse. Acne was starting to slowly improve, but my liver experienced extremely increased enzymes. While on this medicine, I avoided drinking alcohol. I took every precaution to be healthy. It just didn’t work, and I had to stop. Now I still have elevated liver enzymes, and I have to see a physician. This medicine affects everyone differently, and you must know that going in. Definitely a last resort medicine, as it works for people but hurts others."

• Rox...
• December 16, 2019

"My son took Accutane for his acne, the acne stopped for a while, but the medication sucked all the oils from his face and left him with terrible scars. I do NOT recommend anyone to take Accutane. Don't do it!!"

• jes...
• September 27, 2019

"I suffered from acne for years and finally was at a point where I was fed up, and my only option was to take Accutane. I was so excited to start despite all the side effects and got so encouraged when I heard about everyone else's positive experiences. A week into 40 mg on Claravis, not much happened until a couple of days after I no longer had oily skin and my lips were chapped. Exactly 14 days into this drug was when things started to take a turn. I started to experience tightness in my chest, but during that time didn't think that much of it. The next day it was worse, and I was having shortness of breath and had to take at least 10 breaths before I could breathe. That next morning I fainted in my bathroom and was taken to the hospital later that day to get checked, and apparently everything was 'normal.' I obviously had to stop it, which sucked, but at this point the risks outweighed the benefits. Please think before you go on Accutane, especially since everyone reacts to it differently."

• Ruc...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 15, 2019

"I've been on Accutane for 11 months now and still have awful acne on my back. The doctor is surprised. Said usually clears in 5 months. Terrible side effects and very ineffective for me."

• Tri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 9, 2018

"This treatment is not worth it in the long run. My case was pretty severe when I was about 19. I decided to try this, and my acne reduced quite insignificantly. While at the same time, my skin was so dry I could peel it off in the morning. It also made it itchy from dryness, and I would involuntarily scratch myself in my sleep, which made me look like I was attacked by cats the next day. Also, your skin loses elasticity, and if you frown a lot, you may develop wrinkles on your forehead. I lost hair density by about 20%, which I never regained back, and I would get unjustified mood shifts on a few occasions as if I was taking some anabolic steroids. I've stopped one month before the end of my last cycle, but I wish I never started. Eventually, my acne went away naturally when I was a fully grown man around the age of 22. You can't defy nature, or it will mess you up. This is in your genes, you just have to stick it out."

• Gaw...
• May 30, 2018

"I went on Accutane in 1982. I had chronic acne on my shoulders and back. My lips and nose immediately dried up, cracked, and bled. My eyes got so dry I constantly had to use drops. My joints started to ache constantly. My thick hair and eyelashes started falling out. My arm hair, underarms, and legs stopped growing. My eyebrows decided to almost disappear. My hair on my head never returned to its original thickness, nor did my eyelashes or eyebrows. The hair on my arms, legs, and underarms all but disappeared. I got extremely tired for a full year. It did clear up my acne issues. My biggest complaint is joint pain! I still have it 36 years later. I would joke that I felt like a cancer patient going through chemo, so tired, losing hair. I never knew it was originally for chemotherapy treatments until 2016. I discovered others were having joint pain 20 to 30 years later also. Wish there would have been some kind of recognition that joint pain is a permanent side effect from Accutane."

• pre...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 12, 2018

"My problem is that they give you this after they make you spend a lot of money and other medicines that you don't need, just so they can get some kickbacks from drug companies. I have almost zero respect for a lot of doctors out there. Every single person I know that has tried this drug, it's worked on, but they won't give it to you until after you tried a million and one other topical meds that are useless."