Amnesteem and Dry Lips: What Users Say

• Sho...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 9, 2014

For Acne "I am 40 years old and have been struggling with adult acne for ten years now. My face has always been oily, and topical creams/antibiotics have only been temporary fixes. My dermatologist and I decided to finally give isotretinoin a try. I started taking Amnesteem in September 2013. The first three months I had moderate breakouts, as expected. But in December and so far this month, I've not had any acne, with the exception of a small bump I noticed today. I just had my last appointment with my dermatologist yesterday, where he gave me my last prescription. The only side effects have been dry eyes, skin, and lips, but not severe at all. Aquaphor for the lips and CeraVe for my face have been awesome. So far, very happy with the results."

• Anonymous
• January 14, 2011

For Acne "I am 32 years old and have struggled with acne since high school. I was completely freaked out about taking this medication after reading all the horror stories online, but after talking to my doctor, I knew I wanted to give it a try. I am in my 2nd month of taking the medication, and I have seen dramatic results. I have not had any bad side effects so far. I have had dry lips (to be expected), but they have not been bad at all (thanks to Aquaphor Lip Repair - I constantly put it on). My skin is dry, which is also to be expected. I wear contacts, and my eyes do get dry at times, but no drops help. I do notice joint aches at times, so I take Tylenol or Advil, and it helps. It's nothing severe at all. BEST MEDICATION EVER."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 21, 2015

For Acne "I've been on Amnesteem, or 'Accutane,' for 3 1/2 months now. I am now going into my senior year of high school and couldn't be happier about my skin. I've been struggling with bad acne for almost five years until now. I tried everything to help my acne, and some things worked, but my acne always returned. My only side effects are dry lips. I'm on 40 and 80 mg every other day. My face is so smooth, and after the second month, I didn't have any breakouts. I also used to break out on my chest a lot, but not anymore. I also haven't noticed any changes in mood. I was iffy about trying this, but happy I talked to my doctor and gave it a try. Hope after I'm off the drug acne doesn't return. Best of luck to all struggling with acne, I feel your pain."

• Lem...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 5, 2018

For Acne "Taken for drug-resistant adult acne after all the topicals and some oral meds. I’m in my third month starting 80 mg/day. First two were 40 mg/day. Only side effects are chapped lips and back/knee pain. My skin is clear, and I don’t need to wash my hair as frequently."

• Anonymous
• January 3, 2011

"My friend was on it a few months before me, and I saw her skin clear in about 3 weeks. I was looking forward to the same thing happening to my skin. Unfortunately, my acne got much worse! For a little more than 2 months, my skin showed no sign of improvement, and I wanted to give up. My mom told me to hang in there for one more month, and I'm glad I did. After about 2 and a half months, my skin just began clearing. And once I started noticing a difference, all pimples were gone in a week. Dry lips were hardly there, thanks to Aquaphor. Do not pick at your face. No matter how many people told me not to, I did it anyway and have scars. Also, Cetaphil lotion is a blessing. Back pain started around month 3, but it's a small price to pay."

• 40...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 14, 2016

For Acne "April 1st, 2016, I finally decided to declare war against acne and visit a dermatologist to formulate an attack plan. I've had periods in my life where my skin would clear up with over-the-counter treatments, but as a biracial/African American woman, I found that all skin types did not refer to 'my skin type.' I found that my skin loved the winter and fall while the rest of me loved spring and summer. Within a short two weeks, I've seen drastic changes in my skin, from the luster to the minimum breakouts that I would normally see this time of year. I have noticed moderate dry peeling patches that a little moisturizer hasn't eliminated and more windburned-type chapped lips, but I would definitely recommend Amnesteem to my fellow mature women!"

• Anonymous
• July 29, 2010

For Acne "I'm at my 12-week mark. My doctor said I can be done now if I wish to be, but I'm going to go one more month just to be safe. My face, chest, and back are completely clear of acne. My side effects have been the normal: chapped lips (use Aquaphor), dry eyes (eye drops), and just recently-joint pain. I've always had some joint and back pain, but it's gotten much worse the last couple of months. It may not even be related to the medication. However, I am getting an MRI just to be safe. I love the medication this far. I've heard horrible stories about people having bad side effects for years and years after, but I wonder how much of that is really related to the medication. People naturally get joint pain, etc. as they age."

• Cam...
• September 19, 2010

For Acne "I am on my 18th day and have noticed dramatic results. I have gotten many compliments. My skin is very dry, though, and I do have very chapped lips, but the redness of my skin has gone away, and I barely break out anymore. My acne was pretty severe. I had tried everything (antibiotics, creams, gels, chemical peels, facials, etc.). I was very nervous about getting on this, but I love it and recommend it to everyone."

• the...
• January 28, 2010

For Acne "I am 15 and have been taking Amnesteem for about a week now because I have very bad acne on my cheeks, and I must say it is very effective. Since I started this, my skin dried up, and my acne redness is definitely going away; however, it was kind of crazy the first 3 days because my big red spots started getting white heads, but they dried up very quickly and then flaked off in a day or two. I am 15, and the only bad thing about this is the chapped lips, dry skin, lower back aches, and I have arthritis in my left knee, and it seems that it is making it hurt more, but other than that, this medicine is a miracle!"

• Anonymous
• December 3, 2009

For Acne "I have been using Amnesteem for 5 months now, and I am about to turn 17. I have had many side effects, but the results are so far good. Before I started taking Amnesteem, I had a lot of acne, mostly on my face and back, all of my face has cleared up, but my back is not yet finished. Most of the side effects I had were itchy skin, depression, chapped lips, and feverish chills, but nothing that I couldn't handle. My skin has been greatly affected by this medicine, but in a good way. Lately, I have been experiencing a sore throat, but it is most likely not from the medicine. Even though I only have one more month of my Amnesteem left to go, I hope that it's the easiest one."

• Anonymous
• September 12, 2009

For Acne "I have had body acne for 7 years. Just started my third month of Amnesteem. I have seen decent results but still not 100% gone. I have experienced mild back pain, chapped lips, dry skin, headaches, and some stomach irritability. Except for the side effects, I would recommend this product."

• Acn...
• June 19, 2011

For Acne "I have been struggling with acne since I graduated high school. It got REALLY BAD. Around that time (high school) is when I first took isotretinoin. I took it for about 3 months, and it worked wonders for me. However, 8 years later, the bad acne has reappeared. I take Amnesteem now. I'm in my second week, and it's making it worse. I don't remember this medicine doing this the first time. The only side effects I've experienced were dry lips, dry skin, and dry eyes so far. I hope this gets better for me. If it does, I will update this comment."

• Tom...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 19, 2021

For Acne "I’ve been taking Amnesteem for 1 month already, and so far I’ve been having great results! I am really satisfied with the first month. I rarely get any breakouts, and it’s slowly but steadily getting better each time. I do experience one side effect, which is dry lips, but if you use chapstick or Vaseline, then you’re good. This has been the only thing that has actually been clearing up my skin. I recommend it 100%"

• TSl...
• April 6, 2015

For Acne "We are disappointed. My 14-year-old son has taken 40 mg 1x/day for 18 days, and his skin is worse than ever. He seems more moody than normal, and his lips are super chapped (I feel like the chapped-lip police with my chapstick in hand). We really hoped for results of any kind with his cystic acne. We are going to try a higher dose after he gets the blood test in a week or so. He is discouraged. The cost of the higher dosage is almost prohibitive. Our insurance doesn't cover meds because we have a high deductible, but we feel that clearing up his acne is important for his self-esteem. It seems criminal to charge so much for meds."