Claravis for Acne User Reviews

• Prone...
• July 7, 2019

"My 16 year old son will take his last dose of Claravis today. It has been a game changer. He started on Bactrim at age 13 but it made him too sick to continue (nausea). We tried Minocycline for a couple of years but the results were minimal and then it just stopped working. In October of 2018, his dermatologist was worried about the increased scarring he was seeing and suggested Claravis. I was very reluctant due to internet horror stories about the history of Accutane. My son was desperate so I agreed to let him try. Luckily he had very few side affects (dry skin, chapped lips, occasional nose bleeds and some fatigue as expected). Today his skin looks amazing. He has some residual scarring but hopefully that will fade with time. As a worrier, I have to say I am so grateful that we tried this. The cost was RIDICULOUS and the blood draws were stressful but the results have been amazing. It takes time but don't give up."

• Parent...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 16, 2020

"I was very concerned about starting this medicine for my son, as I had read horrible stories about this medicine. My son who is 15, had severe acne. After trying everything, and all the medicines and creams for a year, we broke down and started Claravis.( Dec 2019) The first month was amazing, the active acne has gone. I can't believe how much change has happened in the first month. Like I said, his acne was severe, large, hard pimples which would make his face sore. He has a lot of red marks left from the acne. He started on 40mg a day for 30 days. He is now on 40mg in the morning and 20mg at night. We are now in week 6, his face is starting to really look great. Some of the dark red marks are more pink than red. I have read some don't see results until month 4, but this seems to be working for him. He uses moisturizer on his face and Aquaphor on his lips, so far no side effects. He is also into every sport with no problems. Keeping my fingers crossed as we continue this journey."

• Nate
• February 16, 2015

"In Junior High all of a sudden my face just erupted in acne. You could tell people were staring. I hated looking in the mirror. It's remarkable how fast all the acne disappeared. This medication was a real life saver. My dad didn't have access to this medicine and from 12-25 he was absolutely covered in acne. So grateful I have this stuff Side effects to note: VERY dry lips Dry skin Back pain"

• Chitt...
• May 13, 2014

"I'll admit, at first I was extremely skeptical. I had heard about all of the nasty side effects that occur with this medicine. 5 months ago, I had cystic acne SO bad that each side of my face on my cheeks looked like I had a big, inflamed, rash on them. I was embarrassed to leave the house and I had to cake on the makeup, and even then you could tell I had a big problem. Within the first three months or so, I had been on it and while it got better, I was sure it would never get really better because I kept breaking out. Well, I am officially on my 5th and last month and I haven't had a new pimple in over a week, I am 100% clear. This stuff WORKS. Don't let people scare you, the side effects are really not that bad. Life changing stuff."

• smccoy
• December 21, 2007

"I started taking Claravis two months ago. I have this acne on my chest and everything I used just didn't work. I finally went to go see a skin doc and he started me off with just 20mg which reading about all the side effects scared me alittle but so far so good. Right now I am on 40mg twice a day and the only problems I am really having is the chapped lips (aquaphor will become the love of your life) I am already seeing good results from claravis and I still got 4 months to go."

• Mom...
• January 4, 2014

"My 17 year old son has had severe acne on his face, chest, back and very oily hair for several years. He started taking Claravis two weeks ago and the results are amazing already. The acne on all areas is clearing and his hair looks great. We are noticing changes in his self confidence already; wanting to fix his hair, will shave face (wouldn't shave to hide acne), and smiling more. The only negative is pain in his elbows. So far, we love this medicine. One last thing, I took Accutane 25 years ago for acne and haven't had a problem with it since."

• Vbano
• February 2, 2020

"After 3 years of trying every possible acne product and visiting multiple dermatologists with no results, I hesitantly allowed my 15 year old daughter to go on Claravis. She is heading into month 3 and her skin is definitely improving. The cystic acne has almost disappeared and some scarring is beginning to subside. She still has minor non-cystic type acne outbreaks, but nothing like she was experiencing. As for side effects, there have been some, but nothing too bad. The worst has been the sides of her mouth getting cracks from dry lips and then getting mildly infected. She uses Aquaphor constantly which helps. She has experienced some back aches, but she plays sports so that probably doesn't help. I constantly tell her that if things get too bad she should end the meds, but she loves the results after years of being made fun of at school :( or feeling self conscious about her acne, so she says she's not giving up. Eager to see how much better her skin gets in the next few months."

• Pat
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 22, 2020

"A month after finishing claravis, it was hard to imagine that I had giant red spots on my face for 3 years straight even when I tried every topical in the pharmacy. My face feels so smooth, I keep expecting new break outs, but it just never happens. My social and emotional stresses have noticeably lessened and it was all thanks to this. It's so worth the 6 months of chap lips (just use vaseline and a hydrating cleanse to mediate the dryness). Miracle drug, you'll be glad u took it!!"

• Megam...
• May 23, 2016

"When I turned 30 my acne became much more cystic and spread to my neck, chest, and back. My bacne was so bad it hurt to take a shower. Within 3 weeks of starting Claravis (30mg daily), I started to experience dry skin and lips. Over the months, I developed rashes on my hands and arms due to dry skin. I had several nose bleeds and dry eyes, but was able to remedy all the dryness with lip balm, saline solution, and various lotions/moisturizers. I also became thirsty all the time, but this began to subside going into my 4th month. The dryness was a very small price to pay for the AMAZING results. My face, neck, chest, and back are almost 100% CLEAR!!! I didn't have any other side effects and my ONLY regret is not taking this medication sooner!"

• Dh62
• August 19, 2019

"I started having acne at age 56. I went through the antibiotic program,. Minocycline, then cephflexin then augmentin which helped but no cure I was put on clavaris 40mg once a day. I did this for 17 days and quit. My ears ring constantly now. I pray everyday the ringing will go away. Be very careful with this stuff. It has helped my acne but I really don't think a patient gets enough education before taking it. It states no supplemental vitamins. Keep me in your prayers and I will say a prayer for those suffering from acne. Use hydrogen peroxide and hibi cleanse."

• ACNEF...
• October 31, 2013

"I was this drug for 6 months, the process was horrible. I had dry skin, muscle aches, and the worst thing, no visible improvement. The very last month I noticed my skin was a little more clear than usual, but still not acne free. Then in the last week of my medication I cleared up and after I stopped the medication I was pimple free. It has been a year now and I hardly EVER have a pimple! I went from severe acne to nothing! Stick with it till the end! Your self confidence will thank you in the future."

• Shane...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 31, 2016

"I've had bad acne since I was in middle school. I didn't do anything about it until around the summer of 10th grade because I started to get cystic acne on a regular basis. My dermatologist put me on Doxycycline. At the time I was not always regular with taking pills and when my acne did get better and start to go away I thought I was fine. The acne just kept coming back and I took antibiotics and creams like retinol and Epiduo and all sorts of benzoyl peroxide washes but nothing worked. So my dermatologist finally convinced me to get on Accutane. As of right now I'm 5 months in and my skin has never been better it's amazing. My side effects were dry eyes (I have contacts) dry face, dry lips and nose bleeds. I honestly wish I did it sooner!"

• Anony...
• January 16, 2020

"I’m on my third month of clavaris and I’m still purging it’s kind of annoying getting red blotches that look like sores on my face. I don’t want to leave the house. I don’t know how to rate this because my skin is still a mess. I’m going to try and finish treatment and praying for clear skin."

• lll
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 26, 2018

"Isotretinoin (Claravis) CHANGED MY LIFE. My only regret is not going on it sooner (I started at age 22). If you are on the fence, do it. The only side effects I had were dry lips, some back/tailbone pain and some depression (though I think this was more so from the birth control). I wasted so much of my life hiding away because of my mild to moderate acne. Be patient, and this will work. It's better than being on antibiotics for long periods of time. I was on it for 4 months, and my skin keeps getting better after. It did not clear up my hyperpigmentation, but I know that will fade and I can cover it up. Monthly blood work is so worth it to be able to wake up in the morning and not worry about pimples. Use Carmex lip balm ( for me way better than Aquaphor). And go out and live your life!!! If my acne comes back (praying it doesn't), I would be happy to take this again."

• El Dawg
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 6, 2014

"I have struggled with acne for so long I started getting it in the 6th grade I got cystic acne in 8th grade and it was horrible because I went to a kindergarten through 8th grade school every day a little kid would say something about it like "Oh my God what happened to your face" "Ew what's on your face" I was so embarrassed and I had tried almost every acne medication out there. I never wanted to try Accutane because I was scared of all the side effects but it was worth it. I'm a sophomore in high school now and my skin is completely clear and the only side effect I noticed were that my lips got badly dried out but it wasn't a huge problem."

• Anonymous
• July 14, 2009

"This medicine is amazing. I'm 28 years old and have tried a lot of different medications to clear up my acne but nothing worked until I went on Claravis. I have been taking 40mg once a day for 3 months now and my skin looks great. I am experiencing a lot of the side effects though, blood noses, extremely dry lips and back pain."

• ralp
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 25, 2013

"Just want to say that Claravis worked (40mg/2x/day). The dry lips were horrid and the first few months I hid out, but the end was totally worth it. To prevent other side effects, my doctor told me to drink 60 FL oz of electrolyte drink (i.e. Gatorade, Powerade, Smart Water). Good luck!"

• Monfie
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 7, 2017

"I have been on Claravis 20mg for 5 months. The flare up been so bad, my severe acne has never been so bad. For 5 months, I cry every time I look at my face in a mirror. I am depressed. I don't know if I should stop the treatment."

• Sean...
• August 20, 2016

"It took me awhile to see real results while on Claravis, I even stopped taking it for about 2 weeks at one point because the side effects were too much to handle. The dry/peeling skin resulted in a lot of scarring, and it was extremely difficult to get used to. However, by the 3rd month I had developed a good moisturizing routine that really helped to keep my skin looking healthy. It took a lot longer than I had originally expected, and it took a lot of patience, but I am a week into my 4th month on Claravis and have been acne free for a few weeks now. My dermatologist is saying I may not even need to go the full 6 months because of my great progress. So if you are considering this mediciation for your acne, just be very patient."

• Snooky
• July 14, 2016

"I've suffered from Acne my whole life. Breakouts and black marks. I've tried everything over the counter, I've even tried Proactiv. Absolutely nothing worked for me. My derm described me Claravis. I've been on Claravis for 2 1/2 months and my skin has never looked this good. I Love the outcome so far. It feels good to look in the mirror at pretty, clear skin.. But my lips are terribly dry and my body aches. But that's the side affects of the meds. At least it's not a lifetime thing like my Acne would've been.. I Love my derm for getting me right."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 15, 2016

"I was on acutane (claravis) the first 2 months my acne actually got worse but after that my face started clearing up. The reason I'm not giving this a full 10 is because I had more negative effects than I did good. Granted, my acne did go away but only for it to come back 2 months after I was done. I didn't experience a dry face which is a very common side effect but I did get horribly dry lips. My hair would fall out in CLUMPS through out the day. I gained 20 pounds while on this medication made my heart get irregular palpitations and I also experienced shortness of breath. My cholesterol levels were also all wacked out.Horrible joint pain! All of this for my acne to end up coming back.Think twice before putting your body though This"

• Anonymous
• July 11, 2009

"My daughter used a generic form of isotretinoin. The results were amazing. It cleared her pimples and blackheads. She did not clear up immediately; in fact, her skin broke out more at first. However, she has been off the medicine for a few months and she rarely gets a pimple."

• Excel...
• December 26, 2008

"I have had acne all of my life. I am 30 years old and have tried EVERYTHING. I started 40mg twice daily three weeks ago and the results are amazing. My face it almost totally clear now. I am truly amazed. Excellent product."

• Secnarf
• November 20, 2013

"Before starting Accutane, I read through reviews online and I got to say... most of them scared the poo out of me. Intense side effects & bad reviews. But let me tell you, I have been on 40mg for 2 months once a day, then 40mg twice a day for another 2 months & it is a miracle. My face has cleared up so much; I am so grateful for this medicine. Yes, there are side effect my lips have never been this chapped in my life, my skin is very dry and I've had minimum 12 nose bleeds (pre Accutane - never had one before in my life). I do have a month or maybe two-three left on it my nurse said, but I believe it is all worth it. I have never experienced any horrible body aches or any of the other horror stories. Stick with it till the end!!"

• Avii
• September 23, 2014

"LOVE this medication. It worked wonders in my back.. I suffered from really bad acne in my back ever since 7th grade, senior year of high school the acne started to spread down my arms and chest acne was becoming a problem too. My self esteem went down because of how embarrassed I was and resided to only wearing clothing that covered my back, upper arms, and chest which gets difficult after a while. After my first visit to the dermatologist she decided to put me on Claravis and I was 100% okay with it despite all the side effects. The side effects are not that bad except for dry lips but Aquaphor has REALLY helped. I'm still in treatment right now and get the occasional 1-2 small pimples on my back, but NOTHING compared to how my back was."