Well this is not what you want to hear. You are probably all going to mark this as not helpful because all you want is positive reviews. It is been seven moths since I stopped Accutane and its the worst decision in my life. My face is extremely red, and the flushing is ruining my life. I have stopped going to school, stopped partying, stopped meeting friends, literally stopped living, and its all because of accutane. Everything i do; eating, drinking, stressed, embarrased, exercising, and so on makes me flush. And I NEVER flushed prior going on accutane. I this doesnt fade my life is ruined. There are extremely few people that get so hard side effects, maybe one out of hundred. BUT IT MIGHT BE YOU, IS IT WORTH THE RISK OF POSSIBLY RUINING YOUR LIFE?

I used accutane for 4 months last 2009. It cured my acne right away in a little as a month with no flare-ups. I continued using it for more months but on the 4th month I was diagnosed with elevated liver enzymes - 4x than normal/average. I stopped taking it because I don't wanna sacrifice my health with clear skin. After I stopped it, my face was clear for more than 6 months and went back to worse again after that.

Either horse around with creams your whole life or end it once and for all. I'm happily married now and my wife never knew I had acne. Couldn't be happier

If your acne is cystic and it has been an ongoing problem for you then go on this medication!! I debated and put it off for years, but I wish I had done it sooner. I was so scared about the side effects but I soon discovered they're (mostly) very manageable (see above). I have never, since my teen years, had clear skin. It's now six months since finishing treatment and I have not had a single pimple. I feel so confident looking people in the face and am so happy I get to enjoy having beautiful clear skin. For the first time ever, I feel confident enough to leave the house without make up. All other acne products are not treatments, they surpress the acne and often return once you go off it. Accutane is a clinically trialled drug- so chances are it will work for you. If your acne is serious enough to affect how you feel on a day-to-day basis, this treatment is absolutely worth it.

I have used this product for about a month. I started off on a low dose and worked up to 60mg a day to allow my body to get used to it. Results were near enough instant! I was extremely dubious about using this drug after researching it, but after half my life (15 years) suffering with acne and all else failing I gave it a go - best decision of my life so far!!

Accutane is great, but it is a LAST resort. I look back and wonder why I even went on it, but of course, it cleared up my skin. Bottom line: the possible side effects are scary. Depression seems to be common with this drug.. I had depression on this medication, but I would always tell myself, "calm down, its the medication." I am not sure if the medication caused the depression or if I would of been depressed regardless. I think that a lot of people are depressed on this medication because clear skin does NOT solve all the problems associated with it. For example, I thought all my social problems would go away with clean skin, it would solve all my problems...That sounds stupid, but it is a big change from having acne to having none. Just like a fat person becoming skinny. lol Realizing that as freeing as being acne-free is, it does not mean that your crush will like your or that people will treat you differently. WARNING: make sure that your doctor puts you on a high dose in order to get clear completely. I was not put on a high enough dose and not only did some of my acne return, but it never was completely cleared. Now, I am currently on Tazorac and Solodyn. I want to clear up what accutane didnt because of the low dosage. I want to go back on accutane with a different doctor, but the side effects are concerning. I am just not sure. Overall, it is a personal choice. Acne is a disease and is depressing. Weigh the pros and cons, then make your own choice. Accutane is the only cure for acne. (when on the right dosage.) I personally recommend Tazorac and Solodyn as a way to go if not Accuntane. Hope this helps!

Low dose at 20mg cleared me up in 10 days flat! Miracle drug I had tried everything! The only thing I could contemplate calling a side effect is occasionally I have dry lips. If you are on the fence like I was for 4 years - do it at low dose! I regret not taking it years ago. Forget self-diagnosis and reading on this forum, the derm will prescribe it if you need it and it will work. This forum persuaded me out of using it for 4 years. I decided to just take it and see how it went. 10 days was all it took for me to realise what a fool I had been researching papers & studies - leave that to the docs and derms.

I want to begin this by saying that i was in your position. I had bad acne. I'm writing this to provide some insight to what it's been like the last 3 years after my course of accutane (some information that i would have eaten right up before i started treatment). Let me start off by saying - this drug works. For most, if not all of middle/high school, I had very bad acne that was resistant to doxycycline, minocycline, proactiv, Murad products, benzoyl peroxide, sailicylic acid, and all the wipes i could get my hands on. You more than likely will be free from acne at least for a few years after treatment, and it's absolutely wonderful! Being able to walk around without having to check mirrors for a new red/white bump on your face is as great as you think it would be. Looking back it seems like i was a completely different person. You're probably thinking: if it works so well, why the lackluster rating then?! This drug works wonders but there is absolutely a reason as to why they're so serious about prescribing it. They are very cautious because this stuff is freaking legit - it alters your body in a permanent way. Once you've finished your course there is no going back. In fact, at the time of writing they still do not understand exactly how it works - but it affects acne. This was originally made to be a drug for cancer patients (yeah, people that had nothing left to lose and were willing to try something that could potentially debilitate them if it meant surviving! crazy right?) So I went on the medication and throughout the course felt nothing but the normal side effects of dry lips, skin, nosebleeds, dry eyes and easily scarring (just a scratch on accutane can turn into a permanent scar hah, i have a few reminders). Things went through without a hitch and i was acne free! I would notice people staring at me, and if i could guess what they were thinking it would be "How in the hell did that pizza face get porcelain clear skin?!" Strangely, the side effects of this medication slowly ease their way into your life after treatment (the effects are permanent after all). Expect something along the lines of joint pain, gastrointestinal issues, and mental health dips. These tend to be the most serious. When people get these issues they disregard it as natural, how in the world could they be associated with something they took 3, 5, even 10 years ago? Long story short in convincing you this are legit, the original manufacturers of accutane (Roche) went out of business due to lawsuits and had huge payouts of millions upon millions of dollars to peoples lives they had negatively changed (mostly focusing on permanent gastrointestinal issues). I could talk about this for hours but to avoid making it THAT lengthy, here's the summary: I can't stress enough how EXTREMELY important it is for you to consider these potentially permanent side effects. When i took it i couldn't care less about side effects, all i wanted was my acne to be gone! But there are people who used to play sports, ran, and workout - now experience severe pain by simply walking due to joint issues (and it's seemingly permanent unfortunately). If your acne isn't really that bad, or could go away within a couple of years normally, it is up to YOU to consider taking this drug. There are dermatologists out there who will prescribe this to people with just a few pimples, which is unecessary given how serious the side effects could be. Read up on peoples experiences years after their treatment and make an informed decision!!! God bless :)

Well , I'm 5 months in my 40 mg dose and a month and a half ago so depressed and I was losing all hope for ever having tolerable skin never mind beautiful... I had always had oily skin since my early teens. I had bad breakouts but in my 20's it got terrible. Big cystic acne. It was so bad and swelled so much ppl thought I had got into a fight. Full of self hate and anger at my ugly acne I started the terrible habit of picking, I would spend hours picking at it or poking a big cyst with a pin or anything pointy thing. I would try and justify my self mutilation 'If it would only drain then I could start healing'. Consequently I became a mess and started to scar. I had to do something as it was affecting my life, I didn't want to go outside or do anything I was so depressed. So I stared to try everything under the sun, high end products, low end, at home remidys, old wives cures...sight, to no avail. Finally depressed and defeted I finally went to a derm and got on isotretinoin. For the first few months NOTHING changed, actually it did get worse.. I was so upset. But my derm told me to just keep plugging along. Finally about a month ago thing started healing and no new ones came. I have now finally fully healed not a single open sore or blaring red pimple. I always had to leave the house with a thick layer of foundation before leaving house, now I just use a tinted moisturizer *if I'm going out and want to hide pink scars*. A lot of times I don't wear make up. I have my fingers crossed that this is it. I am so thankful. I had got a lot of flack for going on such a dangerous drug but I'm glad I did, also I'm a testament to sometimes it does take a good long time to start working. Try it and also give it time to work. I hope this helps. Best of lucky to anyone living with this terrible condition. I lived and feel your pain, and hope you find your treatment best for you! Your friend in the struggle, Rebecca

Amazing treatment! I went to my dermatologist and got some (if you don't have a derm, go find one, they are great) The blood tests were unbearable, nothing worse in my life! (I hate needles) Very fast (within a week) people said my skin looked better. I was just waiting for the flare up.. But it never came. I got some insomnia, but stopped the treatment for a month, in which tiny bits of acne came back, and like 2 days after restarting, my acne is gone :) Still got 3 months left of my 6 month course too! Bloody fantastic medication, it has changed my life! Keep hydrated, and take an iron supplement! The last few days I watched over 100 episodes of a tv show, over 4 days. It has got me a little depressed, wondering what life'll turn out to be like, and hoping I am as happy as they look. Accutane can DEFINITELY cause suicide, so just be happy as much as you can, and don't, I repeat, don't watch too much real-life based tv, try to stick to things like family guy and south park. LOVE Accutane, just be careful and enjoy your new skin!