Has anyone ever taken the acne drug Accutane (isotretinoin)?

I think acne medication differs from person to person. What worked for me may not work for you. So I think you just have to try it for like a month or so.

I tried the whole Proactive crap which sort of worked for some... didn't do anything for me. The only side effect was me being pissed.

 

I took it 3 different times and never had any side effects aside from chapped lips. This was also in my late teens so maybe hair loss could occur if you are pushing your late 20's... maybe you could just take Rogaine foam preventatively twice a week or so to ensure against the hair loss.

While on accutane, the acne completely went away and it was awesome. When I got off the accutane, the acne slowly came back. However after the 3rd course, the acne came back only a little so I dealt with it using over the counter stuff.

I used to have a fair amount of acne on my back, and some mild persistant pimples on my face. Now, I only get some mild pimples here and there on my forehead.

 

I had terrible acne in middle school all the way to my early 20's. My face was and is still is oily. I use Oxy cream and did wonders for me. I was wiping my face right now with those oil absorbing sheets at work.

 

my hair is also damn oily. damn those conditioners and lotions, Dont need them.

 

Yeah. I took Accutane nearing the end of my freshman year in high school. It works wonders. I had a crap load of acne on my back and face. It completely got rid of everything on my back and helped significantly on my face. Now, about 6 years later, I have not one pimple on my face, and when they do occur, they are futile and nearly unnoticeable. BUT! I had severe skin peeling on my lips, forehead, and arms. This was really the only side effect. I don't remember exactly how long I was on it, but the peeling diminished shortly after I stopped taking it. Acne drugs work differently for all people, and I think Accutane should be a final resort if all else fails.

 

This kid in my hs had really bad acne. And by bad I mean holy **** wtf is wrong with your face, kind of bad. He went to the doctor, they gave him some stuff... and his face started shedding skin for a good part of the year. It looked terrifying, but after that, his skin looked smoother than anything I've seen before. Didn't know him too well so I didn't ask what they did to him.

I should have because I wouldn't have these scars like I do now if I did

 

had a couple friends who took it, most it ever did to them was made lips and face dry, but the acne did clear up for them. Like an earlier poster said it's different for everyone, most likely though you'll be fine

 

I tried all the face washes that Walgreens had to sell and I even ordered Proactiv. All I did was waste my money on that stuff. I took Accutane in my early 20s, and it did the job. No hair loss, just that my lips were chapped on a regular basis. If I had to do it over again, I would have taken Accutane in my late teens just to make the acne go away sooner.

 

Didn't read the long post, but to answer your bolded question, I got done with acutane about a month or two ago and didn't have any of those listed side effects. Works very well.

 

I was on Accutane for a while in high school. No idea what the dosage was, as this was mid-90's. It worked wonders. After trying pretty much everything else with no success, Accutane cleared up my acne completely, and even after getting off of it I never had another problem with break outs. The dry skin/lips thing is real though and a total pain in the ass. I was straight up addicted to chap stick during this time.

I never had hair loss while I was taking it, however my hair did start thinning at a young age several years later. I honestly never knew that was a side effect, and would still likely attribute it to genetics rather than anything having to do with the meds.

Accutane is somewhat of a miracle drug and lifesaver for people suffering with terrible acne, but just be aware of the side effects before jumping into it.

 

try tree tea oil.

this brings back some bad high school memories. man, my acne was bad. i remember trying to burn it off with toothpaste. anyhow, i don't know what happened but once i was in college it cleared up a lot on its own. so thankful for that.

 

A kid on my high school tennis team took it. It gave him bad chapped lips. But it did cure his acne, which had gotten so bad he could not even open his mouth without pain. Before he took it he had to have zits surgically removed.

 

Try Murad. I like it a lot better than proactive and it's not as smelly.

 

I took accutane when i was 14 or so. It worked wonders, but it makes your skin peel like crazy. Really strong stuff.

 

Worked great for me, dries up your skin and lips while you are on it though. But once the regimen was over, never had any more issues with acne.

Can't prove this, but IMO the scare stories are put out there because once you take it you never need all that other crap and doctors visits ever again. It puts them out of business.

 

Damn. That would be unfortunate to need something so strong to deal with intense acne. I never had it bad so I've never really thought about it, but I can imagine it would be a pain to live with.

Hope Accutane or whatever you end up with works well for you, OP!

And if your hair does start to fade, remember that if you just wear multiple headbands no one will know.

 

Boy, do I wish I went on Accutane back in high school. I had pretty severe cystic acne on my back/chest which I thought would just go away after I "outgrew" it and I didn't think it would scar. It left very deep scarring/discoloration and I'm not even sure if laser surgery will help. Still upset about it.

I think Accutane should be a last resort though. I'm not even sure your doctor will prescribe it for you if your acne isn't severe enough.

 

Often a last resort drug...its a really toxic but very effective drug...shouldnt take it without trying other treatments first though...

Try Benzoyl Peroxide first...if not you may need to get an antibiotic next...