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

I also recommend this.

Part of my problem and part of many people's problem I think is the fact that most people think STRONGER is better.

So, they use the strongest benzoyl peroxide they can find and all it does is severely irate the skin.

The REGIMEN calls for 5% benzoyl peroxide, also a good face wash soap like neutrogena sells, and a simple ice pack. This method takes time to show results but if you keep at it will work wonders.

A current, over the counter 5% benzoyl peroxide cream, is made by neutrogena: On The Spot. This is what the regimen used before the guy started making his own and selling it.

 

I took it for 3 years, from 2005 - 2008.

Had to sign the 19 pager waiver, saying if I decided to kill myself blah blah blah. Worked incredibly well. I had nodular acne all over my neck, and now my skin is damn near perfect. I get maybe a zit twice a year.

A year after I stopped taking it, my skin got oily again, but it's all good. People who have naturally oily skin will wrinkle less when they get old.

It also totally got rid of my fear of needles since I had to get my blood drawn every month for 3 years.

 

lol yes. on the packaging, each pill comes in like a week or two supply, and above each of the pills was this pregnant chick with an X over it. apparently you're REALLY not supposed to get pregnant on this stuff. but I'm a dude, so it was whatever.

 

this.

it is kind of a shedding. what it does (if I remember correctly) is that the Vitamin A does something with the skin and it constantly pushes it out, layer, after layer, after layer.

It's pretty annoying, but the worst part was the chapped lips. I had to apply lip balm 4, 5, 6 times a day, every day for years. Glad to hear it worked out for you kid. If I wouldn't have taken it my, neck would have looked like one of those old Italian mob bosses cheeks; scarred and cratered the hell up. Now my face is better than people who had no acne what so ever in HS.

 

I love how people who have never taken it are like OH YOU SHOULD HAVE TRIED THIS OR THAT.

Like you think we didn't already try those things before we started taking accutane? I really don't think some of yall know what bad acne is, to the point where it effects your daily lives, both physically and socially.

 

kind of. though it's not recommended, you CAN drink alcohol on it, just like you CAN drink alcohol on antibiotics. it'll negate the effects of the medicine and flush your system of it, but it's not like you have a chance of dying, say if you take a bunch of pain killers and alcohol.

I would say it would behoove one not to drink alcohol while on it. I was on it from the time I was like 19-22, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't drink more than a handful of times in that span.

 

can you show me where you've read that? I have never heard of any drug that's at least FDA approved that does that, much less any drug that causes you to lose hair.

Hair loss is hereditary. Maybe those idiots just didn't know their momma's daddy.

 

I took it for six months when I was in high school and it worked great for me. Accutane is controversial though because some people experience severe side effects. Depression and suicidal thoughts for example... I only experienced the worst case of chapped lips in my life. They peeled like crazy.

 

I am one of the lucky ones. Over the counter stuff like proactive helped my acne cut down. Like everyone else is saying its a crapshoot. Either OTC stuff works or you are forced to go with accutane and even then its still a crapshoot in that it might not work and you could contract some severe side effects.

If my acne was horrible, I would have done accutane too.

 

Not to scare anyone but i have heard from a DR i once visited that Accutate can raise your chance to attain IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease)

 

it states that on the label, and in the waiver you sign before you start taking it. I think I speak for all of us whom have taken it; the benefit outweighed the risk.

 

http://imgur.com/a/RCM4m

 

Took Accutane for a about week and had to stop due to the fact that I had developed huge sores on my feet. I couldn't walk for a while after that. One of the worst experiences in my life

 

How do I up vote this?

 

I had pretty severe cystic acne when I was 17-18. It really affected my confidence and made me self-concious when interacting with other people. It was painful to wash my face because of the sores and my skin over-produced oil to the point that it just felt disgusting. For example, soon after cleansing I could wipe my face with a tissue and it would be completely soaked and see-through because of the oil accrual. Gross...I know.

I tried 3-4 types of medication which had absolutely no effect so my dermatologist finally prescribed accutane. It changed everything. After about 2 months my face was completely spot free, not a single bump. After 4 months, even most of the scarring had healed and my face felt baby smooth. I couldn't have imagined a better result. The only side-effect I experienced was really dry lips and lip-balm pretty much made that a non-issue.

I stayed acne free for about 6 years and then it started to return, although not as severe as before. I went on a second course (milder dosage) and it cleared it again. Since then, my skin has been pretty good. I currently use benzoyl peroxide and that has kept my acne at a manageable level.

I shudder when I imagine my life without accutane. At 32 I still get some spots, so I think it's fair to say I would have had cystic acne from 17-18 until my mid to late 20's. After that much punishment the scarring would have probably caused disfigurement to a degree.

 

You don't need a pill to kill acne. I personally don't recommend it and I've had acne for severe years. I've tried litterally everything.. Proactive, microdermabrasiam, bluelight, facials, clearsil, night cream, masks, stuff imported from asia.. Etc. took me years to finally discover this product.

I am free from acne now and have a clear face and no acne scars..My secret to a clear face.

The secret is acne.org product. Cleanser, BP, and mostrizer. And being consistent and watching YouTube to see how to properly applying the product.


Hope this helps..

 

for some of us, our acne was so bad that we developed scars. accutane, interestingly, also helps get rid of scars; the skin layers are constantly pushing upwards and out. that's why we peel. think of it as a snake shedding it's skin gradually over time, rather than just at once.

 

if OTC isn't working for some, you need Rx. I tried everything for a while until I got some Rx's. Acanya and Financia worked great for me.

 

I'm now 29 years old and have had acne problems since I was in highschool. I wouldnt say my acne is severe, probably just mild but I do get cystic acne from time to time. Right now I am on antibiotic medication. It is called Doxycycline. It helps but I don't feel like it'll cure my acne all the way.

Someone said taking antibiotics for a long stretch of time is bad. Care to explain why that is?

 

Geronimo--

I didn't have bad acne in HS, but being that my sister is a model, I felt that any type of pimple on my face was a huge deal.

Accutane had horrible effects on my friends. From the redness and peeling, to the mood changes. Really, they don't put that on the label without reason. I had a friend that became a huge douche while he was on that stuff, and even he admitted that he felt on edge quite often.

My solution:

1. Forget accutane--the side effects aren't worth it.

****It is more expensive, but ask your primary doctor to treat your acne with CORTIZONE.

Twice a month, while I had my bad outbreaks, I would go to my doctor and get a couple of cortizone injections throughout the affected areas on my face. Within 12 hours, I was cleared up completely. My doctor suggested this to me way back then, and i'm so thankful for it. After awhile, my face responded to very few injections and I rarely had pimples.

The downside: Depending on your insurance, there's a good possibility you'll have to pay for the shots out of pocket or a percentage that wasn't covered. I spent about 40 bucks every time, and while it was expensive, there is something to be said about being confident with a clear face. Also, some doctors WILL NOT go that route. I have a good relationship with my Doc and he is progressive and open to alternative medicine and treatments.

I believe I took a small dose of Minocycline(sp?) at the time to supplement the shots....it was for a short period, without any side effects.

Anyway, Google cortizone for acne. By the way, CELEBRITIES swear by it. SOme of them go to the doc the minute they notice a pimple. They get an injection and it's gone in an hour or so.

Good luck...lemme know how things go.

-Cod ,"no longer the pizzaface"