My Dermo gave me the option of taking Accutane, and I would like to hear, not what might happen, but what happened to the people on this forum. Please share your stories about Accutane has done for / to you.
Reply:Who's gotten their acne back even after using Accutane?
I've noticed a number of people on here who said they went through more than just one course of it.
Reply:understood Thank you for your story. I just dont think my acne is bad enough for it. Severe to the point of bad scaring, paint etc I could see taking the risk very much so.
Reply:Lkk2507 and IHATEACNE,
I took 3 rounds of Accutane within about a 8 year period. Each time I got off it, my acne came back, BUT it came back less and less severe each time. When I took Accutane for the very first time, my acne was about 40% pustules/big puss filled bumps and 60% hard, cystic, nodular acne, and I had it EVERYWHERE-face, neck, back, and chest. I had tried EVERYTHING. Accutane was a last resort for me. Each time I got off the Accutane and my acne came back, I went through the same routine-prescriptions, antibiotics, topicals-that I went through before going back on Accutane. Eventually the cysts and pustules became less and less severe and almost non-existent. Since taking Accutane for the last time (2000), yes, I still have acne, BUT it is now more of the pimples and small whiteheads. Yes, I do get a cyst usually around when my cycle starts or when I eat the wrong food, but Accutane jumpstarted my journey to clear skin.
As far as damage done by Accutane, externally, I have no damage. However, internally could be a different story. But this is how I see it-1)antibiotics/prescriptions for any type of ailment are gonna have an affect on you internally; 2)I knew Accutane had side effects, I knew what the side effects were going to be, and I accepted that and took it. I don't regret taking it. Bottom line-take responsibility for yourself. Educate yourself when taking a powerful drug like this one b/c IT IS POWERFUL!!!! Some people are so desperate to get their skin clear (and I know exactly how that feels!!!) that they'll take it without even considering the side effects and then later on scream and holler that they've been damaged, betrayed, lied to, and scarred for life. For those people, I have no compassion. You made a very swift decision without thinking through any consequences. Know what you're getting into before getting into it. Granted that there have been new studies shown about Accutane and some more of its side effects, but the main ones I hear people (not on this thread but on others) complain about are the VERY SAME SIDE EFFECTS LISTED IN THE PRODUCT'S PACKAGING!!!!
Sorry, I'm off my soapbox now.
Reply:I took it about 8 yrs ago and just now my hair started falling out – my dr says that may be the reason. My skin is just as bad, got better back then but was NOT A FIX, just a temporary improvement. So many of our family friends who are doctors STRONGLY ADVISE AGAINST IT – and these are top nyc doctors.
I would go another route – its just not worth it.
Reply:I have a guy friend who had no side effects except the dryness. I have a question for you all or those who have taken Accutaine and have had serious to bad side effects. Do you or have you ever had other serious medical problems relatated or not related to you side effects? ex if you have joint paint have you always had semi bad joints?
Also for those of you who took 2 and 3 or wherever courses of Accutaine and it DID NOT work, do you have like really severe acne?
wondering the very same thing presently. Im just starting it today and some of these stories worry me
Reply:I have a guy friend who had no side effects except the dryness. I have a question for you all or those who have taken Accutaine and have had serious to bad side effects. Do you or have you ever had other serious medical problems relatated or not related to you side effects? ex if you have joint paint have you always had semi bad joints?
Also for those of you who took 2 and 3 or wherever courses of Accutaine and it DID NOT work, do you have like really severe acne?
Reply:I took accutane 10 years ago twice. But didn't really finish the course when I should have. I think I took for like 3 to 4 months. My skin cleared enough for me to be happy, I guess and I couldn't afford to continue.
I am 34 now and had 3 lovely children in the past 7 years. I don't remember having any bad side effects except for dry lips, nose and eyes. Definately no long term side effects, as far as I can tell.
My skin has broke out real bad again and whilst I am worried about going back on Accutane again, I guess I am a little more assured of the side effects having been on it before and didn't experience any long lasting effects the last time. I hope it will be same this time round again.
Reply:I was on three large dose, 6 month courses of accutane from 1999 to 2003. It worked wonders at the time of use, but about a year after each the acne returned in full force. I have never heard of anyone having full blown acne return after 3 heavy courses of the stuff. However, this is not my sole concern. My upper back and neck pain (base of the neck) have grown during each course, and at the end of each have stayed the same never healing. The only time the pain goes away is during exercise or lifting, after which resting brings it back. As I type, the annoyance is there and gets no better even after physical therapy/chiropractic work. Next, I went to my doctor recently regarding blood pooling in my hands and accompanying joint pain. When my hands are down or by my side, the blood regulatory functions seem not to work and they become very red. As soon as I put them above my head, the blood drains out and they are white. The doctor seems to think the exposure to accutane could have something to do with this. All I know is that both of these symptoms were noticeably *worse* while on accutane, which is why I draw correlations. If I had permanently cleared skin, it might be nearly worth it to have the back of a much older person…but not even that has happened. I'm not sure if I would do it all over again.
Reply:My experiences are:
Accutane has caused significant long term adverse side effects to me (now 7 years after treatment). I can't go out into the sun without going red and getting really dry, every morning I have to go through a tortuous process of removing all the growths and flakes on my face that accutane gives me, which causes further redness and I can never remove all the growths. I feel old and tired all the time and I'm only 26. I never feel quite whole anymore.
Bye,
AA
Reply:I've been on accutane for about three weeks now. I've only gotten really dry itchy skin but I have moisturizer that took care of that. I didn't get the chapped lips but I'm starting to develop dandruff. My back has been hurting but I doubt it's from the accutane. And I have moodswings and I do get depressed but it just might be because I've been depressed before. Other than that everything is normal. I think it's all worth it since everyday it seems better than the day before.
Reply:oh ya i got a rash too on my arm, but this was quickly cleared up with a mild cream from my derm. It was basically just like an overdrying rash. Accutane is turns you into a sandman basically. These other things people associate with accutane I truly believe are coincidental. All accutane really is, is vitamin A, it just doesn't make sense. However, I'm no doctor. BTW, I know at least 6 people personally that have been on accutane with all successful results and from what i know no serious side effects.
Reply:dryness, night vision i guess, i've done two treatments and I still can have day and night contacts on for a week
Reply:I just got chapped lips and dry skin.
Reply:It's the long-term side-effects that I am more worried about, especially since I am 26 and female, expecting to start having kids in the next few years….
Sure, I had the cracked lips etc. while taking it, and it wasn't bad at the time, but what worries me more than that are the longterm problems.
When I took it I was concerned about what would happen WHILE I was on it. Now I am starting to wonder if taking it was worth the long-term risks.
Each to her own, I guess, but really think it through carefully, please!
Reply:I suffered a severe side effect from Accutane. I developed an inflammation in my colon after using accutane for 1 month and a half. It cost my family over 10,000 dollars! It gave me clear skin for 2 months and now the horrible skin has returned. But thankfully my colon has for the most part healed. Every once in a while it does cause a little pain, but nothing like before.
Reply:I had terrible acne, I've been on accutane for 4 months so far, and my face is perfectly clear now aside from some permanent scaring from the past. Definatly worth the risks in my opinion.
- Extremely Dry lips
- Extremely Dry Skin
- Minor Joint Pain
- Lots of nosebleeds
Reply:Dryness and joint pain. common side effect.
Reply:It was a temporary fix for me and looking back now, not worth it. Sure, I had clearer skin for some months, and I was psyched at the time, but now I am back to square 1. Another round of Accutane (as my derm so graciously reminded me is my 'last bullet') is completely out of the question in my mind.
It's just that at the time (of the severe cysts) I was so deperate to find something that would work, and Accutane was the last option. For some reason I believed that this would be a permanent fix. Wrong.
It wasn't even me, but my husband who told me out of the blue one night that mentally I haven't been the same during/after taking it. He said that he wants the old me back. He said that I am more depressed and "spacey". I agree.
I have also noticed my hair thinning.
I can't wear my contacts anymore, just glasses. My night vision sucks.
Just my story. Everyone has a different opinion!
Good luck with your decision.
Reply:The only things that have happened to me while on accutane:
chapped lips (went away about a month after I finished)
drier eyes (also due to contact lenses — my eyes are back to normal now)
dry nose (used vaseline to make it feel better — fine now)
dry skin (normal now)
itchy arms and legs (again, normal now)
And most important of all, nice skin!
Reply:I know that the risk of suicide, mental problemsis only about 1 percent. If you have depression in your family then its more risky. The most common side effect is chapped lips, very dry skin, 90 percent probability. There are digestive problems in about 5 percent of accutane users. My mom was against accutane as she thought it was too stong a drug.
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July 22nd, 2010 
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