I am 30 years old and have had moderate to severe acne all of my life, starting from when I was about 12 years old. I tried nearly every topical and oral medication (both OTC and prescription) that was available and was finally put on acutane by my doctor, about 4 years ago.

I was on acutane for about 8 months.. During that time and for about 3 years after, I experienced an extreme decrease in the level of my facial acne, and have not had back or chest acne since I was on it (I actually couldn't wear tank tops or anything that showed my back or chest sometimes, for fear that people would stare at how bad it was).

Within the last year or so, I have begun to have facial breakouts, again, but they are extremely minimal compared to what I used to have (one or two pimples here or there instead of 3 huge ones in a single spot and they are generally related to the week or so before my period) and go away within a day or two proper facial care (basic washing with my everyday facial cleanser; I have not had to use any kind of topical acne medication in order to help the breakout go away faster), whereas my previous acne never seemed to completely go away.

While I was on acutane, I was required to be on some kind of birth control and take a monthly pregnancy test (acutane has been shown to cause birth defects) and I also had to have blood work done each month to make sure my kidneys weren't being affected. This was a few years back, so the requirements may have changed.

The only side effect that I noticed while I was on acutane was some mild to moderate joint pain, especially in my shoulders and back; just this random, achy feeling I would get every now and then. I was also told that I may not heal as well as I should, so any cuts would scar more, but I didn't notice this, personally (I actually had wrist surgery during my acutane regimen and do not think it affected the scar at all). Finally, I was told that coming off the medication would make my skin VERY dry for a few months, but I don't recall that being a problem for me, at all.

Acutane was very expensive when I took it and, after my prescription drug benefits ran out on it (retail was about $795 per month at the time and my crappy benefits at the time covered up to $1500 per YEAR), I ended up having to be part of a 'study' in order to get the medication. I checked with my prescription benefit company, and it looks like the retail has come down significantly (it looks like a generic brand is now available, as well; there wasn't one when I was taking it).

Despite the monthly pregnancy test, needle pricking, not being able to drink alcohol (acutane = bad for liver, so no drinking), and joint pain, my acne has NEVER been as practically non-existent as it is, today, after having taken acutane, even for the short period of time that I did.

I do not regret a single moment of it.

Yes, accutane is the only medication that can cure acne that's just the plain thruth. Unfortunatetly the drug does come with a large list of health hazards which is why it is only reserved for the real bad cases where the benefit outweight the risk. I took it too for 4 months and it did cured my acne. But a couple months after I had gastrointestinal problems, lost hair, a number of cavities in teeth. I recovered a good deal of it but still 5 years later I still have hair thining and shedding and I still have some gastrointestinal problems.

Should I regret? I have mixed feelings about it...

accutane isnt the only thing you can use for bad acne, i have acne and i recently started going to a dermatologist 4 months ago, at first they prescribed tetracycline which is an antibiotic which helps fight the bacteria but that didnt work for me (at the time i was also using differin) after about two months on that, the doctor decided to put me on accutane, and besides some of the side effects, it really works and i would really recommend it for your daughter. im on my second month of taking the medicine and i can clearly see a difference, and i feel so much better about my acne. (:

i havent even experienced very dry skin, i have had a few bad headaches, and the chapped lips, well bring chapstick with you everywhere, cuz it wont be that bad if you wear it most of the time.

i hope i have helped you.
(:

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I wouldn't suggest Accutane. I was on it from 2000 to 2001 during my freshman year of college. I thought about suicide all the time. My blood was thin, so any scratch to my body remained permanent. Your lips are chap during the whole transformation. My brother was on it, and he had colitis. He has is intestine taken out in 04'. He was on it longer than I was. It gets the job done, but you will have to pay the cost just like the rest of us. I thank God that I wasn't able to keep going back to the doctors office every month to give blood. It reduces your immune system. I would have a common cold for weeks. I almost quit all physical activity because of fear of getting scratched or injured to where I couldn't heal before the wound got infected. Social acceptance is hard on teens, but I hardly remember my grade school classmates now. I'm only 26!

I was on Accutane for approximately 6 months, and it worked wonders. I had been trying creams and antibiotics for years without success.

Side-effects were extremely unpleasant: bleeding, cracked lips, nose bleeds, dry eyes. Most have gone away since the end of my Accutane treatment, but the dry eyes never got better, I still have trouble with this.

Unfortunately, my acne has started to come back. At first it was just hormonal, but it is gradually worsening. It is, however, far from being as bad as it was. I have not yet returned to see my dermatologist. I took Accutane 2 years ago (I think).

For all types of acne related problems use herbal products. They are better than accutane because it has no side effects.

Today the world is shifting towards natural way of treatment due to harmful side effects of synthetic medicines.

Hi ,

I have had acne since I was 13, I would fluctuate sometimes get really good, and then get horrible again. I have been on every creme and gel and pill the derm has tried. I don't have horrible skin right now but iots annoying. I am almost 19 and still have this stupid insecurity. I am starting Accutane on Monday, I am reading all this and wondering if i made the right choice?? I feel like accutane is the last step and my derm wouldnt have reccomended it if I didn't need it. And if it was THAT unsafe I don't think he would reccomend it either. For anyone who has been on it what does it do to your diet? Gain or loose weight? and DO you get really depressed?

I had bad acne for several years. I went on Clarus, which is another brand very similar to Accutane (it's the same stuff). I should have gone on it a lot sooner so that I wouldn't have so much scarring. I took it for 6 months, was suffering from depression as a side effect, and I wasn't even noticing the kind of improvement that I was hoping for, so I went off it before my course of 7 months was complete. After I stopped taking it, my skin continued to clear up. I have been acne free ever since and even modeling.

It is really the only thing that will work. She should take it before she has irreparable damage done to her skin.

I find it interesting that this medication does not talk about "hair loss"...My son used this because of severe acne...At the time we had to sign waivers that it may cause this and a few other things...It was just being tested and a new product....Well it proved it's point...Absolutely no baldness in the family and by 25 he proved this could happen....

Caroline

You may want to get your daughter's hormone levels tested(especially androgen like testosterone) because many girls and women have acne because of hormonal imbalances which Accutane will not work for.

Accutane isn't always a miracle cure for people. There have been people who have taken Accutane and it never worked for them. I remember reading about a woman who has tried everything that you're daughter has gone through(this person is much older then your daughter) and decided to try Accutane as a last resort. Several months after the treatment was finished, she broke out just as bad, if not worse, then before. The reason this happened was because her acne was caused by too much testosterone in her blood which is why the Accutane never worked for her because it didn't regulate her hormones. She started taking Spironolactone(it's a weak diuretic as well as an androgen blocker) and now she doesn't have acne anymore.

Also, most birth control pills will actually make acne worse for those who have higher then normal testosterone levels in their body because it increases the amount of testosterone. Alesse is notorious for this. There are currently three types of birth control pills that have androgen blockers in them and that's Yaz, Yasmin and Diane -35. Both Yaz and Yasmin have the same hormones in them and Diane has both estrogen and cyproterone acetate in it. I've tried both Diane(I'd still be on them today if they didn't become so pricey!) and Yasmin, which did not work for me at all.

If your daughter does have a hormonal imbalance then she may want to look into these birth control pills or Spironolactone. I'm currently on Spiro for my acne and it's been working great for me.