Genuine Question: Is Accutane Worth It?

Did you find it effective? Were the side effects manageable? Any advice or insights would be appreciated!

Absolutely!!! I would do it again in a heartbeat, at the age of 17 I looked like I had smallpox all over my face!

I took it three times 20 years ago, and I am so thankful for it.

YES! Just some dry skin and lips… I took it when I was 35, wish I would have taken it sooner.

Are your lips and skin still dry to this day? How long has it been?

That’s the only thing that worked for me

100% was worth the side effects for me. It eliminated acne for life. While decades later, I still have acne-prone skin, the breakouts are rare, easily controlled and it’s usually 1-2 pimples at most that disappear within days. The most challenging side effect was dryness - skin peeling all over the body, extremely dry lips and even eyes for the entire duration. Some hair loss due to extremely dry scalp. And the other side effect is headaches but those can be managed with pain medications. I do think these days more skincare and haircare products would make dryness side effect easier to tolerate. The treatment is 3-4 months, it’s temporary. You need to be under doctor’s supervision - I recall there were blood tests to monitor liver function. After the treatment is complete - Retin-A is for life! Which is a good thing, and had no idea it helps with wrinkles until I got much older and accidentally learned about it. When you’re young, you only think of Retin-A as acne medication for teenagers. Thanks to lifelong Retin-A use, my skin face looks youthful even though not w/o wrinkles cause I wasn’t consistent with sunscreen until recently. Through the years I also tried Tazarotenr and Adapalene - they don’t even come close to Retin-A effectiveness, just less redness.

I was set to get on it but going on hormonal birth control cleared my skin up pretty quickly! I would only get on it as a last resort because the side effects can be serve.

Yes yes yes. I even had it twice. Without it, I would be still suffering from acne. But it also has side effects so make sure you follow instructions.

Yes. Absolutely. My one regret is not going on it sooner.

Yes ! I was on it for a little under a year only because of the side effects started to be a bit much then switched to spironolactone. In that short period of time, I do feel like it helped my cystic acne tremendously. I still get acne breakouts every now and then but it’s nothing compared to before accutane.

My severe side effects while taking : Extreme joint pain to the point that it was interfering with daily tasks, I could barely walk some days. . & I mean all my joints and even my back! Dry skin and lips weren’t really an issue for me. It was moderate.

It was a godsend.

Just adjust the dosage, it doesn’t have to be that high for many people. Also don’t have to have severe acne too. Matter of dosage

Caused my husband to be infertile!!!

There’s no credible evidence that Accutane causes infertility

that makes no sense, likely circumstantial evidence.