ACCUTANE question?

Question

Guys, has anyone been or is on Accutane - pros and cons - only if you tried it yourself. I need to decide. And want to make sure it will help. I know nothing is 100%, but at least i need to have good chances for that. Will appreciate your advice and comments.

Answer 1

I was on it for about a year when I was 16.

It was great! At first my acne seemed to get worse, but it will do that. It cleared my skin up great!

But of course it has its cons. It can make you really depressed and suicidal. I was both. I was depressed the whole time I was on it and a couple of times thought about suicide. Thank god I had my family and pets around to talk to. I was always really angry and violent on it too. I actually (and I hate saying this) swung at my mother once and I was thrown out of the house for a few days. If you are a woman you have to take a pregnancy test every single month to get a refill and you have to agree to use contraceptive. I got on birth control pills. Even if you are not (or claim not to be) sexually active, they will still make you do this. That is because it causes EXTREME birth defects.

It's also very expensive without insurance. With insurance I paid $10 a month for it, but without it, it's about $1000 a box! It's ridiculous!

There are definitely some cons about it, but honestly, I'm glad I used Accutane. Getting on Accutane was sort of a last resort. I tried everything else, even getting shots of antibiotics directly in my face! That was SO painful. It can be really helpful though if you have bad acne and cysts. Email me if you have anymore questions. Good luck!

Answer 2

Yes very strong, you need blood test weekly, your trigycerides can shoot way up if not monitered, and the fact that your a woman, having babies is out of the question, but you already know that i guess. But let me say that my sister took accutane and years later she now has 2 healthy kids. I've personally never had symptoms of depression, just my cholesterol shot up high. Your skin dries everywhere...and I mean everywhere. It works really good. I couldnt find a zit anywhere. I don't know about getting worse before better cause I was bad and couldnt tell. I'm glad I used it, no regrets, only regret is not using it sooner. Blood work is just taking taking samples, no big deal. But it should be treated as a last choice. To me, it was a life changing decision for the better. Good luck.

Answer 3

I was on it about 7 years ago (I'm 30 now) and it definitely helped me. I also know a few other people that have been on it and it also helped them (actually don't know anyone who has taken it and it not helped).

But, here are the down sides... It is pretty expensive (as I'm sure you know), you have to have blood work done monthly (while on it) due to the fact that it is VERY strong and can damage your liver (so don't go to a doctor that says you don't have to be tested monthly because a good doctor will insist on it), the first month you are on it you tend to break out worse but all of a sudden you clear up and due to it being so harsh on your liver it does effect your urine tendencies. It should be taken only by those who have severe problems.

If my skin was bothering me that bad again, I would not hesitate to get back on it.

Good luck!

Answer 4

i used it about 18yrs ago when it first came out.had to go each week for a blood draw and had to limit dairy and meat products.i had to put salve or vasiline on my lips every night,because it dry me out so bad.my lips actually turned blue from being so dry.but it does work and is perminent. i an 33 now and have a pimple once in a while and no oily skin at all.but be careful.i hear there is suicidal thoughts,but i do remember some depression.but i was 15yrs old at the time,so that kind of goes with the age.good luck.

Answer 5

u must do some blood test to see if ur liver is strong enough.
the side effects r that it will dry up ur skin a lot,u must use lotions or creams. accutane is a good medecine and the results can b seen around 2 weeks .

p.s u MUST do all the test bfore taking accutane

Answer 6

i was on it, and it worked. it made my lips, skin really dry however, and i lost some hair. the pill (ortho tri cyclen) works great for acne, and it's not as severe. plus, they usually make you go on birth control if you take accutane because it causes birth defects, so might as well try the pill by itself first. you have to be on it for a few months to start seeing the effects, so be patient. good luck!

Answer 7

it does work , but a serious side effect has been reported. Suicidal thoughts(along with suicides) in some teens who used it.ask your doctor about it.