Accutane side effects

I was 23 (the recommended age range is anything past your teens) and took Accutane for 6 months. I was closely monitored by a good doctor and had no ill effects. I did have painfully dry lips (used Aquaphor, as many here did) and dry skin. I had to drink lots of water, but I do that anyway. My results were amazing, after 6 years on another antibiotic with a doctor who refused to prescribe Accutane. As long as you have a good doctor and loving family and friends who will watch out for any emotional side effects, don't be afraid to take Accutane if nothing else is working for you. Acne does NOT "just go away" for many people. I suffered from age 12 to 23, getting worse every year. I am 28 now and still have clear skin.

My grandson has been on Accutane for 1 week and has experienced fatigue, dizziness, loss of appetite and of course dryness. He is sticking it out hoping the side effects will become less. The doctor reduced his dosage from two pills to one.

dunno if its accutane as I TOOK A DEVIL CALLED CIPRO at same time as these symptoms.. left ear turns hot pink/red and burning..skin turns red easily and stays "indented" or imprinted with patterns..like from gloves, clothing etc...
dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) lost 20 pounds cuz couldn't eat/drink anything was even choking on my own spit for months thankfully thats better now, I wanted to die from that!

My daughter was put on accutane for about 4 months and WOW.....what a difference!! She only experienced the dryness all over from head to toe, but aquaphor relieved that. Her skin was clear by the 2nd month! She took 2 - 20mg pills a day for the first month, then down to one 1 pill a day. Her skin glows and is sooo clear!! She doesn't even get one pimple anymore! Along with the accutane, she used retin-A to reduce the blemishes...now have lightened up quite a bit!! She felt that bare-minerals make up was the best for blemish coverage. She stopped taking the accutane for almost a month now and we are just crossing our fingers that she stays clear!!

The only side effect I have experienced so far (I am on the second month) is chapped lips. I use Aquaphor and it helps a lot. The rest of my skin is no drier than before I started Accutane. I also had a mild headache for about the first week but that very well could have been my allergies. I haven't experienced any of the other symptoms listed and I actually feel better than ever mentally and physically.

Find a good homeopathic / natural homeopathic doctor and go on a diet instaed!!!!

I have always had really bad acne, and I went through all the usual treatments(Antibiotics, accutane....) never helped....
Now Acne is usually caused by some combination of these 4 ROOT CAUSES: Hormones imbalance, liver problems(actaully it could also be other sysetms that clean you body : lungs,kidny,stomach), unhealthy diet and bad skin.

now THE IRONY in it is:
Accutane and antibiotics could help remove bacteria from the skin but they completly fuck up you liver(among other thing). Now whats the point of cleaning you skin if more pimples are going to keep coming out because of bad liver?????????
Also antibiotics and Accutane make you skip MUCH more sensitive(Accutane casues dry skin for evrreybody!!!!!!!!) , so if you stop taking you medication the acne is going to come back 10 times worse cause you just fucked up you liver AND your skin..

SO you cannot reallt stop taking the Meds, kind of like who came first the chicken or the egg.

After my blood test showed that my liver is fucked I didI did the following things
1) Stoped taking any meds
2) Went to a Asian Doc that gave some pills to balance my hurmons and liver, it helped alittle bit, but I still head acne.
3) Then I went to A natural clinic(I think it was called True Star), the put me on a diet( No artificial staff,No sugar no spices no milk no bread products no tomatos dont remmeber the rest) Basicly the idea is they reintroduce all these food back into your diet to see which one casused the acne. I dont think I was diagnosted as "alergic" to any of those food. But my acne did improve becase of the propper diet.(Now I only try to avoid Artificial staff and pure Milk(for some rason cottage and staff like that is better for you ))
4) Went to a homeopathic Doc she fixed my liver and my acne went completele Away!!!!!!!!!!

I guess the lesson to learn is that it is always easier to go after the symptom (acne) with fast "magic" meds, but the right way to go is to cure the root causes of your ilness

I am a living Accutane side effect! Damn you!

After suffering from terrible skin from about junior high, I finally got a good enough job so that I had insurance to pay for a dermatologist. After heavy antibiotics and Retin A, I was given Accutane. In the next 3 months I suffered through: Severe dry skin and chapping, my hair fell out in clumps, my fingernails curled like parrot beaks, terrible muscle pain, severe depression (even though I didn't realize it until I was off of it), and of course the scarlet leather facial skin that "showed the drug was working".

Then after all that, shortly afterward my grandfather's Type 1 diabetes appeared in me (at age 40!). This warning about getting diabetes was NOT in the warnings that I had to sign off on then, but it IS now (funny, huh?). The kicker is, that after all that, I didn't even have acne. A better doctor correctly diagnosed me with Rosacea, gave me a simply lotion (Metrolotion), and my face has been fine ever since.

Stay AWAY from this drug!!!

I'm 16 and i started taking Accutane about two months ago. i was on the medication for three weeks and had to get off it. The first week i feel like my body was being bond into a rubber band ball and then being bounced around it killed but i figured it fade but then i was having suicidal and violent thoughts, i was short of breathe, crying daily, fighting with everyone, throwing emotional fits, blacking out, dizziness, headaches, hot and cold flashes, back pain, i was isolating myself, and blaming my self for everything. I also had the minor side effects of chapped lips, bloody noses, dry skin, and muscle cramps. Luckily my boyfriend noticed and told me to get off it.

Since I suggested the Burdock Root I think I should share some things about it. When you start taking it you'll break out more. At first. This is only because it's cleansing all the impurities out of your body, but after a week maybe 2 that will stop and your face should start clearing up. Make sure you take it everyday otherwise you will have to repeat this process if you stop and then start taking it again. I really hope that all of this helps.

When I was about 13 or 14 (somewhere in there) I took Accutane. I am now 24. I highly suggest that you stop taking this medication. Yes it does work, but there is a price to pay. Your mental health. People have committed suicide due to this medication, yet they still prescribe it? I wish I had known then what I know now. It makes your lips crack and bleed incredibly bad, you move your hand across your skin and you think it's snowing or something. Not to mention if you don't become depressed from this medication then you are one incredibly lucky and highly optimistic person. I had really bad acne on my face and back and I still have acne but not anything like what I experienced when I was younger. But like I said I wish I knew then what I know now. You may think I'm some heath freak or something. But instead of taking this incredibly destructive drug that you will most likely end up taking a anti-depressant. Go to a health food store and get some....

Burdock Root capsules

It will clear your face up, and then just use a regular face wash. Don't even use that drying Retin-A.

I hope that this helps. Good luck to you all. Hold your head up high, people should see you for who you are NOT for what you look like!

Where do I begin--I took Accutane when I was in High School--ended up running away from home twice, my lips were literally cracked and bloody all the time, my ears and nose would bleed from time to time, i was suicidal and totally disconnected from the world-i just wanted to die and wanted everyone else to die too-i really believe that God was the ony thing who saved me from this medication-, it hurt both me and my family and i finally ended up in a mental health care facility for about half a month-while they tried to figure out what was wrong woth me. mind you, this all happened before all the hype and research were made public about the drug. so unfortunately, they put me on wellburtin and it only made it worse--it literally took years to get that stuff out of my system. oddly enough, i have met people that didn't have an ounce of trouble out of it--so who knows--i still say its not worth risking your health over it-even though it did clear up my skin.

I went on accutane 5 months ago and it was a great decision. The side effects can be nasty though. I had really bad lower back pain (I literally felt like an old woman. Bending over was so painful as was moving in general). It is not as bad now though. Mood swings are another side effect. I am irritable on the medicine. But even so, I consider that a small price to pay to get rid of painful, embarrassing acne. I feel so much more confident and happy in general. The doctors are really careful when they put you on the medicine. montly (pain in the ass) blood tests, monthly check ins with your dermatologist, etc. If you have serious cystic acne (i'm not taking about a break out here and there) I would consider accutane as an option. talk to your dermatologist. Accutane works for almost everyone but beware of the serious side effects it can have: Depression, nausea, irritability, headaches, raised triglyceride and cholesterol levels, and suicide (at least according to the labels), among other side effects. If you feel depressed or suicidal tell your doctor and get off the medicine. But don't rule out accutane because of it reputation. I think it gets an unfair rep. Just use common sense just as you would on any other med. Good luck!

I took Accutane four years ago and was on it for about 6 months. My skin still looks good. I had minor side effects like extremely chaped lips and very dry skin. It helps if you use vaseline. I was pretty moody too, but that could have been from the birthcontrol they made me take. Overall I am glad I took it. Beware, there are extreme side effects. Some of my friends didn't have as positive of an experience.

Hair fall out, extremely chapped lips, vision loss (corrective lenses went from -5 to -9.25), mood swings, suicide attempt.

pressure in my head. disconnected feeling. stay away from this medication. dont let acne make you life worse by taking drugs that hurt you. ive been there, i know its hard, but just keep your head up and keep going, your acne will get better with time naturally. dont risk your well being.

While on Accutane, I experienced some minor side effects. My skin was very dry and sensitive. My lips constantly felt chapped. My eyes became very sensitive to sunlight, and I had a few slight headaches. I never experienced any unsual changes in mood or attitude, and I never experienced any cramping or nausea.