[ddqqww]

Ahh, what's your view on Accutane? I was going to go to a dermatologist to see if she/he can prescribe me accutane..
But then again, do I have to give monthly blood samples? (Gah, the needle..)
PLus how much is accutane? If you did take it, did it ever give you a more severe acne?

[big.bang.loves.me]

Hey there

I used to have horrible acne all over - my face, back, chest, and even shoulders, and none of the treatments would work for me. So finally my doctor prescribed acutane, but warned me about it first, since there are some pretty bad side effects to using it.

Before I took it they made me sign a ton of papers, and they also make sure you aren't pregnant while taking it, since it can be very harmful to the baby and cause birth defects (im just a teenager, and I'm guessing you are too).

Anywho, I started taking acutane and received remarkable results. Of course, when you first try it, it will cause you to break out even more since its cleaning up your pores and you're body is slowly getting used to this new drug. The bad part was that there were severe side effects. My lips would get extremely dry, and my face would start peeling with dry skin. I would also get bloody noses at least twice a day. There's even worse side effects such as it can damage your liver - which is in a very rare case. And I'm sure there are more side effects but you will have to go check up on that with your doctor.

Ahh yeah, that's another downside. You have to take blood samples every month before you get your monthly prescription so they can make sure everything in your body is normal and acutane is not causing anything harmful to occur in your body or alter your menstrual cycle.

Other than that, it cleared my acne amazingly, since I had been having acne problems for over 3 years, and it was HORRIBLE acne. The kind where you get dark red pimples(sometimes with puss) and they would hurt so bad that if anybody slightly touched them I would flinch. Since they were on my shoulders too.

Eventually, I quit acutane, and was only on it for about 3 months since I got very sick of the side effects. My course was for about a year, but I never got acne again on my shoulders, chest, or back. Sure a little pimple now and then, but never like the mass herd of them before -.- So it did help cure it, though I still get it on my face and I'm currently on another prescribed medication and cream from my dermatologist(obviously not as strong as acutane, its wayy down there).

I recommend that you DON'T use acutane if you're acne is not as severe, because it can cause some pretty bad side effects that can alter your system.

I hope this helped :]

[f0reveralways]

my acne wasn't that severe. but i got prescribed accutane b/c my mom pushed for it and both my older siblings were prescribed it.

but yeah, the monthly blood/urine samples are just like whatever. you get so used to it. lol.


if you're female you need two forms of contraception. mine was abstinence and birth control pills.


i don't remember how much it cost. my insurance covered it really. for some reason $10 pops into my head so i might've paid that much out of my pocket each time. haha


anyway, for my siblings, accutane pooped all the acne out on their face. so they looked like crap for six months (the usual length of time you stay on accutane). after the six months of crap, the acne just stopped coming.


for me, it made my acne go away while i was on it. woot. haha. it was only a temporary fix though. i got mild acne again maybe six months later.


but yeah, during treatment your lips get SUPER dry. you'll need vaseline 24/7. the corners of my lips would crack and bleed and it would be hard to open my mouth wide to eat b/c there would be scabs there trying to heal the wounds. when i tried to eat, i would pretty much just rip open the scabs again -__-

your skin also gets super sensitive to the sun. you should always wear sunscreen otherwise you'll burn easily.

[somebodyserious]

doesnt Accutane and suicides have something in common?

[ddqqww]

doesnt Accutane and suicides have something in common?

What do you mean..

[sillymeboy]

What do you mean..

Accutane can cause depression which leads to suicide, although it is rareeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. You should never worry about the rare effects as well they are rare.

[ddqqww]

Accutane can cause depression which leads to suicide, although it is rareeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. You should never worry about the rare effects as well they are rare.

Alright, but do I seriously have to go to a dermatologist to seek it?
Or is it on the shelfs like on wal-mart..

[webmagine]

okeh I can pitch in here.

was on accutane for about i don't know, 6 months. this was like 2-3 years ago, can't remember.

it cleared me up, but acne came back after maybe 6-8 months. face slowly started getting oily again and then the pimples came back soon after.

about depression, yes, I had a problem with that when I was on accutane and afterwards. well, not really depression, more anxiety. I had claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces) and agoraphobia (fear of crowds and situations/places where you can't get out easily). 2-3 years later, I still have this anxiety. It's manageable though..

not trying to scare you away from it. just personal experience. doesn't happen to everyone.

[Tamago86]

I took accutane when I was around 14, and my acne never came back
Yes you need to get blood tests every month
You will also get chapped lips a lot because it really dries your skin out
generally best to ask your dermatologist though..I'm pretty sure you're going to have to before you get accutane because i think it's prescription only, and they'll only give you the prescription after a blood test and some other things

[babiloveyoo]

Do you have to be a certain age to use it?

[Multitalented-ox]

I took Accutane, and am very, very pleased with the results. I think I took it.....2 or 3 years ago? I agree with the other posters though, it really dries out your skin. So if you decide to take it, don't forget to moisturize your face and lips! At first I was VERY scared of the monthly blood tests, however you begin to get used to them. In some cases depression can happen, this was told to me MANY times before I said I wanted to take the pill. However, it never happened to me =) (For girls) Another thing is yes, you need to sign a form saying you will not get pregnant and you will most likely have to go on the birth control pill....I found this a nice way to ease me into the pill so my mom and i wouldn't have an awkward conversation about it in the future xD

Edit: I was maybe 14/15 when i went on it?