Reviewer: mandy0530, 19-24 Female on Treatment for 6 months to less than 1 year (Patient)

Comment:
I have tried Accutance 3 times (currently on my last treatment). When I was 17 in High School I had severe cystic acne all over my face, chest and back. Took a very high dose(started at 60mg,by 5th month was on 120mg; i DO NOT recommend that)&my skin was like porcelain, absolutely NO acne. My back and chest have stayed clear to this day, but slowly my facial acne started to come back after 5 ... Show Full Comment

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I have tried Accutance 3 times (currently on my last treatment). When I was 17 in High School I had severe cystic acne all over my face, chest and back. Took a very high dose(started at 60mg,by 5th month was on 120mg; i DO NOT recommend that)&my skin was like porcelain, absolutely NO acne. My back and chest have stayed clear to this day, but slowly my facial acne started to come back after 5 months so I thought I would outgrow it,WRONG. I went on it again when I was 19, but due to my doctor starting me out at 100mg, I had severe side effects (tightness in chest and difficulty breathing)& stopped the medication 1 month into it. I am now 21, still struggling with acne, so I went to a new dermatologist and she has me on low doses for a longer period of time and the results are amazing. I still have 2 months left, but my skin has basically nothing on it. I can finally not wear makeup and feel pretty :) Common side effects: dry lips, face and skin. minor rash if in sun too long (ask doctor for a topical for rash if you get one) ***I later found out that the brand of accutane medication my doctor put me on the second time, shortly got recalled after I stopped it. ALWAYS RESEARCH YOUR MEDICINE*** The best advice I can give is to ALWAYS keep hydrating chapstick on your lips(I have cracked corners of my lips and that hurts), Use a gentle face wash unscented, and as much as you want to DO NOT PICK. The medicine will bring all the acne out of your skin and then dry it out like it is supposed to.
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Reviewer: danthaman, 13-18 Male on Treatment for 6 months to less than 1 year (Patient)

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Reviewer: jlfakir, 25-34 Female on Treatment for 6 months to less than 1 year (Patient)

Comment:
I struggled with acne from the time I hit puberty (age 13) until age 24. I had managed to get it under control during my college years but when I hit 24 my face broke out like crazy and nothing I did would make the acne go away. I finally broke down and went to a dermatologist who put me on accutane for 7 months. I'm currently on the last month of my accutane and so far it has been a blessing. ... Show Full Comment

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I struggled with acne from the time I hit puberty (age 13) until age 24. I had managed to get it under control during my college years but when I hit 24 my face broke out like crazy and nothing I did would make the acne go away. I finally broke down and went to a dermatologist who put me on accutane for 7 months. I'm currently on the last month of my accutane and so far it has been a blessing. My face is completely cleared up and I break out maybe once a month vs a couple times a day before I started accutane. The biggest side effects I've had are dry/chapped lips and sensitivity to products. I've been using aquafor daily and switched to Mario Badescu products that don't irritate my skin. In month 5 of the treatment I began experiencing dry skin and nose dryness (although no nose bleeding). I bought bio oil to rub on my skin for the dryness (and has helped a lot with acne scars) and put aquafor on the inside of my nose. While all of the side effects are annoying, they are totally worth the beautiful skin I now have. I highly recommend this product.
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Reviewer: aj5309, 19-24 Female on Treatment for 1 to 6 months (Patient)

Comment:
After trying many different topical and oral medications to rid myself of my acne, my dermatologist finally put me on Amnesteem. I wish he had done it a year ago!! The first month he started me on one 40mg per day. I was definitely feeling the effects within the first week. It started with bad headaches and a stiff neck, and it just kinda continued thru my whole body down to my ankles for the f ... Show Full Comment

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After trying many different topical and oral medications to rid myself of my acne, my dermatologist finally put me on Amnesteem. I wish he had done it a year ago!! The first month he started me on one 40mg per day. I was definitely feeling the effects within the first week. It started with bad headaches and a stiff neck, and it just kinda continued thru my whole body down to my ankles for the first two weeks. I started experiencing the dryness after about a week. I used Cetaphil facial cleanser and moisturizer, Aquaphor lip therapy, and Aveeno body lotion. Stock up because you'll need it! I never got bloody noses like some people mentioned, but my eyes were extremely dry so I didn't wear my contacts for long periods at a time. The second month, my dose was upped to two 40mgs a day. Definitely take the pill with a meal, about halfway through. I made the mistake of taking one without eating breakfast and had heartburn so bad I literally thought I was having a heartache. I was on Amnesteem for 4 months total. Have been off for a month and no sign of my acne returning. It definitely gets worse before it gets better and don't get discouraged with all the horror stories! If you really have severe acne and you want to get rid of it, you can deal with being uncomfortable for a few months!! It is SO worth it! The ipledge program wasn't hard to deal with and the blood work was quick and easy. Be smart while using this medicine-take no chances of getting pregnant please! This medicine, I promise, will get you the results you are looking for!
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Reviewer: catpawz, 19-24 Female on Treatment for 1 to 6 months (Patient)

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I started taking this drug when I realized that birth control pills just weren't cutting it anymore. Typically, I used the pill to prevent the obvious AND to clear up my skin. When it stopped working I sort of panicked and my skin just got worse and worse. I started breaking out in places on my face I never had in the past (chin area). After pleading with my doctor I got a referral and it took ... Show Full Comment

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I started taking this drug when I realized that birth control pills just weren't cutting it anymore. Typically, I used the pill to prevent the obvious AND to clear up my skin. When it stopped working I sort of panicked and my skin just got worse and worse. I started breaking out in places on my face I never had in the past (chin area). After pleading with my doctor I got a referral and it took the dermatologist about 3 minutes to say that I had adult acne and wanted to know what I had in mind to do. I made it clear I was done with acne and had tried everything (I have) and mentioned accutane or it's generic version. He agreed that this would be a great option for me so we started at a very low dose, 10mg. I have been on 20mg/once a day for 3 months and will be on it until July or August (5 to 6 months total). Since I am on such a low dose I don't experience the same side effects a lot of other people do. However, my lips are extremely dry as in NEVER ever moisturized. And it's important to take the drug with a large meal preferably dinner or else you may experience some chest pains as I did in the beginning. If you take the drug and are responsible about it you will most likely have an OK experience. But everyone reacts differently. My lifestyle has changed since being on the drug. These changes include more water consumption, better eating habits, more sleep and very little alcohol comsumption. The drug will definitely make you feel run down but eventually with more sleep I managed to curb that side effect. My face has cleared up considerably and since I'm not quite done with treatment I usually just put on a little makeup and BAM! super nice skin. The texture of my skin as improved quite a bit and I can see the drug working. I did a ton of research before I started the drug and I encourage anyone considering this treatment to do the same. Don't let the side effects discourage you but definitely keep them in mind.
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