Hello,
Has anybody on here ever taken accutane or know anybody who has???? My son is considering it and I would like to talk to some people who has actually taken it.
Thank you,
Judy in Ohio

Hasn't it been taken off the market?
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/nov.../sci-accutane7

I know that there has been many lawsuits against for causing colitis and other serious problems. I would vote against it.

No its hasn't been taken off the market. You can't believe all of what you read online. Thats why Im hoping to find some actual people who have taken it.

Some people say there have been lawsuits and some people say there hasn't!! Grrrrrr!!!! What do you believe???? Who knows!!!!!! Very frustrating.

Excuse me Geeze!

My son took the generic form of it for severe acne and he didn't seem to have any bad effect from it. Matter of fact his face looks sooo good!
The dermatologist I took him to was very diligent about doing tests to make sure he was doing fine on it.

the one thing I think you have to avoid is being in the sun

That and if your female make sure your not pregnant or going to become pregnant as it could harm the baby. I think also they didn't want him eating alot of carrots but can't remember why. This was two years ago when he was taking it so some of the things I forgot.

My husband had two rounds when he was younger, and all three of my kids had horrid acne too.

My oldest (now 24) had the best luck, he had one treatment round and very good results. Worst side effect for him was dry membranes - couldn't wear his contacts at all.

My middlest (now 22) did two rounds, still has breakouts. Also did rounds of prescribed ointments and antibiotics.

My youngest (now 20) also did two rounds, and now on antibiotics, skin quite clear now.

All under very careful and close care - monthly blood tests, strenuous warnings and pregnancy preventives!!

I think my son had a couple nose bleeds but nothing that warranted a doctor's visit. He had only one round of it and in the two years since he's only had a couple break outs that were minor compared to before.

My sister took it a few years ago. It worked well for her and she didn't have any major side effects. If I recall correctly, her skin temporarily became dry and a bit reddish, but I think that was to be expected. It resolved itself quickly. She hasn't had problems with acne since then. :)

I do remember that she had to sign a paper saying that she'd been advised to ABSOLUTELY NOT become pregnant, because it could (as in "would" ) cause major problems with the baby. I don't know how or if it would affect males. (?)

Yes, I believe it was problems with the baby if you were or became pregnant - no issue with guys becoming dads ... at least no health issues lol!

alot of people I have "talked" to on line that have taken it have had great results. But some of them say that awhile after taking it they got coliotis (sp?), intestinal problems, bowel problems, etc. That is what scares me the most.
He has been on meds since he was about 14. He is now 19. He has taken antibiotics twice a day since about 14. He still has breakouts but they are better. Not sure what to do. One day we think its a good idea then we hear about bad side effects. Grrrrrrr Its a hard decision to make
Judy

It is a hard decision to make but one I felt worth taking the chance with my son. He was 13 in the 8th grade and getting picked on by other kids badly. I remember him coming home really upset because he had a pimple on his nose and everybody was calling him Rudolph, he didn't want to go to school the next day so I put some of my foundation make up on his nose just so they wouldn't pick on him. I decided that day that before he started high school the next year that he would NOT be picked on because of how his face looks. He finished his freshman year of high school with girls texting him all the time! It was success for us!!

My g-son took accutane for about a year or more. He has had great results. His acne was so bad. Playing sports made it worse, the sweating caused the acne break out heavier.
He got blood work each month before dermatologist would
renew presciption.
Be sure to use a preputial dermatologist. Make sure the blood work is done and checked each month.
G-son is much more confident in his skin. He is 18 and heading to college next month.

My daughter suffered with acne all through her teen years...we tried everything. When she was out of college and still having major problems, the doctor offered the option of Acutane. We knew it was high risk...and high price...but there were no other options for her. She took it for a 6 month period.....went in every month for her prescription, was evaluated by the doctor and had to take a pregnancy test before they would give her the next month prescription.
Long story short....it completely cleared up her acne...as others have said, her only side effects were dry skin. her acne has not resurfaced in almost 10 years. I would recommend it if you have tried all the other options.

I've battled bad skin since I was a teen. It's not going away even nearing 50 years of age. Accutane was an option, but it always scared me. The side effects were lengthy. Your doc should check your blood often and make sure it's not doing any damage. I think the side effects are somewhat rare. And most treatments are quick and effective. You don't have to be on the drug long. It works quickly. Do look into it though. I know depression is one of the side effects, which is odd, right?

I was on it for 1 round, about 6 months or so. I loved the results! The only side effect I had was drier skin then before taking it. I still had minor break outs but nothing like it was. Now I used the acne free cleansers from target and get great results. :thumbup:

I was on it for 1 round, about 6 months or so. I loved the results! The only side effect I had was drier skin then before taking it. I still had minor break outs but nothing like it was. Now I used the acne free cleansers from target and get great results.

Have a friend who has taken it off and on for several years. She has not mentioned any side effects. I know some MD's in our area require females to be on birth control pills before they will prescribe it. I know it is very effective. The teenage years are so difficult. I know this is a tough decision for you guys.

I know this may sound gross, but what about him doing a colon cleanse? out with the old, in with the new.

five years sounds like an awful long time to be on this medication. Sometimes side effects show up years later. Just my opinion.

I remember that " The Doctor's" did a segment about it, and they didn't say bad things about it...maybe look it up on their website.

My three sons all were on it with no side effects other than dry skin and some redness while using it. #1 so had acne something awful, no diet , antibiotics helped him at all. Accutane was fairly new then, so we tried it and it worked great. He was scarred so badly he even had dermabrasion later on to get rid of the scars. What a difference it made for his personality!! For sons 2 and 3, we just skipped the antibiotics completely and went right to the accutane, didn't want to have them go through the dermabrasion, it was awful. By getting an early start with them, they didn't have the same scarring and skipped the embarrassement. When GS started with problems, Dad started him fast. The dermatologist like to try all the other stuff first, (More money for them) but he did as we wished. Of course, they were checked monthly !! None had any problems during or after and all have clear skin. To me, after seeing how #1 son suffered, and the change in his personality, it was worth any risk .

My son took it for 20 weeks...the usual time is 16 weeks, but his was very bad so they gave him the extra 4 weeks. Our doctor also told us that you can repeat it, but not for 2 years.

I would say that it cleared up about 90% of his acne. But he had that last little bit that wouldn't seem to clear up.

Then after about 9 months it started getting bad again. Since I knew we couldn't repeat the Accutane just yet, I bought him ProActive. He used it for about 2 months and it finished clearing up the rest of his acne that the Accutane didn't take care of! That has been about 7 years ago and his face is still clear!

He had no serious problems from the Accutane but he said the dry mouth was REALLY annoying. His skin did get a little dry, but some light moisturizer took care of that.

To do it over again, I think we might try the ProActive first. Then if that didn't work we'd try the Accutane. The ProActive is definitely cheaper and has no side effects as they include a moisturizer for the dry skin it may cause.

Not affiliated with either ProActive or Accutane...just our personal experience.

Edited to add: We tried the antibiotic route before the Accutane and it didn't work for him at all.

My GF's daughter took it and it worked. I did not hear of any ill effects. I assume he has tried the topical stuff that everyone raves about?

Interestingly for me, I had bad acne as a teenager and tried all the Clearasil products on the market. It just kept getting worse. Come to find out many years later that I am allergic to Benzol Peroxide which is the active ingredient in Clearasil. DUH! Now salicic acid works like a charm (because at middle age, the acne is back. LIFE IS CRUEL!)

You have all been a great help. Im still not sure what we will do yet. I do know that the dr. will do blood work every month and from what the nurse said she is very careful. Im just worried about effects later down the road. Im afraid of stomach problems later.
If anybody else has any input I would love to hear from you... especially if you know of anybody who has had bad side effects from this drug.
Thank you all so much,
Judy in Ohio

my daughter was on it last year for 6 months. It has cleared her face up. The doctor was most diligent about monthly blood tests. like others, she did have some dry skin, but that cleared up once she was off the med.

My Dh is currently taking it. He's been on it for 3 months now, I think.
He has suffered for 37 years with severe acne but couldn't take it when he was still flying for the Navy.
It is doing a good job of clearing up his skin. He's dry and his lips are cracking but it's working so far.
He has to go in and do blood work each month before the will refill his RX.
I am praying this will work for him. Poor guy is a swimmer but when he swims he only takes off his shirt right before going in the water because of all the scars on his back and chest.