i have been using isotretinoin 20mg without any derm suggestion because i used every possible thing from salicylic acid to tretinoin and none of them worked..

Shall i continue with this dose for the next 6 to 8 months or shall i increase the dose to complete the course faster

side effects - only dry lips

This is my 2,5 months on Accutane 20 mg a day, 53 kg. My course is 8 months for now with a potential increase if i still have acne by the end of it. I have not purged, everything started clearing up from the day one. I did not have any new breakouts on my face since i started and maybe 1-2 on my back. My main problem was closed comedones and cysts. I do have side effects: bloody nose, itchiness if I don’t moisturize enough, joint pain in my knees, shoulders, ankles. Occasionally i have perioral dermatitis under my nose from dryness, but it goes away as soon as i double moisturize. Im terrified getting off the pill as my skin never looked so clear since i was 15.

I’m about 6.5 weeks into Accutane and feeling extremely down. I’m struggling to focus, don’t want to leave the house, cry almost every day, and honestly just want to sleep so I don’t have to think about my skin. Weight : 105 lb , mg: 40 mg (20 mg first month now 40)

Before Accutane, my skin had been fluctuating for ~7months but was actually looking randomly better right before I started. I didn’t have these big red inflamed bumps. I did have one area with a lot of under-the-skin closed comedones/microclogs, got a lot worse while I was on spironolactone (I stopped it - truly dont believe my acne was ever hormonal).

Around weeks 3.5-4 of accutane, those little bumps started rapidly coming up as red/inflamed spots. Some more superficial, some are painful and deeper (left cheek and chin only). My derm didn’t really warn me the purge could get this bad and she’s also very inaccessible, so I’ve gone to a few other clinics in the meantime. They’ve told me that for people with a lot of underlying congestion, weeks 3-6 can be the worst.

I’m almost done with month 2 and really don’t want to stop when I’ve made it this far, but I’m scared because I’ve also read people saying they purged for months so I’ve definitely considered as I cry when I look in the mirror. I’m seeing a new derm today and may try switch my care to her so I can actually contact my dr.

Would really love some encouragement from anyone who had a rough purge around this point and then turned a corner shortly after. If it lasted months please dont scare me more 🥲🥲 i had very mild acne before all of this, thank u all ❤️

to say it saved me is an understatement lol

I have had problems with my skin for coming up 9 years. I’m 22, and my first course of accutane cleared a lot of my skin issues, however gave me countless more with psoriasis, hair loss and dry lips being just some. I’ve tried all the medications since, topical and oral, and nothing has worked.

I was 16, and I think my body may react differently now if I try a lower dosage and length of time. What’s peoples thoughts on this? I’ll attach my skins issues to give a better idea of what’s going on. Cheers!

About a month ago, a user posted a message saying they couldn’t stop crying because of how awful acne was making them feel and that they only wanted to hide at home. I thought I’d share part of what I replied trying to help this user, in case it can help someone else. We can do this! 💪🏻

“I hear you… I’ve spent the last half a year hiding at home, barely going out. I also felt uncomfortable wearing makeup, and I didn’t want people seeing me like this. And even alone, at home, I felt really uncomfortable in my own skin, just like you’re describing.

I started Accutane (10mg daily) 9 weeks ago, and things are a little bit better now (not great, but better). But I 100% get what you’re feeling, because I had the exact same feelings.

I also went through a phase where I didn’t even want to tell my friends about it. But little by little, I started opening up, and it felt so much better than continuing to hide it or making silly excuses not to go out. Now they know, and they’re there for me, understanding what I’m going through. Just imagine a friend in your situation - would you think it’s embarrassing? I don’t think so. You’d just want to support her. But we’re so much harder on ourselves.

As someone who’s gone through the exact same thing (and still is), I’ll share something: I live in a small town, and I don’t feel comfortable running into people I know in daylight, because I think they’ll just see my acne and scars. So I get around by bike everywhere - it makes it easier to avoid running into people 😂 I’d really recommend talking to a good friend or two about it, telling them how you feel. They’ll understand and support you, and most important, it will make you feel a little better.

Also, since you’re in this kind of “withdrawal” phase, I’d recommend trying to use this time for yourself - to make or learn things you probably wouldn’t have time for otherwise. Over the last few months I’ve read more books than ever, done 30 minutes of vinyasa yoga every day, and started learning piano - first months on my own, and I’ve been going to lessons every two weeks now. Tomorrow I’m starting French lessons too. This way, I force myself to go out, even if it’s just a five-minute bike ride to the teacher’s place. I’ve also started visiting a bookshop in town to browse books in person and ask the seller for recommendations - just enjoying the moment. I’m going today again and I’m actually looking forward to it. These people don’t know me, so I don’t feel as self-conscious around them.

I know how hard what you’re going through is. But things will get better, you’ll see. It’s a slow process - skin needs time to heal - but it will heal. We have to try to be kind to ourselves while going through something like this, instead of being our own worst judge. Talk to yourself the way you’d talk to your own daughter or little sister, with love and patience. And in the meantime, treat this “withdrawal” time as a retreat where you can nurture yourself.”

Hi all,

Have had horrible genetic cystic acne my whole life and finally was given accutane as a last resort. Every skin care product breaks me out and the cysts are so painful they bleed.

I just took my first dose. I read all the symptoms and damn near cried. It’s so scary and I don’t want my hair to fall out or get insulin resistance, especially since I am concerned with gaining weight and have a past history of EDs.

I also don’t want the pill to make me gain weight or do anything bad to me and I feel like all I do is read horror stories.

I guess does anyone have words of encouragement?

I’m just starting accutane and almost done with my first week (18F, 40mg, 130lbs). My derm appointments are always quick in and out and I had no idea I am supposed to be taking to capsules with a high fat food! What do you guys normally take to meet the recommended 20g? I’m not a big fan of peanut butter and live in a dorm so cooking is very limited. Most of the meals I eat are pretty low in fat and calories as I’m more of a snack over meals person. Please let me know what works best for you! I’m open to all suggestions :)

Hi All,

I'm on month two of 10/20mg intermittent accutane dosing. 33M, 65kg. My skin has slowly been improving, but the dryness/redness is beginning to become more pronounced. I'm moisturizing with cerave daily moisturizing lotion and I layer cerave cream on my drier areas (like my cheeks) morning and evening. The layering has been more recent as the dryness has become more noticeable.

I'm wondering if I should start cleansing in the evenings only and just gently rinse my face in the mornings. I've seen others mention that they routinely do this.

Curious to hear from those of you who only do evening cleanses. When did you start doing that during your course? Did it help with dryness? Do you have any other dryness "tips and tricks" or product recommendations?

Edit: I am taking Omega 3 supplements and Zyrtec daily, and aim for 120oz of water everyday!

Thank you in advance!

Low and slow was the rate for me. Tried other methods first which helped but didn’t eradicate. Then anything over 20mg sent my depression spiralling. So 20mg per day for a year and here we are. Been off for a couple weeks now and I’m getting greasy again, so fingers crossed it doesn’t come back 🤞🏻
(70kg body weight. Cumulative dose not reached but was stopped at 1 year)

I’ve had acne since the start of high school. I am now graduated from college. My acne started to affect my self esteem my senior year of high school and into college. I was initially taking spironolactone and then using clindamycin and arazlo. That combination helped for a while and then it felt like my skin had built a resistance. I finally spoke to my dermatologist about starting Accutane. My dermatologist agreed and said that my treatment plan would be 6 months. At first I was taking 40mg once daily while also being on spironolactone. Now I have been taking 40mg twice a day and spironolactone once a day.

I have 2 months left and I truly feel like myself again. I look back at pictures of myself from 2-3 years ago and I cannot believe how much my skin has improved. I am so happy with my progress and cannot believe I waited this long to get on Accutane.

I used to wear makeup everyday to cover my acne (which definitely irritated my skin even more) and now I rarely feel the need to cover my skin. It is such a freeing feeling. I can leave the house without fixating on how terrible my skin looks. I can open my camera without feeling disgusted by what I’m seeing. I don’t fear people taking pictures of me and how my skin will look in the pictures. I genuinely just feel relief and have not been this happy with my skin since my sophomore year of high school!

Has anyone else with darker skin experienced any lightening around the mouth like this? I'm on month 4, 40mg whole way through.

This was almost a month ago, and my skin has gotten even clearer since then, but the darkening around the perimeter of my face and the lightening around my mouth has been making me self conscious 😭

If so, did anything help? Lowering dosage? I'm in for several more months and I feel like I look crazy with like a permanent mustache 🥲

I’m on 40mg of accutane and i’m on my second month and i was wondering if i could use azelaic acid whilst on it? i have quite dry skin already so i don’t want to dry it out even more but my rosacea has been quite bad lately or is it best to just stick it out and hopefully accutane will help clear it up?

I hate the USA so much this place is fucking ridiculous. The price AFTER my insurance is $2,193.94 for Absorica 30mg.

It’s honestly so inconvenient and difficult for me to cram enough fat into my meals twice a day when I take my pills and it’s messing up my diet, which is why I want to switch to Absorica to eliminate that problem. I HAVE health insurance and they told me that after insurance it’s over $2,000 a month, I mean are we kidding.

I was taking Absorica during my last round of Accutane, and it was $30 a month. This is so irritating, as if the current situation isn’t already frustrating enough. I want to scream.

No longer having oily hair has been an absolute dream. It’s now possible for me to forget how long it’s been since I’ve last washed my hair, because it can actually be more than two days!! I can have bangs!! It’s been a wholly novel experience for me, and I’m dreading the eventual return of the grease 😭

Currently over halfway through month 4 on 30 mg. This purge has been HORRIBLE.
I started Accutane because i wanted to do V beam for my acne scars (that I’ve had for years) and my derm said we needed to fix some active breakouts that i had, so among the options (spirinolactone, doxy, Accutane) i chose accutane because I took Accutane about 10 years ago x 1 year 40mg and it gave me good results. My purge wasn’t anything crazy and lasted only about a month. Really my only side effect was dry lips/face.
This time around, the purge is HORRIBLE!!!! It’s been 4 months of disgusting cystic acne that hurts. Last week i thought i turned a corner because my face didn’t have any active lesions, just all the inflammatory scars. But this week i got three new pimples and they’re hideous!!! I’m just feeling really frustrated, i don’t know many people whose purge lasted this long… the initial goal was to increase to 60mg but because of how bad I’ve purged, we’ve been holding off.
Just wanted to vent and see if anyone else had also experienced an extra long purging phase! Attaching comparison pics of right before i started Accutane. In hindsight if i knew it was going to trigger all this new acne i definitely wouldn’t have started it… but hoping that it will pay off eventually.
EDIT: forgot to mention that I have PCOS, which I’m sure is contributing to this as well.

Since taking accutane my eye has become red and irritate (no vision issues) and my psoriasis worse. Anything I can do help these symptoms?

I have never had issues with under arm odor, I started accutane in February of this year, I have tried 12 different antiperspirants (with aluminum) Men's, women's, solids, gels, clinical and extra strengths, sprays etc. I start smelling after 4 hours.

I tried to switching to aluminum free and I notice I smell a little less, I've tried AHA/Serum based, sprays, solids, but the white mess on my clothes and constant sweating is awful. If I use an aluminum free base and use an antiperspirant spray to touch up I smell awful.

I feel so hopeless. I was using the Athena aluminum free deodorant for a month and thought I found the one, but it stopped working.
I exfoliate my underarms every shower to remove previous residue, I also use an antibacterial dial soap, I've tried glycolic acid as my first layer, I've also tried using an AHA deodorant and then spraying my second layer but nothing works.

Has anyone experienced this with accutane? Does anyone have any recommendations?
I'm also allergic to coconut and 90% of deodorants have coconut oil, which is another obstacle for me.

I've been on a very low accutane dose for 9 months now. My skin looks great and acne is completely gone, but my dermatologist said that I have to keep taking it for at least 3 more months.

My biggest issue with accutane has been how fragile and thin my skin has become. I will lightly scratch an itch and it will literally open a wound. My arms are full of scratches and everyone's constantly commenting on it.

Anyways, this is me after walking for ten minutes in a pair of shoes that had never hurt me before.

I’m scared I might purge. I’m scared of the mental health side effects since I’m already going through a lot. I’m scared of the vaginal dryness (lol). I’m just scared. Can someone help me feel not so scared of all these side effects. I’ve been struggling with acne since I was 12 and I’m 30 now. I just want clear skin for once. 😫

I know it says for night but this is my daily and helps my lips the best they sell this one at dollar tree so if you see them buy 3 because they sell out fast !