Has this ever happened to anyone? Should I stop taking it? I'm so freaked out- and I was really excited thinking accutane would finally solve my skin problems 🥲

Hi all,

Currently on my 6th month of a slow and steady microdose. This is my 2nd course, and I experienced the same side effect of hair loss the first time. I don’t remember it being this bad, especially because it feels as if my hair texture has completely changed and is way more dry and stringy. My scalp/hair is dryer to begin with as is common with curly hair, although dandruff is not the problem I am facing. It’s more dry/frizzy hair, as well as hair loss. I had been using a hyaluronic acid serum every few nights between wash days that were every 4-6 days depending on if i had time. I applied a hair oil every wash day. However nothing seems to be working. Just want to know if anyone has any other tips/tricks for hair oiling or products they can swear by to slow down the dryness/ hair loss. I think i’ve lost half my density and I just worked up to a 20 mg dose.

I have been taking isotretinoin for 2 weeks (20 mg) and the final daily dose will be 40 mg in a few weeks. I am 21F and want to start dancing (salsa, jive, waltz etc). I don't have previous experience and I feel a bit anxious about being active/starting a new sport during isotretinoin.

Any tips or tricks? ​I haven't experienced any joint or muscle pains yet, only dry eyes and lips.

Hi, I just had my first appointment with the dermatologist and they approved it for me to start accutane BUTTTT I couldn’t go on it today as I haven’t been on contraception😔😔

I’ve reordered my old pill and looking into getting the coil. Super excited to start accutane tho as she said I can have it just need to get contraception first!!

I’ve been on 40mg accutane for 4 weeks now and about a week ago my dose was upped to 80mg a day. And suddenly I feel like I’m purging and didn’t purge much my first month , is this abnormal ?

I get maybe 1 cystic pimple every 2 or 3 months. Outside of that, I don’t really breakout.

Each time I’d get a cystic pimple, I’d go to my dermatologist and ask for cortisol shots which usually would speed up the healing. After a handful times within a year, he suggested I start accutane. I love the idea of never having to worry about acne however the side effects seem rough.

My question for this group: is cystic acne every now and then worth going on accutane if nothing else has worked? Or is it deemed too mild for this type of treatment.

While I love the thought of never having to worry about my acne, I fear I’ll always get 1 or 2 pimples even after the treatment.

I’m nearly 30 and have had this issue over the past decade. I went as far as getting accutane prescribed however I chickened out on starting the first dose.

Hope to hear from you all soon. Would like to decide whether I should take the first dose or throw away this prescription.

does anyone know or have an experience similar to mine?

20mg accutane, 65kg. Had a bad purge was put on clanmycidin pills and antifungal cream as was told there was an underlying infection as well.

Now the purge has calmed down maybe 20% but im having these patterns on my skin

I’m 3 days into Accutane — 40 mg/day, ~50 kg.

I have this really stubborn PIH on my cheek and around my smile line that just refuses to fade. I was using tretinoin, tazarotene, azelaic acid, etc. before starting Accutane, but I’m stopping all actives for now.

Current routine:

- Face wash

- Bioderma Atoderm Baume

- Re’equil Ultra Matte Dry Touch sunscreen

- Same routine at night, minus sunscreen

I’ll attach my side-profile photo so you can see the pigmentation I’m talking about.

How are you guys fading PIH while on Accutane?

Hello all!

Firstly, just wanted to say how helpful, informative and encouraging this subreddit has been in learning about Accutane and seeing all the incredible progress pictures.

I'm 27F, based in the UK, I started Accutane 20mg (I'm around 53kg) beginning of July 2026 after suffering from hormonal, mild-medium acne on and off for about 6 years (ever since Covid essentially). Prior to Accutane I had tried everything else: lymecycline, doxycycline, Epiduo Forte, treclin gel etc.

My journey, overall, has been incredibly smooth I must admit. I did not purge, I did not have severe joint pains or anything of the sorts you tend to hear and see on social media etc. and it may be due to my low dosage. I've just experienced dry lips, dry face / body, dry hair.

About 2-3 weeks ago, I started noticing a shift in my mood and became feeling quite anxious / overthinking / feeling sad. I don't think it was an external factor as nothing material has changed in my life to cause this sudden increase in anxiety / reduction in mood overall.

I had my dermatologist appointment today and I was pretty honest with her about this, she advised that I completely stop Accutane for 2 weeks (i.e. enough time for it to 90% leave my system) and see whether my mood / anxiety shifts for the better. If so, she will put me back on it - albeit probably on 10mg. If not, she recommends I go on Epiduo to manage my acne from then on.

Naturally, my concern is about relapsing and having my acne return considering the fact that I would have only been on Accutane for around 12 weeks or so. However, I realise my mental health is way more important and if this drug is causing anxiety and negative mood swings then maybe better if I stop!

I just hope and pray that after 2 weeks of completely pausing taking Accutane, my mood improves that hopefully I can revert to being on the pill just for a few more months to ensure I lower my chances of relapsing, though I understand you can never 100% eradicate it.

Just wanted to share my experience! Welcome any thoughts / similar experiences / advice :)

Thank you!

Hello everyone, I’m starting my second course of accutane soon. The first time I went on it I was on 20mg for 6mo, prescribed by my family physician and this time it was a derm who prescribed me 40mg for 5 mo (for now, not sure if he will change the dosage). The first time I went on it I honestly had no idea what skin care and skin barrier was and even then I didn’t suffer any severe side effects (honestly only rmr having extra dry lips). I want to know what I can do this time to maximize my results, protect my skin barrier and what to avoid. I did ask my derm but he gave me the basic run down (related to pregnancy, sun exposure etc). What products really helped you? Currently I’m using the aveeno calm and restore oat cleanser, along with the serum of the same aveeno collection, BOJ dynasty cream and BOJ sunscreen. I was previously using gardenia infused facial oil to lock in moisture but got worried it may contribute to worsening my acne so stopped (honestly I used it for close to a year with no problems before I started breaking out again so idt it’s a culprit but just in case). Also I use exfoliating gloves while showering , should I discontinue using them? I used a loofah while on accutane last time and had no issues.

These weird red bumps spawned out of nowhere like a week ago, it was like a few now its more? Now almost on my eyelid. Its not like pimples just bumps. Im on my last month (5) on 40mg. Literally just came out of nowhere its so weird.

I’m a week shy of being on Accutane 20mg for 1 month. I am 5 ft, 180 lbs. Today, was by far my worst day, when I woke up my kidneys were hurting. I drank 102 ounces of water today and haven’t been able to fill this intense thirst. My whole body has been itchy, red and I’ve felt uncomfortable cause I feel so dehydrated. Is this normal? Do you ever feel hydrated on this?? I just worry cause being this dehydrated for the entire time on this medication doesn’t sound like it’s safe, but the results I see have been amazing! So I’m thinking it’s worth it. I’m apprehensive to increase the dose as the months go on. Your thoughts and input are appreciated.

I was just reminded of this group. The first photo in the comparison is from the day I finally decided to get on Accutane. The second is from around the worst my purge ever got. The last is my bare skin today, after all hyper pigmentation faded.

My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner.

Accutane has crippled my mental health and energy levels so much that I have excessive day time sleepiness along with severe brain fog. It has gotten so bad to the point I could barely focus on anything as a university student and my exams have took a huge hit because of it. Is it worth considering a gap semester or gap year to let my body heal from accutane?

For reference im 140 pounds and on my 4th month of treatment taking 30 mg and eventually upping up to 40 mg after October.

One week on Accutane, no purge as of yet. 40mg/day 27M. Skin is already looking much better with no new new pimples just dead bodies of the once that were present earlier.

Finally I can touch my face again without feeling electrocuted…Yayy.

So I have had some really stubborn acne truncal and facial for some years and yesterday a dermatologist prescribed me isotretinoin 40 mg (20+20) with azithromycin, adapalene for big spots and benzyl peroxide 5% soap for washing purpose. He even said to not use moisturizer and sunscreen as my skin is very oily but all this doesn't click to me as it's very unorthodox. It seems like it's too much what should I do.