What to expect from Accutane, Roaccutane, Isotretinoin (deriviative of vitamin A, most effective prescription acne medicine)

If you suffered from severe acne that would almost disfigure your face, chances are that you have heard about the prescription medicine that is a derivative of vitamin A, Accutane or Roaccutane or Isotretinoin. I had suffered from moderate to severe acne all over my face at one point. And Accutane definitately "tamed" my acne for the most part. It didn't get rid of it completely, but made it much more managable.


You will have to suffer from moderate to severe acne before the dermatologist is willing to prescribe it for you. Most dermatologists here in the United States will only prescribe it to you when all other treatments and medicine failed So, it might take a while for you to get the medicine. If the doctor still refuses to prescribe this medicine to you, you should seek another doctor in your network that is willing to prescribe it to you.

Because the drug has some undesirable side affects, the dermatologist will verify with you about your medical history. If you are a woman, they would want to do a pap smear and check for pregnancy. No pregnant woman should take the medicine as Accutane causes severe birth defects. The doctor would also want to know about what other medicine you are currently taking. When everything checks out, they will most likely prescribe Accutane for six months.

Once you start taking the medicine, a lot of people experience side affects and clearing of the skin at the same time. You will notice that you face is a lot less oily and pores are visibly getting smaller. What I noticed with my course is that my blackheads all disappeared. This has never happened in my life before. Anyone suffering from oily skin usually cannot successfully get rid of their blackheads no matter what they use. But Accutane is extremely effective at controlling the amount of oil production on the face. Accutane dissolves in animal fat so you will have to eat some fatty foods for it to properly work. It worked almost instantly for me as I noticed less oil production and a decrease of the new pimples. By the time that I finished my course, people with really good skin commented on how nice my skin is.

Here are the side affects that you will experience over the course of accutane treatment. Everyone experiences very dry lips that cracks and bleeds. You will have to find a very good lip balm to keep your lips in okay condition (re-apply throughout the day). Some people experience joint pains due to the drug as well. While on the drug, the dermtologist would require you to do some blood work to test liver functions. It is important to stop drinking while on the drug because you don't want to add extra burden on the liver. There are very few people that suffers from severe side affects which include serious damage to the skin. You must carefully consider your situation and decide for yourself if accutane if worth a try.

I experienced almost instanteous results from taking accutane. My acne was so bad that it seems like nothing will ever work; so many pimples and redness made me desperate. Within a week of taking accutane, I noticed that there are no new pimples and my older ones are healing as well. By the end of my course, my skin was almost perfect and even my blackheads are gone. Ever since I finished the course of Accutane, I get very few pimples that disappear within a few days. Nowadays, I am older and my acne is pretty much a thing of the past with my acne skin care routine and products that I have been using. I am actually happy that I took the drug because I didn't have a lot of side affects other than very dry lips. My skin is near perfect and I am sure it would not be possible without Accutane.