I had a question from a reader who was considering taking Accutane and whether I would recommend it.
If you have acne, you’ve probably heard about Accutane. This is a pretty messed up drug! Yes, it could clear your acne, but you may also end up with intensely painful bowels, severe depression, and a baby with a basketball head.
Watch my video below to find out why I didn’t take it and why you shouldn’t either:
Severe long term side effects only occur in a very small margin of the population. However, if you are interested in reading some real world experiences from people who regret taking Accutane, check out this thread on Acne.org to find out what happened to them. What’s scary is that permanent side effects often show up only after you’ve stopped the course of medication.
Have you been on or thought about using Accutane? What was your experience with it?
23 Responses
you end up breaking out? Is it severe, and how long does it last 🙁
You mean from the natural stuff? Not to worry, I should have explained that better. It’s not that long or that bad, maybe a few more spots than usual, but it’s actually a really good thing. I’ve just written an article that I will publish tomorrow that explains the whole the thing! Sorry to freak you out!
I am so grateful for coming across your website yesterday. I started doing some research on Accutane because I have been seriously considering it, and I found a lot of information that didn’t sit well with me. In the mean time I stumbled across your holistic approach and I feel like it was a godsend telling me this is the only reasonable solution. I have never tried to clear my skin the natural way because I have been afraid of it not working, but honestly none of the harsh treatments have worked completely so I know I have nothing to lose. This past month actually, I was coming off of my prescription topicals in preparation for starting Accutane because my dermatologist had mentioned that is a requirement for taking the drug. I am so glad I found this info before taking the plunge and I know that’s exactly the reason you made this website. What you’re doing is fantastic and gives me hope that I can cure mine the natural way. Thank you!
Awesome! I’m so happy I intercepted before accutane. I’m sure accutane works great for some people, but to me, it’s not worth the idea of possibly permanent side effects. There are plenty of lawsuits suing the company because of this! I’m super stoked that you’re going to try the holistic route. If you put the effort in, it will work for you. 🙂
In my opinion, acne is a diet and lifestyle related issue probably about 95% of the time.
4.9% of the rest is people who suffer from severe acne and have some genuine hormonal imbalance and they’re usually males. These are the people who truly need Accutane and having a perfect lifestyle change will probably make their acne better, but will most likely never cure it completely.
The other .1% are people who are just icky and touch their face too much and spread bacteria or wear pore-clogging make-up. These are the few lucky souls that have success with Proactiv.
The general consensus among “silly people” is that acne is a bacterial issue so if you get rid of the bacteria, you get rid of the acne, when in reality it’s an issue of hormones and diet in the large almost-complete majority. It’s like saying a broken leg is an issue of leg pain. I mean, yeah that is the case, but there’s obviously more to the story and that’s just one tiny part of the big picture.
Until modern medicine begins to admit it screwed up and made a premature decision that all acne=bacterial blah blah, acne won’t ever be considered a serious medical condition that needs to be treated holistically before prescription anything is considered.
In Accutane’s defense (pun totally unintended,) the majority of lawsuits against them are by greedy, negligence, ambulance chaser lawyers. Yes, it’s a very serious drug that must be scrutinized and every possible step on the acne solution ladder must be taken and exhausted before getting a prescription. If after all that the person still has persistent acne, it’s probably a hormonal issue. But it’s also a drug that’s changed countless lives for the better and if someone weighs the risks against the benefits and chooses to go with Accutane, I personally can’t fault them. After all a 90% success rate is pretty good for anything. However, it’s extremely DANGEROUS AND FOOLISH to rush into taking Accutane before trying everything else. There’s a reason our parents put training wheels on our bike when we were young.
I’m not sure. I mean, I know teenagers get acne due to out of whack hormones, but hormones are influenced by diet and lifestyle.
I admit though, if you are a teenage male with very severe acne, it will be more difficult to get rid of it through lifestyle until you grow out of the hormone surge. Not to say it’s impossible, but definitely more difficult. I still think the severity of it could be brought down.
I know that Accutane has helped many people… and I’ve noticed that those people on youtube get really annoyed with videos like this one! ha. I just want people to think about it seriously before they rush into it. I’m not a big fan of ANY prescription drugs, even ones much more mild than this, so there’s no question I’m going to have bad things to say about it.
[..YouTube..] hi chik.. very informative video i enjoyed it, but i definitely think that u gave a very one sided review of the drug without having tried it urself. Speaking as a past user, i think u exaggerated some of the side effects because if ur taking them most people are getting monitored regularly to spot signs of any anomalies early [i.e liver failure] dats just my opinion.. so anyways thumbs up for the vid all the same x
Hi!
I know Accutane has helped a lot of people, and I’m sure that it’s more common than not that users of the drug don’t end up with serious side effects. But a lot of people have, and it’s a gamble to take it. I don’t even like mild prescription drugs, so I’m not going to recommend one that has the potential to give you permanent problems, even if the chance is small. I just want people to really think about it, long and hard, before they rush into it, that’s all 🙂
[..YouTube..] im doing okay!!!!
[..YouTube..] great advice!
first thing my doctor told me was to give me topicals or oral pills for my acne. then she suggested accutane…she prescribed me spectrogel and Differin. then i went to the health food store and got manuka honey! I’m gonna try it out tracy 🙂 I hope this works for me
Haha that’s happened to me before… I got desperate and went to the doctor just to see what they said… of course, he sent me away with birth control pills and a prescription for differin (although he seemed keen to give me accutane if I wanted, and my acne wasn’t even severe then! I was kind of shocked). I filled both prescriptions, but I just couldn’t bring myself to use them. Anyway, good for you Danielle… I’ve never actually tried manuka honey myself, but I’d love to one day soon! Let me know how it goes ♥
There is this youtube user called ”FireYourDoctor” who took accutane 6 years ago, he took the drug for about.. 3 months. And the thing is.. He still suffer from the side-effects from accutane today. And it’s literally killing him. You should check his youtube out, he discusses the stuff on why people shouldn’t take this drug, and how strong the side-effects are.
There was a video of him where he started to cry all over because of the side-effects. It really broke my heart to see him like that. You should check his youtube channel out and see. o;
That’s sad 🙁 I’m glad he’s sharing though.
I know Accutane in most cases doesn’t have any serious consequences and may be the shining saviour in your misery with acne….. but… it’s just… what if you WERE one of the unlucky ones with the lasting side effects??? how awful.
Yeah.. It’s sad alright, I sent him a message telling him that things are going to get better.. Although it’s hard to believe that since he’s still suffering from the side effects to this day today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4LBv-yLKX8&list=UUyXhKVJU08AldNPd_JDUzDQ&index=35&feature=plcp
Is the youtube video I talked about, it really tears your heart apart when you get to the end and he says the last words. ;(
I think you should watch some of his videos where he talks about accutane and some of the stuff it does to the body. Since he’s a suffer from the side-effects.. He probably researched the hell out of it. 🙂
I watched the video 🙁
So terrible. Maybe I should ask him if he wants to do a guest post or guest video for my blog.
Yeah.. Most people who have acne (mild, moderate or severe) tend to say stuff like ”I would do anything not to have acne anymore” But this guy said the complete opposite, I never knew the side effects of accutane could be so strong yet also so mentally damaging.
It’s sad though, acne is a skin disease pretty much. Yet our society has evolved to something where you have to look at your best most of the time.. It’s sad really.
I think you should contact him. 🙂 It would probably cheer him up, knowing that he might be able to warn other people not to give into this dangerous drug. 🙂
Eighty thousand iu of vitamin a is working for me. I use linsinoh pure lanolin for my chapped lips. Nothing else worked. Lansinoh is for breastfeeding moms cracked nipples and it’s incredible. Gary null’s complete guide to health says one hundred thousand iu vit a can cure acne in three to six months. My acne is not only healing but my skin is actually more supple and prettier. Im taking fifty mg of chelated zinc and cod liver oil as well. This site helped me a lot and i had to share and return the favor.
Ps the reason i put my comment here is because my dr said i could go on accutane. I have more of a problem with the expense and the ipromise bs they make girls sign. Like we are morons. I came up with my own cheaper and safer alternative. Accutane is vitamin a derived. Why not just figure out the correct dose of vitamin a for you? I am suspecting acne may partly be due to vit a deficiency. Dermatologists would lose a lot of money if people knew this. My acne has been worst at times i drank a lot. Alcohol causes vit a to drain. Maybe its hard to get the levels back up. Accutane worked for me as a kid. The vitamin a seems to be doing the same thing for twenty bucks a month rather than a thousand.
Hi Hannah, I’ve heard of this before – are you using a natural vitamin A or a synthetic version?
I appreciate that you try and help people with acne. I really do. For a long time I followed a lot of your videos and articles, tried the different supplements that you suggested, did the hobo regime, tried different natural oils, ate a vegan gluten free diet, did the Candida cleanse, stopped wearing make up, etc . None of it made my acne get better at all. It’s not until I went to a dermatologist and began a medication called spironolactone that I got results and clear skin. I feel that you use fear tactics and make claims not backed by anything other than your own opinion. Yes, accutane causes birth defects. That is why there is a program that everyone has to go in called iPledge which requires you to be in two forms of birth control. Yes. It’s a bad thing to put in your body, but it is a personal decision. Acne permanently disfigures people. Acne causes low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and antisocial behavior. I honestly wish I would have taken Accutane 7years ago and saved me all the heartache acne has caused me. Many people have life changing results. No one shoves it down your throat. Just look at YouTube and all the incredible a success stories. I feel that you try and emphasize that your website isn’t a scam to make money, but genuine empathetic people sharing knowledge. You seem to be pushing an agenda though. I tried so hard to be as natural as possible and eat as clean as I could and my skin was still horrid. Sometimes medicine is absolutely required and you shouldn’t make people feel worse for doing what they have to to get rid of such a horrid disorder of the skin.
You are making money on this website… how can that be trustful? I am seriously considering stopping taking Isotretinoids but I would be more convinced to hear from someone who is doing research pro bono and doesn’t make a business out if it.
Hi Ale, I see your line of thinking. However, when I made the choice to not take Accutane, an acne business was not even an idea in my head. The website, and then business arose from the path I took *because* I chose not to take Accutane for the reasons stated in this video. Anyway, there’s another story on my site from someone else who did take it, and a huge, huge long list of comments in the comment section from random people sharing their experiences with the drug: https://thelovevitamin.com/6863/dont-take-a-chance-with-accutane-i-did-and-im-still-living-with-the-severe-side-effects-years-later/