Do the benefits of accutane outweigh the risks?
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I think Accutane is great. I was on it for about a year when I was 16 years old and it worked wonders! It was even more of a big deal for me because I'm a female. I had to take a pregnancy test every month because of the horrible birth defects it can cause.
I also tried EVERYTHING and nothing helped! I tried antibiotics, topicals, injections (ouch!), and nothing worked!
I think the benefits definitely outweighed the risks (at least for me anyway). The only bad thing I can say about the drug was it made me pretty depressed, but as soon as I quit taking it I went back to my old self. Some people have been reported to attempt suicide and some people have actually committed suicide while on Accutane. It's a VERY powerful drug!
I'm starting to get acne again and have an appointment to start another Accutane treatment in August. It just recently started coming back again after being off the medication for 5 years (I'm 21 now). If you do get on Accutane you might need to repeat it in a few years because it can come back for some people.
Good luck!
My husband was on accutane because of his acne. Yes accutane did dry up the acne but now that he's been off of it for a few years, the acne is starting to come back. I do remember that he had to go once a month and get blood drawn to check his liver.
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