Health Articles | June 8, 2008 If you have moderate to severe acne, or have mild acne for which over-the-counter medication has proved ineffective, then we provide a brief guide to prescription acne treatments. If you are suffering from moderate to severe acne then fortunately there are a large number of prescription medications available to treat the problem. Some of these medicines are applied directly to the skin (topical medications), while other are taken in pill form or can be given by injection.One of the oldest and most effective prescription medications used for treating moderate to severe acne is Accutane, which contains the drug isotretinoin. Today it is used by million of people to treat advanced forms of acne, including cystic acne.Accutane is a powerful medication and is issued under prescription because it does have a number of side effects and risks associated with its use. In particular, studies have shown that isotretinoin can cause birth defects and, accordingly, it ...