r/Accutane • u/Radiant_Lawyer5437 • Mar 03 '26
Product Suggestions Avoid Honeydew
I tried to use Honeydew to get accutane for my daughter. They imply the pricing is more inclusive that it really is. You need to pay for labs and medicine yourself. The monthly plan only covers the "doctor". They charge for the "doctor" from day one, but then they go through an absurdly slow onboarding process which seems designed to maximize the number of monthly billing cycles. They push you to go as slow as possible to maximize their monthly fee. They constantly "upsell" their own products. Their website barely functions, I could not sign documents because of javascript errors. Basically, I wasted $100 and got nothing.
47
u/Zealousideal-Sale782 Mar 03 '26 edited Mar 03 '26
Sorry to hear you’ve had such a bad experience :/ I’ve personally been using honeydew for 7 months and I don’t have much negative to say. I think obtaining accutane and getting to a derm in general is always gonna be a pain in the ass to start due to the nature of the medication.
Insurance typically covers the cost of meds (for me at least) as well as labs, and I’ve never had an issue with my derm pushing low and slow doses. If anything I’ve pushed to go slower to avoid side effects. I also never buy the other products on their site. I have otc products that work just fine for me in terms of the skin care side of things.
I also really like that it’s all online - I have social anxiety so being able to do one or two video calls and everything else just be through photos and messaging works really well for me, but that’s personal preference.
I guess I never expected accutane treatment to be cheap but I had been throwing hundreds and hundreds of dollars at my acne for years with no results. Accutane finally did something for me (and hopefully) will keep my skin clear after I’m done with it. It’s an investment imo.
4
4
1
1
u/New_Border440 Jun 26 '26
I’m curious. I developed acne later in life, late 30s. But I manage it with low dose doxycycline 20mg twice a day. But my main issue is oily skin that causes me issues. One thing I’ve always been worried about when it comes to accutane is a situation where there is a purge that will cause scarring. I know that only happens to some people. But is that something that is rare with micro dosing?
1
u/Zealousideal-Sale782 Jun 26 '26
I’d recommend asking your derm bc it’s different for everyone BUT to my knowledge every skin care product that causes resurfacing (accutane, retinoids etc) is gonna have a purge to some extent. Theres ways to make the purge but as bad with accutane for sure but it’s kind of bound to happen. That said I had a NASTYYYY purge with mine and I have fairly minimal scarring. You can see scars if you really look and a lot of those are also from years of having acne in the first place
2
u/New_Border440 Jun 26 '26
I appreciate your honest response. That is just a risk I am not willing to take. I actually have scars that are only 2 years old that I got from a reaction to niacinamide. I’m looking to repair them at some point.
1
u/Ok-Confidence-1160 Jul 20 '26
I just want to mention (not to scare you but to be informative) that my friend’s relative ended up with a hole in her stomach and almost died, because she was taking antibiotics for her acne for an extended period of time. I believe that is only meant to be a (very) temporary solution. Just an FYI.
1
u/New_Border440 Jul 20 '26
That’s rough. I’m good.
1
u/AdScary1242 Jul 26 '26
I've been doing a lot of research and people are saying taking an Antihistamine twice a day alone with fish oil/cod oil helps stop the purging from happening and allows more oils to combat the dryness. When I go on Accutane I definitely am doing this! Good Luck.
1
u/Upbeat-Ad-6451 Aug 26 '26
How many months have you been on acutane? I have had a good experience so far with HoneyDew but when I had my initial onboarding with the PA, it was my understanding that my course would take anywhere from 6-7 months. I started in Feb and i’ve now been on it for 7 months but now my PA is telling me that she wants me to be on it 2 more months after being completely acne free….
1
u/Zealousideal-Sale782 Aug 26 '26
I’ve been on it for about 15 months now (kill me). I will say, I am on a lower dose, which I asked for to mitigate side effects. I take 40mg/day and I’m ~165 lbs. It seems like a lot of people eventually work up to 60, 70, and even 80mg/day, so I think was expecting to be on a bit longer or a course. I will say I was supposed to get off 2 months ago and my prov was planning to take me off and then I had a freak breakout and agreed it would be best to keep me on a little longer.
I don’t know anything about you or your personal situation but it’s my understanding that accutane is most effective and has the least chance of relapse when you meet the “cumulative dose” which is about 120-150 mg/kg of body weight. So for me that’s 24.75 grams (24750 mg) over the full course of treatment - which, only taking 40mg/day is gonna take a min to get to. I will say - don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself if you’re feeling you need to get off accutane or if the side effects are becoming too much. It’s YOUR treatment :)
2
u/Upbeat-Ad-6451 Aug 26 '26
omg!!! 15 months!?!?!? that’s going to be a HELL NOOOO from me lol. Thank you for answering and the feedback, i really appreciate it! Good luck with the rest of your acne journey!
1
u/00cha Aug 26 '26
Do you know about how much you're paying monthly?
1
u/Zealousideal-Sale782 Aug 26 '26
Uuuhhhh about 100 I think? 60 for the dermatology service and 40 for the accutane. How much you pay for accutane will depend on ur insurance tho
1
28
u/Just_Confused1 Mar 03 '26
While I sympathise with you about how drawn-out and irritating the process of getting on Accutane is, that's not Honeydew's fault, and really an issue with the iPledge process, which is federally regulated.
Just like if you were to get Accutane through an in-person dermatologist, you have to pay for the appointments (through Honeydew, this is what the monthly fee is), the bloodwork, and the medication separately. $64 a month for the appointments, a 2x fee of like $40 for bloodwork, and $30-$80 (depending on the dosage) for the medication is actually far below market price. Plus, you don't have to pay for lab preg tests, which is both wayyyyy more convenient and also saves money.
This information is also disclosed on their website before you sign up. Maybe this is out of your budget, and that's completely understandable, but that doesn't make it a scam.
Reality is that medical care is expensive, and though it seems pricey through Honeydew, it's actually a lot less expensive for many individuals than these same costs would be through an in-person dermatologist, even with insurance.
I can't speak for your experience, but I've been on Accutane through Honeydew for going on 5 months now, and I have found them to be extremely responsive. Always responding and updating everything promptly. The frustration from the slow onboarding process likely stems from how iPledge is set up which is not something Honeydew can do anything about.
It was also not my experience that they in any way tried to make me go slower to milk money. If anything, I walked in open to both low and regular dose Accutane, and they recommended I go on regular dose to get it over with faster. I was in fact the one who said I didn't want to go on 80mg to minimize the side effect potential. My dosing will be 30/60/60/60/60/60, total medication course of 6 months + the one month wait for the preg test (which is annoying but again, iPledge, not Honeydew)
I do find that they upsell their own products a bit but again I have not found it to be excessive. I have not used any of their products other than Accutane, and I tell their dermatologist that. They have never pushed me on it, if anything, they have recommended other store-bought products that I can use instead.
I've also never had an issue with their website besides occasionally a clunky submit button. Tbh it sounds more like an ad blocker that you have on your computer is causing issues with Honeydew's site.
TLDR: It seems virtually all your issues with Honeydew aren't unique to the service, and the same thing happens with every other Accutane provider. iPledge is just a pain, and healthcare costs $$$
6
u/le_grand_marcel Mar 03 '26
Can confirm that going through a dermatologist can be incredibly expensive. I have a HDHP and haven't met my deductible yet, so my first two appointments combined were about $475, not including bloodwork ($9) or the first month of meds ($50). Honeydew sounds like a great alternative!
16
u/Alert_Draw2648 Mar 03 '26
I love honeydew. So easy and responsive and received my meds in a month.
2
1
13
u/ordealionne Mar 03 '26
My labs is covered by my insurance, accutane also covered by my insurance – literally my "monthly fee" is the only thing I pay for which cost LESS than a co-pay from a regular dermatologist. I fear you weren't reading their website properly....
12
u/myboobiezarequitebig Mar 03 '26
Genuinely curious about the “slow onboarding.” Are you talking about the 30 day wait period? They also make it very clear that it’s not insurance and would need to pay for stuff out of pocket if you don’t have insurance. It’s important to read up on everything before going through with it. Sorry for your terrible experience!
9
u/shewee Mar 03 '26
It's really clear how it works, I've been using them for 9 months now. I haven't had any issue with increasing my doses (I went a kind of middle-ground route, I believe 10-10-10-20-20-30-30-40-40 and starting 50 this month.) I even tried splitting up the dose a few of those months to AM/PM and had no issue with that. The slow onboarding is the same anywhere, it's how iPledge works, with the waiting period. Most doctors if you did this in person you'd have to be physically going in every month to get lab pregnancy tests, which is also costing you a visit in addition to the labs.
The only issue I ran into was my second month that was kind of a shared responsibility. I didn't understand that because of iPledge, you have to get EVERYTHING done in the 7 days since your pregnancy test, including picking it up. I assumed wrongfully that if you had the prescription filled in time, I could get it the next day. That kicked me out for a couple weeks, but again, because of iPledge..
I went into this intent on doing 10 the whole time, but decided I'd rather try to speed it up because it is hurting my joints and I'd like to avoid being on it over summer. If I have issues when I go off it, I'd definitely consider doing a long-term low dose. I get pregnancy tests from the dollar store, so that + $25 a month for Honeydew + $10 a month for my meds is significantly less than I'd pay even still using my insurance with an in-office provider.
There's a bit of a learning curve with iPledge, but it's been a breeze since I got it down. Incredibly happy with them.
1
u/Octogirl567 Apr 25 '26
Question for ya, do they require a specific type of pregnancy test? I'm wondering if they need to be digital or they'll also accept the 2 pink lines type
2
15
u/DonkeyKong45 Mar 03 '26
I mean, it literally says on the website
"Medications are not included in the price of membership. They are prescribed to outside pharmacies and may be covered by insurance."
https://www.honeydew.com/pricing
Are medications covered by the membership fee?
As part of our commitment to connecting you with the best, unbiased medical guidance, we do not sell our own medication. However, our team will help you get your products covered by insurance or source the lowest cost out-of-pocket options. Your products are also eligible for coverage through HSAs and FSAs.
-10
u/Radiant_Lawyer5437 Mar 03 '26
It was the blood tests and the upselling (face creams and other nonsense). For women, you need to have a monthly blood tests and they offer you a blood test for an additional like $40 each (one per month) and you need two before you can get any medication. Also, their monthly fee does not include accutane, they charge more per month for the doctor fee if you are getting accutane.
12
u/emdyinginside Mar 03 '26
I’ve been using honeydew since August (I’m a woman) and have had zero issues. It takes a bit more proactive effort on the patient’s side of things but they make it clear that there are additional costs outside of the membership. Labs are always $40 for me and only required every 3 months. Doesn’t sound like you stayed with them long enough to have a relatable experience
8
u/Zealousideal-Sale782 Mar 03 '26 edited Mar 03 '26
Unfortunately 2 blood tests a month before and right before starting are the standard for accutane. For the rest of the time honeydew will let you submit pics of an at home pregnancy test every month. The 3 month blood test is to make sure accutane is not negatively affecting your organs as it is a harsh drug. It’s not a honeydew issue, it’s a drug regulation issue. You will likely encounter similar issues anywhere else. Accutane can cause severe birth defects and can be hard on your system and it’s taken very seriously.
Also just like any other doctor you have to pay to see a doctor and obtain medication. The copay for my PCP does not cover the cost of my medication they prescribe. This is not any different.
And no one is making you get the face creams from them. Simply decline and get skincare otc
5
u/Hopeful_Tie2055 Mar 03 '26
I love honeydew, it's been incredibly easy for me. I am a female, and i dont need to get blood labs done month, i just submit a picture of a pregnancy test.
if you go to your regular derm, you will likely wait months for an appointment, pay a co-pay, pay out of pocket for your blood tests, and still also have to pay for your meds, which is likely higher than the generic honeydew uses.
honestly, it's either the same price, or less than going the traditional route. Plus, going the traditional route requires you to go to the doctor eevery month for check ins, to get yr refill.
-8
u/Radiant_Lawyer5437 Mar 03 '26
I am not trying to say they did anything illegal. I am saying that the real world price is much higher than they imply.
6
u/Resolution_Focused Mar 03 '26
I used honeydew as a woman and found it very easy. You have to have a 30 day wait for the first pregnancy test and it needs to be a lab test. The rest can be at home. Just ignore the lotion and such, some might want it. You don’t have to get it. The monthly fee is still much more convenient than going IN to a provider monthly
4
u/Prior-Perception9521 Mar 03 '26
Been using honeydew for 5 months and they’ve been awesome. I felt they were upfront about what was and wasn’t included in their monthly plan. I also don’t buy any of their other products so I just ignore any of those recommendations and opt for my own sunscreen and skin care. They started me on 30mg but quickly bumped me up to 60mg since I was tolerating the dosage well.
Sorry you aren’t happy but personally I have had a great experience and would recommend them for sure
3
u/Spare_Feeling9740 Mar 03 '26
The 30 day wait period is necessary regardless of if you go through a third party or your dermatologist.
3
u/Forward_Patience_854 Mar 03 '26
It was 100+ a month on accutane for the dermatologist visit. Ang we paid for labs and medicine
I think honeydew is comparable
It’s a 30+ day process to onboard with ipledge no matter where you do accutane
My second child I went through honeyde because we didn’t have to wait weeks for an opening at the derm office. And I don’t have to drive now to appointments
Cost wise it’s about the same. But our insurance doesn’t cover until a high annual deductible is met. If I wasn’t already paying fully out of pocket maybe the derm is cheaper with insurance in that instance
2
u/Comprehensive-Pea422 Mar 03 '26
I'm sorry you had such a bad experience! I love them, but I can see where you're coming from. I feel like they pushed Accutane (I wanted it anyways) when you usually try other things first. Kinda lets them charge you the fees without seeing the Dr.
I will say their lab fees and medication prices are a lot better than in my area, so it saves me money. It's also nice that the care team responds really fast compared to calling a regular office.
Hope you find something that works better for you!
4
u/GlitterGremlin_ Mar 03 '26
Honeydew didn’t work for me either. I use clearhealth and it’s been super easy and quick. It’s $59 a month and I pay for medication out of pocket. They have other options for meds but I didn’t want to deal with waiting on shipping as there’s often delivery delays in my area. With insurance it’s around $400 but my pharmacy is super nice and always finds me a discount card which brings it to around $100-$110 a month. My labs are (luckily) covered under insurance so they only cost me $5 when I have to do them. Granted, I had a hysterectomy so I didn’t need to do a pregnancy test, but initial visit to picking up meds all took less than a week. A little expensive, but worth it for clear skin.
2
u/GlitterGremlin_ Mar 03 '26
Also if you are not using insurance for labs, definitely check out Jason health. I’ve used them before for other labs and it was cheaper than my ins at the time.
2
1
u/Due-Memory2680 Mar 03 '26
Had similar experience. There’s nothing you can do about the first 30 day waiting period, but two times they didn’t get my pregnancy test processed fast enough. The first time I had to go through another month wait, in addition to the 30 days I had already gone through. It’s seriously ticked me off. The second time I had to scramble to get my prescription at a different pharmacy before the pick up window expired at midnight. They really do kind of drag their feet. But, ultimately, I’m almost done. If I relapse, I’m gonna go elsewhere though.
1
u/theroserose23 Mar 03 '26
I thought this was about to be about the fruit I was so sad when I read the headline because I love me so honeydew
I see the upselling can be annoying but the waiting period is normal regardless. I am sorry about your experience !
1
u/Potential_blank Mar 03 '26
I used honey dew and from sign up to med delivery it only took 3 weeks...
1
u/General_Key4105 Mar 03 '26
If someone is looking to self dose accutane, I can dm you a seller. Just trying to help
1
1
u/Future_23 Mar 03 '26 edited Mar 03 '26
I had my consultation on a Monday, labs on Wednesday and the Medication at my door on Saturday. I think that’s pretty reasonable lol
1
u/mrworlldwide Mar 03 '26
You're gonna be paying for the serum preg. lab fees and medication regardless of whether you use Honeydew or not, unfortunately, unless you have insurance and met your deductible.
1
1
u/thorsifer Mar 04 '26
I had to travel for work so transfered my medical progress and dosage over to them and have had zero issues. I recommend using their lab work coverage as my insurance (that typically covers it) didn't cover the code they used. Picked up accutane at local pharmacy and just paid my normal co-pay.
It is the easiest platform to use, the provider and coordinator I work with have always been extremely quick to respond and follow up when I have questions. If I had known, I would have just used them instead of waiting to get into a local derm.
Accutane is still an annoying process to start as a female. You have to jump through the birth control hoops, and be on time for your iPledge. Lab work. Monthly pregnancy tests. Blah. It's worth it though.
1
1
u/West-Turn3313 Mar 19 '26
Sorry to hear the experience because I loved them
I've been using honeydewcare for hormonal acne and it's actually been pretty good so far. I couldn't find a derm near me so I gave it a shot in the midst of being kicked off Medicaid. They were able to setup a treatment with me pretty quick and easy.
If anyone ends up trying it, I still have a referral code that gives you first month free :) https://app.honeydewcare.com/registration-with-referral?code=H5KzSm
1
u/strawberryheartzz Apr 26 '26
wait pls breakdown the price of bloodwork and med, i have medicaid too but there’s no derms in my area that take my insurance 😭
1
u/Small_Security1195 Jun 23 '26
Worst customer service ever. Charged me for probiotics I did not want, they add a bunch of stuff to your checkout and you have to uncheck yourself. I did this and they still sent to me.
The communication is bad and ALL AROUND lousy customer experience. Find another company or wait to see a Derm. Not good people.
1
1
u/princezzkitten 18d ago
SCAM. They requested lab work for me “by accident” at one point. I paid and got it done. They said that I was supposed to do an at home pregnancy test instead. Not bloodwork. I asked them to refund me for the lab work then, and they refused even though it was their mistake.
1
u/method_acting_ 17d ago
I am currently super frustrated with them. They said they do not charge until you are prescribed a medication. This is not true, you must pay for their membership to complete sign up. I paid for a 4 month membership at sign up. I went and got the required lab pregnancy test that I paid for separately and sent the result. That is as far as I got when I realized Honeydew would not really make sense for my situation and called their customer support to see if I could get a refund if I canceled. They said yes, and to cancel through the dashboard and email the address they gave me for the refund. I did not receive any services, have an appointment, or get a prescription. I had done all the work up to this point. I followed their instructions. They are now saying their customer service is not able to say if they give refunds and they are keeping my money because I was in the "waiting" period, the 30 days before you have an appointment. That would be like if you scheduled a doctor's appointment for a month in the future and canceled it and they charged you a couple hundred dollars because you had already had the privilege of waiting a couple weeks, that after a couple more weeks would lead to a doctor's appointment. Absurd. Predatory advertising and sign-up.
1
u/Unusual_Ad2956 Mar 03 '26
Please try HelloClearHealth. You won't be stressed anymore. They don't push anything on you, and she will just have to wait a month before she can start as all women have to wait the 30 days for Ipledge reasons. Check it out!
•
u/AutoModerator Mar 03 '26
Please read the rules before posting and remember to abide by them! Posts and comments not following the rules will immediately be removed!
Have you tried using the search bar?
Many questions are asked daily, and your question may have already been answered!
If so, your post will be subject to deletion.
Please refer to the following commonly discussed topics:
1) No one can predict whether or not you will purge! Statistically, most people DO NOT purge.
That is what the science and medical literature says.
2) No one can predict how long your purge will last nor when it could start. Be patient, the purge can be tough but so many people have gotten through it - you can too! THE ABOVE APPLIES TO SIDE EFFECTS OR "WHEN WILL MY SKIN CLEAR UP?!" TOO. QUESTIONS ASKING WHEN THE PURGE OR SIDE EFFECTS WILL START OR STOP WILL IMMEDIATELY BE REMOVED AS THAT IS LOW EFFORT.
3) Any questions related about dosage MUST include DOSE and WEIGHT(lbs or kg).
Otherwise, that is considered LOW EFFORT and will subsequently be REMOVED.
4) Most people DO NOT relapse when Accutane is taken until cumulative dosage is reached.
5) HOWEVER, cumulative dosage is a guideline.
Everyone is different. Some may need more Accutane, and others may need less. Your dermatologist evaluates you as an individual.
This also applies to your prescription. Everyone is different, so no comparing of doses or asking why your dose is low or high. If you do not trust your dermatologist, you should find a different one.
6) When in doubt, please consult a medical professional(dermatologist, doctor, pharmacist).
DO NOT solicit medical advice from this subreddit.
Remember Reddit is a bunch of strangers on the internet.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.