Accutane And Infertility (Page 2) (Top voted first)

I took accutane almost 14 years ago as a teenager. I am now a 32 year old woman who has just been diagnosed with infertility that they believe is linked to autoimmune issues. I truly believe that accutane is the cause of this; from the research that I have done it seems that accutane has been linked to other thyroid-related diseases, but that they have not yet been able to prove a link between accutane and infertility. There are, however, actually more people like me out there than I originally thought. Being diagnosed with ovarian dysfunction has been a horrific, horrific blow. And while there was plenty of information about accutane and birth defects, no one ever mentioned a possibility of future infertility. I was a teenager! This is a tragedy and I believe something should be done about it. If you too have been affected diagnosed with infertility and have taken accutane, please email me. There are plenty of suits against accutance. If there are enough of us, we can come together to do the medical research and get the help we now need.

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Hi Doc,

This is Sara, the original poster of the first message in this thread back in 2010. I am politely asking you to remove yourself from this thread.

I have consulted with many, many doctors, most of them at a top-tier research facility and NONE of them have ruled out Accutane as a trigger in the condition that I have. In fact, a couple of them are actively pursuing the research that may someday prove that there is a link between Accutane and infertility. (I actually have a PhD as well, although not in this field, and I resent the way that you talk down to the rest of the people who post here.)

Your comments about WHY some of the folks on this forum have infertility range from thought-provoking and insightful to ridiculous and assuming.

Just to let you know (and because I was not clear in my original post). My ovarian disfunction is NOT PCOS, it is Premature Ovarian Insufficiency, the precursor to to Premature Ovarian failure. Additionally, after 5 failed IVFs I also have been diagnosed with poor egg quality.

And if you have paid attention to the posts here, you will realize that many of the posters here are YOUNG women with POI or POF.

Many of your comments have been about age and infertility. Well sir, advanced maternal age had absolutely nothing to do with my diagnosis nor a lot of women here. (I was 31 when I was diagnosed and for years was the youngest person in the room at infertility support groups.)

Like I said above, if you continue to post in the manner you have been posting, I politely request that you remove yourself from this thread.

Whether it sits well with your conscious or not, Accuntane already has been proven unsafe and linked to several health conditions. It's now just a matter of time before it will be clearly linked to infertility as well. If you continue to prescribe it, that is your choice, but there's no need to brow-beat the already-weary in this forum.

Thank you,
Sara

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Wow, I smell a dermatologist defending Accutane like it's her baby. You don't seem to understand. I had 3 pimples, the others had mild acne, and I am the one suffering with so many permanent side effects. The four others are just suffering from infertility and hair loss. We all were prescribed the drug for mild acne and yes, the insurance did cover it for all of us. I didn't say anything about acne and suicide. I said the drug damages your health not acne. But if you want to bring up suicide, Accutane causes a very deep depression. It messes with your mind and body in a way that is so difficult to understand unless you experience it yourself.

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I don't know why you continue to undermine the statements made here (except that i suspect you are working for a pharmaceutical company, or a dermatologist), but all the effects mentioned here have been documented as post marketing adverse effects of isotretinoin, and some of them are mentioned (or alluded to) on the drugs printed info sheets. "menstrual changes", reduced sperm count, hair loss, and many other things are documented effects of isotretinoin. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of people who experience these effects long-term after discontinuation of the drug. I'm really tired of you trying to discount everything people write here.

Not all the effects have been proven to be caused by isotretinoin, but they have been associated with it's use and some have a possible association and some have a probable association, and yes even some have proven association.

Yes, there are thousands (maybe millions) who do NOT experience long term adverse effects from this drug, but that does not mean those who are should be discredited, minimized, or condescended to. Rather, they should be empathized with, directed to others with similar experiences, and to published information/studies re the problems and their possible association with isotretinoin.

Anyone who reads your "name" knows you are trying to undermine reports of associations, you really do not need to shoot down every comment that is made.

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That isn't true! I am 1 half of a pair of identical twins .. Identical .. That's 98% at least, the same! We both had acne, and I'm fact mine was the mildest, but I was the one or bothered the most! I took roaccutane 2 or 3 times .. early teens and early 20s! I have stage 4 endometriosis and infertile. I had one pregnancy at 17 that ended in late miscarriage and although not been on contraception for over a decade, I have never fallen pregnant! My twin however has not only fallen pregnant looking at men, but has carried full term and has children! If acne caused or was the symptom of infertility then how did my twin have children!? My mother had acne, had 6 kids! I'm 1 of 5 girls, the only one infertile and the only one that has taken roaccutane!

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I took accutane for many months in my late teens for severe acne. My husband and I have been trying to conceive for over ten years with no success. I had one miscarriage, and we have been diagnosed with unexplained infertility. I'm convinced it's the result of taking accutane in my teens.

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Is there anyone on this forum taking actions against the drug company of accutane

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After reading all these posts. Now im SURE it was accutaine that has cause my 30 year old son to become sterile. I took him to a dermatologist so he could get severe acne under control. You have bo idea gow devastated our family is. Its just not Right!!! These drugs were prescibed to children and Now there will be No son for my son last in male lineage all for a acne medication!!! His was like mike absolutely not even 1 sperm. Nothing. They should be held accountable. It will cost my son and daughter in law Thousands of dollars just for her to get artifical insemination each try. They should have to pay for that. Prayers to all that have family that has taken this medication that was for pimples..... grief!!!!!! In JESUS name someone should do something. My heart is broken. ??

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No, I did not have androgen excess and the two males did not either. I guarantee you that the other two females did not have hyperandrogegism. I had three pimples and was given Accutane. Also, the other four people had mild acne as well. The dermatologists prescribe this drug way too often. Heck, one time of prescribing this drug is way too often. The dermatologists are clueless and don't know how this drug works. My derm just said it will clear up pimples by reducing sebaceous glands and basically it is just like vitamin A and no side effects will be permanent. Well, 5 years later and I guarantee you that my side effects are permanent. My hair is dry and falling out like crazy. I have low libido, genital numbness, dizziness, joint/muscle pain, GI tract problems, deep skin wrinkles, tinnitus, back pain, and a whole bunch of other issues. Do not tell me it is not isotretinoin. Most of these symptoms started during the course while the rest hit me one month after stopping the drug. It is unbelievable that this drug is given out for acne. This drug damages your health. Acne does not.

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I took Accutane twice when I was 20 and 24 and now I have an overian distinction and a failed Invitro. I am athletic and very healthy. I am the only woman in my family with infertility issue, I deeply believe Accutane is the the cause. Please!!!! Let's do do something about this.

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I am sorry Curtis. If you did happen to get your girlfriend pregnant in the future, you may have a perfectly normal healthy baby but there is no knowing for sure. This drug has permanent effects on the body and it is a tragedy that anyone has been prescribed this drug. A lawyer would be best to contact to see if it is even possible to sue Roche for your side effects. I believe the only conditions that you can file an Accutane legal case for is if you have been diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Ulcerative Colitis.

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It's time to coordinate legal action.

Who's with me? We need everyone to step up and tell their personal story.

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Hi everyone!

I've been coming back to this page every once in a while and now I really feel the need to share my story. I hope it can help someone else as well!!

I took accutane when I was 18 and after that my period got very irregular and then eventually just stopped. I haven't tried getting pregnant but I am pretty sure it wouldn't have succeeded if I would have tried. I am now 27 years old.

I developed all kinds of health issues during the following years after accutane (thyroid and adrenal issues, insomnia, mood swings, frequent infections etc.) and I visited several doctors and of course they couldn't find anything wrong with me.

Three years ago I did a hair mineral analysis and started following a program called Nutritional balancing. The hair analysis showed a lot of imbalances in my body, especially a copper imbalance, which is linked to hormonal imbalances and can also be the cause of infertility.

Now after a couple of years on the program my period is FINALLY normalizing for the first time since I took accutane!! Also my other health issues are disappearing. I do re-evaluations every 3-4 months and they show improvement every time. I believe accutane causes imbalances in the body that need to be fixed on a nutritional level. If you think of it, accutane itself is a toxic form of vitamin A and it makes sense it would mess with other nutrients in the body since everything is connected.

If anyone has any questions please don't hesitate to ask! :)

Here is a good introduction video on how to get started on a Nutritional balancing program:
Youtube: What Is A Nutritional Balancing Program?

Also, an article on copper imbalance:
drlwilson.com/articles/copper_toxicity_syndrome

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I took accutane for about a year 12 years ago, and my husband and I have been TTC for 3 years. We've had two miscarriages (took us 10 mos to get pregnant the first time and 1 year the second time) and a failed IVF.

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To Mike - My two sons now ages 29 and 30 took accutane as teenagers and now also have zero sperm count and no explanation - they have had all the tests - no chromosomal abnormalities, no genetic problems. I think we should contact fertility clinics and ask them to ask their male patients with azoospermia if they ever took accutane. In the literature that came with the medication it said it causes decreased sperm count in dogs and I saw another article that says it causes infertility in male hampsters.

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I would like to know if any action is being taken as well. I took two rounds of accutane in my late teens and early 20's. I tried for over 15 years to have children and was unsuccessful. The reason PCOS and egg quality. Infertility drugs and IVF were unsuccessful. We finally adopted a beautiful baby boy, but the years of desperation and depression were to much. We should have been worned about the long term possible side affects, I for one would not have taken it had I known.

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Unfortunately, we need more people and a lawyer who is willing to take this on. A lawyer could ask fertility clinics to survey their clients and find which ones had previously taken accutane. Without someone with the credentials to get the fertility clinics to cooperate we probably won't get enough people together for a class action suit against the makers of accutane.

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Reading this blog is really hitting home. For the past 3 years we have been dealing with loss after loss with no explanations. Finally, after lots of testing, I was diagnosed with premature diminished ovarian reserve. The RE is telling me I will not have a biological child and that we have to look into donor eggs.
I have looked into my health history and Accutane was the only thing that made me wonder, I googled it and found all your stories. I am livid that this was NEVER even mentioned as a possibility when using Accutane. We have gone thru so much loss and this is the only explanation for it. Has anyone contacted an attorney? I would be interested in speaking to anyone that has. I'm located in Massachusetts, US.

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Just because the eggs existed before accutane doesn't mean that accutane didn't harm the eggs. The eggs are in the body that consumes the drug. Do you not think that the drug can reach the eggs? Why do you think chemotherapy causes infertility and often women take out their eggs before chemo??

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I read about this study before it you posted it. It is interesting. It does bring more questions about isotretinoin and vitamin A derivatives and the role that retinoic acid plays in spermatogenesis than it does provide answers. Retinoic acid plays an important role in vertebrate spermatogenesis. This is established in research outside of the whole accutane dispute. From what I gather it is crucial in the initial phases where the specialized role of cells in microtubules of the testis is established. The Sertoli cells nourish the germ cells in the micro tubules of normal testis. Perhaps some individuals such as myself experience testicular failure following events that disrupt proper organization of cell roles in the testicular micro tubules. This could might occur through endocrine disrupters of LH, FSH, testosterone, or chemicals that occupy the receptors for retonoic acid. There is a window of time where this organization can be formed or malformed. My thoughts are that accutane MIGHT have disrupted my testicular function because accutane acts on the same receptor as the ones retinoic acid does so naturally. Please understand I am not trying to pity myself ... But I do want to find answers and I feel that there needs to be more research on male fertility. No I am not looking for a legal suit or to whine but want to know about how these things work.

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Doing a survey is a good idea. I will keep that in mind as a possible project. I am a researcher at university but I work in an entirely different field. Perhaps there is someone on this forum in a medical field who would want to undertake a survey to see if there are is an obvious relationship in terms of numbers of people affected by fertility issues and those who took isotretinoin.

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