Accutane Long Term Side Effects (Page 5)

Updated

I have a son that took accutane 60 mg a day for six months in a row three years ago. Now after many trips to doctors over strange medical problems, it seems accuatne is the culprit medication that has caused servere joint and muscle pain, severe dry lips, redness in face, eye infections of own immune system attacking itself, systems of osteoarthritis in both shoulders, both wrist and right hand, blood in stool, possible hair loss, abnormal liver function test results in AST and ALT. My son went from being a high school football and track athlete while taking this medication three years ago to someone that is in constant pain just washing a car. After I have researched this drug extensively, I can't believe that the FDA allows this drug originally made for cancer patients to be marketed for teenagers with acne. All one has to do is look online what vitamin A overdose does to someone and then you have the results of what this medication has done to my son. This drug needs to be taken off them market ASAP and the drug companies that make it need to compensate all teenagers that they have possible ruined their future. Shame on them! What is going on here?

1933 Replies (97 Pages)

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81

Aidan, You really do need to stop if you in that much pain. Please, have you tried light therapy or diet..Your young and hormones play a role, and well having oily skin isn't such a bad thing. Many young kids and young adults have suffered bone, joint and muscle damage. Some have been disable at a very young age from this. I did post above in another post the information that Roche has printed.
If you mother won't listen, then take charge and say you don't want to take it anylonger.
Good Luck

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82

Thank you so much. I'm going to talk about it with her and see if I can get together with my derm. I still want to take this but only for one more month, not 5 more months.

This really helped me out a lot :)

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83

Listed below is what the generic version of accutane has done to my son. He was never told it was a chemo drug for brain cancer. At that point I would have questioned the doctor extensively and my son's outcome may have been a lot different it what it is now. He did not have brain cancer, he had cystic acne and the Dermatologist exact words to me were I have treated thousands of patients with accutane for acne. I have read thousands of other cases also on how accutane has help kids out with a bad complexion. All side effects from this drug, if any will go away after his 6th month of treatment.I have only EVER read in one medical book where ONLY ONE CASE of someone who developed ANY long term side effects from this drug. You will start noticing an improvement with your sons acne with in a few months. Are you ready to get started ? I had our PCP doctor tell us It's time your son goes on accutane, here is a referral to see a dermatologist, we don't prescribe in here in our office. They will be able to help your son out.

1) Bone and joint pain
2) Burning, redness, itching and other signs of eye inflammation
3) Scaling, redness, or other bulls*** with his lips

Then listed under RARE ( now rare means one out of thousands may have one of about 50 things listed, right...nope

1) Back Pain
2) Bleeding of the gums
3) Blurred vision or other changes in vision
4) Diarrhea ( severe ) Yesterday and most days with him !
5) Pain or tenderness, or stiffness in muscles ( long term treatment is how that have it listed )
6) Rectal bleeding

Under Incidence not known:

1) Bloating
2) Bone pain, tenderness, or aching
3) Burning or stinging of the skin
4) Constipation ( one or the other most of the time )
5) Dizziness
6) Double vision
7) Irritation
8) Joint pain, redness, stiffness, swelling
9) Loss of appetite
10) Muscle cramps or spasms
11) Muscle spasm or jerking of all extremities
12) Muscle weakness
13) Pain in arms, legs , ribs
14) Pain in chest, groin, or legs, especially in the calves
15) Pains in the stomach, side, abdomen, possibly radiating down the back
16) Redness or soreness around the fingertips
17) Redness or soreness or itching skin
18) Sensitivity of the eyes to sunlight
19) shortness of breath
20) Swelling of the eyelids, lips, face, lower legs or feet
21) Swollen, painful or tender lymph glands in the neck, armpit, or groin
22) burning, crawling, itching, numbness, pricking, pins and needles, or tingling
23) Continuing ringing or buzzing or other unexplained noises in the ears
24) Dandruff
25) Large amount of Triglyceride in the blood
26) Hair loss
27) redness of face
28) Unusual drowsiness, dullness, tiredness, weakness, or feeling of sluggishness
29) Unusually warm skin of the face
30) Sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips or tongue or outside the mouth
31) Sores on face that take along time to heal
32) And last but not least.... Fast irregular pounding, or racing heartbeat or pulse

Now is the time for us to come together and do what needs to be done to open up the public's eyes on this drug and it's generic brands like Claravis and Amnesteem.Let's find out why the generic versions of accutane are still on the market in United States. And if the makers of Accutane pulled their product from the shelves in 2009, why haven't the generic brands also been pulled as use for treating acne?

I had read somewhere where these drugs are causing more harm in teenagers then car accidents.

We can not afford to be silent any longer.

Supplemental drug details from: http:/­/­chemocare.com/­bio/­isotretinoin.asp

Accutane®

Generic name: Isotretinoin
Other name: 13-cis-Retinoic Acid

Chemocare.com uses generic names in all descriptions of drugs. Accutane is the trade name for Isotretinoin. 13-cis-Retinoic Acid is another name for Isotretinoin. In some cases, health care professionals may use the trade name Accutane or other name 13-cis-Retinoic Acid when referring to the generic drug name Isotretinoin.

Drug type: Accutane is an anti-cancer chemotherapy drug. This medication is classified as a retinoid. (For more detail, see How this drug works section below).

What Accutane is used for:

* Being investigated for use treating various different cancers.
* Treatment of severe acne.

Note: If Accutane has been approved for one use, physicians sometimes elect to use Accutane for other problems if they believe it might be helpful.

How Accutane is given:

* By mouth in the form of a soft gelatin capsule, capsule sizes are 10, 20 and 40mg.
* Protect capsules from light.
* Take capsules with a meal and a full glass of liquid.
* The amount of accutane you will receive depends on many factors, including your height and weight, your general health or other health problems, and the type of cancer you have. Your doctor will determine your dosage and schedule.

Side effects of Accutane:
Important things to remember about the side effects of accutane:

* Most people do not experience all of the side effects listed.
* Side effects are often predictable in terms of their onset and duration.
* Side effects are almost always reversible and will go away after treatment is complete.
* There are many options to help minimize or prevent side effects.
* There is no relationship between the presence or severity of side effects and the effectiveness of the medication.

The following side effects are common (occurring in more than 30%) for patients taking accutane:

* Typical retinoid toxicity: (symptoms that are similar to those found in patients taking high doses of vitamin A): Headache, fever, dry skin, dry mucous membranes (mouth, nose), bone pain, nausea and vomiting, rash, mouth sores, itching, sweating, eyesight changes.

These are less common side effects (occurring in 10-29%) for patients receiving accutane:

* Back pain
* Pain in muscles and joints
* Allergic reaction
* Abdominal pain
* Poor appetite
* Dizziness
* Drowsiness
* Insomnia
* Anxiety
* Numbness and tingling of hands and feet
* Weakness
* Depression
* Hair loss (thinning)
* Dry eyes, sensitivity to light (see eye problems)
* Decreased night vision, which may persist after treatment is stopped
* Swelling of the feet or ankles
* Low blood counts. Your white and red blood cells and platelets may temporarily decrease. This can put you at increased risk for infection, anemia and/or bleeding.
* Abnormal blood tests: increased triglyceride, cholesterol and/or blood sugar levels.
* Increases in blood tests measuring liver function. These return to normal once treatment is discontinued (see liver problems).

Rare but serious possible side effects of accutane:

* Blood clots. Blood clots rarely can lead to pulmonary embolus or stroke - potentially life-threatening conditions.
* Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) is a rare side effect. Mainly noted in blood tests that return to normal after therapy is discontinued. Rarely may be severe causing symptoms. Symptoms of acute pancreatitis include pain in the upper abdomen that worsens with eating, swollen and tender abdomen, nausea, vomiting, fever, and rapid pulse. If these symptoms occur notify your health care professional immediately.
* A very serious side effect that has been observed in patients that have taken medications similar to accutane for treatment of leukemia, is called APL differentiation syndrome. This syndrome is a reaction between the drug and the leukemia. It is preventable with proper monitoring and immediate treatment. This syndrome produces fever, difficulty breathing, weight gain, lung and heart problems. It is generally treated with high-dose steroids. Be sure to let your health care professional know if you experience fever of 100.5F or 38C, difficulty breathing, or sudden weight gain.

Not all side effects are listed above, some that are rare (occurring in less than 10% of patients) are not listed here. However, you should always inform your health care provider if you experience any unusual symptoms.

When to contact your doctor or health care provider:

Contact your health care provider immediately, day or night, if you should experience any of the following symptoms:

* Shortness of breath, wheezing, difficulty breathing, closing up of the throat, swelling of facial features, hives (possible allergic reaction)
* Fever of 100.5 F (38 C) or higher, chills (possible signs of infection)
* Having thoughts or feeling like you may want to harm yourself or others
* Difficulty breathing, sudden weight gain, swelling, vision changes
* Severe abdominal pain

The following symptoms require medical attention, but are not emergency situations. Contact your health care provider within 24 hours of noticing any of the following:

* Black or tarry stools, or blood in your stools or urine
* Unusual bleeding or bruising
* Abdominal cramping
* Nausea (interferes with ability to eat and unrelieved with prescribed medications)
* Vomiting (more than 4-5 episodes within a 24-hour period)
* Diarrhea (more than 4-6 episodes in a 24-hour period)
* Mouth sores (painful redness, swelling or ulcers)
* Extreme fatigue (inability to perform self-care activities)
* Anxiety, changes in thinking or mood, confusion, difficulty concentrating or trouble sleeping, aggressive or violent behavior, or suicidal thoughts.
* Depressed (interfering with your ability to carry on your regular activities)
* Ringing in the ears, problems with hearing
* Yellowing of the skin or eyes

Always inform your health care provider if you experience any unusual symptoms.

Precautions:

* Before starting accutane treatment, make sure you tell your doctor about any other medications you are taking (including prescription, over-the-counter, vitamins, herbal remedies, etc.).
* Do not take vitamin A supplements. Vitamin A in high doses has many of the same side effects as accutane. Taking both together may increase your chance of getting side effects.
* Do not receive any kind of immunization or vaccination without your doctor's approval while taking accutane.
* Inform your health care professional if you are pregnant or may be pregnant prior to starting this treatment. Pregnancy category X (accutane may cause fetal harm when given to a pregnant woman. This drug must not be given to a pregnant woman or a woman who intends to become pregnant. If a woman becomes pregnant while taking accutane, the medication must be stopped immediately and the woman given appropriate counseling).
* Because of the extremely high risk that a deformed infant can result if pregnancy occurs while taking accutane in any amount even for short periods of time, for both men and women: Do not conceive a child (get pregnant) while taking accutane. Two methods of effective contraception are recommended for women of childbearing potential, unless absolute abstinence is the chosen method. Discuss with your doctor when you may safely become pregnant or conceive a child after therapy.
* Do not breast feed while taking this medication.

Self-care tips:

* Take this medication at about the same time every day along with a meal that includes some fats.
* Avoid grapefruit juice
* Avoid wearing contact lenses if you have dry or irritated eyes
* Drink at least two to three quarts of fluid every 24 hours, unless you are instructed otherwise.
* You may be at risk of infection so try to avoid crowds or people with colds, and report fever or any other signs of infection immediately to your health care provider.
* Wash your hands often.
* To reduce nausea, take anti-nausea medications as prescribed by your doctor, and eat small, frequent meals.
* To help treat/prevent mouth sores, use a soft toothbrush, and rinse three times a day with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of baking soda and/or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt mixed with 8 ounces of water.
* When you start taking this drug, you may experience headache, loss of night vision, sleepiness or eyesight changes. Use caution when driving or engaging in tasks requiring alertness until response to drug is known.
* Avoid sun exposure. Wear SPF 15 (or higher) sunblock and protective clothing.
* In general, drinking alcoholic beverages should be kept to a minimum or avoided completely. You should discuss this with your doctor.
* Get plenty of rest.
* Maintain good nutrition.
* If you experience symptoms or side effects, be sure to discuss them with your health care team. They can prescribe medications and/or offer other suggestions that are effective in managing such problems.

Monitoring and testing:

You will be monitored regularly by your health care professional while you are taking accutane to monitor side effects and check your response to therapy. For women of childbearing age, a pregnancy test is required one week prior to beginning this therapy and every month during treatment. Blood counts and lipid (fats, cholesterol) levels and liver function all need to be analyzed before treatment begins and regularly during treatment. These are measured through blood tests.

How accutane works:

Retinoids are drugs that are relatives of vitamin A. Retinoids control normal cell growth, cell differentiation (the normal process of making cells different from each other), and cell death during embryonic development and in certain tissues later in life. Retinoids effects on the cells are controlled by receptors on the nucleus of each cell (nuclear receptors).

There are two major classes of retinoid nuclear receptors: retinoic acid receptors (RAR) and retinoid-X-receptors (RXR). There are also subtypes within each class. Each of these types of receptors has different functions in different tissues. The different retinoid drugs work by binding to different receptors; which, in turn, affect cell growth and differentiation.

Retinoids are relatively new types of anti-cancer drugs. They have been used alone or in combination to treat a variety of cancers such as skin cancers, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, acute promyelocytic leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, and head and neck cancers. Retinoids have also been used experimentally in an attempt to prevent certain types of cancer. There is ongoing research to determine their role in both cancer treatment and prevention.

Retinoids have been associated with side effects such as skin problems (dryness, peeling, itching, sun sensitivity), reversible elevation in liver enzymes, temporary abnormal lipid levels, low thyroid levels (hypothyroidism), and headaches. Taking supplemental doses of vitamin A may increase the side effects. Vitamin supplementation should be discussed with your physician.

Note: We strongly encourage you to talk with your health care professional about your specific medical condition and treatments. The information contained in this website is meant to be helpful and educational, but is not a substitute for medical advice.

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84

i was prescribed accutane when i was 14. i wish there had been this many resources on the internet then. i did try to research it by myself and found out it had not been tested on children. the drug scared me from the start... the pill package alone, with that silhouette of the pregnant lady and the international symbol for no around her. i told my doctor that it hadn't been tested on kids and he told me i was practically an adult anyway. at 14?!! come on! i had bad acne, but it wasn't cystic acne. anyway, i took it. i always had to have chapstick with me or my lips would crack and bleed. of course i was overly sensitive to the sun. i was on the water polo team at the time and we were at a camp all day, i had slathered spf 55 all over me till i was bone white and STILL came home with sun burn blisters on my forehead. accutane made me severly depressed too. i cut myself daily, attempted suicide 3 times. stopped eating regularly. i went on anti-depressants because i thought i was going crazy. paxil, lexapro, something else. those only made it worse. i failed more than half my classes. i had no idea that it was the accutane at the time, i thought it was me. i barely graduated high school, when i had always been an 'A' student. i was completely gone. i started abusing xanax after high school while i was at college. i dropped in and out of school. i still cut myself then. i had been off accutane for years, but i was still depressed. when i was 20 i read an article about a kid who killed himself on accutane and it clicked. i still resent the f*** outta my doctor for even suggesting it in the first place, but at least i found out the truth eventually. i hit rock bottom and had sort of personal moment. i stopped all pills and started using cannibus to calm the residual anxiety, nausea, appetite problems i still have. last spring i graduated college, high distinction. i have a full-time job and i am happy. and happy to live. oh and guess what? I STILL HAVE ACNE. granted its not bad, but still.

so please please please teenagers... ANYONE... DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG!!!!! and please don't give it to your children... not everyone can fight their way through. it almost killed me, don't let it kill you.

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85

I took accutane 10 years ago and have problems with chronic bone pain in my hips and neck both of which started shortly after starting accutane therapy. When I started accutane at 16 y.o. I was 5' 7 and I am now 5'5 and have very poor bone density. I have had chronic problems with IBS as well.

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86

Katie- I truly understand same thing happened to me. I not sure what you have been doing for the bone problems, hopefully you have gotten your Vit D, Calcium, Parathyroid and hormones checked. I take a special calcium for the severe osteopenia I was left with...called bone builder along with Vit D. There are support groups out there that have great suggestions for rebuilding the bone, your not to old yet for that. Try and stay away from biophosphates if you can....
Hope this helps

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87

I posted a week or so ago and now have my tests back.....all okay but I discussed my severe withdrawal symptoms with my Dr and she said they sounded similar to Heroin withdrawal and that I am breaking new ground with this type of withdrawal for an older person. I strongly suggest to anyone, particularly younger people NOTHING is worth living in pain whilst on tablets and even worse coming off it.....6 months of my life in pain.... seems to have fixed my face but my Dr also said Rouaccutane (Aussie name) can stay in your system for years. Not worth it!!!

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88

Accutane has destroyed my life. I am 41 and took accutane for 6 months 4 years ago...to make a long story short i literally crawled through my home with pain. i have two young girls and thankfully a great husband. i have had to completely alter my diet to egg wheat and dairy freee to function. my face is still red all the time and i could use eyedrops all day and still have red eyes. my chronic constipatition is unbearable and i still have breakouts...to cap it all off i also used botox which also is another drug that should be pulled from the market..icould have died with the chest pains i have experienced...please never take this drug just drink tons of water and change your diet. i am scared that my life is destroyed forever...my joint pain is constant.

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89

I've been on accutane for 22 days and have the basic dry skin and dry lips, I just noticed a rash beginning on my hand, I was already considering stopping but now I am thinking of stopping it completely after reading this. My doctor did not inform me about all these effects. My Question, since I have only been on it for a short period of time and stop taking it completely will I expect to experience any of these effects and how long does it take to clear you system??

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90

Max,
If your doctor has not warned you about the possible long term side effects from this drug, I would make an appointment with him ASAP and discuss your concerns with him in his office. You should have had to sign a I Pledge forms to receive this medication. I would ask your pharmacist to give you a detail copy of the possible side effects from this medication, if you don't already have one. Take all this information with you to your doctors appointment and have him explain them to you. Good Luck !

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91

Okay so... I'm freaked out to all hell now of the long term, my dermatologist strongly recommended this and now I'm reallllly afraid-I'm 14. Someone PLEASE help!! :O Please reply and let me know.

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92

Okay so I have well I think moderate/moderate-severe acne. I went to the dermatologist last Thursday. She talked little about my other options because she very strongly recommended Accutane. She said it's because I have very inflamed acne which is causing major scarring-which is getting worse. She said she wants to take it more aggressively because I've had it for 2 years and the scarring is so bad. She was telling me about it warned me about the side effects and gave me a info sheet she wrote up and it said that the things like depression, sun sensitivity etc. are all reverse able after I stop the drug for about 6 months or so. She wants to put me on 40 mg's once daily with dinner. I didn't give it the go right away said I need to do some research. I found miracle stories... and now these-I was kind of excited to take it... until I read these-these brought me to tears because why does it have to be so fricking hard to get clear effing skin? I mean there's so much coming up and I'm sick and tired of being SO self concious about my acne. What do you guys think? My dad hasn't done research nor will he he doesn't knwo the possible long term effects. I'm realyl scared someone please help me and reply---as for parents/people who have lost their loved ones-I'm so sorry I know what it's like to lose someone close-not to Accutane but to disease-my mom died of breast cancer-anyways I'm rambling and drifting off topic-sorry this is so extensive I'm just extremely worried.

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93

She said she prescribes this everyday. I don't really have oily skin in fact i have well normal oil like in the crease sides of my nose a little forhead blah blah but not particularly oily skin---actually i would say dry-normal MAYBE slightly oily. but yeah just thought I'd say.

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94

Dear concerned and 14. My 16 year old is 5 months out off the Clarvaris. He is still having problems with depression and psychotic behavior due to this drug. The docs say there is less than a 1% chance of anyone have such a severe reaction to this drug. The facts are kids are having problems on this stuff and it scares me to death that doctors are putting teens on this stuff. Yes, it works for most with minimal side effects. You are a teen and are going through a lot of changes in your hormones and life right now, do you really need to mess with that right now? Are you able to recognize that you are depressed? Every drug has its side effects and we take chances every day. You and your parents need to decide if this is right for you and be aware of the side effects. Can you wait a couple years. I had severe acne as a kid, I didnt have many choices for my acne. I have scaring. I turned out just fine as an adult. Unfortunately, I am beginning to think that the psychotic side effects for my son are going to be more permanent for him. Accutane is off the market in the US due to law suits due to the side effects. What you are getting now is imported in from another country.

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95

Kate,
You are already doing the right tihing by researching this drug before you take it. Has your doctor tried any antibiotics for you like doxcycoline fro ance. My 16 year old son has moderate acne. He quit dring sodas, and now drinks about 6-8 glasses of water a day. Plus he watches what he eats and uses some over the counter medications. If you can go to a GNC store, they will be able to show you some over the counter creams, face mask and vitamins that will also help control breakouts. If you can, talk to someone in your family you are close with and share your concerns with this medication. Please let us know how you make out. Someone is always on this site that will talk to you when ever you need to.
From the Heart -Scott

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96

I'm on accutane right now and I am 17 years old and a senior in High School. Everybody (family, friends, teachers, etc) told me not to take accutane because it is 'poison'. I have tried to cure my acne since I was in 7th grade and literally tried every acne treatment (topical and oral). My acne isnt cystic but it comes and goes in large enough quantities to damage my esteem. I also have extreme anxiety and mild depression, both of which I am on medication for. This is another reason why my mom and dermatologist were skeptical with me going on this medication. I have been on accutane for 5 months now. I am experiencing terribly dried lips and dry skin. I have also broken out in a few crying spells but nothing too unusual. I have never had thoughts of suicide and I was warned that taking this medication may make me think of suicide which scared me. I have not considered suicide 5 months later. I have been to the doctor since taking accutane and I am still growing and am a healthy (slightly slender) teenager. Although my acne isn't completely gone yet, I am having a positive accutane experience. Also, keep in mind that there are different amounts of accutane you or your child can take. Since my acne isn't as bad as most who go on accutane, I started on the small dose and increased to a medium dose which is what I am going to take for the rest of my treatment. Perhaps those with major side effects after treatment were those who were perscribed larger doses. I am not saying that accutane is healthy and everyone should take it, but I know that it has already done a number on my self esteem and that with careful monitoring and small doses I think it could do the same for others. My regret from accutane is that I didn't take it earlier. I wish I could have taken it in middle school so I could have had a clear high school, but it's better late than never! For those who have had bad experiences with accutane, I am sincerely sorry ,but I hope that those stories don't scare everyone away from taking it because I know it can positively effect peoples lives.

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97

Hi, i took accutane when i was 25, i'm 37 years old now. Seriously the best decision I've ever made. I remember bleeding all over from sores on my chest back and face. I was prescribed a 4-8 weeks course of accutane, prob the max dosage, i'ver heard others taking for months on end maybe they are on lesser dose version. The medicine will dry your skin out while you take it but will only last while you take the medicine this is normal. But it works and your acne will go away, if you don't the acne can destroy your skin. I have not had all the problems these other people half mentioned, only side affect i really noticed is my hair seemed thing out a little bit after taking the medicine. it may have accelerated normal male pattern baldness for me but that is only a maybe. I don't have joint or mustle pain or anything else and it got rid of 85% of the acnet for a few years, i still get the occasional cyst where i shave or one on my back once in while but for most part it cured my acne problem. If you have severe acne I recommend you take this medicine. I stopped at 5 weeks, i didn't do the full 8 weeks because my joints started to ache and i was really dry skin..so if they give you 8 weeks medicine if you don't have to take it that long, stop it immediately if you feel uncomfortable,...the 5 week worked for me, i didn't even have take it for full period and it worked. This drug could possibly cause these other problems as it is a drug..but reading in the complaint forum you are going to find people with the hard luck stories...you need to hear the stories that happen for most people and that is it cures there acne problem. I mean you wont' get any pimples for at least 2 years after you take this stuff..it works wonders, trust me on this. Once you take it you will say to yourself why did i wait so long. People even go on 2nd and 3rd course of this medicine if they relapse back into an acne problem. It's really a miracle drug. My suggestion again is when you take it if you fee the side affects are getting uncomfortable dont' do the full course of the medicine..even a partial course of the medicine doesn good, did for me. My brother also took this and stopped early when his joints started get sore. My brother does have joint and bone problems though i can't say that it was from accutane, i just know from my own experince besides slight hair thining I have not had any other of these problems other people have mentioned here. I've even considered taken it a little while again get rid of the few cysts I get under my chin from time to time.

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98

Jim,

Thank you for leaving a post of your experience taking Accutane. I am glad to hear you had no long term side effects from this drug and hopefully your hair loss and your brothers bone and joint pain years later after taking Accutane isn’t from the drugs at all. You bring up a very interesting point when you had no long term side effects from this medication because you only took them for less than 5 weeks because you developed joint pain. I would bet that if most people were not prescribe this medication at 60 mg at day for 5-6 months there would be less people having trouble with the medication today. Not only is it one of the most dangerous drugs on the FDA list but also our well trained medical doctors are overdosing our children or ourselves everyday on these drugs. We were not all lucky enough just to stop the medication on our own without the doctors knowledge. I am happy for you that it all worked out for you. Personally I wouldn’t be able to tell anyone to take this medication. I would never want anyone to suffer from a medication that has known side effects which among many other medical issues, can cause Crohns or Colitis Disease.

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99

Hi! I'm no doctor but I did take a university class on genetics so I'm going to explain what causes baldness.

The alleles (genes coding for) baldness is located on the X chromosome.
It is a recessive disorder meaning that both X chromosomes in a female must have the alleles for baldness in order to be bald. If only one copy contains the allele for baldness then the female will not be bald but will have a 50 percent chance of passing that allele to her children. This is because a mother passes one of her X chromosomes to her child. The father can pass either an X or Y chromosome to their child (and hence determine the sex of the child). However, since males have an X and a Y chromosome, you only need one X chromosome with the allele for baldness to be bald. This is why baldness is more common in males that females. Therefore, for males, what determines baldness is the X chromosome passed on by the mother since only the father can pass on the Y chromosome.
This means if you are a male and you mother is bald then you have a 100 percent chance of being bald.
If you are a male and your mother is not bald but your mother's dad way bald, then you have a 50% chance of being bald because her father would have passed on his only X chromosome to your mother.
If you are a female and your dad and mom was bald then you have a 100% chance.
If your dad was bald and your mom's dad was bald but she isn't then you have a 50% chance.

So what im trying to say is if their doesn't apply to you and you are experiencing balding, chances aren't it isnt genetic.

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100

I took a generic brand of accutane when I was about 17 years old in high school. during that time i was playing football, working out, lifting weights, etc. When I got to about the third or fourth month of taking the medication I started to get severe side effects. Dry skin, chaped lips, and muscle and joint pain. I stop taking the medication before I finished the 6 month course. The medication ruined my life and the ability to play football in college because, of the ongoing mucsle pain and tendonitis. It has been 3 years now and I still have these side effects. What do I do to get ride of them?

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6 REPLIES
Long Term Side Effects of Nexito Plus 5mg

My wife has been using Nexito Plus for the past 4 years. She is doing good, but she feels sleepy in the morning time and...

3 REPLIES
long term side effects of tripoline

my boyfriends complaining after taking large dosages prescribed by doctors for sleep that he feels loss of sight, blurre...

3 REPLIES
Long term side effects of Tramadol

My doctor just prescribed me Tramadol for a chronic back pain issue. If I take this med every night, will there be any l...

2 REPLIES
Long term side effects of clopidogrel + atorvastatin + metoprolol + telmisartan

I have been taking clopidogrel 75mg + atorvastatin 10mg + metoprolol 10mg + telmisartan 40mg for the past 3 years since ...

1 REPLY
long term side effects of neurobion tablets.

I am 41 yrs male.For the past one month occasionally one or two of my fingers move sideways without my control and then ...

1 REPLY
Long term side effects of Ecosprin for 92 yr old male

My father has been prescribed ecosprin 75 along with Dytor plus 10mg, prolomat XL and cardace 2.5 by a cardiologist. He ...

1 REPLY
Long term side effects of Medroxyprogesterone

I was just prescribed this medication by my doctor, because of irregular periods. For the past 2 years I have had my per...

1 REPLY
Long term side effects from Multaq

Folks, like everyone else who has started MULTAQ, I am having second thoughts about it's effectiveness. When I first...

1 REPLY