Accutane Long Term Side Effects (Page 8)

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 After I have researched this drug extensively, I can't believe that the FDA allows this drug originally made for cancer patients to be marketed for teenagers with acne.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?

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I took Accutane when i was in highschool. i didn't have any problem with it then or right after it. I have in the past couple of years been having joint pains and just thought it was from when i hurt my self knee boarding, but that was only in the shoulders. Now it happens in the shoulders elbows and wrist. As I am typing this i am in pain. I work all day with my hands and i had to go home early due to the pain.

i would of never thought to think about it being this drug but my mother told me that people are sueing the company for their problems so i am looking into it and most of what yall are saying happens to me. when i get the money i am going to get looked at. i hate the pain and fear of being stareal scares me to the point when i think about not able to have kids i want to cry.

my mother she worked as a pharmay tech and she is the one who told me all the side affects of the Accutane and i am sorry for everyone who has taken that drug...and to be honest....i still have acne on my back and chest and break out every time i shave. so i dont think it worked all to well.

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I took Accutane in 2006-2007 for 6 months I only had one problem during the time i was taking it and that was one blackout went in for a blood test and CT scan and all they could find was a high Creatine level I was on no other supplements or medicine at the time. Up to this day I'm fine. I was told by my dermatolagist this is a drug he will not subscribe to anyone under 18 because of the possible effects to growth and other systems in your body that haven't matured yet.

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Our son was on Accutane from 5/2001 to 1/2003. The dermatologist also put him on Doryx which isn't suppose to be done. Now I know. He dropped off the swim team because of muscle aches. He didn't complain otherwise until he was driving home one day 9/2001 and had to stop the car because he had vertigo, was confused and disoriented. We took him to the doctor the next day with all the medical info from the dermatologist. They said he had a panic attack. He went on Buspar and then Effexor in college.
To make this story short, in his last letter to us, he said he loved us and then he said it all started when he was 17 years old. It was when he was on Accutane!
My personal opinion, don't take this. It does things to your brain, your muscles, your thyroid. It confuses a growing brain and your child's/teenager's brain needs to develop correctly and naturally. It is fragile. Put up with the acne now, and years from no you won't have any regrets.

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Dear Dc, Fort Worth,

Thanks for sharing your personal story about you son. My son, Ryan took this medication when he was 14-15 years old .Last week he had a Cat Scan done of his stomach looking for inflammation in his bowels, We have not got back dr. report yet. Last August he had a colonoscopy and it was negative but still has occasional blood in his stool. This is only one side effect of many he has to deal with. Unfortunately, I feel your pain everyday of my life.

Best wishes ,
Father of a wonderful son,
Scott

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I began taking Accutane around age 14 after having every sort of acne imaginable covering my face and beginning on my back. I felt completely hopeless at this point after trying everything, and I mean everything. I, like many others, had to do blood work and urine samples monthly to prove I was not pregnant. Going through the process of taking Accutane was almost as humiliating as actually having acne. Your lips peel constantly, you can literally pull large pieces off by the minute. Your skin is very dry as well and it seems neither chap stick nor lotion was strong enough to counteract either. I stayed on Accutane for longer than my mother or I hoped. I was supposed to be on it for 6 months and ended up being on it for about 9 months when my Mother decided enough was enough. Nearer to the end of the 9 months the black heads on my nose began to go away, but after stopping, they came back and now- 3 years later I still have them. I still experience minor out breaks, but nothing at ALL like I used to. I found out years later that you cannot even give blood when on Accutane. It did wonders for my self-esteem, it really truthfully did and while I don't -feel- that I've had negative side effects I really don't -know-. I have some issues with my joints and back pain, but I wouldn't neccesarily define it as crippling. My main concern, like many others, is the long term effects. Yes, it might not be bad now, but what about in 5 years? I would also like to know if anyone has heard of any post-Accutane patients giving birth to children with defects?

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well miranda moore, some people didn't have the luxury of the internet back when they took accutane, not to mention not all doctors are honest about side effects. when a drug is fairly new there isn't alot of info on side effects and such. but then again maybe your mommy didn't explain that to you. oh yeah, and maybe if you weren't so wet behind the ears then you would know that the side effects that people sue over are unknown side effects. side effects that are unknown because of a lack of proper testing and improper fda regulations. but again maybe mommy didn't explain to you how things really work in the real worldo

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I was on accutane for 5 months over 3 years ago, and am on it again for another 5. I have NEVER experienced symptoms worse than very dry lips. I was a college athlete and still compete at the semi-pro level of my sport after graduating. Don't scare some of these people away from accutane because of your experiences, it is different for everyone! And I can say after 3 years that I have no pain, no IBS, and my hair is down the length of my back. Good luck :)

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To All,

For the record, someone other than me ( named Scott ) posted Post 146. I am the one that started these post and just wanted to make that clear.

Sincerely,

Scott

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This past weekend, while watching TV, I came across a lawyer commercial that said, did you have acne? do you now suffer from IBS or IBD? I quickly googled ibs and accutane and was suprised by what I found. I've been suffering from IBS and chronic dry itchy skin for the past 5 years. I can't believe that I never made the connection between accutane and IBS. I was never made aware of these side effects when I was taking accutane 12 years ago.

Let me just say one thing though... I deal with IBS on a daily basis now. It's an inconvenience at best, and debilitating at worst. But looking back... I would take accutane again in a heart beat, as I suffered from acne for 10 years and it was ruining my life.

But before taking accutane, please exhaust all other medications first... and please know that there are sideeffects much worse than chapped lips. (While taking the drug, I also got Shingles and Uveitus... diseases I would never have gotten otherwise.)

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Please do not take this drug. I took it when I was 15 years old and it caused a lot of problems. I no longer have Acne however, I am having to deal with some of the less attractive side effects. I went to a radiologist last week and a GI the week before. Both have come to the conclusion that I have Crohn's Disease. My body is attacking healthly cells because of this Drug and I will have to live with the side effects the rest of my life, I am 24. I dont know what to do medical cost for Cronh's can be in the millions and it puts me at rist for colon cancer. I would rather scars on my fact to be honest. Just remember vainity is one of the deadly sins. Thank God I am a strong person, I can deal with this. Please don't do it to yourself. I was young and didnt know better.

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Reply to Dc. Fort Worth,

Sorry that you lost your son. It must have been tragic. I remember when taking accutane. I had some of the worst depression in my life. I had to force myself to get up in the morning and to focus at school work took all my energy. I am sorry I took it because it has now given me Crohn's Disease.

I have to remind myself to be happy that life is really short. I couldn't take my life. But I have felt the pain of this drug and must endure for life.

Roche has removed the drug from the market in the US. They claim that it is because they have lost market share. But it is because of the law suits.

For some reason they still push this poison in other countries. How mush is your intestine worth? DONT TAKE IT!!!

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Wow. Thank you for your condolences. I wish I had internet back in 2001 as I do now. Something needs to be done about this. I wish we had someone like Ralph Nader fighting for consumer rights. I am going to some group therapy meetings now and will ask around if their kids took this. I will post what I have discovered. I never thought this would have such long term effects. I didn't even know it was recalled. This is a crime!

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Im 14 years old and have been on accutane for 3 months now. When I first went for a dermotoligist appointment, the dermotoligist imidietly suggested accutane. The only side effects he talked about were birth deffects if I got pregnant. My mom and I told him that he didnt have to worry about that because im a virgin and wasnt planning on having sex anytime soon anyways. He didnt seem to beleive me and still drilled all this stuff bout birth deffects into my head. Before i started, my mom asked him if there were any long term side affects id have to worry about, and his exact answer was pregnancy! pregnancy! and he went on about that for a while. Then my mom asked again if there was anything else we needed to worry about and he said no. Now after reading this im realy scared about what will happen for me in the next couple years. If someone told me this in the beginning i never would have taken it...

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Please STOP Allison. They will be doing blood work on you to see how much Accutane is in your body. That is why they take your blood. They are trying to make sure you are saturated in the drug before they take you off of it.

Trust me the long-term side effects are not worth it. A year ago I weighed 196 lbs. I got on the scale after a mild period of inflamation from Crohn's and was down to 168 lbs. I am 6 feet tall. I was going to the bathroom 6-10 times a day and passing undigested food. The only thing I could do to feel better was not to eat.

Went to the radiologist for an Upper GI/Small bowel follow through. I am missing 4-6 inches of intestinal wall. My body is attacking healthy cells and there is no cure for Crohn's.

I have a very large extended family and there is no another family member with any history of an IBD.

Please don't do it. I am sure you are beautiful even if you have Acne.

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Alison, I don't want to tell you what to do with your life, but I would definitely stop taking it. I'm not saying everybody gets long term side effects from Accutane, but the potential for that is very real. My doctor also told me there were no risks for long term side effects, but he was wrong. I started to feel the side effects about a year after I took the drug. Just because you don't get the side effects right away doesn't mean you can't potentially get them later. I bet your doctor also didn't tell you that Accutane wasn't originally developed as an acne drug. It was first developed as a powerful chemotherapy drug. Doctors saw that their chemo patients' acne cleared up while taking this drug, and then they started selling it as an acne medication to make more money. Anyway, I would gladly take back my acne times ten if it meant I never took this drug. It's just not worth the risk to me.

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Hope it's okay to post these links Scott.
To Dc,Fort Worth: My condolences are with you also.
There have been many in the fight to have Accutane taken off the market.
Here are some links and info for you.
Public Citizen
http:/­/­www.citizen.org/­pressroom/­pressroomredirect.cfm?ID=1654
Bart Stupak- Please be advise parents and others he is retiring in Jan of this coming up yr. I spoke to thier office and if his website goes down so does all the Accutane info. So I would print what you can if you want it.
http:/­/­www.house.gov/­stupak/­accutane.shtml
Dr. Douglas Bremener: Took on Roche
http:/­/­www.beforeyoutakethatpill.com/­index.php/­2009/­01/­28/­are-dermatologists-dipshits/­

I want add though Roche took thier Accutane off the market, Generics are still there and a new version of Accutane is coming out.

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My son took acutane for 6 months in 2005 when he was 16. He didn't have any major problems while he was taking it. But for the last 2 1/2 years he has been having gastrointestinal problems, he has had several different kinds of test done including a conlnoscopy. But they have never figured out what is wrong. It never occured to me it could be from taking acutane, until someone saw a commercial on tv about law suits. So I have decided to check into it to see if his problems could be related to taking acutane. I am trying to find the best information I can.

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Oli Girl,

Thanks for sharing your links, you are ALWAYS invited leave any post here you like.

Thank you for being a huge inspiration for helping to start this forum. : )

From the Heart,
Scott

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My son took a six month regimen of Accutane at age 16. Within a year, his personality changed dramatically--a 4.0 student that suddenly suffered from severe depression. He is now 20 and continues to take lexapro (anti-depressant) along with abilify. He went from a bright future with scholarships and may opportunities to not being able to handle college. Any other similar stories and how you handled them? Any ideas would be appreciated. From what I'm reading, is class action suit in order?

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I took Accutane at age 15 in 1995. Back then we were told it makes your skin chapped and caused birth defects. Since I am a male the second did not effect me. Well a year later I went to the doctor for unknown stomach problems with no solution. From 1997-1999 I threw up everyday. In 1998 I started having really bad back pains. Planned to play college soccer but could not run because of the pain. From 1998 till now my back has gotten much worse and needed surgery. Doctor said my back was equal to a 63 year old at age 26. All my joints hurt for no reason and will not heal. Hurt so bad that some days I can barely walk and lose feeling in my hands and feet. I take about 6 Advil just to make it to work. Back to my stomach. My stomach has gotten so bad over the years that if I travel more than 30 mins from the house I have to not eat for 2 or 3 days. I got number 2 on average 4 times a day and go number 1 about twice an hour. I have been to doctors with no luck of a solution. Makes it suck because I am miserable if I go on vacation because I can not eat out and have to not eat to travel. Also have to work close to home because in my 5 min trip to work I have to stop to go to the bathroom. Can not go out to eat since I can not digest anything with grease, oils, or fried. Almost missed the birth of my twins because I was in the bathroom. All my friends and family think its funny but the stomach pains and constant discomfort is horrible.

Also I have no memory what so ever and do not sleep at night without sleeping pills.

Also shortly after taking it I went into sever depression and grades went down the tube and had to seek help for a few years.

Not sure if this is all from Accutane but after seeing the side effects and when mine started it starts to fall into place.

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