Accutane Effects After 20 Plus Years...destruction!

I Took Accutane ore than 20 years ago...for moderate Acne. I Experienced the so called Usual Side effects...Dry Lips chapped lips and joint pain..along with severely irritated Stomach...(Sudden allergy to Diary)and other Problems I was ASSURED would subside...as soon as i stopped taking the ACCUTANE... Well....Lets just say....The effects do gradually subside....and the Acne is better. Something else I discovered is.....Slowly....The Joint pain returns...only much more severely...the Stomach problems get worse...and eventually your stomach might even begin to bleed...and feel as though it was burned by acid.. Then..Maybe you will need an x ray...for some small accident..you May have suffered...At the Young age of 24....possibly on accout of a Dizzy Spell....(Associated?...)Maybe..You fall off a Ladder...?...Or ...step off a curb wrong?...and your ankle joint rolls over..and about snaps...because your joints get weaker and weaker? ...Maybe the doctor reading your Simple X rays...will notice the Bone spurs on your Joints...ie;...Elbows..Fingers SPINAL COLUMN! and realize WHY at your Young Age..YOU have Arthritis...comparable to an 85 Year old Lady...with Severe Arthritis and osteoporosis?... When you go to the Gastroenterologist...(to find out Why your stomach bleeds...and your Digestive system is in ruin..)at the age of say...28 or 30 ....The other patients in the waiting room..may..look at you..like you should NOT Be there...or....like you should be deliviering paperwork or something...One of them..may even ask you Why the Hell YOU are there...at YOUR Young age...the office is for the Old..and worn out... MAYBE..like myself...that may be the day...YOU ..also begin to ask yourself...Hmmmm Why AM I here?...What the "F" IS wrong with me?...

Possibly..the Doctor may even, at first seem a lil put off or even stumped. Until He gets around to the interview questions....portion of the visit.. And begins to find...that you cannot eat anything...you once did...without Stomach problems...Extreme Gas.. Night sweats.... Bloating... Diarrhea... Cramps... Constipation rectal Bleeding.....about every complaint the 65 to 95 year olds he treats have.. The Day he finally puts the Camera on a Cable up your Rectom...and discovers the Ulcers in your Duodenum...and..possibly some other places..in your entrails...He will begin to realize..You have ulcerative Colitis...or maybe the Evben MORE rewarding Crohns Disease.. Some years later.....say...when you are 47...as I am Now...and it is coming more acceptable..that your system SHOULD be..breaking down...such as..Your FAILING VISION...(THAT STARTED TO GO BAD..IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKING THE Accutane...)... You see...People are not as surprised when you are near 50..and falling apart.. But the last 20 plus years...that I have Been Falling apart..literally...day by day....Is enough to Surprise...and RUIN.... I Merely WiSH...I Could Stop just ONE person...from taking this S*** in a bottle....Called Accutane.. or Am nEsteem....Nice..how the Filthy Bastards Put a Word Like ESTEEM...in the Name they Now Hide the Poison behind...I Wish I could hold down Each and EVERY Executive..of the Drug Company...that HAD the FACTS and overlooked the Medical Reports.of what this POISON Did to Test Subjects...over 20 Years ago... THEY make the Tobacco Company executives look a lil LESS Criminal...as these A Holes...Put this POISON on the Market...for CHILDREN...and have it classified as a drug and Medicine...supposed to used to treat disease...(NOT Cause MORE)....at LEAST the Tobacco people...sold theirs as Cigarettes. To adults...for the Most part.. What have YOU Experienced?..

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YES...The Symptoms Continue To Get WORSE!....

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I am very sorry about what you are going through.

It is unfortunate that even with initial testing, it is almost impossible to guess at what the long-term effects and damage may be to anyone that used any particular medication.

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Accutane/­

Have you reported your experience and problems to the FDA?

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I can't believe I am just finding this site now. You just described my life. I too, am nearing 50. All my seemingly unrelated illnesses and so many specialists I was such a healthy athletic child (massive acne aside), it makes me cry at the end of every doctor visit when they just prescribe some new pill and say see you in six months. I am on 13 medications and have a pill pack. At my age, the so called prime of life, I should not have a pill pack. My 65 yr old father only takes one pill for cholesterol. He thinks I am nuts. Sometimes I think I am nuts too. All of you are putting all of my symptoms together and making me wonder why my primary care doctor hasn't even suggested the vitamin a toxicity some of you have mentioned. I feel a little saner right now even though it has been another sleepless night. Thank you all.

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I'm 28 and my joints are so painful and creaky I can't do anything with people my age. No one believes me because I go to the doctor and he just gives me painkillers and says cheer up.

I have pain in my feet so bad that I can't walk more than about a hundred yards on hard surfaces without taking a break and waiting for them to stop. If I keep going they eventually feel like my whole foot is a giant bruise and all the bones are getting pulled apart, and I get plantar fasciitis if I jump or push off on my toes. The rest of my joints crack and catch so often that I have to adjust every few seconds to get relief. Exercise is slow and embarrassing so I try to do things like ride my bike to work. I can't even ride a longboard anymore because my left hip joint is worn down from the kicking motion! This drug has ruined my youth and the doctors here, even the one who prescribed me accutane, are all clueless. Thanks medicine...

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Get Some Vit D & Magnesium and also Baxyl which is a good form of Hyluronic Acid! Try and strech everyday and swimming is very good exercise and easy on the joints! I feel your pain!

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I took Accutane, 2 courses 3 months each around 15 years of age. I'm 44 now and I'm fine. Never had any health issues. I feel awesome and look like I'm 32 years old. Surprised and sorry to hear about your suffering.

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I hear you loud and clear!! I was on Accutane for 6 months and I had all the general side effects while taking the medication. NOW, five years later at the age of 34, I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, and now in the past 6 months, I was tested for Rheumatoid arthritis and it came back positive, now I have to go to a specialist. My symptoms are: aching joints which include the neck, back, knees, ankles and shoulders. Also, stomach problems like bloating pain in the upper and lower abdominal area. I have not felt right since I took the medication!!! I would not wish it on my worst enemy. I'm glad there is a blog site like this one to learn of other peoples symptoms and for me to be able to vent of the symptoms that are hindering me.

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If you had an accutane diet, the stuff is still probably stored in your fat and joints. You can get rid of it by detoxing your body, gradually with a diet or with those 3-day-juice-fasting diets. Also google gaps diet or scd diet, which will help you to recover from the damage done by antibiotics to your guts and thereby the whole health.

I am myself on a cleaning diet and suffering from the same side-effects as I did years ago, since my body is now releasing all the accutan stored in my body.

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I know you may be upset about accutane . But Accutane helps many people who are struggling with this debilitating, chronic, incurable, painful, cystic acne . I have tried everything under the sun to cure my acne. I have tried all topical treatments, tweaked my diet, I eat clean all the time, I wash my face ,etc ........ I struggled with acne since I was 14 years old . I am on my 2nd course of Accutane now. my first course was when I was 18; it cleared my acne for almost 9 years . I am now 28 years old, and I just started to get cysts on my face.( not as bad as before, but enough to do another round of Accutane ) I am so grateful for this drug because it has allowed me to gain back my confidence . I couldn't look people in the eye. I didn't feel pretty ........ It is a risk people are willing to take if they suffer deep emotional pain from acne. These manufacturers print all the warnings clear as day . We know what we're getting into upon taking this drug . A positive mind, a clean diet and life style, with plenty of rest and exercise will hopefully help keep these problematic side effects away. I can't express my gratitude enough to Accutane .

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Please don't take Accutane. I has damaged my daughters eyes. She took it at age 16 and started seeing poorly. The center vision was missing and she saw lines. She was first diagnosed with conjunctivitis then Uvitis later told her retinas were scared. She recently was sent to a retina specialists who says she has Ocular Histoplasmosis. This medication is not worth loosing your eye site.

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I can tell you, from my own personal experience with acne, (and having taken the poison Accutane) that FRAXEL and other Laser acne skin treatments work FAR better, with a short "down time" but the effects are nothing short of miraculous! It also works on Rosacea as well. I had taken 2 courses of Accutane and it nearly killed my liver. The acne came back. I went to Skin Care Physicians in Chestnut Hill, MA and the laser treatments CURED my acne. period. I highly suggest you check this out with a reputable, board certified laser M.D. so that you can simply stop taking something internal, that may effect your body years down the road. Good Luck.

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Also 47. Took accutane at 20 years old. Was atheletcic with zero joint issues prior to my course of treatment. I have similar symptoms as you described - especially the joint problems which all started right after my treatment. I too felt like I was 50 years old orthopedic wise when I was 20. Now at 47 I feel like I'm 75. Tons of clicking, popping, loose feeling, unusable joints. Tons of doctors visits where they are just baffled. Usually ends up with me going to PT results in very limited success. My body is just shot and it pretty much just went they way overnight- right after accutane. So on there is little doubt in my mind that was the cause. Wish I never took and wish there was a way to reverse the effect of the drug.

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What you described is me. Amazing. Same symptoms- complete inability to tolerate once such simple things like walking.

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I took Acutane when I was 14-15 I am now 45 and my elbows are killing me! Along with knees, neck and back! Is it just old age? I am not sure if Acutane had anything to do with this. I have been taking 2 10/325 Norco for back and neck issues for last 5 years but this elbow pain has just recently started.

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I wish the Truth about this drug would come out. I just talked to a woman who said her dermatologist told her "don't believe what you read on the internet about Accutane." So as hard as it is to believe, big money has won over the physician's motto to first do no harm. Course the derms only believe what the pharmaceutical reps tell them and the pharmaceutical reps just parrot what the pharmaceutical lobbyists in D.C tell them and so the big money machine keeps on churning. I have been sick with all these medical problems for many years too. I wish I were dead.

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I too, have been feeling the side effects since I have taken accutane. I use to chug half and half now can't digest any dairy without horrible stomach issues. These doctors are criminal and the folks that brought us accutane. I am surprised more by how many folks are in ruin who don't know it's linked to accutane taken years before. I have tons of side effects still. I have a testosterone level of 240 due to a pituitary tumor I was diagnosed with. I have brought up to many doctors what's wrong with me. About a hundred blood test in the last few years. Nothing is showing up other than low testosterone. I took accutane for 9 months had all the side effects on the box and then some. I can't believe they renamed it and still pushing it on children and teens who already have a hard time with self esteem due to acne. I wish I had never taken it and had a face full of pocket creator scars on my face rather than what I am feeling now. Big pharma should have to take it themselves before prescribing to general public.

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Hi guys,

I took accutane 11 years ago.To be honest I had very few side effects while on the drug just the usual dry skin and a few nose bleeds. I only had mild acne prior and I should never have been prescribed it. I was told that the side effects on the list were very rare. I didnt research the drug online like I should have I just trusted my doctor.

Anyway I completely forgot about even taking it untill 2 years ago.

It started with developing a complete intolerance to alchohol. One drink and I would go bright red and feel like I was having an allergic reaction. So I stopped drinking completely.

Then I started to get severely inflamed and dry eyes. To cut a very long and expensive story short but after visiting doctors all over the USA I now know that my meibomian glands in my eyes are completely destroyed. The scans of them look typical of a women in their 90s. I am a 27 year old male and I have to wear goggles everywhere and can no longer work on a computer.

Then I started getting terrible fatigue and weight loss. Now I feel like I have the worse hangover ever all of the time. I have had every blood test under the sun and there is nothing that stands out. However all of my hormones are on the low end of the spectrum. My T is 320 which is normal for an 80 year old and my thyroxine is right on the low end.

Finally my hair started to fall out all over my head and I am now almost completely bald. In addition all of my joints have started clicking all over and I am now in constant pain

I seem to have gone dry as a bone all over. Flaking skin, severe dandruff and extreme dehydration no matter how much water I drink. My mouth is so dry I have suffered 15 cavities in the last 2 years. Prior to that I only had 3.

When I think back on my short life I realize that these issues have keeps up on me and have gone from barely noticeable to severe.

My question is how is it possible for there to be such a delayed reaction?

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My story is basically the same. I fell apart after taking Accutane poison. Did they tell you that this drug was initially used as pancreatic and brain cancer CHEMOTHERAPY?

I worked as a medical transcriptionist and although I am not a doctor (doctors shy away from saying anything about Accutane) I am proficient at researching medical terms and health related subjects. I recently was able to find one of the culprits causing me so much misery. That is a bacteria that is difficult to find and diagnose. It forms biofilms which make it impervious to the innate immune system. Accutane virtually destroys the human immune system (I have to take immunotherapy) but the bacteria Propionium acnes slides right past the immune system.

Source: "Acne Bacteria May Infect the Brain and Body", LiveScience. Web. 14 January 2011

There is new research on this bacteria. It has been found to cause lower back pain by invading the spine, spewing propionic acid and causing minute fractures which cannot be seen by x-ray.

Source: "Chronic back pain cured by antibiotics; acne bacteria invade discs and cause debilitating pain", NaturalNews. Web. 16 May 2013

I recently found a wonderful doctor who was willing to read the new research. I brought it to his office, and he gave me the antibiotic which I also found on the internet that has helped me so much. The antibiotic is Penicillin Vk. Seems like it really attacks this bacteria. Not only are my joints much better my skin is free of inflamed lumps and my brain is improved. It helped the depression. I have only been on it for 10 days or so, but the difference is incredible. You owe it to yourself to look this research up, take it to a doctor who is willing to think out of the box, and try this antibiotic. If you've taken isotretinoin (Accutane, Amnesteen etc) what do you have to lose?

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Gene expression is altered and once the damage is done, it's done.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2835899

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Lol. If you actually bothered to read what is in there, you would find out that isotretinoin changes the genetic expression of your OIL PRODUCING GLANDS...isn't that the entire point of the treatment?

Anyway here is my testimony, had mild acne, took 20mg for a few months, no acne, the side effects went away about 2 to 3 weeks after I stopped taking the pills.

I had cracking joints, easly bleeding nose and dry eyes and skin, that's it. My limbs didn't fall off nor did my head explode.

Honestly most of the people crying here are complaining about common health issues caused by bad living habits, and not isotretinoin itself.

Would recomend this drug to anyone suffering from acne that can't be cured by conventional treatment.

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I feel the same what do we do?is there some type of attorney set up because let me tell you, I would rather of had acne, I was a kid, my parents trusted these doctors and now this is what we get?

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I feel exactly this same way, I eat normally, but have issues related to ulcers, what can we do?

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Re: Breezy (# 9)

Please stay away from this drug. My daughter has a kidney tumor, last one ovary, about to loose the second one due to a dermoid cyst, 9 miscarriages, loss of twins at 5 months gestation, gall bladder removed. It could kill you.

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Re: D (# 40)

Hi. Yes, it is good to talk to one another. You are the only other person I have come across with the anal fissure issue. I had this as well and it was very dangerous. I was backed up and my body was shacking the doctors told me it was anxiety, but the fissure was developed when I pushed hard enough to void. The shaking stopped and never came back. They also said I caused the fissure. I too don’t have any abnormal tests ever. I am completely healthy. I don’t have anything wrong with me and I have never had anything serious. The episode above is the most serious. However, I do have a thyroid issue, it stops working every few years and I take medication for a month and it returns to normal function. The next thing I am going to describe is hard to articulate and it could be very long so if anyone wants more clarification, let me know. I have the joint pain, nose bleeds, mouth pain, head pain and stomach and voiding issues along with balding issues. I think it is all because of hair growing wrong and sideways and becoming tangled under my skin. Sounds crazy and how could this be. I can say that hair disease is a side affect of accutane and it does effect the sabacios glands and oil of skin. I have experienced hair on my head, face and annal area twisted and pulling under my skin and it was very prevalent in these areas as well as in my eyebrows and eyes and hands and feet. It has been getting better with Vaseline and hot baths and exfoliating my entire body. Has been over three years of slowly getting better and is almost gone. Joint pain is also subsiding at same time. Stomach too and I don’t know why or how. It has been really 30 years and I did notice during my last course of accutane, a discoloration and deformity of the skin around my mouth and eyes developed and never went away for 20 years and it is now gone.

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I am sorry to hear of everyone's continued ailments from Accutane. I too am a survivor who still deals with many of the side effects 30 years later. I only took the drug once for a 3 month period, but that was enough to cause me rectal fissures, vaginal dryness, joint/muscle pain, tingling in my head, eye floaters, etc. I also have developed Osteoporosis. Today, I take lots of supplements to alleviate these symptoms but the joint/muscle pain have been the most difficult to manage. It also seemed like over the years the symptoms would ebb and flow in severity. Now however at 59, the joint aching/stiffness/popping is chronic. And other things have seemed to develop, like stomach issues, so I've gone gluten & dairy free; Numbness in my feet in the morning, get dehydrated often, etc. I have seen numerous doctors and specialists who don't know what is going on. Most of my diagnostics come back in the normal range. And since I do not care to take other drugs to alleviate these pains, I have opted for supplements prescribed by a Naturopath.

I also tried other alternative products like Chinese herbs, Acupuncture, Indian herbs, Panchakarma; Unfortunately, none of them have helped me much. Some of the supplements that I do take and believe have helped are magnesium, omega fish oil, curcumin, vit D, melatonin for sleep. I'm glad to have found this website and to be able to communicate with others in the same situation. Maybe we will be able to help each other.

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Re: Patti (# 19)

Nobody knows anything about this for sure. The truth is most likely in the middle. It is not helpful for anyone to think they know what others are feeling and experiencing and calling people whiners or any names is a infantile. I do think it is natural to wonder if this medication, which has damaged us on this thread, is responsible for everything and anything gone or going wrong with our health. When I read Robert’s experience, I know he and I are suffering some of the same very strange side effects and it is comforting to not feel so alone. I am getting better too and that is a fact. This medication did serious damage but it seems to be getting better some 20 years later. Can’t prove it but it is my truth.

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Re: John (# 20)

Wow is all I can respond to your comments. I hope you don't have to experience what most of these people are living with.

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Re: Patti (# 18)

Patti, Please let Us all know if the antibiotic treatment was a long term success ? I'm suffering from lower-back pain and have diagnosed degenerative discs dysfunction. i took isotretinoin over 2 years ago and started to feel back pain about a year ago and really hope this could help!

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Re: Charles (# 35)

I can’t thank you enough for telling me about that. I wrote it down and of course I will get it. Really, you may be the only person I have ever communicated with who can understand anything. Do you have headaches or did you when you lost hair? I am happy to try this new thing because I keep having severe deficiencies and I take the supplement for a few months and stop it and I am magically normal. I was very anemic, vitamin D deficiency and B. Also my thyroid slowed way down and after a few months it medication, I stopped taking it and thyroid normal now for 10 months. Makes sense that my digestive system is not absorbing and I have no appetite because of a lot of pain in my upper and lower abdomen all the time. Noises all the time and issues with bowels. Anyway, I guess it is slowly sinking in that I took poison. I was not sure until I read more of what is here on this site. It sounds so familiar that it can not be a coincidence. I know it is accutane now. Is anyone out there older than 49 and took this drug in like 1985 or 86? Did you go bald ever? Do things get worse? How do I know if my liver is ok? How do I get a doctor to listen and believe and help? Thanks so much for the tip.

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Re: Sarah (# 34)

Triphala will help the digestive system eliminate pathogens and give a huge boost in nutritional uptake from all foods...

My hair has been progressively falling out since accutane...started triphala over 1.5 years ago and within a month, my hairline stopped receding... The damage was done, but the hair I have left is healthy, and accutane related skin disorders gone.

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