Accutane Effects After 20 Plus Years...destruction! (Top voted first)

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

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

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I am a 60 year old female. I took accutane in 1985 and then again in 1990. I did experience the excessive dry eyes, lips etc. But now in 2017 I have osteo penia, osteo arthritis. And the past five years have suffered from burning mouth syndrome, GERD,gastritis and gastroparesis(stomach doesnt digest food causing severe nausea and vomiting which no meds help). Like many others I am on numerous vitamins and supplements many in liquid because tablets dont digest. But I have had good success for my stomach gastritis with Siberian Pine Nut Oil and a high grade probiotics. I have also gotten relief from gastro disorders with accupuncture. Unfortunately I am still relying on Reglan(another horrible med) for gastroparesis. I am continuing the accupuncture,vit and supplements and hope to get off the Reglan. I hope this info helps someone.

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Hello,

I took three courses of this drug. 40mg per day for 12 months when 15. Another 6 months at 20 and a last time for 3 months in 1997 when I was 29. I am 48 now and experiencing many of the same symptoms discussed in this thread. In retrospect, I have been having these symptoms for over 10 years and blaming it on other things. Severe sweats, severe constipation with annal fissures, joint pain, discoloration of skin on face with buckling or gathering of skin tissue around mouth and ears. Hair growing where it shouldn’t and in an unusual way. More recently, about three years ago, one side of my scalp went bald and developed an infection. My lips also became gathered with a severe infection that was open and raw for 14 months. Very painful headaches, problems with digestive system with severe sweats and attacks of dizziness. I went to two doctors and was accused of hurting myself and pulling out my own hair and then lying about it. I could not sleep. I was in constant pain accompanied by a feeling that my hair was being pulled.

The good news is I am almost normal three years later with no help from doctors. I still don’t know why it is going away. I have all my hair back, my face looks the best it ever has, my hair stopped growing in strange places and is not growing sideways through my skin any longer. I got through it with a wife to pay the bills because I couldn’t work, Vaseline, hot baths, marijuana, 80mg Tylenol 3 times a day and a positive attitude. I had to massage and untangle the hair in my scalp and face with my fingers. This never broke my skin and it always relieved the pain in the area I worked on and no hair ever came out, it was just coming untangled under my skin. Sorry if this makes no sense but I can’t explain it any other way. It seems to be almost gone and this is not the whole story, I still have some troubling symptoms going on in my entire digestive track and nobody can find anything wrong with me. I stopped asking doctors about it because I am afraid they will misdiagnose me with some other psychiatric disorder.

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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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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 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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