Accutane And Infertility (Page 12)

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

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Excuse me but I have PCOS and I'm not overweight or anything! That's quite offensive as not everyone with PCOS is overweight! Before I took accurate my menstual cycle was completely normal every 4 weeks but while taking accurate it went all over the place, one of the first signs of PCIS that's how I know that's what caused it!

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To dermatology doc:
I am happy that accutane has been taken off the market and I hope that you consider banning accutane from your plan of treatments for even the most severe acne. Accutane has caused my depression. Accutane has caused my ongoing fatigue, sexual dysfunction and low hormonal production for a man in his early twenties. I have no health problems other than these lowered hormone levels, depression, and sexual dysfunction. Do not tell me that all of these side effects were present when I had severe acne. Do not try to pronounce that women are the only ones affected by accutane. Yes, my acne did cause me frustration, but I did not know what depression was until accutane had run its course. In addition, I have reported these happenings to doctors, endocrinologists, and even my dermatologist and they all say that there is no evidence that accutane is the cause. There is enough of a sample on this forum alone to sue Roche, and other companies of generic isotrentinoid for long term sexual hormonal suppression and imbalance, as well as for infertility.
To all on this forum, we should truly ban together if we can, is there anyway we can come in further contact to talk over possible plans, as we should not suffer for the rest of our lives because of a deathly medicine that was pushed on us in teenage years. Our lives were damaged before we knew what life really was. At least in my case by the way. Accutane was pushed on me when I was merely 14 years old..

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Retinoic acid(active form of Accutane) induces diffrentiation and reduces proliferation of stem and progenitor cells. It works on acne by inducing similar events in basal sebocytes. These same action also lead to 13-cis-retinoic's (accutane's) side effects, and these are directed towards proliferating cells in the adult such as in the skin, gut and bone. A wide ranging effect of retinoic acid is to inhibit proliferation in dividing cells, and this accounts for its frequent consideration as a anti-cancer agent." James Crandall, Ph.D UMASS Medical School Neuroscientist

Once Again one of the listed side effects is irregular menes...Not to mention some of the other listed side effects can cuase infertility.
All he had to do was to go to the patent, and we see it right there. Dr. Bollag, the inventor: ‘Accutane is so toxic — so toxic — not my word, their word — it should never be given for anything other than severe cystic nodular acne. Accutane, originally submitted to treat cancer, it is then switched by the company and it comes on the market in 1982.“ Accutane not used as chemo huh doc chaseafteracure.com/story.html
Miraculously, the last set of scans was clean. He then had a stem cell transplant followed by 13 rounds of Accutane. His treatment consisted of 8 rounds of high dose chemotherapy, bone marrow transplant, 14 rounds of radiation, six months of Accutane for neuroblastoma. cncfhope.org/Post/topid/32/catid/13/Where

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I am wondering if you are the same person just diffrent name that kept posting in the other thread of long term sides effects??? If you don't stop I will report you. Don't you have some patients to take care of??? Go find another fourm of suffers to harrass....there's millons and yrs of stories of victims.

Sorry ladies, I am a severe suffer from this drug infertility included ( I am thankful I have 1 child before accutane) Iam very passionate about this american tragedy called Accutane. I won't clog up anymore space on this phony physican.

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A far worse drug than Accutane is acetyl salicylic acid. t causes 16,000 deaths a year and hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations.

In my internship we had a steelworker who came to the ER and bled out in front of us from a massive stomach ulcer caused by this drug.

And how about acetaminophen?

• 56,000 emergency department visits (1993–1999),
• 26,000 hospitalizations (1990–1999), and
• 458 deaths (1996–1998).

No doubt there are problems associated with Accutane as you have experienced, and they are indeed caused by Accutane. And no doubt you are rightly angered by what has happened to you. If you were not properly consented, you have a case against the prescribing physician. But 1 in a million side effects are not required to be mentioned.

All this data was on the Internet at the time you were treated.

The lawsuits drove Roche out of the American market and now we get generics from India. Who knows if these less stringently manufactured drugs are responsible for the side effects and not Roche brand Accutane?

The L-tryptophan disaster in the 1989 was caused by one Japanese manufacturer which slightly changed the fermentation process and introduced an almost undetectable by-product that killed at least 37 and sickened 1500.

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The internet didn't even exist when I was prescribed this medicine. I'm in my 40's now and I can assure you that the few side affects I was told about were: dry skin / lips, easy to sunburn, possible nose bleeds and "don't get pregnant" while on the medication. I had monthly blood tests to test for something else - was it liver or kidney function or something? Also, they told me not to take vitamin A. I was on this drug, and a high dose too, for many years (4).

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4 years far exceeds the recommended dosing which is 120-150 mg/kg TOTAL dose.

Your experience further points out the need to properly monitor patients on Accutane. Stick to standard dosing, monitor for side effects like depression, menstrual irregularity, etc.

BTW, this is the only forum I ever posted on.

I found this forum when I searched on male infertility and Accutane after a patients mother was 100% convinced that Accutane would make her son sterile.

I found no evidence of male infertility but I did find this forum.

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Excuse me Doc, you have made your case and it clearly is not going to change any of our minds. You have taken this forum from a great way to find others suffering from infertility who also took Accutane, to a forum full of unwanted advice and harassment. Your advice is no longer wanted. The only people I trust on this matter are my doctors at my fertility clinic. They are the fertility experts. I was given a few possibilities for the cause of my diagnosis but no one knows the cause for sure because it has been very rare.

With the increase in cases like mine, maybe one day we will understand the cause. Acne is extremely common as we all know, don't you think that with the inflammation from acne, if this were the cause, my diagnosis would be extremely common? It sounds a bit ridiculous to me, although I am not an expert in infertility. Then again, neither are you.

Please stop the harassment! Instead of wasting your time on this thread, maybe you should use that time to focus on your patients, the people who actually want your advice.

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Harassment is in the eye of the beholder.

If it helps you to believe that all these problems stem from Accutane, enjoy your pity party.

If you actually want answers, then my posts may be helpful to those members of the forum who are not flaming me.

Infertility has become an ever larger problem and 99.99% of the infertility is in people who have not taken Accutane, Why don't you all share your age at menarche and you may find a common thread.

How many people have a family history of gyn endocrine problems or a history of autoummune disease. Or Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis. The ovaries are surrounded by loops of bowel.

You can dream about a class action suit, but Roche has left the building, good luck getting a Swiss court to accept your claims. Unlike the US tort system, you can't blackmail a company into huge settlements there.

I'm sorry that some of you are upset by facts and alternative theories.

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How dare you pontificate and ridicule us! Take your theories and give them to those willing to listen to your droning on and on. I think you might be better recieved on an dermatology forum, good luck!

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Hey dermatology doc, why don't you take a treatment course of accutane for about 6 months and see the terrible effects for yourself.

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Tom, I am not sure if your from the U.S....However, there is a Endo in Michicagn who also has a website and accutane fourm for men who have been damaged by accutane in relation to sexual dysfunction & etc.... He also sees pts, I know alot of victims have traveled outside the U.S. To see him. Google Dr. Crisler and accutane. I think it is called allthingsmale. I not sure if this site would let me post a link!

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Funny this doctor mentions autoimmune diseases .Esspecially U.C. and Chron's. As Accutane causes theese and it's been proven in court. It causes Type 1 diabetes in many (even at old ages where it's uncommon)...If you acutally look at the 400 side effects they are associated with Diseases like Lupus, Sjrogrens, Type 1 diabetes, Thyroid and so on.Yes, if you read court documents or watched the trials like I did in NJ on the lawsuits, it is clear it was proven that Roche knew that it effects and decided to hide it.

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Actually, it wasn't funny, it was deliberate.

Sorry, it wasn't proven in court. Association does not imply causation. (cit Rooster/Sunrise post)

Roche just wanted to wind up its US liabilities and exit the US market. So they settled these suits and their insurance carrier paid.

All these other side effects you mention are due to an underlying genetic tendency toward autoimmune and inflammatory conditions.

Again Roche didn't try to hide it. You can't "hide" something that doesn't exist.

Aspirin is "associated" with many thousands of conditions, including infertility through disruption of prostaglandin synthetase.

The inflammatory bowel disease you accuse Roche of hiding is in the 1980 patient information booklet. read it yourself.

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Funny...I read in a scientific journal through my college website, that indeed Accutane was used as a chemotherapy type treatment. Must of read that wrong huh Doc? I will no longer be posting in this form, I have my medical records ordered as of Friday and intend on seeking the guidance of a lawyer. Good luck everyone and don't waste your time fighting with Doc Derm, he's clearly a know it all.

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Please give the reference,

Aspirin is also a chemo drug as is Tylenol, Advil, Aleve,

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Somehow I don't believe you are a acutally doctor. You sound more like someone who is on Accutane now, or you work for Roche. Once again you are proven wrong...they have only settled 1 IBD case in Illinois!
For all you suffering from Infertility or anyother illness. You can read the blog and if you have the money pay a small amt to watch all the court trials on accutane.
BTW a hollywood actor was damaged and sued Roche.
info.courtroomview.com/category/accutane

Can someone a Moderator or something ban this Derm Doc Please!

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As of February 2010, all six plaintiffs bringing Accutane® IBD lawsuits against drug maker Roche Laboratories, Inc., have won (one judgment has been overturned by a Florida appeals court.) Juries finding for the Accutane® plaintiffs believed that Roche Laboratories failed to adequately warn physicians and patients of the IBD risk associated with Accutane® use.

I'd rather the flamers be banned.

"ad hominem attacks are the last refuge of scoundrels"

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What kind of person are you? If you have any sense of decency, you will leave us be. My heart just aches for a child and I know I am not the only one. This forum title may have brought us here but this has been a good place for those of us suffering from infertility to share our experiences. Only time will tell whether or not there will be any findings to verify our concerns about Accutane and infertility.

Your posts are insulting and unless you are suffering from infertility as well, you have NO business being here.

For those of you who want to keep up the discussion, please don't let this so called, "Dermatology Doc" ruin things for everyone. Let's just ignore these comments and focus on coming together. It really helps to know there are others out there who are suffering from the same disease as myself. I do not know anyone personally and it has been so difficult to cope with. Talking with others has been really helpful for me and I know it will help others as well.

To Dermatology Doc, I know you will respond to this because of your know it all nature. I am done wasting my time with the likes of you.

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I was prescribed Accutane in my mid teens and from memory the only concerns listed were female related as in birth defects. I am now 28 and my now Wife and I have been trying on and off for the last 6 years to conceive after the first 6 months of nothing we got referred to the IVF specialist my wife had a Laporoscopy (spelling) and my sperm was analysed the findings were that my wife was fine and healthy and it was in fact my sperm count and motility that was the problem we haven't had any follow up with the IVF since then as we were told to keep trying naturally fill in the relevant temp charts to plot ovulation cycles etc. and well here we are 6 years later and still no children although we are now married as of 3 weeks ago all we want is a family. I would be keen to join and pursue a lawsuit if evidence can lead to that

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