Accutane And Infertility (Page 9)
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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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REPORT

All acne is hormonal.

That being said, in women there are two hormonal treatments, that should be considered. OCP such as Yaz. Spironolactone is an anti-andogenic oral diuretic. Doxycycline is considered the best of the oral antibiotics because of its anti-inflamatory properties. The best topical retinoid is Tazorac and Aczone is an ani-inflamatory topical that does not have an antibiotic effect. If you have tried the best alternative treatments and still have significant acne or scarring, then isotretinoin is pretty much the only treatment option. At that point, it is reasonable to take isotretinoin. Also, it is reasonable for women to have a hormonal workup to sure they don't have PCOS or some other abnormality that is causing the acne, rather then jumping on to isotretinoin.

To me, the tragedy is the women who were unnecessarily treated with isotretinoin, or who were treated for far too long and now have fertility issues to deal with. Gynecological endocrinologists specialize in hormonal problems in women.

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Why do you say isotretinoine does not cure acne?? For me it was the only thing that worked.

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I strongly discourage it! If her acne is getting worse it is probably hormonal and isotretinoin will not cure that either.

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One issue I had as a teenager was that I consumed far too much sugar. My wife managed to reduce her acne to almost none by cutting out sugar from her diet as much as possible. I don't know the science behind it but it worked for her. She was also offered isotretinoin but refused.
In any case, I would be extremely careful to resort to isotretinoin because of the potential long term side effects.

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Antibiotics pills and 4 different types of cream

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Would you share what treatments she has had?

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Tried some treatments for about 1 1/2, looks like the acne is getting worse.

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Before you treat your daughter with Accutane has she tried other treatments?

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I have 2 children!!! No problems during pregnancy and delivery.. Healthy children... My problem is to conceive, took me some time.

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Just checking, do you have a child now? I am thinking of this treatment for my 14 year old daughter this summer 2015

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It was hard to conceive... But I cannot deny the miracles in my skin (I was like a monster before accutane)... Plus, non of my doctors linked my infertility problem with accutane. Would if be different without accutane? I don't know...

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You mean it was easy to conceive for you? Or not easy (you had problems)?

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A success story here!! I said twice but nobody answered me... I took accutane for 7 years (I have 2 children) not easy to conceive, no treatments either... I suffered from severe acne and acutane changed my life...

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For: 'it's not always isotrtinoin'. What is your angle/interest in this discussion? Could you clarify this for us? Most of us have taken accutane and therefore understand that there are effects we were not informed about beforehand (including information that came with the medication).
But why are you on this forum? Are you in the medical profession?

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"Other methods of male contraception: There are many potential methods of male contraception that are not reported on in depth here. For the most part, the research on such methods is too preliminary to warrant a full description. However, these methods do appear in the news, and we regularly receive questions about them.

Retinoic acid receptor antagonist (BMS-189453): In the 1980s, researchers at the pharmaceutical company Bristol-Meyers Squibb developed a drug they designated BMS-189453. They investigated whether it could be used to treat skin and inflammatory diseases, and found that rats treated with 100 milligrams per kilogram of body weight became infertile. That was an unexpected side effect – the researchers decided not to study the drug further. It remained on a shelf until a group of scientists at Columbia University came knocking in 2007.

BMS-189453 is a pan-retinoic acid receptor antagonist. What does that mean? Let’s take it one piece at a time. “Retinoic acid” is the metabolic product of the vitamin A in food. The “receptor” here is a molecule in a cell that picks up retinoic acid. The receptor is in the nucleus of cells, and functions there as a transcription factor, making proteins that turn on target genes. “Antagonist” means that this drug binds to the retinoic acid receptor and prevents it from picking up retinoic acid. “Pan” means that this drug affects all three known types of retinoic acid receptors, named alpha (a), beta (ß) and gamma (?).

Scientists have known since the 1920s that dietary vitamin A is necessary for normal production of sperm in men (Wolbach 1925). It turns out that retinoic acid is necessary in specific amounts inside the genitals for normal sperm production. Blocking retinoic acid receptors in Sertoli cells and developing sperm cells results in disrupted sperm maturation and, ultimately, infertility.

The researchers at Columbia University have now shown that this drug works as a reversible contraceptive in mice (Chung 2011a). Mice given the drug mixed into a solution orally for 7 days were infertile after 4 weeks, at doses of 1mg/kg body weight and 5 mg/kg. The mice all sired healthy litters after 14 weeks, and the offspring had normal fertility. The researchers also found that fertility returned when mice had been treated with 1mg/kg for 16 weeks, and that those offspring were also healthy (Chung 2011b). Their next steps are to:

• extend the dosing regimen for even longer periods,
• evaluate the drug in primates,
• and develop a drug specific to only the alpha (a) retinoic acid receptor, because that’s the one critical for making sperm."

Ref: malecontraceptives.org/methods/others.php

Chung, SS, X Wang, SS Roberts, SM Griffey, PR Reczek and DJ Wolgemuth (2011a) “Oral administration of a retinoic acid receptor antagonist reversibly inhibits spermatogenesis in mice.” Endocrinology 152(6): 2492-502.

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The best outcome for this group is to warn people that isotretinoin is a potent drug and should not be used lightly.

I don't know how you found a dermatologist willing to treat 3 pimples with Accutane at least 5 different times. Was the doctor an actual board-certified Dermatologist?

The tragedy is when Accutane is used outside of the indication for severe cystic acne which didn't respond to ANY other treatment.

It is a requirement for every Accutane patient to read all the warnings. If you just relied on the doctor's word, and ignored the written material and the Internet, you probably bear some responsibility for your situation.

Follow the money. If you find a fertility specialist who wants to blame everything on isotretinoin, consider a second opinion.

Does anyone have any peer-reviewed well documented evidence for isotretinoin and infertility or is it all just a series of anecdotes with no study of co-morbidities or concomitant or pre-existing conditions?

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Then you might as well (dear It might not be isotretinoin) quit reading and posting here.

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I don't know why you continue to undermine the statements made here (except that i suspect you are working for a pharmaceutical company, or a dermatologist), but all the effects mentioned here have been documented as post marketing adverse effects of isotretinoin, and some of them are mentioned (or alluded to) on the drugs printed info sheets. "menstrual changes", reduced sperm count, hair loss, and many other things are documented effects of isotretinoin. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of people who experience these effects long-term after discontinuation of the drug. I'm really tired of you trying to discount everything people write here.

Not all the effects have been proven to be caused by isotretinoin, but they have been associated with it's use and some have a possible association and some have a probable association, and yes even some have proven association.

Yes, there are thousands (maybe millions) who do NOT experience long term adverse effects from this drug, but that does not mean those who are should be discredited, minimized, or condescended to. Rather, they should be empathized with, directed to others with similar experiences, and to published information/studies re the problems and their possible association with isotretinoin.

Anyone who reads your "name" knows you are trying to undermine reports of associations, you really do not need to shoot down every comment that is made.

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You don't believe it, which makes it untrue?

I can recall meeting face to face with 3 other former Isotretinoin patients, who are unrelated to my online activity.

-One young lady began vomiting and excreting blood during Isotretinoin treatment in her senior year of high school. These symptoms lasted for a few years after she stopped. She suffers from arthritis in her late 20's, a symptom which also began during treatment.

-The second young lady developed severe depression soon after initiating treatment, which persisted for at least a year after cessation of treatment. Her mother stated that she is unresponsive to antidepressants.

-A young man who who took Accutane at 12-13 y/o and had problems with erectile dysfunction at 14 years old. He dated an ex-girlfriend of mine prior to me meeting her. She said he was the only other man she has been with with, with the exception of myself, to have this problem.

-I developed erectile dysfunction and severe depression within the first month of starting Accutane and was left completely impotent for 4 months after stopping. I was 18 years old, with mild-moderate acne. I haven't been able to conceive a child and have a low sperm count, low motility, and poor morphology. I was also DX'd with hypogonadism at 20 years old. No explanation for why this happened to me has been provided by my doctors, except that there is a possibility Isotretinoin caused it.

Of course, I have almost certainly met others who took the drug and experienced no side effects, or mild side effects, but have yet to meet someone in person who has come forward to tell a success story.

You mentioned that you never used Isotretinoin. So, what vested interest do you have in debating what we have said about the drug? If our hardships are in fact due to Isotretinoin, then you are a true monster.

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OMG, I am shocked. I am 23 and just found out I am going thru premature menopause. I took this crap 4 years ago. The endocrinologist asked if I ever took Accutane, and said he sees this happen in young patients who took it! WTF, I still have the side effects booklet and it says nothing about menopause. I would much rather have acne than to have to deal with this! It feels like my life is over. I can't stop crying about this. I had no idea it is being used for cancer. Acne is not cancer!

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