Accutane Long Term Side Effects (Page 11)
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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 After I have researched this drug extensively, I can't believe that the FDA allows this drug originally made for cancer patients to be marketed for teenagers with acne.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 am sorry for you and your sons misfortune, but accutane is a extremely controlled drug because of its side effects. If your doctor did not warn you of its side effects, and if you did not read the booklet and online forms you were required to sign before starting the treatment, then that is your fault because it clearly states on the forms you must sign, all the serious side effects, and the percentage of individuals who suffer short term and long term from these side effects. And if your son was having abnormal liver diagnostic results during treatment, his doctor should have immediately pulled him off of accutane. If the doctor knowingly kept him on the drug with those liver results, then it is an issue with the doctor not the drug. Otherwise you had to sign every consent form informing you about the accutane side effects, so if you didn't take the time to actually read them, it is your fault.

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Fred my story is a lot like yours. I took accutane at ages 15, 17, and 20. I'm 30 now and look 16 but feel 50. Every side effect you can basically list I have. Stunted growth extremely dry skin, joint pain, eczema, foggy brain, no muscle, attitude change no motivation, cant gain any weight etc. i also noticed something wasnt right compared to my peers. Doctors and everyone else telling me there is nothing wrong and to just be patient. Well I got educated from research many years ago praying that something would cure us. Seems like this drug alters your dna and destroys cells with life long lasting side effects. I have taken every supplement and other plans of actions to help without avail. If the doctor had told me this was designed as chemo drug and the side effects would be with you for the rest of our lives, then no way would i have taken it. Both doctors and roche are to blame for ever giving this to a kid who hasnt developed. They should have to use the billions a year they made off it to research a way to reverse it, if even possible. Everyday above ground is still a blessing an many others have it worse, but you cant help but think how different your life might have been had you made better decisions in your younger years and that hurts every time. We need to have our voices heard and taken seriously.

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My son has taken accutane for 7 days. I am having him STOP today. Can anyone tell me how long the medicine is in your body? How long do we need to wait to try a different medicated cream for face? Dermatologist office has been zero help. One doc says it remains in the body for 1 month, the other says 9 days. What is going on?

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In 1983, I took Accutane in the spring of my freshman year of high school. I was 14 years old when I started taking the drug which I think was about 6 weeks. The reason I stopped taking the drug was because I developed a low grade fever and was sickened. I believe that the dermatologist prescribed too high a dose and basically poisoned me. I've had many of the same types of problems that other have described on here such as joint pain, depression (severe), mood swings, and stunted growth. But what happened to me during my high school years after taking this drug has forever cursed me. The year before I took this drug as an 8th grader, I was an all-around athlete. In fact, that year I set a school record in the 400M dash (stood for 15 years), won MVP with highest batting average in Babe Ruth League Baseball, and was a conference champion in Wrestling. And, in my best sport of football, I was leading rusher, touchdowns, and interceptions on defense. I could pretty much do it all on the football field. My father was a coach and it was in my blood. I was big and the quickest guy on the team. In the very next spring of my freshman year in track, I started the prescription of Accutane. I noticed almost immediately that something was wrong with performance on the track. I would get about halfway around the track and it was like somebody would put a bag over my head, and at that point I could not breathe. I was done. During that freshman season of track, I could not even run the same times that I ran as an 8th grader. Here I was the school record holder in the 8th grade and was completely embarrassed and humiliated because it simply looked like I wasn't 'in shape'. And in wrestling, it was the same thing. I would get about a minute into a match and then my air would be cut-off, like somebody had their hands around my throat. And I had no idea what was going on. I simply thought I needed to work harder to get in shape. That was not the case. I do remember that I had kind of third sense that something was seriously wrong, kind of like a sub-conscience feeling of anxiety. And, going into my junior year seeing my friends grow while I did not, I KNEW something was wrong.

I was robbed of my entire high school growth spurt. I remember trying to explain this to my father but he didn't believe me. Now some 30 years later, I KNOW what went wrong. The drug acutance attacked my endocrine system, halted my growth, damaged the hormone receptors, altered my adrenal glands, pituitary gland, and who knows what else. To the guy on here that said Accutane side affects are not permanent it OUT OF HIS MIND! How could a child's stunted growth not be a permanent side effect? There have been studies that have proven that Accutane reduces or eliminates growth hormones in 99% of patients. Once your growth hormones stop, that's it. They are done and can't be restarted. And the depression? Beyond explanation. I can't even begin to describe the deep despair I've suffered due to the loss of my sports career. Not able to put this into words. But, I'm lucky to be alive right now because the suicidal feelings have sometimes been overwhelming. The biggest physical problems that I have today that really affect my life is still the breathing problem. I am still active physically and I try to stay in shape via weight lifting and cardio exercises. In fact, I am certain that the physical activity has helped keep my joint pain at bay. And, when I don't exercise, my joints such as my knees, elbows, shoulders, and back start hurting. But I still have the breathing problem when I perform cardio types of workouts. And, I sweat profusely. I have to tried to research this problem but haven't found anything. The doctors I've visited were not any help. If anybody on here has had similar problems let me know. To summarize, for any child or adolescent that is not FULLY grown, Accutane could potentially destroy that child's life. A few pimples are not worth that. For a fully grown adult that doesn't participate in sports, take Accutane at your own risk knowing that you WILL have some sort of permanent side effects. If you want to live with those, go ahead. But any doctor that would prescribe this medication to a child should be locked up.

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Hi Wil I am sorry to hear what you are going through. I am having trouble walking and I have appointments to see doctors next week. This drug just should never have been allowed.

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Accutane can (and does) induce long-term and permanent remission of acne. Often, a second course is not even required. In fact, it is touted as a "cure" for acne by some dermatologists and recurrence of acne after treatment is considered a "relapse". Successful treatment implies long-term remission.

Don't lecture me about having misconceptions of DNA methylation and other biological mechanisms of Isotretinoin as if my information on the topic comes from advertisements on natural news. If you assume every person claiming to have lasting side effects from Isotretinoin is a fool, you will fail in your mission to spread its good gospel.

More faith is to be found in the opinions of biological researchers reaching conclusions based on first-hand observations than in dermatologists regurgitating statistical reports from dermatological journals. When investigations into Isotretinoin's MOAs begin uncovering molecular-level effects that are strongly linked with claims of certain adverse reactions, they begin to add validity to those claims. It's not as if these studies are being funded to make the drug look bad, only to figure out how it works.

Believe me, you wouldn't want the raw data on reported adverse-reactions of Isotretinoin to be easily available to potential patients either. Its record is atrocious compared to other drugs when individual ADRs are adjusted for proportional reporting ratio, and would appear even worse than it actually is if one didn't consider how long it has been on the market. Somewhere around Half a Million ADRs Reported and Counting, which represents only 1/10th of actual incidences, according to FDA estimates on the viability of their statistics.

You obviously have a positive confirmation-bias regarding Isotretinoin for whatever reason, as I have an extreme disgust for liberal use of the drug being that my life began sliding into perpetual living hell a few weeks into treatment. The worst of the side effects coincided with permanent remission of my moderate acne BTW.

Your message will be attenuated here. You will have more success calling us hypochondriacs among people who currently have a positive opinion or no opinion regarding the safety of Isotretinoin.

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"In most cases your spots will all be gone for a good 20-30 years +":

I didn't express myself well: I meant THE SCARS, Accutane prevents permanent acne scarring, but it has no power to induce a long-term remission of acne: more than one treatment course are often needed, there is however a remission after physical development (18-20 years), accutane anticipates this remission with long-term esthetic benefits in terms of scarring. But acne could come back sometimes: I know some people in their 40s with acne, this is why a friend of mine did 4 courses and still has spots, but he suffered no side effects.

Isotretinoin is generally well tolerated and was taken by millions of people: this site doesn't make any statistics about this drug. It looks like that there are only doctors here, or more probably people that speak like doctors about "DNA methylation patterns, etc." without knowing the underlying biological structures and processes, they speak because they've read something on the web and try to put things together.

And remember that research is not science YET, because many researches contradict one another, so this "encyclopedia's-worth of scientific evidence" doesn't exist.

Isotretinoin is not a terrible, horrific, devastating drug, it's a drug like another one in terms of risks, this is the message that I want to spread.

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Michael,

STATING THAT ISOTRETINOIN CAN CAUSE LONG-TERM REMISSION OF ACNE, WHILE ALSO CLAIMING THAT LONG-TERM SIDE EFFECTS ARE A MYTH IS JUST ABSURD.

You forgot to mention that many of Isotretinoin's effects are exerted through its all-trans and 9-cis metabolites, making the 22hr half-life irreleveant to this conversation.

Isotretinoin has also been obvserved to cause changes in DNA methylation patterns; which, for all intents and purposes, means the drug PERMANENTLY changes the way your cells work.

There is an encyclopedia's-worth of SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE that Isotretinoin may cause depression. All one has to do is search Google Scholar for a plethora of peer-reviewed infromation on the topic. I think what you meant was that a link between Isotretinoin and depression has yet to be proven "beyond the shadow of a doubt." I'll give you that much.

Isotretinoin was also developed and used as a chemotherapy drug. There's no denying that. Dr. Frank Yoder discovered it's efficacy as an acne treatment through observations of acne in chemotherapy patients. Its use as a chemotherapy agent has dropped in recent times due to its relatively low effectiveness and toxicity compared to newer chemo drugs.

PLEASE HAVE THE DECENCY TO DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE YOU START CHILDISH NAME-CALLING BASED ON YOUR OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH ACCUTANE. ACCORDING TO YOUR OWN ARGUMENTS, YOUR STATEMENTS ARE NO MORE VALID THAN ANY OF OURS.

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All the comments here seem to be very negative towards the use of Isotretinoin. However, my guess is that the people giving negative advices about Accutane in general have never taken it themselves and are solely focusing on the scare stories, or they are hypochondriac people blaming the drug and creating horror stories out of nothing (this site is the case).

The most rapid and effective way to get rid of acne is proven to be oral ISOTRETINOIN.

I was on Roaccutane for severe acne and it was the best thing that happened: it forever cleared my face up and I suffered no side effects, apart from dry lips, skin and eyes, but it rapidly went away after finishing the 6 month treatment course. However, I was a bit scared about taking it at first, but I had no reasons to be scared. Yes, there are side effects but carefully monitored there is no problem The only condition that is NOT allowed is you or your partner trying to conceive while on the medication and for a month or two after.
But that said, lots of the other “terrible” stuff are just anecdotal and irrelevant. Anyway, these days the doctor will start you off on a low dose at first and work-up later. Normally, you will be on it for 3-6 months and in most cases your spots will all be gone for a good 20-30 years +. They monitor your blood throughout your treatment including checking for cholesterol levels; rightly administrated there should not be a problem and one could stop at any time.

You didn’t understand that "ALL THE SIDE EFFECTS OF ISOTRETINOIN ARE TEMPORARY, SOME OF THEM SERIOUS, BUT ALWAYS TEMPORARY". THERE’S NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE OF ISOTRETINOIN CAUSING DEPRESSION OR PERMANENT PROBLEMS.

I know the anxiety that severe acne causes, I have tried everything to cure it and nothing worked. The truth is that having severe acne can prevent a teenager from meeting boys/girls and that can be very depressing in itself. A teenage mind is usually unstable because of physical development and more prone to depression. If this drug was that dangerous then why would doctors be prescribing it!?
When ingested, vitamin A is converted into its 3 active forms, one of them is “retinoic acid”, which is a naturally occurring substance in the human body, so its effects are not comparable to the devastating effects of chemotherapy drugs (many of their commercial names finish with “-ab”).

Besides, isotretinoin has a half-life of 22 hours in the human body, so nobody can say that it causes permanent side effects.
Whose advice would one person rather take- a doctor with a ph.D who knows all about dermatology inside out and the corrective treatment required, or some suggestible kids and/or hypochondriac people? As I said, there are no scare stories about this drug, only some occasional anecdotes; the only things that are scary about all this are your hypochondria and EVEN WORSE YOUR ATTEMPT TO DEPRIVE PEOPLE OF THEIR RIGHT TO MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE TO CURE THEIR ACNE, BECAUSE YOU ARE SPREADING ONLY RUMORS AND LIES ON THE WEB. THAT’S ABSOLUTELY NOT FAIR OF YOU.

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Dear Dr.,

I am a PhD doctor in Pakistan. My daughter aging 18 now was facing severe acne since last couple of years so we went to a dermatologist. Like everybody in this discussion she was suggested accutane and used it for a month. During this time she started facing all the side effects dry mouth lips and eyes. The situation alerted me a little and I started searching internet . Here I immediately saw the side effects and I stopped the medicine while her doctor was insisting on continuing. We changed the dermatologist and he abused the previous doctor for using this medicine. Now he started Azomax and in last one year off and on she is on doses of Azomax but acne is still there.

Now let us come to the horrible part, In last one year she gradually lost weight became pale complained nausea and extreme fatigue. She was so much tired all the time that she discontinued her college. Most of the time she remains in the bed and and can tolerate very less physical activity.

We after consulting her physician have gone through several blood diagnostics. Any how the disturbed thing in her CBC is high value of mono% Low MPV . While her ANA test has a spectral result. Her physician says she would automatically heal with time while the hematologist says she is suffering from deficiency anemia. Please tell me If these are the side effects of accutane how can we move towards recovery soon?

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sorry about my poor english ,pain will be disapear if you avoid any source of vitamin a
Milk eggs oils peanuts green leafy ,caroten supplements etc... use zinc is great anntagonist 50mg
for acne is necessary to clean liver and bowells to completely resolve problem from roots ,i was use 10 use antifugnals and accutane or so not help
A simple method with a few dollars supplements ,an combination with lugol, colloidal silver (homemade) ,avoid soaps,use moromant for clean skin and silver
and maybe an supplement to boost adrenals like ashwagandha is good or so for deppresion and mood

hope helps

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I'm 24, in the UK, and I'm not sure whether to stop taking my Accutane. I've been on it for two months now, it will be my third month this coming Friday. I have all the common side effects, although quite severe - my lips are constantly chapped, sore and peeling (often bleeding), and my face is so flakey and dry - I got some over the counter Diprobase cream which was a lot thicker and initially worked (doctor gave me some Epaderm cream, which was too runny and ineffective), however even the Diprobase isn't working now so I don't know what to try now. Moreover, lately I put it down to a cold, but the other day I woke up with extremely painful limbs, I was aching all over. I did go to the gym the night before, but I only ran for 30 minutes and never experienced such pain from such little exercise. However, the past few days it's been very painful to swallow, and I've only just noticed that the tip of my tongue looks like it's bleeding (it isn't, it's just extremely red) and looking at my tongue closely it just doesn't look right. I also suspect that this medication gave me thrush, since I'm still suffering from it. I even thought maybe it was oral thrush too, but I've noticed that finding swallowing painful is classed as a serious side effect of the Accutance. I've been forking out money for Lemsip and other flu-based medication, but I have a feeling it isn't that. It's that bad I'm starting to lose my voice. The acne that is on my back seems to be improving, but I'm not sure whether it is all worth this, although I had the acne on my back. I just don't know whether to take my last 5 days worth of tablets and go to see my dermatologist, or call my doctors on Monday and go and see them before Friday.

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To all of you people that are still taking Accutane, do your body a favor and STOP before more damage is done! It's true that most of the short term side effects cease once you stop the drug. However, the long term side effects do not go away. I speak from my own personal experience. I took Accutane 31 years ago as a young man age 24. My life has been on a bad health roller coaster ever since. I have digestive issues, including IBS, bone and joint problems, including arthritis. I've suffered periods of depression. It's hard to mentally focus on things at times. Almost like my head is in a cloud. At certain times I'll turn red in the face for no apparent reason. I've got that hollow in the face look that so many Accutane users complain about. Then 2 years ago I developed GLUTEN INTOLERANCE. Many Accutane users have developed that later in life. I'm 55 years old now and sometimes I feel as if I'm 80. Let me tell you taking Accutane WAS NOT WORTH IT!! I would take the acne back in a heartbeat if I could restore my health to what it was before I took Accutane. And incidentally, I still get acne. Stop taking the poison before you ruin your life forever. STOP!!! Don't listen to the voices on here that say Accutane was great for them. They might work for one of the Drug companies selling that drug. Don't chance it!!

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Yes, I took accutane 21 years ago and I'm still realizing how many of my health issues are from accutane. It's like a giant vitamin A overdose and poisoned my body systemically. I have no family history or rheumatoid arthritis. The longer it's been since I took accutane the more my body feels the arthritic damage - these pains in my joints and bones have got progressively worse over the last 21 years. I'm 39. My spine surgeon said accutane probably caused my deteriorating vertebrae in my back. My knees and shoulders are worn out and I have pain which ever side I sleep on, it's not normal. I never used to feel like this before taking accutane and now it's every night, all night. I used to think it was part of getting older, now I know better.

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Hi its Rachel again. I am having these symtoms: coughing, naseau and pain in my shoulders, neck was severe at some point now just still. Had some excrutiating pain in my thighs and now I have heavy legs trouble walking and extreme fatigue. I do have stomach pains sometimes but I have normal you know. All this happened within the last three months. All I can do is sleep on a heating pad and just pray I get better. I saw a neurologist who feels I have fibromyalgia now I have an upcoming appt with a rheumotologist. My life if ruined, I can hardly to anything. I used to be a runner. My question is I took accutane 6 years ago. Could this just come up like this now? Rachel

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Janine please stop accutane now! I have pain in my joints for ten years because of accutane! you dont want to have problems for the rest of youtr life, imagine problem with your etes for the rest of life? Dont worth, it is a advice from a victm

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Iv been taking roaccutine for 4-5 months now, I found it working well, had dry lips but that was it, since they put me upto 40mg I'm struggling with my eyes there all red a puffy, won't stop watering. They just flare up all the time. Iv lowers myself back to 20mg and now noticed my skin getting bad again and my eyes are not clearing up there constantly red and watery.. What shall I do? :-(

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Hi I took accutane 6 years ago is it possible to have side effects now?

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Yes, probably the drug caused theses symptoms. You should visit a reumathologist to check if you have spondyloarthritis. If so, remove the starch from your diet. Try 2 the London diet at least 2 months to see if it helps. Good luck!

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Its been 10 years since I took accutane. The immediate effects following that were dry skin, dried lips, hair loss, reddened skin, then shortly IBS and chronic fatigue. 2 years ago I started having unexplainable back pains that continue today. So 8 years after, I'm not so sure it's related, but these comments are starting to scare me. Could this drug possibly be the culprit? What else is going to happen down the line.

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