Accutane Long Term Side Effects (Page 20)

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 After I have researched this drug extensively, I can't believe that the FDA allows this drug originally made for cancer patients to be marketed for teenagers with acne.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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REPORT

I have hid the fact I have taken Accutane and now have various side affects due to the medication. Please read this if you have the time,

About 15 years ago a friend of mine approached me in regards to this medication. I was in high school played football / basketball / wrestling by the time I hit 17 I started developing horrible acne. I went to my doctor who agreed to put me on Accutane, I was 6-2 215 pounds and put on a higher dosage.

My first round of Accutane caused intense paranoia / depressed feelings. I was suicidal and no longer the same person (weight loss started rapidly). Doctor decided to expand the period a few more weeks. I went down to 160 pounds

Second round of Accutane came approx a year and half later same doctor. HORRIBLE head pains, fell over a few times. Tried to shoot myself however gun was found by my brother / mom. Weight loss 135 pounds no longer eating any food exceptionally depressed taken off medication. No treatment for adverse reactions due to Accutane

Years and years passed and I found the following

- Mood swings (depression comes when least expected) this can be anger / sadness etc

- Headache / Migraines constantly

- Constant stomach acid / pain

My life has changed drastically and I know the medication has taken away so much from me , I have never discussed this subject to anyone.

DO NOT take this medication, parents do not allow your children to even think of this poison.

I have never been told about any type of legal action against the company, and I am sure that it may help some. However I could careless about the money, I only wish I could go back and say NO to this poison that I had ingested.

I went from being one of the top athletes / happiest person you can meet, to this.

I hope we all find a cure / peace to what has happened to us

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Tony,
My thoughts and prayers go out to you.
Best Wishes,
Scott

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Wow, I am so sorry to hear this and I gained weight but got the other symptoms. I was a happy person too before this medicine. And I am depressed and it takes a lot to make me happy and I am not the happy I once was. I think of dying everyday, it's pretty weird and I talked it over with my head doctor but still it doesn't matter what he says the moment I walked out of there I am back to this negative thinking. It also made me older looking, I use to look at least 10 years younger than my age and now I look a lot older. Name a symptom and most likely I have it due to taking this medicine. This goes back to the early 80's until now dealing with it and the health problems are getting worst.

So many deaths for different reasons from taking this medicine. I can't believe anyone would read this blog and still think about taking it or staying on it. We are serious here about our problems or we wouldn't take the time.

About the lawsuits, I would say still try but the ones that have won millions the last I heard still didn't get their money.

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Hi Shelly;

Would you please give me the name/website/email address of the lawyer you contacted. All the lawyers that I have contacted either have never answered my emails or say the are only taking cases concerning Crohn's disease or Ulcerative Colitis.

Thanks,

Jim

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@ Jim...Well actually this one is concentrating on Colitis. They each have their specially in it and I don't understand why this is because Accutane causes damage throughout the body why not take it as a whole I don't get it does someone know why this is and it's a question I need to ask them.

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my 4 year old son has lamellar ichthyosis,( a severe skin disease) and we just started accutane one week ago knowing the side effects and weighing the pros and cons it seems the only solution to ease his anguish of living with his skin disorder. i d'ont know what else to do does any one have a similar story to share with some advice to consider?

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I also had to take this medicine because of a rare skin condition with a long latin name, but the doctors just called it dividing cellulitis. I started taking it when I was14 and had to take it until I was 16. I never really experienced many side effects...and it's been almost ten years since the last time I took it. The only thing that I can notice is that my eyes get red easily...looking almost blood-shot. I'm actually really grateful for Accutane, but I don't think it should just be handed out to every teenager with a little acne. It's a serious drug. I'm not sure what it will do to someone as young as your child. I hope that it does not disrupt normal development at that age. I think I'm just one of the lucky few who weren't affected that much by it. If it weren't for Accutane, I would look pretty horrific right now. If your child desperately needs this drug, then there isn't really an option. But, if there are other ways to deal with his condition, I would try those first. Accutane obviously affects different people differently, but you don't want to take any chances with it if there are other ways to treat the condition.

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Jennifer a lot of skin problems are due to allergies and a big one is Celiac Disease or gluten sensitivity so I would stop the Accutane and have him tested for this and still put him on a diet free of glutens. The best information out there is glutenfreesociety.org and talk to Dr. Osborne he can help you. Sign up for free to his blog. This is my suggestion. I think Accutane causes gut problems and it will just be worst if he has problems already. This drug is serious and not worth risking your sons life for! My cousin died from this drug and left behind a wonderful husband and two small children.

Please take him off it.

I been using Organic Virgin Coconut Oil it does wonders. But he can't be allergic to it or it wont help.

The Clay as I mentioned in the blog earlier in the weeks has been helping detox. So there is a lot out there you can try.

Keep us informed!

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dear scott- i'm actually from the UK and I asked my derm if he thought the drug would be removed here like it has recently been in the US. he told me that i was 'misinformed' and he has US colleagues still prescribing it. Although I later found evidence to support me from online newspapers and took it to my GP. I even came home and read it again as i suddenly began doubting myself! I find i shocking its still being so freely prescribed over here. Doctors have encouraged me to be on it since I was 18.... now i think it may well be to match their 'targets' and get another person 'treated'.
When I told him how concerned I was about my eye, he told me he could write to roche and ask them if they knew of this as a side effect- i began to wonder WHO exactly was prescribing me accutane and i wondered why a doctor was even considering listening to a pharm company than ME, someone who was actually taking it!
I dont think i have any problems now- every side effect i had has gone (been off it 2 months) but I am concerned for my future health and I cant thank you enough for creating this board and to everyone who has written. I would never have heard about any long term problems otherwise (and I really thought i'd 'researched' it all!) Yes I went on it for 3 months but it could have been longer. Perhaps even several times over. And should anything happen in the future at least I'll have a lead as to what the reason may be. Furthermore, its made me realise that doctors are not gods and even they can get it wrong, be manipulated, lack information etc. I wish your son all the best and I hope you take some comfort in the fact you've helped a lot of people on here- especially those who have stopped accutane because of this board. Hopefully your message will spread further each day (it got to me in the UK!), Melissa xxx

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Dear Melissa ( aka. MLH ),
Thanks so much for your reply and your kind words. I am not surprised to hear your Dr. is much like the Dr. here in the USA. Its sad. The FDA post remarks daily on there site in regards our food supply not being healthy but continue to turn their backs on what Big Pharma is doing to our future leaders of this country ( our teens). I am personally pleased to hear this site has informed possible Accutane users from using it for the first time, It is the only satisfaction I can feel knowing I am not putting a parent and his child through the horrible experience my son and many many others have been through. We can only hope this site has at least brought new light to these terrible cancer patient drugs given to our youth. The more sites like this and the more people tell their stories the closer we are of having this drug and generic brands and apparently still Accutane available in the USA and throughout the world off the market. Thank you for your thoughts and becoming part of this thread. I am so glad you have no side effects, it is a good sign that you have went a few months without any. My son had severe bleeding during his 6 month on the drug. Without that side effect, I also may had been one that overlooked connecting Accutane / Amnesteem as the culprit. I have just bought some books by Max Gerson ( The Gerson Way & Netflix movie...The Beautiful Truth) on how to cleans one body which also claims this diet etc has also cured cancer and takes toxiins out of the body from chemo drugs.

www.gerson.org

Best Wishes
From the Heart,
Scott

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I was on accutane 4 years ago when i was 16. I had the normal expected side effects while on it, but was NEVER told about long term side effects. About 6 months after i finished 9 months of taking 50mg a day i started to get very lethargic, would need to take naps constantly to keep up my energy. I was very dizzy at all times and couldn't focus well. I started to get very bad indigestion along with nausea and would throw up if any acidic foods were eaten. I was misdiagnosed with anemia and several other disorders throughout the year. We still don't know if accutane is what is causing these symptoms and i continue to suffer through these issues daily. I have occasionally been perscribed nexium and a vertigo drug to deal with the dizziness and indigestion however as i am a dancer in a professional company it is not healthy to stay on these.
I just don't know what to do now.

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@Amyx123, I went through years of being told I was anemic or I wasn't and I didn't know why one doctor would say I was and the next would say I wasn't within a short period of time and I think I read it's because of my Auto Immune Disease brought on by taking Accutane. So you may not be misdiagnosed you might be at one time and not another time. If I come across it again will post it on here.

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My daughter took accutane at age 18. She was suicidal because of how bad her poor face looked. She was very beautiful all thru school, and then severe acne hit. If it weren't for Accutane I don't know what would have happened to her. That was 20 years ago, and nothing bad has happened to her. Her acne was cured back then, thank goodness, and she has a few scars, but no disease. It was very much worth it. Note: she was carefully watched and tested by the prescribing doctor.

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I took accutane at 17. I later married and had my first child at 26. I did not have any problems with becoming pregnant and my children seem to be fine. I'm now 37 and just started my third round. I have chronic joint pain but I considered that the result of hard physical exercise. I have started to worry about this round.

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Wow, I am really freaked out now! I took Accutane in my early teens, around when I was 13 or 14 and now I am 25. I haven't had any negative long-term side-effects but I'm now afraid I will. Is it possible to manage to take Accutane and escape the effects? I'd like to believe that I'm just lucky and avoided them, but hopefully they're not just waiting in the wings. Is there anyone else out there who hasn't had problems since taking it?

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I took Accutane back in the early 80's I really don't remember the exact year. I took it again in 1993/1994 fill term this time and was getting really sick with this health problem and that health problems so from the first time using it to the second time things were slowly happening and it got really bad with the second dose. Until all the awareness came out on this drug did I put the puzzle together and was able to trace it back to the first time I ever took it. So may you wont show signs at first or maybe you wont know that your health problems ever so small is actually caused from this drug like in my case. If it wasn't for taking it the second time I don't think I would be as nearly bad at this point. From head to toe inside and out I have problems!

@Joy I have Chronic Joint Pain too it's not good! Sorry to hear this!

And there are natural ways to treat acne that we are aware of today thanks to the internet and if that scares a person go to a Nature Path for help there is no reason to take this type of drug!

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I was one of the first patients to take accutane when it became available. I was 14 years old and suffered from severe acne. Sure, there were side effects. Dry lips, skin, hair...., but my acne cleared up and I couldn't have been happier. I took it again in my early 20's with the same side effects.

When I was 32 I gave birth to twin girls. When they were 5 it was discovered that they have a hearing impairment. They are now 13 and one of them has bad acne and so far any topical treatments we have tried, haven't worked. I talked to our pediatrician about putting her on Accutane. She strongly advised against it because of all the side effects. When I told her that I took it two different times, the look on her face said it all. What if that is the cause of my daughters' hearing impairment? The thought sickens me. I have alot of research to do......

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any body taken[PROSPERIOUfarmer or Liver flow orAngeleica?they ha ve given me the MOST awful runs wot can i do?Any ideas

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@ Mary it's have caused birth defects and many years later. But don't beat yourself up over it, you didn't do it knowing this. Mary our foods today are so toxic since I went on a strict gluten free diet following Dr. Osborne on line recommendations it's helped my skin and no more migraines and headaches are rare. Usually the skin is a reflection on what is going on in the body and many thing play a part in it and one is diet. She might just be allergic to something. Talk to your doctor about this. More and more people are finding out around the area I live they have gluten sensitivity. Most people buy process foods and even thinking we aren't we still are with the GMO's foods and all. The organic meats I was buying I am allergic to and found out they weren't just grass fed like I thought. Some of these animals are being fed grains and soybean. OMG are we kidding and they call this organic and gluten free, in no way is this gluten free another mistake people make they aren't eaten a TRUE gluten free diet!

Put warning in front of Accutane in the search engines and you wont believe what comes up! It's scary!

Best wishes with your girls. Like I saw there is a lot of natural things to help heal acne. Some it's zinc, some it's coconut, and...on and on...

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Shelly, thank you for your comments. You know, I did take the girls to an allergist when they were 6 and the one did show a wheat allergy. Hmmmmm.... I couldn't find any symptoms, but maybe this is it.

Thanks again!

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