Accutane Long Term Side Effects (Page 29) (Newest replies first)

scott Says:

Thu, May 28, 2009

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 After I have researched this drug extensively, I can't believe that the FDA allows this drug originally made for cancer patients to be marketed for teenagers with acne.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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jacob Says:
Sat, September 14, 2013

Hello everybody I am 21 year old guy who has severe cystic acne. I have tried everything else with no success and this acne has ruined my confidence. Before acne I was a confident guy that had to no problem making friends and being the life of the party. I used to be great with girls but now I am afraid of being rejected by them because of my appearance. People have even mocked me at my job because of my appearance. However, after reading these stories I am very afraid to go on Accutane. Does anybody know the odds of suffering from these devastating side effects? Does anyone know of alternative treatments for severe acne?

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Mitchuk Says:
Fri, September 13, 2013

Ernest.. My now 19 yr old son has exactly the same problems you describe and more;ie has chest pain. Pressure so bad in his head they did a lumbar puncture thinking it was intercraniel pressure on his brain.. Now he has had a migraine & tinnitus since May 2012. He was very fit & was at college on a sports course doing powerlifting.. And no he has never used steroids only natural strength. He has not done anything for 2 1/2 yrs now. He has gone out on his own today to meet a friend for the 1st time in 17 months. He was on Isotretinoin (generic roaccutane) for 8 weeks.. If only i had searched long term side effects and not effects of this Poision i would have seen many problems concerning this drug. I just dont know whether he will ever have a normal life again !
Are there any others out there in UK ?

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Ernest Says:
Fri, September 13, 2013

To IHateAcne,
The best thing you can do for yourself is to get completely off Accutane! Don't wait for your Dermatologist to take you off Accutane. Take your own self off the Poison!! Wake Up Man! That drug is what's making your hips hurt! I took Accutane as a young man about 30 years ago when I was around 24 years old. I have had so many bad health side effects since it has taken away any normal quality of life for me. I've had numerous stomach problems, ulcers, IBS, terrible acid reflux as a result of hiatial hernia, sensitivity to many foods I used to eat with no problem, and now gluten intolerance. Then there are the bone and joint problems. I have degenerative disc disease in my neck that is steadily getting worse with time. I have pain in my neck everyday. It is a chore for me to get out of bed and go to work. I hurt more laying in bed due to the pressure on my neck than walking around. I have bone spurs throughout my spine, combined with athritis. I'm plagued with dry skin year round. Because I feel bad most of the time, I have little desire to socialize with anyone. When my neck is hurting it makes my face flush blood red. I only took Accutane for alittle over 3 months due to the short term side effects that I experienced. I hate to think how much worse my plague would be now had I continued to take that poison for the whole 6 month treatment!!! If I could go back to the time before I took Accutane I would gladly take my Acne back in comparison to what I have experienced as a result of taking that poison!!
Get off that POISON before if does anymore damage to your body!!

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MARLA Says:
Fri, September 13, 2013

To: I Hate Acne
I was in the same situation 30 years ago. BUT AT THAT TIME NO-ONE KNEW OR TOLD PATIENTS ABOUT THE SIDE EFFECT!! There was no Internet, so I believed my Doctor. I went on Accutane 3 different times.... in 1982, 1984 and 1986.
During this time I had all kinds of health issues surface, NONE of which were ever said to be attributed to ACCUTANE. Now I know better.....Accutane has caused me life-long muscle, joint, gastrointestinal and many other problems. PLUS, even after 3 times, it DID NOT CURE MY ACNE !! STOP IT NOW !! I am 52 years old and have suffered for 30 years. It has only been within the last few years that I have become aware that Accutane was the root of most of my problems. I will NEVER regain my health because the damage has been done. LISTEN....PLEASE!!

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Jen Says:
Thu, September 12, 2013

Stop Accutane Now!!!! Hope that you have not caused permanent damage. Accutane can dry up your joints, cause bone spurs, osteoporosis and many other bone and muscle problems. What's a clear face if your body is destroyed!!!!!!

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Scott Says:
Thu, September 12, 2013

I hate acne,

Please read up on here and try to get feedback from people that have the same symptoms as you. Taking Accutane for the second time simply put, was a huge mistake. Please quit taking anymore Accutane.
Wishing you the best,
Scott

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IHateAcne Says:
Thu, September 12, 2013

Ok so around 3 years ago I took 40mg twice a day for about 3-4 months of accutane and I started having blood in my stools so of course I stopped taking it. I got an endoscopy done and everything was fine. So around four months ago I started it back up again. I am just coming up on finishing 4 months of it. Anyway, I am a vigorous runner and then all the sudden I got pain in my hips. I had some in my back but that went away after month 2, and now this? For real, I cannot even run anymore, more or less walk. . . I don't want to think it's accutane....but what else could it be? I'm afraid of telling my dermatologist because he may take me off the drug. HELP!

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Anthony Says:
Thu, September 12, 2013

Diya, my pleasure. This won't get the best of us. You know everyone has problems and I need to do things to help my body recover instead of wallow in my own despair and self pity. If we focus on all of the bad qualities about us and our lives, we won't be able to break it. We need to stay strong mentally because I believe it has a strong affect on our body chemistry and overall health as well.

Accutane seems to cause a lot of other problems but some of them are treatable. Whether it is thyroid issues, autoimmune disorders, etc. Try to find out the problems and address them. Drink plenty of water, improve your diet if you know it isn't sufficient and healthy, and exercise routinely. I lack energy but I need to overpower that with my mentality and will power. Whenever I exercise I feel a lot more lively. We can't break a cycle if we don't bother to fight and do something about it. That's what makes this so bad is that we start fixating our concerns on all of our problems instead of doing some simple things to combat them. I will keep sharing my story and progress here as I hope everyone else does. One thing I must say is frustrating is that all of the doctors I have spoken with in regards to my problems seem to sweep accutane down immediately. I am a respectful, soft spoken guy, but this just makes me want to yell and throw a fit sometimes, haha. Especially if it's not a dermatologist....at least acknowledge it could be a factor! The only person to agree with me was an ENT that I saw. She thought my theory on accutane seemed plausible.

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Sergio A. Says:
Wed, September 11, 2013

I took accutane when I was 29, because I had bad acne. Before I was completely normal, just a cold here and there. I took the evil drug for 6 months; my life was transformed in a nightmare since then. I have been dealing with GI problems, IBS, rectum bleeding, fibromyalgia and due to malabsorption, I have developed already 2 kidney stones the couple of years. I even have had suicide thoughts. Any person considering start a protocol with this drug. Please do not do it!

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diya Says:
Wed, September 11, 2013

Anthony
Thanx for your encouragement.i really hope and pray all our lives gets back to normal

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diya Says:
Wed, September 11, 2013

Anthony
Thanx a lot for your encouragement.i hope and pray all of our lives gets back to normal

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Anthony Says:
Mon, September 9, 2013

Hi Andrea & others,

I have discovered this discussion as I have been battling with what I now strongly believe to be attributed to isotretinoin long-term effects. I deal with a lot, thankfully much of it I consider to be more minor, but with the major side effects and everything else combined, it's lowered my zest for life in general. What has affected me most is dry eye syndrome and I have been trying to test for srojen's. I'm a 24 year old man and dealing with dry eyes, nasal passage, and mouth already. I also deal with back soreness, joint pain, general lack of energy, tooth discoloration, overall dry skin, various skin rashes and an increase in anxiety. It's becoming more clear and less of a coincidence that I am dealing with all of these problems at such a young age. I am currently on prescription restasis drops, I have a punctal occlusion in my tear ducts, and I use refresh tear drops very often. I have had to stop wearing contact lenses permanently because my eyes do not produce enough tears. I have literally been unable to properly cry for about a year now. Keep in mind my accutane course elapsed beginning of January 2010. I was able to successfully wear contact lenses without much issue for another two years and it was around this time last year where I started encountering more problems.

I am in the process of slowly reforming my lifestyle. I am exercising more frequently, slowly improving my diet through eating and various supplements. One thing I'd like to note is that I do heavy retouching work on a computer. I sit for long periods throughout the day and fixate my eyes on a screen too. My buddy has recently switched to a standing desk and I plan on doing the same as soon as I can. When you have time (everyone), research the benefits of standing versus sitting. There is researching showing it is more damaging to your health than a lot of things. I think it could help alleviate SOME of our body aches and pains.

It's bittersweet coming to read these posts. Part of me wants to feel happy I encountered those who share similar problems and more importantly, a mutual mindset on the root cause of our many issues. I would prefer to come here not reading about people who took Accutane 20 or 30 years ago who are dealing with a slew of problems and just hanging on to life by a thread. What we can only hope is that treatments are developed by those who don't seek profit and sellout to big money corporations. Our body is a very special thing so hopefully there were people who dealt with Accutane side effects for years, but slowly recovered and got their lives back on track. Chin up everyone. I'd love to speak with any of you personally. As you mentioned Andrea (I think it was you), it's hard to deal with something when not even your own family can empathize or take you seriously. By the way, any results on your DNA test? I'm really interested in learning.

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