Accutane Long Term Side Effects (Page 31)

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 After I have researched this drug extensively, I can't believe that the FDA allows this drug originally made for cancer patients to be marketed for teenagers with acne.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 took 80mg for about 3 weeks. I stopped when I noticed the sides of my hair (around my sideburns) thinning. I should never have taken this drug, and I even asked my derm to give me a lower dose. She said no, we just start at 80mg, and knock it out the first. I was never weighed and was never given a blood test before starting. I decided stopping was the smart thing to do. I really hope I stopped before permanent damage was done. I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose my hair over 3 weeks of stupidity though.

Why isn't there more research being done about this drug. If doctors are going to hand this over to teenagers like it's candy, why can't they atleast make sure it's safe or how to reverse it's negative effects. I really believe this drug has made me lose all faith in doctors.

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I went on accutane as a freshman in high school and have been off it for 4 years now. I have had absolutely no side effects with the medication at this point. Keep in mind the only people who write on this forum are people who had terrible results... My heart goes out to all of you guys who have had this happen. But Accutane did nothing for me but clear up my acne 100%. I'd honestly rather enjoy my teenage years than sit inside isolated all the time due to cystic acne

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I'm not even saying they shouldn't prescribe it. If you have VERY severe acne, and it's causing you depression to the point where you don't enjoy waking up in the morning, sure prescribe at the lowest dose and work from there. It should never be prescribed for mild/moderate acne. Just because some, or even the majority don't have an issue doesn't mean it should be given out like candy. If every 10th person that took a weight loss drug died, but the other 9 lost dramatic amounts of weight, do you think they would still be selling it? I think not.

I also believe that more research should be done about it. I honestly believe that suffers on the net know more than the doctors prescribing and companies selling.

That is the problem.

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I am reading that it doesn't help for everyone, but it's worth a try. I am so sensitive to medicines that I can't take anything. I hear the fillers might be a problem for me. I have Celiac Disease. I will keep you posted if the doctor in October gives it to me and if I can stay on it and what it does. I am not into medicines after taking Accutane, so I am on the fence about this stuff I read a lot of good results too, you just never know. Thanks for any info you can give me on it.

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I am on my third month of taking roaccutane, i have had mild acne since the age of 15 have tried everything! As advised by my GP/Dermatoligist roaccutane should be the last option.
I don't mean to offend anyone as i understand some parents must be upset with the effects left on their children.
ANY dermatoligist who will recommend roaccutane will NOT prescribe it without having a long discussion with their patient about risks
I saw a dermatologist in May 2011 she examined my skin and saw that i was at risk of being scarred because of my acne hence she advised roaccutane i was given forms to have a blood test done which was done straight away to check my liver function AFTER i got the results the dermatologist called me to explain my results were normal and i can go ahead and start on roaccutane, which i didn't straight away.
I done alot of research only then 2months later i went and bought the medicine from the hospital pharmacy.
I suffer from dry skin, back pain and sore ankles occasionally other than that im fine.
I have to see my dermatologist every 2months to have blood tests done to see if theres any change and if there was anything wrong she said she would stop me straight away.
I was also given a booklet about all the risks of roaccutane (if anyone wants any kind of information pls let me know)
The dermatologist also asked me if i suffer from depression or have any suicide risks.
(pls make sure you get and give as much info as possible)
now this is not advising anyone to start on roaccutane
i am only sharing my experience
something that is working for me might not neccessarily work for someone else
if you want to know anything else pls feel free to msg me

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Did you try Zinc because it's good for healing acne? Even coconut has been good for some. Wow I am disable from taking Accutane (chemo drug) so when I read that people are still willing to take it with all the information out there on what is has done to peoples lives of course of those that still are alive that can still talk about it I rather live with scars then failing organs and other damage it did like bone damage and the list goes on to what it did to me and this was all before the "wonderful warnings" they now give to protect themselves MORE in court. We as humans really need to look inside ourselves for true beauty because it's going to keep us living longer if we take care of our inside and put less importance on the outside. Sorry I care for you and others that still think this is a safe medicine. Think outside the box and try natural stuff first. A doctor can make a lot of money off writing prescription, rather then tell you something so simple as a food source or vitamin or mineral might work for you.

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It is Good that you hope to inform people of your experience..
The Largest problem is...this POISON destroys much more than the obvious...
I took the poison 20 plus years ago..
There is NOT enough INK in my Computer to detail how ruined my Body and it's Functions are...
If anyone would like to hear from one of this POISONS First victims.
Please email me....
GOD BLESS THE VICTIMS!

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Corey,

Thanks for your post. Your post was so specific in a nut shell on what this drug does to people.

Please don't forget this medication still is available in the United States under generic forms ( Sotret, Claravis and Amnesteem).

Scott

Thank You for your post !
Scott

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My husband died in June from liver/ pancreatic cancer, I was wounding if you Found any link to accutane causing these types of cancer?

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FYI

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesteem

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Hi. I am very sorry about your son suffering these horrible afflictions, but it would not be fair to remove a drug from the market which has improved the quality of thousands, perhaps millions of lives. Having acne is incredibly difficult on anyone's self image. In my case I wouldn't date or consider dating and had very low self-esteem. After taking Accutane, my life improved drastically. For the first time in my life I felt attractive and worthy. I am so thankful that this drug was available to me, and I fear it will soon be gone because of extremely rare and isolated cases. All drugs have the potential to cause damage, people have allergies to penicillin and have died from it, but penicillin has not been removed from the market. Of all the medical interventions in my life (including surgery) I consider Accutane to be the most life enhancing thing I have experienced.

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To Scott: wow, that wikipedia link really says it all, doesn't it? It blows me away what pharm companies will market chemo drugs for!

To Wendy: I really appreciate your comments, Wendy. I am glad that Accutane worked for you and can understand your perspective. For me, Accutane has been a nightmare; back when I took it, I was prescribed it for mild to moderate acne, and just did what my Mom and dermatologist told me. For decades, I thought the subsequent depression, vision loss and self-destructive behavior at age 17 (which came out of the blue) was somehow my fault. At least now, patients know what they are getting into. Children of the eighties like me had no idea what we were taking, nor our parents.

I have in the past posted on here how I was angry at my mother for her vanity, and how that is why myself, my brother and sister took Accutane. However, I now see my own 16 yr old daughter struggling with acne, and I myself have brought up to her about seeing a dermatologist. HOWEVER, she knows how Accutane affected me, and I told her that she will NEVER take it on my watch :)

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Hi Joel,

Thanks for your post.

I recently read that the medication Accutane and its generic brands ( Sotret, Claravis and Amnesteem).
are now considered to cause more deaths and health concerns then teenage car accidents.

I am grateful for anyone that has taken these drugs and claim to have no side effects, they have been truly blessed.

Gasoline and Clorox are known to kill poison ivy if you placed it on your skin, but would most people drink these products for 6 months to be free of poison ivy, I think not.

To all of your that are first time visitors to these post, please do your homework and have your parents also take the time to understand the risk seen here from over 500 plus people, then decide what actions to take. Look your doctor and dermatologist square in their eyes and ask them" would you let your son or daughter take 60 mg of these medications for 6 months". You may be surprised of there answer unless they simply receive kick backs and money directly from the makers of the drugs or they only believe what BIG PHARMA tells them along with the medical books they have read which BIG PHARMA claims to do there own test on the drugs and claim they are safe except such a so small percent or no risk at all . You may be surprised to find out they only had 1-20 people researched for side effects and write down damn well what they want for their results which they may have only followed for a short period of time.

Don't believe what the FDA tells you, do your own research. Remember its a government agency, need I say more ?

Parents...please do your homework, you will not get a second chance. If your placed on these drugs do to cancer, than the odds to kill the cancer very well may outweigh the risk of possible long tern side effects.

A huge percent of the people that have created this post have personally or their child doesn't just have what the drug company calls " less than 1 % chance of getting a certain side effect". Most past users of these drugs have more numerous side effects that seem that only seem to escalate every year and the PHARMA COMPANIES continue to add more and more side effects to their drug chart pamphlets to protect themselves as more and more people are proving these drugs can be deadly.

Even the FDA will admit that Accutane is on the top five list of there all time list of dangerous drugs. And that was before the internet has made it much easier to research drugs and read post like this one.

Bottom line...read what an overdose of Vitamin A will do to a human being.....that is exactly what may happen from taken Accutane, Sotret, Claravis and Amnesteem. Need I say more ?? I do believe their is a chance at a very low dose, someone taking these drugs can have a lesser chance of long term side effects. But the drug companies don't think like that, the more you take, the more money is in their pocket. Please do your research...... don't make the mistake I help make for my son.

May God Bless,
Scott

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For those looking for any new information and for all the non-believers, this is another example of how the manufacturers of these drugs and the FDA's information is WRONG. They both claim a small percentage of anyone that takes these drugs ( Accutane, Sotret, Claravis and Amnesteem) have any long term side effects or any side effects at all.

Please read: MediGuard Answered:

Based on information from iGuard.org, a free medication monitoring service, 67% of patients experience side effects while taking Isotretinoin (Accutane, Amnesteem, Claravis, Sotret). Some of the side effects reported by iGuard members include: Dryness, Muscle Pain/Cramps, Mood/Behavior Changes, Weight Gain, Fatigue, Nose Bleeds, and Itch/Rash. Please follow up with your doctor or other healthcare provider if you are experiencing any symptoms that worsen or do not go away.

One more time........67% ! And this is not all the side effects reported.

UNBELIEVABLE! Trust the FDA and your doctors now?

Sincerely,

Scott

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Dear WENDY....
GREAT that you say it Improved your PAst Life....
SURE Hope it was worth it in the Long Run...
For ME...Not so much...
Possibly the treatment that will shorten my life by more than 20 to 40 years..?...(already ruined the last 20)
I have been Ill for the LAst 20 years...in one way or another...SINCE my Own Personal ACCUTANE POISONING...
If I could help to keep one child OFF of the POISON....maybe that would even out the balance...

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I took accutane for about a year when I was 13-14. The acne got better, but I've experienced symptoms that have shown up or worsened in the past several years since. It does worry me, because many of the threads I read like this describe symptoms I have perfectly. The joint pain (knees mostly), stomach problems, rosacea-like redness, skin prone to dryness to the point of bleeding, etc.

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My daughter who is now 17 took acutane for 6 months 1 1/2 yrs ago and in the last 3months has been having chest pains, shortness of breath, tired all the time, just don't feel well, depressed, and worried all the time. How do I know if this is caused from acutane? Are all these testimonies from short term use or when they were on it for a longer periods of time?

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Penny .. my son only took this for 8 weeks and he suffered all the syptoms plus more that you describe... He actually started with the pains whilst 6-7 wks into the course.. So it sounds likely that the drug is the cause. My son said he had to concentrate to breath because he felt he was gonna forget to breathe. sounds strange i know but he has had lots of strange feelings, physically and mentally.. i and many others know what you are going through.. my heart goes out to your daughter

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I took Accutane my Junior year of high school because I had a sebaceous cyst on my lip. I think it was a low dose and only for a few months. My face never looked better, but 16 years later I have never felt worse! 5 years ago I had hip surgery at the age of 29. I had 2 tears and arthritis. 2 years later I had tears in both of my knees, so I had those fixed.it seems that I am now having horrible sciatica. After an MRI last week I have learned I have a tear in my disc L5 and s 1. Could these tears be related to accutane? As a side note, I am an identical twin and she has no health issues. I am 33, but fill like I am stuck in a 90 year old body. It is beyond frustrating.

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