Accutane Long Term Side Effects (Page 49)
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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 After I have researched this drug extensively, I can't believe that the FDA allows this drug originally made for cancer patients to be marketed for teenagers with acne.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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Didn't even mention that if I eat hard/dry foods, and nuts/seeds, even a salad or take supplements in capsule form etc then my digestion just goes haywire, and it can make me feel crap for up to a week...

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Hi Joelle,
This is MARLA, did you want to talk to me further, or was your message for someone else......
Respond back to this forum, with your e-mail address and say if it is me that you are wanting to talk to.

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I did not see your email address in the post but I need to talk to you about my daughter who has taken Accutane. I would like to know what type of diet and supplements work best. She is experiencing stomach pain, joint pain, and some psychological issues. Any suggestions would be awesome, doctors are no help at all!

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Marla - How bad are your food sensitivites and how restrictive is your diet? I'm also on a very restrictive (and boring) diet because I'm allergic/have a sensitivity to most foods. I feel bad after eating many fruits (cherries,blackcurrants, melons, pomegrantaes, pears etc etc...), herbs like parsley/basil etc (possibly because they are so concentrated in Vitamin A which seems to be a problem for some sufferers), I've tried things like high doses of Wheatgrass powder and other healthy supplments and again feel bad after (again wheatgrass is high in Vitamin A and could be the cause).I react very bladly to hot/spicy foods like garlic and chilli peppers. I could go on. Symptoms happen very quickly after eating and are usually eye pain/soreness/bloodshot/increase light sensitivity (i have all these 24/7 since Accutane but get worse if eating the 'wrong' foods), headach, aching body, feel weaker and my chest can what I describe as 'clog up'. Oh, and my skin gets worse after eating certain foods because I have rosacea.. another Accutane side effect I have. The few times I've tried food with gluten in the past few years it's been ever worse.. almost cold/flu like symptoms... racing heart, feeling very weak, faint even, runny nose as well as everything I've said before. I've had a few allergy/sensitivity tests done (hair analysis and the other I think was called EGG test) and they say I have hardly any problems with the foods I do have problems with so I just don't understand. My stomach is constantly bloated too, big time, (and I'm skinny), so that isn't right and doesn't look at all normal. I could go on and on about all my other problems too (and I did mention a lot of them in a post I made here 6 months or so ago) but I won't for now. But to say it's f***ed my life up is an absolute understatement. The person I was before Accutane is dead. Sorry - I've gone off on one a bit here but as you mentioned you are on a restrictive diet I thought I'd reply because I haven't read many posts that also have the same problem.

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Nicole if you do decide to continue accutane, be diligent with all the blood tests before and during use. Monitor your liver functions, and do not take accutane (because of the risks) if you can live with your acne. It was the best thing for me at the time 30 years ago. But all you have to do is read people's comments and understand it was the worst decision for a lot of people. So go in it with your eyes open. OK

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Hi Nicole,
I just want to say that if you currently or in the past, have had any health issues AT ALL.......Accutane will most likely make them worse or bring them back. And the health issue will get worse over time. If you have PMS or painful periods......they will get worse. If you have any depression or anxiety, it will get worse. If you have dental problems, they will get worse. Accutane will PERMANENTLY alter your DNA and damage your Telomeres. Your body will NEVER have the same defenses to infection or disease. DO NOT BELIEVE THE HYPE. Even people who say that they did not have a "reaction" most likely do not realize the damage to the DNA and Telomeres has shortened their life. If you want a long, healthy life.......PLEASE RETHINK YOUR DECISION. Ifyou do not know what Telomeres are, read about it. I took Accutane 3 different times in my 20's. The dangers were KNOWN but NOT DISCLOSED by ROCHE.
I am now 51 years and suffer every day from this.

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thank gawd cause i just started taking it 3 days ago and after reading all this i was super stressed out. so i feel a bit better knowing that it doesnt effect everyone this way!

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Yes, there are quite a few. Here is 1 thread on it!
/Discuss/Accutane-and-Infertility-205942.htm

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I took accutane when it was first released as an approved medication in the early 80's. It was 30 years ago.I do not remember the exact date I started accutane. It believe it was between 1980-1982. The point I been trying to make is accutane is a possible cure for severe cystic acne. It is not for typical teenage acne. It also has the risk of severe side effects. So if someone is deciding whether or not to take accutane,they better know these facts,and really need a cure. Because their acne is that bad. Not because of a pimple or two.

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Hi Stephen,
I am curious.....were you a test case for Accutane; before it was released to Doctors for prescribing in 1982? You say that you are 50 and that you took it at age 15. If so, you would have taken it in 1977 or 1978, several years before Doctors could prescribe it in 1982. Are you sure that it was Accutane that you took? Just wondering....

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no! go check all the alternative ways you can fix this prob. Do not be sorry esp if you are young! Not worth your life-high price to pay. I know a bright young man who took it and confined to his house-bones deteriorating-does not even come out of room when we visit family-so you don't have to think too hard!

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Like I said the public needs to be educated about the proper use for accutane and the dangerous side effects and risks need to be properly explained. The pharmaceutical industry has a track record of over prescribing many drugs. This practice must stop. Have all you people hurt by accutane ever thought of a class action lawsuit? The damage from accutane is a fact, a lawsuit might get results.

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Has anyone found probabems conceiving or miscarriages after being off of accuntane for years? Thank you

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Nobody has or did deny you Accutane or anyone elese. This is a board for suffers looking for help! Once again you are 50 and took it at 15 for what Accutane is called for, alot has changed in thoose yrs like I said in my previous post.

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Hi Stephen,
I was much like you......desperate for a CURE, cystic acne was destroying me; I was promised in 1982 that Accutane would do that......CURE ME.
Not only did it fail to cure me, but I continued having acne and was NEVER warned about the long-term, permanent, side effects. I am working with an endocrinologist and a gastro doctor to try to get thru the rest of my life without falling apart. The bad symptoms all started while on Accutane, and until recently NO_ONE made the connection. Instead, I was told the symptoms were psycho somatic, all in my head, etc. .........I am now 51 and just now finding out what has caused all of my health issues.

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To add a little more perspective to how I felt at 15 with severe cystic acne. I would have done anything to have a cure, not a treatment, a cure. I was desperate. Accutane was a miracle. It cured me. Now I am 50 and I never had any acne/pimples since. So the public must be educated to know the dangerous side effects of accutane and to have the knowledge to make a informed decision. Then people can decide if the risks warrant the rewards. But no one has the right to deny me the choice.

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Accutane is not for teenage pimples. Accutane is meant to be prescribed for severe cystic acne. Liver tests are done before and during use. All drugs carry risks, it is a classic case of risk vs benefits. For me at 15 years old and to have severe cystic acne it was a curse. It saved my life,you or at least changed my life for the good. I do believe accutane is being over prescribed. The risks are to high to be over used.

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Yeah isn't it amazing how many things have happened through change.org, yet somehow as much as I have posted that link we still can't get enough signatures against Roche.
Sign it folks make a change

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To All,
To all of us that have suffered long side effects or have had loved ones suffer from long term side effects from Accutane, Please go to Change{dot} org and sign the petition under the word Accutane. Generic Brands are still available in the United States as Amnesteem, Claravis, Sotret and the public needs to know our stories.

To the 1% of us that have taken these deadly drugs and have had no side effects, I am truly happy for you. Please have respect for those who haven't been as fortunate.

Together we can make a difference,
Scott

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I am female and will be turning 51 this week. I was one of the very first people to take Accutane in 1982. I had struggled with SEVERE acne from age 12 to age 21. My dermatologist told me Accutane would CURE my acne. I was told not to get pregnant; no other warnings.
At first, it seemed like a miracle......skin clear for the first time in years!! I was a college student and was graduating that year. I needed to look good to get a job.

Well.....it was short-lived.....the acne came back full-force within a year. My dermatologist was stunned.....he said this shouldn't happen; so in 1984, I was put on a second course of Accutane......still no other warnings. Then the cystic acne returned again and I was put on Accutane a 3rd time in 1986. This time, even my dermatologist said had to be it!! Well, guess what??? To this day, I still suffer from acne. NOW THE REST OF THE STORY....
During all of this treatment between 1982 and 1986, I bagan having severe gastrointestinal problems with an imflammation, pain, bloating, constipation and diarreah. I also had severe depression with suicidal thoughts. I had aches and pains in all of my joints and muscle spasms. Exercise would bring on all sorts of weird symptoms such as itching etc. I developed low blood pressure.

I went from Doctor to Doctor and was accused of being a hypochrondriac or having psychosomatic illness. I have been put on many drugs such as Prozac, etc. but NOT ONCE was Accutane ever mentioned as a cause of all of this. The internet was not around at this time and I could not have known that the Accutane had caused all of these issues.

I am now suffering from Hypothyroidism, severe estrogen depletion and excessive testosterone. I have aches and pains, similar to fibromyalgia that I fight every day. My diet is very restricted due to numerous food sensitivities. AND I STILL HAVE CYSTIC ACNE !!!!

I hope anyone reading this will not take this HORRIBLE POISON !!! I am just now finding out what this drug has done to affect my health and my life. ACCUTANE IS THE PILL THAT WILL ALMOST KILL !!!

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