Accutane Long Term Side Effects (Page 57) (Top voted first)

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 After I have researched this drug extensively, I can't believe that the FDA allows this drug originally made for cancer patients to be marketed for teenagers with acne.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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KC.. You are wrong about this drug affecting the brain, It does and i have recently obtained a study from a Dr at Bath University UK. Which also was stidied with a Dr from Texas. I will see if i can add some of it or find a link later. Nerves endings are more sensative than cells and everyhing we do is controlled by the brain. It also shows a scan pre- Isotretinoin and post. The difference in the orbital cortex cortex is very noticable..

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@kc. I doubt that you are a doctor and that you are sure with the facts, but many medicines help the human body. When you say schizophrenia cannot be caused by medication, then you are wrong. There have been many instances that is has caused depression and mental instability. You are right about researching about each and everything we put into our body. I hope that you are able to clear the facts in your head. Medications are there to help a certain kind of illness. But the problem lies in the drug isotretinoin is that it is for chemotherapy. Not really for pimples. Teenagers are all misinformed and lack the life skill to think about long term irreversible side effects that can lead to so many illnesses. We only live once, why spend it being in and out of hospitals. There are so many things you can do aside from being indoors coz you are on accutane. Anyways, I just want to let you know that side effects come in much later in life. Not in like a year or so after stopping accutane.

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10 years after taking accutane I started to develope bloating, constipation, stomach pain. I have always had dry pale skin, short temper, and dry eye issues just after taking this drug and have accepted it, but stomach issues i cant deal with. In spring of 2010 this all began, and have not had a decent bowl movement since, i've had a colonoscopy, cat scan, hernia repair to try to fix this issue. Doctor said eveything looks great. So what the hell is going on?? I'm worried the docs are not telling me everything. I dont want to sue anybody, I just want to know if there's anything out there to correct, or at least improve this problem. Because now my lower back is really starting bother me more often. I'm a farm boy not a winer so when I say my back hurts IT HURTS!! And i find it too coincidental that alot of us have the same exact problems the same amount of years after taking this drug. Because I know im not lying to get money, i just want information to help. If anyone has any good info about this please let me know.

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Wow, thank god I found this thread. I had decided I was going to go on acutane but this thread make me completely change my mind. My dermatologist has been encouraging me to use this drug for about a year now. She says the side effects are ONLY short term and they are marginal...either she was lying to me or she is just completely ignorant. I kind of wish she was lying to me because is dermatologists are that ignorant about this drug then I don't even know what this world has come to.

P.S I had very severe acne but now it is subsided a bit. However, I scar VERY easily so already my face is scarred up pretty good. My options are either wait for the acne to stop and if it doesn't my whole face will be covered in scars OR take acutane and risk the long term side affects...both roads seem pretty bleak to me but I will rest in the fact that my acne will hopefully go away soon.

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Your doctor should be reported if she doesn't know the extremely damaging effects of Accutane. Shame on her! Here is what the doctos are now using. Enbrel. It is a relatively new biologic drug but it too has some side effects. I pray they are not as bad as accutane. My son went on Enbrel to combat the effects of Accutane. It has eliminated his pain and aches in his muscles and he can now function. One of the side effects of enbrel (treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and now ankylosing spondylitis, which is result of accutane) is that enbrel clears up your skin. So it has two really good uses - clear skin and elimination of pain.

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I have been using Manuka honey and Jojoba Oil to clean my face and I really like it.

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I am curious if there are people on this thread that took accutane that is male and had children already? How are your kids? I hope no birth defects? Sorry I dont mean to sound crazy or an ass but I am just really doing a little analogy of this drug. I mean if it causes birth defects for female and alters dna? wouldn't accutane also affect males the same? with irreversible side effects?

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Very good point!! That does need to be studied. I think there is a Federal website on drug effects, studies and results. See if you can find it. I'm doing another study right now so can't take this on.

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I finished my treatment of Accutane a few months ago and now I have a nodule growing on the right lobe of my thyroid gland and Atrial Fibrillation. I am not the same person, health wise, I was before I started Accutane. I was a normal, healthy, active person in my 30's before Accutane and now I have the health status of a senior citizen. I would never recommend a person to take Accutane EVER! I would rather have the acne any day other than what I am living with now. Don't believe the doctors. They are in it for themselves and the drug company. I am a nursing student and I am saying to any one who is considering an Accutane treatment, don't do it!

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TRY SUPPLEMENTING WITH ESSENTIAL VITAMINS. BUT PARTICULARLY WITH VITAMIN A. ACCUTANE SOMEHOW CAUSES VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY AND SINCE TAKING BETA CAROTENE IN LARGER THAN NORMAL DOSES, I HAVE FELT CONSIDERABLY BETTER IN MY MOOD, JOINT PAIN AND DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS. PLEASE CONSULT A NATUREPATH, BUT MAKE SURE YOU ARE GETTING ENOUGH A (AND VITAMIN D WHICH ACCUTANE MEESES WITH AS WELL). ALSO, A GLUTEN AND SUGAR FREE DIET DID WONDERS FOR ALL OF THESE ISSUES AS WELL. BE WELL FOLKS....

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Vitamin A CAN cause same effects as Accutane. You cannot take A while you're on Accutane. Vitamine A in large doses has similar effects as Accutane - both good and bad - but quickly becomes harmful because it builds up in the tissues. So be careful if you take advise from good meaning folks who are not doctors. Check out yourself and also run it by your doctor .

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Hello Chiron. Actually i think you have it the other way around. Accutane is very similar to vitamin A. It is sort of like you are over dosing on Vitamin A if you take Accutane. Vitamins A, D, E and K are the vitamins that stay in your system forever. That is where the over dose comes from. Maybe taking Vitamin D will sort of balance out the over dose you had on Vitamin A since you took accutane. But further study needs to be done. I recommend to everyone to stop taking isotretinoin forever. This stuff is really deadly and is a silent destroyer.

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yes, i also have stomach problems, sometimes to severe i throw up after a meal!
i have had and endoscopy and blood tests, nothing irregular showed up.
i'm on specific antacids
however i still suffer from these stomach problems.

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i am also facing severe bowel problem atleast three times in a day from past 3 months .i took isotroin for 6 months .i lost 10 kg n now diagnosed with hyperthyroidism .it is because of isotroin.pls dont suggest this medicene to anyone .i am not recovering from three months even following high dosage of medicenes.any one recovered from this side effect?

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Hyper Thyroid is a disease that Accutane caused. It is life long. You should under care of a Endocronologist. I developed hyperthyroid also/Grave's. Also search for thyroid fourms on supplements and information.

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Our son took Accutane for 1 1/2 -2 years (2001-2002). So if our son, after stopping Accutane for six years, started exercising, running and taking multivitamins would still then create a overdose of Vitamin A since it is still in his system? Is that possible? That could explain some things this grieving mom needs to know. I wish our son was never given this for his acne. It is a nightmare upon nightmare and all I can think is he blamed himself at the end.

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DC .. I would think it possible as the body stores vit A. Isotret also kills the cells and the damages nerves as they are more sensative. They should never give chemo drugs for acne. My heart felt wishes go to all those suffering at the hands of this poision. People do sometimes make some recovery over time. My sis had Fibromyalgia for years, had lost her teeth but has been holding down a job for 4 yrs and does not have the pain she had. My sons pains have gotten less but he still has some depression and OCD ... Bowel problems and chest pains occur at times.

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i took it when i was about 17 i am now 21 years old and i have terrible stomach problems now i feel like my stomach is digesting itself and pass bowels at least 3 times a day, i usually vomit every morning the doctors also act like its a mystery to me!

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Its nothing but a lie, i took accutane for 9 months and it did clear up my acne i took it when i was 17, i am now 21 and i get acne still just like i used to but only now i have severe stomach problems and problems with my bowels. i wish to God i would have never taken this accutane crap. its nothing but a lie it destroyed my life im no longer a healthy person, dont take it!

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I used Accutane, 9 years ago, for 7 months. I had bloody noses, cracked cheeks, chin, and lips, no sex drive, and was tired all of the time. Now, for the last 7 years, I have been in horrible pain and discomfort. I showed no real side affects directly affect, my doctor said I was good to know. Well, being in and out of the hospital, at least 1-3 times a month for the 6 of the last 7 years, with no insurance was tough. I finally got some insurance a little over a year ago, and started seeing an internal specialist. I officially, have been diagnosed with diverticulosis and Ulcerative Colitis, there is also something very wrong with my nerves, as well as having to stay home and close to a stupid bathroom at all the time! I am a 25 year old mother of a 2 1/2 year old, and I just had to file for disability. That s not right. I sooo wish I could go to work making coffee again, but unfortunately, even just the smell, makes my stomach hurt. I am at a total loss, on what to do. My medical bills are stacking up and I can't really work. I really want to sue accutane for my pain and suffering, but since it has been more than 2 years since I took it, there is a statute of limitations. I didn't even know what was wrong with me until this last year! I guess for some people they may say it works, but I did to right after I took it. People were no longer gonna call me pizza face! Yeah right! my acne came back about 2 years later and I started feeling a whole lot of pain. AFTERWARDS: I can't eat 99% of food, I have constant stomach pains, constant diarrhea, powdered ear wax, HORRIBLE gas pains every day, had to have my gall bladder removed, Bloody bathroom visits, Constant kidney pains, nerve pains, numb hands, 6 colonoscopies and 2 endoscopies in 1 year, I am seriously depressed and have no sex drive. DO NOT TAKE IT! No matter how much you want your skin to be cleared, it is not worth the possibility of condemning yourself to forever pain and possibly shortening your life. I know you have probably tried a bazillion over-the-counter acne products, but trust me just try a bazillion and 1 instead.

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