Accutane Long Term Side Effects (Page 61) (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 After I have researched this drug extensively, I can't believe that the FDA allows this drug originally made for cancer patients to be marketed for teenagers with acne.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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I took Accutane for a little over 6 months, starting the summer I turned 14. In the three years since I stopped I have had many problems that my doctor thinks were triggered or worsened by taking it. It may have been 'worth it', but it didn't even clear my acne! I am not an expert, but I would never suggest using Accutane to anyone.

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I took Accutane when I was 17 and it cured my acne. I am 27 now. But for the last year or so I have been waking up every morning with bad stomach cramps/tightness. Also, I am having extreme short term memory problems. It's often feels like I've been out drinking the night before and can't remember much about the past day except I haven't been. I've been waiting for these symptoms to go away but they seem to be staying steady if not worsening? Anyone know anything about this or the possibility of this being related to accutane?

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Mike.. my son also suffers with the same problem along with lots of other problems. he started with problems after only 7-8 weeks into taking the tablets.

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Did he finish the accutane and if so, how long has he been off of it? Has he seen any drs about the problems??

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Thanks Marla

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I took acutane back in high school. The long term effects have just started to come out. Last year I had severe stomach pain. I had thought it was my diet, so I changed it; and to my surprise, nothing had happened. The pain was getting so intense I started to miss work. Now I'm on a regimen of nexium, without those purple pills I can't function in my daily life. My skin issues is a whole another issue.... I went from never getting Sun burnt, as I have Sicilian blood. Now, if I even look at the sun, my skin is on fire. If I scratch an itch, my skin turns into hives and gets incredibly raw and bleeds. I went from being playing hockey, to being a brittle old man. My bones started breaking left and right after I started taking acutane. I can no longer play hockey as it would endanger my life if I took a hard hit to my head. It's been 10 years since I last took a pill, and the side effects are not worth the trouble. My doctor said he regrets putting me on acutane, as its slowly destroying my body. I'm 28 and feel like I'm going on 60.

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Hi everyone, here's the voice from Switzerland (the home country of Roche btw)
First of all thank you for keeping this forum alive. I am soooo furious with all the doctors prescribing this poison like candies.
I have been fighting with my acne since I am 13 or so, now I am 30. There was a time when my face looked pretty bad, the age of 21 I got cystic acne additionally. I've never got nodular acne and my cystic acne were rather mild to moderate, but over a years with cystic acne my face looked a bit like a field of volcano craters. Finally at the age of 27 it got a bit better and I was able to run several rounds of microdermabrasion + 6 rounds of medical peelings with pirogronial acid. I got rid of 90% of my scars (+ the wrinkles:-)) and looking at the laser treatment available I am sure I can get my face to look really really well anytime I want. So this is to all desperate ones with mild/moderate acne (not commenting severe nodular acne - never had to deal with that). It makes sense to wait and one day your face can look really ok without that toxic stuff. I know as a teen it's difficult but wait until you're like 25 or older - it will probably get better. And with all my bad face I have great husband, work at the top employer, have vest friends in the whole world and have a happy healthy life.
Now I am looking for derm to go do another round of medical peelings, because during last 2 years some new cysts came up and, of course left some marks here and there. And what do I hear? Everyone wants to put me on accutane!!!! I am soooo mad at them, keep changing the derms as I am not even going to visit those b....s second time once they mention accutane during the visit. Really, my face looks fine, I even get 1-2 weeks when my face is completely clear, so it can't be that bad, right? I know it will never be perfect and I will have those acne for the rest of my life, but is it really enough to put me on a chemo? Start hating the very word "dermatologist" and whatever happens they will never convince me to take this poison.

best wishes to everyone
KK

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My son is 15 and has been taking the generic form of accutane for 13 days. He is now complaining of lower back pain. Especially when he breathes in. He is also experiencing pain and what looks like swelling in his left knee. I did not know that this would cause joint pain, but being that he has NEVER experienced such symptoms, at this point I am lead to believe it has something to do with this medication. After reading all of these posts I will not only call the fixity tomorrow morning, but will also discontinue his use of it!!! I am just keeping my fingers crossed that him taking it for only 13 days that these symptoms will not be a life-standing issue. So sorry for those that continue to have problems.

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Michelle,

Chances are, if your son has joint pain after 13 days on med, it would continue to get worse even years after taking this med if he stayed on the med.

Maybe its non generic Accutane side effects, but You are making the right choice stopping the drug now. Hopefully he pulled a few muscles and its not drug related. What was the dosage of the med? Was the generic drug named Amnesteem?

I wish I would of had all the information on this thread before I placed my unknowing 14 year old on a chemo therapy drug for cancer to treat acne. Again, I was told over and over again ALL side effects, if any, would go away when 6 month course of 60 mg of Amnesteem was stopped. And quote from his doctor "I have placed 1000's of kids on Accutane and its generic brands, also I have read many of publications in the medical field about these drugs. I ( the doctor) have only ever heard of one case with possibly any side effects and that was one person that was said to have become depressed after taking these medications".

Don't believe your doctor, they will always stick up for the drug company and tell you the FDA would never let a drug destroy the life of a child. They LIE !

Best Wishes,
Scott

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Here's an update on my situation: I went and had a colonoscopy and of course everything came back normal. All these damn tests keep coming back either negative or normal. I'm at the point where I'm considering looking into medical marijuana just to get through my day. The constant gastric problems are ruining my life. If I could just stay home all day I would because I dread going places unless I have easy access to a bathroom and preferably one that is private. I've switched my stomach medicine and added more fiber to my diet and it helped for a little bit and then stopped. I also tried accupuncture and that worked for a little bit as well but then the problems progressed and it stopped working as well.

I'm considering going lactose free and/or gluten free even though I don't think that is the source of the problem (meaning I dont always have problems after eating food with that in it). I dread eating because it almost always makes me sick. I eat pretty healthy so I don't know why this is still happening. I feel sorry for my roommates because we only have one bathroom and I'm in it for long periods of time.

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To Fed Up Coed:
I went thru times just like you are describing. Here's a few things you can try that helped me.
(1.) Get a product called "Equalactin". It is over-the-counter and not expensive; but not many places carry it, so you will probably have to order it on-line. It will calm your stomach and help alleviate the cramping and irritable bowel problems.
(2.) Soy turned out to be a major problem for me. Look at lables closely because soy protein, soy lecithin and other soy additives can wreak havoc with your digestion, etc. Go on-line and read about soy....it is really NOT good for anyone....
(3.) Avoid refined sugar and sugar substitutes.
(4.) Milk products also were a problem for me, glutenporducts I seem to be able to handle in small quantities.
(5.) Have your Vitamin D levels checked. Try to get your Vitamin D to a level of between 70-100 for therapeutic purposes. Mine was totally depleted. If I do not take Vit D3 every day, (10,000 IU per day) I start feeling bad again. This was a milestone for me in getting well again.

Everyone is a little different, keep a diary of what you eat and supplements you take. You will most likely see a pattern of what is triggering your problems or what helps.

Realize that Accutane has screwed up so many things that this is a lifelong, chronic condition. I have been dealing with these issues since I took Accutane back in the 1980's.....over 30 years!!

Hang in there.....don't believe everything doctors or pharmacists tell you.....become your own doctor.
MARLA

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@Marla: I will look into that product you mentioned as well as the soy thing. I take vitamin d3 everyday along with a multivitamin, CA/mg/zinc, biotin, and a fiber supplement. I thought about the milk product thing in the last b7t the thing is that I don't always have problems wen I have milk products. This morning I had cereal and was perfectly fine. I definitely need to cut back on sugar though. That's my one major weakness.

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@ accutane supporter. ok sir maybe you can eat all the accutane you want now, but the side effects come like 7 years later in life.... im sure since you are very ignorant about the side effects you can say that now. maybe i need to sound sarcastic to you for you to get the point, if you intake isotretinoin now, you will not get instant side effects compared to what it does to your skin . Accutane is a chemotherapy drug. Being pushed as pimple medicine. Go figure. if you want to believe what the doctors and society tells you, be my guest. But make sure you dont come crawling back into this website looking for answers. Cant u read? accutane is poison. it is up to you to not believe and suffer years from now. Its not like other drugs where people can say it leaves the system. it destroys you. hope you grow up and see many years from now what can happen due to your decision. the choice is yours man.

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Took Accupoison in the early 90s. No internet to warn me.

Suffer:

IBS
Severe bleeding from rectum
Constipation/Diarrhea
Pale weak skin that's easily burnt
Gum recession
Dental Cavities
Joint Pain
Vision Loss
Night-blindness
Weight loss (underweight)
Chronic fatigue
Anxiety
Insomnia
Hair Loss
and on and on...

If you're thinking of taking this medicine (like a shotgun blast to the chest would be medicine) I urge you STOP. I would gladly take a life with the severe cystic acne I had rather than suffer like I do now.

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@Accutane supporter. You must be smoking something if you are choosing to take this drug after so many people have been severely affected by something. There are other options. There's a laser treatment that is very effective. It costs about $3000 for two treatments but its cheaper than what you will spend on medicine and tests/procedures to mend/cover up the damage to your internal organs from accutane. I wish I had chosen to get the laser treatment instead of taking accutane. My parents would have gladly paid for it had we known about all the problems it would cause me. Laugh all you want now, you won't be laughing in a few years.

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Hi Graeme...I have Meniere's & took accutane. I'd be curious to hear any updates you have.

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Hi I also took accutane I had severe acney and was.prescribed the maximum amount of dosage. I took the medicine for about six months. As the medicine said might happen I was a happy person and turned completely distant and sometimes had thoughts of severe depression and like most of yaw have severe joint problems that I can't explain.

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While we are at the mercy of the Pharmaceutical Industry's Lobbyist and influence in over our Medical Institutions we will be continually plagued with drugs whose side effects are worse than the diseases they treat. Doctors know this and more importantly the FDA knows this. But since the FDA is largely peopled with the same folks that work for the Drug Companies we have no one to protect us. NEVER take any drug your doctor prescribes until you research it and it's side effects. Sadly, you physician can no longer be the trusted caregiver he might once have been as his is "in bed" with the Pharmaceutical Companies.

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Mimzy,
Very Well put!

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I took Accutane back in the early 80s. I remember my mom having to sign a waiver form acknowledging the risks. I certainly got great results with my acne, but . . . years later I suffer from terrible arthritis (every specialist I've gone to can't believe I can be so healthy otherwise and yet have this severe arthritis). I've broken bones multiple times and when my orthopaedist took a look at my xrays he was shocked at my thinning bones. I've also had depression, IBS, and skin problems. I don't know how much of this is caused by Accutane and how much is just my genetic makeup (I don't know because I was adopted). Accutane was the only drug I ever took for any length of time (I've taken anti-biotics for strep throat and I've had flu shots, but pretty much that is it). After reading through this forum, I can see that many are suffering joint pain like me. It really makes me wonder if Accutane is what's causing my early arthritis.

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