Accutane Long Term Side Effects (Page 65)

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 After I have researched this drug extensively, I can't believe that the FDA allows this drug originally made for cancer patients to be marketed for teenagers with acne.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 was on accutane two separate times. I have joint pain but nothing severe. My question is any women have babies with birth defects? I have two beautiful daughters 9 and 3. Both were born with fused toes and thumbs that have no middle joint. We can find no family history. Just wondering if anyone else is having Same issue.

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I can help. Let me know how to get in touch with you. I'm in Texas.

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Same thing happened to me when I was 15, I even said to my doctor if it can stunt my growth I don't want to take it, of course she said it wouldn't do that. As a child my growth chart and what doctors always told me was that I would be 5"11. At 15 I was 5'7 &1/2 but I was still clearly underdeveloped, hands, wrist, head, jaw, everything was still very small, no one in my family is under developed in that region. I had friends taking accutane at the time so I didnt think it could be that bad, just some temporary side effects like dryness and joint pain. Which is what all the doctors only tell you. I started growing late so I was one of the boys that was catching up to the other guys in my grade which was exciting, but I still wasn't a "man" like the other guys. The joint pain in my knees was so severe that I almost quit football but the doctor lowered the dose and kept me on it for longer. Little did i know this was probably the process of my growth being stunted. I am almost 20 now and I'm the same height and weight as when I was 15. It's not the height that bothers me its my features like my head, wrist, and hands that never changed... Life just isn't the same anymore, I am not as happy as I used to be and just don't feel comfort in my own body which is really sad, and seeing kids that were always smaller than me growing up just reminds me of it. I can forget about it and move on temporarily but little things like, someone mistaking me for a young teenager or seeing everyone else in your grade grow up just brings me back to square one, sad and depressed and wishing I never took accutane. You can tell I would have kept growing just because of my small features and the fact that i've been getting harrier over the years. I try to live my normal life having lots of friends and going out and having a good time but my attitude is changing and it's changing me sadly.

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I used accutane about four years ago for roughly 6 months. I had outstanding results within a week or two, and I have had no serious side effects as of yet. (Knock on wood.) I personally consider this to be a miracle drug, but I am grateful that I had the opportunity to decide to take it on my own when I was about 22 rather than early on when I would have needed parental consent. This is a drug that individuals should be able to make clear decisions on independently. My cousin took accutane several years ago and he has since developed Chrone's disease. May be related, who knows. I hope the same does not happen to me.

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April,

I consider it the miracle poison or the goose that laid the golden egg. Until you get the disease life is peachy then the brown stuff hits the fan. Once it hits the miracle turns into a nightmare. Accutane kills acne doesn't. You can't make educated decisions on this drug, because the doctors cover up how bad the side effects are. If they told me the truth or even said hey this is chemotherapy and hurts good and bad cells i would have said heck no. If someone would have told me natural medicine could have helped me maybe I wouldn't be as bitter as I am. Now I know it's all a lie from accutane to prednisone to lialda

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Crohns is a side effect from accutane ... Plus over a hundred and fifty other problems .. My son has been suffering for 2 1/2 years now. He was just 16 . Now he has no life due to tinnitus & migraines for the last 6 months. To go with the joint pains and other issues he suffers with ...

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I have two children who are hearing impaired, out of six children. I took accurate when I was 17. We have no family history of hearing loss. We have been baffled. Good question by the way.

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Why would a parent let a child under 18 take this? That is cruel to the child and you cant complain for your lack of judgement in that case!
Their bodies are still developing and acne might go away on its own! There's no way to know at age 15-16!!
I took accutane for 6 months when I was 18 jan-jun 2003. Being on this sucks. Dry everything, no energy, depression. You name it. My grades dropped 2 grade points. Suicide is a documented side effect and anyone giving this to a 16 year old is asking for a tombstone. All that goes away pretty much once the medicine is stopped.
My doctor forced me to spend years on prescription after prescription before he said he'd sign off on this. I had acne so bad I couldn't scratch my face without causing a pool of blood. One round of accutatne and I hardly ever have a pimple. This absolutely changes your life. Id say about 40% is self esteem but 60% is how others treat you from the get go. For me it was worth it. So far
I had stomach problems before taking this. I had my appendix burnt and went septic. There are studies that this can cause IBS and chrons by itself long term. I have IBS and tested negative for chrons. I manage it by eating healthy. Other than the occasional "help. Bathroom!" My only downside is I dont get away with a diet of potato chips and soda. Poor me lol. I also have the night vision side effect that is documented already and disclosed. Basically everything is grayscale and I cantsee colors as well as I used to . My depth perception is also a little off. Makes driving at night feel a little stressed and I've run over a few medians but nothing id sue about.
I'm a male so ill never be able to comment on any offspring defects.

I dont understand why people are even thinking of letting kids under 18 take this. This drug is supposed to be a LAST RESORT drug for SEVERE ACNE. I dont know about other Staten but in California I had to sign a legal waiver to take it. I dont see any shady business here... my doctor said there may be long term effects they dont know about and wanted me to be sure I wanted to continue. You really think a 16 year old can really make that decision responsibly?
I hope i dont have any serious issues and i feel for people who do for something so cosmetic. Id have to have some serious debilitating side effects to not say it was worth it for me, but without it i looked like a monster. Literally. No dating problems afterwards so that should say something. Those of you thinking of making this kind of decision FOR your 14-16 year old? What the hell? Really? That's all I have to say.

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Research research research
We live in a digital world - when your doctor offers you or your child vitamin a overdosing, you need to research everything after the doctor gives you their rundown on it.

I took the drug for only 3 months before I couldn't stand the side effects anymore. I had my appendix explode and a broken radius, along with all the trademark symptoms. I was lucky to start with really thick hair. The Accutane did nothing for my acne

Lingering symptoms right now are excessively dry eyes and maybe some increased knee pain.

You don't need to say yes to vitamin a poisoning for your children. Wait until their Mature physically and mentally and let them choose

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I have been on Accutane 3-4 times off and on but never did a full coarse untill recently. First time was a month second time was 3 then third time was 2 months then recently did a 5 month coarse. 40mg each time once a day. It was introduced to me when I was 18 by my dermatologist for my moderate acne. Got off after the first month because my brain felt foggy and I just felt different. But went on it the other times because my acne got pretty bad. Now I'm 21 and I am experiencing bad hair loss. It messed my eyesight up cause I think I had perfect vision and now I have nearsightedness. My eyes stay red too. If I could go back I defenatly wouldn't have took it. It was my fault for not doing the proper research. I trusted in my dermatologist. I would only advise taking it if you have bad cystic acne that isn't responding to anything else! If you are told to go on Accutane by your dermatologist for moderate acne, don't do it. Try topicals first.

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All medications have side effects...plain and simple. Some are worse than others and some people are affected differently than others. It's a constant battle trying to find someone to point a finger at.

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Hi Lynn,

My name is Tommy, i am now 19. I took accutane over 5 years ago. It also stunted my growth and development as I am only 5 5 and a half. There isn't a day that goes by that I think don't think about how I could have or was suppose to develop normally. It is disgusting that doctors and pharmaceutical companies offer this drug to teenagers knowing thg it will halt and permanently stop their development. In this world where appearance is important, I feel that I ruined the appearance of my future self. I wish I would have let the acne take its course.. My question and reason for replying to you is, how do you and your son cope with all of this? What does your son tell himself or how do you move on from this decision? I am sorry if I struck a nerve, but I really need someone to relate to.

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Hi Tommy,
I am sorry to hear that you have experienced side effects from a drug prescribed to you for acne like my son and so many others. You have asked some great questions that I ask myself often too. How can this happen?? How could we have be so naive to take this poison and how do I as a parent live with the fact I also agreed to let my son take 60 mg of Amnesteem everyday for 3 days short of 6 months until he was rushed to the ER during a school sports event when he became very ill. Only to find out his colon was full of nothing but blood from the medication drying him out inside( Pharma company did admit to that). For me and I am sure with most parents, we witnessed our child having severe acne, took them to the doctors, and a dermatologist office in our case told us " He needed to be on this medication". And like so may others, the dermatologist said when asked about side effects, quoted " Your son may have dry lips after the treatment and most kids always carry chapstik in their pockets for years to come. Don't worry about ANY long term side effects, depression is the only thing we worry about in males and we will see your son every 30 days to make sure there are no changes in his mental health. I have prescribed Accutane to over 1000 patients, read many studies on the drug and I only know of one case where a depression happened and Accutane was stopped than". Don't concern yourself about signing the new "I Pledge contract", for it only concerns women getting pregnant."
I trusted the doctor, since they where specialist and everything went downhill from there. It has been tough to see a completely healthy son go from someone with many dreams of playing sports and now suffering on a constant basis with pain. Having more test done on him before he was 18 years old old than allot of people get a lifetime. Full body bone scans, colonoscopy, cat scans, x-rays and medications to name a few. 9 different doctors in 4 years with still no solid answers on how to heal him.
You ask "how do we handle it now?" My son has not grown since he was 14-15 also when he took Accutane (Amnesteem), but he had a growth spurt right before he took the drug. So he is 5' 10''. His back, wrist and hand ache most days and he has IBS. He has learned to stay away from allot of foods that make him worse, and he simply is not physically active anymore. He had compartment syndrome on his right leg two years ago and was operated on that. Still we don't know what caused it.
As a parent, I pray allot for him. As for him, I think he tries his best to stay up beat, but he keeps his thoughts to himself which can be irritating for a parent at times. He seems to be doing Ok these days. He just graduated from college, has a nice girlfriend and a good head on his shoulders. His hair has become thin, but handles better than I would at losing my hair starting around 18. The doctor wanted to get a endoscopy last year due to stomach problems , but insurance company will only do it if he has another colonoscopy first. He has refused to have that done again at this point.
I can tell you that once I started looking so much information on the computer, educating myself and becoming friends with others that have helped me as a parent get by. Stay connected to this site and dont be afraid to ask anyone of those who have left remarks about their health that may be similar to yours. People are here for your support.
Stay positive and check into the Candida Diet. It helped my son with digestion, brain fog and a better overall feeling. He did the diet for 3 months straight 2 years ago and now watches what he eats but doesn't completely stay on it daily.
From the Heart,
Scott

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Thank you Scott, your detailed message really means a lot to me. I am happy for how your son seems to have moved on and increased his positivity about life. I am grateful for him that he has a parent that understands that many physical and/or mental problems that many of us prior users face is due to the accutane. My parents don't seem to want to hear it from me. Everyone says, how do you know you weren't supposed to end up like this? My mom and grandmother have helped me realize that I can't go back in time. I feel that there is a plan for all of our lives and that however disastrous this event in life might have been, it was meant to happen. I am happy that your son was at least of normal height before the drug stunted his growth. In regard to my problems, I struggle with depression mostly, which I feel comes from a lack of testosterone. I also used to be the athletic sports star, and now I feel like an old man. I understand how your son does not like to talk about it because it is such a negative topic. I try to repress the memory as well. However, thank you for talking with me about this and I plan to stick in touch with this forum whenever I feel I have an unexplained problem. Even though I do not know anyone here, I feel a closeness to everyone as we all had our lives affected by pharmaceutical companies. All of us affected could sit back and wither away in our illnesses. But we can all make it through this. I am sorry if I don't respond, as sometimes I feel that it is best to try to move on and not live in the past.

Thank you. Tommy

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Tommy,
I am glad to hear your reply back. I have no degree philosophy , but from my personal experience, the more we learn from our past the better we can except the future. The older we get, the more turmoil we see and see others at times, take advantage of others. The big banks, pharmaceutical and oil company's run this world and we must do are best in the life's we have through difficult times to stay positive and live a for-filling life for us and the people we choose to be around us. Depression is tough and by leaning on others and letting them lean on us will help us get through the hard times. I don't believe that my son is suppose to go through all these very health concerning medical problems along will everyone else that has taken this drug or any other drug that may effect their long term health. But by educating our self we can prepare for the future. One thing I have learned is everyone is effected differently from Accutane and its generic brands. Not all side effects are long term for everyone and we must take one day at a time. Finding faith in a higher power has help me. Please know my thoughts and prayers are with you !
From the Heart,
Scott

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I'm still offering help to anybody in the Houston area. I've had two rounds of accutane. The last round gave me severe pancolitis. I've suffered from starvation, depression, arthritis, eye inflamation, chronic fatigue, liver spasms etc etc. I understand this disease and how to exchange the bacteria and diet to fight it. I am willing to help anybody. I am still sick, but I am on a protocal that is reducing inflammatory responses daily. I have developed methods of using supplements and natural anti-inflammatories. I know which bacterias and probiotics work well for attacking the problem not the symptons. The method I'm using is designed to reduce oxidation while repairing the body. I had to find a way to treat this disease; otherwise, I would be dead right now. I will help anybody close to me, because that is the only way I can help. I have explored virtually every natural treatment method and experimented. I did every diet and had little success. I don't want your money. I want to help you, because noone offered me what I can offer. I like to think that I have a little bit more insight on the disease, because of my suffering. I was around 100lbs for two years passing out every day. I'm not sure why I didn't die, but I assume it's because I gave up on big pharma. Their treatments surely would have killed me. Let me know if anyone is serious about help, because as long as you stay sick your body is in a state of hyper-oxidation and you will surely die.

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I took accutane back in '95 at age 16. I had acne real bad. I was on the drug for maybe 6-8 months. While I was on te drug I had to get blood test done once a month. They monitored stuff like cholestorol, fat lipids, blood cells, ect. My acne cleared totally and never came back. I'm now 32. Reading some previous post about joint pains, stomach problems, ect. I never had big problems, except I would get heartburn real bad. I think it was due to my eating habits, but those days are gone no more heartburn. I reasearched long term side effects of this because I still get real oily skin. It's like more than most people. I don't have any pimples, I have blackheads under my eyes and on my nose. It's not bad, but they're there. I have tried to find things about accutane pertaining to this. It's just I can wash my face and an hour or so later my face is oily like I have been sweating all day, pretty much just grungy. My wife complains about oily door knobs. Almost anything I touch. This may not be a side effect. Maybe I just have a bad case of the oily skin. If anybody can help me with some information about this please post.

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I wish i had read this comment earlier david, to tell you that i feel sorry for you. didnt you read how many suffered because of that horrible medication?
My relative is suffering because of it, anyways i hope you were lucky enough to not get these symptoms. I would live with acne my whole life rather than risking my life or my health. You could have got a few sessions of laser or used glow2thione or something to help clear your skin.

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I posted many months ago about having internal stomach and intestine problems since taking Accutane 10 years ago. Well an update on my condition, I had a Colonoscopy done and I have Ulcerative colitis in 33% of my colon. The doctor suspects it could be from Accutane since he has had many other cases of Accutane users suffer from similar issues. He is looking further into it and asking other associates of his for more information and examples. I'll try to keep everyone updated as my hell continues. If you do no know what Ulcerative colitis is, Google search it because you may have it as well.

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Your situation sounds exactly like mine.. Except I was one year younger and two inches shorter. I completely agree with the sadness because of the lack of development. I am sad that I wasn't able to research the problems o stunted development 5 years ago, at the age of 14 without an iPhone or laptop like today. Our development was stolen from us.

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