Accutane Long Term Side Effects (Page 71)
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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 After I have researched this drug extensively, I can't believe that the FDA allows this drug originally made for cancer patients to be marketed for teenagers with acne.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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I wasn't sharing what I know about this to make anyone angry. I'm sharing my story because this thread is about making people aware. If these threads continue to only talk about the negatives, then every person who reads them will feel compelled to abandon the thought of using Accutane. Yes, Accutane kills cells whether it is used for acne or cancer. When it comes down to a life decision, you have to make one that is best for you. I knew the risks when starting Accutane. I read the threads and information on the internet. But because I was days away from killing myself because of the depression from being ridiculed by peers and my own family for my acne, I chose to do it. If I hadn't I wouldn't know where I would be today. I haven't had any side effects with growth or anything. I'm not saying that people can't have side effects. I just want to share my experience. I have always had straight As. Graduated from high school a year early. I'm currently studying in college with a 4.0 from my first year in a concentration of pre-med. I don't think it's changed me one bit except for the fact that this drug saved me. Whether I have to be on a colostomy bag in ten years or not, I at least will have known that I would be alive. We all have to die of something, but I may have postponed mine for a bit longer. I realize that people may feel vulnerable or threatened by all of this, but that's not my intention. And in response to Scott: The football could or couldn't have been the cause of the cancer. I'm not that educated in matters of oncology, but you can't rule out that the bruise just made it obvious he had cancer. Like when you get bruises when you have lukemia and you become very fragile. You can't be certain of anything in this world. Every person's body works differently. It's all left up to genetics and the things in our environment. I'm posting yet again to give options to people and let them know that they can't be afraid to make the right decision for them. They can read the information and interpret it in their own way.

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Mitch - thanks for the clarification. It makes more sense that it would kill the cells; that would be how the sebacious glands ultimately end up "destroyed". It really depresses me, at times, to think what it did to my brain back then :(

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Well said Scott.. If all the different sites of all the different side effects to this drug i wonder how many threads there would actually be..
By the way Ashley, a friend of mine's son at 15 was kicked whilst playing football. Weeks later the bruise had not gone. as my sister has had cancer she advised him to see a doctor.. Within months he had been told it was cancer and is no longer here due to the fact..
So day's, weeks , months or years later.. Actually these horrible things Do happen to young people as well as older ones.
When cells malfunction for what ever reason ie; being injured, or given drugs that attack the body . This is the reason we become ill. Chemo is irreversible. it is used as a last resort .. A Doctor actually said to me recently " we are only scratching the surface with Generic drugs".. Have i looked at alternative therapy ?.
What the hell does that tell anyone when a doctor can say that to you.
Thanks for the post Scott.. I know it doesn't take our children's pain away but at least we know we are not alone with no one to understand what we are going through as parents.

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No, it is actual Jaw Bone Loss which may lead to Jaw Bone Death. We are devasted by this as you can imagine what he is going to be going through.

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Dear Ashley,

I’m happy for you that Accutane has not caused any long term problems for you.

Your comment " You have to do what is right for you and trust that your doctor and the FDA aren't lying. If they can release information about how Tylenol causes liver problems, then I'm sure they would have released information about Acctuane's side effects. If you have problems 10 years after taking Accutane and you're blaming it on the drug, that's like saying "I got punched in the arm, and ten years later I got cancer." It's ludicrous to link those two together without medical evidence.

I hope you can find the time to research this site in more depth before coming to a quick conclusion. And please find the time to also research the FDA some more to see one of the biggest problems is the top dogs from the pharmaceutical companies take turns working back and forth from the FDA to either or both a pharmaceutical company corporate career ( even chemist) or worse yet a lobbyist. This fortunately is not such a well kept secret anymore , but continues to happen daily with many old and new drugs on the market.

Until you or someone else watches your love one suffer at such a early age of their life, even for me having the makers of Amnesteem admit to my son’s colon problems and spend over 5 years of your life researching facts, not just say so, you may never know what some people and their family’s have been through. You are so right to say that blaming all your problems on a drug are not fair, and it would be safe to say that not all drugs may be the cause of everything going wrong in someone’s life. But it is fair to say, do the research first before judging others. Pharma companies actually hire people to bad mouth many sites and it is also proven that they have hacked into some sites to remove negativity about their drugs.

Since this thread has started over two years ago, most negative comments have been left by employee’s of a Pharma company or someone that is ignorant to what this site is about. Do the research. I choose to ignore most of comments like yours, not beacuse you upset some people here, but mostly because negitive remarks on here don't justify my time and most others people time to comment.

This treads purpose is to educate from others experiences and ultimately to find ways by diet, change of life styles or medical facts that can help the people out that suffer from longt erm side effects from these drugs.

You and others can start by looking at the facts of what this drug and its generic versions due to the telomeres of chromosomes from the use of a chemo/acne medication over a 5-6 month of time at high doses. Then you can come back and leave you educated remarks. Maybe you can be of some help .

Best wishes to you,

Scott

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JB/ Ashley.... Accutane actually kills your dividing cells as it is a chemotherapy drug. Originally used for Brain tumors and Pancreatic Cancer. It is still used alongside other drugs against Cancer. It is Ludicris that it is used for Acne.. just a money maker for the drug companies

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Lisa, are you referring to temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) from degradation of the jaw joint? I have developed this on my left side, but would attribute it more to teeth grinding than Accutane, but who knows. Your son, being young as he is, should not have this yet, so it's possible.

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Ashley, you are obviously a well-spoken, educated young woman. But are you aware of the chemical make-up of Accutane, and the fact that it slows/halts cellular division, not just in the sebacious glands but all over the body? Few drugs in the world work on a cellular level besides chemotherapy drugs. For teens, especially, to take this while their brains are still developing is a very, very sad thing. I took it only one time when I was 16, and I know that it was the source of my miseries shortly after I took it; it ruined my vision and caused me permanent psychiatric problems/depression. My brother and sister took it with no problems. I do agree with you that often there are pre-existing conditions, as I also believe that I was already depressed. However, Accutane exacerbated my depression tenfold; it was not worth it! It is a Jekyl/Hyde medicine; a miracle for some, a nightmare for others.

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Has anyone else suffered Jaw Bone Loss. If it's from the Accutane, so be it, just want to know if anyone else has had it and what yo expect for my son.

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I know for a fact that the FDA does work with drug companies sometimes, but unless enough people are having the same problems, then there's really nothing that is going to change. Obviously, everyone is experiencing different problems and blaming them all on Accutane. I'm not for or against Accutane, but I think most of you people are paranoid yuppies that are ready to blame the drug first because it's a severe drug. Basic things like water supply and additves in food can cause just as many problems as medications. So unless you have researched or taken college classes such as I have in human development and medicine, then you can't just blame a drug. There are so many factors in the environment that can harm you. Particles in the air can cause cancer, but we're all so quick to judge the first thing that pops in our mind.

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I have been on two rounds of Accutane in the past four years and never had any problems. During my first round, I was freshman in high school and going through a lot of stressful situations. I began Accutane and my mood was off the hook. I was crying all the time and contemplating suicide. When I was asked if I wanted to go back on Accutane after my cystic acne flared up again, I hesitated. I thought the Accutane was the CAUSE of my depression, but I realized that I was suffering from it beforehand. It only began to get worse after I started the drug. Everyone wants to assume that Accutane is causing all of their problems several years later, but they don't want to take into consideration the fact that they may have had a pre-existing condition that they were unaware of or maybe the combination of all of the other drugs that people were on including Accutane may have caused their problems. EVERY drug has side effects. But if you read all of the comments that people posted about all of their horrible problems that they say are linked to the drug several years later, then you would never take any form of medication again. You have to do what is right for you and trust that your doctor and the FDA aren't lying. If they can release information about how Tylenol causes liver problems, then I'm sure they would have released information about Acctuane's side effects. If you have problems 10 years after taking Accutane and you're blaming it on the drug, that's like saying "I got punched in the arm, and ten years later I got cancer." It's ludicrous to link those two together without medical evidence.

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Try googling Douglas Bremner M.D., Roaccutane action group, Roaccutane Ragfourm, Max proboards on accutane. You should find some studies on Accutane and the Brain. I am sooo sorry to hear about your brother.

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Hi Brian, it sounds like he needs to a neurotoxicologist. Check out Neurotoxicity, as the brain is responsible for all our motor, speech etc. What country are you in? You should also look at diet and natural ways of healing through diet.(superfoods etc,.) i know it may sound strange but my son has bouts of this kind of thing too.He recently said he felt he was having an outer body experience as well as all the other side effects he suffers. I have started juicing fruit and veg.
Check out "run from the cure" on the net.It makes sense

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Greetings everyone. I have been doing my research for the past month now on accutane. My younger bro took this for a year. Not exactly sure how long he took it but im guessing he took it for around a year. Unsure of his dosage and how many times he took it since i havent seen him for like 6 years. Now, you cant even talk to him properly. He seems to have some wild moods from not talking or going insanely violent and rage of anger. He has become psychotic and last week, i saw him have convulsions for around 10 min. He is now at the hospital being diagnosed for being schizophrenic and is treated with meds for that and for his convulsion, he is taking epival. a month before we sent him to the doctor for his violent behavior, he suddenly went blind for a few hours. I believe that since he had convulsions or a seizure last week, he hasnt been talking the same. I need help in researching what I can do to help. Please any data or any links to how I can help him would be very much appreciated. he has been going thru major paranoia and has kept to himself. he has destroyed many of his past things by burning them and just acting very destructive. THrowing things and just being not normal. Please help me find answers. I want to know if his blindness could have been from accutane, seems like it was from it, his bowels have been not normal as well. He has not motor problems, walks like a robot, always depressed and doesnt know what to do with his life. It seems to have affected his brain and cant even talk properly. Please anyone give me more data or what can be done to help. thanks.

Brian

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Hi Ryan, some good information. i recently got a juicer for my son for the same reasons, having spoken to someone i know that also has been down this road. I do try to get organic fruit and veg but it is not always possible. best to give the fruit & veg a good scrub in clean water. Stop eating processed foods this also is toxic.Although i don't usually read I am reading a book "Never be sick again". As my 17 yr old son would say why take medication to suppress the pain and not know what is going on. Also you need to find the cause not just treat the symptoms. Lets face it painkillers can make things worse from its side effects but they wont cure the problem.. My son will not take any form of Generic medicine since taking Isotretinoin

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I have come here to explain there is great hope for you all. I took Accutane 7 years ago and experienced many of the symptoms described here. I continued to have life changing/terrible side effects in my digestive system after my 6 month treatment. There was a period where I could not eat anything, not even a bowl of rice, without feeling the need to vomit. My cholesterol spiked up when I was on Accutane and then never decreased for the past 6 years (until now). Most importantly my mental health plummeted. I have been one of the most confident people for as long as I can remember until I went on this drug. After taking Accutane I was experiencing overwhelming social anxiety in the most benign situations, even talking to my family. In despair, I went to more doctors and was prescribed more pharmaceutical drugs to solve the side effects caused by another drug. This was the definition of insanity for me. It was then, that I had an awakening.

About a year ago, I started looking into alternative medicines, AKA Vegetables. I stopped eating meat, began juicing vegetables and fruits and eating salads every day (look into sprouts). I also added wheat grass into my diet (one ounce shot a day). Within a month I had ZERO digestive problems. Even if I went off my new diet for a weekend and ate meat and cakes and everything that used to absolutely kill me. Not a single ounce of indigestion or even discomfort in my stomach. Additionally, this feeling of dread that I had been experiencing for the past 6 years about everything suddenly went away. No more emotional stress over just about everything, and no more anxiety at all. My cholesterol dropped 90 points in the first 4 months. In summary I healed myself. By now I firmly believe I have healed myself on the cellular level. It has been the most incredible experience of my life.

You can detox your body and rebuild your cells from the terrible damage caused by this drug, and all drugs. The answer is to look toward nature. Eat raw vegetables and drink them all day long. You will never ever feel any better, I promise you. You will also feel the shackles of this poison lifted off your body.

Not to mention all the positive side effects of eating healthy. This diet may not be what people want to hear. But think about it. If Accutane gave you joint pain, do you want to be on another drug for the rest of your life which is probably Accutane's distant cousin. Get to the route of the problem and free yourself.

Use Google for a wealth of information about juicing, raw diets, sprouting, wheat grass, etc. It WILL change your life if you allow it.

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Tony, do you have Jaw Bone Loss?

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I have had the same problems and also exactly like you, took it at 15 years of age and am now 32.

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Hi Lisa J.,
Yes, 5 years later the thinning of hair continues and son has tried TMJ night guard on teeth trying to help out with his jaw pain. Night Guard has seemed to help. He has not been looked at for jaw bone loss, but has not gained any weight or grow since taking Amnesteem 5 years ago. Just had surgury for Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome this week. It is unclear how he got this although it is seen in
athletes. My son used to play high school sports but had to quit do to leg and back pain. Best wishes with you and your son.
Scott

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My son was prescribed Accutane when he was 15, he is now 30 and is suffering from Jaw Bone Loss as well as Hair loss and is unable to put on weight. Anybody else?

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