Accutane Long Term Side Effects (Page 74)
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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 After I have researched this drug extensively, I can't believe that the FDA allows this drug originally made for cancer patients to be marketed for teenagers with acne.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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REPORT

I took accutane 10 yrs ago for about 18mo 40mg four days a week. I hurt my back while I was taking accutane and quit taking the medication because I could not travel to the appts. The doctor that prescribed the medication followed me closely. I was having periods where I was unable to control my bowels. I begain taking extra clothes if I had to go anywhere. I still have to carry extra clothes.I was twenty nine years old when I started taking this medication and was very active. I ran over twenty miles every week. My body fat was 17%. My life came to stop! I have always had very long hair I was scooping it out in hand fulls after I would bathe. I lost down to 88lbs. I had a MRI done when I hurt my back, only thing abnormal was bulging disc at t-11 and t-12. I had torn a muscle from my si joint. I also started having uncontrolable muscle spasms. It was about three yrs later all of a sudden I was so tired. Just to do normal activity was a thing of the past. Went to family doctor and explained how tired I felt, so he ordered blood test my B-12 level was barely over a hundred. I begain taking B-12 injections at this time. I had never heard of someone as young as I was taking B-12 injections. My age was about 33yrs old, I was always complaining of shoulder pain and joint pain. One night the pain was unbearable went to urgent care clinic where I had X-rays done and they also ordered MRI. When I rc'd the results of the MRI I was shocked. I had herniation at t-11 and t-12 with loose body extending almost 10mm below the disc. Lateral disc herniation to the right of the midline at t-12-L-1 with impingement upon the nerve root.I also have considerable impingement upon the thecal sac. involving the nerve root. I have degenerative disc disease with spondylosis. bulging disc in cervical spine. In my lumbar spine disc desiccation at L5-S-1 with small central disc protrusion. These test were done in 2009. I have seen several doctors about my back and usually the injury I have at t-11 and t-12 is from some sort of injury. When my back first was hurt while taking accutane all I had was bulging disc. The doctor I see now for my back says MRI s of my back look like a seventy to eighty yr old women. I have been DX with thyriod disease and DM as well. After so many years of suffering from being incont. of stool on myself finally had a EGD done and Colon examed my GI doctor. The ulcers I have are so bad the GI doctor thought I had barrets esophagus which when test came back in just severe ulcers. I have to take a medication twice a day for this now. The results of the colonoscopy IBS and diverticulious thru out my intire colon and from what I understand only 10% of people over age 40 have this condition. I suffer everyday from pain either my colon, joints, or stomach and even my back as well as horrible nausea at times. I even have to take a heart medication! It was 10yrs ago not all the side effects of this medication was not known! I have a 18 yr old suffers from acne just few weeks ago a doctor wanted to put him on accutane and he told them no way. I was horrified at the thought he could of been placed on this medication. Vanity vs health? My health is ruined I truely believe accutane caused all the problems I have. I understand that getting older causes problems BUT NOT THIS MANY. I truely believe I will not live to be a old women because I took this medication. I can not imagine how I will feel in 10 even 20 more yrs. Considering just last week was told by medical professional need to change what I do at work. I really think more research should of been done by the FDA and accutane should not be on the market! Oh yeah it cleared up my ance ,but ruined my health!

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Hey Mitch,
My son has a family ancestry from Ireland/German/English/American Indian background. have never studied ThalasaemiaI. I will have to look into it. Thank You for your kind thoughts.
Scott

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Hi Scott, i was just wondering what is your sons ethnic origin. Or do you know if he has or is a carrier of Thalasaemia. As i am trying to discover if this genetic blood trait could have been a link to the side effects...
Just a thought..

Thanks

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Thanks Scott for starting this site. If I hear of anything I will pass it on and so sorry to hear your sons story. I have what you described here and much more. I have a lawyer on my case, but I will NOT get my hopes up for anything because I have heard of people winning and NOT getting their money. We are fighting the evils that put this medicine out there, they have more power then those lawyers.

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Hi Scott.Wow i'm horrified to hear that 3 yrs after and nothing has come to light. It seems this drug has a lot to answer for. It seems it switches off parts of the brain.It is very complex. My son was offered strong pain relief which he refused due to the side effects. Also he decided it will not cure the effects but may cause more problems.. Maybe you could try Aloe plant to gently smear any painful area as it is a natural pain relief. Maybe you could check out : run from the cure on the net.There are a couple of short videos showing what goes on in the brain and body. It is not something i have ever done but it certainly makes you think.
I still cannot believe they give people Chemotherapy drugs for Acne especially children, Shame on them.
All the people that have been affected by Generic drugs should have their voices heard..
Good Luck and thankyou for sharing your unfortunate dilema .
Best Wishes for your son and God Bless

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Mitch,
My name is Scott and I started this post/thread on 5/28/2009. I can't believe two years have passed. By the way, I live in the U.S.
Here is a short 2 year update on my son. His joint pain has progressed with no help or explanations from doctors or specialist. We are off this week AGAIN to search for answers and hope some sort of relief of his ankle/joint/tendon pain. He has been complaining for over 3 years and more over the last 6 months about an unexplained health issue in his ankle. Just by kicking a soccer ball a few times, he can’t lift his foot off the ground. He claims there is no pain, but he can’t lift his leg straight up, off the ground. He has just shared with me this year while in college, at times he has to drag this leg to get started in the morning and seems to improve through the day. He has had many x-rays and a MRI and doctor claimed 3 years ago his ligaments where weak or stretched. Hopefully this week, another MRI or x-ray to compare to ones done in 2008 may give us a better explanation. The continued joint pain and back pain are daily factors his has to deal with. He continues to have off and on problems with his G I track and take’s ThreeLac which seems to help him.
For those looking for legal advice, to my knowledge the only lawyers that will take your case are if you have Irritable Bowel Disease, Crohns Disease or Colitis. Also Proctitis.
I have also heard recently that most lawyers are after the maker of Accutane, Roche Pharmaceuticals. I know someone that has a proven case in court, BUT it was with isotretinoin , Sotret, Claravis, or Amnesteem. If anyone knows of a law firm taking cases with Amnesteem, please contact me ASAP.
Thanks,
Scott

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I wish i had typed the right thing when my son started this horrible medication Isotretinoin. I only typed side effects of and only found what was in the leaflet, which does not give any long term effects. It seems they haven't done any long term studies on the effects. Why the Hell aren't they listening to people instead of saying its just a coincidence... It Stinks !!

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Hi there, i am just wondering which country you are in? I have seen in USA there are plenty of lawyers in this field and knowledge of this drug and its effects.

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Glad to hear your not taking it anymore... My son took it for 8 weeks. He is in pain in muscles & joints and bones.. Not everyone is body can handle the effects of this drug. Drink plenty of water or Green tea to help get rid of the toxins you now have in your body.

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hi everyone,,, i did decide to carry on taking my medicine and ive had it for about 9 days now, and its working but the stiffness in my neck is really bad,, i've decided to stop taking it,,,
i think there must be something else to take,, ive had erythramycin and it worked a treat ,, but you get used to it,, there must be something else,,,
my fella loves me and my skin as they are now so sod it if people don't like my skin tough,,, but i aint taking this anymore ! :)

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amazing i found this, after going to my gp for 7 years (im 29 now) complaing that i had 0 libido or sex drive, slight depression and also telling him i think the long course of accutane i had when aroung 18 for acne was to do with it, in all those years he never listened or referred me, now loads of money later, many visits to specialist, blood tests etc im still in search but hope to be on the right track now. even on courses of hcg to see if my testes are producing enough testosterone, i feel accutane has shut down or burnt out something, either a gland, a signal channel from my brain to testes i dont know its all self search but we will see, how many others have libido, sex drive issues?

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Hi Read B & everyone else. For privacy reasons we generally discourage anybody from posting their email address on our public forums. We also forbid individuals who are trying to sell products from posting their contact details on our site.

We have since approved your latest post in which you have shared that information (since it appears that you want to), but if you change your mind please contact us and we will promptly take it down.

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I believe that it might have been deleted by the moderators. Here it is again hopefully: Readb86 @ gmail.com

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I am also in UK. my son is having problems after taking this drug. I would like to know where abouts you are and what kind of doctors you have seen. There is a lot of knowledge on the net but the docs we have seen don't know enough about the side effects. You haven't put your email address.

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Hi everyone. I would urge you to reconsider going on this drug if you are a particularly sporty person. I am now aged 24 but took Isotretinoin about 4 years ago in 2006/2007. I seem to remember that I was on a particularly short course; curtailed as I had an asthma attack whilst on the drug. I believe that I took it for about 2 months. I will need to check the my medical records to find out which dose I was on.

Ever since taking the drug I have suffered continuous hair loss, to the point where I will doubtless be bald by the time I'm 30. I also noticed that my joints creaked and cracked a lot more than before.

However, the most serious lasting effect has been overwhelming joint pain for the past year and a half. I used to love going to the gym, however now I rarely leave my house as I have lost so much function and am in so much pain. I have watched my function lessen and my pain increase over the past couple of years. I can no longer enjoy anything remotely sporting. I believe that it has destroyed my life and my prospects; I am currently out of a job.

My joint pain is still under investigation, and has been for almost the past two years. I have been told by pain specialists not to get my hopes up of regaining any function. I currently take Pregabalin, which has rendered me zombie-like and unable to recall or remember a lot of things. At least it calms the pain down a bit- I would not be able to live without it.

I understand that it is difficult/laborious to directly link the drug to the everlasting joint problems that many of us in this thread seem to be suffering from. I am from the UK and am interested in suing Roche for what I can see as a life of pain and misery. If anyone is like minded in the UK and has had a similar experience, or has somehow improved their health (mine is on a continuous and rapid downward spiral) please email me.

Thanks and God bless

Read

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I have taken Accutane 3 times since I was 19 and I am 44 years old now. There ARE long term effects. Depression being one of those effects. I've been on anti -depression medication before, during and after I took Accutane. In 2005, I had horrible GI issues which needed surgery. I've also had incredible discomfort in my upper back, neck and hands and have sought care from a chiropractor for several years. I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease and the MRI reflected that I had 4 herniated discs from my C3 to my C7. After years of incredible pain and numbness in my hands, shoulders and neck, I decided to have surgery this on 02/2011. This year I had surgery (Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion) in which my neurologist had to remove 3 out of the 4 herniated disks (FDA only approves no more than 3 discs removal). During the surgery, my neurologist was surprised to find calcification throughout my upper spine and fusion of 2 herniated discs. This is also known to be associated with Accutane (bone issues). The most disturbing part is that my doctor told me I would have to go through this surgery again in 5-10 years because he could already identify some other failing discs. He cannot explain why my bones/discs are the way they are. I never was involved in a bad accident; I neither played sports but not hard contact sports nor was I ever a gymnast (he asked if I was). The saddest thing is that he said I had "old people bones". I am otherwise an active 44 year old female who works out, takes vitamins, and am conscious of what I eat. It is horrifying to hear that I have old people bones at the age of 44. What will my life be when I am 60, 70, or 80? Oh, and ladies, one more thing, I was also diagnosed with alopecia (hair loss) a few years ago-yes, another side effect associated with Accutane. Throughout my life and when normal hormonal changes occurred, it seems it was time for another treatment of Accutane to treat the cystic acne. The last time I took the new form of isotertin Clavaris was from Jan 2010 until June 2010. I did not know about the side effects then. I have great looking skin, no doubt. You could not tell that I ever had cystic acne but had I known of these side effects, I would have never taken it. I truly believe that my GI problems, my herniated discs and bone issues, my depression and hair loss are a direct side effect of taking Accutane 3 times in my life. At this time I am looking for legal representation. If you can assist me, please contact me or respond to this blog.

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moominbear,
I would not think a few days on this medication will harm you. Its taking it long term plus taking to much per day is what seems to be harmful. Research these drugs some more if you have any doubt. n Talk to your parents about your concerns and don't be afraid of asking more questions to your doctor or even getting a second oppinion. I wish I had all this information before my son took Accutane.

Best Wishes,

Scott

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Obviously people have different tolerence levels. My son is just 17. I do know people whom have had this drug and are at the moment ok. In my sons case this is not so. My friend has just made her daughter stop taking Isotretinoin due to the fact as to what is happening to my son. I would talk anyone out of taking this drug

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i have just started to take roaccutane,,, and have got a bit of dry skin, and my lips are going a bit dry .,. only took it for 4 days,, i think i'll stop ,,,
do you think i've done myself harm,?,, now i'm a bit scared.
i figure it's not worth having an aching aching body , oh god,

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My son last year was put on Isotretinoin 30mg a day. After 5 weeks he started with shoulder pains. Then other parts of his body were being affected with pain. I told him to stop the medication and now after 5 months he has had blood tests, all are normal. He is in constant pain, constipated & lethargic. I don't know what to do or whom i should speak to. He is under a rheumatoligist and is waiting to see a cardiologist as he also has chest pains. My son walked to school there & back the mile and half every day. He was at college training to be a powerlifter. And now he rarely goes out of the house. He was never one for taking tablets and was reluctant to take these . But the Dermatologist said he's given them to many an ahtlete and have been fine with them. Had i known what i know now i would Never have let him take them.

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