Accutane Long Term Side Effects (Page 75)

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 After I have researched this drug extensively, I can't believe that the FDA allows this drug originally made for cancer patients to be marketed for teenagers with acne.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?

REPLY

REPORT

Yes deffinately! I took the drug one week and started having real bad back pain. Ive been a week off and it hasnt subsided..

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I just recently got off of Claravis, which is a form of accutane. The medicine works, but it comes with some pretty powerful side effects. I got off of it in September and I still have some of the symptoms of the side effects. I love what it has done to my face, but I hate what it's turned me into.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Don't do it. Please don't do it.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

My son is having the same issues with pain in his body after taking accutane. He was a varsity athlete, now injured starting with his shoulder, back and now legs. We were not aware of permanent damage as a side effect of accutane.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

You are full of it. You have no scientific evidence that this drug caused his problems yet demand it be taken off the market. Do you know how many millions of people have taken this miracle drug and their lives changed for the better, without long lasting side effects? Did u know they also say it works for resistant cases of lupus? My doc put me on it and it not only cleared my painful cyst filled face, but put me into remission... my joint pains and fatigue disappeared along with skin rashes and acne. ..all of which were ruining my life. I took it twice and dont regret it one bit! I highly recommend accutane!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

All of you ppl posting about joint pains years later need to find something better to do with your time other than scaring away others from this miracle drug. You have NO evidence that accutane caused your very common complaints. Millions have joint pains or stomach problems (try flagyl for that bc yr probably experiencing tummy infection) who have never taken accutane. It might have hurt one in a million ppl, just like u take a risk of dying if u have surgery.. some people have allergic reactions to tylenol.. does that mean no one should take it? NO. It is a miracle drug for most people who take it.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Shana,
I did not know that millions of people took Accutane and had No side effects. Please show evidence of this statement. If you have proof, I would enjoy reading about it. Maybe you found proof of the causation of these drugs, isotretinoin (Accutane, Sotret, Claravis, Amnesteem) in a bubble gum wrapper I haven't found yet.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I posted in June, post #1284, and stated that I also had great results from Claravis. I hope there are no long term effects that creep in later, but for now, things are just fine. The rare occurrences where I break out now are few and far between and are more hormonal than anything. I would still recommend the product to anyone who truly needs it, and I would suggest that taking it post-puberty and after having children is probably the most ideal. I admit that it is creepy to search the clinicaltrials.gov database for 'Isotretinoin' and find that it leads to mostly cancer studies... but.. it worked for me. I can finally leave my house without spending at least an hour messing with cover-up makeup just to feel confident enough about face-to-face interactions with others.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Shana, how old are you? 15? Someone that tries to make a point without bothering to type out the word “you” isn’t very convincing. You only report what doctors are sharing in regards to the “millions that take the miracle drug,” as Scott mentioned. Anyone that is so invested in western medicine and what perceived doctors tell you are in trouble down the road.

The drug can clear inflammation temporarily. While it may clear the acne for the most part, there is a strong chance any inflammation returns and worsens. I don’t know how long you have been off of the drug, but side effects can develop slowly over time. Vitamin A does not exit the body within a month, or whatever the doctors tell you. The toxic amount is stored in the liver and fat and can seriously affect people for years without natural treatments and detoxification.

To say these sufferers have no evidence is asinine. Not only is there plenty of documented scientific research (which you seem to value) about serious issues caused by the drug, the sheer fact that thousands develop the same symptoms and side effects is evidence enough. Only a fool would turn a blind eye. This drug can alter one’s body to the point of developing a multitude of disorders that western medicine doctors somehow have a difficult time identifying. Why would dermatologists curse their own drug when they profit so much off of it? Overall health is not in the big picture so long as a kid suffering with acne is temporarily happy and the money keeps coming.

Your reference to surgery is irrelevant, Shana. I am well-aware of the mental toll acne can take on any sufferer, but surgery is not applicable in this case seeing as one does not undergo surgical procedures to treat even the worst forms of acne. Acetaminophenis not even in the same spectrum as isotretinoin. It is used periodically. If someone suffers an allergic reaction, they seek treatment and cease use.

So before accusing others of being full of it about “common complaints,” I would personally suggest you do something better with your time, such as research and learn before proving only that you’re a full-on ignoramus. I wouldn’t wish these issues upon anyone, but I’m sure a week in some of our broken-down bodies would change your mind about a lot more than just one “miracle” drug.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

Douglas, I am a 33 year old female who has tried just about everything for my acne and I wanted to follow-up with you to see if you've had any changes in your health. How old were you when you started taking the medication? I see most of the people started taking the drug at a very young age when they were still in their developing stages. I've really been considering taking accutane. I can only assume that there have been improvements to this drug over time. I've been reading, researching, and watching youtube videos to see the effects it has or have had on people who have taken it. I know that each person's body is different and that I wouldn't know how I'd be effected until I took the drug, but I still wanted to ask you these questions because you seem to be the only one on here whose health was not compromised. Thanks!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I took accuntane 2010 (60mg for 4/5 months) and now im noticing that i have big problems in the libido department. I have erectile dysfunction and also have no sensitivity in the genitalia, which is an absolute nightmare. Has anyone else experienced any of these symptoms?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi there are you getting a lot better now with using yoghurt etc to crowd out the bacteria? Do you think liver flush would be beneficial to clear out the toxins and vit a in there? Ive been sick for 7yrs and have occasionally thought it might be roaccutane now im certain!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

My sister took acutane for acne and she died of stomach cancer at 23 years old. The doctors were at a loss for words not knowing how a healthy 23 year old young women would get stomach cancer. She was misdiagnosed with Crohn's disease at first - how does a pathologist get cancer and Crohns mixed up - it makes no sense! They did say when they opened up they couldn't tell what it was it was a mess in there....my hear goes out to every young person who has been affected by this deadly prescribed drug! How can they approve such a drug.....

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Jim, Accutane has been reported to cause severe and seemingly permanent sexual adverse effects. Numbness and ED are the most common. I'm not sure I can posts links here, but if you search for "Accutane+sexual dysfunction", you will find threads full of hundreds of young men and even some young women talking about sudden and permanent sexual side effects and infertility in some cases. Propecia and some SSRIs also seem to cause the exact same problems as we have in susceptible individuals. Unfortunately, no one has really found a reliable treatment yet.

There was a 1994 letter from a dermatologist published in The Lancet which described cases of erectile dysfunction as a result of isotretinoin. There was also a Mexican University study in 2006 showing the same side effect. Case studies of similar retinoid drugs describe depression-independent ED as a side effect. The authors of the studies often note that sexual dysfunction is likely under-reported to health authorities since it is such a difficult topic to discuss.

I took a course of Accutane in 1998 and a very short one in 1999. My libido dropped and I became depressed while on the first course. Things got much better after it was over. …I was almost back to normal. The same symptoms developed soon after beginning my second course, only much more severe and they have lasted to this day. My main problems now are lack of libido, ED and numbness, and flat/blunted emotions. Even when in a relatively good mood, I still have the sexual symptoms. This all began at 17-18 years old while on Accutane. Diagnosed with secondary hypogonadism when I went to have things checked out, but TRT didn’t help. Never had a health problem before in my life.

If one needs any evidence that the claims of severe side effects are not a nocebo effect, there is an online FDA database which contains over 200,000 reports of around 4,000 different adverse reactions from isotretinoin. Nearly half of reported side effects have a high PRR value, showing a strong correlation with Accutane/isotretinoin compared to their reported frequency in association with other prescription drugs. Remember that Accutane is commonly prescribed to young people who have a much much lower probability of randomly having health problems than the older people who the vast majority of prescriptions are written for. For example, twice as many prescriptions are written out for those who 65 or older, than younger. Nada, like you said, everyone’s body is different, so there is no way to tell beforehand who will and who will not develop side effects. Chances are you will be fine, but IMO, it’s not worth risking losing your quality of life forever even if the odds are stacked in your favor. The drug is still the same molecule as it has always been. No improvements.

Scott, I sincerely hope your son's problems are getting a little less severe with time, and he is able to find some peaceful moments.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Danielle M, I am so sorry for your loss. I will keep you and your sons in my prayers that you will continue to gain strength each day that passes.
I've read enough on here to know that I will NOT be taking Accutane. For some reason my body decided to get acne (not severe) in my 30's and I was told about Accutane from a dermatologist. I will now research and seek other options to fighting this. Thank you all for the information you have provided and I hope that others will get ahold of this information before they take this drug. To those of you have taken the drug and who are now suffering from long term effects I pray that things will get better for you. Take care!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Please be aware of high risk side effects of this drug. I would never take it. A close friend of mine took it when she was a teenager for acne and it did help at the time. However she now has no quality of life. She has had unexplained episodes of extreme arthritis as well as other immune mediated issues. No GP could work out the cause. She now cannot even leave her house as she is in constant pain. She describes it as boiling water on her face, neck and arms which never stops. Her skin is constantly burning and itching and sometimes she cannot even talk or eat as her face is so painful. Drs now think Roaccutane may be the cause as it has made her skin ultra sensitive to everything. She cannot tolerate sunlight or wind on her face and her eyes are always sore too. She now has hair loss and has lost lots of weight as she struggles to eat. She is now unable to work and has no quality of life. She is only in her 30's. Drs have tried all sorts of medications and laser therapy. Nothing has helped. She has tried exclusion diets and had numerous skin and blood diagnostics performed. Can anyone help? I need her to see a specialist who may be able to relieve her symptoms. Please help me help my friend.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

"Tummy infections" "common problems" "finding something better to do with my time?" I wasn't aware colon cancer was considered a "tummy infections." Hell, maybe if we had treated the colon cancer with an antibiotic, my 28 year old husband would still be alive! What college did you get your PhD at? I need to spread the word... "Hey guys, we've been wrong all along, cancer can be cured via antibiotic! It's only a tummy infection!!!!"
You're by far one of the most ignorant people I've ever had the joy to interact with! Know your facts! After investigation started on the manufactures of accutain, they found back in 1994 that they knew the horrible side effects the med caused and they decided not to disclose that info to the consumers. A man in New Jersey was awarded $27 MILLION because Accutain caused his Crohn's. It's all public record, look it up!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Can you tell me the Mg you or your child took while on Accutane. My 13-year-old daughter is taking 20 Mg. She has been on it for two weeks and is already seeing results. The only side effect so far is an occasional headache. The long term side effects you all have mentioned worry me, but I have friends that have had great results, with no long term side effects from the med.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

When I was 21-22, I was taking mostly 40mg with a week or two at 60mg. The 40mg was a lower dose, but it worked for me with minimal side effects (and, knock on wood, I'm doing great 4 years later!).
I would be cautious, however, to take this at such a young, developing age like 13. If I could go back, I may even shy away from it until after I had children (I'm at a point where I'll be starting to have kids within the next few years, and, although there are no proven links to any long-term reproductive-related symptoms, it worries me a bit.)
Does your daughter have the ability to wait until post-high school, try other options in the meantime, and then resort to Accutane as a last-case option if/when she'd be able to sign a consent form on her own (aka when she's past the prime of puberty)?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Worried parent . Everyone i know that has used this drug suffers from migraine even years after stopping the drug. My son only used the drug for a totall of 8 wks. Wk 6 started with joint pains. Endless other side effects & many different docs with no diagnosis. Now 3 yrs after taking this drug he has a migraine 24/7 and ringing in his ears as well as joint pain . He was on 30-40 mg i think !

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I had Harvoni treatment last spring. I am not the same. My nervous system is a wreck. My anxiety problems have increased...

263 REPLIES

What are the long term effects of the brain and mood changes in people taking 30mg of oxycodone for years? Do they act w...

6 REPLIES

My wife has been using Nexito Plus for the past 4 years. She is doing good, but she feels sleepy in the morning time and...

3 REPLIES

my boyfriends complaining after taking large dosages prescribed by doctors for sleep that he feels loss of sight, blurre...

3 REPLIES

My doctor just prescribed me Tramadol for a chronic back pain issue. If I take this med every night, will there be any l...

2 REPLIES

I have been taking clopidogrel 75mg + atorvastatin 10mg + metoprolol 10mg + telmisartan 40mg for the past 3 years since ...

1 REPLY

I am 41 yrs male.For the past one month occasionally one or two of my fingers move sideways without my control and then ...

1 REPLY

My father has been prescribed ecosprin 75 along with Dytor plus 10mg, prolomat XL and cardace 2.5 by a cardiologist. He ...

1 REPLY

I was just prescribed this medication by my doctor, because of irregular periods. For the past 2 years I have had my per...

1 REPLY

Folks, like everyone else who has started MULTAQ, I am having second thoughts about it's effectiveness. When I first...

1 REPLY