Accutane Long Term Side Effects (Page 76)

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 After I have researched this drug extensively, I can't believe that the FDA allows this drug originally made for cancer patients to be marketed for teenagers with acne.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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Mitch,
Has your son been tested for pseudotumor cerebri a.k.a. intracranial hypertension?

Headaches and tinnitus are signs of intracranial hypertension.
This is a reported side effect of retinoid drugs like isotretinoin.

They might be able to do something to relieve the pain if they find this is the cause.

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Bill. 2 yrs ago my son ended up in A&E as the pain was so bad they thought he had intercraniel pressure. When they did Lumbar Puncture they said his reading was normal. He was in bed 3 wks before he could even sit up. Because of joint pains he never went out but played xbox to keep his mind busy could also have played a part in the Migraines he thinks. As some people that play or rather look at screens for long periods can end up with migraine, which could have added to his problems. He will be 20 next month and goes nowhere only on a rare oaccasion. I have a younger child & we cannot do anything as a family apart from watching her on the swings in the park. As he suffers joint pain which is made worse with excercise. He has had a brain scan but they were looking for tumours which he didnt have. Although he didnt let them complete the scan on his neck due to the noise. He went from a 16 yr old that trained & had definition to losing approx 21pounds sitting home in pain. Chest pains. Eye lashes falling out. Sore throat. Insomnia, he became very angry & also has stomach issues to which he stopped eating pork, wheat & gluten along with other foods high in Vit A. ( carrots,corn etc) my son ended up drinking shakes that they give to cancer patiens & people that cannot eat as he could not keep food down for some months. my daughter has a peanut allergy so shopping is a real task. I mostly try cook dinners wen possible but it makes life difficult sometimes. I just do not know where this will end . We argue at times because i am frustrated with the situation and his lack of communication with other people. He also suffers with dry sore eyes and wears a blindfold most of the time.

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Being a Chemotherapy drug this kills cells. If you dont have Cancer you are only killing good cells as you more likly do not have bad ones ! That is the gamble you take when you have cancer. You dont have much of an option. These greedy pharma companies jumping on the " fill my bank account with money" band wagon . Simply dont give a toss about what they are doing to all these mostly young people. Isotretinoin is causing more harm than good in the long run but because most dont feel the pain or suffer with the problems until weeks, months or years after stopping this drug they get away with it ! So most people do not associate or ever imagine that their problems stem from taking this drug earlier in life. We are supposed to prove that this is the cause. They dont have to prove its not. Dermatologists just lie & not many doctors will admit the association of this drug with the many side effects and Damage it is causing. Its only afterwards when you talk to people & discover the many that have taken this drug that i realised how many people unknowingly are suffering after being given this Toxic Poision !

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Mitchuk,

Sorry I can't be of much help. If you live in the U.K. I would recommend writing or emailing your MP about what happened to your son.

I can only look forward to those of us suffering finding a way out some day.
It's very difficult to do that when the drug's effects on us are so poorly understood.

If the governments push for research there's a chance we might find a means of treatment. This seems to be the only way to stop the vehement denial of our existence too. We don't currently have much evidence of causation.
Just hundreds of reasons to be suspicious of this trash drug.

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Bill.. Its not that the effects are poorly understood if you look at side effects if given as a chemo drug. They dont want to aknowledge the effects when they give then for Acne or other skin related problems.. The trouble is by killing cells it causes all kinds of knock on effects to the sensative nerves, neutrons etc on the complex body !

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Mitch I'm in the uk I've emailed mp- Ed Vaizey who is currently compiling a list of people affected by roaccutane, I think it's snowballing as so many folk getting in touch with him- they added me to the list and urged me to contact my local mp too with concerns, from what vie seen a lot of people are filing legal suits against roche too but it's just finding someone in the uk who will take on such a big task- I've spen thousands on alternative medicine to try and get well and I don't even feel well enough to work to fund this now..a d I'm no better.. The way I see it they should be paying for us to get well again or at least have a quality of life!! Pls feel free to email me -{edited for privacy} :)

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Anginver.. They deleted yr email. Unfortunately it wasnt roacc that my son was given it was a generic. My sister has had Roac though & lost most of her teeth. Will try contact u unless u can work out my mail add. {edited for privacy}. Which u need a satelite dish to use & is based in Scotland lol

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This was a young girl that suffered from accutane which was on the news in the UK

itv.com/news/central/2013-01-03/teen-blames-acne-drug-for-severe-depression

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Mitch,
I live in the USA. My son took the generic form of Accutane called Amnesteem. As far as I know, lawyers only want to talk to you if you have Crohns or Colitis.. Also it seems generic versions of Accutane are not eligible to sue do to being a generic. The Food and Drug Administration( FDA ) regulates drugs and keeps track of complaints of side effects etc, from drugs. Problem is the FDA and BIG PHARMA are all in bed together. No hope here for any compensation for people with long term side effects. BIG PHARMA sends lobbyist to Washington D.C. and they get their way with laws with dangerous drugs putting wealth ahead of health on a consent basis.

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Thought I might as well as introduce myself on another forum.

Hi I'm Mike, I took Roaccutane for 10 days in October/November 2012. Since then I have had severe gastric issues and emotional blunting although both of these have recovered somewhat in the last 14 months. However, the sexual dysfunction seems to persist with no intent of letting up. I'm currently trying the endocannabinoid method of recovering (cannabis for the uninitiated).

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To Mitchuk and Scott,

I don't know about your sons but my acne was so severe that I would have possibly taken my own life if I did not find a cure. You may think that I am exaggerating but I am not. When I was 23 years old in 1994 I became afflicted with severe cystic acne and for three years it had devastated my life. My face was disfigured by the breakouts and affected every aspect of my life. It had destroyed my self esteem, I was very ashamed of my appearance, I stopped dating, and I even stopped going out unless it was necessary because people would stare, give me nasty looks, and even say terrible things about the way I looked. In 1997 after three years of trying everything else I was prescribed Accutane. While on the drug my cholesterol shot up, I experienced joint pain, eye dryness, and lip dryness. After I took my last dose the side effects went away but in 2002 I was diagnosed with moderate arthritis and ulcerative colitis. Despite these side effects I DO NOT regret my decision to take Accutane and I even consider it a life saver for me. Why you may ask? The reason is that I am still living a much better than when I had severe cystic acne. I am able to feel good when I look in the mirror, I am able to go out on dates, and go anywhere I please without being the subject of stares and hurtful remarks, and I have been happily married for five years. If it wasn't for Accutane I would have either taken my life or would have wound up as a recluse. I am sorry about your sons but Accutane needs to be on market because right now it's the only effective option for severe acne and other disfiguring skin diseases. Unless you have lived with one you cannot imagine how much of an impact a disfiguring disease can have on your life. There is a reason why people with diseases like severe acne, vitiligo, psoriasis, eczema, itcthyosis, and etc are much more likely to feel depressed and commit suicide.

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Scott,
Do you live near Pittsburgh by any chance?
Thought you might be nearby if you took your son to Children's.

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Hi mitch uk- (and everyone!)
Im in scotland too lol .. Its difficult to discuss here having to keep checking and email addresses being deleted- if anyone interested i set up a private facebool group
Called roaccutane action uk so we can all have somewhere to chat more freely!.. I am not actually sure if it was generic i took- ive applied to get my medical records out from hosp and see what i can find out...my issues are severe gastric- but not diagnosed as crohns etc yet but doc can find no cause after nearly seven yrs of investigations its left me so ill i can hardly function also mental symptoms ..they dont seem to go away! Im using homeopathy just now bu have spent so much money trying to get well its ridiculous! I was on it for 9 months i can clearly remember my consultant saying that my skin was looking great but 'och we'll do another few months just to be sure!' Crazy!! Looking back my acne wasnt bad at all just a few red pimples which were def hormonal..i didnt have cycstic acne for sure! Maybe i we can clear our livers it will help us feel more well..but im not convinced..i have emailed the mp ed vaizey who is interested in this and he said they have a growing list of people getting in touch re accutane.. So thats something to do also contact your local one.. And maybe we can all get together (uk) to try an find a solicitor who will help us!
Ang

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Anginver,

I am shocked someone gave you and some other people here Accutane for just regular pimples. I can see why some people are very upset on here. As I stated in my other post I have moderate arthritis and mild/moderate ulcerative colitis. It was still worth it because I had very severe cystic acne which made my life a living hell.

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My son didnt have cystic acne either. But as he's mixed race his skin scars & that is why i took him to doctors who sent him to Derm. He should never have been given Isotretinoin. The spots are more and worse now than they were 3 years ago !

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Bill,
Yes, I live in the Butler Pa area.

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Scott,

I'm in the Butler area often. If you want to get in contact, I often post in other forums with PM capabilities. You can just do a search for my username on those forums in google: Dubya_B
Just look in the search results with Accutane in the title.

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I have severe stomach aches every day. I feel like my stomach is on fire and it makes me want to vomit. I was diagnosed with IBS. My pictures of my stomach had hundreds of little bleeding ulcers.No wonder my sstomach feels like its on fire. I never had any stomach issues before taking Accutane. I hate this pill! All my bones hurt like I was in boxing match. I always said they should give this to Bin Laden if he was ever captured. My thick mane is falling out bad.I would say yes your stomach hurts from taking The Devils Drug.

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Annie my stomach feels the same! And IBS is just a joke of a diagnosis when they dont know what to do! Are you in the uk?

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So, im not holding out hope but has anyone here had any luck repairing the damage this drug has done to their body? cleansing the liver etc... Also does anyone suffer starving hunger pains in their stomach as if its hollow? and when you've eaten the food just sits there?.. trying to Figure if this is accutane related or not...

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