Accutane Long Term Side Effects (Page 87)
(Newest replies first)

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 After I have researched this drug extensively, I can't believe that the FDA allows this drug originally made for cancer patients to be marketed for teenagers with acne.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

Dear Ws-yeo:

Yes, that is very unusual for your physician to NOT set a course-of-treatment. Here in the USA, when Roche first came out with it, physicians were to prescribe certain courses of it. Then, after you have completed that course (or time), the physician may decide to place you on another course.

For instance, if you have terribly bad, cystic acne, you might go on a 4 to 6 month course treatment. Then you would completely stop. Hopefully you would see excellent results. A high percentage of people do.

Then, later on in life, you may see that you are developing acne again (not just a pimple or three) and the physician will place you on another course of treatment. I am not sure if what you are taking is exactly the same as Accutane, but if it is, you should absolutely be on a FINITE time of dosing. The reason you do this, is that your skin will continue to heal after you stop taking Accutane. It should not be used like an antibiotic, so you use it when you break out. It is a specific, very monitored treatment.

If your physician is keeping you on the medication indefinitely and it IS the same as Accutane, stop seeing that doctor! He does not know what he is doing!!!

Luckily, I only had to go on one, six-month course. Sure I had outbreaks after that, but my cystic acne was completely cured. Once you have completed your course and you get pimples here and there, your doctor should give you topical gel, or cream and/or antibiotics.

Like everybody says here, each person's body is different. You want a doctor that will be very conservative and only keep you on Accutane for a predetermined amount of time. Then you can be treated with less risky medication, like tetracycline (antibiotic), or topical gels you put on at night.

Really, do not take Accutane indefinitely! That will increase your risks of toxicity so high that it definitely WILL harm you.

A typical physician will not put a patient on another course of Accutane until a year or more has passed. Some people may take Accutane at your age, then need another course of treatment in their twenties, or thirties. If you can manage your acne with other medications after a course of Accutane, always go that route. Of course, you have to make that decision when the time comes. If you have tried all of the conservative medications, with no success, then you may think about another course later in life.

Always remember, RISK versus BENEFITS! But, there is no question that you need to dump that doctor you are seeing now, as he does not know how to properly administer Accutane treatment to you.

Good luck and I hope you will be happy with your outcome.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Hi Scott, thanks for replying. I thought I went over this in my first post but apparently not?

Anyway, I''m 16 years old. And I've been taking Isotretenoin for the past 6 months and a bit. In which on the last days of my last month that I took it, I started to feel the side effects really coming on to me - it was sort of affecting me on like the 1st to 4th month, but as time went on after that, the side effects got a little more worse and I could feel it.

So I decided to stop by myself about 2-3 days ago.

Oh yeah, and unlike a lot of you here who say that the doctor/dermatologist prescribes you to the drug for a fixed amount of time like 6 months, 7 months, or 8 months, or whatever, I was just given the drug each month, and every time I ran out and my pimples were still on my face, I'd get a new packet provided I just did a blood test. There was no time limit for me so I could stop taking it whenever I want.

Of course I would have not taken it all together had I known all the bad reputation this drug has.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Dear Ws-yeo,

I have just read your post. I was the one that started this forum. I must say, like Dc. Fort Worth has mentioned that you are very brave and noble to have shared your story with all of us. You are a very educated teenager just looking for answers. Please remember, that once you quit taking Accutane, there is a possibility that some or maybe all your side effects will go away. It seems to act differently on people, and no one seems to know until being off this medication for awhile.

How old are you now and how old where you when you started taking Isotretenoin ?

Please always tell your parents how you feel especially when something becomes a heavy burden. Ask them to read this forum and keep an open mind while doing so. Although I am not an expert, tell them to email me and I will share my own personal story.

It is not your parents fault drugs like these are still willingly being subscribed to thousands of people everyday. I became informed about this drug just like you are, by researching it and listening to what other people have to say.

Have your parents email if you like, I will get back to them asap and tell them about my sons experience 5 years ago on this drug and how it has effected his life today.

Best Wishes,
Scott P.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

By the way Dc, Fort Worth I have tried to tell them about this, and they just laugh at me and tell me that I've got to be kidding.

Oh yeah, and I threw my last subscription away.

I guess it's because there is such a great amount of side effects this pill has caused me, that my parents think that I'm just making up excuses, and think that I'm blaming the pill on what is my fault.

Another thing I've forgotten to mention, is that before the pill, I was able to do push-ups no problem. On Accutane, when I did push-ups, my bones made this cracking sound everytime I went down and pushed myself up. Thankfully, about 2 days after I stopped taking those wretched stuff, it is beginning to stop.

I think it's because 5 days a week, I walked back from school at quite a long distance, and my bag is darned heavy so at least it slowed down the effects. Plus, I did the push-ups anyway because it didn't hurt, just that my shoulders cracked a lot - and after doing just ten, I got tired and my face got red, when I used to be able to do 30 in a row at least.

By the way, I still hate my acne and still want to remove it. I've probably been put off taking any pills for anything now that I've suffered from these pills. Is there anything I can do to remove this stuff on my face back and chest? I heard that diet can determine how much acne you can get depending on what you eat like oily foods and fizzy drinks cause my acne?

Anyway, I have to admit that some pimples have gotten off my face, back and chest but that still leaves a heck of a lot on my.... head, back and chest.

I haven't gone back to my doctor yet, but when I do what exactly should I tell him? That Accutane is bad, but then he'll be like so what? You read the consequences, blah, blah blah... So what exactly?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Is it just me or is this drug, and the drug company responsible for making it /Roche...isn't this a form of child abuse??
Pharmaceutical Child Abuse! Years and years of it!
Ws-Yeo, reach out to people who will help you and don't stop until you find someone who will understand all you are going through. Thank you for sharing your story. You are brave and smart for doing so. You HAVE TO tell your doctor before stopping completely. Be completely honest with your parent(s) and very calmly tell them EVERYTHING! Talk. Burden them. That is why we are parents. We live for our kids. If they don't understand, show them this web site.
And just for the record, I too had bad acne, have scars and still have oily skin even as an adult. I did not take Accutane as a teenager, but know what it is like to always deal with it. Oily skin now has its benefits. I don't get wrinkles like some people my age. I still deal with acne. Realize and look around you at people you see everyday. Look really close. They are not perfect. We are not perfect. Some are blessed more than others. It is okay. We should all strive to be pro-active and smart with all our problems. Be more persistent than your most persistent problem.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I'm 16 years old and currently taking Accutane (here in New Zealand they call it Isotretenoin) and after reading this entire discussion through, I'm really scared. Because a lot of things that people have said that is negative of Accutane (Isotretenoin) has been affecting me.

Unfortunately for me, I did not find this thread back when it was first opened and therefore only heard of all the good things about this miracle drug because when searching for Accutane related stuff all I found were YouTube videos of people who had just finished using Accutane telling me about how great Accutane is.

You all may think that people of today are a lot more knowledgeable about this drug and that we have come a long way from learning about this drug from the 80s. Unfortunately many of us aren't.

Now I'm not in the medical field, nor do I have a job (I go to school). And it seems like all of you in the thread talking about Accutane assume people out of your field were all told about all the dangers of Accutane. WRONG.

This is what's been happening to me since I started taking Accutane from almost 7 months ago until now:

When I was prescribed the medication, I was told I needed to do a blood test. Later that week, the doctor (yes, I said that correctly, doctor, not dermatologist) called me and my parents in, and I went to sign a sheet that told me of the side effects like the dry skin and muscle cramps and all that good stuff.

The thing is, if I remember correctly, the sheet I signed listed all this under TEMPORARY side effects and NOT as permanent side effects. Therefore, I was very willing to sign for the Accutane (Isotretenoin) because I figured that if it said temporary side effects, that it was to be... temporary and NOT permanent.

Before I even started taking any pills, I researched about Accutane and its negative effects. Seven months ago, I didn't find this site so when I looked around for negative side effects, all I found was people telling me about extremely dry lips, and on the rare occasion muscle pains (as I have explained I watched a heck of a lot of clips on people going through Accutane). They all mostly seemed to have positive experiences with this drug with the exception of one person. So I figured that all would be good right? WRONG!

The three months were the scariest because all my acne (which was probably a bit more on the severe side since I had lots on my head, chest and back and some cystic on various of those parts) started getting worse, I got dried lips, and I couldn't see any good change and only BAD change. But I kept at it as my doctor told me, as well as pharmacies I went to (where I bought cream for my dried lips) told me that it would get worse before it gets better).

By the way, my doctor NEVER weighed me NOR did he tell me how long I would be on this drug to come to the conclusion on how many miligrams I would consume. It was all based on one blood test unlike many of you who said it was your dermatologist who based the consumption rate on weight.

A couple of weeks into school, I fell down and got this massive bruise on my left arm. I didn't feel hurt nor did I fall down really hard, but it still caused this massive bruise. About 3 months later, my friend (who was not on any drug) got a bruise and I still have this bruise. A month later after that, my friend's bruise had almost completely healed while mine was still almost as bad as it was.

Anyway, before I went on the drug, I used to have very oily skin - so oily that 10 minutes after a shower I'd become oily again, and it's not even hot in Autumn in New Zealand. Then, about 3 weeks into the consumption of the pill, my skin became dry - so dry in fact that the sides of my mouth started cracking and skin peeled off my face.

I also saw and read that people had higher doses of Accutane (since I was on one of the lower dosages of 20 mg). So I asked the doctor about that and he brought me up to 80 mg: one tablet in the day, one in the night. With this, I am experiencing a lot of the things being described.

Being a Malaysian-Chinese, I have a slightly darker complexion. Well at least I had before the pill.

Now, at the time I am taking the pill, my hands and feet get really red really easily and change color sometimes which never happened before.

I also admit that I have trouble getting out of bed when I never used to. At first I thought it was because I was a teenager and this was all because I was going through a teenage state of mind as my parents said. But after I read of some of you people are talking about, I'm beginning to think that I couldn't get out of bed as well I as before because of these damned pills!

My hearing also has been getting more sensitive, and sometimes while walking around, I can sometimes here the echoing of sounds; only slightly though.

And another point I forgot to mention is that my doctor never told me that these pills were once used to treat some of cancer patients.

I've also lost my memory a heck of a lot. I know this because since I was in year 10 (2 years ago) I was able to memorize lyrics to songs in no more than 3 days. Now, I can't even memorize the lyrics to songs in a week.

This next point may just be me, or it could be the drugs: I also noticed that my school grades have been going down from slightly-above average grades to failing.

One more thing: I'm already a really short person; for some reason, my parents still measure my height. And my parents took my height around the time I started taking the drugs. Anway, about 5 months into the drugs, my parents decided to measure my height again to see if I had grown. And to their surprise and my surprise, I had shrink by I think about 2 cm!

I'm so angry that my doctor did NOT tell me about the long term effects of the use of this drug. He just told me to read this paper that only listed the SHORT TERM EFFECTS of the drug. If I had known it would have caused me to shrink, if I had known that it could cause chronic muscle pains and cramps, if I had known about how S**T this drug was and STILL IS, I never would have taken it in the first place.

Basically, when I went to see the doctor, he told me something along the lines as you may remove or substantially decrease the amount of acne you have by taking Isotretenoin (Accutane). And if it isn't removed, the acne would easily be treatable with normal acne removal products.

To me, that is a big load of S**T because 7 months later, still taking Accutane, sure, it has reduced some acne, but I still had it bad and had lots of it on my face, back and chest.

And now that I know of the stuff that is most likely to happen to me in the future, I am regretting so much. Because not only will I more likely have problems with other things with me, but the acne could come back AND I STILL have the SHlTLOAD of acne on my face.

I wish I had never taken accutane; I wish I had known the full story.

And I think those people who commented are right when they say the doctors and dermatologists are still giving it to unknowing people for the amount of profit they can make of it.

Roche has distorted the information behind vitamin A for the past 50 years, they've delayed and put off research that should've been conducted a long long time ago, they knew about the toxicity of vitamin A all the way back in the 1950's and 60's but that didn't matter. They went on to exploit and destroy the lives of thousands of teenagers and young adults by needlessly exposing them to one of the most toxic drugs ever created by the pharmaceutical industry. A drug supposed to be used only for chemotherapy that accelerates the aging process by reducing stem cell growth/proliferation and obliterating the water-holding molecule Hyaluronic Acid in the connective tissue down to levels of someone who is 90 year old, drying out the entire body before its time.
I found this paragraph to scare me the most not only because it seems true, but because I know that this is happening to me as I speak. I will not finish my current pills for Accutane, and I definitely hope I can still diminish the effects this fcked drug has been doing to me for the past 7 months since I didn't know better.

Sad,
WS-Yeo

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

I took Accutane about 3-4 years ago. I was 19 when I started the regime and I was on it for 5 months. At the time it was awful. My skin was constantly dry and painful and I barely had to shower because I had no oil on my skin or hair. I am convinced that the Accutane is what made my body develop a kidney stone. My Dad has gotten them since he was 16, so I was at risk for them already and I think the Accutane inflated that risk. It cleared up my acne and even now I only get maybe 2-3 pimples a month and they go away quickly. The only long term side effect that I have noticed is the severe rash I get on my forearms from being in the sun. It isn't that serious compared to the other stories on here, but it was a major issue when I went on vacation with my family right after finishing the Accutane regime. I have become very concerned about long term side effects because of this. So, I was wondering if any female has experience fertility issues after taking Accutane or if it has caused birth defects even years after taking it? I am 23 now and am really worried that I will face issues when I try to have children in the future. Thanks!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I took accutane in 1996 for four months. I seemed to tolerate it at the time, with the normal dry hair/skin/lips/eyes and mild joint pain. I was 29. One day twoards the end of the treatment, when I was walking, I developed searing pain in my ankle. It took a while to get diagnosed, but a portion of my talus (an ankle bone) had died, with no trauma. I now have chronic ankle pain, have had surgery, etc. It took me a while to connect it to accutane, but why else would a healthy 29 year old woman spontaneously have a serious bone injury, when it is known what accutane can do to bones.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Ncc,

Nathan, THANK YOU for taking the time leaving such valuable information on the long term side effects of Accutane and it's generic brands on this forum.

Your friend,
Scott

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

As a follow up to what I was speaking about earlier, with regards to what Health Care Professionals know about Vitamins and the proper usage, I just received this from the FDA today. I hope it is informational to those who might be taking Vitamin D in large doses. It isn't exactly like Accutane and vitamin A, but it is important:

FDA MedWatch Alert
Vitamin D Supplement Products: Medication Use Error
June 15, 2010
Audience: Pediatrics, Family Practice, Consumer.

ISSUE: Some liquid Vitamin D supplement products are sold with droppers that could allow parents to accidentally give harmful amounts of Vitamin D to their infant. Excessive amounts of Vitamin D can be harmful to infants, and may be characterized by nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, excessive thirst, frequent urination, constipation, abdominal pain, muscle weakness, muscle and joint aches, confusion, and fatigue, as well as more serious consequences like kidney damage.
Read more...
See also: FDA Consumer Update

If any of you have children taking Vitamin D, this is something you should be aware of.

Thanks and good health!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Dear Ncc,

Thank you for sharing this information. To answer earlier questions about posts appearing on the site - we have a system in place which relies on certain triggers to make a post 'Pending' - When such an event occurs we are notified to review it, and typically within 1-2 business days are able to decide whether or not it will be approved. It does not matter what the length of the post is, rather the specific content. Hope this helps!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Ronny, Douglas, and everyone else here, you should go to my link below and download my Accutane research report and read through it, this is the draft I'm sending in to be copyrighted. I haven't posted here at this discussion board that much so I'm going to share more details about my personal story and the research I've conducted.

One thing that all of you need to understand is Accutane cannot be categorized into the same list as most if not all other drugs because its mechanism of action is highly different to most drugs. Accutane aims to alter your DNA/gene expression. There is a huge difference between most drugs and Accutane, most drugs out there don't aim to alter your DNA/protein transcription. Accutane is a really toxic drug that causes side effects in 100% of everyone who takes it. Everybody gets dry/chapped/fissuring lips while on it which is a clear sign of vitamin A toxicity.

Not a lot of people know the full story behind Accutane and everything that's happened with it, my goal is to change that. I'm in the process of building a case to identify exactly the type of damage Accutane causes to the human body at the cellular level and when I do, the damage will be identifiable in everybody that has taken Accutane. Some of my ideas about Accutane and vitamin A are exclusive and cutting edge, nobody else in the world has ever discussed this topic as in-depth as I have in my report. Accutane can be beneficial for the very small minority of people with severe cystic acne, but it was never supposed to be handed out "off-label" to millions of people with mild to moderate acne.

I've created a comprehensive research report about Accutane's history and pharmacology. Long story short, I took Accutane 12 years ago and have suffered from chronic latent side effects ever since. My symptoms resemble severe Sjogren's Syndrome; dehydration, dry eyes, dry skin, dry nasal passage, and many other problems including Type 1 Diabetes, systemic autoimmune disorder, and interstitial cystitis (diagnosed 2007) which isn't surprising because Accutane probably degrades and dries out the mucosal barrier lining the bladder and urethra. I've discovered some dietary changes and supplements that have definitely improved my symptoms, but I haven't found anything that's cured me 100 %. It's a long story, I can get into more detail about it another time (the supplement I've discovered which has given me by far the best benefit is called Dioxychlor, it's similar to another product called Miracle Mineral Solution www.miraclemineral.org these supplements help the immune system's stem cells)

One thing that needs to be pointed out is that Accutane causes Sjogren's Syndrome in virtually everybody who takes it. Some people the effect only lasts while they're on the drug, for others like me it can be permanent. Sjogren's Syndrome always happens to elderly women over the age of 50 and it never happens to young males who are in their twenties like me, unless they've been exposed to Accutane that is. Go here to this Wikipedia article to read more about Sjogren's Syndrome, the symptoms are exactly identical to the side effects of Accutane. One of the major defining characteristics of severe vitamin A toxicity is severe systemic dryness of the entire body. This is also the major symptom of Sjogren's Syndrome.

See Sjogren's syndrome Details.

The Wikipedia article on Accutane has recently been updated to include my hypothesis about Accutane's true mechanism of action, it says,

"New studies have linked retinoids and other similar chemotherapy agents to telomere shortening, causing many to believe that telomere shortening is Accutane's mechanism of action. Telomere shortening leads to an increase in the rate of cell death within the body, which could possibly explain why Accutane causes side-effects such as premature epiphyseal closure, depression, and others."

As a result of what happened to me, I've devoted a considerable amount of time investigating Accutane and Hoffmann-La Roche over the past several years. Here's my link to download my research report.

http:/­/­www.yousendit.com/­download/­YWhPQ3Q2UEM1bmhFQlE9PQ

My research provides insight into why the side effects of Accutane can persist for a really long time after people stop taking it. Hoffmann-La Roche explicitly states in the Physician's Desk Reference that they don't know how Accutane works or how it causes an incredibly long list of side effects, but I believe that they do know. I also believe that through my research I have discovered Accutane's true mechanism of action that Roche has been keeping secret from the public. My research dossier exposes the truth about Accutane, presents the scientific evidence, and is going to enlighten everybody about this drug's history and pharmacology and the latent long-term effects it has on the body which will lead to more independent research being conducted to elucidate the cause of the side effects.

I've delved deep into this scandal and it's impossible to find any genuine good news about Accutane, yet dermatologists are always hyping it up as being a miracle drug which is total bs. The problem with Accutane is that it cannot distinguish the good cells (stem cells in the skin, all throughout the digestive tract, bones, eyes, etc.) from the bad cells (cancer). It simply targets all of the rapidly growing/dividing cells in the body, which is why people get so many side effects. This is how Accutane works, it was originally developed by Roche to be a chemotherapy drug to reduce stem cell growth and proliferation all across the body. The amount of dietary retinoic acid (from vitamin A) that gets into the bloodstream is tightly controlled by the liver, because too much or too little retinoic acid has dangerous consequences (blindness, vitamin A toxicity, etc.). When people take Accutane they're bombarding their body with about 400 times the amount of retinoic acid that it normally handles.

Roche has distorted the information behind vitamin A for the past 50 years, they've delayed and put off research that should've been conducted a long long time ago, they knew about the toxicity of vitamin A all the way back in the 1950's and 60's but that didn't matter. They went on to exploit and destroy the lives of thousands of teenagers and young adults by needlessly exposing them to one of the most toxic drugs ever created by the pharmaceutical industry. A drug supposed to be used only for chemotherapy that accelerates the aging process by reducing stem cell growth/proliferation and obliterating the water-holding molecule Hyaluronic Acid in the connective tissue down to levels of someone who is 90 year old, drying out the entire body before its time.

I would encourage all of you to download my report, read through it, and tell me your feedback. Forward it around to anybody you know who you think would be interested in reading it. When you forward my report to people tell them that if they don't have time to read all 65 pages then they should read pages 1-15, 45-60, and my conclusion, these are the most important parts that everyone should read. Send me an email to my address that's listed at the beginning of my report or send me a private message at the Roaccutane Action Group Forum (my name at this forum is TheInsider) and I'll tell you some diet and supplement recommendations.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 5

NurseMyles-

Scott has posted on one of the pages the side effects that are listed as of today due to Accutane, also I believe I or Scott have posted the offical link to Roche's info regarding Accutane and thier side effects. As of today almost 300 exisit.
Yes, joint pain (numerous forms of arthritis and bone problems also), ibs and arthymia are listed.

Hope everyone is doing well

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

FDA Warns Drugmaker for Not Reporting Drug Side Effects

(Reuters) UPDATED 2010-06-10

Officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have warned drugmaker Pfizer for failing to promptly report unexpected and sometimes serious side effects of medications already on the market. The FDA's 12-page warning letter cited reporting issues related to such medications as the cholesterol drug Lipitor, the seizure and pain medication Lyrica, and the erectile dysfunction medicine Viagra. FDA officials say the problems with reporting side effects dates back to 2004, but it has become more common in recent years.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Well i, like douglas, am greatfull for the drug but unlike douglas my doctor didn't know much and that is how the trade works a pharm rep comes in with the next big thing and gives samples and has the doctor prescribe the med, as for me i have a lot of ailments but don't know if it was caused from the accutane or not..ie achy joints, developed an arhythmia (no history in family of that), no ibs or any other bowel trouble and i was on for 6 months (wasn't covered by benefits) i later had other friends on it but they were on a lot less time and half the dose..i was on the strongest dose (long time ago but 60mg bid comes to mind) and yes i did get the split lips and the sunburns etc..because of all that and my career in nurseing i NEVER take a drug that hasn't been out for a few years and it must have a long term study..look what happened with celebrex, prozac and lithium, prepulcid etc..but if anyone has a site i can check out to see all the possible side effects i would love to see it..thnk and good luck to all..myles

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I used Accutane at the recommendation of a colleague who used it. A year or two later he was bald, and no more than a year or two after that I was going bald. I also have IBS like some others in this and it has been more detrimental than going bald. I am frequently fatigued and now I am getting some skin growths and skin tags. I am not sure if this is all related, but I am 30 years old and the past 10 years of my life have been regret in taking the drug. My gut feeling is I would be happier, better looking and more successful if I didn't have all these problems which may be side effects of using it.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Ronny: I did open my big mouth about certain credentials I have and I cannot tell you anything professionally. I can say that most physicians do not know squat about vitamins and supplements. Honestly, I took one course in health/nutrition throughout all of my education. Reports do say that Vitamin A can be very toxic (as you can see with Accutane). Do you remember a medication called Retin-A? I vaguely remember that Prior to Accutane, many people would go to Mexico to purchase Retin-A as a cream for their face. The main ingredient was a tremendous dosage of vitamin A (hence the name Retin-A). Vitamin A is a very powerful ingredient. It is just like the vitamin D buzz going on right now. A couple of years ago, physicians didn't ever consider a Vitamin D deficiency a problem. Now you can find a large number of articles about physicians treating their patients for Vitamin D deficiency. Again, Health Care Providers are really not trained in homeopathic, or vitamins that are so very important to the human body. As with anything, when your body is exposed to TOO MUCH of anything, it will react negatively. Since Vitamins are not prescriptions, they are not held to the same standard of testing as controlled medication. They used to sell Ephedrine as a supplement, yet it was really just an upper. People had heart attacks, died and other terrible problems with this unregulated product. Personally, I would only take any kind of supplements in moderation. With Retin-A and Accutane, they boosted the amount of vitamin A to a potentially toxic level. That is why I had to go to my physician twice a month for blood tests. Vitamin A, in very large doses can be harmful to the body. I know that really doesn't address your specific question, but I hope you understand what I am saying about TOO MUCH of anything can be toxic.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Douglas,

Maybe you can help me with a question I have from the viewpoint of someone in the medical profession (I believe you said you went to med school)? From what I know Accutane is basically a large dose of vitamin A or some kind of vitamin A derivative. This is why most of the side effects of Accutane mimic that of vitamin A toxicity. My doctor didn't tell me this, and to my fault I was 18 and put full faith in my doctor. I had never heard of such a thing as vitamin A toxicity, but when I started getting these side effects I did some research on the drug and discovered vitamin A toxicity. Much of the research I have read says that vitamin A in doses of 20 mg or more for long periods of time is dangerous. When I was on Accutane my dosage was 40 mg for about half a year (This was in 2000 by the way). I feel like my doctor should have told me about this. I would have figured any doctor would have known about vitamin A toxicity. Am I wrong about this? How long has the medical community known about vitamin A toxicity? Is there enough research on this topic for a common doctor to know about this? And if this is topic is well known, why do they keep prescribing Accutane in such large dosages?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Scott: Obviously you were referring to my comment about my physician being very knowledgeable AT THAT TIME. I am afraid that I do not understand where you are sensing any negativity on this site.

It is important to realize with any new medication, we do not know the long-term effects, if any. The only way to discover these side effects, is to release the medication, with the FDA's approval, in hopes that there will not be these horrific diseases.

If you would have continued reading my post, you would have seen that I clearly explained that PHYSICIANS KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT ALL MEDICATION. I did not infer that anybody on this site is at fault, just because the drug companies do not have that time machine you are writing about.

I felt like it was important to post what I said to educate people that their physicians are not pharmacologists and usually only know what the drug manufacturer tells them. Luckily, there are some health care professionals that study the medication on their own time, prior to prescribing it to their patients.

I am very sorry if you took my posting as negative, but it was meant to be informative and educational. Yes, I am very lucky that I do not have long-term side effects from Accurtane, but that does not preclude me from taking any medication in the future that might have these same effects.

I also said that if I knew then (early 80's) of the RISKS, I still would have taken Accutane, because I would have never survived my life. I really do not think that is negative, pointing fingers, or blaming the victim. It would be my own, educated choice.

Do me a favor and read the entire post, so you see the part where I mention how little any physician understands about any new medication and they do not have any time machines.

I am currently doing a study on the medication LYRICA®, by Pfizer®. If you do a very quick Google search, you will see that even though this medication has not been out very long, people are experiencing the same, horrible side effects from this medication, that is continually advertised on television. Lyrica is simply one of a thousand examples of medication that the FDA approved and did not know the long-term effects until people began complaining.

I will apologize to everyone on this site if my posting came across negatively, however, looking at it objectively, there is not anything I said that could have been taken as inappropriate.

I do hide my credentials when I post in an open forum, as I do not want people to think what I say is the absolute truth, however, I deal with this every single day of my life. I know what drug representatives do and I also know what physicians do (or don't do) to educate themselves on any medication. Hopefully, my point of view can help another person to make a more informed decision and weigh the risks next time their Doctor wants them to begin a new medication.

Thank you Scott.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

My link to download my Accutane research report has expired. Here's my new link where all of you can go to download it.

http:/­/­www.yousendit.com/­download/­YWhPQ3Q2UEM1bmhFQlE9PQ

Email me if you have any questions, my contact address is listed at the beginning of my report.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

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