Accutane Long Term Side Effects (Page 87) (Top voted 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 After I have researched this drug extensively, I can't believe that the FDA allows this drug originally made for cancer patients to be marketed for teenagers with acne.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?

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I agree 100% with hairgurl. I posted to this thread just a few weeks into my second course of Accutane (Amnesteem) which was just a few months ago, in June or July.

I was concerned about the joint pain, the exhaustion and the irritable moods I was experiencing after my dose was increased from 40 mg to 60 mg in weeks 5-6.

The side effects while taking this medication can be pretty tough however, for most, they are just short term. The positive long term effects of this medication offering clear skin far outweigh the negative short term effects. This is how we make most decisions in life.. determining if the good outweighs the bad. In my case, now after finishing my last dose 4 weeks ago, the good absolutely outweighs the bad!!!

My first course of branded Accutane was 10 years ago, I was 21, and I remained clear for 7 or 8 years without any negative long term residual effects.

My diet was terrible. I was constantly under pressure and stressed out at work and my skin started breaking out again a couple of years ago. Typically just 2-3 cysts but they were extremely painful and made me feel very self conscious and less than beautiful. In addition to the cysts, I had very oily skin and discolored areas.. red spots from recent pimples which made it impossible to go anywhere without a full face of makeup.

After trying multiple other options, I decided to start Amnesteem as a last resort for a clear complexion. It was the best feeling in the world to see all of the deep plugs and recurring cystic pimples start to come to the surface and clear themselves showing results pretty quickly.

I went to the max dose of 80mg/day for the final 2 months and the worst of the side effects were the dry lips and irritable mood. I didn't feel as care free as I typically am but my body was pretty stressed out from this medication so I understood why my moods were so irritable.

My joints ached when I worked out but I could still work out, just not as intensely as I normally did. I lowered the weight I was lifting and had to keep the impact on my joints to a minimum. I also took Calcium and vitamin D supplements religiously.

Now, just 4 weeks after taking my last dose, I feel my energy and my enthusiasm coming back! The dry lips are gone. My oddly pale Accutane complexion is gone and my workouts are back to the same level of intensity as before I began treatment.

It took 4 1/2 months to clear my skin completely but it feels really great now to have clear skin. My confidence is coming back and I can say that this medication can improve lives simply by making young people feel normal again. It may sound superficial to those who have never dealt with acne however, if you have.. you know what I mean. It can be devastating.

Now that my skin is clear, I can go to the gym without makeup.. I can throw on an outfit and not spend an hour covering discolorations and masking bumps on my face. I feel beautiful again. There is hope and whether you are considering this medication for yourself or your child or you have already started the medication.. just know that there are so many people who have benefited a great deal from this medication who do not share their stories as frequently as the dramatic "accutane ruined my life" crowd. It's a mindset, in my opinion. I am sorry to those who have suffered an experience different from my own however, there are success stories as well!

To maintain my clear complexion, I am sticking to a pretty clean diet.. mostly veggies, brown rice, whole grains and lots of water!! Salicylic acid peels and microdermabrasion keep the dead skin cells removed and I have also started taking a probiotic to make digestion more efficient (poor digestion can cause toxins to be cleansed through our skin which can cause acne).

Side note: In regards to the ulcerative colitis and Crohn's side effects, I was diagnosed with Crohn's just 6 weeks BEFORE my 1st round of Accutane. I had just had surgery for Crohn's so it was pretty severe but even after taking a full course of Accutane right after surgery (before Accutane was thought to cause Crohn's or cause complications).. I did not have any complications or flare ups. I am not convinced the 2 are linked, I believe it's more of an auto immune / inflammatory link since both acne and IBD are inflammatory conditions. Possibly genetic. Again, this is my experience and my own personal opinion. I am sure others differ from my own but it's ironic that I was diagnosed with IBD just before starting Accutane yet had no complications or problems.. now even after 2 rounds of Accutane.

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Hi Matt,
Not sure who your questions are directed to. Was it to the original post?

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tempted but scared... is accutane worth the risk? I've had acne since I was 9 or 10. When I first got it it was even worse than it is now and I cried every night because I was SO ugly. there was practically a carpet of horrid red bumps surrounding my mouth area and terrible white heads all over my fore head. My skin seemed to be oily and flaky dry at the same time. I wasn't put on Accutane by the dermatologist we went to see then. She prescribed me cortisone and the red acne surrounding my mouth went away in a year or so. In its place came more white heads. Starting high school I started getting really bad black heads and bigger white heads. My face got even oilier but I still experienced dry symptoms.

My acne hasn't let up since I first got it and I've tried just about everything. Sugar-free diet, lactose- free diet, proactive, vitamins, etc.just like everyone else with seemingly incurable acne. I went to see a different dermatologist a month ago and she immediately suggested Accutane. I'm not one to have complete trust in docs and I don't really like drugs in general. I've seen the stories of people who have been permanently damaged and killed by Accutane. My mom still has severe acne as a 40 year old. She says she tried acne at 16 and it didn't work, but she's trying it again now and pressuring me into it.

this is what my face looks like now and 75% of the time:
imgur.com/jZ5jUko

imgur.com/tBzJTXU

imgur.com/shttfF7

This is my clearest skin I've had in the past year
imgur.com/UPWpF1t

I want to take it, my acne really lowers my self-esteem.. but I'm really active and like working out and running... If I got permanent joint pain due to Accutane it would kill me.

Should I take the risk or not?

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Definetely no. Probably that will disappear by their own. I would prefer to have double acne than you that suffer joint pain.

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I took acutane finally after years of cystic acne in my early 40s. My joints are so bad now I've had a hip replacement and a knee replacement in the last 2 years. My other knee needs replaced too. All my joints are bad and I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis when I went to orthopedic Dr. My hip going bad came out of nowhere. Is there a connection between these problems.

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Laurie, my back went first then knees and then hips, this all started very shortly after a 6mnths course. I'm only 26. How old are you now?

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I took Accutane when I was in my 20s it did help a lot. I have all the problems that everyone on here is talking about. Sever joint pain, mussel pain, headaches and gastro problems. there is no history like this in my family. I am in my 50s now. Is Accutane at fault I can't be certain. I know I still break out with acne like sores when I eat chocolate. It sucks I love chocolate. I would recommend getting other doctors opinions. I wish we al knew the truth about meds in general. It seems it is hard to trust anything. Good luck and I am sorry I know how you feel.

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To Xavier (sorry for the long time to answer):

Did the surgery help you?

Yes and No, but all my lesions was pretty big and was diagnosed by MRI exams

1 - In my hands i had carpal tunnel syndrome, it was caused by synovitis caused by accutane, that was compressing medial nerve in my both hands. The 2 surgeries to remove damaged synovia and descompress medial nerve was a complete sucess.

2 - In my both shoulders i had my acromion clavicular destroyed by both accutane and heavy weight lifting. The 2 surgeries was a complete sucess, only minor pain in my left shoulder.

3 - I my both elbows i had synovitis. the results of the surgeries to remove of the damage synovia was not good, i had pain in both elbows, more in right elbow, but i can live with it. I cannot do any exercise that use triceps by now.

I also by now had pain in my low back, in my cervical, in my right hip, but no damage are dettected in MRI. I had also bad sleep and I am fatigue very easy.

Do you think that your paint is getting worse every year, or do you think it has become stabilized?

between improved to estabilized

I suppose that you already have tried all kind of suppements.

Yes. I tried a lot of supplements. No supplement have effects to improve accutane sides, it is a waste. Now I am trying HGH, but its not supplement, it is the growth hormone, but I do not recommend to anybody do this crazy thing.

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To Faith.

Do not worth use accutane. Its a risk and we do not knows what can happens with you. Several studies have shown that isotretinoin induces cell death in various cells in the body. Cell death can occurs in your sebaceous gland cells, which is important for treatment of acne, but may cause cell death in your brain (hippocampus cells) causing depression, psiquiatric disorders, fatigue, in your digestive tract or in your joints.

If you decided to use accutane, stay with very low dose, like 10 mg or 20 mg, for no more than 3 months, stay away of any exercise during use of accutane and 6 months before, and stop the drug it if you had any minor sides related to your joints, digestive tract or psiquiatric.

It is better to live with acne than live with joint pain and fatigue all time.

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I think that has a connection. All sides related here are related with joints, digestive system and psquiatric disorders, it is not a coincidence and it is not nonsense sides.

How rmuch you use and how long of accutane?

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With your "legitimate" condition from accutane why would your son take it?

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I dont understand your question

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Hi, I took 2 courses of Accutane, several months each, years ago. I had to interrupt the second one because Accutane caused severe depression. Some 3 years later I got a neurological issue: my right hand dropped and I lost thumb extension. About a year ago my left hand got affected. I have mobility issues in both hands and severe muscle wasting in hands and forearms. I got diagnosed 1 month ago with MMN, multifocal motor neuropathy, a serious and progressive neuro-muscular disease. The cause is unknown, but I cannot help thinking Accutane caused all this. Now, I must know how to stop the damage and how to clean my system from Accutane, because there is no real, lasting treatment for my diagnosis.

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Hi, can you tell us more about the "immune system attacking itself" issue? The reason I'm asking is I have been diagnosed with exactly that - a crippling autoimmune disease, and I suspect accutane was the cause.

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aneczka,

Please read this about auto immune and Accutane: drugwatch.com/accutane/side-effects.php

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SORRY ABOUT MY ENGLISH THIS DRUG IS VERY DANGEROUS ,I USE THAT WITH SUCCESS BEFORE LONG TIME ,AND SIDE EFFECTS FOLLOW FOR EVER ,I SPEND MANY YEARS TO FOUND HOW TO RECOVER MY BODY AFTER THAT
I HOPE CAN HELP YOU

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What I have heard is a steroid called Proviron had worked amazingly for this very case. You should do some research about it. Doctors can't prescribe it or any other steroids unless they have low testosterone which most times it will show as normal for the patient. You can either take a trip to India and get some cheap over the counter or just order it from them. Seems shady but seems to be promising.

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no one medic drug can help you at all ,maybe improove some symptoms but another make you worse or make extreme dense
It needs a complex of herbs ,lugol etc...

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Steroids are absolutely contraindicated for MMN. They make it worse. What do you mean "for this very case"? For someone with MMN? I doubt it.

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you must better looking for heavy metals deposits ,exams for mercury,or teeth fillings
or other type of neurotoxins produced by body

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Proviron is a compound very similar to DHT, dihidrotestosterone. It will worsen any acne manifestation and no action in any accutane sides. Please do not spam here.

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