Accutane Long Term Side Effects (Page 2)
(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 After I have researched this drug extensively, I can't believe that the FDA allows this drug originally made for cancer patients to be marketed for teenagers with acne.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

Re: Ernest (# 1901)

Some people are more sensitive to medications than others, but I have never had that problem. I am about to finish my first course of Accutane and my biggest complaint is chapped lips and some dry skin. In fact, there was mix up at the pharmacy and they gave me less of a what I needed, so I ran out. For 2 weeks I was off Accutane and my chapped lips and dry skin completely went away. Accutane does cause some side effects, but all are temporary and there is not sufficient medical evidence to support that Accutane is the root cause of all these peoples problems. Millions upon millions of people have taken Accutane and they are completely fine. I have also had several friends who have taken Accutane and had zero issue. You can call me whatever you like, but I have done the research and there is no conclusive study out there that supports any of these claims. Next thing they are going to be complaining than Accutane is the reason they can't hold a job, give me a break.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Ernest (# 1901)

I am a veteran that was on Accutane for 2 yrs straight during which time I was told that I was crazy that back pain and abdominal pain was all in my head. I now am fighting like hell with the Veterans Administration who are saying the same thing when my civilian Dr's are saying Degenerative Disc Disease and Chronic recurring depression with abdominal pains have always been there as well as insomnia. If you have any attorney that could help me it would be appreciated.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Re: Kathy (# 129)

You need to look into the evidence-based research on this medication, especially NIH - it has detrimental effects on the pituitary, endocrine and other critical systems that can hinder well-being; to include mental health. Thyroid, adrenals etc. - all are interconnected and have cascade effects. Depression can be caused by physiological conditions too so actual competent medical doctors are needed for a holistic approach. Also, NIH has research about these deleterious effects - to also include depletion of Testosterone. Find a doctor who genuinely cares and isn't burned out or has a complacent routine $$.

I took accutane around 2005/2006.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: NCC (# 202)

Hi!

I have been dealing with side effects of accutane for about 10 years now. Since then, I have always self diagnosed myself with "chronic dehydration" (extremely dry lips, face peeling, dry mouth, sensitive dry scalp and overall dry skin). Also, I have been diagnosed with an auto-immune disease that they cannot identify. Some of my skin cells are attacking themselves, specifically on my scalp. They thought it looked similar to signs of Lupus, but that diagnosis came back negative. After reading your article, it seems these are common side effects and that you have done an abundance of research.

I would be very interested in hearing about the supplements you use to battle these symptoms. I know this post is from a long time ago, so I hope to hear back from you!

-RR

REPLY

Was this helpful? 5

Hmm I have just had a lightbulb moment... was diagnosed with sjogrens 2 yr ago.... but I think I have been suffering with it a lot longer.... I took roaccutane for acne several years ago.. i am devastated to even think I could have done this to myself....

REPLY

Was this helpful? 6

Re: Devi (# 1907)

It's a nasty poison with horrible, debilitating side effects and the rest of us who had our lives cut short deserve a class settlement for pain, suffering, and disability...just like the other classes Accutane settle before it was taken off the market.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 4

What do you mean “how could it possibly be given to teens” because it works!!! Maybe it didn’t work for your son but it works wonders for many other people. Just because it didn’t work for your son doesn’t mean you should hold a grudge against it. If you read the packaging, it tells you what can happen, the internet can tell you it can have severe side effects. Yet you took the risk to take it. Things happen, everyone reacts differently

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: Ferals mom (# 1905)

While taking Accutane and the whole first year I went acutely downhill after taking Accutane. The harmful Accutane sideeffects do not stop when you stop taking the prescription. I was super healthy before, just a little acne. It's super hard for me to understand why some folks have trouble understanding the correlation.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 6

Re: Ernest (# 1901)

"Most recently I have developed gluten intolerance and am VERY sensitive to dairy products. If I eat gluten products I turn red in the face. It feels like I am on fire! Think about not being able to eat foods with wheat in them for the rest of your life. Or having to be a on a special diet just to get through life!"

Are you sure the gluten and wheat intolerance are also due to Accutane? Here is a little more food for thought. I wish you well.

Source: "How GMO Farming and Food Is Making Our Gut Flora Unfriendly", greenmedinfo.com. Web. March 28th, 2013

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: Nettles (# 1903)

I feel the same way and have since I took it in 1993.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: Ernest (# 1901)

Ernest all I can say is , I totally sympathise with you and just hope you can hang in there and have some sort of happiness and normality in your life . My daughter is 40 and feels like a 60yr old Have you given Provigil or similar yet ?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Re: Aija (# 1899)

Hi Aija! I myself havd been dealing w side effects after taking Accutane... you said you found a solution to ease your symptoms! I would love to know!! I'm desperate at this point :-(

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: Josh (# 1891)

Josh, you really don't know what you are talking about. Your statement about Accutane being a highly concentrated form of Vitamin A is true but, any vitamin in high doses can be deadly. Do a Google search on Vitamin A overdose or poisoning and check it out yourself. Do you also know the origins of the drug? It was originally used as a chemotherapy drug for people with brain cancer. Have you ever seen people treated for cancer with chemo and how sick the drug makes them? The ones I have seen look all washed out and pale. The drug destroys the bad cells....and the good cells. You and your friends that have taken Accutane may not have experienced ill effects from it yet. I hope you don't. Every person is different. My experience with Accutane began in 1984 as a 24 year old man still fighting teenage acne. Looking back mine was not real severe. It just lingered on from my teens. I was told by my Dermatologist that Accutane was for cases of SEVERE cystic acne. You know, the kind that makes huge cysts on a person that are disfiguring. It wasn't supposed to be for "teenage" acne. That being the case why did he prescribe it to me? MONEY! If I could go back I would NEVER take this poison!! I, like you, had the short term side effects of the drug, i.e. dry skin and chapped lips that went away when I stopped taking the drug. I wish that was all I had to deal with since then. It caused me nose bleeds also. The first thing was sleep insomnia. Next came ulcers in my esophagus which led to severe acid reflux. Another is degenerative disc disease in my neck and back. This was diagnosed within 6 years after taking the drug. As a result of the health issues I became depressed. Most recently I have developed gluten intolerance and am VERY sensitive to dairy products. If I eat gluten products I turn red in the face. It feels like I am on fire! Think about not being able to eat foods with wheat in them for the rest of your life. Or having to be a on a special diet just to get through life! It ain't easy! I'm 57 years old now and I feel like I'm 80! Accutane continues to take it's toll on my body. I'm not as bad off as some of the people here. I only took Accutane for 3 months and 2 weeks. The side effects became too much for me to deal with anymore and I stopped my treatment before the end of the prescribed 6 months. I probably would be dead if I hadn't. Oh, btw, I still get acne periodically. I could go on and on. Did I mention "brain fog"? Having an inability to focus on thoughts, i.e. memory lapses. This can be bad at times. Listening to people talk and not really hearing/ comprehending what they are saying. There's more but, I'll stop here. Hope you think about this man.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 4

Re: Nettles (# 1895)

Hi Nettles, just wanted to share my story as I had similar symptoms as you son - joint and back pains, severe mood swings, depression, severe tiredness, constant flu symptoms, acid reflux, IBS etc. I took Accutane for 7 months and after being off of it for nearly a year my health was not improving. My GP did loads of tests but they all came back within the limits. At one point they suspected inflammatory arthritis. I finally reached a point where I could no longer feel ill all the time and was looking for an alternative as I was sure that my body was full of inflammation and that was the reason of my illness. I found a good nutritionist who literally turned my life around. I had to go on a strict 0 carb diet and loads of food enzymes, probiotics and vitamins to get rid of all the toxins and inflammation. The first month was not easy but now, 6 months later, all my symptoms are gone with the exception of dry, curly hair. I do find that as soon as I relax the diet some of the gastrointestinal symptoms start to reappear. I would definitely recommend that others consider looking at healing the body through nutrition under supervision.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 5

Re: Dennis (# 2)

Hi Dennis, I know that this is an old post, but just wanted to see if you found a solution to your problems? I was on Roaccutane for 7 months and had very similar long-term side effects. After a long time of searching, I finally found a solution that helped me and would be happy to share if you are interested.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I am trying to find out how many people that took Isotrinoin and developed breast cancer. I took Isotrinoin for 4 months and was diagnosed with breast cancer on the 4th month. I am 37, with no family history of breast cancer. I did feel that my immune system was shattered and had the worst ctacked lips ever, my lips have bern dry, but they were bleeding and my dermatologist insisted on increasing the dose month by month. I am hoping to find a way I could collect data and find out how many people have had the same experience as myself? Any advice or feedback would be super appreciated.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Update on my son. It has been 6 months since we have been off Clarivis/Accutane. The symptoms he experienced was blurrey vision, head pressure, bloody noses, severe anxiety, sadness. After trying to find help for him we finally found a very caring psychiatrist that explained to us that the medicine works by causing inflammation of tissue especially fatty tissue such as sebaceous oil glands, and low and behold what is the brain made of fatty tissue. My son was having inflammation of his brain which caused a chemical imbalance, decreased serotonin, which can cause extreme anxiety. The doctor prescribed an antidepressant and gabapentin to help with the anxiety. We kept him away from vitamins, and decreased his intake of vitamin A containing foods, we had him eat dark chocolate, walnuts, and just gave him a lot of love and support. Today he is off of the Wellbutrin and he rarely takes his Gabapentin for the severe anxiety. Now I have him take a tumeric supplement as well as a coconut oil supplement very low dose ones to help keep the inflammation down. It was a very scary experience and I hope and pray we never experience this again. Only try these treatments with a physician's medical advice. Call the drug company and let them know what your child has experienced while taking this medication.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 5

I'm so sorry to hear you say that . You'll soon find out , your time will come !

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Wrong ! 2 out of 3 of my children took the drug . 1 of them is living a normal full life , the other 2 are never away from the docs with the same symptoms . Anxiety , deppression , aches and pains , in their muscles , bones and joints . Eye problems and many more ailments , too numerous to mention .

REPLY

Was this helpful? 4

I'm so so sorry . I am 40 now with all the same symptoms . If it wasn't for my family I would no longer be here , I would have ended it long ago .

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

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