If you've used Accutane or know someone that has, can you let me know if you or they experienced any of the crazy side effects?

It is an oral acne treatment that is supposed to cure (or reduce your acne blemishes dramatically) severe to stubborn acne cases. I don't have severe acne but I get lots of break outs esp since I work out a lot. I know people who have taken that have flawless skin now. No joke. However it has some pretty scary sounding side effects.

Info:

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What is Accutane?
Accutane is used to treat the most severe form of acne (nodular acne) that cannot be cleared up by any other acne treatments, including antibiotics. In severe nodular acne, many red, swollen, tender lumps form in the skin. These can be the size of pencil erasers or larger. If untreated, nodular acne can lead to permanent scars. However, because Accutane can have serious side effects, you should talk with your prescriber about all of the possible treatments for your acne, and whether Accutane’s possible benefits outweigh its possible risks.

What are the possible side effects of Accutane?
Accutane has possible serious side effects

· Accutane can cause birth defects, premature births, and death in babies whose mothers took Accutane while they were pregnant. See "What is the most important information I should know about Accutane?" and "What are the important warnings for females taking Accutane?"

· Serious mental health problems. See "What is the most important information I should know about Accutane?"

· Serious brain problems. Accutane can increase the pressure in your brain. This can lead to permanent loss of sight, or in rare cases, death. Stop taking Accutane and call your prescriber right away if you get any of these signs of increased brain pressure: bad headache, blurred vision, dizziness, nausea, or vomiting. Also, some patients taking Accutane have had seizures (convulsions) or stroke.

· Abdomen (stomach area) problems. Certain symptoms may mean that your internal organs are being damaged. These organs include the liver, pancreas, bowel (intestines), and eso****us (connection between mouth and stomach). If your organs are damaged, they may not get better even after you stop taking Accutane. Stop taking Accutane and call your prescriber if you get severe stomach, chest or bowel pain, trouble swallowing or painful swallowing, new or worsening heartburn, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, yellowing of your skin or eyes, or dark urine.

· Bone and muscle problems. Accutane may affect bones, muscles, and ligaments and cause pain in your joints or muscles. Tell your prescriber if you plan vigorous physical activity during treatment with Accutane. Tell your prescriber if you develop pain, particularly back pain or joint pain. There are reports that some patients have had stunted growth after taking Accutane for acne as directed. There are also some reports of broken bones or reduced healing of broken bones after taking Accutane for acne as directed. No one knows if taking Accutane for acne will affect your bones. If you have a broken bone, tell your provider that you are taking Accutane. Muscle weakness with or without pain can be a sign of serious muscle damage. If this happens, stop taking Accutane and call your prescriber right away.

· Hearing problems. Some people taking Accutane have developed hearing problems. It is possible that hearing loss can be permanent. Stop using Accutane and call your prescriber if your hearing gets worse or if you have ringing in your ears.

· Vision problems. While taking Accutane you may develop a sudden inability to see in the dark, so driving at night can be dangerous. This condition usually clears up after you stop taking Accutane, but it may be permanent. Other serious eye effects can occur. Stop taking Accutane and call your prescriber right away if you have any problems with your vision or dryness of the eyes that is painful or constant.

· Lipid (fats and cholesterol in blood) problems. Many people taking Accutane develop high levels of cholesterol and other fats in their blood. This can be a serious problem. Return to your prescriber for blood tests to check your lipids and to get any needed treatment. These problems generally go away when Accutane treatment is finished.

· Allergic reactions. In some people, Accutane can cause serious allergic reactions. Stop taking Accutane and get emergency care right away if you develop hives, a swollen face or mouth, or have trouble breathing. Stop taking Accutane and call your prescriber if you develop a fever, rash, or red patches or bruises on your legs.

· Signs of other possibly serious problems. Accutane may cause other problems. Tell your prescriber if you have trouble breathing (shortness of breath), are fainting, are very thirsty or urinate a lot, feel weak, have leg swelling, convulsions, slurred speech, problems moving, or any other serious or unusual problems. Frequent urination and thirst can be signs of blood sugar problems.

Serious permanent problems do not happen often. However, because the symptoms listed above may be signs of serious problems, if you get these symptoms, stop taking Accutane and call your prescriber. If not treated, they could lead to serious health problems. Even if these problems are treated, they may not clear up after you stop taking Accutane.

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Source: http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/accutane/medicationguide.htm

[This message has been edited by aggiechica (edited 8/18/2005 9:22a).]

Ive had several friends use it and they became depressed and sometimes had suicidal thoughts. I never tried it...

I had some fairly bad acne when I was in highschool, and my doctor flat refused to put me on acutane. He says its not recommended for women. My best friend took it and it made her pores bleed. Is that the pill that also causes 1 in 4 people to become suicidal? It also causes extreme sensitivity to sunlight a lot of times. I'd recommend birth control pill instead. If you're already on bc - try something like proactiv first. Seriously, I'd steer away.

I took it when I was in HS and had no side effects. I think they are worse for girls though. I did have to have blood tests run every few months though.

the whole suicide angle is probably because they were losers with bad acne. chicken or the egg?

[This message has been edited by Bob the Enzyte Guy (edited 8/18/2005 9:26a).]

Did it for a short period many years ago. No side effects to mention, except it completely and totally dries out every bit of your skin. Docs are very hesitant to Rx it to women because of the birth defect issues. But it works like nothing else I was ever on.

I used it for a while in high school. The stuff is amazing and really knocked what acne I had.

The main problems I had with it are (in order of severity):

1) Severe dried skin, particularly around the corners of my mouth and around my finger nails. I had to buy a special type of lotion called Aquifer. It really helped although I hated using it b/c it seemed so greasy.

2) My temper got significantly worse over the period of time I was on Accutane. I broke golf clubs with regularity and lashed out a lot more. Eventually had to have my dosage backed down which helped some.

But, despite all that, I am SOOOO glad that I took it. If you just do what the back of the lable tells you, and monitor yourself, you'll be fine.

Don't take it. There is a topical cream on the market now by prescription that is really effective. Don't recall the name but I can find out what it is. It really does a good job.

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My temper got significantly worse over the period of time I was on Accutane. I broke golf clubs with regularity and lashed out a lot more. Eventually had to have my dosage backed down which helped some.

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which no doubt was brought on by depression. Its the same myth about roid rage, its caused by depression which can really cause nosedives at any moment.

back when i was 13 i was put on a triple drug regimen of topical retin-a (at night), topical cleocin (clyndamicin phosph. during the day), and erythromycin 250 three times a day.

cleared it up and have never had noticable acne since then.

my roommate freshman year at callaway was going to his doctor in kingwood like twice a week cause he was having "unknown" stomach pains... all the doctors could figure was that it was somehow related to his accutane.

i def. wouldnt recommend it

Phi - but I had no symptoms of depression prior to taking it or after taking it. My acne wasn't so bad as for me to be overly self conscious about it. Yeah, I wanted to get rid of it, but it wasn't nearly as bad as some others at my school.

I used it the Spring Semester of my fish year. It worked great. I don't remember any side effects, other than clear skin.

If you don't have serious acne and have treated that for 2 or so years w/o it clearing then don't use accutane.

If acne is bad and all other forms of treatment have not worked, then it is great. Know many people who have used it w/o side affects. But, it's expensive and not needed for most.

I was on pretty much what Phi was on when I was in high school, except add prescription Benzoyl peroxide to the cocktail.

As I aged, I used less medicine and now only use topical otc benzoyl if I have a breakout. Birth control pills really helped my skin long-term.

Accutane just came on the market when I was in high school but I don't think mine was severe enough to warrant such a treatment.

I took accutane for my acne.

Only problem I had was the one everyone else has, DRY skin. Your skin also becomes more sensitive to sunlight. It's more of a hassle than anything else. I've had quite a few friends who took it. Only one has had depression related problems with it, but she was having problems to begin with and just got worse while she was on accutane.

I would definitely use it if your acne is persistent and bad enought to cause a self image problem. I'm really glad that I took it. I just was on it last summer/fall. I dealt with my acne (mainly bad on chest and back) all through highschool and first 2 years of college before I finally had enough and decided to do something new about it, outside of creams and everything else that the doc recommended.

Accutane works from the inside out, which is why it is considered one of the only 'cures' for acne. it actaully shrinks the pores that produce oil and cause problem. It's pretty hard to make a cream that will effectively reduce oil even after you have stopped treatment. Accutane is a long term treatment, basically meaning that after you take it for 5-6 months, you don't really have to worry about anything other than basic skin care.

I'd really only recommend it though if you've tried everything else and nothing reduces acne

It gave me hot dog fingers.

I took it around 98 when I was in high school.

I had dry skin and some nosebleeds. However, after a few months I never had another acne problem again other than the occasional pimple.

My bro took it as well and had similar results but no side effects.

Definitely would recommend it if you are a guy. I heard the complications for girls were insane and I know my doc wouldn't prescribe it to them.

same as above


it was hell while i was on it, all dried out and frequent nosebleeds, but it worked great, and no side effects that i know of

I was on it in HS.

I had very bad viral warts on my hands. It was terrible. I played catcher on the baseball team and the Dr. thought that the constant pressure on my left hand was causing them to spread. They were definitely worse on my left hand. We tried everything - burning, freezing, bandages, topical meds, you name it. Nothing made a dent. I had mild acne (the usual HS kid stuff, nothing terrible).

It was a rough 5 months. My face suddenly went from mild to horrible acne. Very dry skin. Some bleeding due to dryness. However, 5 mos later I was free of warts and of the acne.

I don't know of any internal organ side effects, but the Dr. definitely was watching me closely for anything that might occur. He especially focused on any stomach pains or other GI issues.

Looking back, I'm not sure it was worth the risk. Everything I've learned about accutane since then tells me I was fortunate to not have experienced something awful.

two of my siblings took it and had no side effects (other than really chapped lips)

a friend took it and had some joint problems while on it

another friend just started taking it so the verdict isn't out yet

my advice is unless you have REALLY bad skin - don't take it

Chica - is your doctor willing to prescribe you accutane? I think that should be the starting point, then disucss it with him/her and go from there.

I took it for a few months back in college - no big side effects that I can recall... seems like chapped lips is all - didn't even give me dry skin.

It's great stuff, but should be used only after other treatments fail.

a guy i dated in high school was on it, and i think the only problem he had was severely chapped lips.

my current roomie was on it awhile ago and i remember him having really swollen hands, so he couldn't even make a fist sometimes. i think he got nosebleeds too.

my cousin was on it, but they were pretty nervous about putting her on it, but i don't remember her having any side effects, they just made her swear on her first born child that she wouldn't get pregnant. she had the worse acne though of the three i know who took it, and it cleared it up wonderfully.

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I don't know of any internal organ side effects

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the risk there is because accutane is basically toxic amounts of vitamin A. amounts high enough that it could potentially damage your liver.

If anyone is interested in the Service Academies, I'd steer clear. Accutane use is not presently a reason to deny admittance, but they are presently monitoring and will ask you if you use it.

I'd also worry if I were looking at A&M and eventual pilot training.

Had a friend who took it for several years. His behavior became erratic. He would go running at midnight. He lost focus. At one moment he'd be depressed, then happy. You never knew what you were going to get. This was many years ago, before any of the related warnings surfaced.

We figured out later after all the acutane/suicidal info. came out that we were lucky to still have him around.

One side effect I haven't seen anyone mention yet is sore joints. My knees were hurting so bad that I had to sit out a couple of weeks from basketball before I realized that it was the medicine causing the problem. I could not run at all. Once I got off Accutane, my knees were fine. Something to consider if you want to keep your workout routine going. But like others said, definately use Accutane as your last resort medicine.

none of the people I know (me included) had joint problems. Another commons side affect that i did experience (forgot about it above) was night blindness for the first few months. it went away relatively quickly and havent had any problems since.

Angel~ Yes my doctor will prescribe accutane. I have been on acne treatments for 9 yrs starting at 14. The thing that really bugs me is how my back breaks out. I don't mind a couple face zits but my back and chest will break out and is really bothersome.

My doctor's rules for accutane are that you've tried other acne treatments for at least 2 yrs, if you're a female you are on birth control pills for 6 months, then if the bc pills don't improve your skin (mine haven't actually my skin has gotten worse on my face) you get the book of accutane reading material and have to sign a million release forms, you get blood work taken that will continue every month while you're on the med, and then you start it.

The achy joints and nosebleeds are a bit alarming. I've never heard those. I've never had any feelings near depression so I'm not too worried about that.

Thanks everyone for your responses.

aggiechica,

You sound like a good candidate if you have tried other treatments for nine years. I did the same thing and finally tried Accutane.

This is a MIRACLE drug! I have never regretted my decision.

My side effects:

-dry lips (really sucked)
-delicate skin (I couldn't wear flip flops because a pair rubbed the skin off the bottom of my feet)
-one nose bleed

But this all goes away and now I have clear skin. I recommend it!

Oh yeah, I recommend doing your treatment in the Fall/Winter when you are less likely to expose yourself to the sun. You will burn easily!

Also, you can't do things like get waxed because of the delicate skin issue.

I think most people posting here don't know what it's like to have severe acne and to have tried everything in the book. I went through it for a long time and I'm so grateful for Accutane.

I know that I got an FDA warning last week and if I had stock in the company...I would be doing a Martha Stewart dump big time.Something big is about the drop and I wouldn't want to be holding too much stock when it happens.