I was on accutane a few years ago, and right now am a bit paranoid about the long term side effects, it seems there is quite a few. =/ Just wondering if anyone knew the odds I'd get any if i seem fine right now, about 3-4 years later. Just feeling a bit depressed, thinking there could potentially be some long term effects unknown, and my life might be cut short... or made hell (i.e, lose eyesight... id rather die).
I wouldn't be worried about until unless you're having problems. I went on two accutane treatments and I was mildly depressed during the second treatment, but it went away right as the other side effects went away. I doubt the drug has any real long term side effects.
With the exception of birth defects in pregnant women who took the drug, the side effects of Accutane were temporary and the adverse effects were relatively rare. Many of the people who have experienced the adverse effects - bone loss/overgrowth, ulcerative colitis, liver damage, hearing loss, night vision changes- were on higher doses for extended periods. It's not likely that you'll have any lasting adverse effects. The links between depression and Accutane were not consistently proven- often because depression in adolescents is so common that it is difficult to determine whether the depression was linked to Accutane use.
Late night television is full of fraudulent ads for everything from penis enlargement to credit repair to "buy a new car for $88 down and $88 a month" to.... ads encouraging everyone who's ever taken Accutane to join some class action lawsuit being run by some ambulance chaser attorney who claims there are all sorts of horrible long-term effects like Crohn's and IBS and various other GI problems (and maybe some other symptoms as well, don't remember). I've seen similar ads for class actions for other drugs. I sort of assumed that the claims were BS and it's just an attempt at a money grab by a greedy attorney, but (to KB) I'm curious if you've ever heard anything about any of those symptoms?
Accutane side affects vary so much and affect people in such different ways that studies just haven't been done in large enough scale to get really solid results. What I can say though, is that within my year when I was at highschool there were 14 kids on Bruaccutane (a weaker form of Accutane)(I know this as all medication had to be made public at our school), and there were some pretty obvious side effects during their medication course, but no trends in long term side affects. Although I will mention that one of these kids, a male, was on a full accutane treatment but went off it due to severe depression. A few months after quitting the treatment he returned to normal and remained that way for about 6 months. He then decided to try a smaller accutane treatment, but ended up committing suicide in the 9th week of the course. The side effects that have been noted to continue on months after finishing the treatment from those in my year include severe joint pain (although this started about half way through his course) and severe dryness of skin (this also started about half way through his course) still to this day. In summary, it seems that as long as you're not experiencing any side effects NOW that ARE linked to Accutane, than I feel pretty safe in saying you'll be fine, although I am suspect about some of the long term effects on possible children.
I was on Accutane for around 6 months if i recall. To be honest i wish the doctor didnt tell me any side effects since i think my mild down moods while i was on them were just pseudo effects (psychological). I wouldnt worry too much, the chance that its long lasting is extremely minimal. hope you feel better soon
Thanks guys, I'm not worried all that much because of the commercials, although they made me think about it. It seems like a serious drug with some serious side effects though, regardless of the commercials. I hate drugs and chemicals, especially man made ones. Might be why I am more worried than other people. The only thing I can attribute to it as a side effect is my contacts really irritate my eyes, I can still wear them, but they bother me so much I end up going w/o contacts unless its for school. I can't remember how they felt before accutane though. :| Still a bit paranoid. a bit comforting knowing a lot more people were on it though.
Heya I was on Accutane for several months as well. I had two side effects while taking the pills. (1) My lips got really dry and chapped. Chap stick helped some but man... My lips were never that dry haha (2) It seemed like I would randomly feel dizzy, even for a couple months after the medication. I can't say for sure if it was the medication or not, but it was a funny coincidence. I wouldn't be too worried about it - sure there's one in every bunch that has an adverse reaction, but most of those issues are noticed in the short term. If you were only on the drug for a number of months (normal dosage) then there's probably nothing to worry about. I would only be concerned if I was on the meds for a long period of time. It's potent stuff, but that's why they take all the precautions to make sure you are on the right track :icon_wink Hope that helped a little (*hug*)
I have been on two treatments of Accutane and the only side effect I had was extremely dry skin/chapped lips. I had no psychological disorder, if anything it made me happier when the acne started to go away.
The adverse effects have been well documented over the years. When the drug first came out, there were warnings about teratogenic (fetus damaging) effects. In time, it became apparent that the severity of the birth defects was such that two forms of birth control were mandated for women on the drug. The same is true of other adverse effects such as colitis, inner ear damage, retinal changes and abnormalities in bone growth. The adverse effects are quite real but they were not particularly common or lasting.
Commercials say it can cause crohns. or however you spell it. Not particularly concerned about the commercial.... Glad to know it's not 'particularly common' (sounds in-between uncommon and common =x)... though I'm kind of worried about effects later in life that might not be able to create a link to anything... although this has been around for three decades right? ;x
It's been around long enough that we've forgotten how bad cystic acne was. Prior to Accutane, there wasn't much that could be done for people who had severe acne- particularly acne on the face. People who had cystic acne in their teens and twenties were condemned to a lifetime of disfigurement. Part of the problem with Accutane is that it was inappropriately prescribed before other, less risky treatments were tried. Accutane was intended to be the treatment of last resort. And the focus was on the short-term side effects like the chapped lips, nosebleeds and peeling skin. There was not enough discussion of long-term effects with patients. And when the problems with depression and suicide were suspected, the drug company did not look at the issue objectively.
