Accutane Risks
-InjuryBoard
03/13/2009 - Do you take Accutane to treat severe acne? If you do, hopefully your doctor has already warned you about all of the possible risks. If you are thinking about using Accutane, then there are some serious side effects that you need to be aware of.
Some common reactions to Accutane include:
Pain and swelling of lips
Severe itching
Alopecia (hair-thinning/hair-loss/baldness)
Fragile and weaker skin
Vision problems
Decreased night vision (onset may be sudden)
Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
Contact lens intolerance
Dry mucous membranes (dry nose, lungs, bladder, anus)
Peeling skin on palms/soles
Nail changes
Nosebleeds
Photosensitivity (sensitivity to light)
Elevated triglycerides in the blood
Elevated liver enzymes (indicating liver damage)
Tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in ears)
Joint pain and muscle pain
Back pain
Depression
Some SERIOUS reaction to Accutane include:
Severe depresseion
Erectile dysfunction (difficulty in maintaining erection)
Violent behavior/ aggression
Psychosis (seeing or hearing things that are not real)
Suicidal ideation (rare)
Suicide attempts
Hearing impairment
Pseudotumor cerebri (swelling pressure in the brain)
Osteopenia/osteoperosis (loss in bone mass and strength/weak and fragile bones)
Hepatotoxicity (liver damage)
Anaphylaxis (rapid and deadly allergic reaction)
Allergic vasculitis (inflammation and damage to blood vessels)
Major birth defects
Cataracts/corneal opacities (can cause a decrease in vision and lead to eventual blindness)
Premature epiphyseal closure (short stature)
Neutropenia (low white blood cell count, which makes the body vulnerable to bacterial and fungal infections)
Agranulocytosis (a serious condition in which the white blood cells decrease in number or disappear altogether) (rare)
Rhabdomyolysis (potentially fata disease that destroys skeletal muscle)(rare)
Inflammatory bowel disease (inflammation of the intestine and resulting in abdominal cramping and persistent diarrhea)
Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas, on organ important in digestion)
Vascular thromosis (heart attack)
Stroke
Seizures
So do the benefits outweigh the risks? Accutane is the first drug in history of medicine for which a woman has to sign a consent to read the warnings, and the FDA had to issue a black box warning because of the serious and life threatening side effects.
If you are taking acne and start to develop severe side effects, contact your doctor immediately!
Let our Accutane Attorneys evaluate your case for free today. Click here to fill out our online case evaluation form or call us toll free at: 1-800-856-6405 for your free, confidential case evaluation.
