Anybody Take Accutane?

[collins146]

Accutane is known to cause a myriad of side effects and autoimmune disorders are included. I took accutane and I think its related to my issues with gluten...

anybody else here take accutane?

[belaugh86]

Accutane is known to cause a myriad of side effects and autoimmune disorders are included. I took accutane and I think its related to my issues with gluten...

anybody else here take accutane?

I took accutane and never had digestive problems until AFTER I took the drug. I took the generic version Isotretinoin. I had horrible reactions to it - thoughts of suicide, cutting myself (COMPLETELY out of the ordinary for me), anxiety, and physically I developed anal fissures, rectal bleeding, constipation, hard stools, hair thinning by at least 50% of my normal hair, and all of these problems except for the psychological ones are still present. I am currently in the process of setting up a colonoscopy to make sure I don't have polyps (which can also be developed from Accutane) and which are a precursor to some types of cancer, because I still have rectal bleeding from the internal and extremely painful fissures.

I think Accutane is absolutely horrific and should be taken off the market. I was warned about the psychological side effects and I only took the drug for 3 months from August to October of last year, but the side effects are still bothering me. I never had trouble digesting milk or wheat before I took this drug. My (very strong) opinion would be please do not take it, it's not worth the effects it has on your liver, kidneys, stomach, and intestines. But everyone reacts differently.

[maggiemay832]

I took accutane and never had digestive problems until AFTER I took the drug. I took the generic version Isotretinoin. I had horrible reactions to it - thoughts of suicide, cutting myself (COMPLETELY out of the ordinary for me), anxiety, and physically I developed anal fissures, rectal bleeding, constipation, hard stools, hair thinning by at least 50% of my normal hair, and all of these problems except for the psychological ones are still present. I am currently in the process of setting up a colonoscopy to make sure I don't have polyps (which can also be developed from Accutane) and which are a precursor to some types of cancer, because I still have rectal bleeding from the internal and extremely painful fissures.

I think Accutane is absolutely horrific and should be taken off the market. I was warned about the psychological side effects and I only took the drug for 3 months from August to October of last year, but the side effects are still bothering me. I never had trouble digesting milk or wheat before I took this drug. My (very strong) opinion would be please do not take it, it's not worth the effects it has on your liver, kidneys, stomach, and intestines. But everyone reacts differently.

Oh my GOD! I had never had any of the problems with gluten or dairy UNTIL Accutane! I have been telling everyone that I just know the strain it put on my body is what brought on the Celiacs.. I even stopped taking Accutane before I was even close to being "done" with the recommended doseage!

[KristaleeJane]

I took accutane twice, once before I developed celiac, and then after too. I am not sure if I believe that there is a link between the two. It is a possiblity though, my sister also took it and we are the only people in our family that has celiac disease which is a little strange. It did clear up acne though but can you imagine if it was the cause. Scary....

[gf-soph]

I took it (known as roaccutance here in Aus) years ago, i also didn't last the full course as I rapidly slid into depression (resolved very quickly once off the pills thankfully). My GI problems didn't start until a couple of years later, but it is such a nasty drug it wouldn't surprise me if there was a link. It didn't even fully fix my skin as I wasn't prepared to try it again!

Sophie

[twe0708]

I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and my daughter's dermatologist wants to put her on Accutane. After reading about all the side affects and blood work that needs to be done to monitor her, I am wondering if it's even worth it. Does anyone know of any other type of medicine that would help with acne that isn't so hard on the body? The last thing she needs is Celiac Disease. She already had a thyroid problem.

[Gemini]

I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and my daughter's dermatologist wants to put her on Accutane. After reading about all the side affects and blood work that needs to be done to monitor her, I am wondering if it's even worth it. Does anyone know of any other type of medicine that would help with acne that isn't so hard on the body? The last thing she needs is Celiac Disease. She already had a thyroid problem.

Doctors ought to be shot for offering Accutane....it's a drug with side effects so severe, it should not be on the market. It can also cause birth defects and this has been reported from MEN who have taken it and then conceived children later on. It doesn't necessarily have to be the woman who has taken it.

Your post set off warning bells and I'll tell you why. I had skin problems all my life and they cleared up, all on their own, after about 2 months gluten-free. Yes, it was the wheat that was causing my acne. Your daughter has a thyroid problem and has acne bad enough that they have suggested Accutane? I think your daughter may have Celiac also. I know this is not what you wanted to hear but if it improves her problems, then it's worth a diagnosis. If you have celiac disease then the odds of your daughter having it, with the symptoms you have listed, is pretty high. If her testing has been negative, a dietary trial might be worth trying.

Acne is caused by an internal problem and is not the result of teenage hormones. However, to help with it externally, try the ProActive Solution line. It's well known, can be bought in malls or on-line and really does help, short term. I learned a long time ago that going to a dermatologist is the worst thing you can do for acne treatment. They refuse to believe that food is an issue and always want to prescribe stuff that will mess you up, long term.

I wish you luck with this!

[collins146]

twe0708 it definately is not worth it. If you need further convincing or your daughter does there are plenty of sources out there. It seems easy to ignore these things because you want to believe that it is harmless and that it will work. Do not ignore the warnings. I foolishly took it in 2005 when there was plenty of negative publicity and evidence about how dangerous it was. Some people(I know a few personally) have taken it and have little or no long term side effects while others can suffer from horrendous sides. It is a gamble and definately not worth it.

I've heard birth control helps females with acne. Laser treatment might be worth looking into. Some dermatological creams worked well for me, specifically tazorac. It is important to see the situation for what it is, Accutane is very dangerous and can have long term side effects and the issue that its treating is something that is will go away down the road(and even if it doesn't one can argue that self esteem is more important than appearance in any given situation). To my knowledge these side effects can be debilitating and life shortening/threatening. I know teenagers don't want to hear this, especially if their friends have taken accutane and it has completely done away with their acne, but it's obvious where the priorities should be.

Something else, don't start the program to see what happens. Thats the attitude I had about it and it's not going to be very effective for catching side effects. The depression can come on very slowly and you almost don't even know you are caught up in it while you are on the drug. Other people who have known the patient for a long time will know something is wrong, however it can be hard to judge personally because of how these psychological symptoms start and grow. Another thing that could happen is your child might be so pleased with how well the drug is treating their acne that they won't be completely honest with you, their doctor, or themselves about side effects. I'm 21 and took this when I was 17 and am finally getting some relief thanks to the gluten-free diet, however I still have unresolved issues.

maybe try acne.org for other ideas

[sfkate]

Accutane is known to cause a myriad of side effects and autoimmune disorders are included. I took accutane and I think its related to my issues with gluten...

anybody else here take accutane?

Yes. I took Accutane. I now have Celiac Disease.

[wheatlessmeatless]

I was on Accutane on and off between my junior and senior year of high school. I didn't have any symptoms of gluten intolerance until I started taking it. The symptoms I had are not ones I remember being explained to me by my dermatologist (digestive type problems).

I had no idea what was going on with my body until earlier this year when I discovered I had a gluten intolerance.

I do not know if it is the Accutane that caused my gluten intolerance. However if I knew then what I knew now (that acne wasn't just bad luck, and I could have fixed it by eating a better diet) I would not have taken it. Honestly I was just so excited at the prospect of my acne disappearing and being a normal high schooler. It is not something that should be given to a short sighted 16 year old girl, regardless.

[MelindaLee]

Doctors ought to be shot for offering Accutane....it's a drug with side effects so severe, it should not be on the market. It can also cause birth defects and this has been reported from MEN who have taken it and then conceived children later on. It doesn't necessarily have to be the woman who has taken it.

Your post set off warning bells and I'll tell you why. I had skin problems all my life and they cleared up, all on their own, after about 2 months gluten-free. Yes, it was the wheat that was causing my acne. Your daughter has a thyroid problem and has acne bad enough that they have suggested Accutane? I think your daughter may have Celiac also. I know this is not what you wanted to hear but if it improves her problems, then it's worth a diagnosis. If you have celiac disease then the odds of your daughter having it, with the symptoms you have listed, is pretty high. If her testing has been negative, a dietary trial might be worth trying.

Acne is caused by an internal problem and is not the result of teenage hormones. However, to help with it externally, try the ProActive Solution line. It's well known, can be bought in malls or on-line and really does help, short term. I learned a long time ago that going to a dermatologist is the worst thing you can do for acne treatment. They refuse to believe that food is an issue and always want to prescribe stuff that will mess you up, long term.

I wish you luck with this!

My DS took Accutane, but had better acne relief from going gluten-free! He hasn't been tested, but we think it's likely he is celiac as well. He went gluten-free before my dx, and doesn't think it's worth having to go back on gluten.

[Tyson Holly MD]

There is new research out of University of Chicago on 2/10/11 linking celiac and accutane. They were able to induce full blown disease in mice but only if they were ready susceptible. This happened to me, but I see it as a blessing. It forced my diagnosis. or else I could be like my dad, who's had miserable gi issues his whole life. Still mad at Roche (drug company) bc there's no way they didnt see this in clinical trials. Class action suits are starting. Google it.

[eatmeat4good]

I took Accutane twice. 10 years apart. Maximum dose for the full course of treatment.

I don't blame Accutane for my Celiac/Gluten Intolerance.

I blame Gluten for my acne.

What if severe acne is caused by gluten? Then it would mostly be people who are Celiac/Gluten intolerant reaching for the Accutane.

Then later the other symptoms of Celiac/Gluten Intolerance show up.

And maybe they would have appeared anyway as part of the progression of continuing to eat gluten, but now it seems that Accutane caused it.

Just another way to think about it. I think gluten intolerance was my first problem. Accutane didn't cure the acne, but neither did it cause my Gluten Intolerance/Celiac.

Gluten did.

[eazyeazy]

I blame Accutane for most of my digestive problems right now and further skin problems too. Judging from the time perspective it was the most stupid thing I have done in my life.

[utdan]

I don't believe the acne medication Accutane has been properly addressed here. Or, in other words, its pain has been sufficiently revealed.

I believe Accutane,for myself, came out to be MISERY IN A PILL. I took the max that a person can take at the age of 14 (at the time in 1989 that was 3 consecutive courses of accutane at 5 months per course of treatment). I had severe severe acne. To be accurate I have to preface this post that I long had nervousness before taking the medication. I've also taken another highly destructive medication after the accutane called Paxil (took that for 10 years). So I can't say exactly for sure where these problems are coming from. Maybe both medications have added together their effects on me.

Concerning the Accutane, after finishing all three 5 month courses I developed more symptoms in the years and decades afterwards including: dizziness, depression, insomnia, emotional instability, lethargy, drowsiness and weakness hair loss at age 15 and major male hair thinning/baldness at age 20. As I got older the worse the symptoms got. In my late 20s to now (35 yrs old)the weakness and lethargy and dizziness really has gotten bad. I've been eating gluten free since 2005 but the problems have gotten worse and worse.

In case anybody is weighing prospects for taking this medication Let me just say don't even think of giving any human being this medication for any reason whatsoever. Decades of misery may result.

[Gluten Free Girls]

I know this is an older discussion, but I have been researching acne treatments for my 13 year old daughter who has Celiac Disease.  Does anyone have information concerning what a proper protocol treatment would include for a teen with Celiac?  I took accutane in my early 20's and was diagnosed with Celiac and now have two daughters with Celiac but my daughters acne is present despite being strictly gluten free for almost two years.  I would greatly appreciate anyone's advice. 

[kareng]

I know this is an older discussion, but I have been researching acne treatments for my 13 year old daughter who has Celiac Disease. Does anyone have information concerning what a proper protocol treatment would include for a teen with Celiac? I took accutane in my early 20's and was diagnosed with Celiac and now have two daughters with Celiac but my daughters acne is present despite being strictly gluten free for almost two years. I would greatly appreciate anyone's advice.

You might want to email Dr G at the university of Chicago Celiac Center. My teen doesn't have Celiac so the advice he gave me may be slightly different.

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[SudiWig]

Do as much research as possible.  I took Accutane in my 20's, that was over 30 years ago. Two years ago I was diagnosed with gluten intolerance, my doctor said I have celiac disease though I have not been tested for the gene. I am also dairy intolerant and allergic to soy. Now I just discovered there is a connection between Accutane use and IBS.  I would think twice before putting my daughter on this dangerous drug (for many reasons). I definitely would not put her on it if she has Celiac Disease. Research this, there are many stories online about horrible damage to bowels due to this drug. If you haven't already done so, try removing dairy from your daughter's diet, my skin improved greatly without ANY dairy, this includes yogurt and butter.  Good luck to you and your daughters.