Why Accutane is bad for you?

Accutane (isotretinoin) is prescribed to treat severe, difficult to control acne. Common side effects can include dry skin, chapped lips, vision issues, and joint pain. The more serious, severe side effects of isotretinoin include birth defects, mental health problems, and stomach issues.

Why you shouldn’t take Accutane?

Rarely, isotretinoin can cause serious mental health problems. These include depression, psychosis (losing touch with reality), and suicidal thoughts or actions. Stop using isotretinoin and call your doctor right away if you have any of the following symptoms: increased feelings of sadness.

What are the long-term side effects of Accutane?

Why was Accutane discontinued?

The decision was made for “business reasons,” Roche announced in a news release. Those reasons include declining sales: Accutane sales now make up less than 5% of the isotretinoin market. Another big reason: Personal injury lawsuits, which Roche is aggressively defending.

Why does Accutane have a bad reputation?

So why does isotretinoin get such a bad reputation? The majority of the controversy stems from the high likelihood to cause birth defects if a female taking the medication were to become pregnant as well as the inconsistent associations with depression, suicide, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Is Accutane really bad?

Thoughts on Accutane: The acne drug Accutane is one of the most dangerous products on the market today. The drug causes serious side-effects, most notably birth defects. Accutane is also one of the most effective prescription drugs available.

Is Accutane a good idea?

Isotretinoin (Accutane) is generally very effective in helping prevent extensive scarring in patients with severe acne. After 16 to 20 weeks of treatment, their acne is completely (or nearly completely) one in most (up to 90%) of cases.

Does acne come back after Accutane?

In some cases hormonal acne does not even respond well to treatment with Isotretinoin (Isotretinoin/Accutane). Hormonal acne is more likely to come back after a course of Roaccutane (Accutane) has successfully cleared it.

Does Accutane get rid of acne forever?

Isotretinoin is a pill you take for four to five months. Your acne will start to improve in one to two months, and the vast majority of people are clear at the end of treatment. It is the only acne medication that permanently reduces acne an average of 80 percent—some people a little more and some a little less.

Does Accutane cause permanent liver damage?

Isotretinoin can damage your internal organs. These organs include your liver, pancreas, intestines, and esophagus (the tube connecting your mouth and stomach). The damage may not get better even after you stop taking isotretinoin. This side effect is rare.

Does Accutane affect your mental health?

Over the past two decades, nearly 18,000 cases of depression, anxiety, and emotional lability linked to isotretinoin use were reported to the FDA, including 2,278 cases of suicidal ideation, 602 cases of attempted suicide, and 368 reports of completed suicide, reported Arash Mostaghimi, MD, MPA, MPH, of Brigham and …

Does Accutane cause brain damage?

The teratogenicity of retinoid compounds is well established, and alongside thalidomide, isotretinoin may be considered 1 of the 2 best-known examples of drugs causing serious birth defects, including brain and craniofacial malformations.

Can Accutane cause depression years later?

Other studies have found no definitive link between isotretinoin and an increased risk of depression.

Should I be worried about Accutane?

Although isotretinoin is effective for severe, hard-to-treat acne, concern about serious possible side effects—including mental health problems and severe birth defects—keeps some parents from considering it as an option for their teenagers.

Is isotretinoin worth the risk?

But doctors say the drug’s benefits can outweigh risks

For example, a recent review of evidence found no increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease in people taking isotretinoin. And scientists have still not been able to definitively prove that isotretinoin causes mental health problems, the AAD has noted.

What are the cons of Accutane?