Injurytalk.com - Brought to you by Parker Waichman Alonso Mark, LLP

I was 25 when a dermatologist first prescribed Accutane. I had been breaking out moderately to severely from age 12. While taking Accutane, I experienced no serious ill effects, other than the usual dry skin, lips, etc. As a matter of fact, I never felt and looked better! Especially when I saw the rapid improvement in my skin.
Now, 4 years later, I have not had one breakout and people often remark on how nice my skin is.
I think accutane is a miracle drug. I feel great sympathy for people who have not had a positive experience while on it.
I am wondering though, if the depression side effects are related to the age of the person on the drug? Like I said, I was a grown woman when I first started to take it.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: kr625 on 2003-01-06 09:42 ]</font>

Unfortunately my son almost took his life due to the depression brought on using Accutane.  Luckily I found the note he wrote and we went immediately into therapy.  After 1 1/2 years he is doing better and understanding how depression brought him to that terrible point.
p.s. Yes he also had dry lips, etc.

I was 25 years old when FIRST perscribed Acutane, it was for severe Acne on my back. I was in the Military stationed in Monterey, CA. I was a stelar performer and had a VERY prommising career, Never been reprimended at all, was on the fast track of the promotion ladder. I went to see a Civilian Dr. out of pocket for the military did not help with severe forms of skin disorders, It was sugested I go, At first it was dry skin, lips, bla bla, bla............. for 4-5 months, I started suffering from SEVERE head aches and was advised by my doctor to discontine the medication imediatley, and DO NOT use it again. All was well after that. in 1997 I was transfered to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, I started becoming very depressed, I really liked the isolated duty but the depression was overwhelming, suicidal at times. I was medivaced to a military hospital and found unfit for overseas duty.  I did love the military lifestyle but left it after 10 years and 6 levels of rank, only to go into another branch and accept only 2 levels of rank after completion of recruit training, all this at 28 years old, this was not easy, all my peers were 18 years of age. I left the Navy only to join the Marine Corps. I was allways depressed during this time of my life, taking chances, after serving 8 years in this branch of the service I became so depressed that I found myself wanting to atempt to hurt myself with a weapon. I was once again placed in a hospital,  I was found disabled, and retired from my career, at 18 years. The Veterans Administration found me 100% disabled and totally unemployable, Social Security agreed. My depresion worsend over time and I found myself heavely medicated at times unable to deal with anything at all, I was evaluated by social security and found very qualified as well due to this disability called depresion, I am still taking medication and only able to do meneal simple jobs but not for an extended period of time. Life is hard now at 41, I try yo make due as best I can, I often wonder if I would not have lost my career if I had not taken this medication called Acutane, I was once a proud man and a great defender, you see, I was a Marine!

Why does everybody instantly blame accutane for their depression? There are hundreds of different causes of depression in teenagers and young adults, people need to take responsibilty for their actions and not go blaming Accutane at the drop of a hat.
Although I do agree that the side effects of the drug need to be investigated further, and do feel sympathy for those who have suffered the rarer side affects of the drug (eg. Ulcerative Colitis), the people who are calling for the drug to be pulled from the market do not realise what positive life changing effects the drug has had on millions of people all over the world. I am on my 3rd month of Roaccutane treatment, and my face has improved out of sight. My friends say that I look so much happer since i started my treatment, and my unversity marks have improved because I feel more confident and I no longer stay inside because my acne was 'too bad'. If your class action was to succeed, and Accutane was forced from the market, you litigious american bastards will have denied millions the right to have a clear face. Think of the people (like I was) that were too scared to leave the house because they looked like a freak, who were too scared to talk to people because they knew that others would just stare at their face.
As for the pregnancy issue, all you have to do is use two forms of contraception. There is no way that somebody should be able to sue because they fall pregnant, given the amount of warning on the packets and the avalibility of reliable contraception.
I wish you all the best with your problems, and urge you to consider the implications of a law suit against accutane.

[quote]Vootas, you speak with a blind ignorance regarding the drug and why people want it off the market. It has been proven that it causes depression, I didn't immediately blame the drug, in fact didn't even think about accutane for 10 years after taking it. I was just as you are right now, happy to have such a clear face. But right now, I would go back and not take it because it has SEVERELY altered my future. I had my neck looked at recently due to pain and the doctor was in shock. I had spurring and degradation of my spine that he can not explain. I was hopitalized with Thrush and esophogitis for 7 days without being able to eat or drink and was tested for aids due to a "Immune Deficiency" that again was unexplained in a 29 year old healthy male. Looking back at my college years with my wife whom I have been with over 10 years now, we see what Accutane did to me. We passed off extremely aggressive and angry behavior of mine as stress related to school and tests. I was out of control and a 4.0 college student....I didn't make sense. I, for the only time in my life sat time and time again with the desire to die and make the "noise" in my head go away. I was told dry lips, nose bleeds, and headaches...and got all those, what I wasn't told is that I may kill myself, degrade all my organs and bones, and live a much more painfull life at age 30 with 3 young children that I would love to grow up with and be playing sports with in my 40's. I was told this won't happen with the condition of my neck. 10 years ago, they didn't know this of the drug, now they do and people like you spout curse words to those of us trying to stop the money grubbing drug companies from destroying lives.[/quote]

Ahh woops, now i get it.