Three of my kids took it, as they had awful cases of acne. It worked very well for them. BUT...all three of them have since developed Crohns Disease/irritable bowel syndrome and will require thrice daily meds for the rest of their lives. They were very very sick and in great pain before meds for control. My son's is the worst, and he may eventually need a colostomy.

My other three kids did not suffer from acne, did not take accutane, and have absolutely no bowel problems. There is a class action suit against the makers of accutane because it causes IBS and Crohns.

My dh had severe acne and took accutane. He suffered no side affects other than less acne and skin dryness. I am thankful for that.

Any other pro and cons comments?

I suffered terribly as a teenager and into my early 20s with cystic acne. It was a life-saver to me as it cleared it up and it never came back. I am now in my 50s with no side affects; however, evidently it can cause depression (as well as birth defects if pregnant, etc) so do make sure anyone taking it is well monitored. I don't remember being on it for more than a few months and again it was a wonder drug for me at the time.

I assume you're asking for your grandson, but I know it can cause horrible birth defects. I think they require females to be on two forms of birth control in order to take it as well as take frequent pregnancy tests.

I had bad acne as a teenager but I never used Accutane. Differin actually worked very well for me when nothing else did. However, one of my classmates took Accutane and her skin cleared up nicely after a rough transition. I don't know if she had any side effects.

Personally, I would only use it as a last resort. Actually, not even then because I don't think clear skin is worth the potential problems. Acne will eventually go away but some of the known side effects are permanent.

Acne can cause terrible self-esteem problems and a whole host of psychological problems. Get it treated as best the doctor can.

My daughter, who is 49 now, took it as a teen shortly after graduating from high school. Prior to that, they had tried several other methods. It worked well for her, but it did, indeed, cause severe dryness of the skin. To make matters worse, she was a summer camp counselor and life guard and you have to avoid sun as much as possible. It did the job for her. Didn't know about the IBS and all...good to know, but as far as I know, she doesn't seem to have issues. I certainly will mention it to her in case it's not something she has told me about.

A dermatologist (or even a pediatrician) would most likely suggest something else first.

We did not like the DUAC kit-didn't work well and bleached clothes and sheets DD's (14) pediatrician recommended it for back acne. When she was there last time for a check up I told her we weren't happy with it and she gave us Epiduo samples-which is what DS's derm prescribed.

DS(12) is now using Epiduo-put on a thin layer once a day. No quick cure but it is working! This is an easy regiman to follow!

I've read that some acne requires antibiotics. When I brought DS to the derm, they took pictures and wrote about each kind of pimple he had in his chart so they could document his progress in future follow ups. All of the 'bad' ones are gone, but he has some smaller ones here and there. DR said it would take months, not weeks.

My son took it at the advice of his dermatologist and exhausting all other alternatives. He had very severe acne not only on his face, but his neck, chest and back. His only side effects were dry skin and aching joints. But then again he grew 2 inches that same year so the aching joints could have been from his growth spurt.
Sherrmann, I never knew IBS and Crohn's disease was a possible side effect. How many months/years after taking Accutane did they develop symptoms? My son took the medication over 8 years ago and to my knowledge has not experienced any other side effects except the two I already mentioned. Are there other serious side effects other than the ones everyone has already mentioned?

Glenda, I'm a 33 year old female who started having acne at about age 12. I had all kinds of acne, cystic acne, pustules...it was so hard on my self esteem, and not just through high school. I saw at least three different dermatologists (on top of my primary physicians) before I found one who prescribed me accutane at age 31. I had tried various types of topical meds, oral antibiotics, different oral contraceptives...I took one 6-month cycle of accutane and my acne cleared up virtually completely. My skin was incredibly dry and sensitive and remained so for several months after I stopped the medication. I was sensitive to sunlight (use lots of sunscreen) and noticed that my skin took longer to heal from damage (little scratches from my kitty would take a week or more to heal, rather than a day or two). I did not experience any of the other negative side effects, but I will tell you that I honestly would have suffered through some of them to be rid of my acne.

My younger sister also took one 6-month cycle of accutane as a teenager and it worked just as well for her as it did for me. As far as I know, she didn't experience any negative effects other than the dryness.

My son, who is almost 15, is now on accutane. The change for him has been practically night and day. He had a lot of pustules and blackheads, new ones every morning when he woke up. His acne also started at about age 12. He didn't complain about his acne, but I can tell that accutane is important to him because he takes it on time, every single day, and is on top of me to get his prescription filled ASAP. So far, he is not having any problems with the meds. He is now on his fourth month and I expect him to finish out a full six-month cycle. The only issue he's had is sun exposure, since he was taking it over the summer and spent much of his time outdoors in boy scouts. I have to be on him constantly about sunscreen.

Accutane is serious business. It should not be used until other avenues have been exhausted. This means *at least* six months of other topical and/or oral meds. You don't have to see a dermatologist to treat acne, but it is a good idea to get a referral if you can. Primary physicians can be hesitant to prescribe accutane because of its teratogenic effects and other serious side effects. Your physician should have labs drawn when accutane is started and occasionally throughout treatment because accutane can cause liver damage (this is why accutane is taken in cycles, to allow the accumulated metabolites to be eliminated before toxic levels are reached). Females have to have blood drawn every month (plus the month before treatment starts) to ensure they are not pregnant before they receive their refills.

I respectfully disagree with the comment that acne will eventually go away. I was experiencing the same acne at age 30 that I was at 13. I did not make the decision to start my son on accutane lightly, but I would not forgive myself if I didn't do what I could to help him with his acne, knowing how much it affected my own self-esteem well into adulthood.

The other major consideration that I haven't seen mentioned yet is cost. Obviously, costs will vary, but this is what I see on my bill:
Dermatologist exam once per month - $120
Labs - $90
Amnesteem (40mg/day dose x 30 days)~ $300
(when Accutane was the only brand on the market, it was over $600/month!).

Part of the reason that I chose to go forward with the accutane treatment for my son is because my insurance covers the majority of the expense, so in my mind, there really was no excuse for not giving it a try.

I'm sorry this is long, but having been affected by acne for over half my life, I do feel strongly about the potential benefit of accutane. I know that many people have experienced negative effects from the medicine, so you should be an informed consumer and be aware of the possible effects before the medication is started. And you should not expect "miracle" results. My son will probably end up taking at least one more 6-month cycle, and I know some people take more than that.

Send me an e-mail me if you want to talk more about this.
Sydney

I'm sorry I don't remember the exact length of time between my kids' taking accutane and developing Crohn's/IBS - and, actually, my son has Crohn's, my eldest dtr has ulcerative collitis, and the youngest girl has IBS. They took accutane at different ages, suffered through bowel issues for a long time before we made the link.

Son was the first to be dx'd, after years of bouts with bloody diahrrea, weight loss, etc., when he was 29 or 30, about 10 years after accutane. His MD had prescribed many different meds to try for control of these periodic bouts over the years, but it was not until he was 29 or 30 that my son-in-law realized a link between son and his sisters. After a referral to a specialist during a particularly difficult bout he was finally diagnosed with Crohn's and prescribed a med that seems to control it rather well. He now suffers only a few times a year and has stopped losing weight. He has a colonoscopy every other year, as apparently he is at greater risk of developing colon cancer down the road. He may also need a colostomy when he is older if his colon continues to erode.

I cannot seem to write this so it is easy to understand, but I will try. Son's bouts became increasingly worse over a 10 year period, until he was dx'd. Son is 7 years older than his younger sister, who took accutane when she was 16 and began with IBS within two years.

Son is 4 years younger than his oldest sister, who did not take accutane until she was 25. She developed bowel issues within a couple years. Her husband is a physician; it seemed peculiar to him that the kids were developing bowel issues, so he linked all six kids together in a timeline using all sorts of factors - stress, meds, age, what year they were in high school or college and lovelife, etc. Accutane was the common factor. We used that information when son got so sick he was nearly hospitalized when he was 29 or 30. Bingo! As it turns out, since his dx there have been a couple lawsuits filed because of this very issue.

My dtrs take a similar med to son's, but there again, I am sorry I do not know what they take. They were never as sick as son was, perhaps because they have been well-controlled with meds and had earlier diagnoses. As of now, they will all need to take their meds for the rest of their lives.

Shay, the most serious effects are the effects that Shermann has described (accutane has been linked to bowel disease, especially Crohn's). This seems to be rare, but obviously should be taken into consideration. Accutane also causes birth defects if taken during pregnancy. Not *maybe* causes birth defects, *will* cause birth defects. Usually resulting in significant disability. Women need to be on two forms of birth control and have a negative pg test every month. Also, those who take accutane should not donate blood until after they have discontinued the meds. More common side effects include depression and muscle aches and pains. The texture of hair and especially skin will change due to the decrease in oil being produced by the skin.

Thanks for the responses, and I appreciate.

I took 15 yr old gs for the appointment. Talked with doctor, blood work done, received the prescription, gave to parents plus info and consultation with doctor with gs in the room.

Now it is up to both parents to decide what to do.

Thanks all for being kind and responsive.

Glenda, another thing that I haven't seen mentioned here is accutane can raise blood sugar, so if your gs is predisposed to diabetes, blood sugar should also be monitored. I could of taken it as well, but for that reason, didn't.

"In 1998, Roche Laboratories addressed a letter to physicians stating in part:

"Accutane may cause depression, psychosis and, rarely, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and suicide. Discontinuation of Accutane therapy may be insufficient; further evaluation may be necessary. No mechanism of action has been established for these events."
Warnings were also put in place by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because of the large number of reported psychiatric disorders in those exposed to Accutane. According to the FDA, between 1982 and 2000, there were 394 reported cases of depression and 37 suicides of people who were taking, or had taken, isotretinoin. Thirteen of these suicides occurred within three months after the patient had stopped using Accutane.

Accutane ranks fifth in reports connected to depression, compared with all drugs listed in the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) database through June 2000. It is also listed within the AERS top ten drugs associated with suicide and suicide attempts. It is the only non-psychotropic drug listed."

I happen to know a family that lost a son to suicide while on accutane. To me the risks seem to great.

I want to say thanks as well to shermmann and anthrogirl78, I never knew about the link between IBS/Crohn's disease. Sherrmann, I know that your children are facing this battle for the rest of their life and I hope that with meds they can cope. So sorry to hear how much this affected them. As I stated before, my son took it over 8 yrs ago. I do not recall the dermatologist ever suggesting anything about the possibility of developing colon diseases. He did inform us about the risk of increased thoughts of suicide and liver damage. My son, who was extremely distraught with his acne since the age of 13, informed the dermatologist that if he did not prescribe Accutane, then he would become suicidal. I knew he was joking of course, but I also knew how unhappy he was having to deal with severe acne. He only took a 4 month course of the Accutane, because of the severe joint pain. His acne cleared up within one month of treatment and I was afraid that he would have joint damage if we continued. I'm glad to have learned of the link between Accutane and IBS/Crohns, otherwise with the passing of time it would never occur to me. Thanks again for everyone's responses, it has been very informative!

I believe there are several class action lawsuits regarding Accutane and Chron's Disease. I hear the commercials on TV all the time.

Try googling Chron's Accutane lawsuit - I'm sure there is something on the internet.

Shay, you are welcome, and thanks for your thoughts.

Remember, nothing is 100%. Accutane works wonders for most people without dire side effects. What is worrisome is that it is often many years after a drug has done its job and is no longer taken by an individual that long-term damage becomes apparent.

It isn't just Accutane. Many of our mothers took a drug called DES so they would not miscarry. Those women and the children they were able to carry to term now have a much higher risk of developing breast and genital cancers. There are also new concerns that their grandchildren are also at higher risk.

And, there are new concerns that the very tests those of us with cancers take to measure our response to treatment may be causing new cancers!

I don't know what the answers are. I only know nothing is certain.

When I took accutane in the early 1980s, no one told me of side effects--except fetal deformity if one was pregnant. Years later I learned that it may cause depression. It is only then that I saw a link between some near-clinical depression I went through at the time I took accutane. But again, for me it was truly a "miracle" drug. I was so ashamed of my acne for so many years, and it then had developed into the very painful cystic type. I tried everything before accutane, but only it cleared up my acne so that I've never had a problem since (and I have surprisingly nice skin well into my 50s).