I think the awareness about the dangerous side effects of the acne drug Accutane is increasing rapidly. Have you seen those advertisements on TV too? Just a few days after I wrote something about its side effects on my other blog (and because I sat before the TV practically the whole mother’s day weekend due to movie marathons), I saw several advertisements detailing the scary side effects and where to get help if one is already suffering from any of them. And since this blog already contains much information about acne and acne treatments, I might as well post some information here.
Some substances in Accutane are absorbed into the user’s blood stream so it’s no surprise that they can affect several organs and functions of the body. What are these side effects? Here are some:
- dry and cracking skin, lips and nose
- rashes
- itching, changes in fingernails and thinning of hair
- joint and back pain
- dizziness and drowsiness
- depression or mood changes
- difficulty sleeping and fatigue
- numbness of the body
- blurred vision, ringing of the ears, migraines which may be caused by increased pressure in the skull
- vomiting
- loss of appetite
- irritation of the optic nerves, which would require a neurologist to correct (serious indeed!)
- decreased tolerance for contact lenses
- urinary discomfort
While some of these seem simple enough (except the one that probably needs neurosurgery for correction!), there are more serious conditions that can be caused by this drug like ulcerative colitis and Chron’s disease. These diseases can cause a person life-long suffering rather than just temporary discomfort. Symptoms include bowel inflammation resulting to severe diarrhea, rectal bleeding, jaundice, severe abdominal pains, and a change in stools to a light clay color or a black, tarry color and consistency. Consult your doctor if you have used this drug in the past and notice these symptoms. This is definitely not something you can afford to just ignore. For more information on accutane and ulcerative colitis, visit this site.
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in 
this is good info for me.
very scary! Thanks for sharing, I think it's great to get the awareness out there ~
@Sherry Glad to be useful. LOL!@City Girl Chicago You're back! Thanks! I've been hearing a lot about it. It's a serious issue, I think.
I would like to thank you for bringing this to the attention of everyone. My boyfriend is one that suffers from this and he is only 22. He can bearly get up some mornings and he is no longer able to do any sports or any activities without the pain. Thank you for bringing this up! All the support to help get ride of this terrible disease is amazing.. thank you!
I'm glad this helps even in a little way… well wishes for your BF, hope things can still get better for him… surely, your love and support keeps him going…