Hey folks! Not really related to Accutane directly, but Tamiflu is another fine example of Roche bettering humanity through corporate responsibility and polished ethics. http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/apr/10/tamiflu-saga-drug-trials-big-pharma

And if you think the clinical trial data on Accutane will ever see the light of day, you'll be surprised.

it would be great if that Cochrane collaboration could look into accutane clinical trials, I'm sure Roche being the criminals they are probably shredded all the juicy stuff a while back though

hey guys,

first of all i apologize for writing to this forum but i don't know what to do. i have been dealing with stubborn mild acne for 13 years now (i'm 31 now). and this shit pretty much took over my life. i tried psychoterapy, ssri whatever to not to focus on the problem but this stuff doesn't work. dealing with acne occupies most of my day.

as for acne itself it is very stubborn case so far among the years I have tried dairy free diet, gluten free diet, low gi diet, ketogenic diet, juicing, fasting, antibiotics, probiotics, every supplement known to man kind and noting works. i have done numerous medical tests (hormones, thyroid, liver, whatever), bacterial culture tests, fungal tests and everything came back normal to the point all my doctors think i'm an idiot.

i have been dodging the accutane decision for the last 6 years but every doctor i go to says the same thing. the problem is i'm extremely scared of the side effects especially after reading all your stories here.

at this point i'm already depressed and for the past couple of years i have barely left the house so it is more than enough to be suicidal and it seems that there is no good decision here to make.

 

Hey folks! Not really related to Accutane directly, but Tamiflu is another fine example of Roche bettering humanity through corporate responsibility and polished ethics. http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/apr/10/tamiflu-saga-drug-trials-big-pharma

And if you think the clinical trial data on Accutane will ever see the light of day, you'll be surprised.

it would be great if that Cochrane collaboration could look into accutane clinical trials, I'm sure Roche being the criminals they are probably shredded all the juicy stuff a while back though

It would be. An email will be sent in the next couple weeks. I just need to figure out what to write Thanks for mentioning this.

If anyone is interested, this is the Cochrane Collaboration:

http://www.cochrane.org/about-us

http://www.cochrane.org/

hey guys,

 

first of all i apologize for writing to this forum but i don't know what to do. i have been dealing with stubborn mild acne for 13 years now (i'm 31 now). and this shit pretty much took over my life. i tried psychoterapy, ssri whatever to not to focus on the problem but this stuff doesn't work. dealing with acne occupies most of my day.

 

as for acne itself it is very stubborn case so far among the years I have tried dairy free diet, gluten free diet, low gi diet, ketogenic diet, juicing, fasting, antibiotics, probiotics, every supplement known to man kind and noting works. i have done numerous medical tests (hormones, thyroid, liver, whatever), bacterial culture tests, fungal tests and everything came back normal to the point all my doctors think i'm an idiot.

 

i have been dodging the accutane decision for the last 6 years but every doctor i go to says the same thing. the problem is i'm extremely scared of the side effects especially after reading all your stories here.

 

at this point i'm already depressed and for the past couple of years i have barely left the house so it is more than enough to be suicidal and it seems that there is no good decision here to make.

I don't know man, "Stubborn mild acne" should not be causing such severe depression. I would recommend (I am not a doctor, so take this with a grain of salt) to look for perhaps a different cause of your depression. For example, are you getting enough exercise? If you ever want to talk, just email; or sometimes I like to keep a motivational diary that reflects on the good and what I would like to change throughout the day. Life is good without "fix-it" drugs

 

hey guys,

 

first of all i apologize for writing to this forum but i don't know what to do. i have been dealing with stubborn mild acne for 13 years now (i'm 31 now). and this shit pretty much took over my life. i tried psychoterapy, ssri whatever to not to focus on the problem but this stuff doesn't work. dealing with acne occupies most of my day.

 

as for acne itself it is very stubborn case so far among the years I have tried dairy free diet, gluten free diet, low gi diet, ketogenic diet, juicing, fasting, antibiotics, probiotics, every supplement known to man kind and noting works. i have done numerous medical tests (hormones, thyroid, liver, whatever), bacterial culture tests, fungal tests and everything came back normal to the point all my doctors think i'm an idiot.

 

i have been dodging the accutane decision for the last 6 years but every doctor i go to says the same thing. the problem is i'm extremely scared of the side effects especially after reading all your stories here.

 

at this point i'm already depressed and for the past couple of years i have barely left the house so it is more than enough to be suicidal and it seems that there is no good decision here to make.

 

I don't know man, "Stubborn mild acne" should not be causing such severe depression. I would recommend (I am not a doctor, so take this with a grain of salt) to look for perhaps a different cause of your depression. For example, are you getting enough exercise? If you ever want to talk, just email; or sometimes I like to keep a motivational diary that reflects on the good and what I would like to change throughout the day. Life is good without "fix-it" drugs

 

My acne has been making me feel like complete shit over a time span of many years. It has destroyed my looks. I will never look like a normal human being again. No wonder why people take a risk with medications, for some people their acne responds to NOTHING.

Then take accutane dude... You're in the wrong thread.

hey guys,

 

first of all i apologize for writing to this forum but i don't know what to do. i have been dealing with stubborn mild acne for 13 years now (i'm 31 now). and this shit pretty much took over my life. i tried psychoterapy, ssri whatever to not to focus on the problem but this stuff doesn't work. dealing with acne occupies most of my day.

 

as for acne itself it is very stubborn case so far among the years I have tried dairy free diet, gluten free diet, low gi diet, ketogenic diet, juicing, fasting, antibiotics, probiotics, every supplement known to man kind and noting works. i have done numerous medical tests (hormones, thyroid, liver, whatever), bacterial culture tests, fungal tests and everything came back normal to the point all my doctors think i'm an idiot.

 

i have been dodging the accutane decision for the last 6 years but every doctor i go to says the same thing. the problem is i'm extremely scared of the side effects especially after reading all your stories here.

 

at this point i'm already depressed and for the past couple of years i have barely left the house so it is more than enough to be suicidal and it seems that there is no good decision here to make.

Yeah there is. Don't give up. Doctor's test are inaccurate most of the time. Just try listening to your body. Are you pooping every single day? does your stomach ever bloat? do you ever breakout in hives? do you have any kind of fungus or anythng n your skin? Acne is a rash that's telling you something is wrong. Listen to your body.

Back to the topic at hand. I coincidentally do intermittent fasting on a semi daily basis because of my pancreatitis issues. I often go 12 - 16 hours without food, and it's exactly what you'd expect. I wouldn't say emotionally I feel better, but it does in fact regenerate my cells in my pancreas and speed up healing. It's actually one of the best ways to regenerate cells internally. My light eating combined with the antioxidants and vitamins that I take I think are beneficial in the long run.

Longest I've gone without food was bordering 3 days. I felt fine throughout. my pancreas inflammation dissipated, which was my goal, however when I went to stand up after sitting for a long period, I was a bit light headed. That's when I knew I had to get some carbs in me.

I'm confused. I thought everyone in here said not to take Accutane, but now you're recommending it?

It was sarcasm. He was basically telling you to piss off, since nearly every single poster in this thread would trade their ill health for whatever grade of acne they had before taking Accutane. That's if it even got rid of their acne.

Acne, scars from acne, and social stigmas attached to acne don't matter to us anymore.

If you ask if you should consider Accutane under any circumstances here, the answer will be a resounding NO.

This should be obvious.

8 years post tane and still trying to live a normal life. Would much rather have to deal with acne. I wouldn't risk it!

I am 28 and have sharp pains in my joints, chronic fatigue, autoimmune, sensitive to dairy wheat corn eggs legumes grains (if i eat these foods too much in a week I literally cannot function), and more. My doc says I have leaky gut which explains most of my symptoms. Makes sense after reading about how accutane damages the intestines. Someone got a lot of money bc he had a portion of his intestines removed!

I often fantasize about locking the derm that gave me this shit in a underground chamber in the middle of nowhere for 6 months and force feeding him Accutane twice a day with a little porridge and water to see how he holds up , an underground chamber with an open top ceiling so he can get a feel for how lovely the sun feels after been administered this poison , put the heaviest weights in there which he had to lift on a daily basis to earn food and id also add a few heaters to see if he still insisted the flushing was down to residual dryness

:@@@@@@@@@@

does anyone feel an incredible sense of guilt for what they've done to their body's ? I cant seem to shake it , I think that's the worst bit about it all , that I was fooled into doing this to myself so ultimately I have no one else to blame, its definitely an overwhelming feeling at times. I mean Accutane has destroyed my face its an absolute mess, just pasty and littered with marks dry and it burns, but now that's the least of my concerns, if that's all I was left with then I could take it as a lesson , but I have so much else from it its fucked it just seems to much sometimes, other people can make stupid mistakes when they are young, shit they could even kill someone drink driving and still not suffer as long as us , it just ultimately seems to cruel to live with , your forced to find a way adapt to what little you have left , in my situation anyway and other people who have been hit hard. it just doesn't seem fair and I know that sounds pathetic but it doesn't does it ? I was actively bullied and ridiculed for my skin and all I wanted to do was feel better about myself you know , is that so wrong ? but now as a result im left with a severely fucked up body that makes basic every day survival painful and uncomfortable, I know many of you have probably run through these thoughts yourself I would just appreciate some feedback if you would be kind enough on the ways you deal with it , in a way I imagine this is in reality is what some form of post traumatic stress disorder would feel like , except we are still living the nightmare, does this sound crazy ?

It doesn't sound crazy at all. For the people who are living this nightmare. Unfortunately for others who didn't experience this kind of suffering it seems crazy. Even on the psychiatric ward I felt like an alien. Now Im stuck on an anti-psychotic med that is the only thing that gives me something of a sleep at night, but everyday I just wish I won't have to wake up and live through this hell another day. I guess I just gave up. Accutane robbed me off my soul and humanity and I don't believe my life would ever be happy again.

dortheatos I now agree with you things have just kept going downhill since our last conversations, im curious as to how you feel mentally as you've been tainted by the phych meds like me to.. do you feel as if your just severely detached like you cant even process normal feelings , you feel hapiness, but only briefly and it never feels real, I feel like my mind would resemble the feeling you get when a car is about to run out of petrol the same with my body , its so fucked absolutely fucked, its easy for people who work on the phych wards to say just work through your problems, when I was in there I just wanted to suffocate them, they just don't understand how drastically shit the situation we are in is , no one does and I think that's part of what makes it even more frustrating because only we feel it, we cant just invite someone into our mind and body for a day to see how bad it is you know ,,,, im not sure what its called but theres some sort of phenomenon where some people stay awake during surgery when the anaesthesia doesn't work and they have to stay awake through the pain but no one can help them , that's how I feel , literally just trapped and no one can help , its a mess, do you know what really fucks me off when I type it , that we would all of been in better health if smoked heroin or meth for 6 months but instead we trusted the doctors

I even used to say that I would prefer to be a drug addict or an alcoholic, they at least have a chance to recover. Or I would prefer not to have legs an still have ability the percieve world in a normal way. Even when you're severly depressed, there's a chance for you to recover and have a happy life. I used to listen to people saying that I should be strong not focus on my problems etc. And I fought hard. But today I just have nothing to hang on to. Yes, I've felt severly detached from reality since I'm 15, it all started after Accutane. Its just this robot feeling, that everything you do in life you do because you have to, not because you feel you want to. My ability to feel decrased over years and now I can say that I just feel nothing. No love, no attraction, nothing makes sense anymore. You don't realise what it means to be a human being until you loose everything that makes you one. I don't care about being miserable anymore, maybe at least someone who is considering going on isotretinoin will see all those post and we could save someone's life. For me there's not much to save really. Sure you can live without sex, you can live without feelings, you can do everything automatically. But what's the point? I know that there's a lot of suffering around the world, some people starve, some people live in constant terrible pain, some are disabled to the point that they can't do anything alone. But I don't like the idea of living the rest of my life based on idea "it could be much worse". But that's the only option I'm left with.

Yeah I completely understand man I really do it's just not natural to feel like this , it's like we are living but we are not alive would you agree ? I feel that we have turned this thread into something negative and I'm sorry to the people who posted hours of positivity on this forum but it feels as if there is no way to repair only to manage , we have killed dividing cells and fuck knows what else accutane does , I just want answers you know I think maybe that would help ease the pain but they refuse to help or it even acknowledge that they caused us pain , you've seen the documents and reports where they refuse to release information , all we were and will ever be now are guinea pigs , we were and I truly believe this poisoned knowingly , but they won't care about me and you or anyone else on here or the other thousands of people round the world , why should they , the Roche family are probably sat in Monaco on private yachts sniffing coccaine off strippers landing strips and we are sat here twiddling are fingers thinking how we are gunna kill ourselves , where the fuck is the justice in that , Macleod is right we need a website and we need to fight these bastards , we may only have a small army and we may be weak in health but before you killed yourself or settled for the life they willingly supplied us all wouldn't you rather take a chink out of there armour or take a shit on there party . I know they are a huge corporation but shit there must be some way somehow we can get some sort of justice for our suffering . I thought about fire bombing the Roche headquarters in my home town I was that mad the other day but then I realised it probably wouldn't even achieve the things we need to , there's plenty of intelligent people on this thread that is quite obvious and more and more people join everyday, I'm sure this thread will have stretched even further by next year but again without sounding like I'm an arse licker Macleod is right we need somewhere to really focus our efforts a website we can begin to compile our research , we all need to sit and ask ourselves what it is we want to gain here , it seems innevitable that our health has been majorly compromised and asking for it back to the way it was is quite simply a pipe dream but surely we can strive for things that are attainable , like answers as to truely why it is we all share the same symptoms and what it does that causes this so we can manage it to the best of our ability , we can strive for a level of world wide recognition on the true dangers of accutane , look how much more information there is now than twenty years ago , I don't know about you but I'd rather wait to die and know in my soul we stopped others from this misery

There should be no personal guilt for taking the drug. We have all been deceived by intentionally incomplete information. The fault lies with Roche Pharmaceuticals, terribly irresponsible regulatory agencies, and dermatologists who knowingly downplay the potential risk and refuse to report side effects.

We have every right to take blood for blood, but the one man I know of who did made little difference in the big picture.

If Accutane's methods of adverse reactions are ever sorted out, what difference would it make if you were behind bars.

As far as some of us being negative goes, that's the truth of the matter. There's nothing wrong with thinking that way. It's rational. The chances of recovering most of what we lost are slim and we know it.

My opinion on severe drug addiction is the same. I know of several people who have won the battle with opiate addiction and are no worse for wear and living good lives. No sexual dysfunction among them, no debilitating depression, and their bodies aren't falling apart. Turns out a few years on hard street drugs is less damaging than Accutane. Flat out, Accutane is worse than heroin.

Yeah I agree with everything you said every part of me wants to fight this but it seems like it's pointless what's it gunna change really ? It's not gunna change the fact that I'm probably gunna have to walk with a stick soon or possibly even a wheel chair if it continues to get worse its not gunna change the fact that I've lost pretty much all the fat on my or that I'm so weak I feel disgusted by it , or that my hair falls out all over my head and face , it's not gunna change the fact my eyes and face burn and constantly itch , or the fact that I can't even string together a sentence it's not gunna change shit , so really what am I supposed to do , am I really supposed to settle for this shit for the rest of my life and watch my bones crumble , my teeth fall out , and see myself loose what will probably be the most of my hair in the next year judging by the rate it sheds , when I say it like that at 20 years old , suicide seems like the only thing they've left me with

Hee man, for the leaky gut try

Colostrum

L-glutamine

Good probiotics

Sauerkraut

As for the brain look into

Piracetam ( most widely researched racetam and probable benificial for many of us )

Aniracetam

Noopept ( which im taking. It makes me irritatable but it kickstarts the brain again. Its used to treat alcohol induced damage to the brain and also used by many nooptropic fans )

It also removes that sluggish feeling and gives you mental energy to be productive again. Try it.

All the best

As for everyone who think psychoactive substances are the answer for post accutane damage, they're not. Trust me I tried many. Its a band-aid and it doesn't last long. And it comes with its own set of side effects, some of them irreverisble. So called "smart drugs" mess with your serotonin and dopamine which is already screwed by accutane. If I could go back in time I would never take any psychoactive substance post accutane and go all natural. That's just my opinion. Peace

I am sorry for all of you who have suffered because of this drug, and I feel awful for your loved ones who have suffered too.

Basically, I took this crap 5 years ago for 6 months (total of 12,600mg at 110 lbs) for literally a few pimples. It was not until a couple of months ago that I realized the symptoms that I have been experiencing over these years were from taking this drug. During the treatment, I experienced dry lips, joint pain (ankles and back), skin sensitivity to sunlight, muscle pain (forearms), poor night vision, decreased vaginal sensitivity and low libido. I experienced a crash exactly one month after ingesting the last pill. It was a Monday morning (I wrote all this down), and I woke up feeling just awful. I was so tired, bloated, and belching a lot. I looked in the mirror and my hair was so brittle and dry. I had developed deep wrinkles in my chest and my face was so pale. All this occurred overnight. I looked and felt fine the night before. WTH had happened? I had aged 50 years overnight. I questioned the dermatologist about the drug doing this to me, and she said definitely not as it was out of my system by now. Okay, yea makes sense. How on earth could a drug cause problems after it is out of the body? I am only supposed to be feeling better, not worse, plus the only permanent side effects were damage to a fetus, not me, she said over and over again, as I questioned her over and over again. Side effects are only temporary she said. Are you sure? Yes, they are all temporary and go away once you discontinue treatment. Damn derm. Sorry, I go off sometimes.

Anyway, very long story kind of short, I thought my symptoms were from a poor digestive system, caused by antibiotics, the birth control pills that I was on as required, or a bad gallbladder (birth control pills gave me damn gallstones). I very recently had my gallbladder yanked out due to just not knowing what to do anymore. Why cant I heal? Why am I just getting worse as the years go on? Thats got to be it, as my family doctor and one of the many gastroenterologists that I had seen kept telling me. Well, the gallbladder was perfectly normal, no gallstones (just as the subsequent imaging tests had shown after I took Ursodiol for 6 months) and I just felt plain defeated. Basically, I dont know what to do anymore. Honestly, I was better off before I made the connection that Accucrap had been behind this. This drug is in my head all the time. I cannot quit thinking about it. I cannot quit researching about it. I cannot quit reading forums about this. I cannot quit trying to find a way out. What did this drug do to people? How is this crap still being handed out left and right all over the world? How is all this happening? How come the symptoms vary in people? How come the long-term side effects may occur during treatment, or after treatment, whether it is weeks, months, or years? Is it the dosage? Is it the genes? Is it whatever? WTH did this drug do to the body and the brain? Dammit.

Over these 5 years, I have developed more symptoms gradually. Also, some of these symptoms vary in severity from day to day. I dont know why. Was it something I ate? Something I took? Something I said? I dunno. For example, one day I am wobbling around like a little old lady because my ankles are killing me. The next day, my ankles feel just fine. One day, my back cracks every time I move, the next day, not a peep from my back. I have tried many different supplements, prescriptions (no anti-depressants though, even though I was prescribed plenty), a 10-day water fast (felt good for about 3 days during the fast, but damn I was hungry the entire time), juice fasting (pain in the butt, did not do it very long), cleaning up my diet, exercising more, exercising less, sleeping more, sleeping less, acupuncture, chiropractors, lots of crazy stuff really and I havent experienced any relief.

My current symptoms are constant bloating, diarrhea, excessive belching, abdominal pain, joint pain in ankles, knees, hips, entire back, and shoulders, muscle pain, dry hair, hair loss all over scalp and body, dry skin, thin skin, pale skin (cannot tan anymore), inability to sweat (except my face), lots of wrinkles, tinea versicolor all over my body, chilblains on fingers (when it is cold outside), low libido, decreased vaginal sensitivity, dry eyes, poor night vision, bad body odor, inability to sweat, numbness in hands and feet, muscle spasms, crawling sensation on my skin, tinnitus, fatigue, irregular menstrual cycles, altered brain function (unable to do math in my head anymore, having trouble communicating, horrible memory, feel stupid, not myself anymore), and well, just feel miserable. Oh, and I read about many people experiencing facial flushing post-Accucrap. Mine is just the opposite. I used to flush when I got embarrassed, angry, or nervous. After Accucrap, no flushing, no color whatsoever in my face ever.

The only things that have showed abnormal were fat maldigestion and fat malabsorption (but a recent test showed normal), small intestinal bacterial overgrowth positive (numerous antibiotics did not do anything for my symptoms, so the doctor basically dismissed it), hemorrhoids, low BUN (6 mg/dL range 8-25), low vitamin D (22 ng/mL range 30-100), low neutrophils/high lymphocytes, and just recently got my hormones checked after reading this thread and some of my hormones are in the post-menopausal range (just great) even though I am not post-menopausal just yet. Here are my hormone test results.

Progesterone 0.5 (follicular phase < 1.35, luteal 1.84-30.2, postmenopausal < 0.7) ng/mL

Testosterone 70 (17-76) ng/dL

SHBG 122 (premenopausal 28-146, postmenopausal 12-166) nmol/L

Free Testosterone 0.5 (0.3-1.5) ng/dL

Estradiol 16 (premenopausal 35-557, postmenopausal < 35) pg/mL

LH 12.8 (follicular 1.9-11.6, mid-cycle 12.9-90.3, luteal 0.5-10.4, postmenopausal 6.9-55.1) mIU/mL

FSH 45.2 (premenopausal 1.5-19.9, postmenopausal 23.9-125.0) mIU/mL

Prolactin 9.9 (2.0-27.0) ng/mL

Cortisol AM 15 (7-25) ug/dL

DHEA Sulfate 263 (27-206) ug/dL

TSH 1.7 (0.5-4.7) uIU/mL

Free T3 3.0 (2.3-4.2) pg/mL

Free T4 1.15 (0.73-1.95) ng/dL

So, I continue to have hope that we will all come out of this someday. I will be sure to post anything helpful, anything to help us get out of this nightmare. Damn, I am so sorry that all of you know what Accucrap is. Its just not right.

Also, I came across this post that I found very interesting. Not sure what to think about this.

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dermatology/Accutane-isotretinoin-cured-something-in-my-body/show/2253386

First question is if either of his parents took Accucrap before he was born. Next question, well I don't really know, while typing this I heard a loud sound in my head (like a crack), and now I constantly hear a beeping sound in my ears and I have a bad headache. Gotta lay down. This is so messed up.

Hey guys, on the "Accutane action US" page on Facebook, the first post on the page, go all the way down. There is a woman who mentioned writing to the Dr. Phil show(U.S. daytime show) about her long life of sides after taking accutane. I beleive she said she took it 30 years ago.

If you aren't embarrassed about your identity, it would be a smart idea to post to him. If he gets enough stories about it he might do a show on it.

That would be a great way to get exposure to the public!

Hi everyone. just thought i would share my story with the accucrap even though it is pretty much the same. I took 30MG 2x a day back in 2009 and you guessed it ive never been the same. Someone mentioned feeling anxiety simply when they walk past another human, and that is exactly how i feel everyday every time. i have had the normal vision issues, dry eyes, itchy and annoyed, sometimes they water a lot, sometimes they are OK! (sometimes) ... i have also had bad dirhrea for about 4 years now, i eat only raw foods for the last year btw (figuring it out slowly)... problem is recovery seems just as slow. ive also had weird brain problems, like i have reduced brain activiyty. i say that because my memory seems OK, and if someone has a direct question i can usually help, but never have anything interesting else to say... i try tho.. if i try hard enough (sure is a lot of work) i can sometimes get going, but often find by that time its time to change the subject, do you know what i mean? If chrones was the worst this accucrap caused i wouldnt be here... its much worse. the depression sure is one of a kind (people seem to think were fineeee) HA! trade ya brains! i really dont care about things like before, music doesnt sound good, havent had sex in about a year, probably wont for awhile right now either. it comes in waves but for the most part its pretty recognizable that im not my happy self god gave me to be.

Ive again read so many great things on here and its always good to know there are more of us. i read someones signature said sunshine camping and trying to laugh. the first two are my favorite but for some reason laughing makes me feel worse half the time. probably because im sick of it just being a motion. guys i feel dead when i stop and think about it and it scares me, ive tried cannabis and its just like anything else....probably dont bother. although i mention cannabis because i think its better to do this for us than pop pills or something. i just dont even like the effects of cannabis, i didnt wanna be a stoner, shouldnt have to go that route. plus ive smoked a lot for a few years and it just ..ugh... yeah its depressing too. shoot it does make me temperarly feel like its worth being on earth to be stoned, but id like to feel that other wise : )

Now the good news= i dont freaking care. all i can do is eat 100% raw and engage in good things. thats it!!!!! (it sucks it sucks it sucks it sucks) but its the only solution. i think. i understand everyone who has killed themselves and what is worse is its honestly not a bad idea. dont do it though because you only live and then you die. im giving it another 10 years at least tho, if i still dont care maybe ill do something crazy. but ehh. maybe ill just eat mushrooms and enjoy my life rather than whatever hurt myself. soooo think about that. last resort LOL! keep chuggin guys and girls.

Dont buy into suppliments please, just eat raw, its best.

I know this may sound crazy, but if any of you are having trouble with pain, please look into the Jhanas in Buddhism. They actually removed all of my pain, fatigue, nausea, you name it. I'm still in shock to be honest. My psychologist (who pronounced me cured) told me by doing this I was retraining my brain, as well as my body. Heck I feel like I'm retraining reality. Its fucking amazing. If anyone would like more information, please message and I'll do my best to help in anyway.

I am sorry for all of you who have suffered because of this drug, and I feel awful for your loved ones who have suffered too.

 

Basically, I took this crap 5 years ago for 6 months (total of 12,600mg at 110 lbs) for literally a few pimples. It was not until a couple of months ago that I realized the symptoms that I have been experiencing over these years were from taking this drug. During the treatment, I experienced dry lips, joint pain (ankles and back), skin sensitivity to sunlight, muscle pain (forearms), poor night vision, decreased vaginal sensitivity and low libido. I experienced a crash exactly one month after ingesting the last pill. It was a Monday morning (I wrote all this down), and I woke up feeling just awful. I was so tired, bloated, and belching a lot. I looked in the mirror and my hair was so brittle and dry. I had developed deep wrinkles in my chest and my face was so pale. All this occurred overnight. I looked and felt fine the night before. WTH had happened? I had aged 50 years overnight. I questioned the dermatologist about the drug doing this to me, and she said definitely not as it was out of my system by now. Okay, yea makes sense. How on earth could a drug cause problems after it is out of the body? I am only supposed to be feeling better, not worse, plus the only permanent side effects were damage to a fetus, not me, she said over and over again, as I questioned her over and over again. Side effects are only temporary she said. Are you sure? Yes, they are all temporary and go away once you discontinue treatment. Damn derm. Sorry, I go off sometimes.

 

Anyway, very long story kind of short, I thought my symptoms were from a poor digestive system, caused by antibiotics, the birth control pills that I was on as required, or a bad gallbladder (birth control pills gave me damn gallstones). I very recently had my gallbladder yanked out due to just not knowing what to do anymore. Why cant I heal? Why am I just getting worse as the years go on? Thats got to be it, as my family doctor and one of the many gastroenterologists that I had seen kept telling me. Well, the gallbladder was perfectly normal, no gallstones (just as the subsequent imaging tests had shown after I took Ursodiol for 6 months) and I just felt plain defeated. Basically, I dont know what to do anymore. Honestly, I was better off before I made the connection that Accucrap had been behind this. This drug is in my head all the time. I cannot quit thinking about it. I cannot quit researching about it. I cannot quit reading forums about this. I cannot quit trying to find a way out. What did this drug do to people? How is this crap still being handed out left and right all over the world? How is all this happening? How come the symptoms vary in people? How come the long-term side effects may occur during treatment, or after treatment, whether it is weeks, months, or years? Is it the dosage? Is it the genes? Is it whatever? WTH did this drug do to the body and the brain? Dammit.

 

Over these 5 years, I have developed more symptoms gradually. Also, some of these symptoms vary in severity from day to day. I dont know why. Was it something I ate? Something I took? Something I said? I dunno. For example, one day I am wobbling around like a little old lady because my ankles are killing me. The next day, my ankles feel just fine. One day, my back cracks every time I move, the next day, not a peep from my back. I have tried many different supplements, prescriptions (no anti-depressants though, even though I was prescribed plenty), a 10-day water fast (felt good for about 3 days during the fast, but damn I was hungry the entire time), juice fasting (pain in the butt, did not do it very long), cleaning up my diet, exercising more, exercising less, sleeping more, sleeping less, acupuncture, chiropractors, lots of crazy stuff really and I havent experienced any relief.

 

My current symptoms are constant bloating, diarrhea, excessive belching, abdominal pain, joint pain in ankles, knees, hips, entire back, and shoulders, muscle pain, dry hair, hair loss all over scalp and body, dry skin, thin skin, pale skin (cannot tan anymore), inability to sweat (except my face), lots of wrinkles, tinea versicolor all over my body, chilblains on fingers (when it is cold outside), low libido, decreased vaginal sensitivity, dry eyes, poor night vision, bad body odor, inability to sweat, numbness in hands and feet, muscle spasms, crawling sensation on my skin, tinnitus, fatigue, irregular menstrual cycles, altered brain function (unable to do math in my head anymore, having trouble communicating, horrible memory, feel stupid, not myself anymore), and well, just feel miserable. Oh, and I read about many people experiencing facial flushing post-Accucrap. Mine is just the opposite. I used to flush when I got embarrassed, angry, or nervous. After Accucrap, no flushing, no color whatsoever in my face ever.

 

The only things that have showed abnormal were fat maldigestion and fat malabsorption (but a recent test showed normal), small intestinal bacterial overgrowth positive (numerous antibiotics did not do anything for my symptoms, so the doctor basically dismissed it), hemorrhoids, low BUN (6 mg/dL range 8-25), low vitamin D (22 ng/mL range 30-100), low neutrophils/high lymphocytes, and just recently got my hormones checked after reading this thread and some of my hormones are in the post-menopausal range (just great) even though I am not post-menopausal just yet. Here are my hormone test results.

 

Progesterone 0.5 (follicular phase < 1.35, luteal 1.84-30.2, postmenopausal < 0.7) ng/mL

Testosterone 70 (17-76) ng/dL

SHBG 122 (premenopausal 28-146, postmenopausal 12-166) nmol/L

Free Testosterone 0.5 (0.3-1.5) ng/dL

Estradiol 16 (premenopausal 35-557, postmenopausal < 35) pg/mL

LH 12.8 (follicular 1.9-11.6, mid-cycle 12.9-90.3, luteal 0.5-10.4, postmenopausal 6.9-55.1) mIU/mL

FSH 45.2 (premenopausal 1.5-19.9, postmenopausal 23.9-125.0) mIU/mL

Prolactin 9.9 (2.0-27.0) ng/mL

Cortisol AM 15 (7-25) ug/dL

DHEA Sulfate 263 (27-206) ug/dL

TSH 1.7 (0.5-4.7) uIU/mL

Free T3 3.0 (2.3-4.2) pg/mL

Free T4 1.15 (0.73-1.95) ng/dL

 

So, I continue to have hope that we will all come out of this someday. I will be sure to post anything helpful, anything to help us get out of this nightmare. Damn, I am so sorry that all of you know what Accucrap is. Its just not right.

well this almost sounds like my story although I am a male. I took accutane 12 years ago only for 3 months and so far nothing has helped me recover. Of course every dermatologist I meet say "this cannot be done by accutane it is completely safe drug" and I feel so angry just for hearing this.

Other than that:

- bloating

- fat stains in stool although stool tests come normal

- yellow stool

- cramping

- joint pain

- anxiety

- trouble gathering my thoughts (brain fog essentially)

- fatigue

- lost all hair

- i feel like i am 100 years old

and the best part:

ACNE RETURNED 3 WEEKS AFTER THE TREATMENT

The only possibility I can think of right now is the serotonin connection but that would probably not work anyway.

Please note I am on gluten-free diet for 5 years already. My blood results/hormones/liver are/is completely fine. No doctor wants to talk to me really since they all think I am joking. I feel so helpless with dealing with this shit. I think I now understand why there were a number of suicide cases after accutane therapy.

 

Progesterone 0.5 (follicular phase < 1.35, luteal 1.84-30.2, postmenopausal < 0.7) ng/mL

Testosterone 70 (17-76) ng/dL

SHBG 122 (premenopausal 28-146, postmenopausal 12-166) nmol/L

Free Testosterone 0.5 (0.3-1.5) ng/dL

Estradiol 16 (premenopausal 35-557, postmenopausal < 35) pg/mL

LH 12.8 (follicular 1.9-11.6, mid-cycle 12.9-90.3, luteal 0.5-10.4, postmenopausal 6.9-55.1) mIU/mL

FSH 45.2 (premenopausal 1.5-19.9, postmenopausal 23.9-125.0) mIU/mL

Prolactin 9.9 (2.0-27.0) ng/mL

Cortisol AM 15 (7-25) ug/dL

DHEA Sulfate 263 (27-206) ug/dL

TSH 1.7 (0.5-4.7) uIU/mL

Free T3 3.0 (2.3-4.2) pg/mL

Free T4 1.15 (0.73-1.95) ng/dL

Just curious what your doctor had to say about these results?

Were your side effects officially reported yet?

(See links in my signature if your derm or endo haven't filed an adverse drug reaction report)

-Your derm probably has no clue how Accutane really works beyond "It makes pimples go away by decreasing sebum production and inflammatory response in the skin." Boggles the mind that anyone well-versed in medicine, like dermatologists are supposed to be, can be confused by such a simple idea as the side effects of a medication lasting as long as the benefits.