I'm on my 4th course of isotretinoin (Accutane) at 40mg per day. It has worked great for me each time and this time I will end up on a long term "maintenance dose" of 40mg per week to keep my sebaceous hyperplasia under control. Each time I used isotretinoin I reviewed and worried about the side effects. One in particular was inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which was supposedly the most common and feared. I proceeded with treatments anyway because I didn't like hiding from the world with my zits and blackheads. This time however it looks like the IBD is no longer a concern or a very diminished risk. My doc to me this and now I found and article that backs it up. Everyone should make their own choices, but I thought I'd share what I found. Please forgive me if this has been posted previously.
USNews Health, February 20, 2013, "Study Finds No Tie Between Acne Drug Accutane and Crohn's, Colitis"
"New data involving 45,000 women may settle the question, experts say..."
Shaking my head ^
I'm on my 4th course of isotretinoin (Accutane) at 40mg per day. It has worked great for me each time and this time I will end up on a long term "maintenance dose" of 40mg per week to keep my sebaceous hyperplasia under control. Each time I used isotretinoin I reviewed and worried about the side effects. One in particular was inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which was supposedly the most common and feared. I proceeded with treatments anyway because I didn't like hiding from the world with my zits and blackheads. This time however it looks like the IBD is no longer a concern or a very diminished risk. My doc to me this and now I found and article that backs it up. Everyone should make their own choices, but I thought I'd share what I found. Please forgive me if this has been posted previously.
USNews Health, February 20, 2013, "Study Finds No Tie Between Acne Drug Accutane and Crohn's, Colitis"
"New data involving 45,000 women may settle the question, experts say..."
I agree that it still needs to be taken with caution and obeying all the rules of the IPledge program and your doctor. There are definitely side effects, but for me they were far out weighed by the improvement in my skin. I remember when they came out with the depression/suicide warning. I thought that was very strange because having acne and blackheads was already very depressing and stressful. Acne made me feel rejected and sub human. I actually used up a lot of my vacation days because I was too embarrassed to go to work. When I started to see results from Accutane I felt energized and happy, like a fresh start. For me it was the total opposite of depression. The latest studies pretty much prove that this is the case for most people and that the link between depression and Accutane is not really proven. In reality depression and suicidal thoughts may have been preexisting or situational. Now the companies that manufacture oral isotretinoin strongly warn about IBD and depression mainly to avoid getting sued by a really clever lawyer and a sympathetic jury. The strong warnings are also highly suggestive so some people begin to convince themselves that they feel "weird." The reality is that millions and millions of people have used this drug to their benefit for over 30 years. The major danger with this drug is birth defects if a woman has it in her system while pregnant. That is real and proven, but there are lots of other drugs which must be avoided during pregnancy also. It's also odd to me that many people who worry about this drug have absolutely no problem going out and drinking to excess and/or smoking.