Hi
I am trying to find some help. I took Accutane in Summer-Fall of 2011 (30 mg) I was 90 pounds. I took it for about 4 months and then one day in late Nov I felt a bit of a shooting/throbbing headache. In Dec., I fell extremely sick. In 7 days I lost 7 pounds. That was a lot for my body to take. My heart was beating fast and my neck was so swollen that I could barely eat. It took me forever to get out of bed. My blood work came back and everything was off the charts. I was taken off Accutane and was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Once I started getting better and gaining my health back, a lil over a month late in late Jan I became hypo. No one in my family has thyroid issues. I am wondering if this was a side effect of Accutane. Hypothyroidism is basically ruining my life and I am now on Levothyroxin. I am hoping and praying that it'll go away soon and I'll fully recover.
My doctor doesn't think it was Accutane that caused it.
Any insight will be very helpful.
Thanks
I had two separate dermatologists in two different states prescribe me Accutane, despite my already existing diagnosis of hypothyroidism, so it doesn't surprise me that your doctor doubts there is a connection. Since you were only 90 pounds when you were initially prescribed Accutane, do you think it might be possible that you had hyperthyroidism before you went on it? I was tested for it at age 27 because I already told my regular doctor that my father had it. I'm sure f I hadn't mentioned my father's diagnosis, I doubt I would have been tested for it at all. I didn't have any *obvious* symptoms of hypothyroidism, although I had suspicions that I might have had it before I was diagnosed.
On the other hand, everyone is different when reacting to medications. Off topic, but my one close relative has been profoundly deaf since at least age two-- as it turns out, a genetic test revealed that she has a weird maternally-linked mutation that causes deafness whey they take aminogycide antibiotics (like azithromyacin, etc). She was on a lot of antibiotics for chronic ear infections as a young kid. Maybe you have some kind of unusual sensitivity to Accutane that hasn't been discovered yet.