Some interesting Information about Accutane

This message was shared by Zach Lake on another Accutane forum.




Some interesting Information about Accutane, relevant for those suffering from Acne, Exfoliative Cheilitis, Folliculitis, etc.


Accutane side effects:

1. Mental side effects: Accutane has been shown to cause hippocampal cell death in mice. It has been shown to alter metabolism in the orbitofrontal cortex in humans. There are documented instances of brain damage as well. Accutane is in the top 10 of all pharmaceutical drugs for association with suicide.

2. Gastrointestinal diseases: Many people have successfully sued Roche because internal studies have demonstrated that Accutane errodes the intestinal tract. These studies are not available to the public, but are widely cited as a reason why users are successful in suing Roche. (Court orders reveal what Roche may have a vested interest in stifling.) Some public studies have also established a correlation between Accutane and IBD.


3. Drug regulators working for Roche have testified that they recommend clearer labels for potential side effects decades ago, but were shot down by the marketing department. Basically, the bottom line is what is most important to Roche. (Surprise, surprise.)

4. 30% of Accutane metabolizes into a drug known as ATRA in the body. ATRA downregulates the telomerase enzyme in the body. Tolomerase protects telomeres; telomeres regulate how many times a cell can divide before it dies. So to sum it up VERY simplisticly: Less telomerase = shorter telomeres = increased cellular death. This is why Accutane was explored as a cancer drug. As we know, chemotherapy affects all different cells in the body. When we start dealing with telomeres, we're talking about several different organs in the body. This is why ex-Accutane users report long-term issues pertaining to everything from depression, joint pain, IBD, etc.





Dr. Bremner is a researcher who tried to establish a link between Accutane and suicide. Roche tried to stifle him at every step. They hit him with frivolous lawsuits that forced him to give up all of his data for a time.
(Read the book, "The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg.")

Obviously, this has deterred future researchers from trying to establish links between Accutane and other diseases. Nevertheless, we still have data. I will now provide links for everything I stated in my original comment.



1.
http://archderm.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15863802

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15251924

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3276716/#R173


2. "Roche first advised physicians about a possible association between Accutane and inflammatory bowel disease in 1984. In the ensuing years, the evidence accumulated by Roche and outside scientists demonstrated that, far from a coincidence, Accutane was in fact inducing inflammatory bowel disease in Accutane patients."

"The verdict capped a five-week trial in New Jersey State Superior Court and follows a series of recent plaintiffs' wins here and in other state courts against Nutley, NJ-based Roche over allegations that Accutane was a cause of severe bowel maladies, in some cases even after the plaintiffs discontinued use of the drug."

http://www.istockanalyst.com/.../viewiS.../articleid/2817847


"The jury saw evidence of Roche studies, never published to the scientific and medical community, that Accutane's by-products damage the gastrointestinal tract and lead to degeneration and erosion of the intestinal lining -- a trigger for IBD.

Significantly, those studies, which were done in animal models specifically to test the gastrointestinal safety of the drug, used exposures of the drug that were lower than those given to humans.

Likewise, in the company's files but not shared with the medical community, were numerous patient reports from physicians where Accutane use triggered the symptoms of IBD, which subsided when Accutane use was terminated but then reoccurred following subsequent Accutane usage; those patients were ultimately diagnosed with IBD. Roche repeatedly determined internally that Accutane was the best or only explanation for the patient's condition. While Roche internally concluded that Accutane use was "causally associated" with the development of inflammatory bowel disease, in this trial as in others, Roche argued otherwise to the jury."

http://www.prnewswire.com/.../new-jersey-jury-awards-2516...

https://www.bigclassaction.com/.../accutane-settlement...


3. "The company’s own safety experts had recommended in 1997 changing the US label to reflect the evidence that Accutaine "probably caused" Depression and other psychiatric illnesses in some patients." USA Today reported (December 7, 2004) that Hoffman’s head of regulatory affairs testified in court that the marketing division argued that such a warning would "impact on marketing strategy and product liability." The marketing division prevailed and no such warning was issued."

http://ahrp.org/despite-accutane-suicide-risk-judge.../




4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC34517/

We have rapidly dividing cells in our skin, gastrointestinal tract, bones, and brain, which would also be affected by this telomerase activity.


Personally, I have suffered from IBS, cognitive deficits, and weakened skin since stopping Accutane. My cognitive deficits hinder my ability to think clearly, enjoy anything, and talk fluently.

I had MILD episodes of depersonalization while on the drug, but I thought I was just "tired." These types of issues eventually became chronic shortly after quitting Accutane.

"Chemo brain" is now a documented medical phenomenon and it appears that's what I have. I also had mild gastrointestinal changes while on the drug, but again, came on full force once quitting.

My story matches up with the Science and the experiences of thousands of others.


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