Accutane causing IBD commercials?

Has anyone else seen these lawyer commercials offering free consults if you've been diagnosed IBD and have taken the drug accutane? I've seen it twice now on TV. I live in the East Coast in Hampton Roads Virginia Matro Area, an hour southest of Richmond(the capital), 10 minutes south of Yorktown(revolutionary War won), 25 mins south of Willaimsburg/Jamestown, and about 45 minutes North of Norfolk and Va Beach.

Here is some information I've found about the drug on the actual drugs wikipedia page.

Isotretinoin is a medication used for the treatment of moderate to severe acne. It was first developed to be used as a chemotherapy medication for the treatment of brain cancer, pancreatic cancer and more. It is still used in the treatment of these cancers to this day because of its ability to kill cells off that divide too quickly. The effects of the medication are non-selective and highly widespread. In some cases, it is used to treat Harlequin type ichthyosis, a usually lethal skin deformation in which sufferers develop armor plated-like skin and usually die soon after birth. It is a retinoid, meaning it derives from vitamin A and is found in small quantities naturally in the body. Oral isotretinoin is marketed under various trade names, most commonly Accutane (Roche)

Increasingly higher dosages will result in higher toxicity, resembling vitamin A toxicity.
Adverse drug interactions associated with isotretinoin therapy include:

Rare: impaired night vision; cataracts; optic neuritis; menstrual disturbances; INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE; pancreatitis; hepatitis; corneal opacities; papilloedema; idiopathic intracranial hypertension; skeletal hyperostosis; extraosseous calcification; psychosis; and it is believed that severe depression can occur, although there is no conclusive evidence for this.

Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis

Several scientific studies have posited that isotretinoin is a probable cause of Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative colitis in some individuals. Three cases in the United States have gone to trial thus far, with all three resulting in multi-million dollar judgments against the makers of isotretinoin; there are an additional 425 cases pending.



I'm Wondering if anyone on HW has taken Accutane before, I've been lucky enough to not have had acne, nor basically any zits. Or if anyone has even seen this commercial. The commercial is what got me to look at the website on wikipedia.

Let me know your thoughts on this. Sorry a little long but I'd rather you have the info to read this and be informed then not know what i meant by being short.

Dont let this post fall to the way-side!

me either..oh well there will be others lol

I don't think its solely toxins either, but a good mix with genetic predisposition....blahhh what a complicated set of diseases. Then again, there aren't many that are simple..if any.

I find this very interesting as I took accutane for almost a yr when I was about 16 or so. Nobody else in my family has had bowel disease or crohn’s, and my sister (who was raised and breastfed just like me etc) does not have crohn’s or IBD but I do.   The drug had some very adverse side-effects for me including severe skin dryness, stinging eyes, dry hair, and severe depression. If we had known what a strong drug it was I may not have taken it, at least not for so long. I was initially put on a lower dose for 3 months; the acne cleared but 3 months later returned. So I was put on the same dose for another 3 months, and after 3 months the acne returned again. The third time I was put on accutane I was put on the highest dose possible, and for six months. So I was on it for quite a long time.   Please keep us updated if you hear anything else about the lawsuits. I wish they were going on in aus so I could investigate! Don’t think I would take part but I am still very interested.  

Yes well I was NOT informed by my dermatologist about the effects of this medication. I was not told it could cause severe depression, and after I became severely depressed my dad discovered over the net all of these cases of teens in the US committing suicide whilst being on acutance. Having a family history of depression (my uncle committed suicide) – I feel we were not properly informed.

 

I know this is not the fault of the drug company; but saying it was me – the 16 yr old patient – ‘s responsibility to know about these risks – is not right. Internet was only just coming in at this stage and we did all we could. Also, these new findings about accutane causing IBD were NOT around when I was on accutane at 16 years of age, so I was not informed.

 

I am not saying that accutane caused my crohn's - but it could have contributed to it. At the time, the drug companies said nothing about a link to IBD. And my dermatologist said nothing about a link to depression. So we were misinformed through no fault of our own. You put a lot of trust in specialists to do the right thing by you - it is not the patient's fault in all cases and whilst it might piss you off - it pisses me off more that I was affected in a negative way by the drug without being aware that it was the medication causing the depression. and Now I have crohn's, with accutane possibly being a contributing factor. I think I have a right to be pissed off more than someone who's medical condition has NOT been affected negatively by a medication due to no fault of their own.

 

Wait until you have a child who commits suidice whilst being on a drug for acne and then see how pissed off you are.

Post Edited (phoebeskye86) : 5/21/2009 7:34:47 PM (GMT-6)

That info is very interesting Kenny23. thanks….

 

It seems in this case ignorance is bliss, huh?

 

Never ceases to amaze me how ignorant some people can be of other people’s situations and experiences.

 

I took Accutane and had to go off of it d/t side effects. I had extreme headaches, dizziness and had to go immediately to a Neurologist who diagnosed me with increased ICP (intracranial pressure)/ pseudo brain tumor. They explained that it was cutting off the circulation to the optic nerve and could cause blindness. It resolved with stopping the med and daily visits to the doc to check the pressure. Almost had to have a spinal tap. Hense my apprehension to take meds at all today. I have recently joined and blogged about not taking my crohn's meds, after 3 yrs diagnosis. I have been in denial and in fear of the long term effects of meds. However, my symptoms are worse and I just started Colazal. After receiving counsel from my doc after my last colonoscopy last week, and peeps on here. (thanks again). You have to weigh out the benefits vs. side effects. All that being said; I should have just lived with my acne......this is the first I've heard of Accutane causing IBD. What are you to do at this point? I just find it interesting and will look into it more......but who knows...why or how, I'm finally accepting I have this disease.

I took accutane when i was 18  for about 6 months and was diagnosed with crohn's when i was 27. 

I haven't seen that one, but I did see a commercial about anyone who has had a CT scan with contrast. They said that the conrast can cause kidney problems.

I was prescribed Accutane in the mid 1980s, with warnings about dry skin, depression, sun damage, potential liver damage, dry eyes/mouth, dizziness.

In the mid 1990s I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease.

I had tried various medications to get myself stabilized with the Crohn's, so I eventually had surgey to remove a good length of small intestine, give me an ileostomy, and sew up my rear.

I don' know cause/effect or correlation, or coincedence, because I have not read any of the scientific literature.

I recognize the benefits of Accutane, but shouldn’t the drug company disclose ALL the risks to doctors and acne patients before use. I believe Roche didn’t want people to know that Accutane could lead to IBD or Crohn’s Disease because they wouldn’t make as much money. That’s not right or legal.

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Not only is this an old post, but advertising is not allowed on this site.

Post Edited By Moderator (MMMNAVY) : 12/16/2010 6:15:52 PM (GMT-7)

Aces High you might actually have better luck if you start a new post about this.