I took Accutane for my cystic acne when I was 21. When I was 22 I was hospitalized for several days with stomach inflammation so bad that I not only had to be on intravenous antibiotics for 3 days, but was pretty much unconcious the entire time.

Years later diagnosed with Crohn’s. Until you’ve known the pleasure of sh*tting yourself in public places without warning no matter what you do, or being so nauseous you that you actually pass out and can’t function for YEARS like a normal person, but still have to hold down a job and pay bills, (while pulling over to vomit on the way to work) get off your disillusion soap box

They don’t randomly make up side effects: they list the ones relative and they just lie about how serious they may be…This drug was in fact a breakthrough for those with acne like mine. However it should not have been given out except as a last resort and not like Asprin. And I didn’t have any stomach issues after swallowing a pill like Cynthis stated, but it builds up in your system and stays there for at least a year, possibly causing issues the entire time.

You said that perfectly! We’re talking about a multi-billion company here. And the sock thing is that they KNEW about the IBD possibility and decided to keep that hidden, sickening. I agree Accutane can stay to help those who want it………but the warnings have to be there so at least the patients know of the risk.

I was given accutane at twelve years old. At that time there were no warnings that Accutane could cause IBS or IBD. Further research has shown that the drug company failed to inform patients of this possibility. I am happy for you that your IBS symptoms went away like magic. However, image being in that much pain everyday. IBD is a serious complication from Accutane. IBD can also cause cancer. So I ask you…Should a drug company not be held liable for not educating the doctors and patients they recommened use this drug? And if your answer is no my next question is why? If my parents had been made aware of this I would not be up for the battle of my life. I have not sued anyone but I cannot fault those who have. The only people being awarded $$$ from this are the ones who took it before all warning were released. How much is your life worth to you?

Oh and please do not for one second think that the victims have managed to put even the smallest dent into the Roche wallet.

There is a big, big, big difference between Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) causes intermittent cramping, constipation and cramping. Now the cramping can be so severe that you can’t walk and the diarrhea can come on so suddenly that you soil yourself but this is nothing compared to IBD.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) on the other hand includes both Ulcerative Colitis and Chron’s Disease.

In ulcerative colitis whole segments of the colon get multiple small ulcerations with bleeding and scarring.

Chron’s Disease effects the small intestines and you get severe inflammation of whole sections of the intestines (a cobblestone road effect) and scarring.

Both cause malabsorption and may require emergency surgury to cut out whole sections of the intestines to avoid death. You may have to live with ostomy bags for the rest of your life and during the recurrent flareups may need to be fed intravenously for months or years at a time, possibly while living in a hospital during a flareup even without the surgury. You may also need steroids and other immunosuppressive drugs to suppress these recurrences. Some of the side effects of the drugs include diabetes, psychosis and AIDS-like infections.

Chron’s disease is so bad that for the first 15 years after Chrone (a pathologist) identified it, it was only diagnosed at autopsy.

Salmon

For me, it was a miracle drug, when nothing else would work to clear my severe nodular/cystic acne. I wish Roche had contacted me to testify, because I know first hand that if you ignore the instructions and take it without food, YES, you will get very severe stomach cramping and IBS symptoms. As soon as I figured out that it was my own failure to take as directed that was causing my problem and began to take with a full meal, like magic the IBS symptoms went away.