What Side Effects Does Accutane Have?

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If you have tried using a traditional severe acne treatment system, such as antibiotics, and not gotten any results, then Isotretinoin or Accutane might be recommended to you by a dermatologist. A powerful drug given orally, it has shown that it can dramatically reduce acne symptoms after a 15-20 week course.

Even though it has proven to be successful combating the most challenging of acne cases and is thought of as a miracle drug by teenagers, controversy continues to surround Accutane. This stems from the list of severe and occasionally permanent side effects that come with it.

Some of the side effects associated with the use of Isotretinoin are mild and tolerable. These side effects include thinning hair, heightened sensitivity to the sun, dry skin, nosebleeds, dry eyes, and dry lips. There is in fact a long list of serious side effects that have been reported due to the use of Accuttane. Even after the drug therapy was stopped, these symptoms still were present.

These side effects include persistent migraines, permanent liver damage, hearing loss, vision problems, difficulty breathing, mild rashes and other allergy reactions, lower back pain, other severe aches, and skeletal hyperostosis. The latter consists of excessive bone growth along the spine.

But perhaps the most bothersome of all Accutane side effects are its potential to cause severe birth defects if taken by pregnant women or women that became pregnant while taking the drug . Also, thoughts of suicide, severe depression, and mood swings have all been linked to Accutane.

Since Isotretinoin can be harmful to the fetus, it should not be used during pregnancy. Women should avoid pregnancy for at least a month after the use of Accutane. Mothers who are nursing should completely avoid the drug due to its severe side effects.

While it’s still arguable among researchers whether or not depression results from Isotretinoin, the manufacturer of Accutane states that both isotretinoin and Accutane can lead to mood changes. They state that brain chemicals can be negatively impacted by the synthetic derivatives of vitamin A.

Accutane is designed to stop excess oil production by reducing the output and size of the sebaceous glands. The problem is that your liver function and sebum glands of the skin are damaged in the process. By the time you stop taking the drug, your skin oil glands will return to function but your liver will not be able to properly balance your hormones and prevent the over production of sebum.

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Tags: Accutane, Acne, acne treatment