Accutane, which is the brand name for the drug isotretinoin, is prescribed by dermatologists as a treatment for patients suffering from severe cystic acne. Accutane?s currently known side effects include birth defects and a greater sensitivity to sunlight, but the drug has also been linked to numerous cases of depression and suicide as well as damage to the liver, kidneys, and colon. Female patients are warned not to become pregnant while on Accutane due to the high risk of severe birth defects. The drug is manufactured in the U.S. by Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc.

Aside from psychiatric problems and birth defects, recent studies have also revealed a potential link between a higher risk of colon cancer and the use of Accutane.

In accordance with the rules and regulations of the FDA, the formal reporting of Adverse Side Effects is done on a purely voluntary basis. In other words, no doctors or medical personnel are required by law to report side affects caused by a drug. The FDA estimated about only one in a hundred side effects actually gets reported. One could only guess how many serious side effects of Accutane exist, but have simply never been reported by anybody.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a serious medical condition that you think may be associated with the use of Accutane, please call us immediately for more information regarding the various side effects of this drug and a possible claim against the manufacturer.

List of Accutane related Complications and Conditions

• Psychiatric Problems -Suicides and Attempted Suicides
• Birth Defects - Physical Deformities, Mental Retardation, Miscarriage
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease- Bowel inflammation, Intestinal problems
• Crohn's Disease
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Lupus
• Hodgkin?s Disease
• Pancreatitis
• Skin Damage
• Central Nervous System - Strokes, Swelling of the Brain, Paralysis, Slurred Speech
• Kidney Problems- such as Glomerulonephritis
• Bone & Muscle Damage - Desiccation of the Spine, Dehydration of Spinal Discs, Buildup of Bony Material
• Hearing & Vision - Hearing and/or Vision Impairment, Decreased Night Vision, Blindness
• Liver Damage - Clinical Hepatitis, Hepatotoxicity, Cirrhosis
• Rectal Bleeding- as well as severe diarrhea and cramping
• Psychiatric Problems
  

  Psychiatric Side Effects:
  Aggression	Suicide Attempts
  Depression	Suicide
  Psychosis	Suicidal Thoughts
  Paranoia	Violent Behaviors
  Changes in Personality	Withdrawal
  Abnormal Behavior	Mood Swings

Since 1982, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received reports of 245 suicides, 182 of which were in the United States, and over a thousand cases of psychiatric problems associated with Accutane. As few as one percent of ?adverse events? associated with the drug, such as suicide and attempted suicide, ever get reported to the FDA.

On May 1, 2000, Roche was finally forced to change the warnings on the package label to include: "...DEPRESSION, AND RARELY SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, SUICIDE ATTEMPTS AND SUICIDE..."

Suicide and depression as possible side effects of the drug came to the attention of the FDA as early as February 1985 in which there was a case of suicide reported where the patient had no history of depression.

The potential psychological dangers associated with Accutane use received worldwide attention in 2000 after the suicide of a Congressman's son.  Rep. Burt Stupak' son took his life unexpectedly while taking Accutane.  To this day Rep. Stupak is still lobbying for stricter controls over the acne drug.  On June 16, 2004 he proposed new legislation that would increase user awareness of the potential dangers of the drug.