Accutane “Big Mistake”

Seattle, WAEllen rues the day that she took Accutane, and she isn’t alone in her belief that the acne medication could be linked to Accutane Ulcerative Colitis.

“Why would anyone think that a (supposedly) harmless drug like Accutane could cause inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn’s Disease?” asks Ellen. “My family doctor referred me to a skin specialist in 2005, and he advised me to take this med. I started having bowel problems about a year later but wasn’t diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease until 2010. Now, after researching Accutane inflammatory bowel disease, I want to join an Accutane lawsuit.”

Ellen (not her real name) adds that she has spent thousands of dollars on doctor and naturopath visits and drugs to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) but nothing seems to help. She is hopeful that a lawsuit might cover some of her medical expenses.

Andy took Accutane back in 1997, when he was 16 years old. “I took it for several months - I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread,” he says. “My skin was so bad I thought I would never get a date.” Andy is happily married now. His acne cleared up, but earlier this year, he was diagnosed with a severe case of ulcerative colitis. “This has been a debilitating disease and I believe there could be a link to Accutane,” he says. “I suspect the lining of my colon had broken down because of Accutane, leading to my disease years later.”

Ulcerative colitis can be debilitating: not only is it painful, it also renders some people literally housebound because they cannot control their bowels.

“I have to go to the bathroom without warning typically four times a day, and frequently as often as six,” Ellen adds. “I rarely have a solid bowel movement; this probably doesn’t sound like a big deal but I can’t tell you how embarrassing it is. This affliction - IBD - pulls me out of meetings at work, and I dread having to travel, either by car or plane. I have missed so much time off work that I constantly worry that one day I won’t have a job anymore.

“Taking Accutane has got to be the biggest mistake of my life,” adds Andy. “Not to mention, it’s just all-around embarrassing. I am so lucky to have an understanding family; I am sure there are many Accutane sufferers out there who are too afraid of getting into a relationship, fearing rejection because of this Accutane colitis.

“Joining an Accutane lawsuit will give me some satisfaction. I try not to think about the manufacturer, however. I heard that they knew all along that their product is the cause of these horrible side effects. I wonder how many people who work at Hoffmann-LaRoche, the drugmaker, have taken Accutane. I suspect not too many.”