Acne Drug Bowel Side Effects Information

The first decade of the 21st century has seen some spectacular developments in the world of medical drugs and treatments. However, there have been some high profile cases of drugs and treatments that have contained dangerous and sometimes even fatal side effects. One of the most prominent, and one of the most actively litigated of these drugs is an acne treatment named Accutane.

A few years ago, Roche Pharmaceuticals developed, produced and distributed a powerful and potent new acne treatment that was designed to alleviate the worst, most severe cases of acne in adolescents and adults.

And Accutane worked pretty much as advertised as far as acne went. More than half of the patients who used Accutane to treat their severe acne saw a complete clearing of the condition within weeks. Another 25% saw their acne conditions lessen considerably. For a small number of patients, their acne actually worsened.

Yet none of this speaks to the dire and frightening Accutane side effects that have come into the public consciousness during the past few years. Lawsuits have been filed by Accutane users from all over the countyr due to the severe, debilitating and chronic nature of Accutanes long term side effects.

How Accutane Works

Accutane exists naturally in the human blood stream, in trace amounts. The levels of the chemical are so subtle, that it is hardly noticeable. Accutane is a derivative of vitamin A, and it works on the body by chemically inhibiting oil glands at a sub-dermal level. This helps patients suffering acne to experience a rather rapid clearing up of the condition as the glands producing the oil shut down, allowing the patients pores to no longer clog up.

Why Accutane Is Causing Problems

Unfortunately, when sub-dermal oil glands are chemically inhibited, other parts of human physiology are directly affected. Oil glands are crucial to the human auto immune system. When the body is suddenly no longer producing and releasing oil from these sub-dermal glands, problems develop throughout the gastrointestinal tract. For acne patients, the sad fact is that to be an effective acne treatment, Accutane must be taken in high doses. And it is these very high doses that seem to promote the rapid onset of Accutane side effects.

What Are The Side Effects Of Accutane?

Accutane's long term side effects include a wide array of physiological and psychological disorders. The most common fall under the umbrella term Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBDs) and include Crohns disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and ulcerative colitis. Liver damage can also result from Accutane use. In some cases, adolescents experienced severe depression and suicidal thoughts immediately after taking Accutane. This primarily seems to have occurred for adolescents though.

About the Author:

Mark Peterson is the author of this article on Accutane Class Action. Find more information about Accutane Lawsuit here.