You probably know the drug isotretinoin by its trade name, accutane. Accutane is a powerful drug often used to treat acne. Unlike other acne treatments, which are simply antibacterial agents, accutane actually changes the composition of the skin. Accutane causes skin to produce less oil, which almost always results in a reduction of acne. Accutane is very powerful and effective, but this comes with some very dangerous side effects that everybody should be aware of. If used or administered improperly, accutane can do more harm than good.

Almost everybody who uses accutane suffers from mild side effects like itchy skin, chapped lips, hair loss, and nosebleeds. These are very minor compared with some of the more dramatic side effects. Accutane causes horrible birth defects if used while a mother is pregnant, and women taking accutane have to sign a contract that they are willing to undertake an abortion if they become pregnant during or directly after their use of accutane. Other problems include decreased night vision, joint pain, and disorders of the intestinal and urinary systems.

Some patients develop terrible headaches that can lead to brain aneurisms. Some patients taking accutane fall into severe depression and many have committed suicide. The actual numbers are hard to come by because the majority of accutane users are young adolescents, an age group that is always plagued by raging hormones and emotional swings. When these young people take their lives while using accutane their families do not always realize that the depression, and resulting death, was actually caused by the drug. Some people feel that drug companies should be held responsible for distributing a drug with side effects as life-threatening as the disease of depression.

If you or someone you love is using accutane and is suffering from any of these terrible side effects, please talk to a trained drug lawyer. Victims across the country are filing suit with Roche Pharmaceuticals, the makers of accutane, to gain justice for the terrible side effects accutane has unleashed. Accutane can produce pleasing aesthetic results, but at a potentially devastating cost in health risks.