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Roaccutane - Medical Negligence Overview

Roaccutane is a drug used as a last resort for the treatment of acne. It is perhaps the strongest medication available for acne treatment and it is used mostly in young people with serious cystic acne. The reason it is often used as a last resort is because there can be serious side effects with taking the medication that may not make taking the medication worth it.

The most serious side effect of Roaccutane is birth defects. These can include mental retardation and physical defects in the infant if the woman takes Roaccutane in the first trimester of pregnancy. If you are a woman who can bear children and want to take Roaccutane, you must sign a consent form before taking the medication and must be on two forms of birth control, such as birth control pills and the shot for birth control. Some doctors do not recommend carrying through with the pregnancy if you accidentally get pregnant while taking Roaccutane because the risk of side effects is very great.

Minor side effects of taking Roaccutane include getting cracked or dry lips, fragile skin, dry mouth, itching, joint complaints, dry nose, nose bleeds or conjunctivitis (pink eye). Less commonly seen side effects include bowel pain and inflammation, problems wearing contact lenses, wound healing delay, depression, poor night vision, stomach or intestinal problems, sun sensitivity, thinning hair, vision deficits, vomiting or urinary discomfort.

Acne medications like Roaccutane can result in a temporary worsening of the acne before it turns around and becomes better. It takes a few weeks but then the acne becomes lessened and the skin dries up. Dry skin is common with Roaccutane so you need to use lotions or creams to keep the skin soft. Wash the face and neck regularly to keep it clean and free of bacteria. Often, no other anti-acne medication is needed once the Roaccutane has begun to do its job.

Your doctor should warn you in person and in written form of the side effects and dangers of taking Roaccutane. This is especially true when it comes to taking it during childbearing years. Just one baby born with birth defects from Roaccutane can cost society a million or more dollars in care required to take care of the child and adult exposed in utero to Roaccutane.

Individuals who take Roaccutane along with tetracycline, an antibiotic for acne, can have nausea, vomiting, headache and visual changes cause by an increase in pressure within the brain. If you have these symptoms, you could be doing damage to your optic nerve so you need to see an ophthalmologist and your dermatologist right away. The Roaccutane and/or the tetracycline may need to be stopped. Night vision is commonly decreased at the time of taking the Roaccutane so be careful if you have to drive at night. Blood sugar elevations and irregularities are common with Roaccutane users-even those who haven't had a diagnosis of diabetes. You can't donate blood if you have been taking Roaccutane within the past month.

One more recent finding has been the incidence of bowel diseases with those taking Roaccutane. These bowel diseases can be serious and even fatal. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain and abdominal cramping. The most common diseases are inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's colitis and ulcerative colitis. Both lead to severe bowel symptoms like abdominal pain and diarrhoea and can lead to colon cancer in the future. Severe depression is also a side effect you want to pay attention to if you are taking Roaccutane. It can lead to suicidal thoughts and suicide, even if the medication is working appropriately and the acne is getting better. Roaccutane should be stopped if severe depressive symptoms result from taking the drug.

In rare cases, there can be liver damage when taking Roaccutane. This can include symptoms of jaundice, weight loss, nausea, poor appetite and bleeding abnormalities.

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The author of the substantive medical writing on this website is Dr. Christine Traxler MD whose biography can be read here