There are people out there on their last rope, wondering what they can do about their painful cystic acne. They not only develop large painful pimples on their face, but all over their bodies requiring constant checking and care. The care is so that the welts won’t create socially propelling white heads and don’t get worse.
This problem can leave severe scarring and can cause the patient to have social and emotional problems as a result. People with the most acute cases of cystic acne have been known to have problems finding relationships. This can lead to depression and further already reclusive behavior. With no other drug strong enough to help them, many turn to Accutane to cure them.
Unfortunately, some patients discover that the cystic acne may be a preferred alternative to the side effects of Accutane, but by then its too late.
Accutane is a powerful acne drug that was originally produced and developed by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1982 to treat cystic acne. It has since gone generic and in 2009, Roche stopped producing it in the United States due to mounting legal issues regarding Accutane’s serious side effects. We’ll go into that later. But first, you should know quickly what the drug is.
What is Accutane? It is a derivative of Vitamin A called Isotretinon. Vitamin A, which is in almost everything we eat, is highest in vegetables like broccoli and carrots, and proteins such as liver. These have long been considered foods that are great for the skin, but when Vitamin A was discovered in the early 20th century they found that large concentrations of it are poisonous.
So scientists separated out Isotretinon to allow them to give large doses without the fatal poisonous effect. The reason they did this is because they found that Isotretinon slowed cell growth in the body to such an extent that it could help in fighting cancer, so they added it to the chemotherapy drug cocktail where it remains to this day. Scientists noticed a change in their cancer patient’s complexion and Accutane was born.
But, as patients took Accutane they noticed some serious side effects. One of those side effects was that they developed a serious condition called Ulcerative Colitis.
Accutane and Ulcerative Colitis
There are many serious side effects that come with Accutane that scientists and the FDA knew about in clinical trials. One of them was the serious chance of birth defects which prompted the FDA to create the iPledge program. This program is the most stringent and comprehensive monitoring program for side effects of any pharmaceutical on the market. Unfortunately, it does not monitor or search for Ulcerative Colitis.
Ulcerative Colitis – It is a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in which the patient’s colon and upper digestive tract become periodically enflamed with seemingly no dietary trigger. The inflammation is followed by ulcers (soars) in the lining of the bowel causing bleeding and severe abdominal pain. The severity of the disease is in stages and can be identified with a series of traits.
- Mild – The patient has abdominal pain with four or fewer bowel movements that are not accompanied by blood in the stool. Weight loss and loss of energy are also traits of this stage,
- Moderate – Abdominal pain is considerable and the patient takes four bowel movements per day with half or more accompanied by blood in the stool. The patient also has a fever of up to 102 degrees and begins to show signs of toxicity.
- Severe – Abdominal pain is acute and debilitating. Patient takes six or more bowel movements, all accompanied by bloody stool. The patient is anemic, weight loss is noticeable, and displays severe signs of toxicity.
- Fulminant disease – This is when the patient takes more than 10 bowel movements per day and bleeding is almost constant. The patient must be hospitalized and requires a colonoscopy to determine the most affected section. Then to prevent the patient’s death from toxicity and other severe symptoms, surgeons perform a colectomy (removal of a section of the colon) to relieve the disease or eliminate the blighted section.
Please be aware that there is a severe risk of developing Colorectal Cancer in patients with Ulcerative Colitis because of polyps that develop in the colon due to the disease. Toxicity can lead to soars on the outside of the body that become infected and gangrenous if not treated properly.
Accutane Lawsuits
This may sound serious and it is. People have complained that it affects every facet of their lives and determines how and when they can do simple activities such as go for walks, hike, and spend time with their children. It also severely effects how people work and how often they are able to work.
Time off of work makes a person less likely to be promoted or gain more than the minimum of living increases in their job. This inhibits their ability to raise and retain a family and a quality of life that may have been available to them had Ulcerative Colitis not derailed it.
The pain and suffering that comes with Ulcerative Colitis is debilitating and acute. It can lead to severe emotional consequences such as depression and thoughts of suicide. This can also affect families and relationships. What may have been once an active and relatively fulfilling lifestyle is soon reduced to a life wrought with pain and medical issues that force the victim to isolate themselves both physically and emotionally.
That is why there have been thousands of lawsuits filed across the country regarding IBD and the different ways IBD manifests itself such as Ulcerative Colitis and also Crohns Disease, which effects the whole digestive process from mouth to anus. These lawsuits are not only seeking compensation, but also recognition from Roche that this side effect exists and must be acknowledged and monitored as others such as birth defects and thoughts of suicide are.
If you or a loved one is suffering from the life-altering side effects of Accutane then you need an experienced defective drug attorney on your side that can get you the compensation you deserve. Call Phillips Webster for a free consultation on your legal options.
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