Roaccutane Side Effects

Roaccutane (also known as oral isotretinoin), is one of the most famous anti-acne drug that contains a lot of vitamin A (which can lessens oil glands production and reduces bacterial infections), and can produce results within months.

Roaccutane is primarily used for nodulo-cystic acne (’hard raised pus-filled spots’), conglobate acne (a rare type of acne develops on the back, bottom and thorax. It is an accumulation of pustules and cysts, and might be due to a strong bacterial infection) and severe acne or scars. Roaccutane is usually given to people who have not responded to acne creams (benzoyl peroxide, retinoids, etc), antibiotics (erythromycin, tetracyclines etc), and everything else.

However, roaccutane does not work for everyone, so make sure you are well-informed about all the possible side-effects. One of the most controversial and talked about is that Roaccutane may cause depression, mental and psychological problems and suicide. Here is the complete list, some of them have been reported by people using Roaccutane:

- Fetal malformation and Risk of spontaneous abortion: that’s why this drug is strictly not advisable for pregnant or expecting mothers. So if you are planning on this drug treatment, better be sure that you are not currently pregnant because this is very harmful for the baby or fetus.
- Liver toxicity/dysfunction: if you are already having problems with your liver, better find another solution for acne.
- Psychiatric disorders: including depression, psychosis, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, seizures (there have been a lot of roaccutane related suicidal tendencies and attempts that were reported).
- Benign intracranial hypertension which must be referred to a neurologist.
- Corneal opacity
- Elevation of high density lipoproteins and elevation of cholesterol levels.
- Diabetes
- Inflammatory bowel syndrome
- Hyper pigmentation
- Hair thinning and alopecia.
- Dry skin: it’s suppose to rid the pores of oil but sometimes dryness is just too much as if the facial skin pores oil glands totally stops producing oil.
- Eczema
- Photosensitivity
- Sweating
- Nail dystrophy
- Lethargy
- Back pain and joint and bone problems as well
- Epilepsy
- Headaches: may be manageable unless you already have a history of headache related problems like migraine
- Skin fragility
- Nosebleeds
- Dry mouth and nose
- Sore, cracked and sensitive lips: may be managed by using lip balms, petroleum jelly or chap stick
- Conjunctivitis
- Blurred vision
- Nausea
- Irritability
- Decreased concentration

If you are considering this form of treatment, seek medical advice from a dermatologist. It is possible that with the correct dosage, prescription and supervised medication, roaccutane will most likely clear out your skin acne.

(*Summary about Roaccutane by Mark Bellows)