Suicide Link To Acne Drug Officially Established

[Fed Up]

Suicide Link To Acne Drug Officially Established

I only bring this to your attention because a friend of mine's teenage son committed suicide a little over a year ago and there was no apparent reasoning behind it. He had many friends, was loved by everyone, had a girlfriend and even a date with her for Homecoming the next week.

The only thing the parents could come up with was a connection to the Accutate, an acne medicine, that he was prescribed by his physician.

Just ran across this article today where it states that "a clear chemical link has been established between the acne drug Roaccutane and the history of depression and suicide associated with its usage."

Maybe it can save a teenagers life....

Fed Up

[hsmith]

I was on it, while it did increase depression, it was never that bad for me

If you aren't watching your child close enough on it then it is no surprise something bad can happen

[IminWonderland]

Why does bad acne need medication?

It's a condition that people can be prone to, I think that medication is a stretch and just feeding into the cultural appearance standards.

Kids need to just be kids, even if they have pimples.

[motivez]

I dunno, have you ever seen anyone with seriously bad acne? I mean, not just normal outbreaks that every teenager gets, but their entire face is pretty much a giant pimple patch?

I knew a girl when I was in Junior High who was like that, she had it bad since maybe 6th grade or so.. finally in 8th she got on some medication and it cleared up, but I know she was miserable not just for the social reasons, but it's not like having pimples feels good on your face either..

Originally Posted by hsmith

If you aren't watching your child close enough on it then it is no surprise something bad can happen

The idea that parents, even good ones, can immediately recognize suicidal thoughts in time to do something isn't always true, especially if it's brought on suddenly with some type of medication

Kids are often good at hiding how they really feel from their parents, especially at the age where they want almost nothing to do with them.

[northhunter]

Our U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D) from Michigan had a son who was about 15-16 and commited suicide a few years ago. He was also on an acne mediaction and later Stupak was on Good Morning America talking about the dangers of the medication and mentioning the number of teen suicides. It was a couple of years ago and I'd assumed they'd pulled it due to the alleged link to teen suicides, guess it's still out there.
As for the need to treat acne, this medication was for severe cases not a pimple or two. Some kids who have the worst form of acne especially on their faces are treated like lepers by the other kids. I can't blame them for wanting some relief.

[IminWonderland]

If the choice for my child is sever acne, or medication that might cause them to kill themselves, my kids will have to go to Walgreens and get the OTC stuff.

[Fed Up]

The issue with the parents of my friend was that they really weren't aware of the warning label on the Accutate medicine container and the Doctor didn't give them a verbal warning like "hey, keep an eye on your kid because this stuff can cause depression."

I came across an international group that had over 2,000 cases of suicide related to the taking of Accutane when I researched this last year.

This story, in 2000, is similar to what happened to my friends child: Accutane - Statement - October 5, 2000 - Congressman Bart Stupak, Representing Michigan's 1st District

Fed Up

[7th Ninjai]

I took Accutane about 13 years ago when I was a junior in high school. Did wonders for my skin and I didn't experience any side effects (including depression).

[7th Ninjai]

Originally Posted by IminWonderland

Why does bad acne need medication?

It's a condition that people can be prone to, I think that medication is a stretch and just feeding into the cultural appearance standards.

Kids need to just be kids, even if they have pimples.

Some people have acne on a scale where, if it's not medically corrected, deep tissue facial scarring will be with them for life. I don't know if I was at that point, but every OTC medicine and other prescribed alternatives were no help to me.

[Fed Up]

Originally Posted by 7th Ninjai

I took Accutane about 13 years ago when I was a junior in high school. Did wonders for my skin and I didn't experience any side effects (including depression).

I'm sure you're with the majority who have taken the drug.

Fed Up

[RMNIXON]

Originally Posted by IminWonderland

If the choice for my child is sever acne, or medication that might cause them to kill themselves, my kids will have to go to Walgreens and get the OTC stuff.

Not to make light of the issue, but I swear I just saw a comercial for some kind of skin medication that can cause headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.

When we get to the point where we think we need to load out bodies with chemicals to treat any and all medical conditions is it any wonder they disrupt our nomal biological systems? And that would include out state of mind since our brains are electro-chemical based activity.

[IminWonderland]

Originally Posted by RMNIXON

Not to make light of the issue, but I swear I just saw a comercial for some kind of skin medication that can cause headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.

When we get to the point where we think we need to load out bodies with chemicals to treat any and all medical conditions is it any wonder they disrupt our nomal biological systems? And that would include out state of mind since our brains are electro-chemical based activity.

I agree.

I think the deep scarring sucks, no doubt.

But not every condition needs to be treated in this manner. It's no wonder people have gone mad at every turn with all the chemicals burned into our bodies.

[Thorgrim]

My acne when I was about...15...wasn't really bad, but it was noticeable and girls notice everything

Accutane saved my teenage dating years