My 5 cents…
Okay, I have to say this… The reason the depression/Accutane connection is
all crazy is
because a biological link has not been found yet. This means that as of now,
there have been no
physical test results that show Accutane causing clincial depression (i.e.,
Accutane has not been
linked to causing the chemical imbalance that is depression.). Obviously, this
is a pretty
difficult thing to find, but they haven’t found a "casual link" yet, as they
say.
Unfortunately, because of the nature of people taking this drug (severe,
disfiguring acne), this
link is even more difficult to flesh out because people feel so bad about
themselves prior to
taking Accutane. Many studies suggest that facially disfiguring acne itself
leads to depression,
and that treatment with isotretinoin can reduce depression due to improvement of
one’s appearance.
Roche continues to do research to find a link, and until one is found/not
found, Roche asks all
doctors to treat Accutane as though it may cause depression.
Unfortunately, I cannot currently locate the article that has standardized
results indicating
that Accutane users are at no greater risk for depression than anyone else. I
do know that it is
in a class folder that I still have, and when I find the article/link, I’ll be
sure to post it.
I also have a bunch of medical journal articles from my dermatologist sitting
in front of me
that show no evidence of a higher risk of depression in Accutane users. This
information also
states that there are no contraindications regarding the use of Accutane in a
patient with a
personal or family history of depression, although some doctors would prefer a
referral from a
mental health specialist, and the risks and benefits of isotretinoin treatment
should be discussed
accordingly.
I did a speech on Accutane "issues" in my Communications class last semester,
because I found
that the majority of Accutane media coverage, especially on the Internet, is
incredibly negative.
While I believe that Accutane is a)not for everyone and b)a serious drug that
should be treated
with extreme caution AND the care of a doctor, I don’t think it’s the horror
drug everyone makes
it out to be. There are plenty of people who have had very good experiences
with Accutane,
especially with proper care of a medical professional, and I hardly think they
are given much
consideration.
I just want Accutane coverage to be equally balanced here. 
I’ll post the link to that article sometime tomorrow… and if anyone is
interested in any of the
information my dermatologist gave me specifically for my speech, please e-mail
me, and I’ll be
happy to get it to you.
Take care,
Karyn
March 10th, 2005 at 8:57 pm
> I just want Accutane coverage to be equally balanced here.
>
Thanks, Karyn, but I’m going to match this with another 5 cents. Though I
don’t know accutane, I do know that the same arguments were made over prozac.
I’m here to tell you that, after I saw the change in my son on day 10 from a
sweet boy to a violent monster … and even his principal said "don’t punish
him, his eyes even look different, get to the doctor and stop this med" …
no-one can tell me that, because a link hasn’t been found, prozac isn’t both the
potential jekyll-hyde drug that it is for some as well as the wonder-cure that
it is for others.
Obviously, we’d switched docs at that point, and learned that prozac was NOT
indicated for anyone predisposed with anxiety disorders - and that it should
never have been prescribed for him. This child being dyslexic and adhd
definitely had anxiety! Once aggravated by the drug, he was out of control.
The
saddest part is that he remembers only the last of the week he was at home, but
had actually blacked out during that reaction and could not remember any of it.
Whatever the columns and studies say, consider the source, then add in some
horse-sense. If you’re struggling with depression, don’t use accutane. It’s
that easy. If not, then accutane may be for you.
- Katie