Teens with acne get depressed, especially if it’s severe. A recent study in The British Medical Journal  - based on Swedish research - found that depression makes acne worse. As it gets worse, it causes more depression, triggering more acne.     

No wonder millions of people took Accutane, a powerful acne medication to rid themselves of a disfiguring condition that left them without self esteem. For many it was a mistake. Accutane was a great acne treatment. It permanently ended outbreaks of red, highly inflamed pustules on their faces but it opened the door to a lifetime of misery.  

Accutane was taken off the market in 2009 nearly 30 years after it was introduced because it can cause ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease - devastating illnesses of the bowel that last a life time. Both cause intense suffering and permanent damage to the intestines. These diseases also can be life-threatening. A 38-year old Alabama man had to have his colon removed after taking Accutane to treat his acne. In February 2010, a jury awarded him $25 million.  

Accutane’s manufacturer, Hoffman-La Roche, is now defending against nearly 1,000 lawsuits brought by victims who developed these diseases after taking the drug.  So far, Roche Holding Company has paid $56 million to victims in six Accutane lawsuits. Roche lost every suit on the grounds that it failed to adequately warn users of the risk of these bowel diseases.  

Many who took Accutane still may not know that their intestinal conditions are linked to the drug because that hasn’t received much publicity until recently. Anyone who developed ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s Disease up to five years after taking Accutane should contact a personal injury attorney.

Accutane was meant for patients with the severest form of acne when it was introduced. It cured almost 95 percent of those who took it. It became so wildly popular that doctors began to prescribe it for mild to moderate acne, exposing thousands more Americans to ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s Disease.  

Millions are known to have taken the drug. Those who developed ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease were the unfortunate victims of a kind of Russian Roulette, not knowing when they took Accutane that they might be the ones to develop serious, permanent illnesses of the  digestive tract. .

The $25 million award to the Alabama victim is a ray of hope for people who took Accutane and developed these diseases. It opened the door to a flood of lawsuits. The multi-million dollar award also provides hope to those who took Accutane’s generics: Amnesteem, Claravis and Sotret and subsequently developed these diseases. The generics have been on the market since 2002. Their manufacturers are potentially liable too, since these drugs are derivatives of Isotretinoin, Accutane’s main component.  

Jim Adler has been representing victims of all kinds for more than 30 years. Anyone seeking information about Accutane will receive prompt attention from his firm.