Again, a drug or medication that's supposed to help Americans instead harms them. Accutane, a severe acne treatment that's been used by more than 13 million sufferers of acne, has been found to cause harmful side effects including birth defects, suicide impulses and gastrointestinal disorders.

Swiss-based drug manufacturer Hoffmann-La Roche, which launched Accutane in 1982, discontinued it in 2009, claiming it did so due to a shrinking share of the acne medication market following introduction of generic Accutane products. But the fact is, the La Roche Group was making up to $1.2 billion in annual sales of Accutane, yet also faced a growing number of defective drug lawsuits and Accutane lawsuits sparked by harmful Accutane side effects.

Also, generic Accutane remains on the market, sold under such brand names as Sotret, Claravis and Amnesteem. All of those drug products contain the powerful drug Isotretonoin, which can help reduce acne but also causes damaging side effects, from strokes and suicidal impulses to Ulcerative Colitis, inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn's Disease.

Persons who have been harmed by such Accutane side effects after taking Accutane for severe acne treatment should contact a defective drugs lawyer to explore pressing an Accutane lawsuit. A New Jersey court awarded millions of dollars to victims who suffered inflammatory bowel disease as a result of taking Accutane for acne treatment. Such a condition can include Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, or UC, disease.

UC disease concerns sores, inflammation or ulcers which form in the lining of the rectum and colon. These can cause diarrhea, bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain, as well as fatigue, rectal bleeding, joint pain, anemia, weight loss and other ailments. Such an inflammatory bowel disease affects the intestines and colon. Crohn's Disease is another inflammatory bowel disease, but it leads to inflammation more deeply in the intestinal system, including the stomach, small intestine, esophagus and mouth.

Depression, suicide and other psychological disorders also have been traced to Accutane use. Along with inflammatory bowel disease, other potential harmful Accutane side effects include miscarriages, birth defects, difficulty in hearing or seeing, seizures, strokes, heart attacks, pink eye, bone loss, liver damage and lowered white blood cell counts.

Though originally approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Accutane eventually received a black box warning of its risks on its containers, also courtesy of the FDA. But that came too late for many acne treatment patients whose physician or dermatologist already had prescribed the drug or generic Accutane such as Claravis, Sotret and Amnesteem.

If you or a loved one in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin or elsewhere in Texas has been harmed by taking Accutane, contact an Accutane lawyer, defective drugs lawyer  or Accutane attorney with Jim S. Adler & Associates to explore your Accutane lawsuit options. No acne treatment is worth the harm that Accutane has caused many innocent Americans, but financial compensation for Accutane side effects injuries can come via a Texas Accutane lawsuit.