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Effects of Non-Natural Acne Treatments

By: Eugene Yeng

On October 26, 2004, the English newspaper the Daily Mail published an account of a Pam Medland detailing the story of she lost her son to depression caused by the acne drug Roaccutane.

We had noticed quite a dramatic change in him over the last few days of taking Roaccutane for a minor acne problem but never, ever did we think that his treatment would end in such terrible circumstances...("Did an Acne Drug," 2004, p. 48)

Jon Medland was a consistent A-student who had just been accepted to all three jobs he applied for. At 22 years of age, he was about to earn his degree in medicine and marry the love of his life, Victoria. The only flaw that Jon could see were the spots he had on his back that he had wanted to get rid of for the longest time.

Like other sufferers of acne, John first tried other treatments such as antibiotics, gels and creams that proved ineffectual. It was then that he decided to try the increasingly popular acne treatment drug Roaccuatane

Jon knew that severe depression was a supposedly very rare, but known, side-effect. But he wasn't concerned by this. He knew all drugs have side-effects and he didn't feel he was vulnerable to depression. We were never keen on him taking it and we asked him not to, but because of his medical training we trusted him to make the right decision. He reassured us that everything would be fine and that he was at low risk of suffering any severe bad effects. ("Did an Acne Drug," 2004, p. 48)

Since 1982, over 142 Accutane-related suicides have already been reported in the United States ("Accutane"). The cases of Accutane (also known as isotretinoin and Roaccutane) users who fell under severe depression after using the drug as well as Accutane-related miscarriages and birth defects in babies rose alarmingly that the US FDA approved a strengthened risk management program for Accutane called IPLEDGE ("Accutane Risk Management Program," 2002, p. 8)

While the drug's effectiveness as a treatment for acne is undisputed, Accutane has now been linked to an increased occurrence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Crohn's Disease, Hepatitis, Hepatotoxicity, Lupus, as well as increased numbers of miscarriages and birth defects among its pregnant users.("Accutane")

Accutane is not the only acne treatment that has come under fire. Users of over the counter treatments such as Retin-A and benzoyl peroxide have reported extreme sensitivity to sunlight that severe drying of the skin. (Henkel, 1995)

Antibiotic based treatments have resulted in cases of diarrhea, fatigue, and allergies while those that also work as contraceptives have been shown to cause depression mild to severe depression among its users. ("'Unbearable Depression' of Women," 2006, p. 20)

Treatments for acne and scars have also had their share of negative publicity. Chemical peels done wrong can cause burning, allergy and skin redness. Laser treatments done by unqualified operators of the devices have resulted in severely damaged, burnt and scarred skin among its patients. .("60 Patients to Sue," 2005, p. 9)

The problem is that while people may be aware of the possible side effects of such treatments, very few actually believe that such things can happen to them.

Jon knew that severe depression was a supposedly very rare, but known, side-effect. But he wasn't concerned by this. He knew all drugs have side-effects and he didn't feel he was vulnerable to depression.

We were never keen on him taking it and we asked him not to, but because of his medical training we trusted him to make the right decision. He reassured us that everything would be fine and that he was at low risk of suffering any severe bad effects. ("Did an Acne Drug," 2004, p. 48)

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