Accutane Essay

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The Dangers of Accutane
What would you give to rid yourself of acne? What would you do? The bane of every adolescent’s existence, these red spots develop to some degree in 85% of the population between ages 12 and 25 (Lamberg). Teenagers wake up every morning, look at the mirror, and sigh at the acne on their faces and often other places on their bodies. They dread these awful things that are absolutely ugly. They get desperate and eventually, if the acne grows worse than ever before, they resort to Accutane. Accutane, also known as isotretinoin, is a medication for acne. However, despite isotretinoin’s helpfulness in controlling acne that is unresponsive to other treatments, this medication should not be used because of its harmful physical side effects, its association with psychiatric adverse effects, and its effects on reproduction.
First of all, isotretinoin is dangerous due to its numerous physical side effects. By using this treatment, patients may develop dry skin, itching, dry nose, nosebleeds, cracks in the corners of the mouth, dry mouth, inflammation of the whites of the eyes, and joint aches (Ogbru). A more serious side effect linked to Accutane is inflammatory bowel disease (Crockett et al.), as exemplified by a court case in which an Accutane user sued Roche Holding, its manufacturer. When an Alabama man was awarded $2.62 million, it was the first of 400 lawsuits Roche Holding lost; they claimed that the Accutane acne drug was the cause of inflammatory bowel disease (Voreacos). In an article for The Washington Post, reporter David Voreacos wrote that in a 2007 case, the jury’s verdict was in favor of Andrew McCarrell, 36, finding that his disease had been caused by Accutane, and the jurors said that Roche failed to...

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...ven the smallest chance of contracting a serious disease, that there is a risk, makes it dangerous. The fact that this treatment could possibly lead one to commit suicide is horrifying. The fact that this medication could cause the death of an unborn child is dreadful. Every life matters. In other words, despite the fact that many people may not be affected as severely as others due to isotretinoin, it can still pose harm. After all, it is better to be safe than sorry. Therefore, isotretinoin should not be used because of the fact that its risks far outweigh the benefits.
In conclusion, one should not use the medication isotretinoin. Although it can be helpful in controlling acne that is unresponsive to other treatments, it should not be used due to its harmful physical side effects, its association with psychiatric adverse effects, and its effects on reproduction.

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