Accutane®

Accutane® is a drug that was recalled from the market in 2009 because of the serious side effects it produced in patients. The generic name for Accutane® is isotretinoin. The medication was used to treat severe nodular acne.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Among the serious side effects of Accutane® is inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). There are two main forms of IBD, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Both these diseases are serious inflammatory diseases of the intestines.

Extreme pain and suffering are symptoms of both, and because these symptoms overlap it often can be difficult to tell the diseases apart. Accutane® has been linked to both forms of IBD, and even though the drug has been removed from the market, people continue to have symptoms and suffer from these two ravaging diseases.

Location of the Inflammation

Where IBD occurs is used to distinguish ulcerative colitis from Crohn's disease. In persons with ulcerative colitis, the inflammation is confined almost always to the large intestine or colon. In some of these patients, the ileum or the last part of the small intestine also is involved. On the other hand, in patients with Crohn's disease, the inflammation can occur anywhere along the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus.

In patients who have ulcerative colitis, the inflammation often starts in the rectum, then spreads upward through the colon. In Crohn's disease, however, the pattern of inflammation is spotty, with inflamed tissue interspersed between healthy tissue. Patients have sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy for physicians to make a differential diagnosis.

Symptoms and Treatment

Symptoms are often the same for both diseases, with a few slight variations. Patients with ulcerative colitis usually feel pain in the lower left portion of the abdomen. In Crohn's disease patients, the pain is most often felt in the lower right side of the abdomen. Rectal bleeding is not as common in patients with Crohn's disease as it is in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Both conditions are usually treated with drugs and may be treated surgically. The entire colon may be removed in patients with ulcerative colitis. In patients with Crohn's disease, only the inflamed parts of the bowel might be removed.

Long Term Complications of IBD

Long-term complications of IBD result from the ravages of the diseases and the treatments for them. In patients with Crohn's disease, pain can recur off and on for life. The side effects of medication for Crohn's disease can be debilitating and long lasting. Side effects from drugs used to treat Crohn's disease can include:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Osteoporosis
• Bone fractures
• Stunted growth in children
• Susceptibility to infection
• Risk of cancer
• Kidney and liver damage
• Fatigue
• Grave brain infection
• Seizures

Some of the same drugs are used to treat ulcerative colitis and may have the same long-term side effects. In addition, when severe enough, the patient's entire colon may have to be removed.

Contact an Experienced Accutane® Attorney

Lawsuits have been filed successfully against the manufacturer of Accutane®, Hoffman-La Roche, Inc. If you are suffering from side effects of Accutane® like Crohn's disease and IBD, or experiencing severe side effects from the medications and surgery to treat these conditions, you should be compensated for the long-term pain and suffering you have endured.

To find out if you qualify to file a lawsuit that would seek compensation for your suffering, please contact an Accutane® lawyer at Flood Law Group today. We provide free and private case reviews for prospective clients nationwide.