Ulcerative colitis, also known as UC, is an inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. But beyond that alphabet soup of acronyms lies a untasteworthy stew of harmful side effects for those who suffer UC after taking acne drug Accutane.
It may not seem that an acne medication or acne treatment could cause severe digestive disorders, but that’s proven to be the case with defective drug Accutane. Its potent active ingredient, Isotretinoin, has harmed many Americans and others around the world since Accutane became available as an acne treatment in 1982. In all, more than 13 million people are believed to have taken Accutane.
Among the worst Accutane side effects injuries is UC. It compares to Crohn’s disease, another Accutane IBD injury, as a gastrointestinal ailment. But while Crohn’s (also called Crohns) attacks the entire digestive system, UC bears down on the colon (or large intestine), the rectum and sometimes the last segment of the small intestine, known as the ileum.
This can produce inflammation and ulceration of the lining of the colon or large intestine, which then can spark severe pain in the abdominal area. It also can produce embarrassing and exasperating bouts of diarrhea -- perhaps even bloody diarrhea.
But UC doesn’t stoop there. It also can lead to ulcers, sores and inflammation which in turn can lead to anemia, loss of weight, fatigue, bleeding of the rectum and pain in the joints.
Such severe and serious Accutane side effects are injuries which must be treated. But sadly, in the case of UC, treatment is all that’s available. There is no known cure for ulcerative colitis.
Victims are thus left with a lifetime of treatments -- and coping.
These treatments can start with medicines, such as the medications known as corticosteroids and mesalamine. But those are only a conservative first attack on the injury. A more emphatic approach is to try UC surgery -- a choice made by about two out of every five persons who suffer from ulcerative colitis.
Actually, that’s not always an elective decision. UC can be so severe as an Accutane injury that victims must have unscheduled emergency surgery.
This UC surgery can address problems involving a sudden widening of the colon or large intestine, known as toxic megacolon. It also can treat severe cases of blood loss via the digestive tract, as well as tunnel abnormalities, called fistulas, which appear between cavities of the body.
Accutane victims also may consider a surgery that’s known as J-Pouch surgery -- which actually involves two surgeries performed within three months of each other. This can restore the body to a point that victims can have bowel movements in a normal manner.
All such UC or ulcerative colitis surgeries or treatments can only ease a victim’s misery, but cannot eliminate it. Further treatments may be needed, and medical bills can continue to climb.
When such an injury is due to defective acne drug Accutane, the responsibility lies with the acne treatment’s manufacturer, Roche Pharmaceuticals, also known as Hoffman LaRoche. The Swiss-based drug maker knows that Accutane causes horrible injuries, which is why it finally pulled it from the market in 2009.
Now victims can fight back. Indeed, they already have. Accutane lawsuits have delivered more than $56 million in jury verdicts favoring plaintiffs so far. Such verdicts have held that Roche was negligent and must pay victims for its mistakes.
In the sad event that you or a loved one is such a victim, know that you can find an ally in the national attorney service of Accutane Lawsuit Lawyer.com. It can provide you with an experienced defective drug lawyer in your state for the purpose of pursuing fair financial compensation in your behalf via an Accutane lawsuit.
To begin, submit the free case review form on this Web page, or call toll-free to 1-800-339-0606. Soon you can proceed with an Accutane lawsuit to ease your financial burden, if not your physical one.