Accutane, the medication developed by Roche Pharmaceuticals to treat cases of acne and severe acne, is facing a number of Accutane lawsuit 2010 claims from thousands of plaintiffs all across the United States. These lawsuits have not been prompted by the drug’s failure to cure the condition that it claimed it would, but rather serious bowel disorder side effects.

In fact, Accutane is incredibly effective for the treatment of acne. These lawsuits are a response to the long term, severe and destructive inflammatory bowel side effects that have been linked to the use of Accutane by acne patients. A growing number of Accutane lawsuits continue to be filed by patients suffering from these more serious side effects.

But what are these Accutane side effects years later? Here is a brief overview of Accutane’s complications.

Accutane Crohn’s Disease

Some of the patients that have been prescribed and had used Accutane develop a host of bowel and gastrointestinal disorders. Among the very worst of these is Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s disease is an autoimmune disorder that inflames parts of a patient’s digestive system with severe pain and diarrhea. Though it does subside after a time, it always flares up again. This cycle repeats again and again, forcing those afflicted to incur this frustrating pain and discomfort in perpetuity.

Crohn’s disease is a chronic disorder, meaning that there is no known cure for it. Also, there is little that can be done medically to effectively treat Crohn’s disease when its symptoms flare up. Patients must simply suffer through it. Most of the court cases so far have been brought by plaintiffs that have become afflicted with Crohn’s disease following the use of Accutane.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Accutane use has also been linked to the onset of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This disorder is similar in nature to Crohn’s, only it is slightly less severe, and is concentrated to a patient’s lower intestines only. Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome include lower abdominal pain, painful bowel movements, and other inflammations throughout the digestive tract.

Accutane may prompt the onset of Irritable Bowel Syndrome through higher than normal doses of the acne drug. Most of the Accutane lawsuits have been prompted by the chronic, ongoing nature of these bowel disorder side effects.

Accutane Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is, like Crohn’s disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, an Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Unlike the other Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, ulcerative colitis can be fatal in some cases, making the side effects of Accutane potentially deadly. Accutane patients who become afflicted with ulcerative colitis face chronic pain and inflammation similar to Crohn’s disease, but in the case of ulcerative colitis, this is often a best-case scenario. Patients suffering with this bowel disease have continued to file Accutane lawsuit ulcerative colitis claims to help with ongoing medical care and the pain and suffering that goes along with this serious disease.

Skin Conditions

Some of the less severe side effects of Accutane include skin problems. These skin conditions include severe dry skin, bloody noses, and in some cases, the use of Accutane can cause a worsening of the original acne that the drug was intended to treat.

During the past few years, troubling reports have come from patients concerning an acne drug that advertised a treatment, and relief, for those people suffering from severe acne. This treatment was intended for those patients for whom nothing else had worked. Isotretinoin, developed and distributed under the brand name Accutane, is a powerful and potent medication designed to treat acne and acne scarring in adolescents and adults. Though Accutane was intended to treat acne, a relatively minor medical problem compared to other more life-threatening medical conditions, the drug brought with it something far worse for some of the patients who used it. Please contact us for the latest Accutane lawsuit settlements news and information.

Accutane did accomplish what doctors and its marketers promised. For more than 50 percent of the patients who used it, Accutane successfully cleared up the most severe cases of acne. For every one in 500 patients, though, their acne became much more pronounced. But this was always noted as a possibility in the drug’s warning literature. When compared to Accutane’s other side effects, a temporary worsening of acne is the least of many patients’ concerns.

Accutane Side Effects

Over the course of the past several years, millions of people have been prescribed Accutane to treat their acne problems. A large subsection of this group of users have developed severe, chronic side effects that haunt them for the rest of their lives. Among the worst of the side effects is Crohn’s disease. For several reasons that have not been conclusively established, Accutane use prompts all sorts of chronic bowel problems, such as Accutane inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Irritable Bowel Syndrome and ulcerative colitis.

One of the most common Accutane bowel disorders is Crohn’s disease. Accutane Crohns disease is a chronic condition that affects a patient’s entire digestive tract. The symptoms are severe inflammation and pain radiating throughout portions of the gastrointestinal system, diarrhea, severe gas pains and cramping. These symptoms do subside, for a time, but they always return again with little warning.

Roche Pharmaceuticals, the Atlantic City, New Jersey, company that produced and distributed Accutane, insists that the acne treatment is an all-natural drug derived from vitamin A. In fact, in minute amounts, Isotretinoin is found naturally in the human blood stream. However, many of the complications and side effects of Accutane come about from an excessively high amount of the chemical in the blood stream.

For Accutane to work effectively for those suffering severe acne, it needs to be taken in high doses, and it is these high doses that cause the onset of Accutane side effects. For patients who took high doses of Accutane, many of them have experienced the onset of these severe side effects.

For those that become afflicted with Crohn’s disease, it is an ongoing ailment that cannot be cured, or even treated all that effectively. Crohn’s disease has been the basis for several Accutane lawsuits as well, as patients claim that the drug’s makers, and the doctors who prescribed it, were not clear about the drug’s potential serious side effects. If you or a family member has suffered from inflammatory bowel disease after using this drug, please contact us for a free no-obligation consultation with an Accutane lawyer representing clients nationwide.

If you have been diagnosed with Accutane Crohn’s disease symptoms, a painful bowel disease, and have ever taken the acne mediation Accutane, you may need to look at that medication as a potential contributing factor for your disease. For the past couple of years, researchers have been looking into this medication as a potential cause of bowel diseases like Crohn’s. Some have won lawsuits against Roche Pharmaceuticals, the company who manufactured Accutane until it was pulled off the market in 2009, because of the consequences of the medication for them.

What Is Crohn’s Disease?

Maybe you’ve heard a little something about Crohn’s disease and aren’t quite sure what it is. Basically, it is a problem in which part of the intestines become inflamed deep into the tissue. The inflammation causes all sorts of problems, and there is no known actual cure for this disease.

Symptoms of Accutane Crohn’s disease are just like those of Crohn’s disease caused by other factors. The symptoms can come about when a patient is using Accutane, but they may not manifest until months or years after use of the medication has ceased. The medication seems to have a long-term degenerative effect on the bowels that may not be felt for some time, but that can come on after just a few weeks of using the medication.

Symptoms of Crohn’s disease include chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramps, bloody stools, reduced appetite, unexplained weight loss, and even fever and fatigue. If you are experiencing several of these symptoms at once, you need to consult a doctor to start treatment as soon as possible.

Treatments for Crohn’s Disease

Unfortunately, there is no actual cure for Accutane side effects long term. Many sufferers keep experiencing symptoms for decades after the original symptoms present. It can cause other problems, including ulcers and fistulas, and it has even been linked to a higher incidence of colon cancer.

Although there is no cure for Crohn’s disease, it can be treated in a variety of ways. Many patients use anti-inflammatory medications and immune suppressants to control the inflammation. Of course, these come with side effects of their own, as well. Antibiotics and medications specifically for the symptoms of the disease may also offer some relief. In extreme cases, patients must have part of their intestines removed to get rid of most of the diseased portions. All Crohn’s patients end up making dietary and lifestyle changes that affect them for the rest of their lives.

Accutane Lawsuit Crohn’s Disease

Science doesn’t yet tell us why Accutane causes Crohn’s, but many studies have linked it to the disease. This is why there are many pending Accutane lawsuit 2010 claims against the manufacturer of the drug. Patients claim that Roche Pharmaceuticals, who created Accutane, did not adequately warn them of the risks of developing Accutane Crohn’s disease. If you have developed Crohn’s disease because of Accutane, you may also be able to get compensation for the pain and suffering you’ve endured.

Many people that have cases of acne, and severe acne, have few places in which to turn to for treatment. The frustrating fact of the matter is that acne conditions are extremely difficult to effectively treat on a permanent basis. Many years ago, Roche Pharmaceuticals developed and distributed an acne treatment that promised phenomenal results. The drug is called Accutane, and it was prescribed by doctors for patients suffering the worst forms of acne, for which all other treatments had been ineffective. And though Accutane is largely effective for treating cases of severe acne – more than half of those patients treated saw their acne disappear – Accutane brought about something much worse for many.

The long term side effects of Accutane have been affecting consumers for years now, and the results have been, frankly, unsettling. Here is a break down of the most common side effects of the medication, and the recent legal ramifications of Accutane lawsuits.

Information on Accutane Lawsuits

Roche Pharmaceuticals cases has been tried several times based on the damage caused by the side effects of Accutane, and they have lost every case. This has resulted in the drug maker paying out millions in compensatory damages. Worse, still, for Roche Pharmaceuticals is the fact that more than 1,000 Accutane lawsuits have been filed against them, and are in pending litigation. There is a movement on the part of some plaintiffs to consolidate their lawsuits into a single class action suit, but that movement is still preliminary.

What Are the Side Effects of Accutane?

Accutane’s long term side effects include a wide array of physiological and mental diseases. Among the worst are Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases such as Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, liver damage and severe depression followed by suicidal thoughts and inclinations. Many of the cases against Roche Pharmaceuticals are Accutane related Crohn’s Disease lawsuits, as that seems the most common side effect of the acne treatment. Also, if Accutane is taken by women who are pregnant, serious birth defects may result.

How Does Accutane Work In the Body?

Accutane works in the human body by shutting down a patient’s glands that produce oils. Unfortunately, this can lead to all manner of malfunctions in the autoimmune system, which allows for the onset of many forms of Accutane inflammatory bowel disease. Again, while Crohn’s Disease is the most common, it is also possible for Accutane patients to develop Ulcerative Colitis, which can be fatal. The worst part of these Accutane generated IBDs is that they are chronic conditions with no known cure. For one month of acne treatments, many patients face a lifetime of severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, inflamed intestines and possible surgery to remove diseased parts of the lower intestine.

If you or a family member has suffered from Accutane bowel problems please contact us for a free no-obligation consultation. We have an Accutane attorney ready to help answer any of your questions.

There is a drug that was on the market that has experienced a great amount of attention as of late. Though created and marketed as a treatment for cases of acne, and severe acne, the makers of the drug Accutane have found that their drug has caused much more severe conditions than what it set out to treat. Patients from all over the country have developed severe and ongoing Accutane side effects years later, both physiological and psychological, all because they wanted to treat their acne.

Accutane was produced and distributed by Roche Pharmaceuticals. During the past couple of years, Roche Pharmaceuticals has lost six Accutane lawsuits, and has recently settled out of a seventh in a pre trial settlement that is sealed. The plaintiffs in those cases claimed to suffer chronic Inflammatory Bowel Diseases from Accutane use. Roche Pharmaceuticals faces more than 1,000 more Accutane lawsuits that have been filed against them, physicians and doctor’s offices during the past year.

Understanding the Link

The link between this acne medication and severe side effects such as Crohn’s Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Accutane Ulcerative Colitis and other forms of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) is currently being established both in the medical arena and in the court of law. However, there is currently no conclusive proof of a cause and effect relationship between Accutane and these side effects. That being said, there is extensive correlative evidence linking Accutane and IBD of all types, and it is clear that high doses of Accutane can often lead to these side effects.

In 2009, Roche Pharmaceuticals pulled Accutane from store shelves and doctors’ offices, claiming that other generic forms of the drug had made it too costly to continue. It was not too long afterward, however, that the first Accutane lawsuit was filed in court.

The problem with Accutane is that it is known to have severe side effects that can be fatal in the worst of cases, and unusually destructive and chronic in the best of cases. Due to the requirements of high doses of Accutane to treat severe acne, the body reacts in any number of ways, including Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Ulcerative Colitis, depression, suicidal thoughts, liver damage, and a veritable panoply of health problems.

A Lack of Warning Information

Even though many Accutane patients are briefed on the possible side effects of the acne treatment, enough of a case can be made for negligence due to the rather understated nature of those warnings. Simply telling a patient that he or she may develop inflammatory problems or dry skin does not touch upon the severe nature of what a harsh, chronic condition many of these Accutane side effects are.

Roche Pharmaceuticals seems prepared to attempt to settle out of court as many of the cases that they can going forward. The makers of Accutane have already lost millions of dollars in the course of litigation. Though there has been some discussion by plaintiffs to organize a class action suit, claims are currently being pursued on an individual basis. Please contact us for the latest Accutane lawsuit 2010 news.

Accutane is a medication derived from vitamin A that is used to treat severe cystic acne. The medication is supposed to be prescribed for dermatology patients with severe acne, but it can also have some serious side effects. Accutane side effects over the short term include dry skin, fatigue, and muscle pain. Accutane long term side effects are more serious, and may include severe depression, birth defects in the children of women who are taking the medication, and the development of serious gastrointestinal problems like Crohn’s Disease.

Accutane lawsuits are becoming quite common, even after the medication was discontinued in June 2009. Now, it still lives on in some generic forms, including Claravis and Sotret, though Roche Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of the name brand drug, has stopped making it.

The lawsuits against Accutane are one of the main reasons Roche cited for discontinuing the medication. Having paid out about millions of dollars in actual lawsuits, as well as amounts in settlements as of 2010, Roche decided they no longer wanted to manufacture the medication that millions of people worldwide were using.

Accutane Lawsuit 2010
The Accutane Crohn’s lawsuit is one of the most common ways that people have looked for compensation from Roche for their Accutane side effects. Unfortunately for many users of this medication, Accutane side effects years later can even years after they cease taking it. Sometimes, the side effects start while a patient is on the medication, but then persist for a long period of time after use has ceased.

Crohn’s Disease is a form of Irritable Bowel Disease in which certain parts of the gastrointestinal track become inflamed. When this happens, bleeding, pain, and cramps can occur. Also, many people with Crohn’s Disease struggle with malnutrition and unintentional weight loss, as nutrients are poorly absorbed through the walls of an irritated bowel.

Recently, one man who had been on Accutane for years succeeded in an Accutane lawsuit for several million dollars because he had developed Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Crohn’s disease. This most recent case ended in early 2010, but Roche plans to appeal the decision to award the plaintiff with over ten million dollars for his long-term suffering.

When dealing with a disease like Crohn’s or IBS, your medical expenses can increase over time. These problems take special dietary precautions, lifestyle changes, and medications over the long-term. Plus, this doesn’t account for of all of the pain and suffering caused by the side effects of Accutane.

If you have taken Accutane in the past and have noticed symptoms like unexplained weight loss, abdominal discomfort or pain, chronic diarrhea, or a host of others related to IBS or Crohn’s Disease, you may need be eligible to file a claim. An attorney can help explain your legal options including the latest Accutane lawsuit 2010 news.