(UK) Suicides linked to acne drug Roaccutane as regulator reopens inquiry

[nitpicker]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/dec/27/suicides-linked-to-acne-drug-roaccutane-as-regulator-reopens-inquiry

Suicides linked to acne drug Roaccutane as regulator reopens inquiry

Sarah Marsh

Fri 27 Dec 2019 08.00 GMT

Ten suicides this year have been linked to a powerful acne drug as the medicines regulator reopens an inquiry into it after being contacted by patients.

Twelve deaths were recorded in 2019, 10 by suicide, by people who had been prescribed Roaccutane, according to data from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The figure is up from five fatalities the year before and is the highest since records began in 1983. However, the MHRA noted that the reaction may not have occurred that year but only been reported then.
(snip)

Roaccutane, a brand name of the drug isotretinoin, is used by about 30,000 people in the UK each year. Data from NHS Digital shows prescriptions for isotretinoin rose from 34,283 to 69,040 between 2008 and 2018.

Also manufactured under the name Accutane, the drug is often credited with yielding miraculous results at clearing people’s skin.

While studies have not found a clear or direct link with increased risk of psychiatric disorders and suicide, side-effects have been noted.
(snip)

[KT2000]

1. Suicide was a concern

since Accutane was introduced many years ago. Strange that it is now considered a problem.

[abqtommy]

2. When I first saw a doctor to prescribe an anti-depressant for me I was warned that using it

might put me at risk for suicidal ideations as my mood elevated out of the deep depression I was in.
So I was ready for whatever came along since I was forewarned and knew I had support in place.
Everybody needs to hear about the possible outcomes of using medications and street drugs and how to deal with negative situations. I'm always saddened to hear about people who suicide.

[KatyaR]

3. I took Accutane many, many years ago to treat cystic acne.

It was the most miserable four months of my life. If I sat for more than a minute or two, I was so stiff when I got up to my feet that I could barely move. Turning over in bed at night meant that I had to grab the sheets and pull myself over, and it was horribly painful. I felt like I had some kind of muscular or skeletal disease. It cleared up my acne, and I don't really have problems with acne now, but it also thinned my skin and dried up my sinus mucosa to the point where I had nosebleeds two or three times a week. Thirty years since then and my nose is better, but I still have problems. Oh, and I was wearing extended wear contact lens at the time, and my doctor neglected to tell me that my already-dry eyes whould dry up even more. My contacts suctioned to my eyes, and I almost ended up in the hospital because my eye doctor though I had a highly-contagious eye disease. I quit after four months because I couldn't handle it any more.

That stuff is poison and should only be used in the most drastic situations. Surely today there are other treatments for cystic acne that would be better than this.

[mopinko]

4. a doc in chi was murdered by a patient that had a psychotic break after taking it.

dr david cornbleet.
his widow is an old friend. it was a truly shocking crime. a huge stabbing.
he was a wonderful guy. even when they looked at possible patient disputes, they couldnt find a clue.
the cops had nothing, even tho they had some security cam footage.
the son solved the case when he found the dude complaining on the web on some malpractice bitch page.

an aside- the murderer fled to french territory in the carribean, where he was able to get french citizenship. he then couldnt be extradited, because he was clearly facing the dp.
my senators tried hard to get him extradited. durbin was all business, and pushed it hard.
the new kid, a skinny guy w a funny name, the widow later told me, had gone "above and beyond his duties as a senator, and was the kindest, most considerate and empathetic person she ever met."
she wouldnt say any more than that, but i can easily imagine big hugs, and meals delivered, and likely flowers to boot.
that is a story i tell to any fools who try to tell me obama was not what he seemed.
got a lot of mileage out of it on the campaign trail, too.

got a whole bunch more of those about my homie.