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Popular acne medication Accutane® has been linked to serious and painful intestinal problems such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), which is characterized by chronically red and swollen intestines.
Accutane (isotretinoin) is a prescription drug used to treat patients whose acne has not responded to other treatments, such as antibiotics. Although Accutane was pulled from the US market last year, generic versions of the drug including Claravis®, Sotret®, and Amnesteem® are still sold.
In 2009, a study linked isotretinoin to an increased risk of IBD. Symptoms of IBD include abdominal pain and cramping, diarrhea, fever, weight loss, and bleeding. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are two of the major forms of IBD. Both can be life-threatening.
Other serious side effects have also been associated with isotretinoin. In February, Health Canada issued a public health alert linking the drug to rare reports of severe skin reactions (erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis) resulting in hospitalization, disability, and death.
