Posted on 05/02/2003 9:04:41 PM PDT by Paleo Conservative
Edited on 04/13/2004 2:09:43 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Although Accutane causes birth defects, many acne sufferers love the way the miracle complexion pill makes them look, and so do their doctors. That's why it has become the most widely prescribed birth-defect-causing medicine in the United States.
Many women might be reluctant to reveal their vanities, but Brenda McCoy boldly admits that she's always been concerned about her looks. "I take really good care of myself," says the svelte Orange County mother of four and part-time nurse who's finishing work toward her bachelor's degree at California State University. Despite her hectic schedule, the 40-year-old maintains her figure by running, biking, and power walking.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
I do not use Accutane in my practice and instead choose to refer all recalcitrant acne cases to dermatologists in our area. I have little first hand experience with this particular medication because I choose not to write it often.
Quoting the package insert:
"Pediatric patients and their caregivers should be informed that approximately 29% (104/358) of pediatric patients treated with Accutane devleoped back pain. Back pain was severe in 13.5% (14/104) of the cases and occurred at a higher frequency in female than male patients.
Arthalgias were experienced in 22% (79/358) of pediatric patients.
Arthralgias were severe in 7.6% (6/79) of patients. Appropriate evaluation of the musculoskeletal system should be done in patients who present with these symptoms during or after a course of Accutane. Consideration should be given to discontinuation of Accutane if any significant abnormality is found.
You are the first in this long thread to mention the ethics of assuming an abortion risk for personal vanity.
How can a woman risk either a birth defect or an abortion for her personal vanity?
I also find it offensive that some try to justify this risk by suggesting the alternative is psychological damage or suicide. Get over it on your own. There are lots of people born "ugly" who will never have such a cure. They lead just as normal lives as the rest of us.
I see some women concocting BS reasons to avoid censure by others, since, of course, there was never a conscience to impinge.
I can appreciate that doctor who is not a dermatologist would want to let a specialist be responsible for prescribing accutane. What bothers me is the attitude that bureaucrats in Washington DC, or trial lawyers should want to keep it away from everyone just because there are some really stupid and irresponsible women out there who get pregnant while taking accutane. I was very much aware of accutane before it was approved. I was also aware of the potential side effects before I went on a five month cours of therapy. I can't imagine anyone would want to put up with its side effects if any other therapy worked.
This is nuts. My dad was a dermatologist and I saw first-hand the benefits of accutane. Riddle me this: why should men be denied access to this drug?
Same question for Thalidomide.
The bottle/box/insert for Accutane has radioactive fluorescent WARNINGS all over them about the dangers to pregnant women. Every doctor in the Universe is highly aware of the potential problem. Why then should it be banned?
As I understand it, Thalidomide was a wonderful sedative--because you virtually could not overdose on it. You'd sleep a long time, but not die as is the case with other sedatives. Again, why deny men access to Thalidomide (let alone people with leprosy)?
--Boris
Also thalidomide has been used to treat both AIDS and cancer. Although thalidomide was safe as a sedative, it was never tested for potential side effects during pregnancy prior to being recommended for pregnant women. Acctane was specifically tested for the potential for causing birth defects in animals prior to its ever being tested in humans. It was specifically recommended that pregnant women not take accutane nor should women who were taking or recently completed threapy get pregnant. It seems to be the mentality of bureaucrats and trial lawyers that nobody should be exposed to any risk (even voluntarily) that a pregnant woman should not be exposed to.
Who is apparently paid by the word. Yeesh.
This is close to borderline slander in my book. I have only known one woman who ever tood accutane. She told me the doctor put her through a virtual horror show of pictures, lectures and release statements before he would agree to write the prescription.
Then a local specialist on birth defects arranged for McCoy to meet the adoptive mother of a retarded child with facial anomalies caused by Accutane exposure. Their discussion clinched her decision to end the pregnancy. Painful as it was, she told her husband: "We can't do this to our family."
After McCoy's abortion, the couple decided never to revisit the idea of expanding their family. And McCoy is back on Accutane. "My skin glows when I'm using it," she says. "I would die if they took it off the market."
I thought the same thing you did, ikka. Why would she have an abortion without first attempting to find out whether or not the child was deformed? Who knows? Maybe, she aborted the child so she wouldn't have to cease taking her Accutane for 9 months. After all, she said she'd "die" without it. Her husband obviously wanted to have more children, but they won't be doing that now nor will they ever consider having children in the future. But, that's OK, because her skin just glows.
Kennard, I was surprised (as you probably were too) that so few posts to this thread addressed what you summed up quite well as "the ethics of assuming an abortion risk for personal vanity".
I don't think this drug should be taken off the market, but I think that it probably will be since it's being used and prescribed so recklessly. It should only be given to patients with severe acne, and all non-sterile women of childbearing age who take Accutane should abstain from sexual intercourse.
The operative word here is SHOULD, of course they should, but it's obvious from the article that they don't. Now, our author got the happy abortioner to discuss her happy abortion and glowing skin; not to mention her avoidence of "death" (life/health of the mother exception alert); but I notice the author didn't include any quotes from women whose children died before age one, or who are now institutionlized due to their mother's use of Accutane.
I only suggested accutane be prescribed for men only. But it seems to me that it's simple enough to abstain from sex while taking the drug. I mean, let's face it, abstaining from sex is a pretty simple proposition, no warning labels to read, no bottle caps to unscrew (no pun intended), no devices to use, no messy creams or gels. Or, a woman might choose sterilization if her need to take Accutane over many years was great enough. I can't condone abortion, but abstaining, in the case of a young woman who will take this drug for some limited time; or sterilization for an older woman who wants to be able to always take it, will both certainly prevent pregnancy.
There are many medical conditions and treatments that prevent people from having children. And there are indeed many "ugly" conditions for which there is no treatment. One of those, evidently, is use by one's mother of accutane during pregnancy.
I still don't see why people feel this is a hit-piece, that is to say unfair to Accutane. It does cause these severe, damaging, fatal (even) side effects, that is not in doubt. But, I'm sorry, it just isn't that hard to prevent pregnancy: DON'T HAVE SEX. Then you will have no problems with Accutane. Why is the prevailing ethos of our society that one must be able to have sex at any time, any place, any where, with anyone, and damn the consequences it causes, but, for sure, find someone else to solve any resulting problems, or pay for any pain or difficulty caused by one's sexual activity?
It wasn't my sexual activity that caused my child to be deformed,it was the evil, yet deep pocketed drug companies.
It wasn't my promiscuous homosexual life style that gave me AIDS, it was Republicans.
It wasn't my mid-life affair with the floozy that cost me my fortune and my children's affections, it was my bitch of an ex-wife.
Please, who can't see through this BS?
If it causes birth defects then it must cause chromosomal damage, breaks in the DNA. I would never want to use something that does that ---how many of these "beautiful" people will end up with face cancer someday?
Well, if you accidentally had three children while using birth control, then yes, that does support one of my points: Birth control is not 100% effective. However, in order to promote their product/agenda, the advocates of birth control have fostered the myth of effectiveness -- the idea that women using birth control can reliably avoid pregnancy (Point #2). This is simply not true over the long run; a method that is 95 percent effective will translate into many thousands of unintended pregnancies when used for many years by a large population. Furthermore, some women who believe that birth control is effective for them are mistaken; their own failure to become pregnant is not due to effective birth control, but to impaired reproductive systems (Point #3). The illusion of freedom from unwanted pregnancy, fostered by the advocates of birth control, has encouraged many girls and women toward promiscuity. The attendant increase in sexually transmitted diseases has meant an increase in the number of women who become infertile as a result of diseases such as chlamydia. And so these women's faith in the Pill is ironic: they think the Pill has protected them from pregnancy, when instead, the Pill has encouraged the promiscuous behavior that resulted in them contract a damaging disease that ensures they will never get pregnant.
I hope I've made my several points clearer.
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