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I read the "literature" on Accutane. Except for those chemical formulas and some of the many extremely large words. I don't have a degree in chemistry, so that was kind of hard for me to understand.

I found a warning concerning the possibility of suicide. It concerned me. I asked the dermatologist about that. She assured me that it was essentially not proven, at this time, that the drug increases the risks of suicide in normal teenagers. She gave me some percentages, which sounded like there was only a small risk.

I decided not to buy the drug for my son. I asked the dermatologist to prescribe some other therapy, whatever else was available that was acceptable.

I will never know if I saved my son from experiencing a life-threatening side effect, or not.

But I do know that "reading the literature" is not enough to educate a layperson like me about a drug. I am not a chemist.

However, I am the daughter of a doctor.

Well, after your son started, did you look out for any changes in your sons mental stability?

FWIW...the suicide rate for those who take Accutane is well BELOW the norm.