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Hi guys! It's been awhile since I was last here, and I figured if any community would help, it'd be here.

 

Long story short, I'm considering going the Accutane route soon for my acne. I've had my jpouch for nearly two years, and while there's the blanket "this drug may cause UC" blah blah disclosure, I have literally been unable to find any commentary (including from my derm or my GI) on whether there are potential issues within the context of, well, actually having had UC and no longer having a colon...

 

Has anyone done a round of isotretinoin with a pouch, or read anything about doing so?

 

I've read enough studies to be aware that the "link" between Accutane and IBD is very, very casual, and so it shouldn't pose any problems there, but I also know it's a heavy-duty drug regardless.

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Good Dawg, in all likelihood Accutane didn't cause your UC - it certainly doesn't cause most cases, and it probably doesn't cause any. OTOH you can probably get some class action lawyers very excited to sign you up, and they might even collect a payday. Statistics isn't taught in law school, nor in jury school. Yes, I know there's no "jury school."

It's just a "casual" connection, yes.  Some studies found no link in their populations. Some showed possibility to probability. Like all "causes," not clear-cut.

Hubby took it as an 18 year old. Never developed gut issues, but boy, that drug dried him out something fierce and he had to avoid the sun like the plague!  His skin literally was flaking off, huge flakes, and he was crazy light sensitive (though those are common side effects).  I'd be more worried about the drying effect with the lack of large bowel and our risk of dehydration.
Last edited by rachelraven

I took Accutane back in the 1980s to treat deep cystic acne.  At that point I had already had UC since 1972, and the main concerns about the drug back then was that it could cause severe depression.  In my case it worked very well in clearing up acne.  It was a several month course on the drug as I recall.  I didn't notice any side effects.

Accutane may not directly cause UC but it's got a laundry list of other side effects and potential risk factors, and unless I had severe acne that didn't respond to other treatments I would not even consider it. Just my two cents, though.  It's a touchy topic for me, because in my late teens/early twenties I was prescribed Diane-35 which did help my acne but which has since been pulled off the market for being linked to at least 5 deaths in Canada. At the time it was prescribed to me, there were numerous publications about the potential risks, however none of that was disclosed to me by the doctor who prescribed it, nor the pharmacist, until I happened to see an incidental story on the evening news months after I started taking it.  I definitely felt misled. Anyway, I the point I'm trying to get to, without rambling on too much, is that if you believe the potential trade off is worth the potential risk, then go for it.

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