Accutane / Roaccutane / Isotretinoin. Acne Drug Pros And Cons!

Hi,
So I have recently discovered a acne drug called Roaccutane or Accutane in america or Isotretinion. I found out about it when i stubled across a documentary on BBC 3's body beautiful season. Here are links to the video on youtube and the official page on the BBC website.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgpYS33kMVc

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00xxy87

Now the interesting thing is that there are 2 sides of the argument on weather this drug is a miracle treatment or a death sentence. If you Google it or search it on youtube then you can find loads of reviews and information about it. I will give you the good side of the story first. Here is someone with a good experience of Accutane.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY6sIDAUqwM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4GbREyEEOI

So there is no doubt that Accutane is effective and everyone knows that it is a strong treatment, its serious stuff. Accutane was originally a skin cancer treatment but when they found it helped acne they started to sell it specifically for acne as well. It makes your skin really dry and after a certain amount of time (There are various different Accutane corses) the acne dissappears. It does what is says it will do. But they do make you sign a form saying there is a tiny chance of suicidal thoughts, so they warn you. There are other side affects that they warn you about but many people only suffer mildly or not at all.

The other side of the argument is that Accutane can and probably will ruin your life, forever. Here are some people talking about bad effects etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMld7Dtpqbk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX5etVb1eXc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tm62inJDSg

The other argument is that Accutane is a seriously bad drug which should be banned from legal use and that the people who sell it should be sued. (The opposing arguments are both very strong and there are dedicated belivers on both sides.) While people are on Accutane they are given regular blood tests, pregnancy tests (Because it causes birth defects.) and genaral checkups. The side effects of Accutane can vary alot but here are some common effects.

Dryness of the skin and mucus membranes.
Miscarriage and severe birth defects.
Depression, anxiety and suicide.
Makes your skin sensitive to the sun - Photosesitivity.
High blood Triglycerides - Fatty blood.
Thinning hair.
Decreased night vision.
Fatigue.
Nausea and vomiting.
Headaches.
Bone and Joint pain.
Severe chest or abdominal pain.
Difficult or painful swallowing.
Trouble concentrating.
Sleep problems.
hallucinations.
Sudden numbness or weaknss especially on one side of the body.
Blurred vision.
Hearing loss or ringing in your ears.
loss of appetite.
jaundice.
Diahrrea.
Flu symptoms.
Fever.
Chills.
Rashes and purple spots under skin.
Etc.

So as you can see there are different sides to this story and there are supporters of both.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWAlDX2iSJA

The other thing people who are against Accutine say is that the side effects don't stop with the drug. There are a lot of people who believe that the effects of Accutane last not just while your on the drug but also stay with you for months afterwoods or for the rest of your life.
I don't know how Accutane effects people first hand as i have never taken it, but i do have spts and it sucks.
I hope you found this information helpful and interesting.
Bye.