Imagine taking a widely accepted medication for acne, only to become afflicted with a serious digestive tract disorder which caused you pain, bleeding, and other symptoms every time you had a bowel movement. That's the fate of hundreds and perhaps thousands of Accutane users, who viewed this "miracle" drug (which originally was approved by the FDA as a form of chemotherapy) as a way to escape from suffering severe acne.
There are several forms of IBD, several of which fall under the umbrella name of "Ulcerative Colitis." As with general forms of IBD, Ulcerative Colitis can have different levels of symptoms and it can be difficult to determine whether it is the form of IBD which is afflicting a given individual. A medical opinion is almost certainly required to determine both the form of Ulcerative Colitis being suffered, and to help decide upon a course of treatment which will be effective for the patient.
Depending on which form of Ulcerative Colitis one is suffering from, symptoms can include: bleeding, swelling, and rectal pain, inflammation through the entire rectum and into the colon (partnered with weight loss and bloody diarrhea, this is a sign of "Left Sided Colitis"), or "Pancolitis," which affects the entire colon and has similar, but even more severe symptoms. The most disturbing form of Ulcerative Colitis is "Fulminant Colitis," which is life threatening and can carry risks of complications like the rupturing and distending of the colon.
While there are a handful of treatments for Ulcerative Colitis, many focus on controlling symptoms through changing diets or using medications to keep symptoms at bay. No cure is known, which makes the fact that patients often suffer these as a side effect of using the popular drug Accutane (or its generic alternatives) even crueler - because they trusted a pharmaceutical company's claim that the drug was safe, they will be dealing with the effects of their choice for years to come. In extreme cases, surgery removes the afflicted organs - an even steeper price to pay for wanting to rid oneself of acne.
Because the symptoms can range in severity from mild to extreme, a high percentage of sufferers never realize or report their symptoms. This makes it even more important that those who have taken Accutane and suffer any of the above-listed symptoms, however mild, contact both a doctor and lawyer as soon as the issue is identified.
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The greatest wealth is health. -Virgil