Accutane & Bone Growth

I know there are many of you out there who have taken Accutane during your formative adolescent years. I have a question and a concern. My nephew is 16 years old and has severe acne. My sister is contemplating putting him on Accutane because he doesn't even want to go to school anymore due to his embarassment over his skin. I have read that Accutane can stunt the bone growth of the "long" bones, but I have read nothing pertaining to the stunting of the cranium or facial bones due to Accutane use. My nephew is already 6 feet tall, so his vertical growth is not a concern. However, I am very worried about his cranial/skull and facial bone development because there are growth plates in the cranium as well. The male skull and face can develop up through 25 years of age. Did any male (or female) out there take Accutane at a young age and still have skull and facial growth post Accutane therapy?? Did anyone out there notice that he/she stopped their facial and cranial development post Accutane?? I thank you for any response to these questions.

I believe that accutane altered the growth of my facial bone structure, particularly my cheekbones and jaw. The result is a short and fat face despite being underweight. At first I thought that this was just genetics, but when I look at photos of me as a 13 year old, I appeared the same age as I do now at 18. I also have irreversible hair loss due to accutane. I would not recommend the drug to any developing teenager.

I took accutane in my mid 20's and it worked very well for me.

But the FDA's information about Accutane lists stunted bone growth as one possible side effect.

Has the dermatologist tried prescribing him a course of antibiotics and some topical medication such as Differin gel?

If that doesn't work for him, accutane might be the only option. I took antibiotics for years with limited success.
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Paul Michaels
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
www.AcneTreatmentJournal.com

My question is about accutane and the potential stunting of long bone growth. Has anyone experienced this and/or is anyone aware of definitive research on the topic. I have been told that it is a very remote possibility and only if a person is on accutane for more than one cycle.

No, it doesnt stunt bone growth.

I have small chin and small head in comparison to the rest of my family. I am wondering if this is the reason why. If this is the cause it has really made my life bad in regards to looks

Me too. I took accutane when I was about 15. I believe my facial bone structure growth was impeded and now I have too narrow a jaw, especially since everyone else in my family has a well defined and wide jaw.

there are sporadic reports of premature closure of epiphyseal plates which are only in long bones (arms and legs). The cranium is composed of membranous bone which has no epiphyseal plates. So it should not be a problem in this case.

Thanks, Nobudy. Are you a doctor or where did your info come from? I guess if you're a doctor you might not be able to say.?

this happened to me too :( i used to have a nice face but it stopped growing at 16 (bone growth) and the accutane stopped it, although after i stopped it I continued to get fleshier, now i have a short fat face :( wwiht undefined jaw line (used to be a nice one) :(

So how can we find this stuff out for sure? Who can we talk to who can back their info up with a presentable degree, etc? And when/if we find out for sure, what can we do about it?
Does anyone here know?

jay, I think you'd have to complain to the companies who make it, like Hoffmann-La Roche. But I'm not sure what kind of lawyer you'd have to hire to get them to hear your claim seriously. You could also get an online petition going about it to raise awareness - i guarantee there's be no shortage of people to sign it!

i could probably start a website for that reason, think i should???

if you have the time, why not.

Just provide the link in one of your posts here.

http://accutanesucks.blogspot.com/

i am 16yr old guy, a volleyball and basketball player, and i am 6'3". Im wondering if 1) will i stop growing all together by taking accutane? will just my arms/legs stop growing? or if not will any part of me stop growing? and 2) how bad is the pain in the back and joints? i often play in tournaments where i play 4 or 5 games a day, and i already get lower back pain from it. Will accutane amplify the pain to where i cant continue playing tournaments? also, how is muscle development affected by taking accutane?

I have taken Accutane when I was about 14 and now I am 16. My growth chart is normal, and though Accutane could have taken maybe an inch or a half off my growth, I am still 6 ft and my bones are fine. I have done a great deal of research and have found Accutane has absolutely no affect on the bones in the face and cranium, at high doses it only has a possibility of prematurely sealing growth plates responsible for vertical height. I, like your nephew, was severely depressed by my terrible acne and I am very thankful that I took accutane, as no other medicines, topical and oral, worked. Accutane does not affect muscle development, that is all work and genetics. I myself only suffered mildly dry skin during the treatment, which was worth my new self-confidence and being acne free many times over

I took roaccutane for 5 months when I was 15. I was about 5 11-6' then and still am now at the age of 20. I was always tall for my age and come from a tall family. Its pretty annoying though cause now that everyones grown up I'm the shortest out the guys in my family and have had to watch nearly all my friends grow up over me since then, when I haven't shifted a cm in 5 years. Yet again I was also walking round with swollen arthritic knees for 2 years back then aswell (which apparently also stunts your growth), so I was doubly fucked. In a way I'm lucky to be average height. Teenage years can be cruel

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Jeff,
after your accutane treatment have you still experienced any growth in height?Do you remember the dose you took?

Best Regards John

Jeff wrote:

I have taken Accutane when I was about 14 and now I am 16. My growth chart is normal, and though Accutane could have taken maybe an inch or a half off my growth, I am still 6 ft and my bones are fine. I have done a great deal of research and have found Accutane has absolutely no affect on the bones in the face and cranium, at high doses it only has a possibility of prematurely sealing growth plates responsible for vertical height. I, like your nephew, was severely depressed by my terrible acne and I am very thankful that I took accutane, as no other medicines, topical and oral, worked. Accutane does not affect muscle development, that is all work and genetics. I myself only suffered mildly dry skin during the treatment, which was worth my new self-confidence and being acne free many times over