Isotretinoin has also been linked to psychiatric problems such as
depression, violent behavior, and suicide attempts. Scientists do
not know why a drug that targets the skin affects the brain. They
theorize that isotretinoin may lower serotonin levels in the brain.
Low levels of this brain chemical have been linked to depression,
violence, and suicide.
However, this link is controversial. It is unclear
whether isotretinoin actually causes these problems or if the
emotional impact of acne itself, combined with normal mood
swings common to adolescents, is the cause. According to the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA), a government agency that sets
standards and regulations for the safe use of drugs, between 1982
and 2000, 147 people being treated with Accutane either committed
suicide or were hospitalized for suicide attempts. The administration
also reported one hundred violent acts committed
by people taking Accutane in 2002. One such act involved an Accutane
patient who flew a small airplane into a skyscraper in
Tampa, Florida, in January 2002, damaging the building and
killing himself.
The number of attempted and actual suicides among Accutane
users, according to Hoffman-La Roche, the drug company
that manufactures the drug, is comparatively lower than that for
all U.S. citizens ages fifteen to twenty-four, the age group most
likely to be treated with Accutane. But for individuals who experience
psychiatric problems while taking isotretinoin and their
families, the danger that the drug presents seems clearer.
For instance,
Accutane has been implicated in the 2002 suicide of a
fourteen-year-old in Palo Alto, California, who jumped in front
of a commuter train while being treated with the drug. It is also
a possible factor in the 2000 suicide of Michigan congressman Bart Stupak’s son. According to the congressman, “The side effects
of Accutane are not worth it.” 30 In fact, the congressman
would like to see to the drug banned until further studies into
its psychiatric effects are completed.
Although the drug has not been banned, due to these and other
cases it is illegal for doctors to administer the drug until patients read a detailed medical guide, which describes the possible health
risks that isotretinoin presents. The patient must then sign a consent
form stating he or she is aware of the risks.
