Kidney Damage/ Glomerulonephritis/Renal Disease
The kidneys perform a critical filtering role in the body as well as producing and excreting urine to eliminate toxins. Accutane is known to damage the body's internal organs, including the kidneys.
From the Accutane Medication Guide:
Certain symptoms may mean that your internal organs are being damaged. These organs include the liver, pancreas, bowel (intestines), and esophagus (connection between mouth and stomach). If your organs are damaged, they may not get better even after you stop taking Accutane. Stop taking Accutane and call your prescriber if you get severe stomach, chest or bowel pain, trouble swallowing or painful swallowing, new or worsening heartburn, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, yellowing of your skin or eyes, or dark urine.
Accutane Side Effects Label Warnings include the following under Adverse Side Effects:
Urinary System: glomerulonephritis, nonspecific urogenital findings.
Glomerulonephritis
Glomerulonephritis is type of kidney disease caused by inflammation of the internal kidney structures known as glomeruli, which are bundles of tiny vessels within the kidneys whose job is to filter waste products and exess water from the body and secrete it in the urine. If the kidneys cannot perform this function, serious consequences can result.
Glomerulonephritis can manifest from mild to chronic. Chronic Glomerulonephritis also known as Chronic Nephritis is the advanced stage of kidney disease with chronic inflammation and progressive destruction of the glomeruli, resulting in eventual kidney failure and end-stage kidney disease. In about one-fourth of people with chronic glomerulonephritis there is no prior history of kidney disease, and the disorder first appears as chronic kidney failure
Symptoms
- Blood in the urine, discolored urine, dark, rust-colored or brown urine
- Frequent or excessive urination
- Foamy urine
- Decreased urine output
- Need to urinate at night
- Excessive thirst
- High blood pressure/hypertension
- Nausea and vomitting
- Bloody vomit or stools
- High blood pressure
- Bloody nose
- Vasular changes in the eye, or bleeding in the eye area
- Decreased altertness, confusion, drowsiness, lethary, delerium
- Muscle cramps and/or muscle twitches
- Odd skin color (yellow or brown)
- Decreased sensation in the extremities (hands or feet)
- General malaise, headache, fatigue
- Unintentional weight loss
- Frequent hiccups
- Itching
- Easy bruising or bleeding
- Swelling (edema) or fluid in the heart and lungs
- Small or shrunken kidneys on x-ray, ultrasound or CT scan
- Coma or seizures in end-stage kidney disease
Mild glomerulonephritis may produce no symptoms, and may not show up immediately upon exposure to Accutane. Diagnosis of the condition is made by urinalysis, diagnostic x-ray, ultrasound or CT scan, which may indicate the kidneys have shrunk to as little as one-fifth their normal size.
If you or a loved one has suffered from kidney complications from taking Accutane, please call or e-mail today and we will evaluate your Accutane claim for free.